led her brood of chicks into the house on a
foray for crumbs, and in the shade of the wall a mongrel bitch luxuriously
gave teat to four pups. Bees humming about the hollyhocks bathed the scene
in sleepy sound.

Catalina, utterly unembarassed, shook hands with her host and hostess in
the limp, brief way of the Mexicans, and then, while Ramon talked with
them, sat down in the shade, shook loose her heavy black hair and began to
comb it. A little half-naked urchin of three years came and stood before
her. She stopped combing to place her hands on his shoulders, and the two
regarded each other long and intently, while Catalina's mouth framed a
smile of dull wonder.

As Ramon drove back to town, he marvelled that he should ever have desired
this clod of a woman; but he was grateful to her for the bovine calm with
which she accepted things. He would visit her once in a while. He felt
pretty sure that he could count on her not to make trouble.

Afterward he discussed the situation with Cortez. The latter was worried.

"You better look out," he counselled. "You better send him a message you
are going to marry her. That will keep him quiet for a while. When he gets
over being mad, maybe you can make him take a thousand dollars instead."

Ramon shook his head. If he gave Archulera to understand that he would
marry the girl, word of it might get to town.

"He'll never find her," he said confidently. "I'll do nothing unless he
comes to me."

"I don't know," Cortez replied doubtfully. "Is he a _penitente_?"

"Yes; I think he is," Ramon admitted.

"Then maybe he'll find her pretty quick. There are some _penitentes_ still
in the valley and all _penitentes_ work together. You better look out."

CHAPTER XX

He had resolutely put the thought of Julia as much out of his mind as
possible. He had conquered his disappointment at not being able to see her
for a month, and had resolved to devote that month exclusively to hard
work. And now came another one of those small, square, brief letters with
its disturbing scent of lavender, and its stamp stuck upside down near the
middle of the envelope.

"I will be in town tomorrow when you get this," she wrote, "But only for a
day or two. We are going to move up to the capital for the rest of the
year. Gordon is going to stay here now. Just mother and I are coming down
to pack up our things. You can come and see me tomorrow evening."

It was a