uld love me always?"

The man flushed.

"Did I say that once? What a memory you have!"

"And you never meant it?"

"I suppose so--at the time."

"Then you don't love me any more?"

Ramerrez made no answer.

For some moments Nina sat perfectly still. Her mind was busy trying
to determine upon the best course to pursue. At length she decided to
make one more attempt to see whether he was really in earnest. And if
not . . .

"But to-night," she hazarded, leaning far over the table and putting her
face close to his, her eyes the while flooded with voluptuousness, "you
will come with me to my room?"

Ramerrez shook his head.

"No, Nina, all that is over."

The woman bit her lips with vexation.

"Are you made of stone? What is the matter with you to-night? Is there
anything wrong with my beauty? Have you seen anyone handsomer than I
am?"

"No . . ."

"Then why not come? You don't hate?"

"I don't hate you in the least, but I won't go to your room."

"So!"

There was a world of meaning in that one word. For a while she seemed
to be reflecting; suddenly with great earnestness she said:

"Once for all, Ramerrez, listen to me. Rather than give you up to any
other woman I will give you up to death. Now do you still refuse me?"

"Yes . . ." answered Ramerrez not unkindly and wholly unmoved by her
threat. "We've been good pals, Nina, but it's best for both that we
should part."

In the silence that ensued the woman did some hard thinking. That a man
could ever tire of her without some other woman coming into his life
never once entered into her mind. Something told her, nevertheless, that
the woman with whom he had been conversing was not the woman that she
sought; and at a loss to discover the person to whom he had transferred
his affections, her mind reverted to his avowed purpose of withdrawing
from the proposed Cloudy Mountain expedition. The more Nina reflected
on that subject the more convinced she became that, for some reason or
other, Ramerrez had been deceiving her. It was made all the more clear
to her when she recalled that when Ramerrez' messenger had brought his
master's message that she was to meet him, she had asked where the
band's next rendezvous was to be, and that he, knowing full well that
his countrywoman had ever been cognizant of his master's plans, had
freely given the desired information. Like a flash it came to her now
that no such meeting-place would have been selected for any u