so oddly mounted. Horses there were galore in the
Sobrante stables and pastures, but never one like this; so white, so
spirited, and yet so marvelously marked. For even by the daylight,
there in the slight shadow of the wall, the animal's eyes glowed with
an unearthly light, terrifying to Natan and startling even to her
fearless self. Indeed it had not been until the moment of her
appearance and Buster's whinnied welcome, that Ferd's horse had turned
its face toward them and revealed his curious visage.

"Why, Ferdinand Bernal!" she cried, giving him his full title, and
thereby mystifying still further the wondering groom. "I do believe
that's the very creature that's been scaring such a lot of people
everywhere! How came you by it and what ails its eyes?"

Ferd lifted a face that was grimy with dirt and streaked with tears.
His misery was evident and needed no words to impress it upon the
tenderhearted girl, who ran to the window, begging:

"What is the matter, Ferd? Poor Ferd! are you ill? In trouble? What?"

"The death. It is the accursed house. Where death comes once--he is
always there. He told me--you must come. Come; now, right away, si.
Before--too late. He said it. Antonio, my brother."

"You know that, then--about your relationship? But what has happened
to him?"

The dwarf glanced at Natan and motioned to her to send him away. For
reasons of his own, the groom was glad enough to obey, because dire
had been the threats of the mighty-fisted Samson, as well as the
stern John Benton, against any on that ranch who should be caught
"consorting with that low-lived Ferd or the late manager." Besides, in
spite of Jessica's apparent indifference to the glowing eyes of the
white horse they infected him with a horrible fear; so he made his
escape at the first chance; leading Nimrod around to the house and
tying him there to await Ninian's pleasure, while he himself resorted
to the most distant and safest spot he could find. This had seemed, in
his mind, the mission corridor; but he found it already occupied by a
party of the ranchmen who had no desire for his society, and after a
short delay frankly told him so. It was in passing from this ancient
structure to his own room in another building that he had been
intercepted by John, and called to account.

Yet, sometime before this, Jessica had finished her interview with the
unhappy Ferd; had written her note of explanation to Ninian, though
keeping her destination