ng
themselves--in fragments and a wrong direction. So far, however, this
had not happened; and Mrs. Penelope Moore, the rector's wife, had
trained vines over them so thickly that they looked like arbors; Mrs.
Penelope, however, had a better name for them than that; she called
them "the cloisters."

The west side of the plaza was occupied by the long front of the old
Government House, the residence of crown officials during Spanish days.
Over its low height, palmetto-trees lifted their ostrich-plumed foliage
high in the air from the large garden behind. At one end there rose
above the roof a lookout tower, which commanded a view of the harbor;
here had floated for two hundred years the flag of Spain, here also had
hung the bell upon which the watchman had struck the signal when the
beacon on Patricio opposite had flamed forth from its iron cage the
tidings that a ship was in sight, a ship from Spain. But the bell had
long been gone, and nothing floated from the old staff now save twice a
year, when on the Fourth of July and Washington's Birthday the
postmaster, who used the old Government House for his post-office,
unfurled there, with official patriotism, the Stars and Stripes of the
United States.

As Winthrop and his companion on their way across the plaza came out
from the shade of the orange-trees, some one spoke Winthrop's name. It
was Dr. Kirby, who was entering the grove by another path which
intersected theirs. Garda Thorne was with him, and a little behind them
appeared the dark countenance of Torres. The Doctor stopped and extended
his hand, it was not the Doctor's custom to pass his friends without
speech. Winthrop therefore stopped too; and then, as the Doctor seemed
to expect it, he presented him to Mrs. Harold. The Doctor paid his
respects in his best manner, and introduced his "young friend, Miss
Thorne, of Gracias-a-Dios." After that, "Mr. Adolfo Torres, of Cuba." He
had been with Miss Thorne (who was spending a day or two with his
mother, Mistress Kirby) to pay an evening visit to Mistress Carew. But
they had not found Mistress Carew at home.

"She is with my aunt," said Winthrop; "the two ladies having a past of
forty years to talk over, Mrs. Harold and I came out for a stroll."

"Ah--a first impression, I conjecture," said the Doctor, standing, hat
in hand, before the northern lady. "You find our little town, I fear,
rather old-fashioned."

"I like old-fashioned things," replied Margaret. "I hav