throp.

CHAPTER II.

The Doctor admitted that Garda could converse in Spanish. He suggested
that they should walk on and join her; joining her, of course, meant
joining Torres. The Cuban proved to be a dark-skinned youth, with dull
black eyes, a thin face, and black hair, closely cut, that stood up in
straight thickness all over his head, defying parting. He was tall,
gaunt, with a great want of breadth in the long expanse of his person;
he was deliberate in all his motions; ungainly. Yet he could not have
been described as insignificant exactly; a certain deep reticent
consciousness of his own importance, which was visible in every one of
his slow, stiff movements, in every glance of his dull, reserved eyes,
saved him from that. He bowed profoundly when introduced to the
northerner, but said nothing. He did not speak after the others came up.
When Garda addressed him, he contented himself with another bow.

They all walked on together, and after some minutes the little ridge,
winding with its sentinel bayonets across old fields, brought them to
the main avenue of the place. This old road, broad as it was, was
completely overarched by the great live-oaks which bordered it on each
side; the boughs rose high in the air, met, interlaced, and passed on,
each stretching completely over the centre of the roadway and curving
downward on the opposite side; looking east and looking west was like
looking through a Gothic aisle, vaulted in gray-green. The little party
entered this avenue; Garda, after a few moments, again separated herself
from Winthrop and Dr. Kirby, and walked on in advance with Torres. The
Doctor looked after them, discomfited.

"We should have spoken Spanish," said Winthrop, smiling.

"I do not know a word of the language!" declared the Doctor, with
something of the exasperation of fatigue in his voice.

For the Doctor was not in the habit of walking, and he did not like to
walk; the plump convexes of his comfortable person formed, indeed,
rather too heavy a weight for his small feet in their little boots. But
he was far too devoted a family friend to be turned back from obvious
duty by the mere trifle of physical fatigue; he therefore waved his hand
towards the live-oaks, and (keeping one eye well upon Garda and her
companion in front) resumed with grace his descriptive discourse. "These
majestic old trees, Mr. Winthrop, were set out to adorn the main avenue
of the place, leading from the river