d telling over the beads of her rosary.

She was not the last to enter the church; still another devotee came
later. About the time that she was leaving the portal a carreta drove
into the plaza, and halted in a remote corner. A young girl leaped out
of the carreta, tripped nimbly across the square, in the direction of
the church, and passed within the portal. The dress of this new-comer--
a flaming red "nagua," broidered chemisette, and reboso--showed that she
belonged to the poorer class of citizens. She was a poblana.

She entered the church, but before kneeling she threw an inquiring
glance along the array of backs. Her eye became fixed upon one that was
covered with a manta. It was that of the lady of whom we have spoken.
This seemed to satisfy the poblana, who, gliding over the floor, knelt
down in such a position that her elbow almost rested against that of the
lady.

So silently had this movement been executed that the lady did not
perceive her new neighbour until a slight "nudge" upon the elbow caused
her to start and look round. A gleam of satisfaction lit up her
features, though her lips continued to repeat the prayer, as if nothing
had happened.

After a while came the cue for adopting the pose of rest, and then the
two kneeling figures--senorita and poblana--dropped towards each other,
so that their arms touched. A moment later and two hands became
uncovered--one a little brown-skinned paw from under the reboso--the
other, a delicate arrangement of white and jewelled fingers, from the
manta.

They came in contact as if by a mutual understanding, and, though they
were _en rapport_ but a half-second, a close observer might have noticed
a small roll of paper passed from one to the other--from the brown
fingers to the white ones! It would have required a close observer to
have noticed this manoeuvre, for so adroitly was it executed that none
of those kneeling around, either in front or rear, saw anything amiss.

The two hands again disappeared under their respective covers; the
little bell tinkled, and both senora and poblana once more shot into an
upright position, and, with most devout looks, repeated the prayers of
the misa.

When the "oracion" was over, and while sprinkling themselves at the
sacred fount, a few hurried words passed between them; but they went out
of the church separately, and walked off in separate directions. The
poblana hastened across the square, and disappeared into a