ot calmly, quietly,
and unshrinkingly, without boldness, and yet without shyness. It was
as though she wished to read the true character of this man, so as to
see what hope there might be.

"Your name!" said Lopez to Brooke, in a tone of command.

"Raleigh Brooke," said he.

"Senor Brooke," said Lopez, "you must be aware that the accounts
which you gave of yourself last night were very contradictory. Even
at the best, you are, according to your own statement, a newspaper
correspondent, which in our eyes is the same as a spy. But more than
this, you confess yourself to be an American, which makes it still
worse. And so, senor, you see that you are in an awkward position.
But this is not all. There is something more that I must ask. You
speak of having come on in trains--that were stopped. Were you not on
that train which was stopped by the Carlists?"

"No," said Brooke, firmly, and without a moment's hesitation.

That was false, of course; but Brooke had already identified himself
with Talbot, for her sake, and had told a story to which he was now
forced to adhere. It would have been far better if he had told the
truth at the outset, but it was too late now. So he answered "No."

"One of our men came on by the train in which you say you came,"
continued Lopez, "and has no recollection of you."

"Very possible," said Brooke, coolly; "and I don't suppose I have any
recollection of him. People can't remember all who come and go in
railway trains, even in America, where all the carriages are in one;
but here, where each car is divided into coaches, how can one know
anything about his fellow-passengers?"

"I came in the train that was stopped by the Carlists," said Lopez.

"Did you see me there?" asked Brooke.

"No," said Lopez; "but there was a priest."

"Was that the priest?" asked Brooke, pointing to Talbot.

"No," said Lopez--"not at all. This priest that I refer to had a
beard, and wore spectacles: he was a totally different man from your
friend."

Lopez now paused and reflected for a few moments.

"Come," said he at length, "I'll give you a chance. I'm not cruel; I
hate bloodshed; and I don't care about shooting prisoners even when
they're spies. We all look on you as a spy, but I'll give you a
chance to save yourself. I'll tell you all frankly. It is this:

"I myself came on in that train that was stopped by the Carlists. In
that same train there was a party of English ladies and gentlemen.
All of th