till avenin', or mighta be discovaire, you
know. Ha, senor?"

CHAPTER XXXV.

IN WHICH TWO FUGITIVES HAVE A STARTLING ADVENTURE, NOT WITHOUT PERIL.

Evening came, and Russell, with Rita's assistance, put on the woman's
dress over his general's uniform. The skill of Rita was exerted to
give her companion the appearance of a female somewhat stricken in
years, and her success was marked.

Perhaps it was this very success that affected the soul of Russell;
for no sooner did he look like an old woman than he began to feel and
act like one. Away went all his courage, and he would have drawn back
after all, had not Rita urged and almost forced him away.

"Allarighta," she said. "The men all gone insidar, and so ongry they
think of ony the eaters. So come, my dear. No one shall see. You be
trust to myselfa--an' we go like snake in the grasses."

Russell thus allowed himself to be hurried away by his bolder
companion on the path that led to liberty. Rita led the way out into
the upper hall, and Russell followed, not without great trepidation,
and bitter regret at his rashness, expecting at every step to see
"His Majesty," and of course to be arrested and flung into some deep,
dark dungeon. One or two men were there, who, however, took no notice
of them.

After this they descended the stairs and entered the lower hall.
Here, to the immense dismay of Russell, he beheld what seemed to be
the entire Carlist band. It was their feeding-time. A huge pot was in
the middle of the hall, and these men were dipping out of it their
respective portions of some savory mess whose odor filled the air.
Russell shrunk down almost into his boots at the first sight; but
as Rita walked along, he had no alternative except to follow her.
Little danger was there, however, of his being observed. All the men
were too intent upon their evening meal to notice what seemed like
two very commonplace women who probably belonged to the castle. And
thus Russell, to his unspeakable relief, passed through this ordeal
unquestioned and even unnoticed.

Having passed through the lower hall, they emerged into the outer
court-yard. Here, as he passed through the door, Russell was just
drawing a long breath, and thinking within himself that the worst was
over, when suddenly, without any warning, there approached them no
less a personage than "His Majesty" himself--the very last man, as it
is needless to say, whom Russell would have chosen to meet. At tha