"Consita," I said hesitatingly, "you are not angry with me?"

"Angry?" she repeated haughtily, without looking at me. "Oh, no! Of a
possibility eet is Mees Essmith who is angry that I have interroopt her
tete-a-tete with you, and have send here my brother to make the same
with me."

"But," I said eagerly, "Miss Smith does not even know Enriquez!"

Consuelo turned on me a glance of unutterable significance. "Ah!" she
said darkly, "you _tink_!"

Indeed I _knew_. But here I believed I understood Consuelo and was
relieved. I even ventured to say gently, "And you are better?"

She drew herself up to her full height, which was not much. "Of my
health, what is it? A nothing. Yes! Of my soul let us not speak."

Nevertheless, when Enriquez appeared with Chu Chu she ran towards her
with outstretched arms. Chu Chu protruded about six inches of upper lip
in response--apparently under the impression, which I could quite
understand, that her mistress was edible. And, I may have been
mistaken, but their beautiful eyes met in an absolute and distinct
glance of intelligence!

During the home journey Consuelo recovered her spirits and parted from
me with a magnanimous and forgiving pressure of the hand. I do not know
what explanation of Chu Chu's original escapade was given to Enriquez
and the rest of the family; the inscrutable forgiveness extended to me
by Consuelo precluded any further inquiry on my part. I was willing to
leave it a secret between her and Chu Chu. But strange to say, it
seemed to complete our own understanding, and precipitated, not only
our love-making, but the final catastrophe which culminated that
romance. For we had resolved to elope. I do not know that this heroic
remedy was absolutely necessary from the attitude of either Consuelo's
family or my own; I am inclined to think we preferred it because it
involved no previous explanation or advice.

Need I say that our confidant and firm ally was Consuelo's brother--the
alert, the linguistic, the ever-happy, ever-ready Enriquez? It was
understood that his presence would not only give a certain mature
respectability to our performance--but I do not think we would have
contemplated this step without it. During one of our riding excursions
we were to secure the services of a Methodist minister in the adjoining
county, and later that of the Mission _padre_[169-1]--when the secret
was out. "I will gif her away," said Enriquez confidently, "it will on
the instant