d formally, and they
were both extremely polite, even complimentary. Carmen said that she hoped
Mrs. May wouldn't think it very queer of her, hurrying out to meet Mr.
Hilliard the moment she heard he was near. Of course, she might have
waited for him to come back to Wawona, they said he would be back by ten.
But she was so impulsive! And she had wished to see the redwoods by
sunset and moonrise. She knew Mr. Hilliard wouldn't want to bother about
bringing her here next day, after he had just seen the trees himself, and
for the second time, too. This had been too good a chance to lose. The
trees were wonderful, weren't they? Would Mrs. May and Nick mind stopping
a little longer now that she had come, and letting her see the moon rise?
There was a sort of quiver over the sky as if it would appear soon.

All three sat down, but not in the place where Nick and Angela had sat
together. He could not have endured that. While Carmen talked and the
others answered--when they must--the moon-dawn came; and never would the
Princess di Sereno forget the drift of stars behind the trees, and the
fleecy moon-surf that beat on the high branches. Yet the music of the
forest was silent for her, and the charm was broken.

"What are you going to do to-morrow?" Carmen asked. And Angela answered
before Nick could speak: "Oh, my trip is over. There's nothing more to do
but to go back--by a different way, of course. I have still to see
Inspiration Point, of which I've heard so much. I'm looking forward to
that."

"When you say 'go back,' do you mean San Francisco or the East?" Carmen
tried to make her voice sound indifferent, though polite.

"To San Francisco, for a while. I'm not going East, I hope. I've bought
land near Monterey. I mean to build and make a home for myself in
California."

Carmen's one lingering hope died. She had thought it just possible that
this affair had been a travelling flirtation; that Nick, though
infatuated, would return to his old allegiance when this witch-light, this
will-o'-the-wisp, this love pirate, had gone. But the love pirate intended
to drop anchor in California waters, it seemed! Luckily for Carmen that
the daylight had faded. Changes on a woman's face, if bent a little, could
not be seen in the dusk.

"I wish you'd give me a chance to prove that California women are just as
glad as California men to be nice to strangers," she went on. "Your home
isn't ready yet, so you've nothing to tie you down. Wo