She waited while this message was sent to the recalcitrant peons, who lounged lazily toward the House at her summons.
"I sent for both of you," said Agueda. "Why have you done no cacao planting to-day?"
"Ain' got no messages," replied Pablo, who seemed to have taken upon himself the rôle of general responder.
"You know very well that it is the messages that make no difference. Bring your machetes, both of you," ordered Agueda, "and come with me to the hill patch."
For answer the peons drew their machetes lazily from their sheaths.
"I knew that you had them, of course. Come, then! I am going to the field. Where is the cacao, Pablo?"
"And did some one, perhaps, mix the wood ashes with them?"
Pablo turned to Eduardo Juan, open-mouthed, as if to say, "Did you?"
Agueda also turned to Eduardo Juan. "Well! well!" she exclaimed impatiently, "were the wood ashes mixed, then, with the cacao seeds?"
Eduardo Juan shifted from one foot to the other, looked away at the river, and said, "Ah did not ogsarve."
"You did not observe. Oh, dear! oh, dear! Why can you never do as the Señor tells you? What will become of the plantation if you do not obey what the Señor tells you?"
"Seño' ain' say nuttin'," said Eduardo Juan, with a sly smile.
Agueda looked away. "I am not speaking of the Señor. I mean the Señor Adan," said she. "You know that he has charge of all; that he had charge long before--come, then! let us go."
As Agueda descended the steps of the veranda, she heard Beltran's voice calling to her. She turned and looked back. Don Beltran was standing in the open door of the salon. His pleasant smile seemed to say that he had just been indulging in agreeable words, agreeable thoughts.
"Agueda," said Beltran, "bring my mother's cross here, will you? I want to show it to my cousin."
Agueda turned and came slowly up the steps again. She went at once to her own room and opened the drawer where the diamonds lay in their ancient case of velvet and leather. The key which opened this drawer hung with the household bunch at her waist. The drawer had not been opened for some time, and the key grated rustily in the lock. Agueda opened the drawer, took the familiar thing in her hand, and returning along the veranda, handed it to Beltran. Then she ran quickly down the steps to join the waiting peons. But Felisa's appreciative scream as the case was opened reached her, as well as the words which followed.