"And does he love you?" Carmen asked softly.
"That is true," she replied, quite convinced.
Love has this adorable thing about it, that it is essentially illogical; were it not so, it would not be love. Suddenly the young ladies rose, and laid their hands on their heart.
How did they know? The deepest silence prevailed outside. Then, quitting the dining room, they fled to the garden like startled doves. Almost immediately there was a knock at the door. The old servant doubtless recognized the knock, for he at once opened. The count and his friend entered.
"In the _huerta_, Excellency," the servant answered, as he closed the door after them.
The ladies were seated in an arbour; doña María was embroidering, the young ladies were attentively reading--so attentively, indeed, that, though they suddenly blushed, they did not hear the sound of their visitors' footsteps on the gravel walks, and were greatly surprised on perceiving them.
The gentlemen took off their hats on entering the arbour, and bowed respectfully to the ladies.
"Here you are at last, gentlemen," doña María remarked with a smile; "do you know that we felt very anxious?"
"Not so very," doña Dolores murmured, "these gentlemen have doubtless found an opportunity to amuse themselves elsewhere and took advantage of it."
The count and Dominique gazed at the young ladies in surprise, for they did not understand.
"Come, come, little mad caps," doña María said gently: "do not torment the poor young men so, you render them quite confused: it is probable that they did not come sooner because they were prevented."
"Oh! These gentlemen are perfectly at liberty to come when they please:" doña Dolores said disdainfully.
"We should be sorry to feel angry with them for such a trifle," Carmen added with the same tone.
This was the death shot for the young men, and they completely lost countenance. The teasing girls looked at them for a second, and then burst into such a frank and sudden laugh, that the count and Dominique turned pale with annoyance.
"¡Viva Dios!" the _vaquero_ exclaimed, stamping his foot angrily, "It is too unkind to punish us thus for a fault we have not committed."
"Don Adolfo detained us against our will!" the count said.