"
"Why was he transferred? Come! What ails your tongue, Dolores?"
"Well, I keep my eyes open and my ears, too. I am no fool--"
Dolores paused doubtfully.
"Yes, yes!"
Dolores drew closer. "Rosa Morales--you know the girl? Her father
works the big pump-engine at the river. Well, he is not above
anything, that man; not above selling his own flesh and blood, and
the girl is no better. She thinks about nothing except men, and
she attends all the bailes for miles around, on both sides of the
river. Panfilo loved her; he was mad about her. That's why he came
here to work."
"They were engaged, were they not?"
"Truly. And Panfilo was jealous of any man who looked at Rosa. Now
you can understand why--he was sent away." Dolores's sharp eyes
narrowed meaningly. "Senor Ed has been riding toward the river
every day, lately. Panfilo was furious, so--"
"I see! That is all I care to hear." Alone, Alaire stood
motionless for some time, her face fixed, her eyes unseeing; but
later, when she met her husband in the dining-room, her greeting
was no less civil than usual.
Ed acknowledged his wife's entrance with a careless nod, but did
not trouble to remove his hands from his pockets.
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