CHAPTER XXIV.
ON THE CLIFF.
During the remainder of the day Juanita avoided Greg Carker.
Evening came. Within the house the boys were singing the old collegesongs to the accompaniment of a piano as Juanita stole away alone andlistened a long time from a corner of the veranda. Tears dimmed hereyes, and she whispered soft words to herself.
"I know I'm a veree fooleesh girl," she said. "I cannot help eet. Eetees not to be that he should care for me."
Her heart throbbed with bitter disappointment. She left the house behindand wandered away through the dusky June night. Crossing the road andthe fields, she came at last to Ripple Lake, on the edge of which shelingered while the moon crept up in the east.
"I ought to return," she murmured. "If they mees me, they will becomealarmed. But I cannot go back there yet--I cannot go back!"
Her restless spirit led her round the shore of the lake until shefinally found herself on a bluff that rose from the water's edge. Themoon was now behind her back. At the brink of the bluff she peered overinto the shadow below.
A footstep startled her.
With a smothered cry, she turned and found herself face to facewith--Jose Murillo.
"It is you, Juanita!" he exclaimed, in Spanish. "All day I have waitedand watched for the opportunity to speak with you!"
"Senyor Murillo, why did you come here? You promised----"
"What is a man's promise to a gringo!" he retorted. "Did you think theycould frighten Jose away from you? No, no, Juanita!"
"But I do not want to see you."
"You're a foolish girl. Why are you so determined against me? Yourfather gave me his promise----"
"It will do you no good to speak of that, senyor. I tell you now for thelast time that I do not care for you--I never can. If you are agentleman, you will bother me no more. I'm going back now."
He placed himself before her.
"Not yet!" he exclaimed.
"You cannot stop me, senyor!"
"Oh, yes, I can, senyorita. Don't fancy I've followed you all the wayfrom Mexico to be baffled so easily. The Murillos are determined men. Ihave resolved that you shall be mine!"
"Never!"
"That word is easy to speak. What have I done that you should despiseme?"
"You say the Murillos are determined men. They are, likewise, bloodymen. I know not why my father favored you. I do know that my motherfeared all Murillos, even as I fear you."
"It is good for a woman to have a husband whom she fears and respects."
"In this case fear and respect do not go together, senyor. I have norespect for you."
"Then I will teach you respect when you are mine."
"That opportunity will never be given you. Look, senyor, we stand at theedge of this cliff. The water is very close at hand. I wish you tounderstand me. Rather than become your wife, I'd leap into that water. Icannot swim."
"Leap!" he exclaimed. "I will leap after you, and I cannot swim!"
"Are you mad?"
"It is madness perhaps, senyorita, but it is the madness of love. Youmust understand me now. You must understand how useless it is to flyfrom me. Once I thought you cared for another man. Once I was jealous ofEmmanuel Escalvo. He never knew how close he walked with death. When Ilearned you did not care for him I put away my knife. There can be noothers--unless you have met him within a few hours. I am satisfied thatthere is no other."
With sudden indiscretion and defiance, she exclaimed:
"You're wrong, Senyor Murillo! There is another!"
He uttered a sudden curse.
"Who is the man? Tell me his name, and he shall have what EmmanuelEscalvo escaped!"
She was frightened by her folly.
"Who is the man?" he snarled, suddenly seizing her. "Speak quick--speakat once!"
"You hurt me, senyor!" she panted, striving to break from his grasp. "Letme go!"
"I will not! I have you now, and I'll keep you! I'll never let you go!"
"I beg your pardon," said a quiet voice, "but I think you're mistaken."
Jose Murillo found himself sprawling on the ground. He looked up, and inthe moonlight he saw Gregory Carker offering Juanita support.
"Oh, why deed you come?" panted the girl. "Now he weel know! He weelkeel you!"
Snarling like an angry dog, Murillo leaped to his feet. The moonlightshimmered on a blade he had whipped from his bosom.
"This ees the man!" he panted triumphantly, as he sprang at Greg.
Carker flung up his arm, and Murillo's knife slashed his sleeve fromshoulder to elbow.
In a twinkling Greg had closed with the Mexican, grasping the man'swrist and holding him in an effort to keep him from using the knife.
Juanita sought to interfere, but the cool, determined young Americanwarned her back.
"Leave this man to me," he said.
"He has the knife!"
"But I don't think he'll use it," said Carker, as he backheeled Murillo.
In a moment they were down, twisting and squirming and writhing on theground.
With her hands clasped, and her lips parted, Juanita looked on, standingready to do her best should she see Murillo free his knife hand.
Carker had once been an athlete. He was not now in the best condition,but, nevertheless, he was stronger than his foe, and he finally pinnedMurillo to the ground.
"Drop that knife!" commanded Greg, seeking to force the weapon from theMexican's fingers.
In this attempt he had almost succeeded, when of a sudden Murillosquirmed away, rolled over and over and scrambled up.
Carker rose on the brink of the cliff and again faced the man. Murillocame at him with a leap, making a savage slash with the knife. Carkerdodged just in time and thrust out his foot. Over that outthrust footthe Mexican tripped. Straight forward he plunged, with a cry and asplash, into the water below.
"Perhaps a cold bath will do him good," observed Carker, breathing atrifle heavily.
Juanita seemed ready to faint.
"Oh, senyor, you are the brave man!" she breathed. "Oh, my heart eet beatso for you! I have such a terrible fear that he would keel you!"
Carker felt a strange thrill that ran over him from head to feet.
"Would you have cared so much?" he asked hoarsely.
"Eet would have keeled me, too, senyor!" she answered. "The lake--Ishould have leaped into eet! Like Murillo, I cannot swim."
"Like Murillo, eh?" exclaimed Greg. "Then the fellow can't swim? Well, Ithink it's up to me to pull him out."
He stripped off his coat, ran some distance away to a point where hecould descend to the water's edge and made his way along the foot of thelittle bluff. Peering into the shadows, he called in vain to theMexican.
Out beyond the point where the cliff shadow lay on the water there weretiny shimmering waves, but in that shadow he could see nothing.
"I'm afraid this is rather a serious matter for Jose Murillo," hemuttered. "Had I realized the scoundrel couldn't swim, I'd followed himinto the lake and pulled him out. I take it he's gone."
Juanita called to him from above:
"Can't you see him, Senyor Carkaire?"
"Don't be alarmed, Juanita," he answered. "I'm coming back there. I'llbe with you in a moment."
He took one last look in search of the Mexican.
"I had to defend myself," he thought. "I'm sorry I was concerned in it,but I think Jose Murillo will trouble Juanita no more."
She was waiting in a trembling anxiety as he reappeared. He picked uphis coat and put it on.
"Deed you find heem?"
"Not a trace," answered Carker. "He must have sunk like a stone. It's anunfortunate affair, Juanita, but you have no further cause to fear thatman. Come, little girl, I'll take you back to the house. Give me yourarm."
Timidly she clung to his arm, and they turned their steps toward MerryHome.
"Do you believe in fate?" asked Carker.
"Si, senyor. Eet was fate that I should meet Senyor Murillo
as I deed."
"And it was fate that led me here. I have been seeking an opportunity tospeak with you all the afternoon. You would not give me a chance. Everytime I approached you ran away from me. Why did you do so, Juanita?"
"Why deed you weesh to speak with me?"
"I had something I wished to say. Juanita, I can't seem to find thewords. I presume I'm rather excited. That's natural under thecircumstances. It was something about you that bewitched me. It musthave been your eyes."
"Oo, what ees eet you say, senyor? You theenk I do not know sometheeng.On the train you tell of the girl who would not marree you--the girl whomarree the other man. You meet her in the car with Senyora Badgaire. Iknow! I know! She ees the one! You luf her!"
"I may as well make a clean breast of it," said Carker. "I thought I didonce. She gave me the shake, Juanita. It's all over now."
"How can you say that? You theenk me a foolish girl to believe you? Waitand I weel tell you what I see. This afternoon you meet her in thelittle retreat of the shrubbery. I deed not know you were there. I walkout alone. I pass the place. I see you with her."
"That was unfortunate--for me. I presume it looked like an appointment.It was an accident, Juanita. It's all over between Mrs. Morton andGregory Carker."
But the girl remembered how she had seen them standing there lookinginto each other's eyes, while the woman's arm was on Carker's shoulder.
"Wait, senyor!" she panted. "Many time I have been told all the Americansare deceivers. I know what I see with my eyes. Juanita ees no longer achild."
"Oh, won't you listen? Won't you take my word?"
"I weel not leesten now," she declared. "Some time when you prove to methat you no longer care for her, maybe I weel leesten. I must have theproof, senyor."
"I'll prove it somehow!" vowed Carker.