"Glad of it!" replied Mrs. Vanhoosen.
"No, mother," said Alfred, "you are not glad in your heart."
"Why not?"
"Because you are too much of a lady and a Christian to wish to see a scoundrel triumph over an honest man."
Mrs. Vanhoosen sat down on the lounge and fanned herself in a vigorous manner.
She did not condescend to make any reply.
Lena read the paragraph which her brother had pointed out to her, and learnt from it some startling facts.
It stated that Harkaway and his friends had been stopped on their way to the Geysers by Vasquez the celebrated bandit, who had been the scourge of California for so long a time.
Harvey had been dangerously wounded, and Jack had been carried off, nobody knew where.
When she had fully mastered the contents of this news item, Lena uttered a loud cry.