Etta found on her return that everything looked more cheerful, and indeed Felipa ran towards her friend and began kissing her as she laughed and cried alternately.

'What is the matter? what has happened?' said Etta; for Catalina looked just as happy, and was praising all the saints in the calendar.

'Catalina is so clever and so good! Fancy! she has seen Carlo, and, look, he has shared our supper!'

'Where is he? have they freed him?'

'No, no--hush!--but it was good Pedro's doing; they made him show them the way to the dungeons, and he got him locked up in the cell that has another door into it, and we can get at it from here. You know that nasty dirty little staircase which we were always afraid of? Well, that leads to his cell. In former times, Catalina says, they used to go down from here and try to get the secrets out of the prisoners by making them false promises. That is why there are two doors in it.'

'And have you seen him? Oh, Catalina, let me go down at once and speak to dear Carlo! He will know now we are going to send a message to Don Alvarez, for Andreas will try hard to get away.'

'No, no, Señorita, you must not go now. I crept down like a snake, and found my poor boy crouched in a corner quite faint for want of food. How he started up when I pushed back the sliding panel! and, in truth, he was ready to fight me, fancying I was a pirate come to murder him. And when he saw it was only old Catalina he nearly cried; though he laughed, too, afterwards. He knew I could not see the tears, mind you, in that dark hole. Well, he ate the bread and fruit in a very short time, and asked no end of questions, poor boy, and sent an especial message to you to tell you he was not so badly off now he could hear news of us. It was as good as any feast, he said.'

'But, Catalina, why did you not bring him here? We could hide him, I am sure we could; and if not, he could escape by the balcony.'

'I suggested it to him, but he was wiser. "My jailors may come at any moment," he said, "and then, seeing me gone, they would soon search and discover the door, and no one can tell what they might then do." Ah, he is a brave youth; it is a pity his father is not like him.'

It was indeed a great comfort to feel that their Carlo was so near to them, and at all events would not die of starvation, as there was before much chance of his doing if left to the tender mercies of his captors, who were now beginning to recover from their carousal, and were being sent to all parts of the two islands with orders to drive the harmless inhabitants in to the various fortresses as if they had been cattle, and to treat all who resisted the appropriation of their goods as if they were rebels.