With their arms about each other’s shoulders they gayly ran to that strange rift in the mountain side, which disclosed its heart of rock. There they sat down upon a jutting boulder to gaze into the awful depths.
“It’s the most—most fascination place I ever saw.”
“Pooh! Fascinating is what you mean. You quite make me ashamed, sometimes, Carlota, when you forget to be proper in your speech.”
She accepted the reproof with perfect good humor:
“Do I? That’s too bad. But never mind it now. Carlos, do you see anything—very wonderful—down in that—abyss? Is that the right word, darling?”
Not being himself sure he evaded the question.
“It’s the strangest canyon I ever saw. Looks as if some mighty giants had taken monstrous sledge-hammers and split the mountain in two. As if all its insides were those curious, dark stones. But such giants, Carlota! They must have been able to reach to the sky; and their hammers would, surely, have weighed a thousand thousand tons!”
“O, Carlos! They couldn’t be so big!”
“Did I say they were? I said—do pay attention, Carlota, and not stare down there so! If you had more imag—imagernation, little sister, you would have more enjoyment.”
“Would I? Seems you aren’t ‘talking’ much, only finding out things I ought to do. Carlos, I’m going down to the bottomest bottom of that place!” and, leaning forward, she pointed toward the awful chasm.