"Very probably; yes, Juan, it was as you say. She did not go for the Padre, and he, waiting in the sacristy, expected me to meet him there. I, on my part, thinking Marina would return every moment, remained before the shrine. Then I felt a hand touch my shoulder, and turned round expecting to see Marina. It was a dwarf Indian, called T'ho, who gave me a message from—as I thought—Cocom and Don Pedro."
"But it was not Cocom who betrayed you, Dolores?"
"No, indeed. But through the craft of Ixtlilxochitli, his name was made use of as a decoy. This Indian, T'ho, did not speak, but gave me an object message."
"Dios! What is that?"
"Do you not know, Juanito? and yet you have dwelt so long in Cholacaca. An object message is one the meaning of which is read by certain things delivered. For instance, querido, in this case, T'ho gave me a yellow flower and several objects cut in bark, including an arrow, a pair of spectacles, and a round coloured red. Now can you understand?"
"The yellow flower meant Cocom! Is that not so? He told me to-day his name was from such a flower."
"Yes, that is right—the spectacles?"
"Eh, Dolores! The spectacles! Oh, I know; Peter wears spectacles."
"You're right, mi amigo," replied Dolores, smiling at his discovery, "and the arrow was a hint to be swift—the rough piece of bark, coloured scarlet, showed that some one was wounded."
"Wait a moment, Dolores," interposed Duval, hastily; "I can read the message now. It came presumably from Cocom, and read, 'Come quickly, Don Pedro is wounded.'"