"Oh! as to the general," said the girl briskly, "he defended himself like a lion, and only fell after a heroic resistance."
"Is he dead, then?" Loyal Heart asked, with great emotion.
"Oh! no!" she said almost cheerfully, "he is only wounded. I saw the bandits pass as they carried him away; I even believe that his wounds are slight, so much did the ladrones spare him during the combat."
"I am glad to hear it!" said the hunter; and he hung his head with a pensive air: then, after a pause of an instant, he added, hesitatingly, and with a slight tremor in his voice, "your young mistress, what has become of her?"
"My mistress, Doña Luz?"
"Yes, Doña Luz—for so I believe she is called; I would give much to know where she is, and to be certain she is in safety."
"She is so, since she is near you," said a harmonious voice.
And Doña, Luz appeared, still pale from the poignant emotions she had undergone, but calm; she had a smile on her lips, and her eyes sparkled brilliantly.
No one present could repress a movement of extreme surprise at the unexpected apparition of the young lady.
"Oh! God be praised!" the hunter cried; "our succour has not, then, been completely useless."