"Sorry to interrupt you, but music for the waltz has begun, and I have the honor to be your partner."
It was Patricio Martinez, who bore Carmelita away with him to the waiting dance.
Morando spoke in a low tone to her: "I'll see you again presently. May I not?"
It was not easy for him to see her again soon. The young gallants crowded around her begging for dances, or pressing their favors on her during the rest times.
Morando danced several times, then left the ballroom and wandered through the reception rooms, joining a group of men who were discussing the possibilities of wheat-raising in the Santa Clara Valley; then, another coterie who debated the relative merits of Alta California and Baja California. Finally, he became one of a company gathered around Señora Valentino.
"We change location, but not scenes," she said to him. "One might well fancy himself in Madrid to-night instead of Mission San José."
"It is so, señora."
After a little Morando continued wandering, until he came to the conservatory where he sat down.
"I'll remain here till Carmelita is disengaged," was his thought. "She almost listened to me. If she accepts me, I'll be the happiest man in the world."
He spoke half aloud.