“Ah,” cried the guide, “here is the place, let us rest here,” and sat down on the grass. The lady did the same.
“This is a beautiful little spot, is it not, madame?” remarked the guide interrogatingly.
“It seems so,” answered the lady.
“If it was day, you should be able to see the whole country round from this,” proceeded the guide: “on that side is Caroni, where we first settled when my master and his family came from Carriacou; a disagreeable and muddy place, madame; there is Maraval, a sweet pretty spot, with beautiful hills and scenes; and straight before us lies the sea. If it were light, you would be able to perceive the five islands, and the large bay where Admiral Appadocca—”
At this name the lady started suddenly.
“What is the matter, madame?” asked the guide.
“Nothing, nothing,” hastily replied the lady.
“Do not be alarmed; it is, no doubt, a cricket, that has jumped on you. There are not many snakes here: Caroni is the place for them,” observed the female cicerone.
“Well, as I was saying, madame,—what was I saying?—I was telling you about the large bay where Admiral Appadocca—”
The lady started again, but more slightly than before.