“I will not excite suspicion; I will strive to please; and a time will come, yes, the time will come, when I shall know all.”
Thus in striving to lull the suspicions of the Argus-eyed woman to sleep, he grew into great favor, and became indispensable to her.
“He can do so many things that no one else can do,” she would say to herself, “but those great luminous eyes torment me. If they too could be changed. But that is beyond my power. Would I could make them dull leaden and red as his flaming crimson tuft. He is useful, very useful, but there are times, with all his quiet seeming, when I think he suspects me. Dare I trust him? that is the question.”
Here the old woman would fall into long fits of musing, and gaze into the glowing embers, till they faded into dead ashes.
One morning the old woman called Crimson Tuft to her, saying: “I am going away, to be gone for some days, and I want you to copy these papers for me. They are the deeds and other valuable papers of my property in Mexico, which you will see is very great. Let the copies be made with great distinctness, for these duplicates may be required. You see I am cautious, and trust you very much, very much.”
A look of suspicion crossed her sharp wizen face; but in the ugly brown countenance she could detect nothing but truth and sincerity.
“I can do no better,” she thought, but aloud she added, “the dwarf knows all and will see to the safety of these and every thing. If one of them is lost it would bring no end of trouble, and you would have your share.” With an ominous shake of the head, the old señora rose and left Crimson Tuft bending over the yellowed parchment, that was of the most inestimable value to her.
About noon she left the house, with the dwarf following her to the gate, which, when she had passed he barred more securely than ever.
For some days Crimson Tuft worked diligently over the papers. There were deeds of haciendas and mines, mortgages, and grants of land, and many long, intricate pages of law papers. Really to copy all these was a task, and Crimson Tuft was filled with amazement at the greatness of the old señora’s possessions.
At last they were all finished, and locked up by the dwarf in the iron-bound oaken chest, and that again was locked in the great closet, and the dwarf carried the key. So it was very secure.