Voices could be heard in the house, and it was clear Sercomb and his companions had not noticed the approach of the two cars.
Standing by the door, the Hindu motioned for the boys to pass in ahead of him.
[CHAPTER XV.]
A STARTLING INTERRUPTION.
The parlor at La Vita Place, as has already been stated, covered half of the first floor of the house. The distinctive feature of the large room was an immense fireplace, which, after the Mexican fashion, was built across one corner. Above the fireplace, on the angling surface that reached from wall to wall, was a dingy, life-size painting of a saint. The painting was in a heavy frame, which was set flush with the wall.
There were a few things about the old adobe casa which had been left exactly as they had come into Mr. Lawton's hands from the original Mexican owners of the place. This picture of the saint was one of them.
The parlor was finely furnished. The floors were laid with tiger and lion-skins, trophies of the chase, and on every hand were curios and ornaments dear to the eccentric old Englishman because of their associations.
In this room Sercomb and his Denver friends were gathered. They had had their breakfast—Mings and Packard had just finished theirs—and all were excitedly discussing what Mings and Packard had done, and what they had seen.
Mings and Packard, it may be stated, had been sufficiently sobered by their experiences, and not a little frightened.