They were close to the hall now. A turn brought them to a wider path which led directly to the building. Up the steps and into the throng of masks they passed, the girl now holding tight to the man's arm. The orchestra was playing a waltz and the pair swung into the whirl, dancing fast and gracefully. The music stopped; a man in the costume of a Spanish sailor came up and asked for the next. The girl looked down, then glanced quickly up and pointed silently to the tall cavalier at her side. The sailor bowed and passed on. Then the music started again.
"I cannot speak, you see," the girl panted as they swept around a corner, "or they would know my voice. Of course—oh look, there is Carlos. He must be looking everywhere for me."
A tall man, clad in the helmet and boots of a Spanish military officer, stood in the center of the floor, intently watching each couple as it passed. Adelita he followed closely with his eyes, as if perplexed. Then he shook his head.
"He does not know me," she laughed.
But at the end of that dance he strode up to her and bowed.
"May I have the honor?"
She said nothing, but inclined her head. Then they waltzed off. Henderson stood at the side watching the whirling crowd. The vivid reds and yellows and greens of the costumes blended harmoniously in a swirl of color that seemed a part of the music, the laughter, and the splendor of the night. Just then the couple passed, the man talking intently, the girl with her head bowed, saying nothing. As the dance ended, Henderson was about to go up and accost an attractive looking shepherdess, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, surprised. It was the tall officer whom Adelita had called Carlos.
"Stranger," he said in English, "why have you made my Adela, Senorita de Marcelo, try to hide from me? Do you think, although she has not spoken, that I could fail to know her? Do you think I would not recognize her even if she came in a black cowl and robe? Who are you that have dared speak to her as you have? I have watched her—and you. Hear me, interloper, I will not have you dance with her or speak to her again. The rest of the house is yours—and welcome." He was answered in Spanish.
"With my compliments, mind your own business. When I need advice I shall come to you, and not before. Who are you—and pray, who am I?"
"I—I am Senor Carlos Gerardo," he answered in the native tongue. "How do I know you? Bah! I know every man in the room. You heard what I said about Adelita. Now remember."