“Did he ever visit the postmaster?” asked the stranger.
“Frequently,” was the reply.
“What age is Jose de Toro?”
“Sixty—or more.” returned the host.
“And what the age of his wife”
“Younger by forty years,” was the reply.
“Then Jose de Toro was a fool to marry as he did. Was Captain Hillaire particularly intimate with the lady?”
“They said—but Lord! in a village they say many things that are not true—they said that the poor postmaster was almost jealous. After a little time the scandal wore away; and Jose de Toro and Captain Hillaire were the best friends imaginable.”
“Base villain!” muttered the dark stranger, between his clenched teeth. “Well, my friend, if the alcade and postmaster found the society of the French so agreeable, how did the Cura feel?’
“He never could disguise his hatred; and for some days he was kept in close arrest, until the pretty wife of Jose Toro pleaded to the handsome captain for her old confessor, and obtained his liberty.”