Pepita was very well pleased with the appearance of the defender whom her husband had selected, for in spite of his flannel shirt and dusty boots, Loring was not bad to look upon.
In a few moments, Stephen re-entered the main room. The Señora was there, leaning against one of the easements. The scarf that was thrown over her head added to her charms, and lent a subtlety to her dark beauty. As Stephen walked across the room toward her, he admired her greatly.
“By George! She is a beauty,” he exclaimed under his breath. Then answered a voice within him: “Yes, but at thirty, she will be fat, oh, very fat.”
As the Señora turned to greet him, the first voice made answer: “Yes, but it will be at least twelve years before she is thirty.”
CHAPTER XI
While Stephen was talking with the Señora, a gong in an inner room clanged.
“It is the time for our evening meal, Señor,” she said, with a pretty little Spanish accent. After Loring had perjured his soul by swearing that he was loath to change his occupation for the pleasure of eating, she smiled at him mockingly, and led the way into the dining-room.
The Hernandez ranch was the largest in the Los Andes region, and the house was furnished and decorated in an elaborate manner. The walls of the dining-room were hung with gay pictures, and the table, set for supper, boasted several pieces of silver.