"I object to the word illegal, Don Manuel," he answered curtly, not at all sure his objection had any foundation of law.
Pesquiera shrugged. "Very well, señor. The courts, I feel sure, will sustain my words."
"Perhaps, and perhaps not."
"The law is an expensive arbiter, Señor Gordon. Your claim is slight. The title has never been perfected by you. In fifteen years you have paid no taxes. Still your claim, though worthless in itself, operates as a cloud upon the title of my client, the Valdés heir."
Dick looked at him steadily and nodded. He began to see the purpose of this visit. He waited silently, his mind very alert.
"Señor, I am here to ask of you a relinquishment. You are brave; no doubt, chivalrous——"
"I'm a business man, Don Manuel," interrupted Gordon. "I don't see what chivalry has got to do with it."
"Señorita Valdés is a woman, young and beautiful. This little estate is her sole possession. To fight for it in court is a hardship that Señor Gordon will not force upon her."
"So she's young and beautiful, is she?"
"The fairest daughter of Spain in all New Mexico," soared Don Manuel.