"I am your friend, he is my brother. Trust me, he shall not remain in prison longer than is necessary."
Up to this time little Justiniano had sat quietly on Dolores' knee listening to their talk but at the word friend he started up, saying:
"You are Lola's friend? I have no brother, but I have a friend too. Tell me, Lola, again, where is my friend? Talk to me about my friend the Englishman."
A deep flush spread over Dolores' face as she clasped the boy in her arms kissing him.
"He is away over the sea, Justito, fighting the French for England and for Spain," she said.
"He is a soldier," said Justito. "When I am big I will be a soldier, and will go and fight the French for him, so that he may come back. He said he would come back, didn't he, Lola?"
"Yes, dear; and some day he will come," said Dolores, again kissing the boy and bending over him so as to hide her face from Evaña.
"Then you must not be triste, Lola; it makes me feel bad to see you triste, Lola; yesterday you were crying and it made Justito sad to see you," said the boy, patting her cheeks with his two little hands. "Some day when I am big, then I will go and bring back my friend from away over the sea. Is it far to go, Lola?"
"Yes, dear, hundreds and hundreds of leagues, and all water, with the waves going up and down and tossing the ships about."
"Why did he go so far, Lola?"