The Mark of Zorro (20 page)

So the don paced the floor of the great living-room and fumed and fussed, and wished he were ten years the younger, or that he had political power again, and he promised that when his daughter should have wedded Don Diego, and he was once more in good standing, he would see that Captain Ramón was disgraced and his uniform torn from his shoulders!

Sitting in the chamber that had been assigned to her, Señorita Lolita listened to her father's ravings, and found herself confronted with a situation. Of course, she could not wed Don Vega now. She had given her lips and her love to another, a man whose face she never had seen, a rogue pursued by soldiery—and she had spoken truly when she had said that a Pulido loved but once.

She tried to explain it all to herself, saying that it was a generous impulse that had forced her to give her lips to the man; and she told herself that it was not the truth, that her heart had been stirred when first he spoke to her at her father's
hacienda
during the
siesta
hour.

She was not prepared yet to tell her parents of the love that had come into her life, for it was sweet to keep it a secret; and, moreover, she dreaded the shock to them, and half feared that her father might cause her to be sent away to some place where she never would see Señor Zorro again.

She crossed to a window and gazed out at the plaza—and she saw Don Diego approaching in the distance. He rode slowly, as if greatly fatigued, and his two native servants rode a short distance behind him.

Men called to him as he neared the house, and he waved his hand at them languidly in response to their greeting. He dismounted slowly, one of the natives holding the stirrup and assisting him, brushed the dust from his clothes, and started toward the door.

Don Carlos and his wife were upon their feet to greet him, their faces beaming, for they had been accepted anew into society the evening before, and knew it was because they were Don Diego's houseguests.

“I regret that I was not here when you arrived,” Don Diego said, “but I trust that you have been made comfortable in my poor house.”

“More than comfortable in this gorgeous palace!” Don Carlos exclaimed.

“Then you have been fortunate, for the saints know I have been uncomfortable enough.”

“How is that, Don Diego?” Doña Catalina asked.

“My work at the
hacienda
done, I rode as far as the place of Fray Felipe, there to spend the night in quiet. But as we were about to retire, there came a thundering noise at the door, and this Sergeant Gonzales and a troop of soldiers entered. It appears that they had been chasing the highwayman called Señor Zorro, and had lost him in the darkness!”

In the other room, a dainty
señorita
gave thanks for that.

“These are turbulent times,” Don Diego continued, sighing and mopping the perspiration from his forehead. “The noisy fellows were with us an hour or more, and then continued the chase. And because of what they had said of violence, I endured a horrible nightmare, so got very little rest. And this morning I was forced to continue to Reina de Los Angeles!”

“You have had a difficult time,” Don Carlos said. “Señor Zorro was here,
caballero,
in your house, before the soldiers chased him.”

“What is this intelligence?” Don Diego cried, sitting up straight in his chair and betraying sudden interest.

“Undoubtedly he came to steal, else to abduct you and hold you for ransom,” Doña Catalina observed. “But I scarcely think that he stole. Don Carlos and myself were visiting friends, and Señorita Lolita remained here alone. There—there is a distressing affair to report to you—”

“I beg of you to proceed,” Don Diego said.

“While we were gone, Captain Ramón, of the
presidio,
called. He was informed we were absent, but he forced his way into the house and made himself obnoxious to the
señorita.
This Señor Zorro came in and forced the captain to apologize, and then drove him away.”

“Well, that is what I call a pretty bandit!” Don Diego exclaimed. “The
señorita
suffers from the experience?”

“Indeed, no!” said Doña Catalina. “She was of the opinion that Captain Ramón had taken too much wine. I shall call her.”

Doña Catalina went to the door of the chamber and called her daughter, and Lolita came into the room and greeted Don Diego as became a proper maiden.

“It makes me desolate to know that you received an insult in my house,” Don Diego said. “I shall consider the affair.”

Doña Catalina made a motion to her husband, and they went to a far corner to sit, that the young folk might be somewhat alone, which seemed to please Don Diego, but not the
señorita.

“Captain Ramón is a beast!” the girl said, in a voice not too loud.

“He is a worthless fellow,” Don Diego agreed.

“He—that is—he wished to kiss me,” she said.

“And you did not let him, of course.”

“I—confound it, I did not mean that! Certainly you did not let him! I trust that you slapped his face.”

“I did,” said the
señorita.
“And then he struggled with me, and he told me that I should not be so particular, since I was daughter of a man who stood in the bad graces of the governor.”

“Why, the infernal brute!” Don Diego exclaimed.

“Is that all you have to say about it,
caballero?”

“I cannot use oaths in your presence, of course.”

“Do you not understand,
señor?
This man came into your house, and insulted the girl you have asked to be
your
wife!”

“Confound the rascal! When next I see his excellency, I shall ask him to remove the officer to some other post.”

“Oh!” the girl cried. “Have you no spirit at all? Have him removed? Were you a proper man, Don Diego, you would go to the
presidio,
you would call this Captain Ramón to account, you would pass your sword through his body, and call upon all to witness that a man could not insult the
señorita
you admire and escape the consequences.”

“It is such an exertion to fight!” he said. “Let us not speak of violence. Perhaps I shall see the fellow and rebuke him.”

“Rebuke him!” the girl cried.

“Let us talk of something else,
señorita.
Let us speak of the matter regarding which I talked the other day. My father will be after me again soon to know when I am going to take a wife. Cannot we get the matter settled in some manner? Have you decided upon the day?”

“I have not said that I would marry you,” she replied.

“Why hold off?” he questioned. “Have you looked at my house? I shall make it satisfactory to you, I am sure. You shall refurnish it to suit your taste, though I pray you do not disturb it too much, for I dislike to have things in a mess. You shall have a new carriage and anything you may desire.”

“Is this your manner of wooing?” she asked, glancing at him from the corners of her eyes.

“What a nuisance to woo!” he said. “Must I play a guitar, and make pretty speeches? Can you not give me your answer without all that foolishness?”

She was comparing this man beside her with Señor Zorro, and Don Diego did not compare to him favorably. She wanted to be done with this farce, to have Don Diego out of her vision, and none but Señor Zorro in it.

“I must speak frankly to you,
caballero,”
she said. “I have searched my heart, and in it I find no love for you. I am sorry, for I know what our marriage would mean to my parents, and to myself in a financial way. But I cannot wed you, Don Diego, and it is useless for you to ask.”

“Well, by the saints! I had thought it was about all settled!” he said. “Do you hear that, Don Carlos? Your daughter says she cannot wed with me—that it is not in her heart to do so.”

“Lolita, retire to your chamber!” Doña Catalina exclaimed.

The girl did so, gladly. Don Carlos and his wife hurried across the room and sat down beside Don Diego.

“I fear you do not understand women, my friend,” Don Carlos said. “Never must you take a woman's answer for the last. She always may change her mind. A woman likes to keep a man dangling, likes to make him blow cold with fear and hot with anticipation. Let her have her moods, my friend. In the end, I am sure, you shall have your way.”

“It is beyond me!” Don Diego cried. “What shall I do now! I told her I would give her all her heart desired.”

“Her heart desires love, I suppose,” Doña Catalina said, out of the wealth of her woman's wisdom.

“But certainly I shall love and cherish her. Does not a man promise that in the ceremony? Would a Vega break his word regarding such a thing?”

“Just a little courtship,” Don Carlos urged.

“But it is such a nuisance!”

“A few soft words, a pressure of the hand now and then, a sigh or two, a languishing look from the eyes—”

“Nonsense!”

“It is what a maiden expects. Speak not of marriage for some time. Let the idea grow on her—”

“But my august father is liable to come to the pueblo any day and ask when I am to take a wife. He has rather ordered me to do it.”

“No doubt your father will understand,” said Don Carlos. “Tell him that her mother and myself are on your side and that you are enjoying the pleasure of winning the girl.”

“I believe we should return to the
hacienda
tomorrow,” Doña Catalina put in. “Lolita has seen this splendid house, and she will contrast it with ours. She will realize what it means to marry you. And there is an ancient saying that when a man and a maid are apart they grow fonder of each other.”

“I do not wish to have you hurry away.”

“I think it would be best under the circumstances. And do you visit, say, in three days,
caballero,
I doubt not you will find her more willing to listen to your suit.”

“I presume you know best,” Don Diego said. “But you must remain at least until to-morrow. And now I think I shall go to the
presidio
and see this Captain Ramón. Possibly that will please the
señorita.
She appears to think I should call him to account.”

Don Carlos thought that such a course would prove disastrous for a man who did not practice with the blade and knew little of fighting, but he refrained from saying so. A gentleman never intruded his own thoughts at such a time. Even if a
caballero
went to his death, it was all right so long as he believed he was doing the proper thing, and died as a
caballero
should.

So Don Diego went from the house and walked slowly up the hill toward the
presidio
building. Captain Ramón observed his approach, and wondered at it, and snarled at the thought of coming to combat with such a man.

But he was cold courtesy itself when Don Diego was ushered into the
comandante's
office.

“I am proud to know you have visited me here,” he said, bowing low before the scion of the Vegas.

Don Diego bowed in answer, and took the chair Captain Ramón indicated. The captain marveled that Don Diego had no blade at his side.

“I was forced to climb your confounded hill to speak to you on a certain matter,” Don Diego said. “I have been informed that you visited my house during my absence, and insulted a young lady who is my guest.”

“Indeed?” the captain said.

“Were you deep in wine?”

“That would excuse the offense in part, of course. And then you were wounded, and probably in a fever. Were you in a fever, Captain?”

“Undoubtedly,” Ramón said.

“A fever is an awful thing—I had a siege of it once. But you should not have intruded upon the
señorita.
Not only did you affront her, but you affronted me. I have asked the
señorita
to become my wife. The matter—er—is not settled as yet, but I have some rights in this case.”

“I entered your house seeking news of this Señor Zorro,” the captain lied.

“You—er—found him?” Don Diego asked.

The face of the
comandante
flushed red.

“The fellow was there, and he attacked me,” he replied. “I was wounded, of course, and wore no weapon, and so he could work his will with me.”

“It is a most remarkable thing,” observed Don Diego, “that none of you soldiers can meet this Curse of Capistrano when you can be on equal terms. Always he descends upon you when you are helpless, or threatens you with a pistol while he fights you with a blade, or has his score of men about him.

“I met Sergeant Gonzales and his men at the
hacienda
of Fray Felipe last night, and the big sergeant told some harrowing tale of the highwayman and his score of men scattering his troopers.”

“We shall get him yet!” the captain promised. “And I might call your attention to certain significant things,
caballero.
Don Carlos Pulido, as we know, does not stand high with those in authority. This Señor Zorro was at the Pulido
hacienda,
you will remember, and attacked me there, emerging from a closet to do it.”

“Ha! What mean you?”

“Again, on last night, he was in your house while you were abroad and the Pulidos were your guests. It begins to look as if Don Carlos has a hand in the work of the Señor Zorro. I am almost convinced that Don Carlos is a traitor, and is aiding the rogue. You had better think twice, or half a score of times, before seeking a matrimonial alliance with the daughter of such a man.”