"Noble captain, I am anxious to tell the truth, and glad that we have fallen among friends. We have escaped from an old castle some distance away, and have been flying for hours--" "A castle!" said Lopez, interrupting her; "where is it?" "There, to the north," said Rita. "Oh, very well. I shall be able to find out from you again where it may be situated; but now tell me more about yourselves. What were you doing at the castle?" "Noble senor, about three weeks ago I was taken prisoner by the Carlists, and they took me to this castle, where they made me serve as an attendant on the prisoners. Among them was this lady." "Prisoners?" cried Lopez; "have they any others?" "Two days ago," said Rita, "they brought several new prisoners." "How many?" "Six." "Who were they?" "I don't know--foreigners." "Men or women?" "Three of them were men and three were women. Some one said they were English." "English?" said Lopez, growing more excited still at this news, which was so much in accordance with his wishes--"English? Tell me more about them." "Well, senor, of the men one was elderly; the other two were young, quite handsome; they looked rich, noble, proud." "Never mind. Now tell me about the women. Were they ladies?" "Yes, senor, they were noble ladies, wealthy, high-born, proud. And one was elderly, and they said she was a great lady. And some said she was the mother of the young ladies, though they did not look like her daughters, nor did they look like sisters." "Tell me about them; what did they look like?" "One, senor, looked like a Spanish lady. And she was dark and beautiful and sad, with melancholy eyes. Never did the sun shine on a more lovely lady; but her sadness always made me feel sad." Lopez interrupted her with an impatient gesture. "Never mind her. Now describe the other one." said he. "The other?" said Rita; "she looked like an English duchess. She was light--oh, a wonderful light blonde, with golden hair, and eyes as blue as heaven, with cheeks pink-and-white, and with dimples dancing on them, and with the smile of an angel that always lurked in her lips and laughed out of her eyes. And she was as beautiful as a dream, and no one ever saw her sad. Heaven does not hold in all its mansions a more beautiful, beautiful angel than this English duchess." Rita spoke enthusiastically; the more so as she saw Lopez look at her with a deep attention, and a gaze that devoured all her words. "That is she!" cried Lopez, in intense excitement. "That is the one of whom I wished to hear. So you have seen her? Ah, well, good woman, this information is your best passport--more, it is worth much to me. I'll reward you." "Oh, senor," said Rita, anxious to strike while the iron was hot, and secure her freedom at once, "if this information is welcome and valuable, the only reward I want is to let us go. Let us go, noble senor, for we have urgent business, and our detention here may be our ruin."