With these thoughts Lopez sauntered back to where Harry was standing, fixed upon the spot where he had left him. "Pardon, senor," said he, "but it seems to me that you take a deep interest in the senorita. May I ask if she is a relative? In that case some allowance might be made: she might not object to see a relative." "Oh," said Harry, eagerly, his whole face gleaming with joy, "she will never object to see _me_. Ask her; ask her. She will be delighted to see _me_." At this there were two distinct feelings struggling for the mastery in the breast of the Spaniard; one was exultation at the ready way in which Harry had fallen into his trap; the other was one of jealousy at Harry's easy confidence. He had never felt such confidence at finding a welcome reception from Katie. However, he was now on the right track, and he determined to follow it up. "Are you a relative of the lady's?" he asked. "Well, no--not exactly a relative," said Harry. "Ah! perhaps a connection by marriage?" "Well, no--not exactly a connection, either--" "Well, you see, senor, in Spain etiquette is very strict, and our ladies are under more restraint than with you. I must treat this lady in accordance with my own feelings, and a Spanish gentleman would feel as if he were slighting a lady if he were to act out of accordance with Spanish etiquette." "Oh," said Harry, earnestly, "she is an English lady." "But I am a Spanish gentleman." Harry drew a long breath. He was in despair. Oh, how he longed to be Katie's third cousin for a few minutes. "I am very sorry," said Lopez, "but you see I have to be guided by my own sense of propriety. I suppose you are a very old friend, senor; yet I have been quite intimate with the senorita myself, and never heard her mention your name." "Well," said Harry, "I have not known her _very_ long." "She used to speak freely of all her English friends," continued Lopez; "for you see she had not many, having lived so long in Spain; and so I was surprised to hear you speak of her as so intimate a friend." "Well," said Harry, "my acquaintance with her is not of _very_ long standing." "You were not acquainted with her at Madrid?" said Lopez. "No," said Harry, dreamily. "Nor at Cadiz?" continued Lopez. "No--not Cadiz." "Then, senor, you could only have made her acquaintance on this journey," said Lopez, with a smile, which was not merely put on for a purpose. He felt like smiling, so successful had he been in getting at the truth. Harry looked confused. "Well, you see, senor, in captivity, or on a journey, people are very much thrown together, and they make friendships very fast." "Oh yes," said Lopez, "I understand. In short, it amounts to this, that one day of such intercourse, so free, so unconventional, is equal to a whole year, or even a whole lifetime, of the formal intercourse of ordinary social life."