"In effect, if not in form, Your Reverence, that is the belief and practice of my people. With us a wife is the dear life companion who shares our triumphs and our defeats, our joys and sorrows, who brightens our pleasures, purifies and ennobles our impulses, and inspires us with the highest aspirations." "Such, alas! is not the attitude of my people toward women," he sighed. "Yet to give a daughter of the Church to a heretic! _Santisima Virgen!_ It is a knotty problem." "To me, or to such a man as Medina," I argued--"which would be the greater sin?" "Her uncle is set upon giving her, not to Medina, but to one as bad--one as bad!" he repeated. "My son--my son! if you could but become a Christian!" "God gave me my reason, padre. If it is wrong to use my reason as I use it, I trust that He will forgive the error." "You are a true, clean man, and you love her as no man in New Spain can love her." "I do, padre." "Yet it is against the canons of Holy Church--to give a true believer to an outright heretic!" "She should be free to believe and practise her religion without change," I argued. "True, but the children?" he demanded. "How as to the children?" The wine spilled from my upraised glass, and I bent my head quickly aside to hide the strange emotion which overcame me. Children! Never had my thoughts dared roam so far into the future. Children--my children and hers! From the depths of my heart there gushed up such a flood of tenderness and adoration that I could not speak. Despite his gouty toe, he came around before me, and with a finger beneath my chin, raised my head until he could look down into my eyes. Whether or not he read my thoughts I do not know. But I do know that he raised his hands above me and gave me his benediction. "Padre," I murmured as he drew back a little way, "believe me, if I could do what you wish--" "Swear that your children shall be raised in the Church," he demanded. "I cannot swear that, padre. It would be against my conscience." "Your word is enough." "Nor that. But if this will satisfy you, I give you my word that she shall decide upon the rearing of--of our children throughout childhood." "Good!" he exclaimed, again all smiles. "You have won me over, my son. Let us hope I may aid you to overcome your graver difficulties." "Her uncle--Don Pedro?" I asked. "Beyond hope, I fear, Juan. Yet I will try. For the present we must avoid that problem, and bend every effort to mollify one who sits in a high place." "Outface, not mollify," I returned. "Lieutenant Pike and myself are resolved to show him how fully we rely upon our country to defend, and, if need be, to revenge us. We have already pointed out to those who will bear our words to His Excellency the fact that the Floridas are within easy striking distance of our turbulent frontiersmen." "_Por Dios!_ You dared send such a message to Salcedo?"