To this she made no reply; and I, fearing that I had gone too far, stood silent, under pretence of listening to the service. It was indeed a pretence, for had I been in sober earnest I could have heard little other than the band above the whispering and giggling all about the room, the occasional loud talk in the lobbies, and the open laughter and conversation of the young ladies and their lovers warming themselves at the fireplaces. Throughout the service these gay young couples came and went from their seats whenever the ladies felt chilled or took the whim, the freedom of their movements seemingly limited only by the closeness of the aisles. When the time came for the bishop to preach there was a lull, owing to his stately appearance and forceful oratory. The lull was brief. Once more the young couples fell to whispering and tittering. A group of Representatives and a Senator near us began a muttered disputation about the question of naval appropriations. The senorita bent forward, straining her ears to catch the words of the bishop. It was hopeless. In the most favorable circumstances the Hall of Representatives has a bad name for its wretched acoustic properties. In the midst, at the stroke of noon, the attendant who had brought my chair, came in with a great sack and, escorted by an officer of the House, passed across the hall through the thick of the throng to the letter-box on the far side. Having emptied the box, he returned with his official escort in the same fashion, the bag on his shoulder bulging with letters. The spectacle did not tend to lessen the lively spirits of the assembly. For the first time since I had taken my place beside her the senorita looked up at me. Her face was still cold, but in the sombre depths of her eyes glowed a fire of anger. "Is it so you republican heretics meet the words of a most venerable prelate?" she demanded. "From what I hear, senorita, preachers of other churches receive, if anything, still less consideration than this." "It is a mockery of worship!" "With the thoughtless, perhaps. I see many who listen. Another time it would be advisable to come early and find a seat nearer the speaker." "There will be no other time." "Senorita!" I murmured, "you leave?" "Within the week." "So soon! You go by water. Would that I were a sailor in the West Indian trade!" She gave me a curious glance. "Why in the West Indian trade?" "Ships carry passengers. Aboard even the greatest of ships the sailors have glimpses of the passengers." "Sometimes passengers stay below, in the cabin," she said coldly. "That may well be in times of storm," I replied. "Then the sailor is above, striving to save those who are in his care from shipwreck. But in the warm waters of the Gulf the passengers show themselves on deck, pleased to leave the narrow bounds of their staterooms." "There are some who would rather stifle in their staterooms than be stared at by the common herd."