"Lola!" said he, going behind her and seizing her by the two elbows, "what is all this about? Are you going to fly away?" "Ahi!" screamed Dolores, springing away from him. "Marcelino, how you frightened me! I thought that they had come already and that I was a prisoner." "Who are 'they,' that you are so frightened of, and what are you doing?" asked Marcelino, seating himself on the case and drawing her towards him. "Hush!" answered Dolores, laying one finger on her lip and looking round at Lieutenant Gordon, then stooping over him she whispered in his ear, "the English. Papa was away all evening, when he came back he told us to commence at once to pack up everything, for we are all to go out to the quinta to-morrow." "But why?" asked Marcelino, laying a hand upon the shoulder of his brother Evaristo, who had come up to him as he spoke. "Don Alejandro says a soldier should obey and ask no questions," said Evaristo; "so he and Lola and I have been hard at work ever since." "You are not a soldier, my fine fellow," said Marcelino. "Not yet, but I shall be." "Don't say that, Evaristo," said Dolores. "You know mamma does not like to hear you say that. Is it not plenty that one is a soldier?" "I shall go with them to the quinta of course," said Evaristo; "but when _they_ come," he continued in a lower voice, and looking at Gordon, "then I shall be with you. Promise me, Marcelino, that you will send for me, I will do all you tell me if you will only let me be with you." "You must stop at the quinta and take care of mamma and Lola." "There will be papa and Juan Carlos and Don Alejandro." "And Evaristo too," said Dolores. "Come, now that you are here, though it is so late, you shall help me just a little, for we have nearly finished now." As they spoke together Gordon had kept away at the far end of the room. Rising from his seat on the packing-case, Marcelino went up to him and laid one hand on his shoulder. "It is not far off now," he said in a low voice. "It appears not, but I have asked no questions," replied Gordon. "Promise me that whatever happens you will stay by them to the end," said Marcelino. "I will, so help me God," replied Gordon.