“The Girl? So that’s the woman he’s after now!” Nina laughed bitterly. “Well, she’s not destined to have him for long, I can tell you!” And with that she reached out for the bottle on the table and poured herself a small glass of whisky and swallowed it. When she turned her lips were tightly shut over her brilliant teeth, a thousand thoughts came rushing into her brain. There was no longer any compunction--she would strike now and deep. Through her efforts alone the man would be captured, and she gloried in the thought. “Here--here is something that will interest you!” she said; and putting her hand in her bosom drew out a soiled, faded photograph. “There--that will settle him for good and all! Never again will he boast of trifling with Nina Micheltoreña--with me, a Micheltoreña in whose veins runs the best and proudest blood of California!” Ashby fairly snatched the photograph out of her hand and, after one look at it, passed it over to the Sheriff. “Good of him, isn’t it?” sneered Nina; and then seemingly trying by her very vehemence to impress upon herself the impossibility of his ever being anything but an episode in her life, she added: “I hate him!” The picture was indeed an excellent one. It represented Ramerrez in the gorgeous dress of a _caballero_--and the outlaw was a fine specimen of that spectacular class of men. But Rance studied the photograph only long enough to be sure that no mistake was possible. With a quick movement he put it away in his pocket and looked long and hard at the figure of the degraded woman standing before him and revelling in her treachery. In that time he forgot that anyone had ever entertained a kind thought about her; he forgot that she once was respected as well as admired; he was conscious only of regarding her with a far deeper disgust and repugnance than he held towards others much her inferior in birth and education. But, presently, his face grew a shade whiter, if that were possible, and he cursed himself for not having thought of the danger to which the Girl might even now be exposed. In less than a minute, therefore, both men stood ready for the work before them. But on the threshold just before going out into the fierce storm that had burst during the last few minutes, he paused and called back: “You Mexican devil! If any harm comes to the Girl, I’ll strangle you with my own hands!” And not waiting to hear the woman’s mocking laughter he passed out, followed by Ashby, into the storm. X