The Travelling ThirdsAtherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn
General
The Travelling Thirds
Atherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn
Americans -- Spain -- Fiction; Voyages and travels -- Fiction
The descent to the baths was on the way to the Hall of the Ambassadors,
and as she ran down the long corridor her brain whirled with the
obsession of the place, and she fancied herself for a moment one of the
favorites who had reigned here in the days of Moorish splendor until a
fairer captive threatened her own youth and beauty and love of life with
a silken cord and a brief struggle in one of the chambers above. Over’s
apparent devotion during the first part of the night had roused in her
all the passion of which she was capable, and she could feel his hot,
short breath on her neck as they ran. She had watched his surrender to
Catalina’s beautiful dancing and his wild, instinctive leap to her
rescue with bitter jealousy and fear. In a flash she had seen Catalina
for what she was—a girl to rouse all the romantic passion in a man; and
in all her loveliness, her ideal womanhood, and her changing moods, she
had been his constant companion for three weeks in Spain! But thrust out
of sight—the creature of a gypsy—internationally besmirched—Her feet
turned to the threshold leading down to the old Moorish bath, where ten
minutes could be wasted. But the American girl in her suddenly revolted.
Another American girl was in hideous peril, and she shuddered with
disgust even more than with pity.
She whirled about. “Prince,” she whispered, “you and Helmholtz go down
there and search, but I feel sure he has gone out one of the windows.”
And she ran on to the Hall of the Ambassadors.
They searched it at last and hung out of the windows. Far below a faint
sound came to their ears, but they could not determine its nature. An
instant later they heard a short but infuriated roar, followed by the
sharp call of a woman. Over was already on the other side of the window
when Miss Holmes caught his arm.
“Don’t!” she cried, hysterically. “It is almost certain death. He is
sure to have confederates!”
Over gave her a look of haughty surprise and shook her off. The
Frenchman thrust a pistol into his hand.
“I never go without one here. Don’t hesitate to shoot.”
Over groped and stumbled down the hill, but with far more agility than
the encumbered Catalan. There was no path, the thick brush and rocks
were everywhere, and the moon made the shadows under the trees the
heavier. But when a thin Englishman has spent the greater part of his
life on his feet and out-of-doors he is little likely to lose his
balance or skill even on a steep wilderness designed by the cunning Moor
as a pitfall for the enemy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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