All this was taken in at a glance by Brooke as he came out, followed by Talbot, after which he turned and faced Lopez. The latter regarded him with sharp scrutiny for some time, after which he looked in the same way at Talbot. The gaze was returned by Talbot calmly, quietly, and unshrinkingly, without boldness, and yet without shyness. It was as though she wished to read the true character of this man, so as to see what hope there might be.
"Your name!" said Lopez to Brooke, in a tone of command.
"Raleigh Brooke," said he.
"Senor Brooke," said Lopez, "you must be aware that the accounts which you gave of yourself last night were very contradictory. Even at the best, you are, according to your own statement, a newspaper correspondent, which in our eyes is the same as a spy. But more than this, you confess yourself to be an American, which makes it still worse. And so, senor, you see that you are in an awkward position.
But this is not all. There is something more that I must ask. You speak of having come on in trains--that were stopped. Were you not on that train which was stopped by the Carlists?"
"No," said Brooke, firmly, and without a moment"s hesitation.
That was false, of course; but Brooke had already identified himself with Talbot, for her sake, and had told a story to which he was now forced to adhere. It would have been far better if he had told the truth at the outset, but it was too late now. So he answered "No."
"One of our men came on by the train in which you say you came,"
continued Lopez, "and has no recollection of you."
"Very possible," said Brooke, coolly; "and I don"t suppose I have any recollection of him. People can"t remember all who come and go in railway trains, even in America, where all the carriages are in one; but here, where each car is divided into coaches, how can one know anything about his fellow-pa.s.sengers?"
"I came in the train that was stopped by the Carlists," said Lopez.
"Did you see me there?" asked Brooke.
"No," said Lopez; "but there was a priest."
"Was that the priest?" asked Brooke, pointing to Talbot.
"No," said Lopez--"not at all. This priest that I refer to had a beard, and wore spectacles: he was a totally different man from your friend."
Lopez now paused and reflected for a few moments.
"Come," said he at length, "I"ll give you a chance. I"m not cruel; I hate bloodshed; and I don"t care about shooting prisoners even when they"re spies. We all look on you as a spy, but I"ll give you a chance to save yourself. I"ll tell you all frankly. It is this:
"I myself came on in that train that was stopped by the Carlists. In that same train there was a party of English ladies and gentlemen.
All of the pa.s.sengers, myself included, were robbed; but, mark you, while the natives were permitted to go away in safety, these English--ladies, mind you, as well as gentlemen--were detained by the Carlists. Now, of course, these so-called Carlists are merely brigands, or else they would not have captured and robbed a party of inoffensive travellers, and still less would they have detained them as prisoners. They are brigands, then, and of course they intend to exact a ransom from their prisoners, and of course if the ransom is not paid they will shoot every one of them.
"Well, after I had escaped from their clutches I communicated at once with the military authorities, and reported the capture of these travellers. They immediately ordered me to take a detachment of men and set off in pursuit. This is our present errand. You now know all; and if you are a true man, you will at once not only sympathize with our present undertaking, but you will lend us all the aid in your power; you will tell us all you know; you will be as frank with me as I have been with you, and help us to save these unfortunate ladies from a fate worse than death."
"Senor Captain," said Brooke, without hesitating for one instant, "I thank you for your frankness, but it is of no possible value to me. I have come from a different direction, and cannot be of the slightest a.s.sistance in this matter."
"Oh, very well," said Lopez, coldly. "As I said before, I am merciful, and hate shooting prisoners in cold blood. But mark this: if it is necessary I will not hesitate. I will allow you this day to think over what I have said. And now, what about this priest?"
"He is an English priest," said Brooke, calmly, "and cannot understand Spanish."
"Very well, you shall act as interpreter. In the first place, his name and residence?"
"Sydney Talbot," said Brooke, "of London."
"What are you doing in this country?" asked Lopez directly of Talbot.
"I came on a visit to Barcelona," said Talbot in reply, as Brooke translated the question.
"For what purpose?"
"On a visit to friends?"
"What friends?"
"English people."
"Name?"
"Rivers," said Talbot, calmly, and without a moment"s hesitation. All this was news to Brooke, who had never learned her private history or the secret of her journey to Spain.
"You do not know the language? You cannot have been long in Spain?"
"No--only a week."
"A very short visit," said Lopez. "Did you come so far only to remain a week?"
"No," said Talbot, "I expected to stay much longer."
"Why did you not stay?"
"Because I found on my arrival that the family had left Barcelona."
"Where did they go?"
"I have no idea."
"Were they not expecting you?"
"I supposed that they were expecting me, and I am quite unable to account for their departure and their failure to meet me."
"And so you set out on your return home?"
"Yes."
"Well," said Lopez, "your story is a little absurd, yet not at all improbable. I dare say there was a mistake somewhere."
"There must have been--yet I don"t know."
"Young sir," said Lopez, after a pause, "you carry your character in your face. You at least are not a spy. Upon that I would stake my life. I wish I could say as much for your companion. All Spaniards--at least all Republicans--would not let a priest off so easily; but you are different, and I could no more suspect you than I could suspect the apostle St. John. Senor, you are free; you may go on your way at once."
"Senor, you are free, and may go on your way at once," repeated Brooke, as a flush of joy pa.s.sed over his face. "Go, Talbot, go," he added earnestly; "go at once!"
But Talbot did not move.
"I am deeply grateful, captain," said she, "but I prefer to remain with my friend."