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 ai E) RAR.Y 
 
 OF THE 
 UNIVERSITY 
 or ILLINOIS 
 
 Gr&^S^ 
 
 V. \

 
 LOLA. 
 
 VOL. I.
 
 PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO. 
 EDINBURGH AND LONDON
 
 LOLA: 
 
 A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 BY 
 
 ARTHUR GRIFFITHS, 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 " THE queen's shilling," " MEMORIALS OF MILLBANK," ETC. ETC. 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 SMITH, ELDER & CO., 15 WATERLOO PLACE. 
 
 1876.
 
 ^5 3 
 
 TO 
 
 ALL OLD FRIENDS AND COMRADES 
 
 OF THE 
 
 HAPPY DAYS SPENT UPON THE ROCK 
 
 OF GIBRALTAR 
 
 I INSCRIBE THIS BOOK.
 
 CONTENTS OF VOL. I. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 I. DISEMBARKING 
 II. DON MARIANO AT HOME 
 
 III. SAN ROQUE FAIR 
 
 IV. WHAT CAME OF THE FAIR 
 V. THE SPROULES . 
 
 VI. SWEETWATER FARM 
 VII. UNDER MARTIAL LAW 
 VIII. MAD TO TRAVEL 
 
 IX. A SPANISH VAGABOND 
 
 X. SPANISH COURTSHIP 
 
 XI. THE BAT . . . . 
 
 Xn. SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS . 
 XIII. THE LOVERS MEET AND PART 
 
 PAGR 
 I 
 
 21 
 
 t 
 
 42 
 
 68 
 90 
 
 113 
 133 
 
 155 
 
 176 
 
 211 
 
 239 
 262 
 291
 
 LOLA 
 
 A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 -M- 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 DISEMBARKING. 
 
 It was the fierce month of July, and the Rock 
 of Gibraltar, crouching low, as it might be, to 
 cool its heated flanks in the waters that lap its 
 base, lay like a lazy lion asleep in the dog-day 
 heat. This Rock — Tank's Rock — it owns a 
 dozen names. Calpe to the ancients, or right- 
 hand pillar of Hercules; *'Gib" to the subal- 
 terns and soldiers, who hate its " sentry-go ; " 
 to Jack Tar *'the mighty big stone;" to the 
 natives, " scorpions " so called, who are bred and 
 
 VOL. I. A 
 
 ^^
 
 2 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 born upon the narrow strip of habitable land 
 that has gathered together at its base, it is 
 La Plaza — the fortress, the strongest place in 
 all the world. Beyond its barrier gates, the 
 Spaniards, its past possessors, yearning to 
 own it once again, christen it El cuerpo, *'the 
 corpse," for there, in the paling light of even- 
 ing it floats, for all the world like the body 
 of a dead man with head thrown back after 
 the last throes, with one knee bent, the other 
 straight out, stiff, stark, stone cold. 
 
 It knows as many moods as it has names. 
 The silent hills across the bay, and the sum- 
 mits, vermilion tinged, of the Bermeja Sierra, 
 have stood and watched it all these years, 
 and could tell endless tales of all its changing 
 glories. How at times it might be a huge toy, 
 a Noah's ark set in a sea of mother-of-pearl ; 
 how when the east wind comes with its mists 
 and vapours, drawn from all the long length 
 of Mediterranean waters, the summit is half 
 extinguished by a nightcap of dark dense 
 cloud ; how when the smoke of its hundreds 
 of cannon curls in fantastic wreaths around its 
 sides, it raises its head, thus proudly garlanded,
 
 DISEMBARKING. 3 
 
 as might an ancient warrior upon the day of 
 his triumph. 
 
 Now it is of metal ; its hard, harsh outlines 
 might be of bronze, or a smouldering cinder- 
 slagf half consumed in the blazinof heat. The 
 sun has worked like an opiate to lock up 
 every eye. The semi-Spanish natives doze 
 through their midday siesta ; the dogs forget 
 to bark ; that flag, which has so often braved 
 the battle and the breeze, droops with almost 
 cowardly indolence against its staff; the very 
 sentries beneath their awnings survey the 
 piled-up shot, the heavy guns, and the pow- 
 der-houses committed to their charge with 
 a benevolent haziness of vision, which will 
 deofenerate ere lonof into an unmistakable 
 snore, unless roused by the rounds, or the 
 terrible town-major, for ever on the watch. 
 
 But there is one man quite wideawake. 
 Bombardier Brigstock, as he sweeps the Straits 
 with his glass from the upper signal-station, 
 is very much awake. Here at this high level 
 he catches a sniff of air from the Mediter- 
 ranean, and his occupation is not the severest 
 toil. His telescope is on a rest, with the
 
 4 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 swivel well greased ; his pipe is alight and 
 drawing well ; hard by in the signal-house a 
 cool brew of shandy-gaff awaits his nod. He 
 is an important person upon the Rock. It 
 is he who settles the time, who Joshua-like 
 controls the sun, firing from his standpoint 
 in the clouds the signal-guns that open and 
 close the fortress gates. He is learned, too, 
 in shipping ; knows every rig and build ; can 
 swear, when miles away, to the "Mail," 
 whether homeward or outward bound ; can 
 tell at a glance the swift faluchas that bring 
 the muscatels from Malaga, from the stealthy 
 smuggling craft with their long sweeps and 
 lateen sails, and laden with mysterious cargoes 
 styled "sundries" in the Shipping Gazette of 
 the place. Ships of war, foreign or imperial, 
 yachts, traders, he knew them all, and for 
 all had the appropriate signal ready at hand. 
 One only he had never run up the halyards ; 
 but this too he hoped to signal some day 
 before he died — "An enemy's fleet in sight." 
 The flags were there ; would they ever be 
 used ? Perhaps he felt that, up where he 
 was, upon the top of the Rock, was the safest
 
 DISEMBARKING. 5 
 
 spot in a bombardment : he was a gunner 
 himself, and knew that nothing short of sky- 
 rockets could touch him. 
 
 " That's her ! " he says suddenly to Bill Jakers, 
 his assistant, who runs the bunting up, the 
 bulgy black balls of canvas, the pendants, and 
 fires the warning guns. ** That's her ! " he re- 
 peated, shutting up his telescope with a " click." 
 '^ Run up a blue burgee on the lower yard. 
 A gallus long time she's been a-doing of it. 
 But what can you expect from a ' trooper ? ' 
 Troop-ship * Upnor Castle ; ' Royal Halber- 
 diers aboard. I see them swarminof about the 
 deck like little red ants." 
 
 And now all at once the town below is 
 startled into life. By degrees a crowd of people 
 are on the move. First one orderly, then 
 another ; a staff officer, mounted, trots sharply 
 out to *' the South ; " next come commissariat 
 waggons drawn by mules ; fatigue-parties of 
 soldiers in white jackets ; ladies, English and 
 native, some In bonnets, some in mantillas, all 
 with fans and sunshades ; and, last of all, a 
 motley throng of hotel-touts, Jew dealers, 
 enterprising shopkeepers, striving to be first
 
 O LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 in the search for the favour of these patrons 
 newly arrived. Theirs is a common destina- 
 tion — the New Mole Gate. 
 
 While the crowd increases here, and all with 
 honeyed accents seek to win their way past 
 the officer of the guard to the Mole below, 
 the '* Upnor Castle " glides slowly onward 
 to its moorings. The sea is calm, the land- 
 scape quiet ; across the bay runs a jagged 
 line of purple mountain-tops, distant hills, hills 
 nearer at hand, then gentle slopes, ending at 
 last in sandy flats around the white town of 
 Algeciras, lying quite upon the water's edge. 
 The surface of the water is smooth and bur- 
 nished, a very mirror, reflecting details the 
 most minute — the beacon with its egg-shaped 
 top at the end of the Mole ; the masts of the 
 advancing ship, and round them a maze of 
 intricate entanglement of rope, cable, and 
 block ; the passing shadows even of the sea- 
 birds as they flit by in rapid flight, skimming 
 the surface in search of prey beneath. 
 
 On board the troop-ship there was far less 
 excitement than on shore. Of the soldiers 
 in the forepart, some lounged lazily over the
 
 DISEMBARKING. 7 
 
 Side, Staring at the big brown Rock, trying 
 to count up the sentries whose bayonets now 
 and again glistened in the sunlight ; others 
 gathered round Jack Hanlon, who had " put 
 in his time" with the "Secondy Queen's" 
 years back at Gibraltar, and had learnt then 
 by heart where the grog-shops lay, and the 
 price of liquor. Grog and the number of 
 nights In bed — off guard, that Is to say — are 
 first amonof a soldier's thouo^hts on reach- 
 inof a new ofarrlson. The Halberdiers were 
 mostly In their shirt-sleeves smoking. No 
 orders had been given yet for disembarka- 
 tion, though every one was ready. The 
 white belts, reeking of new pipe-clay, fes- 
 tooned all the rigging around, bearing thick 
 as fruit great black pouches, bright buttons, 
 and brass-work. The squad-bags were filled, 
 the greatcoats folded and strapped upon the 
 packs. Five minutes after the bugle-call, 
 every man could fall in in full war-paint, 
 ready to march on shore. 
 
 Aft upon the poop a group of officers dis- 
 cussed with more animation the Rock that 
 was to be their home for the next few years.
 
 8 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 Among them were one or two ladies, officers' 
 wives ; and all were listening to old Honey- 
 bun, the paymaster, who gave himself out as 
 an authority upon the new station. 
 
 *' Mr Company Manners," they called Honey- 
 bun In the regiment, because he always minced 
 his words and tried to talk fine. It was odd 
 to hear the //s go astray like unbroken colts, 
 in spite of his efforts to harness and drive 
 them in neat-turned speech. But there was 
 nothing beyond Honeybun when he was* in 
 a select society that believed In him ; no 
 accomplishment he had not mastered, no 
 branch of his education that had been ne- 
 glected ; yet he made the strangest hash of 
 Latin quotations, and his French was the 
 subalterns' joy on a dull afternoon. He 
 had risen really from the ranks ; he could 
 not deny that. But great men had some- 
 times risen from even lower beginnings ; 
 and Honeybun, by talking vaguely of his 
 birth and parentage, and of the affluence 
 in which he had been cradled, gave the 
 public to understand that he could dazzle them 
 not a little by drawing back the veil that hid
 
 DISEMBARKING. 9 
 
 the mysterious past. The haziness of these 
 distant, undefined reminiscences were, in artis- 
 tic phrase, suggestive : details might be filled 
 in according to the imaginative powers. Old 
 Gotham, the pioneer - corporal, was Honey- 
 bun's bete 7ioir : they had been drummers 
 together, but the one had far outstripped 
 the other, and the least fortunate detracted 
 when he dared from his professional superior's 
 merits, swearing, In strict privacy at the 
 canteen, that Honeybun had learnt all he 
 knew of manners and gentility when body- 
 servant to Mr George Fairfax in another regi- 
 ment. Nor did Honeybun deny that he had 
 soldiered years before elsewhere than in the 
 ranks of the Halberdiers. He was fond of 
 talking of his old "■ cawr ; " using the word 
 corps because ** regiment" sounded to him 
 more meagre in meaning. He was full 
 of tales of the days when *' my cawr " lay 
 at Belgaum and Bellary and Moulmein, al- 
 though, to listen to him, he might have been 
 its colonel, instead of a simple private in its 
 ranks. 
 
 This is how he spoke of Gibraltar.
 
 lO LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " I mind it well— gay and glorious. Them's 
 the words, boys. Sherry white wine — Man- 
 zanilyer they calls it — in every tap, and poor 
 Os by the score." 
 
 ** Poor Os ? " asked some one laughing. 
 
 " That's Spanish Casteylarno for cigars. For 
 all your learning and schooling, it seems you 
 can't speak every language, young squire.'^ 
 
 " Cigars and cogniac — that's your idea of 
 life isn't it, Company ? " 
 
 *' Beer and pipes, I should say," added 
 another voice. 
 
 " You've hardly left off milk," retorted 
 Honeybun in high dudgeon. 
 
 '' Don't get angry, Company," said young 
 Wriottesley. *' Tell us more of the Rock. 
 What else Is there besides wine and tobacco ? " 
 
 *' There's bull-fights, corriderSy and fruit, and 
 masked balls, and red mullet, and beauties in 
 black silk "— 
 
 " All on the Rock ? " ^ 
 
 " There, and somewheres else. In the 
 towns round — Malaga, Cadiz, Sevillyer la 
 Belllya, Ronder " 
 
 " That's short for rendezvous^ I suppose ? "
 
 DISEMBARKING. I I 
 
 " Most likely," replied Honeybun innocently. 
 " It s where you go for the Fair." 
 
 " Do you walk ? " 
 
 " Walk!" with the utmost contempt. " No ; 
 ride. You get on your mule, and you trot 
 across the Sairey." 
 
 *' Sahara, you mean — that's on the other side, 
 in Africa." 
 
 " I don't mean the other side, Mr Cockey- 
 wax. I know what I'm talkinof about. I 
 said See — airey. That's Casteylarno for moun- 
 tains." « 
 
 ** And did you often go?" asked Mrs Sproule, 
 a fair-haired, neat-looking woman, who was 
 leaning back in a cane-bottomed chair. 
 
 ** I was always a-going. My mast " 
 
 Honeybun checked himself suddenly. 
 
 "Your what, Mr Honeybun? Mast ?" 
 
 went on Mrs Sproule quickly, with malicious 
 interest. 
 
 But further conversation was at this moment 
 checked by a sudden uproar at the Mole. 
 Frantic cries of ** Stop him ! " " Stop him ! " 
 " Throw him overboard ! " rose in many ac- 
 cents from many tongues, while others of
 
 I 2 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCJC. 
 
 those on shore pointed to a man who was 
 climbing the side of the " Upnor Castle." 
 
 The intruder, to whom attention was thus 
 called by others envious of his enterprise and 
 good fortune, was nothing daunted by the 
 shouting, and labouring upward, gained at 
 length the deck, to find himself in the arms of 
 the sentry at the gangway. Here he met with 
 rather a rough reception. 
 
 "Now, Johnny, what you want?" shouted 
 the soldier. People of small education, speak- 
 ing to a foreigner, fancy they must use a 
 broken language or bellow ; as if ignorance of 
 tonofues was to be surmounted like deafness 
 or by baby-talk. 
 
 '' What you want ? No comee here — no 
 permittee." 
 
 But the newcomer would not under- 
 stand, and made as though he would push 
 past. 
 
 *' No one is allowed on board, I tell you," 
 said the sentry waxing wroth. " You must go 
 back where you come from. Them's my 
 orders. Go back — else I'll make yen" 
 
 "No, Seiior, no ; for the love of heaven,
 
 DISEMBARKING. 1 3 
 
 no," said the old man (he was quite old, and 
 very poorly dressed), cringing low and speak- 
 ing In weak, whining tones. 
 
 But he could not wheedle the stern sen- 
 tinel into forgetfulness of his duty. 
 
 " I tell you you shan't come by. Go down 
 into your boat again, will you or won't you ? 
 Must I make you ? then " 
 
 A scuffle ensued. For half a second the old 
 man struggled helplessly in the soldier's Iron 
 grasp, and then was borne heavily to the 
 ground. ♦ 
 
 *' For shame, man ! he's old enough to be 
 your father," shouted a strong youthful voice 
 from among the group, by this time attracted 
 to the spot ; for most of the loungers on the 
 deck had come to the end of the poop, and 
 were looking down upon the scene, more 
 or less indifferent thouorh amused. If none 
 save chivalrous Frank Wriottesley seemed 
 disposed to raise a protest against the 
 soldier's conduct, it was because — trained in 
 the strict school of mlHtary discipline — 
 they recognised the sacred functions of a sen- 
 tinel and the orders entrusted to him.
 
 14 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 But Frank Wriottesley spoke. Nay, more ; 
 jumping hastily down the companion-ladder, 
 he went forward to interpose personally for 
 the protection of the old man. 
 
 "Hands off!" he said again pretty sharply 
 to the sentry. *' The man's done no harm ; let 
 him go." 
 
 *' My orders was to let no person aboard 
 unless passed by an officer, sir." 
 
 '' Let him alone then. You were not 
 ordered to assault people. I'll answer for 
 him ; " and with that Frank lifted the old 
 gentleman to his feet, and lent him gently 
 aeainst the bulwarks. 
 
 '' Who are you ? What do you want ? " 
 asked Frank. 
 
 The other for reply began fumbling in his 
 pockets, with such evident haste and anxiety, 
 that it seemed doubtful whether he did 
 not seek some hidden weapon wherewith to 
 wreak vengeance on the outrager of his 
 honour. But while Wriottesley was debating 
 whether he should seize the old man's hands, 
 they reappeared from the depths of his musty 
 alpaca coat bearing a bundle of cards, one
 
 DISEMBARKING. 1 5 
 
 of which, with a lowly reverence, he pre- 
 sented to his preserver. 
 On it was printed : — 
 
 MARIANO BELLOTA, 
 
 Dealer in Moorish Curiosities^ Spanish Fans and Lace, 
 
 FURNITURE FOR HIRE BILLS CASHED, 
 
 7 CRUTCHETTS RAMP, 
 GIBRALTAR. 
 
 '' I'm blest if it ain't the Viscount ! " cried 
 Honeybun. 
 
 " Yes, * Viscount ; ' I am the Viscount, 
 Sefiores. The best shop in all Gibraltar. 
 Cigars, money, what you want." 
 
 '' To think of old Viscount being still to the 
 fore ! " went on Honeybun. "He was as old 
 as the hills twenty years ago, and here he is 
 at his trade the same as ever." 
 
 Meanwhile the Viscount went amone the 
 officers, handing them his cards and begging 
 their patronage. This sobriquet of his he had 
 earned ages ago, when a certain young noble- 
 man in a marching regiment had been his own
 
 1 6 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 familiar friend. So he said himself, and he 
 was never tired of quoting the Viscount ; but 
 the real story was, that in some curious bill 
 transaction, his Lordship had been goaded Into 
 giving Bellota a sound thrashing. 
 
 " Don't go to Solomon, Senores — Solomon 
 Corta Bolsas ; he awful jew," said the old 
 man with each card. 
 
 He had a nasty cringing manner, and would 
 not look you in the face. His eyes were 
 always downcast, except when now and then 
 a rapid furtive glance upward showed that he 
 was not unobservant of his fellow-men, espe- 
 cially with such as he hoped to bleed. This 
 Solomon he mentioned was the opposition 
 dealer — one of those on the Mole who had 
 betrayed Bellota's insidious attack upon the 
 ship. There was a terrible rivalry between the 
 two, extending to the sacrifice of a half-farth- 
 ing's profit by one for the mere pleasure of 
 outwitting or underselling the other. Half 
 a farthlne — no more. There was a limit to 
 the luxury. 
 
 " Ain't you got one of them things for me ? " 
 shouted Honeybun. " I know you of old,
 
 DISEMBARKING. 1 7 
 
 Viscount. Mayhap I'll do you a good turn 
 for old times' sake." 
 
 " You know me ? Thank you, Senor ; yes, 
 you know me," went on Bellota, jumping 
 at the fact, and trading on it at once, not 
 because he also recognised Honeybun, but 
 because the statement was of value as an 
 advertisement. '' You know how good I 
 served you — chest of drawers, big bath, fans, 
 aba7iicos from Cahdiz, Malaga figures, Moorish 
 trays, rugs, cigars — all you got from^ me first 
 rate — no ? " • 
 
 ** You don't remember me personally, per- 
 haps," went on Honeybun cautiously. " I was 
 here when the Princess Charlotte's Li^ht 
 Infantry lay here, nigh on twenty years ago. 
 Do you mind that there cawr ? " 
 
 " Si, si, Senor, yes. I have the good 
 memory. Plenty regiments come here — plenty 
 officers. They come all to the Viscount for 
 what they want. Thank you, Senor. Mil 
 graciasT 
 
 " Lord Georofe Honister was our colonel 
 in those days," went on Honeybun, addressing 
 the company generally, and in the small voice 
 
 VOL. I. B
 
 1 8 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 he assumed when speaking of lords and high- 
 mightinesses. " We drove four-In-hand " — 
 (" Company " had been Inside the coach with 
 the rest of the servants) — "sometimes right 
 up to the top of the Rock. Up there," he 
 added, pointing to the signal-station, a straight, 
 steep wall like the side of a house, along which 
 nothing short of a team of monkeys, native 
 born, could hope to travel. "Young Fairfax 
 used to tool the drag." 
 
 This tremendous statement drew every 
 one on to Honeybun at once. He was 
 assailed with a dozen questions and a dozen 
 incredulous shouts, and no one for the moment 
 noticed the deathly pallor that had come 
 over Bellota's face. 
 
 " Aha ! yes, yes 1" went on Honeybun. " It's 
 true as gospel. But no one could have done 
 it like George Fairfax — the wildest slip was 
 Georee. You'd seldom meet such in a month 
 of Sundays. Up to every devilment and 
 wickedness ; horse-racing, yacht-sailing, gam- 
 bling, flirting — ay, and sometimes worse." 
 
 " He bad man, damned rascal, villain ! " 
 shrieked old Bellota suddenly in a crescendo
 
 DISEMBARKING. 1 9 
 
 note, and then finding that words failed him 
 in EngHsh, he lapsed Into his native tongue, 
 pouring forth, with wildest gesticulation and 
 in furious tones, a perfect torrent of abuse. 
 Might a bad stroke of lightning cut the 
 dog-souled, black-hearted thief in two parts. 
 Might the torments of a certain warm place 
 await him, and every other two-faced, double- 
 dealing English officer. Might he and they 
 suffer from bad fleas ; might they die of the 
 closed colic ; might a withering sickness palsy 
 all their powers — the robbers, the shameless, 
 the Indecent, the scandalous. 
 
 So much and more streamed forth with the 
 wildest rapidity, he being of course all the 
 while utterly and completely unintelligible to 
 his listeners. They, surprised, began to sheer 
 off one by one, thinking the old gentleman 
 slightly crazed. 
 
 *' You've got his shirt out somehow. Honey- 
 bun; he'll do you a mischief. What did you 
 say : 
 
 " He must be mad," replied the paymaster, 
 who did not care to be more communica- 
 tive.
 
 20 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 But he knew rieht well in his own heart 
 
 & 
 
 why Bellota loathed the sound of George 
 Fairfax's name ; and he was sorry that he 
 had re-opened the sore by this thoughtless 
 reference to his former master. 
 
 And now Frank Wriottesley again inter- 
 posed, and taking the old man still spluttering 
 forth abusive words, led him to a seat. But 
 Bellota shook himself free, gathered up his 
 hat, handkerchief, and the cards which in his 
 fury he had scattered about the deck, and 
 hastily left the ship.
 
 ( ^I ) 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 DON MARIANO AT HOME. 
 
 •The shabbily-dressed old gentleman who had 
 left the troopship " Upnor Castle " in such 
 a hurry, was the representative of a goed 
 Spanish family, which, at the time Gibraltar 
 fell into the hands of the English, had been 
 settled for years upon the Rock. 
 
 The Bellotas were not grandees of Spain, 
 but they boasted that their blood was as blue 
 as the best. Their possessions were not large, 
 but they got from them enough to eat. They 
 were Avell-connected too ; cousins of the Guz- 
 mans of Tarifa, of the Gazules of Alcala, the 
 MIrifiaques of Casares, the Pan-y-Aguas and 
 the Bebe-ao^uardlentes of the Sierra. One 
 ancestor of the house had fought with Cortes 
 and Pizarro in the New World ; another had
 
 22 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 helped to grill the Flemings, a third had him- 
 self been grilled by the Holy Office. The 
 Bellotas were especially proud of a certain 
 Don Joaquin, whose bravery In the Moorish 
 wars had won for him and his heirs for ever 
 a good slice of Tank's rock ; unfortunately 
 for the Bellotas, Admiral Rooke came and 
 administered to the estate, and the property 
 passed into other hands. 
 
 At the time of the capture two courses 
 were open to the natives : they might remain 
 and swear allegiance to the newcomers, or 
 they might remove themselves altogether. In 
 their decision upon this Important point the 
 Bellotas were divided. Several members of 
 the family migrated, but Don Bartolomeo, the 
 head of the house, refused to stir, and when, 
 later, he heard how the others had fared, he 
 thought he had chosen the wiser part. Of 
 those that had committed themselves to the 
 intricate mountain paths and weary leagues 
 of waste, inhospitable land, many met their 
 death. To a few the neighbouring towns of 
 Ximena, Gaucin, Medina SIdonIa, and Xeres 
 opened their gates, but the Bellotas who left
 
 DON MARIANO AT HOME. 23 
 
 Gibraltar were scattered to the four winds 
 of heaven. Don Bartolomeo escaped such 
 sufferings certainly, but other trials were in 
 store for him. He was doomed to see the 
 decay of his house. Too proud and too 
 indolent to work, he and his would have 
 died of absolute starvation, had It not 
 been that a lump of bread or a handful of 
 beans give food enough for a family in 
 these southern lands. By degrees the Bel- 
 lotas sank lower and lower In the social 
 scale, and at the time of which I ^m 
 now writing, Mariano Bartolomeo Bellota of 
 Penaflor, in whom were centred all the 
 honours of a falling house, had long kept a 
 huckster's shop in a narrow ad de sac, and 
 was to all outward seeming as poor as a 
 church mouse. 
 
 That which had been long his dwelling — 
 House No. 47, District 29, as it was styled 
 in the official records of the place — was 
 a rattletrap, tumbledown edifice, which 
 seemed saved from falling only because it 
 was permitted to lean against the house at 
 the opposite side. The two might have been
 
 24 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 part of a card - castle, built up by childish 
 hands. The street itself was a long stair- 
 case — nothing more — a succession of wide 
 steps, none of them very steep, yet imprac- 
 ticable save to the sure-footed donkies of the 
 water-carriers, with their burthen of kegs 
 borne in a pack-saddle like a cradle. At 
 the top of the street rose the sheer, straight 
 wall of the Rock, closing the view and the 
 ventilation. There was not much fresh air 
 astray in Crutchett's Ramp. The clothes' 
 lines with their steaming burthens hanging 
 in rows forbade it to circulate ; yet when 
 a ray of sunlight glinted across the narrow 
 street, the place became picturesque and 
 pleasant for all its frowsy stuffiness. These 
 very curtains of clothes, staring white as 
 only the southern sun can bleach them, or 
 patched blue, red and yellow in many colours 
 as Joseph's coat, gave a quaint beauty, to 
 the scene, which was heightened by the 
 red-tiled, overhanging eaves, and the nonde- 
 script attire of the passers-by — women with 
 bright kerchiefs bound about their heads, 
 longshore sailors in jerseys striped blue and
 
 DON MARIANO AT HOME. 25 
 
 white, or real Spaniards in crimson sashes, 
 wide-brimmed velvet hats, and suits of dark 
 claret brown. 
 
 Here in a dingy, poky little shop, not 
 much bigger than a pill-box, Mariano Bellota 
 had done business for years, sitting far 
 within among his wares, like an evil-minded 
 spider near its web, trying all he knew to 
 entice his customers to enter his den. He 
 sold everything — printed forms for the use of 
 the Serjeants of the garrison, salt butter and 
 " sogers " to be eaten by the privates and their 
 wives ; candles, pipe-clay, tobacco, pipes, cloth, 
 oil-skin coats, knives, pig-skins, piece goods — 
 everything was fish that came to his net. 
 He never sent a buyer away ; if the article 
 required was not in his shop he would not 
 confess to it, saying always, " I have it, I have 
 it ; sz senor, lo tengo, I have it in my other 
 store. I will bring it to your worship in half 
 
 a moment, or to-night, or to-morrow " 
 
 And he bought it forthwith expressly, pro- 
 bably at half the price he charged for it, from 
 some brother in the trade. 
 
 From the earliest period in his commercial
 
 26 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 enterprises, want of capital had been his 
 most grievous need. He wanted it to in- 
 crease the scope of his operations, feeling that 
 only thus could he hope to extend, adequately, 
 his gains. He wanted capital, money that he 
 could afford to lie out of, to be invested in a 
 dozen different ways — in smuggling ventures 
 to the neighbouring ports of Spain, in doing 
 " bits of stiff," and taking up such paper as 
 was flying about at the tail of some barrack 
 " kite," ever on the wings of air. To have 
 capital was, in these early days, his constant 
 dream. For cash — doubloons, hard dollars, 
 ^' duros, pesos y ficertes, dollars strong and 
 heavy " — was his prayer day and night. " Ay 
 Dios mio ! " he would cry, '' when shall I have 
 enough to begin ? " And for this he slaved, 
 leaving no stone unturned till he pocketed the 
 miserable balance of gain for which his soul 
 panted, and by which he gradually became rich. 
 Don Mariano was indeed of the stuff of 
 which millionaires are made. He knew 
 better than most people the exact value of a 
 shilling, and, for the matter of that, of a 
 copper ochavOy a Spanish coin, the fraction
 
 DON MARIANO AT HOME. 27 
 
 of a farthing ; although not a lineal descen- 
 dant of the peculiar people, he had the 
 Jewish instinct, if not Jewish blood, in his 
 veins. The great rule with him, as with 
 every successful trader, was to make a margin 
 of profit. For this he would toil day and 
 night, and walk from one end of the Rock to 
 the other. In search of it he bought and 
 swopped, and sold and bought again, making 
 all that passed through his hands pay him 
 toll. And yet even when his dream was 
 half accomplished, to listen to him you would 
 think that he was still on the verge of 
 pauperism, that starvation still stared him 
 in the face. He thrust this forward always 
 when making a bargain : ''Soy ^m pobre; un 
 pobre y no tengo na-a" — I am poor; a poor 
 miserable devil, without a rap in the world. 
 And when he was chaffering with any one not 
 of his own kidney — with the officers of the 
 garrison, for instance, and the English 
 generally^he found this mode of speech 
 brought him a decided advantage. 
 
 It was with these officers of the garrison 
 that he was always most anxious to open up
 
 28 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 relations, there was more money to be made 
 out of them. He took to letting out furni- 
 ture for hire, simply to get the entree to the 
 barracks. With admission came other op- 
 portunities — profitable purchases of cast-off 
 uniforms, or the household effects of those 
 ordered suddenly away. By and by came 
 occasions for lending money ; at first in 
 small sums, then more and more as he 
 found he had capital behind him. From 
 money-lending to cashing cheques and bills 
 upon London, was an easy transition. The 
 ice once broken, his transactions extended, 
 till by one lucky coup he pocketed a lot of 
 money. He had had the wit to ferret out 
 
 that, although young Lord P was living 
 
 too fast, and always in want of money, his 
 security was excellent. Bellota therefore 
 bought up all his lordships paper, assumed 
 all his liabilities, and by and by got cent, 
 per cent, profit when everything was paid. 
 The Viscount in a rage had thrashed him 
 once; Don Mariano did not mind. Damages 
 to a very handsome tune were paid for the 
 assault, and as time rolled on, Bellota looked
 
 DON MARIANO AT HOME. 29 
 
 back with complacency to his connection 
 with Lord P . From It dated all his pros- 
 perity, and from that time forth the Viscount 
 was always In his mouth. He dazzled every 
 customer, every friend, and every foe, with the 
 title and name of his patron ; till one day he 
 was himself christened Viscount, and the name 
 stuck to him for ever. 
 
 But although money now began to pour in 
 fast, and already in the folds of the old faja, 
 stowed away In his strong box, more than one 
 golden doubloon lay hid, still did Don Mariano 
 follow his trade — he still stuck to the shop 
 In Crutchetts Ramp, and made It his head- 
 quarters. It was here that he had laid the 
 foundations of his wealth, and here he pre- 
 ferred to remain. Though he owned other 
 stores, other hands In his pay did the work ; 
 though his money was laid out In many 
 ventures — In an hotel at Tangier, In the 
 bull-ring at Algeciras, In fleets of fahtchas 
 for mysterious trade with Spain — he clung 
 to his old habit of touting for himself, and, 
 above all, to the old den In which his youth 
 and manhood had been passed. He dined
 
 30 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 in his shop off a slice of sausage, a bowl of 
 gazpacho, a salad or an orange stew, and he 
 slept upstairs. 
 
 Nevertheless there were passages in the 
 past life of this miserly, crossgrained old cur- 
 mudgeon, devoted only to money-making, 
 which in some measure compensated for his 
 surliness and selfish avarice. He was one of 
 those who had lived through the terrible 
 epidemic that had swept Gibraltar like a 
 scourge in 1828. He had escaped himself, 
 but with him one child only of the seven that 
 had called him father. First Encarnacion 
 w^ent, then Rafarillo, then Pepe. Next his 
 wife, patient and devoted mother, died. Three 
 other children followed ; Dolores was the last, 
 but fate spared her, or Mariano would hardly 
 have wished to survive the rest. With what 
 anxiety had he not watched over this last one, 
 dreading each moment the symptoms he knew 
 by this time so well : the fevered brow, the 
 red, bloodshot eye, and the aching back ! Yes ; 
 Dolores, mercifully, was spared, and for her 
 Bellota lived. For her sake he toiled from day 
 to day, hoping that fortune might come, only
 
 DON MARIANO AT HOME. 3 1 
 
 for her. He was wrapped up in this Dolores, 
 the sweet, motherless child, who grew up 
 straight as a sapling, and with all the glow- 
 ing beauty of her race flashing from her big, 
 bright eyes. For her sake had he remained 
 a widower, dreading for her a stepmother's 
 harshness. "Happy Adam and Eve," runs 
 the Spanish saying, *' for neither knew fathers- 
 in-law nor stepmothers." It would have been 
 better for Dolores if she had been subjected 
 to some other older woman's care and cor- 
 rection. She grew up like a wild, waywaVd 
 child, never thwarted, never checked. One 
 day, quite unexpectedly, she disappeared from 
 her home. Mariano, like one distracted, 
 searched high and low ; but to no purpose. 
 Dolores with her lover had flown to England. 
 
 Rage and despair filled the father's heart, 
 and with all the warmth of his southern, 
 passionate nature, he swore revenge — an 
 impotent oath, for he was powerless against 
 the man who had lured his daughter from 
 him. And all his anger vanished when 
 Dolores returned, pale, careworn, dying. In 
 that cold, northern land, unlike her sunny
 
 32 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 birthplace, she had pined at once. The 
 seeds of disease sown among EngHsh fogs, 
 where, as the Spaniards say, the sun is seen 
 only through a blind, grew apace, nourished 
 and fostered by the remorse that gnawed at 
 her heart when she thought of the house in 
 Crutchett's Ramp and her lonely, deserted 
 father. Yet that father welcomed her again, 
 with a warmth of affection that no injury could 
 efface ; caressed and petted her as of old ; 
 spent hundreds of his beloved doubloons 
 seeking to bring back life-blood to her faded 
 cheek, fruitlessly. In a few months Dolores 
 died, leaving a tiny baby, just a morsel of 
 flesh to keep the Bellotas of the Rock from 
 absolute extinction. 
 
 This Dolores the younger is the heroine of 
 our story. 
 
 Having had some experience in the man- 
 agement of girls, Don Mariano resolved to 
 avoid, this time, the errors that had led 
 to his daughter's death. As soon as the 
 months of babyhood were past, the little 
 Lola — sweet diminutive of her name — was
 
 DON MARIANO AT HOME. 33 
 
 consiofned to the care of some of his kindred 
 near Xlmena. A cousin's wife, now a widow, 
 who resided with her family at the Cortijo 
 de Agua Dulce (Sweet-water Farm), just a 
 mile or two out of the town, consented to 
 bring up the orphan babe. Here she thrived 
 and grew ; old Bellota wending his way upon 
 an old, flea-bitten, grey horse, as often as he 
 could tear himself from money-making, to 
 gladden his eyes with a sight of the child 
 that was fast growing to be the living like- 
 ness of the mother she had never known. It 
 is probable that her grandfather would have 
 left her always at Ximena, had not the 
 irksomeness of the journey at his advanced 
 age, and the loss of time it entailed, pressed 
 heavily upon him. By the time Lola was 
 old enough to be sent to school, he fetched 
 her back to the Rock to enter the convent 
 of Nuestra Seiiora de la Europa, where the 
 good sisters were to have charge of her 
 education and her morals till she developed 
 into womanhood. 
 
 A high-walled garden, not far removed 
 from the road leading to the south end of 
 VOL. I. c
 
 34 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 the Rock, was Lola's playground and prison, 
 when the studies she hated were at an end. 
 But they seemed endless, these studies. 
 She was to learn everything the good 
 nuns could teach her, English alone ex- 
 cepted. Dead, deserted Dolores, had known 
 English, Imperfectly perhaps, but enough to 
 understand the tempting. Insinuating language 
 which had lured her from her father's house. 
 The recollection of that terrible loss was 
 still fresh upon his mind ; his heart was 
 as sore to-day as if the blow had just 
 been struck, even though he kept the secret 
 to himself. He loathed the whole class of 
 officers, los oficiales, to one of whom he 
 owed his sorrows, and with them all who 
 owned English as their native tongue. So 
 Lola was to have no language but that sub- 
 stitute for the pure rolling Castlllan which 
 In Andalucia and round about passes for 
 Spanish. But all other ** extras " were 
 Included In her quarterly bills, and among 
 them were not only music and embroidery, 
 and the use of the fan ; perhaps if her 
 grandfather had been admitted to the private
 
 DON MARIANO AT HOME. 35 
 
 games and gossip of the convent, he might 
 have awakened to the fact that in spite of 
 all his anxious forethought the girl was 
 certain to taste of the forbidden fruit of the 
 tree of knowledge. 
 
 She and her companions led secluded lives 
 no doubt, but the very air they breathed was 
 impregnated with a subtle poison which they 
 drank in eagerly, because at their age it 
 was like nectar after dry tasks and dreary 
 hours of confinement within the convent- 
 
 • 
 
 walls. Foolish ofirls are elsewhere to be 
 found who doat upon the military, to whom 
 the glitter of a button and the colour of 
 a crimson coat are irresistible attractions. 
 For these school-girls thus immured inside a 
 fortress-town, there was some excuse, perhaps. 
 Soldiers and the toys of the trade surrounded 
 the convent. A dozen times a day its walls 
 and quiet cloisters echoed to the measured 
 tread of troops passing to and fro ; their 
 glancing bayonets flashed reflections across 
 the convent windows ; martial music was as 
 often in the ears of its inmates as matins or 
 miserere ; bugles with brazen throats, or clatter-
 
 2,6 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 ing drums, saluted the dawning day or setting 
 sun : while most evenings the breeze scented 
 with the strong perfume of the dama de noche, 
 the " lady of the night," whose flowers keep 
 their fragrance for the dark hours, brought with 
 it also the soft strains of some regimental band 
 performing bewitching music in the Alameda 
 gardens below. Already each of the elder girls 
 treasured up the recollection of some gttapo 
 chico, some interesting youth whom they had 
 seen for a moment as he cantered by, bound 
 to hunt the fox on the slopes near Magazine 
 Hill or between the rivers, or marching down 
 to mount guard at Ragged Staff or on the 
 Neutral Ground. Not a few too had elder 
 sisters versed In the gay doings at Carnival 
 time, with many reminiscences of the masked 
 balls at the theatre and their partners there, 
 of the fairs at San Roque and Algeclras, their 
 bull-fights and their splendour. Thus was Lola 
 brought up In the very midst of the dangers 
 from which her grandfather devoutly desired 
 to shield her. She even learnt English, under 
 the rose ; not much, It Is true, beyond words 
 and phrases, but enough to talk at times in a
 
 DON MARIANO AT HOME. 37 
 
 strange sort of gibberish, the only merit of which 
 was the music of her voice when she spoke. 
 
 Old Bcllota lived on in blissful ignorance. 
 Lola did not confess to him, — she was hardly 
 herself aware of the notions she was imbibino-. 
 She seldom saw him, moreover ; only on state 
 occasions, when she was escorted by a pair of 
 demure sisters to pay a visit to Crutchetfs 
 Ramp. She travelled then to the foot of the 
 staircase street in a high-wheeled, hooded 
 caleche drawn by a sober mule, and driven 
 by an ancient gardener perched upon one of 
 the shafts. Little Lola was as prim and 
 sober to look upon as Sor Escolastica, her 
 chaperone, or the mule which was their 
 carriage horse. Her eyes were always down- 
 cast, and her pretty lips drawn together as 
 tightly and as primly as the reverend mother 
 at the convent could desire. 
 
 To see her then, in repose, noting the mar- 
 vellous regularity of feature, the well- chiselled 
 nose and chin, the eyebrows arched like a 
 well-strung bow, the tiny ears, the beautiful 
 pose of the head and its matchless outline — 
 this very perfectness disappointed you. It was
 
 :\S LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 J 
 
 too classical ; too severe ; too strictly beautiful ; 
 the loveliness of a cold stone statue, as a gem of 
 art Inimitable, but In nature almost annoylngly 
 faultless and correct. 
 
 But hers then was the beauty of the dawn 
 before sunrise. When she raised her eyes, 
 when those lids with their long, drooping 
 lashes were unclosed, it was as If upon a cold, 
 grey, morning landscape, cheerless and unin- 
 teresting, the sun had suddenly burst forth to 
 gladden all around with its brightness. These 
 eyes of Lola's worked like magic upon her 
 face, rippling her lips into a smile, and waking 
 every feature Into glorious life. To look at 
 her then, simply was a pleasure ; and If It 
 were possible to escape the sorcery of her face 
 and take In other details, you saw that her 
 hair was splendid in its lustre and luxuriant 
 richness ; that her figure, though extremely 
 slight, was exquisitely proportioned. In sta- 
 ture she was above the middle height, had 
 hands like snowflakes, and a foot noticeable 
 even In this land of small feet, where the pze 
 Madrilena, " a Madrid woman's foot," has 
 passed already Into a proverb.
 
 DON MARIANO AT HOME. 39 
 
 Such was Lola Bellota about the time that the 
 Halberdiers reached Gibraltar. She was now 
 on the point of leaving the convent, her school- 
 days ended. Girls grow fast in these latitudes, 
 and at seventeen our heroine was quite ready- 
 to " come out," had her grandfather intended to 
 launch her upon the giddy world of Crutchett's 
 Ramp. Here, at least, she would have been 
 safe from the wiles of the men who were 
 Bellota's aversion. Few of the English officers 
 scaled the steep steps to Don Mariano's den. 
 Those who wanted furniture went to his other 
 shop in Waterport Street, and in cashing bills 
 and usury Don Mariano did not always appear 
 • — an agent in the best part of the town did all 
 that, although Bellota looked after the business 
 and possible defaulters with a sharpness that 
 proved it was his own money that was at 
 stake. 
 
 But now the time had come for him to leave 
 Crutchett's Ramp, if not altogether, at least as 
 a residence. This was no place for his " little 
 pearl," as he loved to style his grandchild, to 
 call her home. She required something more 
 in keeping with the education she had received.
 
 40 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 and the Inheritance she might expect when he 
 was gone. But amid the conflict of many in- 
 terests, Bellota hesitated long as to the choice 
 of a new dwelllnpf. His desire to shield his Lola 
 from all possible harm Incited him to leave the 
 Rock altogether, and seek a home in Campo- 
 mento or San Roque. But he could not give 
 up his business and the gains it brought him. 
 Money-making had grown to be a second nature 
 with him, and to have retired would have been 
 his death. As a compromise he might have 
 lived away from Gibraltar, journeying to and 
 fro daily ; but at his time of life he could not 
 face such constant toil. 
 
 At length, after much anxious debating, he 
 decided to occupy a cottage of his own which 
 lay in a sheltered nook above Rosia Bay, facing 
 the Straits and the west wind. Making this 
 his head-quarters, he might from it direct all 
 his affairs ; and as business would probably 
 call him often from home, he resolved to leave 
 little Lola in safe hands. Duefias are an in- 
 stitution in Spain ; she should have a duena 
 to watch over her, and keep her from mischief. 
 Tia Josefa, his housekeeper, was the very
 
 DON MARIANO AT HOME. 41 
 
 person for the post. He had taken her as a 
 servant a year or two back, because he liked 
 the industry and perseverance with which she 
 hawked her fish in Crutchett's Ramp. She 
 had served him well ; and now he thought he 
 might trust her better than a stranger. Thys 
 was the establishment at Rosia Cottage com- 
 pleted. The old man, the gay, light-hearted 
 girl, fresh from school restrictions, and the 
 sober duena, full of the importance of her new 
 rank, but ready, like the rest of her class, to 
 sell herself to the highest bidder. • 
 
 H
 
 (42) 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 SAN ROQUE FAIR. 
 
 When the time came for the San Roque fair 
 and bull fights, Dolores begged hard to be 
 allowed to go ; but Don Mariano was very- 
 doubtful about it. 
 
 Fair-time in southern Spain is like a second 
 carnival — even to sober-minded and sedate 
 Spaniards a time of licence and extravagant 
 enjoyment. Every town has its fair at its 
 regular season, from Seville, queen of Anda- 
 lucia, down to Pedro Abad with its three 
 houses and a church. The whole population 
 joins in the fun such as it is ; moving 
 forth bodily to take up its residence on 
 the very spot, under the trees of the Ala- 
 meda, in the principal street, or out on the 
 open plains beyond the city walls. Here
 
 SAN ROQUE FAIR. 43 
 
 they spend their time from morning till 
 night, living in temporary shanties, furnished, 
 some of them, with taste, while others are 
 mere shelters built of reeds and freshly- 
 gathered boughs. They visit from one hut 
 to another, and are visited ; the old people 
 gossip, the young flirt ; there is dancing 
 when the sun goes down, the fan-sellers 
 light up their stalls, and from the out- 
 skirts of the fair, where are picketted the 
 horses and the herds for sale, comes the 
 tinkle of bells, a mule s shrill scream, mingkd 
 with the music of a sfuitar or the rattle of 
 castanets. 
 
 All this of itself, Mariano Bellota felt, would 
 be dangerous intoxication for such an inex- 
 perienced child as Lola. Had San Roque, 
 however, lain in the far-off Sierra, a purely 
 Spanish town with naught but native surround- 
 ings, it would have mattered less. But here, 
 close to the Rock, it was close to the fascinations 
 he especially dreaded. San Roque would be 
 thronged with English officers, insolent and 
 independent as usual, ogling every pretty face, 
 regardless of the duena's scowl or the knife of
 
 44 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 the jealous lover. Don Mariano was still 
 smarting from the scene on board the " Upnor 
 Castle." Honeybun had indeed re-opened an 
 old wound, one never properly healed, and 
 ready at any moment to break out and bleed 
 afresh. So for a long time the old. man was 
 very stout in his refusal. 
 
 " They are all going," said Lola, with the 
 persistency of her sex. ** Carmen, and Encar- 
 
 nacion, Aurelia, Paca " and she ran over a 
 
 string of names, all old schoolmates and friends. 
 
 *' But Carmen Garcia goes with her brother, 
 and Aurelia has her own mother's sister living 
 at San Roque, and Paca" 
 
 *'And have I not you to take care of me, 
 abuelito into (my little grandfather) ? " 
 
 *' I ? By the love of the sainted apostles ! 
 Can I go, and neglect my affairs ? You must 
 be mad, child." 
 
 ** You might, for me, for one day. But you 
 never do what I ask you," said Lola pouting, 
 and with tears in her eyes. 
 
 " Don't cry, child. I cannot bear you to be 
 sad, though the proverb says, Never believe in 
 a dog's lameness, nor in a woman's tears."
 
 SAN ROQUE FAIR. 45 
 
 " Anda ! Go to, grandfather. Let Josefa 
 take charge of me. Is she not sufficient ? Of 
 what are you afraid ? Think you I shall run 
 away " • 
 
 Don Mariano crossed himself devoutly, and 
 visibly shuddered. 
 
 " Do not talk like that, Lola, even in jest," 
 he said very earnestly. 
 
 " But it was a joke, only a joke. Think 
 you I could ever leave you, grandfather of 
 my heart ? Have you not nursed me, and 
 kept me, and loved me ever since I was borfl ? 
 I cannot forget that; never while there is 
 breath left in me." 
 
 What had dead Dolores said ? Her pro- 
 testations of love had been no less sincere, 
 yet how empty had her words proved ! 
 
 *^My child," said Bellota sadly, ** there is 
 an old saying, that we bring up our daughters 
 like rose-gardens grow roses and flower-pots, 
 pinks, for some one else to gather." 
 
 *' But, grandfather, am I never to leave the 
 Rock ? Qtie fastidioso ! How stupid ! Must 
 I sit here all day long in the house and in 
 the garden, but never in the street ? "
 
 4-6 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 ** Maids and falcons should be kept out 
 of the strong light," said the grandfather, 
 quoting a proverb. 
 
 " Would you have me grow up like celery, 
 always in the dark ? " 
 
 " I would have you as white and pure at 
 heart as the celery is at the roots." 
 
 *' Ay de mi ! But I weary of this life." 
 
 *' You will have plenty of fun when you go 
 to the Cortljo, to your cousins at Xlmena. 
 There will be tertullas, reunions, dancing, 
 and who knows ? — you will be choosing some 
 handsome lover over yonder, some tall chico 
 will take your fancy, and you will never more 
 return to me." 
 
 *' Senor, matrimo7iio y mortaja del cielo 
 baja. Marriages and death-beds are settled 
 in heaven. Besides, I want no novio, no 
 lover, grandfather, if he is to separate me 
 from you." 
 
 "■ Young girls all say that. But wait till 
 you meet one you like — pouf — you'd forget 
 me as fast as they fry eggs. Why try to 
 prevent it ? I might as well seek to hedge 
 in a plain with one pair of gates."
 
 SAN ROQUE FAIR. «. 47 
 
 ** PueSy In any case there Is no hurry, there 
 are more days to come than sausages." 
 
 " Don't leave it too long, August and 
 harvest don't come every day. In last 
 year's nests there are no birds left. Think 
 now, what of your cousin Lucas ? " 
 
 ** I hate him. He gives me mala sombray 
 he is so dark and sour; so crossgralned 
 and obstinate. No one dare say * This mouth 
 is my own ' when Lucas Penaflor stands by." 
 
 '' Nor yet Alejandro ? " 
 
 " That mountebank ! Let him keep hts 
 love for the mozas (girls) he meets when the 
 column Is on the line of march. As for me, 
 I have no taste for the life of John Soldier." 
 
 *' And little Miguel ? will he not do either ? " 
 
 *' What next ? a husband of gingerbread, 
 that I might eat him at one mouthful ! He 
 Is too small and Inslofnificant." 
 
 "You are harder to please, hija (daughter), 
 than Sancho Panza's doctor. Do you think 
 the angel Gabriel will come down from heaven 
 to court you ? " 
 
 ** It Is a solemn matter, abuelo. We do 
 not marry for one day only, but for all one's
 
 48 - LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 life. I want no husband yet, I seek but 
 to go to the fair ; and to that you would 
 agree had you not a heart harder than the 
 rocks of the stony Sierra." 
 
 *' I refuse you only for your own good, Lola 
 mia.'* 
 
 " Gracias'^ replied Lola, making him a low 
 curtsey. " I am obliged to your worship." 
 
 " So formal ? " Till then they had used 
 the familiar '' thee and thou," now Lola 
 addressed her grandfather in the third 
 person, calling him usted^ your worship. 
 " So formal ? give me a kiss, child. I sup- 
 pose you must have your way then. ' Criado 
 de abtielo nunca bueno^ says the proverb. 
 Those brought up by foolish oM grand- 
 fathers like me, are always spoilt." 
 
 ** No, no, no ! " cried Lola vehemently, 
 " Don't say that, abuelito of my soul, ' Quien 
 no sabe de abuelo no sabe de bueno! No 
 one knows what kindness is unless they 
 have had a grandfather, a dear old darling of 
 my heart," and Lola overwhelmed him with 
 caresses and a dozen endearing epithets. 
 
 Of the hundreds bound to the fair the
 
 SAN ROQUE FAIR. 49 
 
 Sunday after that was none like Lola Bellota. 
 It is the custom for Spanish ladles to attend 
 such ** functions " in fair white transparent 
 draperies, relieved only by a brilliant spot 
 of colour in their hair. Lola was in the 
 fashion, all In bridal white, with a crimson 
 blossom just below her hair, and In her hand 
 a pretty red fan. Old age comes on so fast 
 in this climate, that there Is an especial 
 ** carpe diem " freshness about youth. Lola 
 was like a new bud In Its first blushing 
 bloom. The glitter In her eyes might have 
 been the drops, still undried, of the early 
 dew. And then her tender, youthful beauty 
 shone out all the more by contrast with her 
 companion. Josefa, her duena, was fat and 
 forty, but no longer fair. Her figure, once 
 the pride of her maiden prime, was gone ; 
 and her face, now commonplace enough, was 
 further injured by a layer of thick white 
 powder assumed in honour of the day — as 
 we wear white gloves or run up a flag upon 
 great occasions. The cosmetic hung about 
 that unmistakable moustache as snow cllnofs 
 to the black branches of a tree; and now 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 50 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 and again a few flakes descended to soil 
 the glossiness of the magnificent dress of 
 black silk, which it was Josefas good fortune 
 to wear upon this occasion. 
 
 A calesa had been provided by Don Mariano, 
 into which, with becoming pride, our couple 
 mounted at the garden gate of the cottage. 
 In this — an old-fashioned yellow machine 
 hung on high wheels — hardly hidden by the 
 over-arching hood, they travelled at a foot- 
 pace, an easy prey for all who chose to stare ; 
 and as the beach was thronged with holiday 
 makers, bound also to San Roque, they were 
 not few who wished to look at Lola, and who 
 did so in spite of the duena's frowns and 
 muttered maledictions. The orood dame had 
 never heard of the Medusa's head ; had she 
 known of it she might have been disposed to 
 exchange it for her own powdered face, just 
 to punish these unblushing admirers. From 
 the English officers who cantered by, their 
 white puggerees streaming to the winds, came 
 not only bold glances, but one or two reined 
 up their horses to a walk, and kissed their 
 hands, speaking words not altogether unintel-
 
 SAN ROQUE FAIR. 5 I 
 
 llgible to Lola ; for a girl can interpret looks 
 and compliments, even with a limited know- 
 ledge of a foreign tongue, if not by intuition. 
 Josefa was less fortunate with those who pos- 
 sessed with her a common lanofuaofe. At the 
 first of the many drinking booths just where 
 the sands join the dilapidated high road, came 
 a torrent of chaff, as the driver of the calesa 
 halted for his first whet of aguardiente, 
 
 *' Are you twin sisters, gossip ? " cried one ; 
 *' a pretty pair. Like as two cherries on one 
 stalk." 
 
 *' Say rather like the ripe cherry and the 
 withered branch." 
 
 *' A tin sword and a gold scabbard." 
 
 "" Never trust a shoeless vagrant, nor a 
 taciturn man, nor a woman with a beard," 
 said another, quoting a proverb, and referring 
 to Dona Josefa's whiskers. 
 
 "• Hijos I " cried Josefa, exasperated, *' you 
 are as sharp as bolsters. It comes to the 
 greyhound by inheritance to have a long tall, 
 and to you evil-mouthed have come the hairy 
 tongues of your base-bred mothers. As Is 
 the bell so is the clapper." 
 
 unSit^ Of iWHOis
 
 5 2 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " Take care how you play with a jackass ; 
 he may hit you In the eye with his tail." 
 
 *' Grandmother, do you want a novio f " 
 
 ** Not one that is as ugly as hunger." 
 
 " The ughest olla (soup saucepan) finds a 
 lid to suit It." 
 
 " Calla, Shut up ! Nowadays the chickens 
 crow louder than the cocks. You are weari- 
 some as frogs, and as bumptious as arti- 
 chokes. Anda, drunkard," she went on to the 
 calesero, *' forward, or here we shall find our 
 graves." 
 
 And with that the trio proceeded. But 
 Dona Josefa's temper was somewhat ruffled, 
 even till they reached the last steep hill that 
 leads up to the town. 
 
 They alighted upon the outskirts of the 
 Alameda, where the Fair was held, which, like 
 a wide avenue, stretches from the town Itself 
 to the bull-rlnof and the barracks. At one 
 end the now busy street, whereof the grass, 
 the growth of eleven Indolent months. Is fast 
 being choked and stamped out by hundreds of 
 bustling feet ; at the other the purple hills 
 of Los Barrios and the Carnicero Sierra.
 
 SAN ROQUE FAIR. 53 
 
 On either side sloped fertile uplands, dotted 
 with olive grove and vineyard, one way to 
 the Giant Rock and the shore of the Gib- 
 raltar Bay, in the other to the wide-stretch- 
 ing cork wood of Almoraima to Castellar, 
 and the blue mountains round and beyond 
 Ronda. Bright colours in the landscape ; the 
 sky like lapis-lazuli ; the fields of green and 
 gold ; bright colour also and vivid contrast 
 among the crowds that thronged the fair. A 
 glut of yellow kerchiefs, crimson walstcloths, 
 and linen, white and glittering as snow in 
 the fierce bright light. Rich colour and 
 showy contrast everywhere — heightened by 
 the picturesqueness that still clings to all 
 in Andalucia ; to be seen in the gay trap- 
 pings of mule and horse, in the fluttering 
 pennons of the lancers of Santiago, posted 
 to keep order near the ring, in the huge 
 jars of the brown-skinned water-carriers, in 
 the tangled rags of the beggars, halt, or 
 maimed, or elephantiasis-afflicted, riding their 
 own horses, or crawling along the earth upon 
 all fours. Here and there in stormy discus- 
 sion a couple of dealers bargained for cattle,
 
 54 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 corn or calico, talking with rapid utterance, 
 gesticulating wildly, and perchance waxing 
 so wroth that by and by the knife alone 
 will settle the dispute. In the central street, 
 at the best booths, were sold fans and 
 brass work, tall oil lamps of classical shape, 
 mighty basins bigger than Mambrlno's helmet, 
 toys, gloves, silver work from Cordova, and 
 Albacete knives, long murderous weapons, 
 with blades keen-edged as razors, bearing 
 appropriate mottoes : *' I am my owner's 
 champion," " Do not draw me without reason, 
 nor without honour put me back in my 
 sheath," and so forth. Here, too, were the 
 drinking shops for the sale of vino y licores 
 — wine and liquor — for those who needed 
 them, Manzanilla of San Lucar de Barrameda, 
 aguardiente, British beer, orchata^ a hot syrup. 
 
 In the place of honour, the young men's 
 club of San Roque, the ^^ circulo artistico re- 
 creativo" as they called it, had built a grand 
 shed of rough outlines filled up with green 
 boughs and stalks of maize, hung within with 
 bright chintz, and owning a boarded floor. 
 Round about this bower were clustered the
 
 SAN ROQUE FAIR. 55 
 
 polios^ the chickens, the fast young men. of 
 the place and their blue-blooded friends. 
 
 As the time for the bull-fights approached, 
 the crowds upon the Alameda visibly thinned. 
 Already the hoarse uproar that comes from 
 the impatient audience was heard plainly in 
 the distant ring. The general public had long 
 since taken their seats, fighting for places near 
 the Barandilla, on the lowest tier, that is to 
 say, whence they might hang over and in 
 security insult the savage beast when driven in 
 near the boards. To them followed now the 
 upper classes who could afford to pay for 
 reserved seats in the sombra or shade ; the 
 ladies smartly dressed like our Lola, the visi- 
 tors from the Rock, the Governor-General of 
 Algeciras, or ''the Camp of Gibraltar, that 
 fortress," so runs his warrant, *' being tempo- 
 rarily in the hands of the English." 
 
 Tia Josefa began to be impatient to be off 
 too. She was ajicionada^ devoted to the sport, 
 and a bull-fight was not to be seen every day. 
 
 ** Vamosl' she cried. ** Vamos, Lola of my 
 heart. We shall be late, and miss the entrada 
 (entrance of the bullfighters to the ring)."
 
 56 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 ''It IS SO fresh out here, Josefa, I think I had 
 rather stay away altogether. I know I shall 
 not care for the function. No, I shall hate it. 
 It is cruel, and cruelty hurts and displeases me. 
 Do not let us go." 
 
 "Not go ! Santisisshna Virgen ! Not go ! 
 and for what did we come all this distance in 
 a calesa ? A journey like that to the infierno, 
 to the lower regions, from which the good 
 saints preserve me ? " 
 
 ''We came to see the jaleo; the excite- 
 ment ; the crowd of people at the Fair." 
 
 ''Ea!'' replied Josefa scornfully. "Throw 
 that bone to another dog. Tell that to my 
 grandmother the one-eyed. We came to see 
 the bulls, los Toros, the bulls, the bulls." 
 
 " Then go you, and leave me here." 
 
 This was, of course, a perfectly impracticable 
 suggestion. Josefa had positive orders never 
 to let Lola out of her sight. 
 
 The girl left to herself might get into mis- 
 chief — children always got into mischief — 
 and Don Mariano would be sure to hear of 
 it. If Josefa was to see the bull-fight at all, 
 it must be in company with Lola.
 
 SAN ROQUE FAIR. 57 
 
 " How can you say a bull-fight displeases 
 you, you who have never seen one ? " 
 
 " Paca at the convent told me. She has 
 seen plenty. They kill the horses, and there 
 is blood all about, and danger. I am afraid." 
 
 "You to talk like that! a Bellota of the 
 best and bluest blood to talk of being afraid ! 
 What would the amo Don Mariano say ? " 
 
 '' He would not mind." 
 
 " But Paca and Encarnacion ? a pretty joke 
 for them when they hear you came to the 
 gates of the ring, but did not dare to enter." * 
 
 Perhaps the fear of ridicule among her most 
 intimate associates was the strongest argument 
 on the duena's side. But just then an unex- 
 pected reinforcement came to Josefa's aid. 
 
 Two small girls decked out like bridesmaids 
 passed at the moment, and seeing Lola, rushed 
 up to her with shrieks of delight. 
 
 '' Lolita ! queridital " a dozen pet diminutives 
 in high notes, which soon brought the rest of 
 the party to Lola's side. 
 
 It was the family of cousins from Xlmena, 
 who had come to San Roque for the Fair. 
 Mother and daughter, one son, Miguel, and
 
 58 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 the two children of a friend and connection 
 in their native town. 
 
 They all kissed Lola first on one cheek 
 then on the other with much effusion, and 
 made one or two complimentary remarks on 
 her appearance, when Ramona the eldest 
 daughter, a bold- eyed, brown-cheeked moza 
 (girl), broke in with — 
 
 ''Eal corre priesa. Make haste, time presses. 
 We shall lose the entrada^ 
 
 *' This gentle lambkin does not wish to go," 
 Josefa said, seeking support which she im- 
 mediately obtained. 
 
 " Not go ! Tonteria^ foolishness ! '' cried 
 
 Ramona. 
 
 " And why not ? " asked Dona Teresa, a 
 
 thin, shrewish woman, with a wiry voice and 
 a great sense of her own importance. 
 *' They will, I fear, disgust me." 
 "You have, no spirit, child. This sport is 
 fit for kings. I have heard my uncle say — 
 my uncle who was substitute administrator 
 of kitchen-garden refuse at the Court of Ar- 
 anjuez — that he has seen the king, Don 
 Fernando, and his Queen (may God have
 
 SAN ROQUE FAIR. 59 
 
 them in His holy keeping), at many functions. 
 It was sport for them : shall we then make 
 a nose at it ? " 
 
 *' It is a good old sport/' cried Ramona 
 enthusiastically. " As old as the itch or the 
 way to walk." 
 
 "You will not fear, my cousin, when I 
 am by your side/' cried the valiant Miguel — 
 a youth some five feet high, whose attenu- 
 ated legs looked as if they had been shrunk 
 at one and the same time with the tight 
 trousers that adorned them. • 
 
 "When the bull is dead you can pull his 
 tail," said Ramona, contemptuously. " Who 
 taught you to ^orearf" (fight the bull.) 
 
 ** I am small, but I have a stout heart, and 
 fists and muscles ! " 
 
 " Cal/a ! " exclaimed the mother. " Silence ! 
 You are like chattering magpies. Come, Lola, 
 it is time to enter." 
 
 I&- And in this peremptory fashion Dona 
 Teresa ended the discussion and our heroine's 
 scruples. 
 
 Lola when she got inside was not sorry that 
 she had come. All her terrors, in truth,
 
 6o LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 vanished In the first sensations of surprise and 
 dehght. The sight appealed vividly to her 
 senses, and made all her pulses throb sharp 
 and fast : for as yet the coming ghastly drama 
 was not begun, the curtain still was down, and 
 the audience Itself was the only spectacle ; 
 the wild and picturesque audience beating 
 time to the quaint music of the military band. 
 Over in the " sol," where the sun struck full 
 upon the crowd, was a densely-packed, gay- 
 coloured, palpitating mass of humanity ; tier 
 above tier of spectators, eager and agitated, 
 drumming their feet against the stone steps, 
 chanting a long, monotonous song like a hoarse 
 chorus to the overture. Great fans of paper, 
 red and yellow, were In Incessant use, repeating 
 the movement and the colour of the flaofs that 
 waved on the topmost walls of the ring, 
 against the azure sky. Hundreds of British 
 soldiers in scarlet were dotted through the 
 throng, their gaudy coats seeming for the first 
 time neither garish nor out of place amid so 
 much that was brlo^ht and vivid. 
 
 Here and there a couple {tma pareja) of the 
 civil guard, the gendarmes of Spain, hovered
 
 SAN ROQUE FAIR. 6 1 
 
 ready to Interfere in case of a row ; backed up 
 by the bayonets of companies of infantry, 
 stationed at commanding points among the 
 throng, and with loaded muskets, In case some 
 small disturbance should all at once expand 
 into a revolution. But the people were mad 
 with excitement, not political : they roared and 
 shouted as do the gods at Astley's or the Surrey, 
 only pausing now and again when the plain- 
 tive airs of the Malaguena, touched their sus- 
 ceptible hearts, after which they roared louder 
 than ever. The work was hoarse, and drink- 
 encouraging : so that through all the din the 
 cry of the water-sellers never faltered, and the 
 demand and sale for " agua " was never-ceasing. 
 In the universal thirst it was as well perhaps 
 that no stronger beverage was on tap. 
 
 The Penaflors with Lola and her duefia 
 soon shook themselves into their seats — not 
 in the sol already crowded to excess, where 
 Lucas, the eldest brother, himself an amateur 
 bull-fighter, was stationed with his more in- 
 timate friends — but in the more aristocratic 
 '' sombra," or shade, by this time sheltered 
 from the rays of the declining sun. Josefa
 
 62 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 fortified herself with a pocketful of ground 
 nuts (avellanas) took three tumblers of water 
 running, and was quite ready for anything. 
 The others found friends near with whom to 
 gossip, and Lola listened eagerly to their talk, 
 which was mostly of the coming function. 
 Would it be good ? — Without doubt. The bulls 
 were from the herds of the widow Varela, 
 the best brand in Spain. Who was to kill } 
 Tato, Lagartijo, Dominguez, Gordito, who } 
 — Lagartijo, of course, the little lizard, the 
 most rising '' sword," espada, in the land. 
 Tato was no good now, since his hurt at 
 Villa Martin ; Dominguez was one-eyed, and 
 Gordito was growing fat and had lost his 
 figure. Ramona said she loved Lagartijo ; 
 it was a sight to cure the pains, to see him 
 jump through the bull's horns, to do the 
 sit^erte a la Veronica, the Volapie^ or receive 
 the charge as a banderillero, but seated in a 
 chair. 
 
 Then in the midst of it all, the trumpets 
 sounded a flourish, the alcalde took his seat, 
 and the bull-fighters entered in procession 
 through doors opened wide, like the full
 
 SAN ROQUE FAIR. 6^ 
 
 o 
 
 strength of a circus company parade them- 
 selves before the fun begins. 
 
 Lagartijo has made his bow, has thrown 
 his gorgeous cloak to an eager vassal in the 
 lowest tier of seats ; the others have followed 
 suit, and now take post and wait. The 
 picadors prick their sorry nags tottering 
 beneath the loads they carry, and snuffing 
 death already In the air, close alongside the 
 barrier ; put lance in rest, and wait. The 
 audience expectant, with nerves tense-strung, 
 grow hushed and dumb. They also wait. 
 
 This is the supreme moment. In another 
 second the bull, who is raging and fuming in 
 his den below the alcalde's seat, will be let 
 loose and then 
 
 Why does Tia Josefa scream slightly, and 
 put her hand over her heart ? Down in the 
 ring below, close under where they sit, dipicador, 
 padded and grotesque, In chignon and broad- 
 brimmed hat, awaits like his fellows the second 
 flourish of the trumpets and the bull's first 
 charge. 
 
 She recognises him. 
 
 " yesus ! it is my son ! " she cries, waving
 
 64 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 her fan at him. *'It is Pepe — Pepe, son of my 
 soul. Hijo de mis eiitranas. My boy, my 
 beloved boy ! Precious infant of my soul, hast 
 thou returned ? " 
 
 *' Your son?" asked Lola, *' I never knew you 
 had one." 
 
 "■ Yes ; this one only. Pepe — Pepe Picarillo 
 the neighbours called him, he was so wild. 
 Pepe, my monkey boy, who left me years ago, 
 and was decoyed from home." 
 
 She did not at the moment explain that 
 Pepe had run away. She had perhaps for- 
 gotten how she had annexed his earnino^s, 
 the copper ochavos and cuartos which he 
 had gained gallantly at the whip's point 
 from the English officers galloping upon the 
 beach. 
 
 *' And now he is 2. picador f " 
 
 "■ As you see. I did not know he was alive. 
 But he was fond of horses always ; and now, 
 ay ! " cried the mother, realising for the first 
 time in all its acuteness a thrill of anxiety at 
 the danger he — as a bull-fighter — was about to 
 run. " May the Blessed Virgin have him in her 
 keeping this day ! May the bulls be mild ! "
 
 SAN ROQUE FAIR. 65 
 
 " Mild bulls ! " cried an old woman close 
 by, " and give us no sport ? " The terrible 
 danger to Pepe was as nothing to the success 
 of the performance. " Ea^ I pray God they 
 may be fiercer than wintry winds, active as 
 a torrent after rain, strong as the summer sun 
 at noon." 
 
 Then the first bull rushed in, and settled the 
 question in person. 
 
 A handsome, brindled beast, with a splendid 
 head, grand horns, stout and sharp, and not too 
 wide apart ; all strength and power about the 
 neck and shoulders, in the hind-quarters lithe 
 and active as a cat. 
 
 For a short second he pauses, the scene 
 is new to him — as it was to Lola. The 
 glare is nearly blinding after the darkness of 
 his den ; and he is dazed, astonished by the 
 shouts of the audience. But this irresolution 
 is short-lived : the hated colours flaunting 
 before his eyes, the maddening cries of the 
 spectators wake up to full intensity his 
 fierce desire for revenge upon his enemy — 
 man. 
 
 He charges ; quick and sharp as a pistol- 
 
 VOL. I. E
 
 66 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 shot. The picador who Is nearest rolls over ; 
 man and horse, the latter killed, stone dead 
 with a horn-thrust in the chest. Number 
 Two meets the same fate from these cruel 
 horns ; Number Three also ; the fourth pica- 
 dor turns tail, his horse utterly unmanageable. 
 To him the bull gives chase; overtakes him, 
 lifts both rider and horse bodily upon his 
 horns, throws them to one side and passes 
 on. The man is underneath, shaken but still 
 safe; the horse writhes in agony, ripped up, en- 
 tangled in his own entrails, reekinor in his own 
 gore. Number Five is caught by the barrier, 
 pinned there, held there, the rider falls over 
 at length among the audience unhurt, but the 
 horse — the patient, helpless horse ! — has his 
 back broken, and he falls, as soon as the 
 bull has done with him, a corpse like the 
 rest. 
 
 Nothing can resist such a terrible fury as 
 this. The bull is master of the position, and 
 as he pauses to take breath, he might look 
 around like Alexander panting for new con- 
 quests. The ring is strewn with horses dead 
 and dying. Not one picador is left ; all are
 
 SAN ROQUE FAIR. 67 
 
 dismounted, one or two lie like logs upon the 
 ground under a heap of bones and broken 
 saddlery ; another is being helped, limping, by 
 the terrified assistants, out of the arena; the 
 ckulos, who on foot should play the bull with 
 their cloaks, are cowed, and shrink towards 
 the shelter of the barriers ; Lagartijo the chief 
 espada^ and captain of the troupe, is alone 
 undaunted, standing in mock bravado with 
 folded arms in the centre of the ring; but 
 what can one man do ? 
 
 And now the audience which has hung, 
 these minutes past, breathless on every move, 
 grows mad with enthusiasm. Almost to a 
 man, they rise to their feet and rend the air 
 with fiendish cries : 
 
 " More horses ! more horses ! Fresh pica- 
 dorSy away with the cloak ! Bravo, Toro ! 
 Bravo, bull ! bravo, bravo ! '* 
 
 They have tasted blood, these grave, self- 
 contained, but cruel-hearted Southerns, and 
 nothing less can cloy their appetite now. 
 
 But where is Pepe Picarillo the while '^,
 
 (68) 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 WHAT CAME OF THE FAIR. 
 
 TiA JosEFA, who had been so keen about coming 
 to the bull-fight, was finding it even more excit- 
 ing than she expected. The thrilling danger of 
 her son lent a new sensation to the scene. 
 For Pepe Picarillo had been one of the first 
 to fall in the late encounter, though with the 
 true instinct of self-preservation, he had man- 
 aged to keep his horse between himself and 
 danger. But when lifted to his feet he was 
 still far from safe, and this was only the first 
 act of the play. So Josefa was continually on 
 thorns, crying aloud on the saints, patron and 
 others, promising prodigally, a mass to be sung 
 at the shrine of St Josephine, seven rezadas 
 at that of St Christopher, and to all candles, 
 which would probably be provided from the 
 store-closets of Don Mariano at Rosia.
 
 WHAT CAME OF THE FAIR. 69 
 
 We have paused thus for a moment to see 
 how Picador Pepe had fared, but there had 
 been no pause in the performance. Fresh 
 horses had been dragged in, much against their 
 will, to be mounted also and spurred to death, 
 till the brindled bull had sent in all, some ten or 
 a dozen, to their long account. But with the 
 glut of his passion had come some diminution 
 of his strength. Weakened now and jaded, 
 the chulos engage him with darts barbed but 
 disguised in fringes of coloured paper. These 
 are plunged in pairs, one on each shoulder, 
 goading him further to madness as the sticks, 
 rattling together and clotted with gore, hang 
 like a bleeding necklace around his throat. 
 
 And now at last the trumpets sound and 
 summon Lagartijo to go forth to kill. 
 
 Taking the usual bumptious oath to slay 
 the bull, or never himself leave the ring 
 alive, he swings round on one foot, throws 
 his black, furry hat far from him, and goes 
 alone to the encounter. 
 
 Man against bull. Courage and skill against 
 brute force. Which shall prevail ? 
 
 However cruel and degrading may be
 
 70 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 called the national sport of Spain, there is 
 no doubt that the last or crowning act in 
 the drama does something to redeem its 
 character. It is a fine sight to see the 
 matador (in Spain better known as the 
 espada, or " sword ") stand forth alone and 
 single-handed to do his work. He has 
 special training, of course; without it, his act 
 would be simply suicidal. It is indispens- 
 able too that he should know his bull by 
 heart, and this lesson he has conned from 
 the first onslaught, noting every mood, and 
 turnine over in his own mind the various 
 
 o 
 
 styles of play he will be called upon to 
 employ. But no training suffices to supply 
 the needful nerve. Years of practice are 
 not enough to keep his head cool and his 
 pulse quiet. He carries his life upon the 
 quickness of his steady eye, the sureness 
 of his foot, the ready strength of wrist 
 and arm ; but he must possess also a stout 
 heart. 
 
 To Lagartijo, with his intrepid coolness and 
 the easy grace with which he performed his 
 part, the task before seemed the merest child's
 
 WHAT CAME OF THE FAIR. 7 I 
 
 play. Right, left ; left, right ; he waves his 
 short flag to and fro, and waits with sword 
 half concealed the chance that is sure to come 
 ere long. All at once he delivers his thrust, a 
 thrust sent with lightning speed in and over 
 the horns, a thrust so long and true that the 
 sword-blade is buried to the hilt, the bull 
 totters, looks slowly round with fast glazing 
 eyes, quivers in all his limbs, and falls sud- 
 denly, dead — Procumbit hmni bos. 
 
 Once more wild cries re-echo from every 
 corner of the amphitheatre ; hats are thrown 
 wildly down into the ring; cigars, also, by 
 dozens ; one of a group of English officers 
 near Lola, catching at the enthusiasm and 
 spirit of his surroundings, takes out his 
 sleeve-links and throws them down to La- 
 gartijo. '^ Qui se lo ddl Qud se lo dd I '' 
 (Let it be given to him) resounds from every 
 corner, and because the alcalde hesitates to 
 give the bull to its killer, the whole audience 
 of the sol rises to its feet, and shouts in 
 chorus, waving their hands in unison, " Qud 
 se lo d^ ! " till Lagartijo is seen to cut off 
 the right ear of the slain beast, in proof of
 
 72 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 ownership, and throw it up to the officer who 
 gave him the sleeve-links. 
 
 And now for a moment Josefa breathes 
 freely. Teams of mules, with bells and 
 coloured banners, gallop in to carry off the 
 dead ; the attendants strew sand upon the 
 ground, or dry up with earth the sloppy 
 puddles of blood and gore ; and the spec- 
 tators refresh themselves with nuts, fresh 
 water, and gossip. 
 
 With the new bull the sport was much the 
 same as the first, the same excitement, the 
 same hairbreadth escapes. Josefa's heart was 
 often in her mouth, and Lola was fast grow- 
 ing sick of the unvarying brutality of the 
 scene. Not so her cousins. Miguel was 
 loud in explanation of all details, and drew 
 many comparisons between this and other 
 fipfhts. 
 
 Then came the third bull : a reddish chest- 
 nut beast, of powerful frame, but seemingly 
 of sluggish temper. He was of the class 
 called parados (halters), which are often the 
 more dangerous because they hang back and 
 will not charge.
 
 WHAT CAME OF THE FAIR. 73 
 
 The spectators at first waited patiently 
 enough while the chtclos strove to rouse the 
 bull, and the picadors made the usual gestures 
 of defiance, waving their lances and mocking 
 him in derision. But still he hunof back, 
 pawing the ground, a sure sign of cowardice ; 
 and patience was at length exhausted. 
 Fuego I (fire) was loudly demanded on all 
 sides ; darts with percussion crackers to 
 explode and singe his flesh. Fuego I Fuego ! 
 was the cry, coupled with abuse of the 
 picadors, loud and unmeasured. • 
 
 ** Go up to him, you cur ! " cried one to 
 Pepe. 
 
 ** Go to your mother, she wants you ! " cried 
 another. Poor Josefa ! 
 
 Now it is by no means imperative upon the 
 picadors to go out into the centre of the ring, 
 and challenge the bull to charge. Nor can 
 the alcalde, who has otherwise full power to 
 punish them by imprisonment for infraction 
 of the rules, insist upon it. Yet the people, 
 wrong-headed, like every crowd, called upon 
 the chief magistrate loudly to exercise his 
 authority, backing up their demands where
 
 74 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 it was possible, by leaning over the barrier, 
 and belabouring the hind-quarters of the 
 horses nearest to them. That which Pepe 
 bestrode was a well-shaped bay, once, per- 
 chance, an officer's charger in the neighbour- 
 ing garrison, a '' maiden " winner, or fore- 
 most for seasons with the Calpe hounds, 
 now, a mere bag of bones, with knees falter- 
 ing and every muscle on the quiver — yet, 
 from the repeated blows, something of his old 
 spirit awoke, and, after a few vain kicks at 
 the boards behind, he rushed forward — a 
 short, halting, feeble gallop — right into the 
 bull's teeth. 
 
 In tatcromaquia it is an axiom that the 
 man should never take the Initiative. He 
 who does so throws away a chance, and gives 
 it to the bull. Pepe tried with all his might 
 to halt his horse, but in the effort his bridle 
 broke, and he was carried helplessly, willy- 
 nilly, to destruction. 
 
 The bull, as if he knew his advantage, 
 received the horse at horn point, prodded 
 him twice, right and left, then lifted both 
 horse and man from the ground.
 
 WHAT CAME OF THE FAIR. 75 
 
 Pepe lost his balance, and fell over right 
 upon the horns. 
 
 A nice lump of excitement this for such 
 a bloodthirsty crowd ! What matter that 
 Josefa's shrieks at her son's peril were loud 
 and piercing" ? They were set down as 
 extravagant delight at the splendid sport. 
 What if Lola turned pale and fell back in a 
 dead faint ? Women o^et well soon enouo^h 
 of fainting-fits ; here was a man about to be 
 gored to death under their very eyes and for 
 their amusement. • 
 
 For some twenty seconds Pepe hung thus, 
 half-way between life and death. Entangled 
 between the horns, his body lying along the 
 bull's back, he was from the first quite 
 beyond help. And a sudden paralysis 
 seemed to have seized all those who should 
 have swooped down to his assistance ; each 
 instant Pepe's danger increased, each instant 
 the bull grew more and more frantic in his 
 efforts to shake -himself free. At last, with 
 one terrible plunge he threw Pepe to the 
 ground ; struck his horns at once into the 
 quivering body of his prostrate foe, lifted
 
 76 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 him on high, and then — tossed him half-a- 
 dozen yards away, to fall a mere lump of 
 clothes, collapsed, apparently dead. 
 
 And now a sudden awe fell upon the 
 whole assemblage. Here in truth was a man 
 of like passions and feelings as themselves 
 ** butchered to make a Roman holiday." 
 There was a momentary revulsion of feeling. 
 Que lastima ! (How sad !) was on every lip, 
 as the attendants bore the lifeless body 
 away. Two words of pity; no more. Is 
 not the bull still there, in the arena, charging 
 like a fiend ? Call the priest for Pepe ; let 
 the holy oil be administered if it be not 
 already too late, but bring also more 
 picadors. There must be accidents. It is all 
 in the days work. And there are still 
 four bulls to be killed. 
 
 Naturally enough there was no little con- 
 fusion in the neighbourhood of Josefa and 
 Lola. A girl fainting, and a duena in 
 hysterics, were sufficient to destroy Ramona s 
 enjoyment, and put her mother Dona Teresa 
 in a fever of fussiness. Nor were those 
 seated around of much assistance. The
 
 WHAT CAME OF THE FAIR. 77 
 
 women became talkative, chattering fast and 
 offering all manner of impracticable sugges- 
 tions, and the men growled " carambal' or 
 worse, because the disturbance was spoiling 
 all their fun. The obvious thing to do was 
 to carry Lola out. But Miguel, the only male 
 of their party, being on a small scale, and 
 not even strong for his size, was manifestly 
 quite unfit for the job, though he might 
 have been willing enough to try ; and Lucas, 
 the other brother, was at the far end of the 
 ring, in utter ignorance of what had 
 occurred. 
 
 Help came whence It was least expected. 
 Frank Wriottesley, the hero of the sleeve- 
 links, the protector of old Bellota some 
 weeks before, had been watching the whole 
 affair from his seat on the tier just above. 
 Early In the day Lola had caught his eye, 
 and he had found himself again and again 
 returning to gaze upon her perfect face. 
 When she fainted he had jumped from his 
 seat and made towards her. At first the 
 crowd kept him back, but by dint of 
 persistent elbowing he reached her at
 
 78 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 length ; and then saying no more than *' Allow 
 
 me" he coolly lifted Lola in his arms 
 
 and strode towards the doorway. 
 
 This forcible abduction was not taken in 
 the best part by Dona Teresa, though it 
 clearly solved a difficulty for her ; and she 
 followed Frank out, muttering as soon as 
 she got breath, strong expressions as to the 
 abrupt ways of the English, and their want 
 of formality. To call him very formal, very 
 formal, is the highest compliment you can 
 pay a Spaniard. 
 
 Once beyond the ring and the crowd 
 Dona Teresa reasserted her authority. Ra- 
 mona and she placed themselves on each 
 side of the inanimate girl, as she lay upon 
 the grass, and made signs to Frank that he 
 was no longer required. So our hero re- 
 turned to the ring. 
 
 Pepe too had been carried out, but on the 
 opposite side — that nearest the fields, where 
 the dead horses were being skinned under 
 the eyes of observant vultures. Here, upon 
 the burnt-up, blood-bedabbled grass, he was 
 brought and laid out, and thither his mother
 
 WHAT CAME OF THE FAIR. 79 
 
 made her way when the first paroxysm of 
 o^rlef was abated. Now she knelt at his head 
 gazing with fierce agony Into his lack-lustre 
 eye, and calling upon him, the dear son of her 
 soul, the sole offspring of her maiden prime, to 
 look up and speak to her. Inside where the 
 fight was still in progress, the people roared 
 .and shouted as before, and at each fresh out- 
 burst Josefa shuddered with pain and horror. 
 There is no one to pity her ; the sky above 
 is hard and brazen, and the birds of prey 
 openly mock at her with hungry, bloodshot 
 eyes and flapping wings. Only the horse- 
 skinners, busy at their loathsome task, spare 
 her a word of compassion. But then the 
 padre cura, come to administer the last rites 
 of the Church, touches her gently on the 
 shoulder, and bids her be of good cheer. 
 With him is the doctor from the hospital, 
 who bends over Pepe examining his hurts ; 
 and Josefa rouses herself to hear the worst. 
 But he is of opinion that none of the wounds 
 are mortal ; and what are a broken rib or 
 two, and a leg contused, to one who follows 
 the picador's trade .'^ While there Is life there
 
 8o LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 is hope/ By and by Pepe is removed to 
 the hospital in the town. 
 
 And now Josefa found herself in a terrible 
 dilemma. Don Mariano had given positive 
 instructions that she and Lola were to 
 leave San Roque not later than seven that 
 night ; but how was she to go and leave 
 Pepe perhaps to die alone ? She was divided 
 between her duty to her master and her 
 newly-awakened affection for her son. If 
 she returned to Gibraltar forthwith, she might 
 never see that son again alive. In the end, 
 after the manner of womankind, she allowed 
 her feelings to gain the day. 
 
 Lola had been consulted, and had readily 
 agreed. She had recovered almost imme- 
 diately from her fainting fit, but was by no 
 means disposed to face the homeward jour- 
 ney that same evening. Moreover, she had 
 been invited with Miguel and Ramona to 
 the ball at the Casino — the first affair of 
 the kind at which she had ever assisted, and 
 which she hoped to enjoy more than the 
 horrible bull-fight. 
 
 It was, however, considered prudent to
 
 WHAT CAME OF THE FAIR. Si 
 
 send word to Don Mariano. He was likely- 
 otherwise, as Josefa expressed it, " to put 
 himself into an eleven-guarded shirt," in other 
 words, to become seriously enraged. A 
 friend, therefore, was hunted up , from among 
 the many bound for Gibraltar that evening, 
 who was commissioned, with many entreaties, 
 to go to Rosia and explain that Lola had 
 met her cousins from Ximena, and had stayed 
 the night at their request at San Roque. 
 Josefa purposely omitted all mention of her 
 son's accident, because she felt it might 
 awaken Don Mariano's suspicions as to the 
 real reason for the postponement of their 
 return to the Rock. These matters arranged, 
 Josefa repaired again to the hospital, to 
 spend the night by the bedside of her son. 
 
 It happened by chance that Frank Wriot- 
 tesley of the Halberdiers, who, as we have 
 seen, rendered such important service, re- 
 mained also that night at San Roque. He 
 had missed his companions, and after dining 
 alone at M'Crae's hotel, found himself on the 
 Alameda after dusk, in the midst of the Fair. 
 
 It was not bad fun, he thought. There 
 
 VOL. I. F
 
 82 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 were all sorts of games afoot. Roulette 
 tables In plenty, at which hardened sinners 
 gambled away the copper ochavos and cuartos 
 (half-farthlngs and farthings) ; the drinking 
 booths were full, and more than one group 
 stood round the blaze of an alfresco fire, In 
 the light of which couples danced the old or 
 habanera^ the cana^ fandango^ or bolero ; while 
 the lookers-on clapped their hands and sang 
 In chorus. But this, the national method, was 
 not sufficiently fashionable for the young 
 bloods of San Roque, who had erected the 
 leafy bower, already described, for the express 
 purpose of giving a ball of the most ambi- 
 tious character. This was now in progress, 
 with chaperones, a band (of two) ladles In 
 white dresses, young beaux all In due form. 
 And here Lola, now quite well, and as merry 
 as a sportive lambkin newly introduced to 
 spring turf and the Innocent use of Its legs, 
 danced with her cousin Mlo^uel, listenlnof 
 with good humour to his extravagant com- 
 pliments. 
 
 " Was your father a confectioner ? " he 
 asks.
 
 WHAT CAME OF THE FAIR. 83 
 
 *' My father ? How should I know ? 
 Why ? " 
 
 ''Your lips are like sugar-plums — like scar- 
 let candled drops." 
 
 " Ea — but they are not for you to taste, 
 MIguellto." 
 
 "■ And the snows/* went on Miguel un- 
 abashed, quoting a favourite couplet, '' would 
 not fall on your brow, Lola; why should we 
 stop, they say, where the ground Is whiter 
 than we are ? " 
 
 " Anda ! (Go to !) Talk of other things." 
 
 " And the roses complain that your lips 
 are too red ; and so do the flowers of the 
 pomegranate also. 
 
 *' A blushing face is better than a black 
 heart." 
 
 '' And your eyes are bright and sharp as 
 daggers ; they will do more mischief than all 
 the Albacete knives in the Fair." 
 
 " Calla ! (Shut up !) Don't talk me over 
 and all my points as if I were a horse." 
 
 " Prima" said Miguel, quoting another 
 couplet —
 
 84 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 * A tall pine ; I cut it down. 
 An aloe ; I take out its sting. 
 A fierce bull ; I tame it — 
 
 But I cannot you.' " 
 
 " You are right, Miguel. I answer you that, 
 and at once in your own way — 
 
 * Si coronado vinieras 
 Como El Santo Rey David, 
 Y que a mis pids pusieras 
 
 No ha de cobrar el si.' 
 
 Were you to come crowned like King David, 
 to kneel at my feet, you should never gain 
 the ' yes ' from me." 
 
 ** You are thinking of that English officer, 
 Lola mza." 
 
 " Not I. I never saw him. I know him 
 not. Yet it was good of him to come to my 
 
 help." 
 
 " I would have carried you too, Lola mia, 
 but that he stepped before " 
 
 ** Could you lift me from the ground, think 
 you f 
 
 " Will you let me try ? " 
 
 *'You had your chance. Chances are like 
 fruit. They don't grow twice, and you must
 
 WHAT CAME OF THE FAIR. 85 
 
 pick them when you can. But tell me, 
 Miguelito, this English officer, was he hand- 
 some ? tall, guapo, bicen mozo ? Would that 
 I might see him once, only once ! " 
 
 *' Then have your wish, prima. Yonder he 
 stands among the crowd outside." 
 
 *' Which is he, cousin of my soul ? " 
 
 " He with the dust-coloured coat and faja 
 (sash). Are not these English reckless in 
 their dress ? Do they not go in clothes more 
 shabby than a beggar's rags ? " 
 
 But Lola was at the moment indisposed 
 to answer the question, for Frank had caught 
 her eye, and had raised his hat in salutation, 
 seeming thus to express his pleasure at seeing 
 her so far recovered as to be present at the 
 ball. 
 
 Lola coloured and bent her head slightly 
 in return. Then without noticing Miguel's 
 disparaging remarks on Frank's personal ap- 
 pearance, she cried to him — 
 
 '' Anda, Miguelito, go and ask him to come 
 in and join us." 
 
 " And why ? That I may be left out in the 
 cold ? That you may dance with him for the
 
 S6 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 rest of the night ? No, por mi salud, by my 
 salvation, let him stay outside ! " 
 
 *' You're afraid to talk English to him, 
 Miguel ; that's how the water runs. So much 
 for all your boastful talk of what you learnt 
 at school. English ! you cannot speak three 
 words." 
 
 ** If I don't know Enoflish ! ask" 
 
 " Prove it then." 
 
 Ridicule overcame jealousy, and Miguel, 
 pushing his way through the people, thus 
 addressed Frank Wriottesley— 
 
 " Mr English, good-bye. Do you like to 
 enter ? Will you give yourself the pleasure 
 to walk by here ? We stand diverting our- 
 selves, and all within is at your disposition. 
 May you live for many years ! " 
 
 Frank smiled his thanks, and bowing, fol- 
 lowed Miguel at once into the room. He 
 had now the entrde, which was all he needed. 
 Presuming on the service he had rendered 
 Lola as an introduction, he went up to her, 
 saying — 
 
 '* May I have the pleasure ? " 
 
 ** Me no spik English," said Lola, in a
 
 WHAT CAME OF THE FAIR. 8/ 
 
 faltering voice, blushing a rosy red ; but she 
 could not pretend to misunderstand him, just 
 as she could not resist his invitation to dance. 
 
 The music — an old fiddle and a concertina, 
 in the hands of two wandering Italian min- 
 strels — was playing a galop, and in another 
 moment Lola was, for the first time in her 
 life, experiencing the pleasure of the poetry 
 of very rapid motion. She had danced before 
 this, with the school-girls at the convent ; as 
 a child, too, in the slow, graceful movements 
 of a national dance, among the peasant people 
 of the mountain towns ; and with Miguel, that 
 same night, she had tried a polka and a de- 
 corous waltz or two. 
 
 What we call '' fast " dances are not thor- 
 oughly appreciated in Spain, except, perhaps, 
 in Madrid, the court and capital ; and even 
 here, an English filly, fresh from school or in 
 her first season, could, in racing metaphor, 
 give the best blue-blooded belle any weight 
 and still beat her head off. 
 
 All Lola's experiences and all her dreams 
 came up to nothing like this. Round and 
 round, faster and faster, till her feet barely
 
 88 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 touched the ground, and she seemed to be 
 flying through the room in her partner's 
 arms. How long It lasted, what tune they 
 played, what Frank said to her — all was a 
 blank, till the last moment when with a little 
 sigh of pleasure, the pretty " o — e " that drops 
 like a pearl from a Spanish girl's lips, she 
 sank back Into a seat crying, '' Vo no si bailar^^ 
 — I know not how to dance. 
 
 For the rest of that evening Frank Wrl- 
 ottesley never left her side. They danced 
 together again and again, till Miguel grew 
 red with jealousy and rage. He would have 
 appealed to his mother for protection, but 
 Dona Teresa had not remained at the ball, 
 and there was no authority present that Lola 
 regarded In the least. Ramona enjoyed the 
 fun, and encouraged her with many a nod 
 and meaning wave of the fan, wishing that 
 she could find for herself another devoted 
 English officer, to pay her similar court. 
 
 A flirtation may be carried far even In a 
 few hours, and without the possession of a 
 language In common. The eyes can be made 
 to talk far more expressively than the tongue,
 
 WHAT CAME OF THE FAIR. 89 
 
 and without the painful aid of grammar and 
 declensions. Frank spoke, unintelligibly, in 
 English, but then he laughed his own cheery, 
 bright laugh, and looked admiringly at Lola ; 
 and then Lola laughed too, replying in 
 Spanish, but turning upon him her beautiful 
 eyes, those large, soft, dreamy eyes, one flash 
 from which was worth a king s ransom. 
 
 And thus their acquaintance began ; and 
 when they parted for the night, it was with a 
 strong desire — not less eager in one than 
 the other — that they might meet again, ^nd 
 soon.
 
 (9o) 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE SPROULES. 
 
 Frank thought a good deal of his adventure 
 at San Roque next morning when he rode 
 back to Gibraltar. 
 
 There was a cloud upon the Rock — the 
 Levanter's nightcap — beneath which the town 
 loomed black and gloomy, in marked con- 
 trast to the pleasant sunshine upon the 
 scenes he was leaving behind. He had an 
 engagement, too, to lunch at the Sproules, 
 and although these had hitherto been his 
 chief allies in the regiment, he could not 
 conceal from himself a fear that to-day he 
 was bound to be bored by them. 
 
 When the east wind blows at Gibraltar, 
 you might buy all the inhabitants, men,
 
 THE SPROULES. 9 1 
 
 women, and children, for a song. This 
 wind — the Levanter — arrives surcharged with 
 moisture, which it deposits on the summit 
 of the Rock in the shape of a dense, dark 
 cloud like an extinguisher. There is neither 
 sun nor sky then, nor happiness for those 
 who are in the town beneath ; the streets 
 are wet with rain that no one sees falling ; 
 every door bangs a dozen times an hour 
 with the sudden gusts that sweep in curling 
 eddies around the sloping sides of the great 
 mountain-rock ; life is almost at a stand-still. 
 Some good souls have energy enough to 
 pray forthwith for a change of wind, but 
 to most in this terrible Levanter bare exist- 
 ence alone is possible. It depresses the 
 spirits with a languor and prostration that 
 is all its own. Without the slightest cause, 
 children, English-born, howl dismally like 
 woe-begone curs in the moonlight ; strong 
 men, with their shirts sticking to their 
 backs, grow irritable, and sometimes swear; 
 while the gentler sex pine away in peevish 
 listlessness and ennuL 
 
 One of them, however, Janita Sproule,
 
 92 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 as she sat near the door of the cottage to 
 which fate and the Barrack Department 
 had consigned her, was trying hard to fight 
 against the influence of the weather. She 
 sat bolt-upright in her chair, and fanned 
 herself without ceasing ; seeking thus to 
 wrestle, both physically and mentally, with 
 the atmosphere. Yet so far as outward 
 looks went, she seemed fresh enough; — a 
 small, trim person, her slight figure clad 
 in the neatest of stone-grey dresses, with 
 the whitest of cuffs and collar ; rather a 
 colourless woman, altogether pale in tone; 
 the hair little deeper than flaxen, with 
 just a shimmer of gold on each yellow 
 tress, and her eyes, though good, of a cold 
 china-blue. 
 
 ** I look horribly washed out and faded," 
 Mrs Sproule had said when she last con- 
 sulted her glass, just an hour before. " This 
 is the most detestable climate in the world, 
 I think. And Mr Wriottesley is coming 
 to lunch — I wish to goodness he was not — 
 I hate being seen in such a limp, feeble 
 condition. I only wish I was back at Chil-
 
 THE SPROULES. 93 
 
 ham — just for five minutes under the trees 
 on the lawn." 
 
 Chllham Priory was the home from which 
 Captain Sproule half-a-dozen years before 
 had won her. She was the eldest of a 
 large family of daughters ; and her mother, 
 on the rack lest all should hang fire, had 
 lost no opportunity of reminding Janita that 
 she must marry well and soon. ** It all 
 depends how you play your cards," were the 
 worldly-minded old woman's words. "With 
 your natural advantages you ought to *do 
 well, if you are only decently careful." The 
 fndnage at the Priory was conducted on 
 principles of the strictest economy. Bare 
 necessaries of life were all that the stern 
 father doled out to his family, and these 
 were generally accompanied by gloomy refer- 
 ences to gaol and the sheriff's officers. But 
 they kept a saddle-horse for Janita, and 
 made a show, before any possible suitor, of 
 hospitality far above their means. With all 
 this, Janita was not successful. She was 
 already five-and-twenty, and no one had 
 made her an offer yet. Frances, still in
 
 94 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 the school-room, though long past the age 
 for coming out, was clamorous to begin her 
 campaign, and she was prettier than Janita. 
 Just then while on a visit to a neighbouring 
 garrison-town, Janita galloped straight into 
 the affections of Anthony Sproule, taking 
 his fancy as she would a fence, and forcing 
 . him to marry her out-of-hand. Perhaps 
 Captain Sproule expected something hand- 
 some with a girl who was always so well 
 mounted. But in this he was disappointed. 
 She brought him nothing but her wits. Yet 
 the marriage was not an unhappy one. 
 Janita fell in readily with her husband's 
 ways, encouraging him in his sporting tastes, 
 and helping him often by her advice and 
 judgment. More than once she had squared 
 his betting-book, and had shown him a clean 
 road out of a bad business. Sproule could 
 look upon her as a partner in more ways 
 than one. Then she was a good manager; 
 the house was comfortable ; she was sweet 
 and clean to look upon ; could keep a secret, 
 and talk well upon the subjects Sproule 
 had most at heart; and as they had no
 
 THE SPROULES. 95 
 
 children, he found himself really better off 
 after than before his marriage with Janlta 
 Helsham. 
 
 When Frank Wriottesley first joined the 
 Halberdiers, the Sproules had been as kind 
 to him as lay In their power. He came from 
 Eton and Oxford with something of a reputa- 
 tion ; his allowance was evidently first-rate, 
 and he meant to hunt. Sproule sold him a 
 horse — not a bad one ; and Mrs Sproule 
 spoke highly of his seat and hands. Frances, 
 still unmarried, was brought down to Wee- 
 don, and stayed some months with her sister, 
 riding Frank's horses often, and using her 
 eyes upon him with their utmost effect. But 
 although Wriottesley was then in the first 
 flush of youth, he was yet no fool. He did 
 not need the broad chaff of the mess-room 
 to see through Mrs Sproule's manoeuvres. 
 Frances Helsham was not to his taste either ; 
 her face wanted expression, and her figure 
 was too large. Besides which he was en- 
 tirely dependent on an uncle, Sir Hector 
 Harrowby, whose displeasure he had no desire 
 to brave for any girl he had yet seen. Thus,
 
 96 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 for the few years that preceded the remo- 
 val of the regiment to Gibraltar, Frank had 
 continued heart-whole, and, though friendly 
 with the Sproules, not exactly Intimate. 
 
 But at Gibraltar It was different. Here, 
 for the first time, he missed the pleasant 
 country-houses that had been open to him at 
 home. Liking society, he found now quite a 
 dearth of It. Almost the only friendly house 
 at which he could visit was that of the 
 Sproules, and he soon took up with them 
 greatly. They were hospitable and kind, 
 made him at home at the cottage, and both 
 seemed glad to see him always. Sproule had 
 been of much assistance to him In forming his 
 stable, for Frank was fond of horses, and 
 meant to keep a string of both racers and 
 hunters. 
 
 Nor In this matter was Madame's advice 
 to be despised. The dealers, Gayetano, An- 
 tonio, Juan Gil, Pedro Gomez, and the rest, 
 deferred a good deal to the judgment of the 
 Sefiora, who sat above In the garden like a 
 Court of Appeal, while her husband and 
 Frank in the road down below saw the
 
 THE SPROULES. 97 
 
 horses show off their paces, or felt them 
 over from head to foot with all a veterinary's 
 skill. But patched-up screws, with rickety 
 legs and elephantine teeth, would not go 
 down with Mrs Sproule. It was not enough 
 to deck out their long tails with ribbons, or 
 plait their manes, or throw them on their 
 haunches by a sharp tug at the cruel Spanish 
 bit. The rocking-horse canter, the ambling 
 gait, the useless " passage " from side to side — 
 all these were quite thrown away upon her. 
 These dealers, trained themselves in a sharp 
 school, confessed that the English Senora 
 was more than their match ; and perhaps in 
 their private talk called her a chalan, a cun- 
 ning old fox of a horse-coper herself. But 
 Frank Wriottesley benefited by all this, and 
 so was drawn often enough to the Garden of 
 Eden, as custom had quaintly christened the 
 Sproules' picturesque home. 
 
 Now, Janlta Sproule sat at the door of 
 her cottage, a small place of three rooms 
 only, all on the ground-floor, but with a ver- 
 andah which was part and parcel of the 
 house ; and a garden, that might have been 
 
 VOL. I. G
 
 98 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 included with the rest of the premises under 
 the general roof afforded to the whole 
 by the broad leaves and mighty branches 
 of the gigantic bella sombra tree behind. It 
 was late in the season for flowers, but one 
 grand Bougainvillia was plastered against the 
 white walls — a mass still of big, beautiful 
 deep-blue blossoms ; and passion-flowers hung 
 lovingly from the trellis-work above the door, 
 leaning forward as it were to enter as joint 
 owners and occupiers of the house. 
 
 *' Mr Wriottesley ! " said Mrs Sproule. 
 " Come in. I was afraid it was some horrid 
 visitors, and not you." 
 
 " I am glad I am not included among the 
 * horrid.' " 
 
 "You know I look upon you quite as one 
 of ourselves." 
 " A pal, in fact." 
 
 '' Well," said Mrs Sproule laughing, *' if I 
 used words of that sort, I'd say pal. But you 
 know what I mean. Have you come to lunch ?" 
 *' Of course. You asked me." 
 " Not that there's much. Tough ration- 
 beef, or mutton, rather worse."
 
 THE SPROULES. 99 
 
 " The mutton here is goat. They only 
 roll it from the signal-station down the face 
 of the Rock to make it tender.'' 
 
 " The treatment is not very successful then. 
 They'd better roll it up again. But there is 
 nothing fit to eat in this place. Do you 
 know, Mr Wriottesley, I begin to think Gib- 
 raltar is all a mistake." 
 
 " No place can be a mistake where you 
 get such fruit as this," said Frank, producing 
 a big basket or bag of wicker-work, which 
 he had bought and filled as he passed throngh 
 the market-place. It contained figs, purple 
 and green, bursting with ripeness ; grapes, 
 muscatels, tender in tone as arsenical green ; 
 gorgeous melons from Valencia, having a 
 fragrance all their own. 
 
 " The fruit is passable. I admit that," said 
 Mrs Sproule. " But these figs should be iced. 
 Did you ever eat iced figs ? No ? Then you 
 don't know what their real flavour is. But 
 there is no ice here," she went on. 
 
 " There was plenty yesterday." 
 
 "The admiral, before he went to sea this 
 morning with the fleet, cleared out every ounce
 
 lOO LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 of ice In the town. It's too bad, I declare ; 
 what Is Hfe without Ice this weather ? " 
 
 ** You look cool enough, Mrs Sproule." 
 
 ** H — m ! I can't Ice claret by looking at 
 It, or the sherry you will complain of by and 
 by at lunch." 
 
 " Sproule would be a lucky fellow If you 
 could. You would act as a refri operator." 
 
 ** With the bottles hung round me like a 
 necklace, I suppose ! " 
 
 " But where is Tony ? " 
 
 Tony was Captain Sproule's family name. 
 
 " Why, I thought he was with you ! He 
 went down to barracks to join you after 
 breakfast." 
 
 ** I've been away. I slept at San Roque 
 last night." 
 
 " And what took you there ? " 
 
 Mrs Sproule looked upon Frank Wriottesley 
 rather as her own property by this time, her 
 own special attendant ; and she wished to be 
 au fait with all he said or did. 
 
 ** Business," replied Frank mysteriously. 
 
 " I give It up," said Mrs Sproule after a 
 pause. She was Inclined to be snappish.
 
 THE SPROULES. lOI 
 
 " I don't care to drag Information out of people 
 like teeth. It's too hot, besides, to be in- 
 quisitive." 
 
 " I went to the bull-fight, to be sure." 
 
 Frank reserved all mention of his meetlnof 
 with Lola. 
 
 " And yesterday was Sunday ! Oh, you 
 bold, bad man ! '' 
 
 " Who is a bold, bad man ? " asked another 
 voice ; adding, " We're all miserable sinners, 
 though, and I am the chiefest of the gang. 
 Here's Hop-i'-my-thumb gone back in "the 
 betting for the Goodwood Cup, and I stand 
 to lose a cracker on the race." 
 
 " Another complaint against your beautiful 
 Rock," said Mrs Sproule. ** If you hadn't 
 been so far off you might have got out of 
 some of your money." 
 
 " You're right, my precious ! — you always 
 are. I could lay It off fast enough if I were 
 within reach of the village." 
 
 This was Tony Sproule. In appearance he 
 was like his talk. He ought to have been 
 a jockey. It was all a mistake that he came 
 of decent parents, and had been educated
 
 102 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 like a gentleman. The Heath at Ascot or 
 Newmarket should have been his early home, 
 where, a stray waif floating on the surface of 
 its rascality, he would have found himself 
 washed ashore some day against a training- 
 stable, there to cling like a shell-fish or snail. 
 There was something limpet-like in the light- 
 ness and tenacity with which he clung to his 
 native home — the saddle. He had a small, 
 good figure, though his shoulders were too 
 high and his legs too thin ; but his face was 
 unpleasant. The small black eyes were rest- 
 less and wandering; and when he humped 
 his back and drew himself back to look at 
 you evilly from under his bushy eyebrows, 
 he was not unlike some nasty insect ready 
 to make a sudden spring at your throat. 
 
 "Well, but tell us about the bull-fight," 
 said Mrs Sproule ; and Frank's thrilling de- 
 scription set her all agog to see one too. 
 
 " There's another to-day." 
 
 *' I don't think you will like it, Mrs 
 Sproule." 
 
 Frank did not want the Sproules at San 
 Roque. He wished to return there himself,
 
 THE SPROULES. IO3 
 
 but alone, to prosecute his acquaintance with 
 Lola. 
 
 But the more he threw cold water on the 
 scheme, the more anxious Mrs Sproule be- 
 came. ** What was she to ride ? " asked her 
 husband, meaningly ; and Frank could do no 
 less than place anything In his stable at her 
 disposal. So it came to pass, that within an 
 hour or two they were galloping, all three of 
 them, along the beach to San Roque. 
 
 If there had ever been a time when Frank 
 found a pleasure in Mrs Sproule's society,- It 
 was now a thing of the past. That day, as 
 he cantered by her side, he thought her more 
 than uninteresting. The petits soins she de- 
 manded, and which at another time he might 
 have been disposed to render, were nothing less 
 than a positive nuisance now. At the Fair, 
 she Insisted upon being escorted from booth 
 to booth, narrowly inspecting every shop- 
 man's stock-in-trade; while all the time Frank 
 was burning to get away In search of Lola. 
 Mrs Sproule took It for granted that her 
 cavalier was both ready and able to make 
 bargains for her, and kept on repeating, " Ask
 
 I04 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 him (the shopman) if he won't take less for 
 this," or, '' Tell him I can get better any day 
 in London for next to nothing ; " till Frank 
 was quite wild, and finding it impossible to 
 interpret, lapsed at once into one-worded 
 sentences, such as — '' Mucho ! " " Cimnto ! " 
 *' No bono ! " which are the first simple utter- 
 ances of an Englishman in Spain. 
 
 *' What has come over you, Mr Wriot- 
 tesley ? " asked Mrs Sproule; ''you look 
 bored to death. Is there anything on your 
 mind ? " 
 
 "He is in love," Sproule broke in, "with 
 some of these Spanish beauties." 
 
 " Nasty, black-skinned things ! " said the 
 English lady. " I hope you have more taste." 
 
 A woman who is fair and pale-haired feels 
 it rather an insult when men openly admire 
 dark beauties. 
 
 " With their great staring eyes," she added, 
 as if to clench the argument, " and coarse 
 hair. I don't expect they wash either." 
 
 Each little dig might have been intended 
 to enhance her own good points. Her hair 
 was soft and silky, her eyes quiet and unob-
 
 THE SPROULES. IO5 
 
 trusive ; and in her habit of white pique, 
 fresh from the wash, she looked as spick and 
 span as a new pin. 
 
 " There mayn't be as many bath-tubs about 
 as there are in barracks," protested Frank ; 
 " but it's not fair to call them dirty. Look 
 what clean linen they wear." 
 
 White shirts and petticoats, scrupulously got 
 up, are the rage with Spaniards, male and 
 female. The peasant women and the lowest 
 labourers sport linen, on great occasions, as 
 white as snow. The beds in the inns rflay 
 be furnished with many unpleasant lodgers, 
 but the sheets will be white and clean, and 
 the pillowcases have an edging of white lace. 
 A tablecloth and a napkin, coarse but clean, 
 are provided at every meal, even in a hovel. 
 
 '* I'll make you a present of your friends. 
 I won^t say another word against them or 
 their ways, if you promise to be in a better 
 humour." 
 
 But Frank continued distrait. His eyes 
 were wandering to and fro among the crowd, 
 restlessly seeking the face of his new friend. 
 When the time for the bull-fight approached,
 
 I06 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 he tried hard to escape going, but Mrs 
 Sproule had set her heart upon it. 
 
 " You won't be able to stand it — indeed 
 you won't," he said. 
 
 " I should just like to see the commence- 
 ment." 
 
 "No lady — at least no English lady — ought 
 to go." 
 
 " Thank you, Mr Wriottesley ; but I am 
 perfectly well able to decide upon such a 
 point for myself." 
 
 Mrs Sproule was getting a little angry 
 with her friend Frank. He was generally 
 so ready to enter at once into her views. 
 To-day he was disagreeable and contuma- 
 cious. 
 
 " Besides," she added, '* my husband does 
 not object. What more need be said ? " 
 
 '* Sproule knows nothing about it. He 
 has not seen the thing as I did yesterday. 
 It's quite horrible. And you pretend to be 
 devoted to horses, Mrs Sproule I " 
 
 " I am fonder still of having my own way. 
 And now, by persuading me not to go in, 
 you only make me all the more anxious."
 
 THE SPROULES. 10 J 
 
 " If she's got her head, you must let her 
 bolt her own way," remarked Sproule. 
 
 " Come, Mr Wriottesley ; don't let us quar- 
 rel over It. You'll go with us." 
 
 *' My accompanying you is not indispen- 
 sable, I suppose ? You meant to go whether 
 I join or not ? " 
 
 " Most certainly. Your escort Is not In the 
 least necessary. My husband is here, thank 
 you. He will see me through It." 
 
 ** Not through all of It. But If you will ex- 
 cuse me, I had much rather remain outside.'^ 
 
 Mrs Sproule tossed her head, as much as 
 to say he might do what he pleased, and 
 then gathering up the skirts of her habit went 
 off with her husband. 
 
 Frank, left to himself, took post at the 
 entrance of the Alameda, and watched all 
 day. But no Lola was to be seen. By the 
 time he again met the Sproules, his temper 
 was worse than ever. As he had prophesied, 
 Mrs Sproule had been unable to endure the 
 spectacle. She came out after the first 
 charge, and confessed that Frank had been 
 riorht.
 
 I08 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 ** I Wish I had taken your advice," she 
 said, turning very pale. " I should like now 
 to go straight home." 
 
 *' I'm your man, my precious ! " cried 
 Sproule. *' It's monstrous slow here, and 
 I've not seen a decent horse in the Fair." 
 
 " Will you come, Mr Wriottesley ? Don't 
 let us drag you back sooner than you had 
 intended ; " adding, with something of a 
 sneer, *' Doubtless there are attractions for 
 you in this place." 
 
 Frank preferred to stay, of course ; so his 
 friends rode back without him, and he turned 
 towards the Alameda once more. Again It 
 was crowded, and as evening drew on there 
 was the same assemblage at the Casino as 
 on the previous night. Frank, taking it for 
 granted he would be welcome, walked in. 
 Miguel was one of the first persons he 
 met, and from him he inquired for the 
 ladies. 
 
 "My parent Lollta'' (he was speaking of 
 his cousin and our heroine, but he was also 
 translating literally from his own idiom) 
 * has gone to Gibraltar back. Don Mariano,
 
 THE SPROULES. IO9 
 
 her grandfather, has put himself too choleric, 
 more rabid than a black bull." 
 
 It was too true. An Imperious mandate 
 had come early on Monday morning to San 
 Roque, desiring Lola and her duena to return 
 forthwith to Gibraltar. Don Mariano had 
 waited patiently on Sunday evening for their 
 return, till the gun fired at nine, and then 
 he knew that they must now be on the wrong 
 side of the closed gates of the fortress. There 
 they must remain outside till morning ; and 
 he cursed Josefa loudly for her carelessness, 
 taking for granted that she was chiefly to 
 blame. Matters were not mended much when 
 Josefa s messenger turned up at the cottage, 
 smelling strongly of aguardiente, and with but 
 a confused recollection of his Instructions. All 
 that he remembered distinctly was the accident 
 in the bull-ring, and the gossip that had gone 
 about of the wounded picador being Josefas 
 son. This he told Mariano ; but added no 
 word of the cousins with whom Lola was to 
 stay the night. Josefas excuse for remaining 
 absent was thus unspoken, and in its absence 
 old Bellota erew furious. He would dlscharofe
 
 I TO LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 Josefa at once from her situation, would 
 drive her forth from the garrison, and brand 
 her as a lying, disreputable, untrustworthy 
 harridan. 
 
 But he did not forget to recall them to 
 the Rock. In obedience to this order, Lola 
 and her duefia, the latter trembling, the 
 former pouting and discontented, took to their 
 calesa about mid-day, and were conveyed 
 back just as the stream of sight-seers was 
 bound once more San Roque-wards. Among 
 others who crowded and jostled them, they 
 passed Frank Wriottesley riding with Mrs 
 Sproule. 
 
 Poor Lola ! This was her devoted admirer 
 of the night before, who had looked so long 
 and lovingly into her eyes, and who had gone 
 so far to win her affections. And yet within 
 a few hours he must have forgotten her alto- 
 gether. Why else was he leaning over in 
 his saddle and talking thus earnestly to this 
 fair-haired Englishwoman ? She was rtidia 
 (yellow), and so was he. Naturally this was 
 his gusto, his taste, a countrywoman of his 
 own rather than a black, gipsy-faced South-
 
 THE SFROULES. I I I 
 
 erner who knew no English ways and but few 
 English words. 
 
 She was too young and too simple to be 
 able to conceal her chagrin from Josefa. The 
 wily duena had heard something of what had 
 happened, and seeing Lola colour as Frank 
 rode by, guessed directly that it was he who 
 had assisted her the day before. 
 
 " That rubio, that light-haired Englishman, 
 do you know him, hija f" asked Josefa. 
 
 " Which ? There are many passing." 
 
 " Am I bhnd, Dolorcita mia ? are my eyes 
 choked up like grass upon a sand-hill } I 
 mean that tall one who rode with the Enelish 
 lady in the white habit." 
 
 Lola hung her head. 
 
 "Am I to tell the senor amo that you have 
 made this friend ? P^les, indeed, that was all 
 that was needed ; he will now be wild Indeed." 
 
 "No, no, qtcerida Josefiya ; good, kind, 
 dear Josefa ; say nothing to him of this," 
 cried Lola, leaning her head against the old 
 woman's shoulder. 
 
 " How then ? you have found a novio (a 
 lover) 1 "
 
 I I 2 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " A lover ! I hate him." 
 
 For Lola had now learnt for the first time 
 the meaning of jealousy. And Josefa had her 
 secret, to be used or not, later, just as that 
 astute schemer considered likely to prove 
 most to her own advantage.
 
 ( 113 ) 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 "SWEETWATER FARM. 
 
 ** Thou marchest — this day, this hour," cried 
 old Bellota sternly, as the duena entered the 
 house with her charge. * 
 
 There was a steep ascent up the garden 
 walk from the road outside, and Josefa, being 
 short-winded, was at first quite defenceless. 
 She knew she was in for a battle royal — what 
 is called in Spanish a '' St Quentin's day." 
 
 " Hadst no shame ? " went on her master, 
 " no shame ? Thou bold, brazen woman, that 
 I picked up from a gutter! From the fish 
 filth in your own foul and poisonous home ! 
 Thou to take charge of the star of my life, 
 of my sole and only joy ; this priceless pearl, 
 this great and rare jewel — my Lolita ! Thou ! 
 Canalla, brigand, ostrich, tarasca (serpent), vile, 
 
 VOL. I. H
 
 1 14 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 shameless Jewess from Hottentot India ! By 
 the soul of my mother, by the life of the god 
 Bacchus, by a thousand on horseback, it was 
 an evil day when you first darkened my 
 doors." 
 
 Josefa had thrown herself into a chair, and 
 was using her fan violently. Rage now con- 
 spired with fatigue to keep her silent ; she 
 could as yet say nothing in her defence, and 
 Don Mariano's tirade ended in a long whine 
 of fury. 
 
 Lola took up the cudgels for her duena. 
 
 " Oye (listen), abuelito. Don't put yourself 
 into a passion. What fly has stung you ? " 
 
 " Be silent, child. Put not your spoon 
 into this stew. No one gave you a candle 
 to hold at this funeral. It is no business of 
 yours." 
 
 " Whose then ? what more ? Not my 
 business, indeed, when you have torn me 
 from San Roque just as the fun began, when 
 I was diverting myself enough to " 
 
 *' You should have come back last night. 
 But I blame you not, Dolorcita; you are 
 softer than a glove, sweeter than a stew of
 
 SWEETWATER FARM. 1 1 5 
 
 apples. The fault was none of yours. But 
 it belongs to this picarona, this great lump 
 of evil, this Cain in cunning, this ugly witch, 
 who must needs disobey my orders. And 
 why } For a son she hardly knows ; one 
 who left her — no wonder either — as soon as 
 he could walk. Canario ! defend me from 
 snch a son. But as is the bell so is the 
 clapper. He is of the same stick as the old 
 tree. Apple-trees grow apples, and oyster- 
 beds oysters, and a bad bough can only come 
 from a rotten trunk. This one here," Tie 
 cried, pointing disdainfully to Josefa, *' is fit 
 only for firewood. But I'll warm your soup ; 
 I'll make you eat hot garlic. I'm neither 
 lame nor left-handed. To the old dog you 
 must say more than tus I tusl Not another 
 hour shalt thou continue under this roof. 
 Great mountain of bad flesh, indecent 
 Jezebel, why don't you speak ? Am I to 
 talk all day, throwing pearls before pigs, and 
 you pointing your finger there like the 
 clock of Pamplona, that points but never 
 strikes ? " 
 
 " Senor Don Mariano," replied Josefa at
 
 I 1 6 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 length, with as much dignity as her passion 
 would allow her to assume, '' I am not a 
 gun. I cannot go off pop; I must have 
 time to speak.'* 
 
 *' You shall have no longer time than Is 
 needed to pack your trunk and march. You 
 can have no excuses that will gain my 
 foroflveness." 
 
 " Then I need not say them. En boca 
 cerrada no entran moscas. Flies do not enter 
 the shut mouth. You have neither birth 
 nor breeding. Your words are like feathers 
 for the wind to fly away with. They have 
 neither weight nor meaning. I will not 
 answer them. I am an honest woman ; and 
 I have but one son" 
 
 " Of whom you may well be proud — 
 proud as is the hen of her addled ^gg. A 
 good-for-nothing idler, a gaznapiro. Like a 
 bat — neither bird nor rat. One who ran 
 away" 
 
 " Other people's children have run away 
 before now, good senor," said Josefa slowly 
 and with meaning. 
 
 Don Mariano understood her, and Instantly
 
 SWEETWATER FARM. II J 
 
 became quite livid with passion. He could 
 not speak ; his fury both blinded and made 
 him dumb ; but he rushed at Josefa with 
 upraised hand, as if to strike her. 
 
 " For shame, grandfather ! " said Lola, 
 quietly Interposing; "you will be sorry after- 
 wards. What has she said ? " 
 
 And then It seemed to occur to Bellota 
 that he was going too far. Possibly the 
 desire to prevent further disclosures from 
 Josefa — for Lola had been kept In ignorance 
 always of the causes which had led to her 
 mother's death — checked him more effec- 
 tually than his granddaughter's remonstrance. 
 But the look that he gave Josefa told her 
 she had offended him so deeply that she 
 might expect but little mercy at his hands. 
 
 '' Fuera I Be off ! Get out ! " said the 
 old man In a hoarse voice, and then dropped 
 exhausted Into a seat, while Josefa slank away. 
 
 Lola had never seen him thus excited 
 before. Brought up at a distance from him, 
 their meetings had been marked always by 
 soft caresses and an almost doating fondness. 
 She had no notion that far down In the
 
 1 1 8 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 depths of his nature there smouldered these 
 fiery passions, these strong emotions, which 
 Bellota owed not alone to his Southern blood, 
 but also to the grievous sorrows that had 
 shadowed his early life. Lola would have 
 forgiven her grandfather readily enough had 
 she guessed at the causes which had thus 
 roused his raQ:e like a whirlwind. But as a 
 whirlwind it had arisen suddenly, and as 
 such it suddenly sank and died away. His 
 first thought was for the child of his heart, 
 who had stood the while watching him, 
 anxious, and not a little perturbed in spirit 
 at the new phase just revealed to her of her 
 grandfather's character. 
 
 He guessed in a measure what was passing 
 through her mind, for his next words were 
 those of apology and regret. 
 
 " Forgive me, darling of my life ! It is 
 not often that the black blood is stirred, but 
 when I am touched here," he said, pointing to 
 his heart, ^* I am Mariano Bellota no more. 
 It is the accursed fiend himself that speaks, and 
 his very spirit that prompts me. I should 
 have killed her then had a knife been handy."
 
 SWEETWATER FARM. II9 
 
 " But why, ahuelito f She said little to vex 
 you. Why so angry ? *' 
 
 " No matter. It is past." Mariano did not 
 wish to give rise to suspicions in his grand- 
 daughter's mind. " Tell me what became of 
 you, Lolita de mi alma, when this harpy went 
 to nurse her boy ? What friends did you 
 meet with to shelter and take care of you ? 
 or did she — may the curse of Columbus con- 
 sume her — carry you with her to the hos- 
 pital ? " 
 
 ^^ Nada, Of course not. I was with -my 
 cousins." 
 
 ** Your cousins ! " exclaimed Don Mariano, 
 surprised. This was the first he had heard 
 of the relations from Ximena. ** And which, 
 pray ? " 
 
 '' Dona Teresa from Agua Dulce, and Ra- 
 mona and Miguel." 
 
 " Did you meet them at the Fair ? " 
 
 " If I met them at the Fair ! Abuelo ! estas 
 tonto ? Are you not sane ? Clearly we met 
 them at the Fair. Did not Josefa herself 
 send you word that Dona Teresa and the 
 others had come to San Roque ? "
 
 I 20 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 *' Then it is this malvado, this worthless 
 Matias Curro, who has made all the mischief. 
 When he came last nig^ht as drunk as a 
 rickety wheel, he said no word about his 
 cousins. He told me Josefa had found her 
 son, a picador, at the fight, and that she had 
 stayed to nurse him, as he was wounded by 
 a bull." 
 
 Perhaps Don Mariano began to be a little 
 sorry for his hastiness. But he was not yet 
 disposed to forgive Josefa for what she had 
 said. 
 
 " I am glad you met them, Dolorcita, — 
 these cousins. And you enjoyed yourself? ^' 
 
 " Pretty well.'' 
 
 '' And the bulls ? Qud tal ? What were they 
 like ? " 
 
 *' Don't talk of the fight, abuelo. Santissima 
 Viroren ! It makes me sick to think of it. 
 When Pepe, poor lad, was wounded, I fainted, 
 and they had to carry me away." 
 
 Lola did not care to mention how she had 
 been removed from the ring. 
 
 " Little children should not go to such spec- 
 tacles. They are meant for stronger stomachs."
 
 SWEETWATER FARM. I 2 I 
 
 *' It was foolish of me to faint, but the 
 sight of the blood, and the poor horses, and 
 Pepe almost killed — how could I help it ? " 
 
 " And you were very bad, light of my 
 eyes ? " inquired the old grandfather very 
 anxiously. 
 
 " Aunt Teresa took me to her house, and 
 I soon got well — so well, that in the evening 
 I went to the Casino ball." 
 
 " And you danced ? " 
 
 " All night, abuelito ; It was like heaven." 
 
 " With Miguel ? " 
 
 *' And with others," added Lola, feeling 
 compelled to pay a slight passing tribute to 
 truth. 
 
 " Shall we not know the beginning of your 
 loves, Dolorcita ? or does love like secrecy, 
 as do the nio^htlneales the dark ? " 
 
 " Ay, abuelo ; love Is like the orange, not 
 always sweet — there is something bitter In it 
 too at times." 
 
 " So sad and you beginning life, when hope 
 IS still quite fresh and green ! Know you not 
 the saying ' of love and soup, the first helping 
 is the best ?' "
 
 I 2 2 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " Love IS like the mosquito, grandfather ; 
 it stings, raises a sore, and goes away sing- 
 ing." 
 
 " Hast felt the wound already, child ? Was 
 there a polio (a lad) among them all who 
 would not hold you dearer than holy water 
 if he got the chance ? You were too proud 
 to them ; I'll wager my nose on it." 
 
 " The man who wants me must come after 
 me," said Lola rather sadly, thinking of 
 Frank's supposed defection. "The rivers 
 run down to seek the sea, and so must they 
 do who would wish to win my love. But 
 Josefa?" 
 
 " She goes. I cannot admit such conduct 
 Her tongue is longer than an alcalde's wand 
 of office." 
 
 Lola was tender-hearted, and she liked 
 Josefa. Besides, the duena had her secret, 
 and it was well to keep good friends. 
 
 "She will not offend you thus again. And 
 her sin — what was it.^* She Is a mother, and 
 could not leave her son to die." 
 
 " What know you of such feelings ? " 
 
 " My heart tells me. Would you desert
 
 SWEETWATER FARM. 1 23 
 
 your child, abuelo, neglected, to die alone, 
 without one loving word or friendly hand ? " 
 
 " Well, well ; we will see/' 
 
 *' That's what the blind man said, but he 
 did not see for all that." 
 
 " Artful ! you have more talk than an 
 attorney to gain your ends." 
 
 '' She stays ? " 
 
 "If you wish It, yes. But let her keep from 
 my sight, or I may do her some mischief 
 yet. 
 
 Nor did Lola's advocacy end here. Know- 
 ing that Josefa's heart was just now bound up 
 in the welfare of the son In hospital, she 
 gained her grandfather's permission for the 
 duefia to remain at San Roque till Pepe was 
 convalescent. Don Mariano consented to this 
 with a bad grace, and only after Lola had 
 agreed to spend the Interval at Xlmena with 
 her cousins. She could not be left alone at 
 Rosia Cottage, he said, and this was the only 
 alternative. To this Lola could make no valid 
 objections. After all. It suited her purpose to 
 retire for a time to the Cortijo. Before start- 
 ing, however, she one day asked her grand-
 
 I 24 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 father, somewhat abruptly, whether he could 
 ride on horseback. 
 
 '' Cara77iba ! of course." 
 
 " Is it difficult ? " 
 
 '' Not for young bones, before the pains 
 and tortures of old age commence. But 
 
 what do you wish to ride too ? So you 
 
 shall, querida, but upon a jamuga, a pack- 
 saddle with a chair and straps to keep you 
 from falllnof.'^ 
 
 '^ Afida I Throw that bone to some other 
 dog. Have I not ridden thus for years, at a 
 foot's pace and upon the back of a patient 
 mule ? No, grandfather ; my desire Is to 
 mount a pure-bred Cordoves, a steed of fire, 
 of lineage, and race, to wear an amazona, and 
 sit sideways like an English lady." 
 
 *' You would be terrified out of your small 
 wits." 
 
 *' English ladles are not." 
 
 *' They learn It young. That which Is 
 learnt In the cradle lasts all one's life." 
 
 " I am no coward. What others do, I can 
 accomplish also." 
 
 " Saddle the water-boy's donkey then, Lolita
 
 SWEETWATER FARM. I 25 
 
 fnia. It's better to be carried peacefully by an 
 ass than kicked off by a horse." 
 
 But Lola, as usual, had her own way. She 
 started within a few days for Xlmena, con- 
 voyed thither by Josefa, who returned next 
 day to San Roque. Part of Lolas baggage 
 was a second-hand side-saddle, which old 
 Bellota had rummaged out of one of his 
 stores. He sent word, also, to Lucas, the 
 eldest son and managing man upon the 
 farm, that a horse — a gentle, well-bred, lady's 
 horse — was to be found at a moderate price, 
 and that Lola was to be taught, if possible, to 
 ride. 
 
 Why had this sudden fancy seized the girl ? 
 For no reason but that she mieht do as the 
 EngHsh did; that she might, by some effort 
 of her own, bridge over the gulf that seemed 
 to separate her from Frank Wriottesley. All 
 the English ladies rode on horseback ; this 
 much Lola thought she might also acquire, 
 if she were unable to change her spots, to 
 whiten her clear olive skin, and give another 
 tinge to her lustrous purple hair — though these 
 were not impossible feats either, had she been
 
 126 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 a little more conversant with the advantages 
 of civilisation. 
 
 Sweetwater Farm, the Cortijo de Agua 
 Dulce, the home of Lola s cousins, lay a mile 
 or two from the town of Ximena, and some 
 half-dozen leagues from Gibraltar. To reach 
 it, you passed through the whole length of the 
 great cork-wood, by a track, nothing more ; 
 and leaving the " Long Stables " on the left, 
 opened out upon a wide plain, which extended 
 to the very base of the hill on which Ximena 
 stands. Most of the towns in Southern Anda- 
 lucia are perched thus, like an eagle's eyrie 
 on the top of a tall peak. They were built 
 so for safety, when Moorish or Christian for- 
 agers harried the lands around. 
 
 The herds you passed In this plain belonged 
 mostly to Sweetwater Farm, where more busi- 
 ness was done in raising stock than in mere 
 husbandry. For the latter, a few fields of barley 
 and beans and an olive grove sufficed, with 
 several acres of vines, from which they got 
 wine sufficient for their home consumption. 
 The wealth at Agua Dulce was in cattle, In 
 droves of small, wiry oxen with tremendous
 
 SWEETWATER FARM. 12/ 
 
 horns, that lolled most of the summer days 
 in the half-dry pools of the shallow river, or 
 followed the tinkling bells of their leaders 
 from pasture to pasture ; in troops of brood 
 mares with their attendant colts ; in pigs, 
 strong, little, black brutes, more like wild 
 boars, whose flesh, acorn-fed, was to be 
 turned by and by into sweet hams and good, 
 juicy bacon. Last of all, in bulls — in big, 
 fierce toroSy bred for the national amphitheatre 
 with consummate pains and infinite tests to 
 prove their courage, endurance, and animal 
 strength. These last were herded apart from 
 the possible intrusion of irritating strangers, 
 in spots more retired ; ranging there alone 
 with their especial herdsmen and their com- 
 panions, the cabestros, or tame oxen, whom 
 they loved and trusted, only to be some day, 
 Judas-like, by them betrayed. 
 
 Matters were carried on in a very primi- 
 tive fashion at Agua Dulce. The common 
 appliances of English farmers were still 
 unknown in this secluded corner of a 
 backward country. Steam ploughs, patent 
 thrashing-machines, wire-fencing, and chemical
 
 128 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 manures had never hope for trial there. 
 That which their ancestors had worked 
 with was good enough for them — the clumsy 
 plough, drawn at a snail's-pace by patient 
 oxen, the water raised by a noria or Moorish 
 millwheel, the corn trampled out by the hoofs 
 of horses. What did they want with fences ? 
 The mountains themselves served as barriers 
 to the plains ; and right up to their base 
 the cattle might wander at will. Manures, 
 patent or other, were superfluous where, 
 under the bright sun of the South, the 
 fertile soil teemed with richness and multi- 
 plied fifty-fold. 
 
 The cortijo itself was a big rambling place, 
 capable of standing a siege. It was quite 
 self-contained, within high walls — a small 
 colony or fortress independent of external 
 assistance, having granaries and storerooms, 
 forge, bakehouse, kitchen, all inside. The 
 stables would have held a troop of cavalry, 
 for which the yard or corral was a spacious 
 exercising ground ; in the large huerta or 
 orchard grew fruit-trees in abundance, in 
 the small home garden vegetables and any
 
 SWEETWATER FARM. 1 29 
 
 quantity of herbs suitable for medicinal pur- 
 poses — an important item of produce, seeing 
 that with concoctions of various plants Dona 
 Teresa doctored everybody within miles. As 
 for the house, it was roomy, bare, and rather 
 comfortless. There was a second story, but 
 the family from choice inhabited the ground- 
 floor, in which the rooms stood almost 
 without furniture beyond a walnut-wood 
 cupboard here and there, a few high-backed 
 chairs with rush bottoms ; for carpet, a few 
 large circular mats of esparto grass ; and 
 for decoration, one or two framed oil-pictures 
 — bad imitations of Murillo, Zurbaran, and 
 Ribera, all of which were nevertheless 
 chained to the walls lest in some new 
 invasion they might be stolen, like others 
 in the old days, and removed to France. 
 
 The chief personage at the farm was 
 Dona Teresa Panfila Pefiaflor, to whom we 
 have already been introduced, a wizened, 
 leathery-faced old dame, not really old, 
 being barely fifty; but people age prema- 
 turely in a land which turns lakes into 
 salt-pans and makes raisins from juicy grapes. 
 
 VOL. I. I
 
 1 30 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 Her voice, sweet perhaps when her husband 
 courted her, was sour now as an unripe 
 pomegranate pip ; and her manner was always 
 imperious, as became the representative of 
 several illustrious families — a hidalga^ the 
 daughter of some one, with ancestors, many 
 of them distinguished, of whom she was 
 continually speaking, and coats of arms 
 enough to furnish a stock-in-trade for half- 
 a-dozen colleges of heralds. She was pious 
 to a fault — in other words, bigoted, narrow- 
 minded, and superstitious. Day and night 
 there burnt a small lantern in a niche near 
 the main entrance, which was tended by 
 her own hand, and dedicated to the patron 
 saint of her deceased spouse. It gave her 
 some concern that her eldest son, Lucas, 
 who was the real, but not the nominal 
 master of the farm, belonged to the more 
 advanced school of politics, and counted it 
 part of his creed to despise openly the 
 religion of his forefathers, expressing the 
 most vigorous contempt for the priests and 
 their ceremonies, characterising them as cosas 
 de mujereSy things fit only for w^omen.
 
 SWEETWATER FARM. 1 3 I 
 
 This Lucas was of a type occasionally 
 to be met with among the upper class of 
 country folk in Southern Spain. Coarse in 
 mind and in manner, unless he saw some 
 advantage was to be gained by being 
 gracious, a swaggerer and a bully, at home 
 or in the immediate neighbourhood every- 
 body deferred to Lucas Pefiaflor, and when 
 he opened his lips, no dog presumed to bark. 
 He already lorded it over all the people of 
 the farm as if it were his own property, 
 whereas his mother had still a life-interest 
 in it, and Lucas was only her overseer and 
 managing man. The place was prosperous, 
 yet the Penaflors were by no means rich, 
 and all alike had to work, except Alejandro, 
 the second son, who was a lieutenant in a 
 line regiment, and generally away from home. 
 Miguel, the younger brother, was clerk and 
 steward of accounts, a sort of slave to Lucas, 
 who made his life a burthen to him. Miguel 
 was small, and not courageous, and he 
 thought it better to endure in silence the 
 tyranny of his elder brother. Ramona, the 
 only sister, shared with her mother the
 
 132 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 duties of the house, not disdaining at times 
 to take her place at the washing-boards by 
 the river-side, and assisting in the kitchen, 
 or in the various operations for salting and 
 curing bacon, preserving fruit at the proper 
 seasons, cooking, clear-starching, and making 
 herself generally useful. She had learnt 
 from her mother to prepare a gazpacho (an 
 oil-and-water salad), or to stew a fowl with 
 green peppers, against any cook in Southern 
 Spain.
 
 ( 133 ) 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 UNDER MARTIAL LAW. 
 
 Cheery, light-hearted Frank Wrlottesley ! 
 The reader will hear much of him in these 
 pages. He was In truth a very gallant 
 young fellow, full of life and spirits, with a 
 merry heart and a loud, ringing voice, that 
 it did you good to hear. And such energy, 
 such vitality, as there was In the man ! He 
 was never bored, never out of sorts, never 
 at a loss to fill his vacant hours. Very keen 
 in those field-sports to which he had been 
 trained from his earliest youth, and in all of 
 which he excelled ; cunning, too, and clever 
 with his fingers, ready to make you anything 
 from a gun- case to a patent toothpick. In 
 the by-season, when his hunting-coat and 
 tops were laid on one side, and his gun lay
 
 134 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 idle, he found employment at his lathe, and 
 littered all his barrack-room with chips and 
 shavines. A ereat contriver was Frank, and 
 fashioner of raw material. Nothing pleased 
 him half so much as to be asked to devise 
 something new — a new bit, or a new knife, 
 or a new plan of tying up Mrs Sproule's 
 skirts, to keep them from trailing in the mud. 
 He was no great lover of books, although 
 he had a well-thumbed copy of " Hawker," 
 another of " Hutchinson on Dog-breaking," and 
 knew most of '' Youatt on the Horse" by heart. 
 But, as a general rule, having such a super- 
 abundance of animal spirits, he had not the 
 patience to sit still and read. He wanted 
 to be up and doing always. Of an evening, 
 when his day's work was finished — a long 
 day's work, self-chosen — he wanted to go 
 to bed, so as to be up with the lark and 
 begin again. So he could not afford the 
 time for study, even if he had had the incli- 
 nation. But though no bookworm, Frank 
 had *' parts," which he could exhibit if put 
 to the push, only his nature was foreign to 
 sedentary employment. He was essentially 

 
 UNDER MARTIAL LAW. I 35 
 
 a man of action — one who spoke fast, and 
 was generally in a hurry ; a blithe, eager, 
 impetuous youth, who would have had strong 
 likes and dislikes, were he not too good- 
 natured to hate' even an enemy long. Never- 
 theless, this same softness of heart gave pro- 
 mise that, when the occasion came for him to 
 •fall in love, his passion would be too ardent 
 and overpowering to be checked by ordinary 
 obstacles. 
 
 Frank's childhood had been spent with his 
 father in Canada — in the far North-west, 
 where for many years Colonel Wriottesley 
 commanded an important detachment. The 
 place, Fort Garry, is even now but little 
 known ; in the time of Frank's youth it 
 might have been called the uttermost Thule 
 of the earth. Here, amidst wild sports, and 
 in a semi- savage state of existence, Frank 
 was nurtured till the time came for him to 
 go to school. His parents parted with him 
 — their only child — with poignant sorrow ; 
 but the separation was so notably to Frank's 
 advantage, that his mother could not refuse 
 to let him go to England. They never saw
 
 1^6 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 him again. A year later, returning homeward 
 from Quebec, the steam-ship In which they 
 had taken passage was lost at sea. Colonel 
 and Mrs Wriottesley were among those who 
 perished. 
 
 The blow fell heavily upon Frank at Up- 
 pingham School, but it was with a thrill of 
 pride for all his grief that he read how gal- 
 lantly his parents had met their death — how 
 conspicuous had been his father's efforts to 
 save life, and lessen confusion on board 
 the sinking ship — how nobly his mother had 
 sought to instil comfort, and preach resigna- 
 tion, to the terrified women who clung around 
 her in the last awful moments, when death 
 stared all in the face. Both had refused to 
 leave the wreck till the last, and thus delay- 
 ing till it was too late, they went down with 
 the ship. But they left to Frank a heritage of 
 heroism which, boy-like, he treasured far above 
 a more worldly and tangible inheritance. 
 
 The orphan boy, unhappily, needed more than 
 this to keep him alive and give him a fair 
 start in life. In the matter of pounds, shillings, 
 and pence, he was left but poorly off, and he
 
 UNDER MARTIAL LAW. I 37 
 
 mieht have found himself In dire distress had 
 not help come whence he least expected it. 
 
 His nearest relative was a certain Sir Hector 
 Harrowby, a baronet of good estate In Essex. 
 Sir Hector for 3^ears past had been — like the 
 Civil Service — thrown open to competition. 
 A childless old bachelor, he made no secret 
 of his desire to adopt any boy among his own 
 relations that might suit his fancy. There 
 was no lack of candidates, of course — sex and 
 relationship were the only indispensable quali- 
 fications ; but it mattered little to Sir Hector 
 whether it was sister^s son or fifteenth cousin 
 many times removed. So long as the can- 
 didate owned some kinship, and was not a 
 girl, Sir Hector was satisfied. A girl he 
 would not have — he professed to hate the 
 whole female race. Tradition said that, ages 
 before, when he was no great match, a lady 
 of rank, higher than his own, had jilted him. 
 This of itself would explain his unreasoning 
 dislike for the whole sex, but the dislike was 
 more fancied than real. Down in the bottom 
 of his heart he was faithful still to the memory 
 of his first love. In that early venture had
 
 I ^8 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 O 
 
 been embarked all the wealth of his youthful 
 affections — embarked only to be shipwrecked, 
 though not utterly lost. Just as the blackened 
 ribs of a ship that Is cast away stand long 
 superior to choking sand-drifts, or the cease- 
 less wash of waves, so the ruins of the 
 hull that had once carried all his hopes, de- 
 fied the forgetfulness of Increasing years, and 
 the selfishness of riches. To the last her 
 image was fresh and green In his mind ; for 
 her sake he never married, missing thus that 
 which no money can purchase — the honest, 
 disinterested affection of his own-beo:otten 
 children. 
 
 But the tender place in Sir Hector's heart 
 was carefully covered over and concealed. 
 In the eyes of each new trembling aspirant 
 for his favours he was all but an ogre — a 
 tall terrible man impossible to please. He 
 towered with Imposing figure above the 
 would-be heir — already carefully prepared by 
 home-preaching for this momentous ordeal — 
 and frightened him Into fiddle-strings, long 
 before he spoke, by the hardness of his face 
 and the stern look In his dark penetrating
 
 UNDER MARTIAL LAW. I 39 
 
 eyes. There was a great martinet lost In Sir 
 Hector; he ought to have been an admiral 
 or a general officer ; and Indeed It was a 
 secret disappointment to him that his father 
 in early life, before the title and family 
 property had come to their branch, had sent 
 him to the bar, instead of allowing him to 
 enter either military or naval services. Sir 
 Hector ruled his household with a rod of 
 iron, calling for the most unhesitating 
 obedience to his will. Everything in his 
 house was in apple-pie order ; the whole 
 establishment went like clock-work. The 
 servants were drilled in their duties from the 
 day they joined, by the unyielding butler — 
 no bad lieutenant to so severe a chief Order, 
 discipline, and punctuality reigned supreme at 
 Grimswych Park. 
 
 When Frank came to England from Hud- 
 son's Bay, his father wrote to Sir Hector — 
 his wife's brother — explaining that he was 
 sending his boy to school, and that, exiled 
 himself, he longed to find a friend for the 
 child at home. But the appeal was lost upon 
 Sir Hector. Just then a candidate was on
 
 140 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 probation, who promised rather well. His 
 voice was good — one of the aspirant's first 
 duties was to read aloud to Sir Hector — 
 and he showed great aptitude with his gun. 
 It was not till the news of the shipwreck 
 appeared in the papers, with the account 
 published by the survivors of Colonel and 
 Mrs Wrlottesley's conduct on board, that Sir 
 Hector bethought him of the lonely orphan 
 at Uppingham. There was no one In favour 
 at the moment — the last candidate had ruined 
 his fortunes by peppering the best pointer In 
 the coverts — and a mandate was forthwith 
 despatched summoning Frank to Grimswych 
 Park. 
 
 It had come to be rather a joke at the 
 little station where Sir Hector's guests alighted 
 to see the new heirs arrive — and soon after- 
 wards depart. 
 
 " There was two here last week," the porter 
 would remind the statlonmaster. '' They 
 both on 'em stayed only an hour." 
 
 " Ah ! but that little chap as was brought 
 by his mother. She come back same fly. 
 Sir Hector don't have no petticoats up there,
 
 UNDER MARTIAL LAW. I4I 
 
 he don't. But the young'un stayed — what ? 
 A month or more ? " 
 
 " Keeper told me he peppered Ponto, and 
 the Squire took on awful. And there was 
 that stout lad" 
 
 " Him as couldn't sit the kicking pony ? 
 ah ! I mind him well," went on the station- 
 master lauo^hinof. 
 
 " And here's another on 'em," was Frank's 
 salutation as he jumped out of the railway 
 carriage at Grimswych. 
 
 There was a mangy terrier dog at -his 
 heels, and he had a ferret in each pocket. 
 Among his traps were a well-worn trout- 
 rod and basket covered with fish scales, one 
 or two pea-shooters, a bat, and In his hand 
 one of those specially infernal machines called 
 catapults, from which he at once discharged 
 a well-aimed shot at the stationmaster's favour- 
 ite hen. 
 
 A small Whitechapel pony-chaise was in 
 waiting from the " Big House," as the Park 
 was familiarly styled. 
 
 " Is that for me ? " cried young Frank, vault- 
 ing nimbly over the station-railings. " All
 
 142 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 right ! Here ! lay hold," he added, sharply 
 bundlino: all his miscellaneous belonorino^s into 
 the groom's hands or on to his knees. " Bring 
 out my box, will you, old stupid! Don't 
 mind the rooster. Here's a bob — that'll buy 
 you another. Now, then, off you go — sharp's 
 the word ; " and Frank was driven away in 
 triumph, leaving the railway officials amazed. 
 
 ** He's not much like the rest," said the 
 porter thoughtfully. " There's some spunk in 
 him anyhow.'' 
 
 *' He needn't have got knocking my fowls 
 about," remarked the stationmaster. " But 
 Sir Hector will brinof him to his bearinofs 
 pretty fast, I make no doubt. He'll be here 
 again in a day or two — outward bound." 
 
 It was not long since Frank's great grief 
 had fallen upon him, but he was not made to 
 mope and moan. Besides, sorrow runs off 
 the young like water from a duck's back. 
 Frank was growing out of his fast, leaving It 
 behind, like the decent black trousers were 
 leaving already the neighbourhood of his 
 boots, and the black coat cuffs shrank back 
 from his strong red wrists. He had mourned
 
 UNDER MARTIAL LAW. 1 4 
 
 '> 
 
 his parents well and truly, but by nature 
 his temperament was buoyant and hopeful. 
 He could not droop for long ; he was more 
 like a strong steel spring, that recovers Itself 
 with a quick sharp snap. And now we find 
 him overflowing with spirits, keenly enjoy- 
 ing the new situation in which he found him- 
 self. 
 
 All along the road he sought for a bent, 
 legitimate or the reverse, for his superabun- 
 dant energies. His catapult was never idle ; 
 and as the trap passed rapidly through "the 
 village he saluted the bystanders with some 
 very sharp file-firing. Then, after goading 
 the pony to fresh efforts by raining pellets 
 from his pea-shooter about the poor brute's 
 ears, nothing would satisfy him but he must 
 drive. 
 
 " Can you drive, sir ? " asked the groom 
 respectfully, but with an accent of strong 
 doubt. 
 
 *' Can I drive ! Did you ever drive a team 
 of ten ? I have — dogs — five couple, one be- 
 hind the other, and a whip that would crack 
 like a pistol. I'm all right, bless you. I don't
 
 144 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 remember, man, when I hadn't reins In my 
 hand." 
 
 He was all right with the reins ; one of his 
 earliest lessons had been to drive a sleigh 
 with its accompaniment of merry tinkling bells. 
 But the whip was too great a temptation for 
 him. Not that the pony wanted it, but 
 Frank wanted to use it. Before long they 
 were flying along the road at a racing-pace, 
 past the park-palings, through the lodge gates, 
 up the avenue to the very hall-door. 
 
 " Was you a-drlving, Smithers ? " asked 
 the very decorous butler who came to answer 
 the bell. " I see'd the cart a-comin' alonof the 
 drive, and I could a-hardly believed my eyes. 
 Sir Hector don't like his horses bucketted, 
 and the coachman'll have something to say 
 to you before you're a much /colder man." 
 
 '* Don't blow him up, sir." Frank did not 
 know to whom he was speaking ; it might be 
 Sir Hector himself, or some clerical friend of 
 the family. *' It was my fault; I haven't had 
 the ribbons In my hands for a couple of years." 
 " I beg your pardon, sir," said Mr Butter- 
 field with an air of some condescension. " Of
 
 UNDER MARTIAL LAW. I45 
 
 course, if it was you, sir. Will you please to 
 walk In, sir ? I am Sir Hector's own man, 
 sir. He desired me to show you Into the 
 library when you arrived. Johnson!" he 
 added, to a passing footman, " Mr Wriottes- 
 ley's things to the blue room, and get them 
 unpacked. This way, sir," and then he ush- 
 ered Frank across the entrance-hall to a snug 
 room filled with books, which Sir Hector 
 made his home. 
 
 " You'd best be quite still, sir," went on the 
 butler in a patronising voice. " There's* a 
 many nick-nacks and jiggering-dandies about, 
 and Sir Hector don't like nothing meddled 
 nor muddled." 
 
 ** All right, I don't mean to play foot-ball 
 with the best china." 
 
 Frank's reverence was never very long- 
 lived, and it had melted like snow in summer 
 when he found that this pompous person was 
 only a servant after all. 
 
 ** No, sir, I suppose not," replied the butler 
 gravely. He was being made fun of, and this 
 was something new. Frank's predecessors 
 had rather cultivated Sir Hector's confiden- 
 
 VOL I. K
 
 146 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 tial man, and Mr Butterfield was already 
 prejudiced against Frank by his Independence. 
 
 " Here Is this day's Times, sir, and some 
 new books as came last week ; but Sir Hector 
 will not be long, I don't doubt. He only 
 went to the Home Farm." 
 
 The day's Times was duly displayed to 
 Frank's indifferent eyes, and the butler van- 
 ished. 
 
 What did Frank care for the day's Times f 
 He had not yet got to be interested in the 
 money articles, nor in the " leaders," nor yet in 
 the foreign Intelligence. The agony column 
 miofht have amused him, had he known where 
 to look for it ; but falling this, he found the 
 newspaper but dry reading. So his eyes 
 began to wander about, then he fidgetted in 
 his chair. How could he sit still when there 
 was so much to stare at In the room ? Books 
 in the first place, and almost in any quantity : 
 the master of Grimswych knew them to be 
 better company often than living Christians. 
 Then Sir Hector was a dilettante and an art 
 collector, and the room was full of fine prints, 
 good drawings, and articles of vertu — charming
 
 UNDER MARTIAL LAW. 1 47 
 
 chefs-d'cBtcvre from the best Italian chisels, ex- 
 quisite bronzes, wondrous ivory-work, and 
 richly-carved cabinets full of costly china. 
 Where the bookcases did not take up wall 
 space stood shelf upon shelf of specimens, 
 collections complete, entomological, ornitho- 
 logical, and so forth ; for Sir Hector, among 
 other pursuits, dabbled in natural history. 
 It was these that attracted Frank most; and 
 the vis inerticB, so to speak, of the butler's 
 caution having been once overcome, he wan- 
 dered freely from point to point with all the 
 ardour of a young and inexperienced sightseer 
 let loose for the first time among an exhibition 
 of treasure. 
 
 In addition to those in the glass cases, 
 a number of stuffed birds stood on high, 
 crowning the book-shelves. They were too 
 big mostly to be on a lower level, and being 
 thus out of reach, they hung like forbidden 
 fruit, tempting Frank to climb up and pick 
 them. It is probable that he would have 
 resisted successfully had he not espied among 
 them a fine white-headed Erne — the American 
 eagle, a king among birds — which he had
 
 148 LOLA: A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 seen once or twice before, and readily re- 
 cognised now. 
 
 To move the library ladder and run up 
 the runofs was the matter of a moment. 
 Frank proposed to himself to bring the bird 
 down and examine It more closely. 
 
 He was at the top of the ladder, and had 
 seized his prey, when some one called to 
 him from the door — 
 
 *' Well, well, upon my word, sir ! '* 
 
 Frank thought it was the butler returned, 
 and replied saucily — 
 
 "All right, old cock — right as ninepence." 
 
 " You had better come down — In point 
 of fact, you must come down." There was 
 rising anger In the voice, but Frank was 
 not keen enough to detect it. 
 
 " Fm coming. Don't fret yourself. But 
 
 here catch ! " cried the boy unconcernedly, 
 
 tossing down the fine specimen of the Ame- 
 rican Erne as if it had been a bundle of 
 old rags. 
 
 ** Oh, butter-fingers ! " followed his first re- 
 mark as a matter of course. 
 
 The astonished baronet — for it was Sir
 
 UNDER MARTIAL LAW. 1 49 
 
 Hector himself — had let the bird slip to the 
 ground, though he made a vain attempt to 
 save it — 
 
 ** You insolent young jackanapes, I never 
 in all my life met your equal in effrontery. 
 Come down, I say, this instant." 
 
 Sir Hector's tone and manner did not 
 augur well for Frank's happiness at Grims- 
 wych Park. 
 
 ** I will not tolerate you in my house, not 
 for another second, sir." 
 
 ** I'm sorry, I'm sure. I did not know I 
 was doinof wrong:." 
 
 Sir Hector waved him grandly on one 
 side, and said — 
 
 '^ Ring the bell, If you please." 
 
 The butler, when he appeared, looked 
 curiously at Frank, as if to gather from his 
 appearance how he had fared while on his 
 trial in this the first interview. 
 
 There was no misunderstanding the boy's 
 gauche attitude, his red cheeks, and the way 
 he hung his head. 
 
 ** Mr Wriottesley's portmanteau, is it un- 
 packed ? "
 
 150 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 ** It Is, Sir Hector." 
 
 ** Then repack it. This young gentleman 
 will return to the station as soon as a carriage 
 can come round. Order one. That will do." 
 
 Then turning to Frank he said severely — 
 
 ** I am not going to have my house turned 
 upside down by every idle, mischievous, young 
 vagabond that chooses to presume on my 
 good nature and his own bad breeding." 
 
 *' I am not an idle young vagabond," 
 said Frank, looking Sir Hector straight In 
 the face. "If I have done any wrong I'll 
 bear the brunt, but you shan't call me 
 names." 
 
 *' Hoity-toity ! a nice way you must have 
 been brought up. Is this the way you were 
 taught to address your elders ? Your father 
 and mother cannot have done their duty by 
 
 you. 
 
 *' My father and mother are dead," cried 
 Frank, the tears starting into his eyes. " You 
 know that ; and you'd better leave them alone 
 — you've no right to talk of them like that, 
 and — and — I won't let you." 
 
 A very brave and gallant little fellow
 
 UNDER MARTIAL LAW. I 5 I 
 
 Frank looked as he stood there with flashinof 
 eyes and fists clenched. 
 
 Sir Hector was several inches above six 
 feet in height, and the boy before him — still 
 only a child — hardly reached to his waist. 
 But he bowed his head accepting the rebuke, 
 and said at once — 
 
 *' I beg your pardon — I forgot." 
 
 Already In the short scene that had been 
 enacted he was beoflnninof to relax. Other 
 boys that had come had been so desperately 
 afraid of him. They cowered or cringed, -and 
 he hated the one form of attention as much 
 as the other. Here now was only a mite 
 of a boy standing up to him, contradicting 
 him, teaching him good manners. 
 
 '' But what now ? '' asked Sir Hector quickly 
 — seeing Frank pick up the bird and make 
 towards the ladder. 
 
 " I was going to put the Erne back In its 
 place." 
 
 *' You know its name then ? How's that ? 
 Ah ! I see it's marked on the pedestal." 
 
 '' Fve shot one before now with my own 
 gun," said Frank superbly, scorning his uncle s
 
 I 5 2 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 inuendo, " in the Canadian forest, with 
 
 with my father." 
 
 ** You can shoot then ? " 
 
 *' I used to go out with — him." 
 
 Frank hated these references to the happy 
 past. 
 
 *' And you can ride ? " 
 
 " There was no other way of getting about 
 till the snow came. I had a pony of my own, 
 and rode it almost before I could walk." 
 
 *' A pony of your own ? And you can shoot, 
 and have made a bag of your own in the 
 Canadian forests. Do you know anything 
 of the fauna ? " 
 
 " Fauna ? " 
 
 " Beasts and birds ? Have you learnt no 
 Latin. Do you recognise any more of those 
 birds there in that case ? " 
 
 ** I see the golden oriole, and the blue-bird, 
 and the scarlet runner, and " 
 
 ** The Whitechapel is at the door, Sir Hec- 
 tor," said the butler with an unmistakable grin. 
 
 '' Send it back to the stable. Mr Wriot" 
 tesley is going to stay, I hope, for a long 
 time," added Sir Hector graciously.
 
 UNDER MARTIAL LAW. 1 5 3 
 
 The battle was over, and victory remained 
 with Frank. 
 
 From that time forth young Wriottesley 
 took undisputed rank as Sir Hector's heir. 
 There was no question about him, as there 
 had been about other candidates. He had 
 won his position with colours flying, bold 
 front, and uncalculating courage. Sir Hector 
 took to him in a way he had done with no 
 one before. Charmed from the first by the 
 lad's gallant spirit, his liking grew into a 
 strong attachment as Frank developed* in 
 pluck and independence of character. It 
 pleased him to hear how forward the boy 
 rode, and what an excellent shot he was. The 
 future owner of Grimswych must be fit to 
 fill the place of an English gentleman, and 
 must excel in field-sports as became his 
 station ; and Frank, after the first trial of 
 strength, gladly gave in to Sir Hector's 
 whims, and sought by all the means in his 
 power to please him. The ready submission 
 and cheerful attachment of the one soon pro- 
 duced esteem and warm affection in the 
 other.
 
 154 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 Frank was equally popular with all the 
 retainers at Grimswych. Mr Butterfield the 
 butler alone remained on the defensive. He 
 looked upon Frank as an Interloper, and 
 would have been glad to have ousted him 
 from favour. But he could not accomplish 
 this ; and as time passed Frank went to 
 Eton, thence for a year to College. Just 
 before he was twenty Sir Hector bought him 
 a commission in a good regiment, determined 
 not to baulk the young man, as he had him- 
 self been disappointed In the choice of a 
 profession. Moreover, the life was that of a 
 gentleman, and would serve to pass the years 
 until it was time for Frank to marry and 
 settle at Grimswych Park. 
 
 So it came to pass that Frank Wriottesley 
 found himself at five-and-twenty In the Hal- 
 berdiers at Gibraltar.
 
 ( 155 ) 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 MAD TO TRAVEL. 
 
 Since the events at San Roque already de- 
 tailed, Frank's eager energies found a fresh 
 outlet. His ambition now was to turn 
 Spaniard, and make himself master of the 
 language ; to explore every corner near Gib- 
 raltar, first by the beaten track, then by 
 remote road or rugged mountain-path, finding 
 sport where he could, but disposed even 
 without that attraction to wander like some 
 new Quixote from village to village and from 
 town to town, till he came to know thoroughly 
 the ways and usages of Spanish life. 
 
 There are many who, without the predis- 
 posing causes that affected Frank Wriottesley, 
 are seized with this kind of fever. A certain 
 romance hangs about the very name of Spain ;
 
 156 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 It is familiar to us in well-known books, in 
 the pages of Le Sage, of Cervantes, and 
 Washington Irving. Most of us have read 
 Prescott, have followed Ford In his endless 
 rambles ; we are well acquainted with Byron's 
 " Chllde Harold," and through him with Inez 
 and the ladles of Cadiz. From Spain came 
 the nuts we crunched In early youth, and the 
 liquorice that blackened our devoted lips, just 
 as other vices, more culpable, leave their 
 marks on the votary's life. To the young 
 soldier, again, Spain is pre-eminently hallowed 
 ground. It was the battlefield of our fore- 
 fathers, of the men whose names form part of 
 such glorious memories as Talavera, Salamanca, 
 Vlttoria, Cludad Rodrlgo, Badajoz, and the 
 Pyrenees. In more than one English home 
 are treasured the journals of those Peninsular 
 heroes. The ink faded, the paper all yellow 
 and tattered, like the flags under which our 
 veterans fought ; the original records these of 
 the doings which Napier has chronicled In 
 language that will live for ever. Thus the 
 romance of history lends an additional charm 
 to a land overflowing already with interest
 
 MAD TO TRAVEL. I 57 
 
 and attraction. To be at Gibraltar, so near 
 to Spain, scarce a stone's-throw from Spanish 
 sentries and Spanish rule, on ground that 
 some might say is Spanish still, and ours 
 but in trust, is to find one's self within a masflc 
 circle, under the Influence of spells difficult 
 to resist. Close at hand, like a volume asklns: 
 but to be opened, lies an exciting field — ■ 
 not necessarily of adventure, but filled with 
 new and varied Impressions — and five min- 
 utes will bear the traveller to the land of 
 promise. • 
 
 Frank Wriottesley threw himself with delight 
 into the life that opened for him at this new 
 station. The passion for adventure was with 
 him inbred, and the seed sown in early youth 
 w^as already a plant of vigorous growth when 
 he came to man's estate. But the occasion 
 for following the bent of his inclinations did 
 not come to him at once. In Eno^land there 
 had been many calls upon his time : Grlms- 
 wych Park and due service to his uncle ; the ^ 
 shooting there and the hunting — all these 
 hindered him from seeking to travel far afield. 
 For it was not to follow by the ordinary
 
 158 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 routes, In the smooth footsteps of summer 
 tourists, but to make more lengthy journey- 
 ings through less known lands, that Frank 
 Wriottesley pined. Chance alone was wanted 
 to make of him an African explorer or a 
 shining light In the Alpine Club ; one who 
 in the East might have run Burton hard for 
 his laurels, or have braved dangers as uncon- 
 cernedly as the most venturous travellers In 
 the Far West. And for the first time some- 
 thing of this kind seemed within his reach. 
 From the very windows of his barrack-room 
 he could see the margins of two continents, 
 noble hunting-grounds both, asking him but 
 to choose between them. Across the Straits 
 of Hercules lay Barbary, a sealed page still 
 to English wanderers, tempting him to be 
 the first to tread its soil. Nearer at hand 
 were the Spanish sierras, coming down to 
 the water's edge and displaying their purple 
 beauties with a prodigal hand, showing their 
 jagged tops and the clean-riven fissures be- 
 tween, leading to happy valleys cradled in 
 plenty. 
 
 The meetlnof with Lola was the turnlno^-
 
 MAD TO TRAVEL. I 59 
 
 point. He was now, so to speak, mad to 
 travel In Spain. 
 
 Of course Frank threw himself Into this 
 new Idea with all the Impulsive ardour that 
 was natural to him. And first, to save him- 
 self from guides and Interpreters^ gaining 
 through them only a second-hand knowledge 
 of the country, he resolved to learn the 
 Spanish language as fast as he could. He 
 was no great linguist — had no natural apti- 
 tude for languages, that Is to say — and he 
 detested books. But then he was alway? so 
 terribly in earnest with anything he took In 
 hand. This difficulty he grasped also, with 
 characteristic force and energy. 
 
 Down Horse Barrack Lane, the second 
 door on the left hand of the furthest patio 
 (court), lived a certain Geromino Ciruelas, 
 who styled himself on the board that graced 
 the entrance to his dwelling, Professor de 
 Idiomas, Language Master to the garrison 
 of Gibraltar. A tall, oily wretch, with fat 
 hands, and manners as greasy as his com- 
 plexion, was Geromino Ciruelas. But him 
 from henceforth Frank made his Inseparable
 
 l6o LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 companion. CIruelas complained of other 
 engagements ; Frank bought them all up, 
 and with them all the teacher's time, till 
 the latter became his property, a sort of 
 private chattel, like his watch or favourite 
 alarum, to be set going when and how he 
 pleased. 
 
 Frank hated books, as I have said, because 
 he disliked sedentary pursuits, and he now 
 ingeniously contrived to make CIruelas an 
 admirable substitute for grammar, phrase- 
 book, and dictionary. The two took long 
 walks together, scaling the steep fortress 
 roads, or lounging beneath the shady avenues 
 of the Alameda ; and Frank kept his master 
 to his work all the time. CIruelas had to tell 
 him first the Spanish names for everything 
 they saw, then the simpler forms of talk ; 
 and by and by as Frank's ears grew more 
 and more accustomed to the sound, to repeat 
 whole conversations which they overheard 
 sometimes in the market-place, sometimes 
 on the Old Mole, sometimes among the 
 crowds on the Alameda on band nights, or 
 in the streets. Frank took CIruelas with
 
 f 
 
 MAD TO TRAVEL. l6l 
 
 him on guard, keeping him busy all day till 
 the dogs — of whom several infest every 
 ofuard-room on the Rock — barked at the 
 gibberish which they heard. 
 
 There were many drawbacks to this un- 
 intermittent companionship, but Frank was 
 not to be set aside by trifles. Ciruelas was 
 a presuming, underbred cad, who thought 
 that Frank's eagerness for his society grew 
 out of affectionate personal regard, and not 
 at all from Frank's desire to learn Spanish 
 quickly. So he treated our hero with *an 
 easy familiarity for which at other times he 
 would have been incontinently kicked down 
 stairs. Thus he w^ould lounge into Frank's 
 quarters with the air of a comrade, and as 
 this was the hot season, would rapidly divest 
 himself of half his attire in order to be quite 
 at ease. First went the black shoe-string 
 that did duty for a tie, the paper collar 
 followed, and probably the soiled brown 
 holland coat. Frank would find him some- 
 times thus, in his room about the time of 
 early dawn, after a week of unpunctuality, 
 stretched at full length upon the sofa, and 
 
 VOL. L L
 
 1 62 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 languidly sweeping his fat fingers across the 
 strings of a guitar. 
 
 " You are early this morning," Frank would 
 perhaps remark in a tone of sarcasm. 
 
 *' Early ? " (he called it " airly "), " Sz, Senor, 
 tempranito, 3. little early I am. God helps 
 those that madrugar, that do the daylight 
 trick. But you are not yet arisen ? no 
 matter" (with that air of good-natured supe- 
 riority which early risers assume) — " It is no 
 matter, I can wait." 
 
 Probably Ciruelas had been keeping it up 
 all night, and had come straight from his 
 revels — on azucarillas (sugar-rolls) and water 
 — to give Frank his lesson. Often at first 
 he souo^ht also to do his toilette ablutions at 
 Franks expense, water being in those days 
 scarce and somewhat of a luxury on the 
 Rock."^'* A new notion — this washing — for 
 which he deserved congratulation ; but when 
 he brouo^ht in a tumbler to be filled with 
 water, and announced his intention of using 
 
 * In 1869, pure water was found in great quantities not many 
 feet below the surface upon the north front. This is now con- 
 veyed by a system of pipes into the town, and furnishes an 
 abundant supply.
 
 MAD TO TRAVEL. 1 63 
 
 it as a basin, Frank was constrained to use 
 strong language, after which Ciruelas was 
 insulted, and washed no more. 
 
 But not the less, for all his dirty ways and 
 greasy familiarity, did Frank consort with 
 Ciruelas. They were called the Corsican 
 brothers, and were never seen apart. Time 
 passed thus till Frank had obtained a certain 
 command of Spanish small-talk, and now he 
 was ambitious to test his knowledo^e. To 
 
 o 
 
 do this and apply the necessary corrections, 
 he insisted upon dragging Ciruelas with 
 him into Spain. Not too willingly did the 
 Spanish teacher consent to seat himself in 
 the saddle. His mount was a blo-boned 
 yellow steed, named Taraxicum, as rough as 
 a railway truck on a worn-out siding. Astride 
 of this Ciruelas went to his fate. At first 
 he found the motion not unpleasant ; Taraxi- 
 cum walked well, with high showy action, 
 arching his proud crest and sweeping his 
 long tail in magnificent curves, till Ciruelas 
 felt himself a new Cid Campeador as he 
 ran the gauntlet of the bright glances, darted 
 through the half-closed green jalousies of.
 
 164 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 the principal street. But once through the 
 Spanish lines and out upon the beach, a 
 change came o'er the scene. Frank, when 
 the *' going " was good and his horse fresh, 
 was always anxious to push on at a rapid 
 pace. Alas ! what a falling off was there ! 
 Ciruelas at first lay helpless like a big barrel 
 just cast loose upon the deck of a storm- 
 tossed ship, rolling next instant from side 
 to side, dashing up now against pummel then 
 against crupper, again caught up, so to speak, 
 in among the rigging, mixed up with mane 
 and reins and stirrups, clinging where he 
 could — till all at once his hold gave way 
 and he slipped off his horse, right into the 
 wave-foam that frino-ed the shore. 
 
 When the wretched preceptor had been 
 rescued by Frank and some passing arrieros 
 from a watery grave, he resolutely set his 
 face homewards, and refused to ride again. 
 Next day he and Frank had words ; and 
 this, their first difference, grew through the 
 teacher's greed and rapacity Into an open 
 rupture. One method by which Ciruelas 
 eked out his gains, was by selling books to
 
 MAD TO TRAVEL. 1 65 
 
 his pupils. These he made them buy not In 
 cheap volumes but In editio7is de hixe, novels 
 chiefly by the prolific Fernandez y Gonzalez, 
 published In numbers and furnished each with 
 a sensational copperplate ; so that though the 
 entrega — the weekly part — cost but a few 
 pence, the sum total rose soon to a goodly 
 sum. Frank of all books hated most these 
 yellow-backed pamphlets that littered all his 
 rooms ; and when Ciruelas added to his con- 
 tumacy in refusing to ride by presenting a 
 * long bill for his trashy novels, Frank's aifger 
 rose, and the Spanish master was forthwith 
 bundled out of the place, neck and crop, 
 his yellow e7itregas following him like the 
 long train of a comet, In their fiery flight. 
 
 But in truth Frank felt himself strong 
 enough by this time to be Independent of 
 his teacher's aid. Already he contemplated 
 travel. Alone, for he wished to come and go 
 as he pleased, halt here, push on there, or 
 return on his steps, just as the spirit moved 
 him. Moreover, when cut off from English- 
 speaking companions, he would become dally 
 more and more accustomed to the Idiom of
 
 1 66 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 the people by whom he was surrounded dally. 
 He made his plans rather secretly therefore, 
 obtained leave only at the last moment, and 
 before they knew at mess that he had started, 
 he had crossed the sands below the Queen 
 of Spain's Chair, and was half way to the 
 Venta de Rosario on the Guadiaro river, 
 where he meant to halt the nieht. 
 
 His point was Granada via Ronda; an 
 ascent of the Veleta or Muley Hacen in the 
 Sierra Nevada came within the programme, 
 and he thought of returning through Cordova 
 and Seville. A strong, compact Spanish horse, 
 with an ugly head but good clean legs, 
 carried him and his saddlebags, and when 
 he got beyond the beaten track, sniffing for 
 the first time the air of freedom, and of 
 change, he felt himself transported to another 
 world. Indeed, it is only to those who have 
 travelled through Southern Spain on horse- 
 back that there is meaning in the Spanish 
 word caballero — " gentleman " — the rider and 
 owner of a horse. He ought indeed to be 
 an open-hearted, high-couraged gentleman. 
 He is brought daily into the presence of
 
 MAD TO TRAVEL. 1 67 
 
 Nature's loveliest works, seen through the 
 pure air of the lofty sierras or the softer 
 atmosphere of the low-lying sunny plains. 
 His road takes him through wide pastures 
 dotted with herds, or along narrow lanes 
 flecked by dancing shadows, under a natural 
 arcade of wild vines, festooned with twininof 
 creepers, brightened by broad passion-flowers, 
 honeysuckles, convolvuluses, and blush roses. 
 Now he stumbles on the sharp, worn flints 
 of some old paved road, or walking delicately 
 among huge boulders, threads some half-dried 
 watercourse breastlnof a wavlnof sea of ole- 
 anders. Again winning the toilsome ascent 
 of one of the lesser mountain ranges, he looks 
 down from his towering station among the 
 vultures and the goats upon the fair scene 
 unrolled below — a boundless expanse of hills 
 spread out like a carpet at his feet. He is 
 constantly in vigorous exercise ; he spends 
 his days in the saddle and in the open air ; 
 he sleeps the sleep of the innocent and the 
 child ; his digestion needs no dinner-pills, 
 his appetite no pampering. No form of 
 active enjoyment can be compared to such
 
 1 68 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 travelling, and Frank Wrlottesley was at 
 length in his glory. 
 
 Of this, the first of many similar journeys, 
 let me pause to say a word. It was new to 
 Frank, and may be also to many readers. 
 For the true lover of Nature it was crowded 
 with new sensations. First the road along 
 the valley to Gaucin following the tortuous 
 windinofs of the half-dried river's bed ; then 
 the great hill to the town, a wretched rem- 
 nant of attempted Macadamisation, or old 
 paved roadway, wherein at every step sharp- 
 pointed boulders raise their heads to aggravate 
 still further the labour to those who climb. 
 Yet was not the reward, once gained, well 
 worthy of the toil ? All the leagues back to 
 the Straits visible every inch, the whole 
 space stretching out like a wide and variegated 
 carpet, through which runs one silver thread, 
 the river margined by vivid spots of yellow 
 light, the ripening harvest, or the purple 
 shadows of the dark-green trees. The atmos- 
 phere is clear, the sky calm, the distant sea 
 like glass, beyond them again Apes' Hill 
 and the African mountains — so far and yet
 
 MAD TO TRAVFL. 1 69 
 
 SO near. All at once, as we gaze, across the 
 summit of the peak-shaped Rock, has gathered 
 a small white cloud. The wind has gone 
 round suddenly to the east, and the Levanter 
 has begun. Just as rapidly the landscape 
 changes ; dull purples and dark iron greys 
 succeed the azure in the sky ; the clouds are 
 ragged at the edges, a lurid light seems to illu- 
 mine the far-off horizon ; a long narrow streak 
 of misty choking vapour rises gradually from 
 the sea, and swallows up the African hills. 
 
 Again, the next day's ride ; by the winding 
 mountain path at a high level, not far above 
 you the mountain-tops, below the valley a 
 thousand feet down, teeming with richness, 
 crowded with vineyards, thick with fruit-trees; 
 while away beyond rolls a wide expanse of 
 distance, range behind range dotted with white 
 towns, each securely placed upon its own 
 conical hill. A wild picturesque ride. Climb- 
 ing, descending, up hills, down valleys, by 
 misty obscure paths, the sloping sides of the 
 mountains hidden sometimes by a curtain 
 of swift-moving cloud. Yet not a lonely 
 ro^d : other travellers there are, traders with
 
 I 70 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 horses carrying their goods ; arrieros with 
 long strings of donkeys employed by others, 
 but at times loaded up with ventures of 
 their own ; now and again a pig boy driving 
 his herd, or a man with a pair of mules, 
 his private property, bent on business of his 
 own — these, too, seen In positions the most 
 diverse, now down, down deep in the valley 
 bottom, next goat-like nearer the summit 
 coming like black specks across the white 
 light of the sky. 
 
 Or Ronda Itself, Ronda the unrivalled, 
 in which are endless pictures from endless 
 points of view, varying with the ever- chang- 
 ing effects. Every group in the street 
 would be a study for John Phillip. At 
 every corner Murillo might have found 
 beggar-boys for subjects after his own heart, 
 and at intervals a glimpse of a female face 
 of the true Spanish type, of the same bright 
 beauty as in the days when the great painter 
 took his Madonnas from models of real flesh 
 and blood. All here is beautiful. Whether 
 from the lowest level, where the river flows at 
 last quiet and tranquil after its noisy career,
 
 MAD TO TRAVEL. 1 7 I 
 
 you look up at the bridge spanning the chasm 
 with its daring arch ; whether the eye 
 wanders more at ease over the luxuriance of 
 the foreground foliage, which almost hides 
 the mill at the foot of the gorge ; whether it 
 is the dashing spray of the river tumbling 
 over the precipice, or the gleam of intense 
 cobalt through the openings of the arch, or 
 the view from the old Moorish king's palace, 
 with its detail of houses in the upper town ; or 
 whether at the main approach, before passing 
 under the ancient gateway with its coat* of 
 arms, you come across the gossips at the well. 
 
 And there was more beyond. From Ronda 
 riding towards La Pizarra, where there is a 
 station upon the Cordova-Malaga line of 
 rail, you traverse the pass and valley of El 
 Burgo, renowned as one of the most magnifi- 
 cent prospects in Spain. As if to prepare the 
 traveller for the wonders in store, and mark 
 the stronger the contrast, the road to El 
 Burgo is meagre and uninteresting, a series 
 of mountain valleys, where all is poor and 
 bare. The cold grey rocks stare through 
 the scanty clothing of their verdure, that
 
 172 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 clings hopelessly to their sides ; patches of 
 blighted corn gave prospect of an empty 
 harvest. There are hardly any human beings 
 about In this deserted, solitary place. Passing 
 a watering-trough, one half-starved denizen 
 of the wilds is transferrlnof the water from 
 the spring to the trough by means of a fry- 
 ing-pan, an ill-starred savage, whose garments 
 are a mass of pendulous rags, and who runs 
 at the sight of his fellow-man. A few yards 
 more, a short ascent, a short fall ; again up, 
 and then there bursts upon the eye a view 
 of grandeur and beauty — a wide deep valley 
 like an enormous crater, not of volcanic origin, 
 or at least by this time the wastes of scoriae 
 and wild igneous rocks have given place to 
 the most luxurious vegetation. The . slopes 
 teem with richness ; on one side vineyards 
 climbing close to the mountain-tops, on the 
 other, where the gradient is more gradual, 
 corn and barley were thriving, while upon 
 every flat surface long lines of olive grove 
 laid upon the lesser hills looked like table- 
 cloths of curious stuff studded with little 
 round balls.
 
 MAD TO TRAVEL. J 73 
 
 Pages might be filled with the description 
 of that which Frank encountered ; but this is 
 not a guide-book to Andalucia, and I have 
 lingered only because this first journey had 
 no little effect in developing certain traits of 
 our hero's character. Frank through it all, 
 it must be confessed, was an object of wonder 
 and surprise to all who met him in Spain. 
 The natives by the wayside gaped and gazed 
 at him with open-mouthed astonishment, for 
 Frank as often as not preferred to walk, and 
 drove his horse in front of him, like an Irish- 
 man taking his pig to the Fair. At the posadas 
 where he halted, this horse of his was his first 
 care ; no other hand but his made fast the 
 headstall to its peg ; he alone removed the 
 saddle, gave out the feeds, and led the horse 
 to water. Frank never thought of himself 
 till he had washed out feet and used curry- 
 comb and brush, generally before an amazed 
 audience, who had never seen a horse thus 
 groomed in all their lives. After that, he darted 
 off to the kitchen, where the cook would be 
 busy shredding garlic into a pipkin, and take 
 this job also into his own hands. With his
 
 174 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 vigorous interference and masterful manners 
 he inspired respect, but it was not a little 
 the awe that simple, ignorant people feel for 
 those who are slightly crazed. Nothing short 
 of madness, they thought, could tempt a man, 
 an Englishman, and therefore a Croesus, or 
 one who had made a voyage to the Indies, 
 to work for himself. Laziness with them meant 
 good-breeding, and their gentlemen often went 
 nearer starvation than was pleasant sooner than 
 soil their hands. But here was a caballero 
 who toiled like a peasant. Assuredly he 
 must be mad. Other symptoms were diag- 
 nosed as he orot further alonof the road. At 
 Coin they thought him mad because he did 
 not shudder at the danger of the Ojen Pass, 
 a narrow gorge crowded with mala gente, 
 who would have him " mouth downwards " 
 faster than they fry eggs. Mad at Monda, 
 on the journey home, because he stripped 
 to bathe in the roaring douche beneath the 
 halted mill-wheel ; mad at Antequera, because 
 he forced the barber into his own chair and 
 taught him how to shave ; the same at Arola, 
 because he kissed the hostess and paid a
 
 MAD TO TRAVEL. I 75 
 
 ruinous bill, thereby proving the truth of 
 the Spanish proverb that a pretty landlady 
 is bad for the pocket. At Ronda he was 
 thouo^ht mad because he showed the farrier 
 how to shoe a horse ; at Loja, because he 
 preferred the saddle, and rode on although 
 the railway ran side by side with the road. 
 At Granada appeared the worst paroxysms 
 of lunacy. He must needs climb the snow 
 mountains behind the town. Was it not 
 enough for him to gaze up at them from 
 below, as the good Granadinos had done 
 since birth, from generation to generation ? 
 
 But there was a method in this madness. 
 When Frank got back to Gibraltar, after a 
 month's absence, he knew more of Spain, its 
 people, and its language, than many tourists 
 after years of travel.
 
 ( 176 ) 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. 
 
 As the summer drew on towards Its close, 
 so Josefa's furlough at San Roque came to 
 an end. But by this time the health of her 
 son Pepe was nearly restored, though he was 
 still a little weak from his recent hurts. His 
 mother was therefore eager to get him some 
 employment, something that might preserve 
 him from a relapse into his late dangerous 
 trade, and if possible to keep him for the 
 future by her side. Whether she could hold 
 the vagrant fast was not so certain ; for Pepe 
 was a vagabond by profession, partly from 
 circumstances, partly from decided inclination 
 for the trade. For years past he had wandered 
 about in Spain, a good-for-nothing, idle scamp, 
 sometimes up in the world, generally down.
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. I 77 
 
 If there were streaks of luck in his Hfe, they 
 were rare — rare as the slices of lean in the fat 
 bacon he loved to eat with his beans — when 
 he could get it. And for the slackness of his 
 bringing-up, Josefa, though just now very affec- 
 tionate, was mostly to blame. In the debtor 
 and creditor account between mother and son, 
 the latter owed the former little on the score 
 of maternal attachment. 
 
 Pepe drew breath and spent his earliest 
 days in a spacious edifice by the shores of 
 Gibraltar Bay — a residence built of mud 
 and old wine-cases, with one of Huntley and 
 Palmers biscuit-boxes for a chimney. There 
 are hundreds of such dwelling-places squatted 
 around the big Rock, standing singly or in 
 clusters. That belonging to Pepe's mamma 
 ■ — father he never knew — huno- close to the 
 
 o 
 
 skirts of Puente Mayorga, a hamlet named 
 after the bridge hard by, which connected 
 anywhere with nowhere, and spanned a slug- 
 gish stream, passable at all points without 
 its aid. The hut, just above high-water mark, 
 lay buried in heavy sand, and surrounded by 
 a small wilderness of a garden, wherein, amidst 
 
 VOL. I. M
 
 178 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 filth and fish-bones, the carcases of dead dogs 
 or horses slain in the bull-ring at Algeciras 
 or San Roque, occasionally festered and bore 
 unsavoury fruit. Behind, the sharp spikes 
 of the ragged aloe-hedge blossomed on wash- 
 ing-days with clothes of bright colour. One or 
 two fahtchas — mediaeval boats, with spars 
 like the antennae of a curious spider — were 
 drawn up on the beach ; for Puente Mayorga 
 lived by the products of the sea, legal or con- 
 traband. Pepe's father had been one of these 
 free-traders, hauling his net in by day, and 
 running cargoes by night, till a carabinero's 
 bullet put an end to his life, and made him 
 pay all back dues in person. Since then the 
 bread-winning had fallen upon the surviving 
 parent, the Tia Josefiya, who trudged daily 
 into the garrison with prickly pears or freshly- 
 caught sardines. Pepe, thus left much to 
 himself, played about stark naked in company 
 with dozens of other brats as brown-skinned 
 and bullet-headed as himself; burrowing knee- 
 deep in the sand, rushing in and out of the 
 stream, or offering themselves up as willing 
 sacrifices to the English officers from the Rock,
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. 1 79 
 
 seeking martyrdom under the hoofs of these 
 galloping Juggernauts, who tore along the beach 
 at sundown — a practice In which they were en- 
 couraged by their parents, since the indemnity, 
 extorted In case of accident, would have kept 
 Puente Mayorga in affluence for years. 
 
 Neglected and un cared for, Pepe grew up 
 like a little savage. He was surrounded by 
 scenes of beauty, but they made no more im- 
 pression upon him, as he lay curled up like 
 a ball upon the beach, than if he had been a 
 zoophyte, or a withered leaf, or an unfledged 
 bird peeping over its nest among the tree- 
 tops, and gazing down with calm unconscious- 
 ness upon the plays of light and shadow, rich 
 colouring and marvellous beauty of form, in 
 the valleys and hillsides below. It was as 
 nothing to him — Insignificant brown mite that 
 he was — that the sun set in splendour night 
 after night behind the purple mountains. 
 These crimson and golden glories might light 
 up his childish eyes with gladness at their 
 opalescent hues, but they did not speak to 
 him, as they might to other children, of the 
 high and heavenly mysteries of those radiant
 
 l8o LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 halls, where dwelt, far withdrawn, the spirits 
 of the blest. Nor was the evening lustre of 
 the smooth and silent Bay a source of pleasure 
 to him, unless it was calm enough for the 
 porpoises to come close in shore, and break 
 the surface of the water Into dancing ripples 
 of rose-tinted mother-of-pearl. Still less did 
 he care for the tender hopefulness of the 
 early dawn; all that he knew was that he 
 had been roused too soon from his Infantile 
 slumbers, and his bleared and gummy eyes, 
 ophthalmia-afflicted already from the fine par- 
 ticles of sand with which every breeze was 
 laden, refused to greet the rising sun with 
 either gratitude or satisfaction. 
 
 Perhaps the only scene that distinctly 
 affected him was the ceremony of drawing in 
 the nets. He would sit for hours watching 
 the men In perpetual procession walk away 
 with the never-ending rope, till at last the 
 heavily-laden meshes approached the sloppy 
 shore, and then dance with yells of fiendish 
 delight around the glittering, palpitating silver 
 heap, that spoke to him of broiled fish for 
 supper, possibly of a handful of clammy
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. l8l 
 
 sweet-Stuff next day, when his mother came 
 back from the Rock after a successful sale. 
 Perhaps, too, after nightfall, If he was not 
 already asleep, he looked with something like 
 awe at the great black Rock, that loomed in 
 the distant moonlight with mysterious gran- 
 deur, for this was the great centre of life for 
 Puente Mayorga, making Its influence felt 
 even by such as Pepe PIcarlllo. It had gates 
 that refused admittance to the misconducted, 
 and buyers for his mother's fruit, mountains 
 also of untaxed tobacco and salt, which -she 
 brought away concealed In her stockings, so 
 that her legs seemed to suffer from elephanti- 
 asis. According as trade was good or bad 
 upon the Rock, his mother smiled or swore ; 
 and It was held up to him as his highest hope 
 of future reward that he might some day be 
 taken there to see the soldiers In petticoats, 
 the shop-fronts, and the great cannons on its 
 walls. 
 
 But Pepe grew on, heedless for the most 
 part of all beyond the hours for feeding, naked 
 and shirtless, until the time arrived when he 
 was too big for such slender apparel, and he
 
 1 82 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 was promoted to his first suit of clothing — a 
 cast-off red jacket from the garrison hard by, 
 which fitted him loosely from throat to ankle, 
 and was generally so irksome that he would 
 have cursed the memory of our first parents 
 had he ever learnt such elementary facts as 
 the fall of Adam and Eve from fio^-leaves and 
 primitive innocence. Thus apparelled, Pepe 
 was bound apprentice to his first trade — that 
 of begging for cigar-ends and half-farthings 
 from the passers. But as fortune was dawn- 
 ing upon him to the tune of half a peseta^ 
 or fourpence, laboriously earned, his mother 
 swooped down upon his store, transferring 
 every copper to her private purse, and 
 giving him in exchange a sound thrashing for 
 his reluctance in surrendering the coin. Next 
 day Pepe left his home, and started business 
 on his own account. At first, fearful of re- 
 capture, he fled to the recesses of the Cork 
 Wood, where he fouofht for his food for a 
 time with the acorn-eating pigs. From this a 
 passing turkey-seller took him to assist in 
 driving his flock into Gibraltar. Pepe made 
 two journeys, carefully avoiding Puente Ma-
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. 1 83 
 
 yorga, but on the third met his mother face 
 to face at the inner gate of the fortress. She 
 cut him dead ; and from henceforth Pepe felt 
 emancipated. He might have Hved and died 
 a turkey-seller, had not the Inspector of Mar- 
 kets caught him cramming sand down the 
 throats of his live stock to Increase their 
 weight. For this act, which his master repu- 
 diated, the lad was summarily ejected from 
 the garrison. That night he shipped on board 
 a falucha trading In mysterious cargoes to 
 the Spanish coast ; a black, lateen-rigged 
 craft, which crept out towards sundown with 
 long sweeps, close in under the Rock, and 
 then dashed on as fast as wind and tide could 
 carry them, to make good a landing some- 
 where between Torre Nueva and Estepona. 
 After a dozen prosperous voyages, Pepe bid 
 fair to be as successful a smuggler as his 
 father ; but fate again Interposed. A fast- 
 sailing esca7npavia (revenue boat) ran In and 
 boarded xh^ falucha before they could sink the 
 tell-tale bales. 
 
 Six months In a dungeon of the common 
 jail at Algeciras sickened Pepe of smuggling.
 
 184 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 Discharged penniless and in rags, he was for 
 weeks on the vero^e of starvation. At one 
 time he thought of returning to his mother, 
 like a bad farthing; but still he hung about 
 the beach at Algeciras, picking up a job 
 among the boats, or helping to drive the don- 
 kies the English visitors rode to the great 
 waterfall behind the town. Then, when Fair- 
 time came, he attached himself to Dona 
 Eustaquia, a maker of htnuelos, or sweet 
 cakes, thinking that though not the rose, he 
 might live near It, and If he could not eat 
 cakes all day long, he might at least smell 
 them. With his new mistress he journeyed 
 from town to town till they reached Ronda 
 in the heart of the Sierra. Here one night, 
 as he lay coiled up under the canvas booth, 
 he heard them driving in the bulls for the 
 next day's fight. They were close at hand. 
 He could plainly hear the bells of the cabestroSy 
 or tame oxen, luring the bulls on, the shouts 
 of the herdsmen, the occasional bellow of the 
 fierce beasts that were being driven in to 
 their death. Pepe, true Spaniard, went 
 forward to watch ; and as he stood there it
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. 1 85 
 
 Struck him that, falllnor money to buy himself 
 a ticket next day, he might stow himself 
 away inside and wait, concealed till the hour 
 of the performance. As the process of shut- 
 ting up the bulls (the eitcierro) is an anxious 
 operation, needing all the care of those em- 
 ployed, no one noticed Pepe sneaking in. He 
 hid himself beneath a bench and slept till 
 morning, when his slumbers were rudely dis- 
 turbed by a stout twig of green olive in the 
 hands of the impresario, who had discovered 
 the stowaway. • 
 
 " Little blackoruard ! How did vou o^et in 
 here ? " 
 
 "• At the encierroT 
 
 *' Then march. Quick! Estasf 
 
 " No, sefior, no. I am a poor orphan, and 
 I am aficio7tado, devoted to bull-fights." 
 
 The idea was a good one. This ragged 
 little wretch a patron and supporter of the 
 sport ! 
 
 *' Are you ready to work ? " 
 
 *' Ya lo creoT ("I believe you.") 
 
 '' And not afraid ? " 
 
 '' Not of the devil himself."
 
 1 86 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " Well, go down to the stables and help." 
 So Pepe was forthwith engaged to assist 
 the purveyor of horseflesh to the ring. His 
 new duties might have shocked a more fas- 
 tidious mind. Armed with a stout stick, he 
 belaboured the totterino^ charo^er that refused 
 to face the horns ; with nimble hands he 
 hustled back the entrails torn out in each 
 mad onslaught, or kicked a prostrate horse 
 on to his legs again, when seemingly at the 
 last gasp. Then, when each bull was slain, 
 he brought the baskets of dry earth to soak 
 up the blood that gathered in dark pools 
 about the arena. Outside he worked with 
 needles and thread and wads of cotton to 
 patch up the wounds of horses not quite 
 killed, yet doomed to endure the horrors of 
 a second death. He enjoyed his life thor- 
 oughly, and made great progress. Now and 
 again he held on by the picadors stirrups ; 
 more than once he touched the bull's hind- 
 quarters or his tail. By and by his zeal and 
 energy met with their reward. One of the 
 toreros (bull-fighters), pleased with his prow- 
 ess, engaged him as personal attendant, and
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. 1 87 
 
 taught him all he himself knew of the trade. 
 By degrees Pepe came to take a more pro- 
 minent part In the performances, at first with 
 the novillos, or young bulls, then with the 
 '* bulls of death." It was a pleasant life ; 
 money came In fast ; he made enough through 
 the summer season to keep him In Idleness 
 all the winter months. He was lucky ; others 
 came to grief, but Pepe saw the end of many 
 a hard-fought day without a scratch. At 
 length at San Roque his turn came, and he 
 nearly met his death. Now, he had no gi?eat 
 desire to resume the role of a picador, and 
 gladly seconded his mother's efforts to get 
 him work. 
 
 First, Josefa went to her own master. Don 
 Mariano met her with abuse. 
 
 " What ! I support the rogue ! Am I so 
 rich that I can take in every woman's son 
 because she asks me ? Vaya I " 
 
 *' He has been ill." 
 
 "A bad son is better 111 than well." 
 
 ** Do not double the burthen of a loaded 
 mule. Say you will help an unfortunate 
 mother in her distress."
 
 1 88 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " The times are hard ; let every one scratch 
 himself with his own nails. With eating and 
 scratching the only thing is to begin." 
 
 " But, senor, give him work ; take him into 
 your service." 
 
 "Give him a chance of robbing me, you 
 mean." 
 
 "My son is no pil/o (thief)." 
 
 " I wouldn't take your word for it. A-^ 
 good-for-nothing idler, who spends his time 
 propped against walls to keep them from 
 falling." 
 
 " I did not think you were so stingy. It's 
 well you're not the sun, or you would be too 
 stingy to warm us." 
 
 "Stingy! because I will not throw away 
 my substance upon this pan per dido, this lost 
 bread, upon whom good food is wasted ! " 
 
 " What fly has stung you, master } Have 
 I not served you faithfully ? Cannot you trust 
 my recommendation ? " 
 
 *'A mother's swans are the worst of o-eese. 
 But tell me, then, what is he good for ? Can 
 he keep accounts, and write and cipher, and 
 speak English ? "
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. 1 89 
 
 " He never had much schooHng, but he 
 can ride and groom a horse." 
 
 ** Is my stable, then, so full of horses that 
 I want a dozen mozos f Have I perchance 
 a squadron of cavalry to my own cheek ? 
 Am I the Governor of this fortress, or the 
 second chief, or one of those spendthrift 
 officers, that I must waste my dollars on 
 'other mouths, on barley for beasts, when I 
 have barely bread for me and my own ? 
 Groom a horse ! Caramda, a pretty recom- 
 mendation to me, who never owned a nasf 
 since I sold the grey lordo to feed the English 
 fox doofs." 
 
 " The Senorita Dolorclta will be comlns: back 
 from Ximena soon, and she has learnt to. ride. 
 You said she was to Jearn and if she has 
 a horse " 
 
 ** Oye, listen, woman. Dost think me a 
 fool ? Is my face as mad as a monkey's } My 
 pearl may ride, if she likes, a dozen steeds, 
 the best that money can buy her, but she 
 rides with her equals, as she will mate. I 
 want no brown-faced moso to make sheep's- 
 eyes at her as he lifts her into the saddle, to
 
 IQO LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 hang about her till perchance she forgets 
 herself and her station. The game is too 
 hiofh. Those who cannot walk had best not 
 try to fly." 
 
 *' The saints defend me, Senor mio ! " cried 
 Josefa, crossing herself. " You're more change- 
 able than a weathercock or a windmill. Your 
 tongue stings like a bee's tail." 
 
 ''Miral I know what I am about. Make 
 yourself like sugar and the flies will come to 
 eat you. I will be master in my own house. 
 The lunatic is more powerful in his own than 
 Solomon in anybody else's. No more. Seek 
 another amo for your precious son ; he comes 
 not here. One of your family is somewhat 
 too much for me as it is." 
 
 Josefa was crestfallen, but not yet despon- 
 dent. She had another strong card to play 
 which might turn the game to Don Mariano's 
 disadvantage. Her intention was now to sell 
 herself, so to speak, to the enemy. 
 
 Frank Wriottesley a day or two later was 
 in the anteroom recounting his recent ad- 
 ventures when a mess-waiter came up and 
 whispered —
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. I9I 
 
 " A female, sir, below, at the door ; she 
 was wishing to speak with you." 
 
 " A female ? to see me ? " asked Frank, 
 rather incautiously, aloud, thereby drawing 
 down upon himself the attention of the whole 
 mess. 
 
 '' Don't mind us ! " cried Sproule amidst 
 general laughter. " What is she like, Glubb ? '* 
 
 *' A native, sir ; leastways she's not a Euro- 
 pean, sir ; that is, she don't speak English." 
 
 This man had been long in India, and he 
 had got a notion that Spaniards, as foreigners, 
 should be classed with black Asiatics. 
 
 " They didn't teach you much geography, 
 Glubb," said Honeybun. 
 
 "Never mind, Glubb. You're not the first 
 person who has called Spain Oriental," re- 
 marked Frank. 
 
 "Wriottesley wants to turn the subject. 
 I vote we go with him to interview the 
 European." 
 
 So in a body they trooped downstairs like 
 schoolboys, some sliding by the banisters, 
 others whooping and shouting, and hustling 
 Frank along five steps at a time.
 
 192 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " Here he Is, ma'am ! " shouted the lead- 
 ing one. " He's shy, but that'll wear off. 
 Don't mind us ; weVe only come to see fair 
 play." 
 
 It was Josefa, dressed in her Sunday best, 
 but not attractive In appearance in spite of 
 all her finery. Yet with native dignity she 
 put the tormentors on one side and went up 
 to Frank, touching him playfully with her 
 fan while she wreathed her lips into a smile, 
 saying, in Spanish — 
 
 " Senor de mi alma ! my soul's lord ! Of your 
 amiability and condescension have compassion 
 upon a miserable woman. If you would gain 
 happiness in this life and salvation In that 
 which Is to come, If you would avoid sleepless 
 nights in this world, and shorten, by my inter- 
 cession, the hours of purgatory In the next, I 
 pray you grant me one favour ! " 
 
 Frank easily understood that Josefa wanted 
 something, and as all she had said was so much 
 High Dutch to the others, he replied, as far as 
 he was able, in her own language. The others, 
 finding the interview promised to be slow, 
 soon sheered off
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. 1 93 
 
 "What can I do to help you, senora?" 
 asked Frank. 
 
 " Sir, I have a son, — a youth of Ingenuous 
 and sympathetic disposition, skilled in every 
 art, in demeanour gracious, in temper angelic. 
 He is tall, and — I cry your pardon — though 
 a mother speaks, handsome as the summer 
 flowers." 
 
 ''Senora," replied Frank, rising to the occa- 
 sion, " that you are most fortunate, I need 
 not say. But with such a mother, what 
 should not the offspring be ! May his future 
 be as prosperous as his deserts seem to 
 entitle him. It is of this excellent youth 
 that you would now speak ? " 
 
 " By your amiability, yes," cried Josefa, 
 simpering and casting down her eyes. ''This 
 son is the star of my life, w^ho has all that heaven 
 can give him, save one boon alone " 
 
 " And that is ? " 
 
 " Your worship's protection." 
 
 Frank did not see his way at all clearly, 
 and he was compelled to change his tone. 
 
 " Senora, I beg of you to speak more 
 plainly. The sun Is already on the slope, 
 
 VOL I. N
 
 194 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 and your words are as obscure as the dark- 
 ness that must soon overtake us. What can 
 I do for your son ? " 
 
 " Take him — keep him. May he bring 
 you a blessing ! " said Josefa, with tears now 
 in her eyes, as she made a present of this 
 priceless gift to Frank. 
 
 " Pardon me, madam ; you will forgive 
 my reserve" 
 
 People are not in the habit of giving 
 away their children, except at a tender age, 
 in omnibuses or on door steps, and Frank 
 hesitated. 
 
 " You will excuse me if I decline the gift. 
 Of what earthly use would this interesting 
 and amiable youth be to me ? " 
 
 *' Make him groom your horses and ride 
 them ! Ah, what a horseman is there ! " said 
 the mother picturing to herself Pepe's seat 
 and p^raceful bearino^ in the saddle. 
 
 " He is a groom then ? " For the first time 
 a liofht was breakinof in on Frank. 
 
 " Of the best, senor ; he has not his equal 
 in Spain." 
 
 " But I want no servant at present. I am
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. 1 95 
 
 well suited, nor do I think just now of add- 
 ing to my stable." 
 
 "Senor," put in Josefa, *'If I mistake me 
 not, your worship was at San Roque at the 
 Fair ? " 
 
 '' Yes ! " 
 
 *' I saw you. When would my eyes forget 
 such manly beauty, such stout splendour of 
 form and feature ? " Flattery is a ready 
 weapon with women of Josefa's nation and 
 class. " I saw you from the first, but then 
 my Pepe was hurt in the ring below, and 
 close by my side my little mistress swooned, 
 and I was like to go mad with fear of 
 losing both." 
 
 '* Fainted, you say ? The young lady who 
 fainted, was that the same that I myself 
 carried out of the ring ? " 
 
 " My master's granddaughter, senor — the 
 Senorita Dona Maria de los Dolores Bellota 
 y Pefiaflor." 
 
 Frank in the months that had passed had 
 far from forgotten Lola, but as time went 
 by his chance of again meeting her seemed 
 to grow more and more remote. But now,
 
 196 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 thus unexpectedly, all at once upon the 
 trail. 
 
 " And you ? " Frank asked. 
 
 ** I am Don Mariano's hands and feet, 
 ama de llaves^ key-mistress and custodian 
 of Don Mariano's house, caretaker also of 
 his pearl, the choice child of his heart, 
 Dolorcita, the star of my life." 
 
 " Is the young lady well ? " 
 
 '* Fairly so, but delicate as a dove, fragile as 
 a spray of jasmine. She dreams only of you." 
 
 As Josefa had not seen Lola since the 
 time of the bull-fight, she made this state- 
 ment quite without foundation ; nor had she 
 the least compunction- about sacrificing the 
 child's maidenly reserve to gain her own 
 selfish ends. 
 
 *' And where does she now reside ? Here, 
 upon the Rock ? " asked Frank with as un- 
 concerned an air as he could assume. 
 
 *' Sefior, at Ximena ; my son Pepe could 
 point out the very spot where she is to be 
 found." 
 
 " I understand. The road is difficult and 
 needs a practised guide ? "
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. 1 97 
 
 " Precisely, senor mio ; your worship is 
 sharper than a bolster. A guide you must 
 have. I offer Pepe. Esti usted? Is it a 
 bargain ? " 
 
 It was ; and within a week Frank, accom- 
 panied by his new groom, was on his way 
 to Ximena. Thither let us precede him, and 
 look in on the place which for these few 
 months past Lola had made her home. 
 
 Life at Agua Dulce was very tranquil, 
 indeed, a trifle slow. Ximena, the nearest 
 town, was a dull place, stagnant, ruinous, off 
 the highroad, and unfrequented. There was 
 little employment or amusement, either, for 
 Lola, except to watch the flowers in the 
 garden grow, or take a lesson from her 
 cousin Lucas in horsemanship. This riding 
 on a side-saddle gave mortal offence to 
 Dona Teresa, whose conservatism would 
 have made it penal for any one to seek to 
 improve upon the ways of their grand- 
 mothers. Still less could she tolerate the 
 grey riding-habit, the *'Amazona," as it is 
 called in Spanish, which Lola had brought 
 with her from Gibraltar. As for the panta-
 
 igS LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 loons and the man's hat — for our little heroine 
 carried her Imltatlveness of the Eno^llsh 
 ladles to the last extreme — these new- 
 fangled notions gave Dona Teresa a jaqueca^ 
 a headache, which lasted her for a week. 
 The only consolation to be found in this 
 new fancy of Lola's was, that It threw her 
 in the way of Lucas, the eldest-born and 
 heir to the cortljo, for whom the little 
 heiress would have been an unmistakable 
 "catch." Indeed, while Lola was still a 
 child. Dona Teresa had sought to come to 
 terms with old Bellota, endeavouring to bind 
 him thus early to an engagement. But Don 
 Mariano had protested that his granddaughter 
 should choose for herself when the time 
 came, and would make no promise. Never- 
 theless, he sent Lola year after year to the 
 farm, and was for ever talking to her of her 
 cousins, as If he wished her to take a fancy 
 to one or other of them. Therefore It was 
 that Lola — with the wilfulness of her sex 
 and under the wayward fate that governs such 
 matters — fell in love with Frank Wriottesley. 
 In the daytime the members of the family
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. 1 99 
 
 did not meet much, except at meals, and these 
 were soon despatched. It was not until to- 
 wards sundown that they gathered together 
 around the big entrance gates, over which hung 
 their colossal coat of arms, " to take the fresh," 
 as they called it, and talk. These evening 
 meetings out of doors are the substitutes in 
 Andalucia for the open air *' at homes," or 
 tertuliaSy which the grandees of Spain give 
 upon the Prado at Madrid. The upper folk 
 entertain thus any passing friend. Among 
 the peasantry, the wife and daughter, mother 
 and maidens, sit by the door to welcome home 
 the bread-winner returning from his labour 
 in the fields, while the little ones rush forward 
 to ofet between their father's leg^s or scramble 
 on to his patient donkey's back. These peace- 
 ful parties are in keeping with the tranquil 
 hour, the fading light, the growing stillness, 
 which nothine breaks but the voices of the 
 sitters, the tinkle of a distant bell, or the mono- 
 tonous chant of an arriero on the road, keeping 
 time to the measured pace of his slowly-jog- 
 ging mule. Then, in the midst of all their 
 talk, the deep-toned church-bell proclaims the
 
 200 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 antmas, the evening hour of prayer for the 
 dead. The men uncover their heads, the 
 women tell their beads aloud, and the children 
 pause in their play to whisper that the angels 
 are close at hand. 
 
 The ladies of Agua Dulce, Dona Teresa, 
 Ramona, and Lola, seated thus on low chairs 
 by the doorway, are hearing the day's news. 
 Miguel has been up to the town, a mile or two 
 distant, and has returned brimful of gossip. 
 
 '' Listen, ma'am/' he says to his mother. 
 '^ There is good news from Alcala. They say 
 the barley crop has failed." 
 
 " Do you call it good news to hear that 
 your neighbours are ruined ? " asked Lola. 
 
 '' Vaya ! " Dona Teresa observed ; " we 
 must all live. Our barley here was abundant." 
 
 *' One man eats sour fruit and another gets 
 the toothache. Luck is not the same for all." 
 
 ''August and harvest do not come every 
 day, but once a year; sometimes in plenty, 
 sometimes not at all," said Ramona. 
 
 ''And, Dolorcita," went on Miguel, "there 
 are Uteres (acrobats) coming — Americans with 
 an insect."
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. 20I 
 
 " A bicho I Does It sting ? " 
 
 "No, hija: it is an elephant, and it will 
 fight with a bull." 
 
 " Ah ! " said Lola with a shudder. 
 
 " Not recovered yet ! " cried Ramona. "Per- 
 chance you will again faint, and this time there 
 may be no one by to give you succour." 
 
 At which Lola blushed, for it brought back 
 to memory an incident and individual both 
 of which she had tried hard to forget. 
 
 " Mas " (more), went on Miguel ; " I saw to- 
 day that picador, your duena's son, who was 
 injured at the last San Roque fight." 
 
 " Pepe ! He is alive then and well ? " 
 
 " What brings him hither ? " asked the 
 mistress. " Are we to have a funcioit here ^. 
 I had not heard of it." 
 
 " A bull-fight In this corner of the earth," 
 cried Ramona. " Sooner would the skies rain 
 silk handkerchiefs and silver combs." 
 
 " Of course not. Pepe has turned groom. 
 He Is servant to a senor who has come out 
 from Gibraltar to buy horses." 
 
 " To buy horses ? " cried Lucas, who with 
 his brother Alejandro at that moment came
 
 202 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 Upon the scene. *' Then we can suit him here. 
 Have I not ten poh^os (steeds) for sale ; of 
 race, pure blood, and of the finest Cordovan 
 breed ? I can fit him with what he wants as 
 oil does spinach." 
 
 *' Is he a stranger ? " asked Dona Teresa. 
 
 *' I did not see him ; but Pepe said he was 
 a rico^ a man with dollars ; but intelligent in 
 horse-dealing." 
 
 '' English, then, or Gibraltarefio ? " 
 
 " He speaks Castilian." 
 
 '^ Eal^' burst in Alejandro; "the Spanish 
 they talk on the Rock would not pass at the 
 Court of Madrid." 
 
 Alejandro had seen the world — of Spain, 
 and was just now on leave of absence from 
 his reo^iment. 
 
 Why was Lola's heart thumping against 
 her side ? The visits of horse-dealers were 
 not uncommon at the cortijo, but those who 
 generally came belonged to the lower class, 
 this one travelled with his servant and was an 
 Englishman. What if? 
 
 " And did you forget to tell this Pepe to 
 come out here with his master ? " asked
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. 20 3 
 
 Lucas, with the contemptuous air he as- 
 sumed always when speaking to his Httle 
 brother. " You did ? what more ? Are you 
 not proud of this wise son of yours, ma'am ? 
 Little idiot ! not fit to take care of geese on 
 a road," he added between his teeth. 
 
 *' Why, what matter ? " put In Ramona in 
 Miguel's defence — the women fought for the 
 little chap as they do for all who seem weak 
 and oppressed. '' Cannot you go yourself and 
 tell him ? " 
 
 " / go, and look anxious to sell, and* so 
 depreciate my stock ! Sister Ramona, you 
 are wellnigh as dense as this small lump of 
 foolishness." 
 
 ** He is as good as you, small as he is," 
 cried Lola. *' Don't mind the bully, Migu- 
 ellto. I cannot understand why he is always 
 so unkind to you." 
 
 ''Why ?" said Lucas, crossing over to Lola 
 and whispering In her ear. " Because you 
 favour him, Dolorcita, and that makes me 
 mad. Why is It you never smile on me ? " 
 
 '' You must mend your ways, Lucas, if 
 you would kiss my hand," replied Lola with
 
 204 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 spirit. " I was not meant to be any man's 
 obedient, humble slave — least of all, yours, 
 my cousin. If you treat your brother thus, 
 what might not I expect ? " 
 
 " To be the light of my eyes, the breath 
 of my nostrils " 
 
 ** Pouf ! " interrupted Lola; "keep such 
 talk for the damsels up yonder in the town. 
 Don't waste your words in flattering me." 
 
 " Is it that you love some one else, Lola ? " 
 asked Lucas fiercely. *' Tell me but his 
 name, and by the life of the holy men I will 
 squeeze him like a sponge." 
 
 '' When the Moor has bolted a tremendous 
 lance-thrust ; much cry and little wool, Lucas. 
 The enemies you killed I'd eat, without one 
 clove of garlic for sauce." 
 
 " Fighting, quarrelling always," said Dona 
 Teresa. The prospect of Lucas and Lola 
 coming together often seemed more r than im- 
 probable. 
 
 *' Sefiora," Lola cried, " he should have 
 been a soldier, this Lucas. He was born to 
 fight battles. Look how he conquers us 
 women and Misfuel "
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. 205 
 
 " Ah, truly ! " observed Alejandro, who was 
 fond of talking and had a long leeway to 
 make up. *' The life of John Soldier is a 
 king's life. He sees the world, and knows 
 how many make five. In the towns, tertuliaSy 
 reunions, bull -fights, loves — and then the 
 column marches, and he breaks fresh ground. 
 To-day he is at Seville upon the Delicias, or 
 up and down the Sierpes making eyes at all 
 who pass ; threading the busy Zacatin upon 
 the Vivarrambla, or by the banks of flowery 
 Darro, just under the snow-mountains that 
 give the Granadinas grace and crimson cheeks ; 
 out among the gardens and plenty of Valencia, 
 through the palm-forests of Elche, in bustling 
 Barcelona, beneath the trees upon the Ram- 
 bla, at the Court itself — at Madrid, where 
 the Queen — whom God preserve! — keeps 
 high festival." 
 
 " Perchance also at Melilla or at Ceuta, in 
 a presidioy a prison-fortress, guarding convicts 
 — what then ? Is that so joyful ? " 
 
 " Ay, there too. We hunt the wild boar, and 
 sally forth to beard the Moorish warriors as did 
 Los Reyes the Kings of Aragon and Castille."
 
 206 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " Have you slain many boars ? " 
 
 *' Thousands ! " the truth being that Alejan- 
 dro, when quartered upon the rocky peninsula 
 of Ceuta, had never stirred forth beyond the 
 gate of the little fortress-town. To mount 
 guard, play dominoes, and make paper ciga- 
 rettes, had fully occupied all his time. 
 
 " And you had a new novia (love) in 
 every town?" asked Miguel, wishing such 
 luck was his. 
 
 *^ Yes. Loves — loves more stormy than 
 the wintry seas. In Murcia, a duel to the 
 death ; in Zaragossa, quarrels to make my 
 hair turn grey — in Toledo, I jumped from a 
 balcony higher than the belfry of our holy 
 church " 
 
 **Son, you might spare us these experi- 
 ences," said Don Teresa primly, *' Such tales 
 would suit the barrack best, or the corps de 
 garde P 
 
 *' It is a wonder you are here to speak of 
 them," Lola said with a mischievous gleam 
 in her eyes. ''Such hair-breadth escapes, 
 such harrowings of the heart." 
 
 " Si^ senora, yes, madam, you may well
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. 207 
 
 show wonder. In that last affair I was 
 truly near my death. But," looking round 
 for admiration, " I carry her memory, her 
 picture engraven here," as he pointed to his 
 watch-pocket, " and this token of her unalter- 
 able affection ; " whereupon he produced a 
 dirty rag of a pocket-handkerchief and kissed 
 it devoutly. ** It has never left me ; day 
 and night I wear it. It is months, years 
 since we met, and still " 
 
 " It looks as if it had better go to the 
 wash," said Lola. ** Can't you trust it ta a 
 laundress ? " 
 
 ** I have washed it with my tears," went 
 on Alejandro. 
 
 " You must have had your eyes filled with 
 dust and wept mud," said Lucas. " Who is 
 this precious dame ? Has she a portion 
 enough to gain you your licence to marry ? " 
 
 " She is penniless, but of angelic form and 
 virgin beauty. Her father keeps a glove-shop 
 in Cordova. I am ready to die for her, and 
 for my country, like every true and loyal 
 Spaniard." 
 
 " I believe you," said Lucas in a sneering
 
 208 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 tone. He was jealous of his younger brother, 
 and owed him more than one bad turn, 
 '' Fine patriots, you and the rest of your 
 cloth, that suck the best blood of this mis- 
 governed, impoverished land. Where are 
 your glories gained ? Against one another, 
 with your cursed insurrections and mutinies 
 playing into bad men's hands. The enemy 
 you fight are your own comrades, or the poor 
 misguided people that you massacre to serve 
 the ends of the monster in power." 
 
 '* We are for the cause of order always." 
 " Never, unless it suits you. You are only 
 for gambling and idleness, until some schem- 
 ing revolutionist or pretender to power comes 
 and tampers with you, and then you scheme 
 too, and lead on your men — not to their 
 duty, but to fight for some blood-stained 
 butcher like Narvaez or O'Donnell. If this 
 
 be your patriotism " 
 
 " Heavens above ! " cried Dona Teresa, 
 turning pale with affright, ^' can I believe 
 my ears ? To use such language in these 
 days ! Do you value your throat ? or is 
 Agua Dulce so tame that you pine for the
 
 A SPANISH VAGABOND. 209 
 
 Phlllipines or the Canaries ? These ages 
 past have we been loyal all: In our family 
 have been many high officials. My mother's 
 brother was fiscal to the Judge of Segovia ; 
 your grandfather was customs collector In 
 Cuba ; your uncle, administrator of waste 
 lands in La Mancha. We are honoured 
 people, and I pray God my sons may never 
 mix In low Intrigues or lend themselves to 
 plots against the Queen, the constitution, 
 and " 
 
 *' The priests, you'd better add, madam," 
 went on Lucas. " Your friends the priests, 
 who keep you in the straight path to heaven, 
 and who will gladly lend a hand to save 
 Alejandro from perdition here and hereafter." 
 
 Lucas was country-bred and coarse, but 
 
 he was keen-witted enouorh to see the Ills 
 
 from which Spain suffered. But, like every 
 
 Spaniard not himself In power, he attributed 
 
 all to the existing regime. His panacea 
 
 was a change of government, forgetting that 
 
 change had followed change a dozen times 
 
 already, but In spite of all, the condition of 
 
 the country remained the same. 
 
 VOL. I. o
 
 2 TO LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 But his violent outburst was unexpected, 
 and rather chilled his audience. 
 
 The family talked little afterwards, and soon 
 entering the house, partook of a frugal supper, 
 then separated for the night.
 
 ( 2TT ) 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 SPANISH COURTSHIP. 
 
 Early next morning they came to Lola and 
 told her that Pepe, Josefas son, was at 
 the farmland wished to see her. He had 
 already arranged with Don Lucas to bring 
 Frank out later in the day. 
 
 " Senorlta, I lay myself at your feet," 
 exclaimed Pepe with a low obeisance to Lola. 
 ** My mother bid me come to present her 
 respectful wishes for your health and happi- 
 ness." 
 
 " I am glad to hear you are strong and 
 well, Pepe. And your mother ? she has left 
 San Roque ? " 
 
 ''She has returned to the dwelling of the 
 good man that gives her bread."
 
 212 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " Are there no news yonder on the big 
 Rock ? " 
 
 *' None ; all Is as dull as ditch-water.'* 
 
 "And you are travelling now from town 
 to town in search of horses, my cousin tells 
 me." 
 
 " The master that I serve is a milor^ an 
 English prince, whose gold flows from his 
 purse fast as the water oozes from a rocky 
 spring. He Is In search of horseflesh — yes ; 
 but of yet more." Pepe looked round cau- 
 tiously, as if he dreaded to be overheard. 
 *' He has come to find the true qu^en of his 
 life, the rare flower whose fragrance shall pre- 
 serve him from despair and death." 
 
 Pepe Inherited his hyperbole from his 
 mother. 
 
 Lola was taken aback, and shrunk from 
 the man who spoke In such familiar terms. 
 
 " Am I Indiscreet ? Forgive me, Senorlta ; 
 but he has come — under my guidance — for 
 one purpose alone — to see you.'* 
 
 '* I cannot see him — I do not know him. 
 Who Is he ? " 
 
 " The hero of the ring — that English officer
 
 SPANISH COURTSHIP. 213 
 
 who rescued your precious person when life 
 threatened to become extinct. Shall I brinof 
 him this way ? " went on Pepe, seeing Lola 
 did not answer. *' It will be easy to frame 
 an excuse. Are there not at Agua Dulce 
 horses unequalled this side of Jaen or Ante- 
 quera ? He shall come this very day to see 
 them.'' 
 
 Lola instinctively, and with the fine feeling 
 that was natural to her, disliked the idea of 
 making any appointment to meet Frank Wriot- 
 tesley. Whether she would have resisted a 
 personal appeal was not so certain, but she 
 was positive in her refusal to accept Pepe's 
 connivance or help. 
 
 ** If your master desires to see my cousin's 
 stock, you need not ask my leave. Give 
 your message straight to the aperador (the 
 groom of the stables), or to Don Lucas 
 himself." 
 
 " But It IS you, and you only, that he 
 longs to see." 
 
 *' Citas (appointments) of such a kind are 
 not made by my mother's daughter. Hijol 
 march — go elsewhere. I walk too high to
 
 214 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 Stoop to such baseness." And with that 
 Lola gave a magnificent sweep with her fan 
 towards the outer gate of the Cortljo, thus 
 letting Pepe plainly understand that he might 
 disappear as soon as he pleased. 
 
 Rather disconcerted, he retraced his steps 
 to \h^ posada, where he found Frank w^aiting. 
 
 ''Have you spoken to her?" 
 
 " Si^ Senor, certainly.'* 
 
 " And she will see me ? " 
 
 '' Of course. You are more than a bundle of 
 straw in her eyes. Of course she will see you." 
 
 '' When and how ? " 
 
 Pepe had prepared his story. 
 
 " We are to go there again about noon to 
 see the horses. And, Senor, you might do 
 much worse. There is one amonof them fit 
 for a prince. The aino himself rides it, and 
 will hardly sell under a high figure — a horse 
 of race, a half-bred barb, that flies faster 
 than the swallow southward. Ah, he is a 
 beauty ! " 
 
 '* But the young lady ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, yes. Such a horse ! such a 
 horse ! "
 
 SPANISH COURTSHIP. 2 I 5 
 
 ** When and how can I see her ? " 
 
 " When you please, and where you like." 
 
 " Alone ? " 
 
 ** No ; Don Lucas himself will show it" 
 
 *'It? Idiot!" 
 
 ** The horse ! the horse ! " 
 
 The more Frank pressed for specific news 
 of Lola, the more Pepe prevaricated and 
 begged the question. So Frank was glad to 
 go out to Agua Dulce in person, to try his 
 luck for himself. 
 
 At the time fixed, he rode to the farm, 
 Pepe behind him. Lucas and Alejandro met 
 them a little beyond the farm buildings, 
 and as they interchanged salutations, Pepe 
 whispered to his master — 
 
 '* That is the horse, the dark chestnut 
 which the amo rides. The Bat, El Murcie- 
 Icigo, they call him. Look, Senor; was there 
 ever perfection such as this } See how he 
 steps ; and his tail, it is long and fine as a 
 maiden's hair; and how noble, how amiable 
 is his temper. See, you might ride him with 
 a silver thread.'* 
 
 At this moment Lucas, with the love of
 
 2l6 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 display that is not uncommon among strangers, 
 was performing a few second-hand manege 
 tricks — cIrcHng, reversing, caracolHng, twisting 
 his horse in and out, as if It were a sort of 
 machine to be shown off by the regular move- 
 ment of Its wheels and working gear. 
 
 But althoup^h the *'Bat" was thus decked 
 out for Inspection, as a Circassian slave might 
 be to please a possible purchaser, it was easy 
 to see the horse's good points beneath the 
 nondescript wrappings that marred his beauty. 
 For all the rusty bridle with its dangling 
 tassels of red and yellow worsted, the square 
 Spanish saddle covered by a strip of sheepskin 
 that hung as low as the dirty stIrrup-irons, 
 the ribbons that plentifully adorned his mane 
 and tail, Frank knew that this was as good 
 a bit of stuff as he had yet seen in the country ; 
 — a low-built horse, clean and firm in the 
 flanks, of great girth, with a splendid crest 
 and beautiful legs. The head, well put on, 
 and perfect of its kind, proved blood, as 
 shape and form altogether gave promise of 
 speed. 
 
 There was a good deal of flourish about the
 
 SPANISH COURTSHIP. 2 I 7 
 
 introduction. Lucas launched out In the usual 
 high-strained compliments and assurances of 
 devotion. He was Frank's secure servant 
 to be commanded to the death ; all that was 
 in the farm or that Lucas owned in this world 
 was unreservedly and unhesitatingly at Frank's 
 disposal. No one would have been more 
 surprised than Lucas If he had been asked 
 to part even with the end of his cigarette. 
 
 Frank replied in due form, and said (which 
 was mere invention) that Don Lucas' reputa- 
 tion had reached him In England as a high- 
 bred caballerOy whose gentlemanllness was un- 
 equalled In Southern Spain. 
 
 **And your horses, Senor — I am told they 
 are of surpassing excellence." 
 
 *' I have a i^-^ potros, but they are valueless ; 
 were it not so I would offer them to you. 
 It would be but an empty compliment 
 to present that which is worthless to a 
 noble Senor of such consideration and 
 
 merlt.^' 
 
 '' Nada,'' replied Frank, not to be outdone, 
 *' I could not deprive you of your great trea- 
 sures, and such they are I know well — jewels."
 
 2 1 8 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " Diamonds that have mouths, who would 
 buy them ? So runs the proverb." 
 
 *' Will you open the casket and let me see 
 them ? If there be many such as that you 
 ride, your stock would be worth more than 
 a sack of withered fruit." 
 
 " Yes, it is a pretty beast — ^pretty, but no 
 more. I ride it mostly myself." 
 
 *' You would not sell it, then ? " 
 
 " Oh no ; it is yours for nothing if you 
 wish." 
 
 Frank knew what this meant. Between the 
 declaration it was not for sale, its offer as 
 a gift, and the first preposterous price which 
 Don Lucas would fix after many entreaties, 
 there would be very wide intervals, requiring 
 several hours of hard baro^aininof. 
 
 Meanwhile Alejandro had ranged up along- 
 side the servant, and sought with natural 
 inquisitiveness to pump him. Pepe was not 
 averse to being cross-questioned ; it gave him 
 an opening for enlarging upon the wealth and 
 high qualities of his master, some of which 
 would doubtless illumine also the man with 
 reflected light.
 
 SPANISH COURTSHIP. 219 
 
 Was Frank rich ? Yes, as the Archbishop of 
 Toledo. Of high lineage ? His relatives were 
 of the bluest blood in London ; and owned 
 there a palace which covered more acres than 
 the Escorlal. In what did he chiefly occupy 
 himself? In travel and the chase of fierce 
 beasts ; he had a magazine of weapons, such 
 as would shame the Royal Armoury at 
 Madrid. But .when Pepe, pressed hard, 
 confessed that Frank was a subaltern In one 
 of the regiments that garrisoned the Rock, 
 Alejandro lost some of the transcendent re- 
 spect which he was at first disposed to bestow 
 upon the splendid stranger. To Alejandro's 
 mind there was an utter Inability to connect 
 anything superb with the position of a simple 
 soldier lieutenant, such as he was himself. 
 Spanish subalterns live on a pittance that 
 forbids much outlay beyond shirt-cuffs and 
 wax for their moustachlos. 
 
 And so they rode on. Lucas had told 
 Frank that, In expectation of his visit, a few 
 colts had been brought in from the pastures 
 where they grazed to the corral of the farm, 
 and here they waited the English gentleman's
 
 2 20 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 disposal. This, to Frank's delight, meant the 
 entire run to the house. Surely he must meet 
 Lola now. As they got nearer the house the 
 path narrowed — it was a mere track at best — 
 and crossed a grip full of stagnant water. 
 Lucas had ridden on ahead, and Frank, who 
 followed, to avoid a muddy, slushy crossing, 
 put his horse at the open drain, and hopped 
 over it like a bird. Alejandro was in ectasies. 
 
 '* The gentleman is in the cavalry ? " he 
 said. *' No ? Not in the cavalry, but in the 
 military service surely ? " 
 
 Frank said he was an infantry officer. 
 
 *' And you can ride like that ! But you 
 learnt in the hippodromo — in the riding-school, 
 of course! No? It is a marvel — a marvel 
 unequalled since Adam sinned. Ah ! " he 
 added, anxious to do something for the credit 
 of his native land, slighted, as it were, by 
 the horsemanship of this stranger, '' but you 
 should have seen Juan Picador de los Rios of 
 the Seventh Castillejos regiment of horse — 
 what a rider was there ! Along the streets, 
 over the wide plains, and jumps and races of 
 horse-jockies — pouf! Seiior, he was the de-
 
 SPANISH COURTSHIP. 221 
 
 light of all Spain. Ah ! If you had but known 
 uan. 
 
 Frank regretted that he had not been so far 
 fortunate. 
 
 After this Alejandro asked many questions, 
 turning all of them upon the military profes- 
 sion. His uniform, why did not Frank wear 
 It ? It was not usual, Frank said, upon a 
 journey, or Indeed at all, except w^hen really 
 performing duty. Alejandro was astonished. 
 
 " I never take mine off. I am always thus, 
 clothed and ready, my sword by my side, and 
 revolver loaded. I could take the field, if need 
 were, now, at this very instant." 
 
 Frank, not well up in Spanish politics, was 
 somewhat surprised, wondering what foes were 
 dreaded. Was Invasion an hourly bugbear In 
 Spain, as It sometimes is In our own " highly 
 favoured " land ? 
 
 Alejandro explained that matters were 
 somewhat ticklish up above — at Madrid, that 
 is to say; and at any moment he, Alejandro 
 Penaflor, might be called to contribute towards 
 the overthrow of an insurrection, or the ele- 
 vation of a new dynasty.
 
 2 2 2 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 '' And you wear for gala-dress a coat of 
 red ? " he went on. 
 
 *' Yes ; red is our colour." 
 
 " Ah ! so I have heard. There were some 
 few of your troops here, I think, in our War of 
 Independence, when we drove Napoleon out 
 of Spain ? " 
 
 Frank replied that he believed a tradition 
 to that effect existed, and that an English 
 general, Wellington, was much mixed up in 
 the affair. 
 
 " His name I do not remember to have 
 heard — he is not mentioned in our histories. 
 But there were some English soldiers here 
 I know — and Portuguese ; my grandfather 
 saw them. He was with Castanos in the 
 Pyrenees." 
 
 History perhaps credits the British with a 
 little more active contribution to the results 
 gained in the Peninsular War. 
 
 But now they were at the Cortijo, and the 
 stud was already drawn up for inspection in 
 the inner yard. One or two farm -helpers 
 were about, to bring up horse after horse, over 
 each of which Lucas expatiated with a stream
 
 SPANISH COURTSHIP. 223 
 
 of eulogy worthy a better object. Frank lis- 
 tened with patience ; he was in no hurry to 
 conclude the bargain, for every minute gained 
 brouo^ht him nearer the chance of meeting Lola. 
 But every horse was seen, and as yet he got 
 no sign. So he bought one, a stout, strong, 
 cob-like horse, that would do for the winter's 
 hunting, and began to question Lucas about 
 the Bat. 
 
 The horse was not for sale. Nothing 
 would induce his owner to part with him. 
 Frank persisted, but Lucas said the horse 
 was too great a treasure. He was of the 
 purest blood ; the Sultan of Morocco had no 
 better in all his stables. Indeed, he was bred 
 from a barb in the Queen's stables, which she 
 had received straight from the Moorish Court, 
 and his dam was a mare of Cordova, owned 
 by Don Francisco Gutierrez Gonsalvo de 
 Cordova, lineal heir to the *' Great Captain '* 
 himself "This horse," said Lucas, "was very 
 dear to him." " And would be to me," thought 
 Frank, when, by and by, Lucas, pressed hard, 
 said he would take seventy-five ounces for 
 him — seventy-five 07izas^ doubloons, royal
 
 2 24 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 pieces of gold, each as big as a warming- 
 pan. 
 
 The sum meant about ^250 English, and 
 was a preposterous price. 
 
 " I will not deprive you of your treasure," 
 said Frank. *' Money is not yet a drug where 
 I come from, and for seventy-five doubloons 
 I might buy an elephant.'* 
 
 Spaniards cannot understand '* chaff." 
 
 *' If the Senor wants an elephant, there 
 win be one here with the show next week. 
 I thought he was a caballero, a horseman^* 
 replied Lucas, looking black. 
 
 Frank had no notion of being put down, 
 but although an angry answer rose to his 
 lips, he said nothing, but going towards his 
 horse, quietly remounted and prepared to 
 leave the place. Alejandro came forward to 
 shake hands and say good-bye. " Till we 
 meet again," said Frank ; then waving a short 
 farewell to Lucas, who bade him God-speed, 
 after the manner of the country, Frank Wrlot- 
 tesley rode away. 
 
 But as he went out under the great gate- 
 way, he by chance looked back and saw up
 
 SPANISH COURTSHIP. 225 
 
 above, at a window, thrust through the lattice, 
 a little hand which held a fan and waved, as 
 it were, both recognition and adieu. 
 
 Lucas, left to himself, was furious at the 
 chance he had lost. Nor did Pepe, who lin- 
 gered behind to take charge of Franks other 
 purchase, soothe him much with the first words 
 he spoke. 
 
 "You opened your mouth too wide, Senor 
 Don Lucas." 
 
 ** Too wide, tunante (rascal) .^ How can 
 one swallow a big morsel else ? I saw the 
 Englishman liked the horse. It fitted his eye. 
 If he wants it he must pay the price." 
 • " Not that price ; it is too much." 
 
 "Is the horse mine or yours, pillo (thief) .'^ 
 Stick not your spoon into my broth." 
 
 " My master is not a fool. He knows a 
 horse from a haystack." 
 
 " Nor am I a fool — more than God has 
 made me ; not so far as men would wish me 
 to be. I am not the man to tune bagpipes — • 
 I like to play my own music. I know how 
 many turns a key makes." 
 
 " When cakes are scarce, brown bread should 
 
 VOL. I, p
 
 2 26 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 suffice," said Pepe sententiously. " If you can't 
 get your own price, you'll have to take his." 
 
 " Neither his price will I admit, nor your 
 hairy tongue. You have more talk than an 
 attorney, and I less patience. Anda, hook 
 it, or I shall treat you to a yard or two of 
 stick." 
 
 Whereat Pepe in alarm quickly retreated. 
 But he was hardly gone before Lucas repented 
 him of his hastiness. He had no real desire 
 to close the transaction, knowing perfectly that 
 with half the price demanded he would be 
 right well paid for the Bat. It was his 
 native rapacity and greed which had tempted 
 him to demand the seventy-five doubloons ; 
 and now that he saw how completely he 
 had failed, he was willing enough to forego 
 a part of his exorbitant profit. The question 
 was how to reopen communications with 
 Frank. After much thought, he resolved to 
 send Miguel into the town to make overtures 
 of peace. 
 
 *' Shall we go also ? " asked Ramona of 
 Lola when alone with her after dinner. 
 
 " And why ? "
 
 SPANISH COURTSHIP. 227 
 
 * 
 
 " You did not see him — the rubio — the 
 EngHsh youth. I did, and he me. He 
 looked up as he rode away ; I waved my 
 fan, and he kissed his hand. I would gladly 
 meet him again." 
 
 Lola was puzzled. Did Ramona know more 
 than she pretended ? Had she recognised in 
 Frank Wriottesley the officer they had met 
 in the Fair, or was she only eager to strike 
 up an acquaintance with a stranger whose 
 appearance pleased her ? Then came a flash 
 of jealousy. What if Ramona and Frank 
 understood each other ? What If they were 
 old friends already ? A cold chill struck her, 
 and for the moment she was utterly miserable. 
 
 " Well, what say you ? " went on Ramona, 
 pressing for an answer. 
 
 ** It would be unmaldenly." Lola was 
 struggling with herself She was anxious, 
 very anxious, to speak to Frank Wriottesley 
 again ; but to go thus in search of him ! Her 
 maiden modesty shuddered at the bare thought. 
 ** Besides," she went on, ** Dona Teresa would 
 not suffer it." 
 
 ** Madam my mother would never know.
 
 2 28 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 We should go to Ximena to buy stores — 
 there is much that we require from the 
 town." 
 
 " It will be so deceitful." 
 
 "Oh, pigeon without gall ! you are too sen- 
 sitive to live." 
 
 *' My grandfather — your mother, if she dis- 
 covered — would they not be enraged ? " 
 
 " Were they never young themselves, that 
 they would deny us the sunlight wherein to 
 flap our wings ? Ours is the season for 
 noviaje, for lovemaklng. Old age creeps on 
 fast enough ; el muerto al hoyo, y el vivo al 
 dollOy the dead to the grave, the living to eat 
 cake. Let us make the most of our time. 
 But why waste words ? If you will not come, 
 then win I go alone." 
 
 This was worse than ever. How could 
 Lola suffer Ramona out of her sight ? 
 
 *' I like these rubios — as you do, hija^ I 
 think, unless you have forgotten already yonder 
 llght-halred foreigner that we met at the Fair. 
 Have you then found some other lover ? A 
 rey muerto rey pttesto — One king dead, the 
 next king crowned."
 
 SPANISH COURTSHIP. 229 
 
 Lola was terribly perplexed. On one side, 
 her sense of propriety restrained her, on the 
 other she was egged onward by a strange 
 fear lest Ramona should supplant her. For 
 some time she vacillated. Was it strange that 
 in the end she gave in ? To remain behind 
 would be to surrender all her hopes — hopes 
 now nascent and newly fledged since Pepe had 
 come calling himself Frank's ambassador, and 
 proving that this English officer still bore her 
 in mind. 
 
 Lucas, by way of encouragement, had 
 described Frank to Miguel as a fierce- 
 tempered, crossgrained brute, who would 
 give him '' muy vial rato,'" a very bad time. 
 The little man was deliofhted therefore to 
 find in Wriottesley an old acquaintance. 
 
 Their business was soon concluded ; Frank 
 offered fifty doubloons readily enough for 
 the Bat, on certain conditions, which Miguel 
 was to convey to his brother. After which 
 Miguel said — 
 
 " I must now return to the ladies — my 
 sister and Dolorcita — the little cousin to 
 whom you were so kind, Senor Englishman ;
 
 230 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 they await me at the house of a friend In 
 the lower town." 
 
 ** I should be glad to renew my acquaint- 
 ance," said Frank eagerly, adding, without 
 waiting for permission, '* I will accompany 
 you." 
 
 Miguel was not over-pleased, yet he could 
 not refuse. There was every reason for 
 keeping on good terms with Frank, at least 
 until the sale of the Bat was completed. 
 Any failure In the negotiations Lucas would 
 certainly visit upon his little brother. 
 
 Ramona and Lola had left the house before 
 the others arrived, and were seated on a 
 bench under the trees that margined a 
 narrow strip of gravel path, and which 
 passed In Xlmena for the Alameda or public 
 walk of the town. 
 
 Frank bowed to Ramona, and held out 
 his hand to Lola, who, blushing vividly, 
 said, " How do do ? " in her broken English, 
 but with her eyes fixed upon the ground. 
 
 Ramona, seeing her mistake, was at first 
 disposed to be annoyed. On a closer view 
 she readily recognised Frank Wriottesley,
 
 SPANISH COURTSHIP. 23 I 
 
 and rememl)ered him as the man who had 
 paid her cousin so much attention at the 
 Casino Ball. Yet it was clear that this meet- 
 ing had been none of Lola's making, and 
 after a short struggle Ramona forgave her. 
 
 Frank had laid himself, figuratively, at the 
 feet of the ladies, with an offer to kiss their 
 shoes, which act of homage gave him rank 
 at once as a high bred caballero. 
 
 " How well you speak our language," said 
 Ramona. ** Since when have you learnt it ? " 
 
 ''Since I was at San Roque. I had strong 
 reasons for wishing to know it." 
 
 " A marvel ! to learn Castilian in a few 
 short months, and speak it now as only the 
 Madrilenos can ! " cried Ramona. 
 
 Lola said nothing. She was wondering 
 whether she knew the real reason which had 
 induced Frank Wriottesley to study Spanish. 
 
 " I wished to travel, to become thoroughly 
 acquainted with Spain, to learn all your 
 manners and customs." 
 
 '* And you have done so ? " asked Miguel. 
 
 ** I have visited the chief cities, Seville, 
 Granada, Malaga, Cadiz."
 
 232 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " And yet you waste time in this wretched 
 corner ! Surely some great attraction must 
 have led you hither ? " went on Ramona, 
 looking mischievously at Lola. 
 
 ** Possibly," replied Frank. 
 
 ** To ask what would, perhaps, be indis- 
 creet," said Ramona. 
 
 " The secret is not my own. Besides, I 
 think I was mistaken, and I begin to wish 
 I had stayed away." 
 
 Lola had listened in silence but with a 
 beating heart. There was no mistaking 
 Frank's meaning, however, as he spoke the 
 last words ; but what could she say ? only 
 the merest commonplace. 
 
 ''It grows late ; we should be returning ; " 
 and Frank, like most men, blind to the real 
 state of affairs, began to be very down-hearted 
 and discouraged. 
 
 '' Andal Dolorcita of my heart," whispered 
 Ramona, ''you do not deserve a novzo. Have 
 you no tongue ? no words of welcome for 
 this youth who has come so far to see you } 
 Leave him then to me ! " 
 
 " Bien (well), as you please. Come,
 
 SPANISH COURTSHIP. 233 
 
 Miguel," said Lola briskly, ''a casa : home!" 
 and with that she rose and walked quickly 
 away. 
 
 Some one followed her as fast. Not Miguel, 
 but Frank, ^ who said when he had caught 
 her up — 
 
 " You are not angry, Sefiorita ? '* 
 
 '' Oh no ! why should I be ? " 
 
 *' I had looked forward so much to meet- 
 ing you again." 
 
 " Yes ? " 
 
 '' And you ? " • 
 
 " I had almost forgotten." She was pick- 
 ing to pieces the flower she had carried in 
 her waistband. 
 
 " You left San Roque so suddenly. I 
 went back " 
 
 " I saw you riding out with an English 
 lady, fair and beautiful as a star." 
 
 " The wife of a brother officer. Her hus- 
 band rode with us also. Did you not see 
 him ? " 
 
 " Tell me," said Lola without heeding his 
 question, " Englishwomen are all rtcbias, 
 liorht-haired and white like she is ? " and as
 
 234 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 she spoke for the first time she raised her 
 eyes and looked at him. 
 
 " Some are red as carrots, others black 
 as sloes. There are few who can com- 
 pare with the beauties of Southern Spain. 
 They have not eyes which pierce like 
 flames." 
 
 " You have learnt then to flatter, Senor 
 Don " 
 
 " Francisco ! " and she repeated the name. 
 
 '* And you, Senorita^ what is your gr acta? " 
 
 ** Dolores ! " in a low voice. 
 
 " No more ? " 
 
 " My friends call me Lola, sometimes 
 Lolita." 
 
 '' And may I ? " 
 
 " Are you a friend, Don Francisco ? I 
 have only seen you once before, and that 
 was long, long ago. It is many months 
 since the Fair." 
 
 " It will not be fault of mine if we do 
 not meet soon again. Do you remain here 
 long ? " 
 
 " Probably not. My grandfather wishes 
 me to return to Gibraltar before the winter."
 
 SPANISH COURTSHIP. 235 
 
 '' There are others there perhaps who wish 
 the same." 
 
 *' No, Senor, I have no novios!' 
 
 *' Then the young fellows there have no 
 eyes i 
 
 " I have seen none amongst them," cried 
 Lola with great disdain, " that I would care 
 to favour." 
 
 " You are hard to please." 
 
 " Los gtcstos son como panderos — Tastes are 
 like tambourines, not all alike." 
 
 '' I shall know when you return to the 
 Rock." 
 
 - How ? " 
 
 "Josefa! I took Pepe as groom only to 
 oblige her." 
 
 " Perhaps I shall tell my grandfather, and 
 I shall get a new duena." 
 
 " No matter ; I should find you, as I have 
 just now. But I have had to hunt long 
 both high and low. Who would have guessed 
 that you were hidden here like a grain of 
 gold among a heap of rocks ? " 
 
 " Those knew who had a right to know," 
 said Lola, coquettishly.
 
 236 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " And I am not one ? Some day you will 
 talk differently perhaps." 
 
 " When, then ? " 
 
 " By and by ! '* 
 
 ** Those who start along By-and-by Street 
 reach some day to ' Never ' Square." 
 
 " Never is a long day ; yet I wish we might 
 never reach the Cortljo, which is now so near." 
 
 They were still some distance ahead of 
 Miguel and Ramona, and were entering the 
 narrow lane margined by a hedge of aloes 
 and prickly pears which led straight to the 
 farm. 
 
 ** Tell me, Don Francisco,'' said Lola sud- 
 denly ; *' you said you had reasons for learning 
 Spanish. What were they ? " 
 
 " I will tell you on one condition. Do you 
 
 ao^ree ? " 
 
 " A ver ! Let us see." 
 
 ** Will you tell me whether there is a rej'a at 
 Aaua Dulce } " 
 
 o 
 
 Lola looked down with flushed cheeks. 
 Frank's question meant that he wished to 
 prosecute his suit in the true Spanish fashion, 
 coming after dark with guitar in hand,
 
 SPANISH COURTSHIP. 237 
 
 shrouded in a long cloak, to exchange soft 
 whispers through the iron bars with the girl 
 of his heart. 
 
 " You go on too fast, Don Francisco," said 
 Lola at leno^th. 
 
 '' May I hope ? " 
 
 ** Such idle hopes are like thistles — fit only 
 for donkeys' food." 
 
 " Then must I go back as I have come ? 
 AdioSy Senorita. My pains then were wasted. 
 You know I learnt Spanish " 
 
 ** Yes ? " 
 
 " Only to talk to you." 
 
 A crimson blush rose to our heroine's cheek, 
 but it was one of pleasure and delight. She 
 did* not pause to consider whether this bold 
 statement of Frank's would bear the test of 
 inquiry, but accepted it as a sort of clenching 
 argument in proof of the truth of his attach- 
 ment. She felt she had found her mate, and 
 with childlike trustfulness, her heart straight- 
 way went out to this man, and she loved him, 
 as she thought, at once and for ever. 
 
 Soon after this came adieus. The ladies 
 entered the house, while Frank with Miguel
 
 238 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK 
 
 went in search of Lucas, who was somewhere 
 about the farm. A short colloquy followed. 
 Frank was ready to give fifty doubloons for 
 the Bat, but wished first to try him ; and as 
 Lucas peremptorily refused to send the horse 
 into the Rock, it was arranged that Frank 
 should return another day with a friend, and 
 then give a fmal answer. 
 
 He saw nothing more of Lola that night, 
 although he lingered about the house long 
 after nightfall. There were several windows 
 opening to the front, but not a sign of life in 
 any of them. After all, Lola had made no 
 promise to appear, and Frank, if somewhat 
 disappointed, found that his respect for her 
 was increased by her reluctance to meet him 
 thus clandestinely at the reja after dark.
 
 ( 239 ) 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE BAT. 
 
 Next day Frank returned to Gibraltar in 
 search of Sproule. He wanted his advice 
 about the Bat. • 
 
 ** All right, my pippin ! " cried Sproule. 
 ** Tm with you. If he's what you describe, 
 he'll help us to spoil the Egyptians." 
 
 It was agreed that they should ride out 
 together, taking with them Mountebank, an 
 old English *' plater," which Sproule had 
 brouofht out with him to Gibraltar as a little 
 turf speculation, but which had not been as 
 yet of much use to him. Now he might 
 give them a line as to the Bat's real speed. 
 
 But Mrs Sproule, when, as in duty bound, 
 the scheme was propounded to her, protested 
 against being left out of it.
 
 240 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 *' After all I've done for you, Mr Wriot- 
 tesley, I do call it shabby." 
 
 " But it's a forty-mile ride." 
 
 " As if I couldn't ride forty miles ! " 
 
 " We know you could, my precious ! " said 
 Sproule ; " but we thought of spending the 
 night at Ximena. The pace will be a trifle 
 fast, perhaps, at the trial, and the horses had 
 better rest a little before we bring them back 
 to the Rock." 
 
 " All the better. I should like to see 
 something of the place." 
 
 '' You'd never be able to stand it," went 
 on Frank. 
 
 ''Isn't there an hotel ?" 
 
 Frank laughed aloud. 
 
 " There's a posada, where the sitting-room 
 is in the stable, and the best bedroom has 
 no windows." 
 
 "It won't matter for one night. Besides, 
 those Spanish people will perhaps put us 
 up. 
 
 Frank did not think this very probable. 
 Hospitality to this extent is not much prac- 
 tised, as he knew, in Southern Spain. But
 
 THE BAT. 241 
 
 he could not talk Mrs Sproule out of her 
 desire to go to Xlmena, and accordingly the 
 trio started one bright October morning for 
 Spain. Cantering gaily across the grass upon 
 the Neutral Ground, they soon reached the 
 sentries at the Spanish Lines. Here at once 
 Mrs Sproule got into trouble. A brace of 
 carabineros, or custom-house officials, came up 
 as soon as they touched Spanish soil, and 
 insisted upon examining our travellers' lug- 
 gage. They had none of them more than 
 they carried upon their horses, in wallets 
 and saddle-baofs — all toilette necessaries and 
 wearing apparel — nothing more. This Mrs 
 Sproule declared loudly, and in the purest 
 English, but all to no purpose. The more 
 she protested, the more suspicious became the 
 searchers. One man held her horse by the 
 head while the other, firm In the execution 
 of his duty, rifled her wallets. All went on 
 peaceably enough for a time, till at length the 
 searcher came across a piece of scented soap. 
 He was puzzled. With soap in any shape 
 he was but slightly acquainted; stuff of this 
 
 sort was something entirely new and sur- 
 VOL. I. Q
 
 242 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 prising. He smelt it, tasted it, chewed it, 
 and eventually put it into his pocket. The 
 unknown and mysterious article was unmis- 
 takably contraband. 
 
 '' The ruffian ! He has stolen my soap," 
 cried Mrs Sproule in an angry voice, pointing 
 at the man with her whip. " Mr Wriottesley, 
 do come and help me." 
 
 But Frank was also in the hands of the 
 tormentors, and Mrs Sproule, forgetting her- 
 self, struck the carabinero smartly on the 
 hand. For this she was immediately taken 
 into custody. At the cry of socorro (help), 
 an armed escort came out of the guardhouse 
 hard by, and Mrs Sproule was led off, look- 
 ing rather white, between two small sentries, 
 whose fixed bayonets reached rather danger- 
 ously to within an inch or two of her nose. 
 
 Sproule went to his wife's assistance, but 
 as he could speak no word of Spanish except 
 '^perdony" which none of the officials would 
 accept as an apology, they captured and 
 removed him also as an accomplice or acces- 
 sory after the fact. Had not Frank inter- 
 fered they would both have incontinently
 
 THE BAT. 243 
 
 found their way to the calabozOy or dungeon, 
 by which grand name was dignified the one 
 small cell or lock-up attached to the guard- 
 house. Fortunately he had a slight acquaint- 
 ance with the Spanish Colonel who was 
 commandant at the Lines, and after some 
 demur and the payment of a fine, the two 
 culprits were released. 
 
 Mrs Sproule's indignation was too deep- 
 seated to find vent in words. She rode on 
 sulkily, and almost silent, except for a few 
 short and very snappish monosyllables when 
 addressed by her husband or Frank. 
 
 Presently they reached the open beach, 
 where their only road led along the narrow 
 strip of good hard sand used by all passen- 
 gers, whether mounted or on foot. The 
 path, generally much frequented, was to-day 
 quite crowded. There were women carrying 
 enormous baskets full of clothes, clean or 
 dirty, poised marvellously on their heads ; 
 droves of donkies laden with charcoal ; horses 
 nearly lost to view under cargoes of chopped 
 straw, destined to fill other stomachs than 
 their own ; children at play ; long lines of
 
 244 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 fishermen drawing in their nets. Considerate 
 people riding in among the throng would 
 naturally rein in their horses to the slowest 
 pace. Not so Mrs Sproule. Directly she 
 found herself in the open, she gave her steed 
 the whip and galloped forward, seeking per- 
 haps in rapid motion a relief to the fit of 
 bad temper by which she was oppressed. 
 Being an excellent horsewoman, the faster 
 she travelled the better she was pleased. 
 Had there been a fair field before her it 
 would have mattered little now ; but no 
 sooner had her horse extended himself than 
 she came plump into the middle of the 
 crowd. To many of the poor wayfarers, 
 trudging painfully along under their burthens, 
 the sound of galloping hoofs coming from 
 behind had a very terrifying effect, and some 
 turned off at once for safety into the heavy 
 sand alongside the road, while others, who 
 paused to look round, were lost. Equally 
 perplexed were those who, facing her, found 
 her riding furiously towards them. In a few 
 short seconds all were scattered to the four 
 winds of heaven.
 
 THE BAT. 245 
 
 Pursued now by yells and execrations, Mrs 
 Sproule continued her reckless course, meet- 
 ing next in full career a string of patient 
 mules laden with heavy stones from the Car- 
 nlcero quarries, and these, overpowered also 
 with dread, doubtful what to do, dashed some 
 of them into the waves, while not a few 
 turned tail and fled before her, leaving their 
 outraged owners to join in the general cry 
 for revenge upon Mrs Sproule. 
 
 The commotion was now at its height. In 
 front raced the English lady, with hair, and 
 habit streaming in the wind ; behind came a 
 mixed crowd of furious natives of all sexes, 
 shouting, threatening, cursing, seeking the 
 nearest missiles available to cast at their re- 
 treating foe. Happily this was a sandy and 
 not a pebbly shore, or the fate of Saint 
 Stephen might have overtaken Mrs Sproule ; 
 and the worst that befel her was a slight 
 blow upon the shoulder from a passing loaf, 
 which one Infuriated sufferer, regardless of 
 his dinner, had hurled at her as she sped away. 
 
 Sproule and Frank were not a little exer- 
 cised in spirit.
 
 246 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 ** She'll do some mischief yet ! " said the 
 husband as stoically as he could. 
 
 " Is he off with her ? " asked Frank ; adding 
 in an excited voice, " Come on ! come on ! " 
 
 ** Not if I know it. No connection with 
 the house over the way. They look wicked 
 these chaps, and I don't want them to think 
 Janlta belongs to us. Leave her alone ; she 
 knows what's what. She'll sit fast enouofh. 
 It's not for her I funk." 
 
 " There goes another man knocked over ! " 
 
 *' Gad ! they're like ninepins." 
 
 " The rope ! the rope ! " interrupted Frank 
 nervously. 
 
 All at once he noticed that Mrs Sproule 
 was rapidly approaching the long line of 
 fishermen In single file, who, like an inter- 
 minable procession, were walking inland, and 
 hauling on the rope that was bringing their 
 nets to shore. Sproule was roused by this. 
 
 " She does not see it ! She can't pull him 
 in — not at that pace. Hold hard ! hold 
 hard ! " he shouted. " The rope ! the rope ! " 
 
 In breathless suspense both waited. 
 
 " She's down, as I'm a sinner ! No ! no !
 
 THE BAT. 247 
 
 well sat ! well sat ! " cried Sproule with 
 enthusiasm, as his wife seemingly for a 
 moment blundered, then touched her horse 
 with the whip, lifted him as it were by the 
 head, and bounded lightly over the half- 
 invisible obstacle. 
 
 She was safe. In front the beach was open 
 and free from traffic, and she might continue 
 her Mazeppa-like career for another mile 
 or more without either let or hindrance. 
 
 By and by she pulled up her horse to 
 a walk, and then the gentlemen overtook 
 her. They had had no little difficulty in 
 winning their way through the scowling 
 natives, many of whom seemed ready to 
 make violent reprisals. Mrs Sproule's ears 
 should have tingled at the epithets and 
 anathemas hurled at her peccant person ; 
 but she had escaped, and her cavaliers, them- 
 selves innocent of wrong-doing, could not 
 well be detained. Again Frank came to the 
 rescue, and with handfuls of cigarettes, shoals 
 of coppers, and many soothing words, paved 
 the way to peace. But he lost no time in 
 taking Mrs Sproule to task for her conduct.
 
 248 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " Why didn't they get out of my road ? " 
 she said petulantly, with all the selfishness 
 of an ill-tempered woman. 
 
 " They were on their own road/* Frank 
 replied gravely. 
 
 "Well, why didn't they keep their own 
 side ? " 
 
 ** You know there is no side-path." 
 
 " I know that you always take people's 
 parts against me — and these people, too I 
 You're much too fond of them ; they're not 
 worth it." 
 
 "Your life wouldn't have been wofth 
 much, Mrs Sproule, if I hadn't pacified them. 
 Lucky I could speak their language a little." 
 
 " I see no great advantage in it, and it's 
 very bad for them. If you didn't encourage 
 them by talking their own gibberish, perhaps 
 they'd try to learn English." 
 
 A delightful piece of intolerance this, at 
 which both Sproule and Frank laughed 
 heartily. 
 
 So far they had not prospered much, and 
 they were doomed to yet greater misfortunes. 
 
 Although when they started the weather
 
 THE BAT. 249 
 
 was brilliantly bright and fine, as the morning 
 wore on came proof of the Spanish proverb 
 that " the sun which is hot too early never 
 lasts throughout the day." The season, too, 
 was already advanced. To the summer with 
 its stinging heats had succeeded autumn, and 
 now in early October the rains — heavy rains, 
 occasionally almost tropical — for which the soil, 
 parched up and shrivelled by the scorching 
 sun-light and drought, thirsted in numberless 
 wide-mouthed gaps and fissures, were hourly 
 expected. Eyes more experienced than 
 Frank's might have gathered caution at sight 
 of the heavy clouds banking up about mid- 
 day away over the African hills ; but - he was 
 blind to the signs of the weather. Since 
 their arrival, months before, they had had 
 no drop of rain. Long disuse breeds in us 
 forgetfulness. It seemed to Frank quite 
 possible that it would never rain again. No 
 dread of wet jackets had ever entered the 
 minds of our travellers; they came entirely 
 unprepared, without waterproofs, without even 
 a complete change of clothes. 
 
 The sky was slightly overcast when they
 
 250 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 halted at Long Stables to bait and have lunch ; 
 but hereabouts the cork-trees gather thick, 
 and there was no view of the distant horizon, 
 no knowledge that the dark masses of vapour, 
 which an hour before had seemed so distant 
 on the hills beyond the Straits, were reaching 
 rapidly upwards, promising soon to obscure 
 the very zenith with their ominous pall. All 
 round, the air was still ; there reigned abroad 
 a peaceful but expectant ^calm, as if Nature 
 with folded , hands waited contentedly and 
 in happy silence for the refreshing, revivifying 
 showers, long delayed, but now at last 
 unmistakably at hand. 
 
 Our party was again in the saddle and a 
 mile or two on the road when the first few 
 raindrops fell. By the time they emerged 
 from the corkwood and reached the open 
 plain, it was raining heavily. The prospect 
 was chill and drear. 
 
 *' I don't like the look of it at all," said 
 Frank gloomily. 
 
 "Nor I," Sproule added. ''We're in for a 
 Snorter." 
 
 ** Is it much farther ? " asked Mrs Sproule,
 
 THE BAT. 251 
 
 involuntarily shaking her shoulders together 
 with a sort of shudder. 
 
 " Eight or ten miles to the Cortijo. We 
 shall be drenched." 
 
 No doubt. The downpour was now search- 
 ing and persistent. The raindrops fell like 
 small-shot, under which the horses winced at 
 every stroke, as did their riders when now 
 and again the driving sleet touched them on 
 face or neck or hands. Soon all the narrow 
 roadside ruts and channels were filled with 
 water ; the half-dried river was fast swelling 
 to a raging torrent ; the ground underfoot grew 
 boggy and insecure. 
 
 Sliding, slipping, muddy, bedraggled, a 
 miserable crew, the three travellers pushed 
 on. Yet Mrs Sproule bore up bravely enough ; 
 it was her own wish which had brought her to 
 this, and sooner than confess herself in the 
 wrong she would have endured total immer- 
 sion, perhaps drowning itself. Sproule's coat 
 was thick, and his constitution, like his con- 
 science, tough. Although he was now satu- 
 rated to the skin, he uttered no word of com- 
 plaint, taking his wetting as he might accept
 
 252 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 a clod of clay In his eye when riding a flat 
 race and lagging some way behind. Frank, 
 who was also soaking wet, thought less of 
 himself than of the others. He felt that he 
 had brought them to this, and wished he 
 could see an end to the trouble. 
 
 The nearest dwelling was the Cortijo. 
 Frank was not indisposed to halt there and 
 claim hospitality for the night. Yet to these 
 people he was nearly a stranger, and they 
 might fairly remind him that a mile further 
 on rest and shelter could be obtained by those 
 who cared to pay the charges of the posada, 
 a poor country-inn of Ximena town. But 
 Frank knew this to be a mere den of a place, 
 an unsavoury, insect-infested, - squalid hole, 
 the discomforts of which, even under ordinary 
 circumstances, would be trying to so fastidious 
 a lady as Mrs Sproule. Just now they would 
 probably prove quite Insupportable. The ways 
 of the denizens at Agua Dulce were probably 
 primitive, but at least Mrs Sproule would find 
 cleanliness, dry clothes, and some show of 
 sympathy — none of which could be counted 
 upon at the posada. For her sake, therefore,
 
 THE BAT. ' 253 
 
 he resolved to stop at the farm, and use all 
 his eloquence to persuade them to take her 
 in. 
 
 But in truth Mrs Sproule's appearance 
 should have been more eloquent than any 
 words of his. Poor woman ! as she sat 
 doubled up on her saddle, disconsolate and 
 shivering, she ought to have moved to com- 
 passion the flintiest heart. Her habit seemed 
 of blotting paper, so thirstily had it sucked up 
 all the moisture of the air ; her collar, once so 
 well starched and prim, was now limp and 
 nearly liquid ; her pale locks, escaping many 
 of them from her once even and trimly arranged 
 plaits, hung down straight like hanks of mois- 
 tened tow. 
 
 In answer to the deep-toned gate-bell came 
 first a girl who helped in the kitchen, then 
 Miguel, then Lucas, both of whom, recog- 
 nising in Frank the probable purchaser of 
 the Bat, were profuse in their commiseration 
 and offers of assistance. The house and all 
 It contained was of course at the disposal of 
 the travellers ; it was theirs — let them but 
 issue their commands.
 
 254 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 Frank translated this kindly speech very 
 literally for the benefit of Mrs Sproule. 
 
 " They are very good,'* she gasped out, 
 taking it for granted that the Spaniards 
 meant all they said. 
 
 " A warm fire, some dry clothes, and a cup 
 of tea will soon put me to rights ; " and she 
 prepared to dismount from her horse. 
 
 *' Is the lady ill ? Does she wish to enter 
 the house ? " asked Lucas, evidently sur- 
 prised. 
 
 " She is nearly dead with fatigue, wet also 
 to the skin. Will not madam your mother 
 take compassion on her, and entertain her — at 
 least for this one night ? " 
 
 Lucas shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " What is the delay ? " asked Mrs Sproule 
 petulantly. "Really, Mr Wriottesley, I think 
 you might be more considerate. You seem to 
 ignore the fact that I am benumbed and nearly 
 dead with wet and cold." 
 
 " It is not my fault. These people are not 
 to be hurried." Then turning to Lucas — 
 " Surely you cannot turn from your doors 
 to-night a lady in such a plight as this ? "
 
 THE BAT. 255 
 
 " I will ask my mother ; she rules here, not 
 I," replied Lucas In a doubtful voice. 
 
 ** Oh, rot It all ! " put in Sproule. *' Don't 
 let us be beholden to the brutes. You're not 
 dead-beat yet, Janita, are you ? Let's go on 
 to the hotel." 
 
 ** I tell you there Isn't one," said Frank quite 
 crossly. 
 
 "I'd rather go back to Gibraltar," groaned 
 Mrs Sproule. 
 
 ** That's Impossible ; it's too late. You'd 
 have to spend the night at the Lines." • 
 
 But now Lucas returned, and with him the 
 two girls, Ramona and Lola. To both of them 
 Frank bowed — a short sort of salutation, but 
 there was a bright light in his eye when It fell 
 upon the face of our heroine, and something 
 more than mere gratitude in his tones when 
 he thanked Lola for her kindness, when, acting 
 as spokeswoman, she came forward, and in her 
 pretty broken English begged Mrs Sproule 
 to descend. 
 
 Inside there had been a short fight. Dona 
 Teresa at first stoutly resisted the invasion, 
 declaring that her house was no hostelry, and
 
 256 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 that she was aghast at the want of manners 
 of these English in thrustinof themselves for- 
 ward upon strangers, and into places to which 
 they were never invited. Lola combated these 
 arguments with a warmth that would certainly 
 have roused anger in Dona Teresa, were it 
 not that Don Mariano's granddaughter was a 
 privileged person, to be treated always with a 
 certain respect. Ramona said little, but she 
 half guessed the real truth, that Lola was thus 
 anxious on behalf of these English folk because 
 they were in some way connected with this 
 new lover who dwelt on the Rock. Of course, 
 the exact state of the case was plain to her 
 when she came out with Lola to the door, 
 and with some thoughtfulness she at once 
 took charge of Mrs Sproule, leading her 
 with her husband into the house, while Frank 
 and Lola were for the moment left alone 
 together. 
 
 **You have a kind heart, Senorita. This 
 poor lady needs all your help." 
 
 *'We are not as savage as the heathen blacks, 
 Mr Englishman, although we live, perhaps, in 
 an obscure, benighted spot."
 
 THE BAT. 257 
 
 ** Where you are, Senorlta, is for me the 
 centre of the world." 
 
 ''Anda.f' (Go to!) cried Lola. '* I had 
 hoped you were too wise to use such flattering 
 words." 
 
 "Shall I see you to-morrow when we come 
 out to try the horse ? " 
 
 '' I know not." 
 
 " And you do not care ? " 
 
 Lola did not answer. 
 
 " When do you return to the Rock ? " 
 
 " Next week, I hope." 
 
 ** You wish it, then ? " 
 
 " Oh yes ! " 
 
 " Why .? " 
 
 "Is it not my real home — where my grand- 
 father resides, where I myself was born, where 
 I have many friends ? It is but natural that 
 I should be glad to see it again." 
 
 Frank would have pressed her to tell him 
 whether there was not just now one reason 
 more why she should prefer to go back to 
 her grandfather's house, but at this moment 
 Sproule came out, and the lovers hastily parted. 
 
 " She'll be as right as ninepence there," said 
 
 VOL. I. R
 
 258 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 Sproule. '* They'll get her to bed by and by, 
 and make her snug. She wanted me to stop, 
 but I'm drenched too, and I can't well leave 
 the horses till they're comfortably housed." 
 
 " Certainly the horses should be your first 
 care," cried Frank, amused at their relative 
 importance with Sproule's wife. 
 
 "Well, you know, I can't do much for Janlta. 
 Besides, these people won't want more of us 
 than can be helped messing about. I say, 
 Master Frank, that's a bright-eyed 'snorer'" 
 — this was his joking version of Sefiora — '*you 
 had In tow. You seem pretty thick, too." 
 
 " Perhaps we'd better push on," replied 
 Frank In a hurry. 
 
 '' All right, my hearty. A nod's as good as 
 a wink, you know. We'll toddle on. Janita's 
 In good hands." 
 
 They certainly did their best to make Mrs 
 Sproule comfortable at the farm, thanks chiefly 
 to the energy with which Lola acquitted her- 
 self of the charge laid upon her by Frank 
 Wriottesley. She insisted upon giving up her 
 own room ; she herself acted as maid, and 
 with deft fingers relieved Mrs Sproule of her
 
 THE BAT. 259 
 
 dripping habit. She it was who searched out 
 among her own rather scanty wardrobe gar- 
 ments of all sorts — not quite a fit, perhaps, 
 for Lola was the taller of the two, and though 
 slender, not of so slight a figure as Mrs 
 Sproule ; yet were they dry and warm, and 
 clean as so many new pins. It was Lola who 
 busied herself to prepare some refreshment 
 suited to an English lady's taste. Mrs Sproule 
 had clamoured loudly for tea, but there was 
 not a single leaf in the house. The fragrant 
 herb is counted rather as a medicine in these 
 outlandish parts, going frequently by the name 
 of ''fever water," a decoction good for calen- 
 turaSy a bitter unpleasant medicinal draught, 
 allied to the bark of the qiiina quina, which 
 ages ago the good Jesuit fathers had brought 
 from the New World. Dona Teresa was indeed 
 both frightened and indig^nant when she heard 
 of Mrs Sproule's request, protesting loudly that 
 beyond question this guest whom she had so 
 unwillingly admitted into her house was suffer- 
 ing from some contagious disorder, from which 
 it was fated for them one and all to die. The 
 cook was equally puzzled, and wondered much
 
 26o LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 how this tea-water was prepared. Was it 
 boiled with tomatoe-sauce to give It a flavour, 
 or did the EngHsh make it Into a soup with 
 green pepper and olive-oil ? 
 
 Mrs Sproule received all these attentions 
 with calm condescension, as if they were her 
 undoubted right. Grateful acknowledgment 
 of favours received was not an active virtue 
 of hers, nor did the memory of what she 
 owed these kind Samaritans debar her from 
 speaking afterwards in the most contemptuous 
 and disparaging terms of the night she had 
 spent in this Spanish country-house. She 
 abused the accommodation in no measured 
 terms, describing in graphic language the 
 interior of the farm, its bare unfurnished 
 rooms, the terrible character of the food they 
 provided for her, the garlic obtrusive in 
 every dish, the rancid oil of which the salad 
 was made, the olives which every one tore to 
 pieces with their fingers or teeth. Nor was 
 she more charitable towards the ladies, least 
 of all to Lola, whose unwearied kindness had 
 really laid her under the heaviest obligations. 
 They were all underbred, commonplace people,
 
 THE BAT. 261 
 
 and Lola particularly, with her great staring 
 eyes and too plentiful hair, could pretend to 
 no good looks, any more than, with her retiring 
 modest ways, she could claim to have the 
 manners of a lady. 
 
 All this and more Mrs Sproule poured into 
 Frank's unwilling ears when the gentlemen 
 rejoined her next day. He was, in truth, 
 not sorry when the trial was over, and with 
 it the ill-starred expedition which had given 
 such increased acerbity to Janita's tongue.
 
 ( 262 ) 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS. 
 
 There was now no reason why Lola should 
 remain at Agua Dulce. She had gone thither 
 to be out of harm's way when without a 
 duena's protection ; now that the latter had 
 returned to duty, Lola might also return. Her 
 grandfather's love for her was so great that 
 he could not bear, he said, to be long separated 
 from the child of his heart. Lola herself was 
 ready enough to go back to Gibraltar ; that 
 she had not already started was due to the 
 entreaties of her cousins, whose affection was 
 always demonstrative if not deep-seated. 
 
 But the attractions that were drawinof Lola 
 to the Rock were new and imperious. It 
 was here that Frank Wriottesley lived ; here
 
 SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS. 263 
 
 she might meet with him again ; or, if fate 
 forbade such good fortune, she might per- 
 chance see him from time to time — see him 
 in the far-off distance, a being of another 
 sphere, whom yet she might innocently wor- 
 ship. For — conceal it she could not from 
 herself — his image was now deeply engraved 
 in her heart. Although their acquaintance 
 was still of recent date, she felt that she loved 
 him thoroughly and for ever — as do the eager 
 and impressionable daughters of the South, 
 loving once, and once only, but with* a 
 warmth and fervour unknown to the denizens 
 of colder climes. Her love was now part and 
 parcel of her ; of rapid growth, no doubt, yet 
 intertwined with and over-arching her exist- 
 ence. It had taken complete possession of 
 her; to struggle against it would be simply 
 futile, a mere waste of labour. Nor was 
 hers the wish. Her affection was returned — 
 of this she was assured, trusting in that 
 respect to the unerring intuition of a maiden's 
 heart. She could read as in a book, in Frank's 
 glad eyes, in the notes of his joyous voice, 
 the love that was altogether hers. At the
 
 264 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 moment, she gave herself no thought how- 
 all this might end ; consequences, ways and 
 means, obstacles present or to come, all are 
 ignored when a girl is consumed by the 
 ardour of a first attachment. To be with 
 Frank, to look upon his face and to listen 
 to his w^ords, these seemed to constitute now 
 her only Ideas of happiness and pleasure. 
 She had not the slightest conception how far 
 a passion of this engrossing character might 
 carry her ; nor had she a friend, least of all 
 that truest of true friends, a mother, to guide 
 her with advice and counsel drawn from her 
 own experience in life. Happily Lola was 
 not wanting In ballast ; pride would soon 
 have combined with common sense to fortify 
 her self-respect, if that indeed were threatened. 
 Her love, so far, though deep, was innocent 
 and guileless, it would soon have taken 
 alarm had Frank, presuming on its intensity, 
 sought with insidious arguments and false 
 cozening words to do her wrong. But 
 happily, also, Frank Wriottesley was honest 
 and loyal, a high-souled, true-hearted young 
 fellow, impetuous, hot-headed, and eager, but
 
 SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS. 265 
 
 one who would have scorned a base action, 
 and who was actuated now by the thoroughly 
 honourable intention — if he could win this 
 treasure — of making her his wife. 
 
 It was not strange that an acquaintance 
 begun under such conditions should make 
 rapid strides. These two young people were 
 both of the same way of thinking, both 
 ardent, both impressionable. No set declara- 
 tion was needed between them. Each readily 
 recognised the influence exercised by the 
 other ; both seemed satisfied, without the .aid 
 of explicit language, of the feelings they 
 mutually entertained. Lola had accepted 
 Frank's love quite as a matter of course ; it 
 made no difference that he had not stated it 
 in so many words ; it was hers she knew. 
 Little less certain was Frank, even without 
 confession, that she returned his affection 
 without hesitation, wholly and truly, almost 
 from the first. 
 
 But just as this love was intense, so was 
 it unreflective. They were a foolish pair 
 these two, and did many silly things, quite 
 without a thought. An English Mrs Grundy
 
 266 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 might have been a trifle shocked at the manner 
 In which Frank pursued his suit. She would 
 have held up her hands in horror at the notion 
 of an unmarried girl meeting an unknown 
 lover clandestinely without the consent of her 
 friends. My precise and demure readers will 
 doubtless hear with regret that Lola came 
 day after day with Josefa to seat herself about 
 noon just below the statue of General Elliot, 
 In the gardens of the Alameda, and that there, 
 quite by accident of course, they found a young 
 gentleman, seemingly without any occupation 
 in life but that of waltlnor to receive them. 
 It was dreadfully wrong, too, that Josefa 
 should suffer Lola, after the first greetings, to 
 wander amid the shady walks, round and 
 round the garden plots, or in among the 
 embrasures of the carefully concealed battery 
 placed near, and known familiarly as "the Snake 
 in the Grass." Frank Wriottesley was much 
 to blame, again, for making Interest to be 
 posted always at the New Mole when it 
 came to his turn to mount guard ; and there 
 was no reason on earth why he should waste 
 so many hours in visiting his sentries, par-
 
 SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS. 267 
 
 ticularly those stationed round about Rosia ; 
 still less was he called upon to linger for half- 
 an-hour at a time near a certain cottage which 
 it was no part of his duty to guard. They 
 were all to blame — Frank for proposing, Lola 
 for consenting, most of all Josefa for betray- 
 ing her sacred trust and in encouraging these 
 dreadful doings. 
 
 But in truth the offence which our lovers 
 committed was more against the letter than 
 the spirit of propriety. Their sole desire in 
 this, the first flush of their attachment, was 
 to meet, and to meet as often as they could. 
 The hours apart were the longest and the 
 dreariest of the twenty-four, and to reduce 
 them to the lowest was the great aim and 
 object of their lives. Lola herself had as 
 yet no notion she was doing wrong; it was 
 thus that flirtations were carried on by other 
 girls of her class, and she was but following 
 the custom of the land of her birth. No one 
 had ever explained to her that the only proper 
 and blameless method of encouraging a young 
 man's attentions was to meet him at the 
 skating rink, or to dance and sit out -with him
 
 268 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 for hours at a ball, to ride with him next day 
 in the Park, to spend weeks together In 
 country-houses or on board yachts, to have 
 almost unlimited opportunities of being In his 
 society without even a whispered complaint 
 from the impassive lookers on. Lola had 
 never heard of these fashionable methods 
 by which love-making is rendered easy In 
 the great world, nor If she had, were they 
 within her reach. She could but continue 
 simply and In perfect good faith as she had 
 begun, contented to drift happily down the 
 stream, hand In hand with the man of her 
 choice. Her conscience was easy, just as 
 her mind was pure and without a stain. 
 
 It cannot be said, however, that the other 
 parties to this peculiar love-suit were alto- 
 gether as happy In their minds. Matters could 
 not eo on thus for ever. There were times 
 when Frank Wriottesley remembered that he 
 was still dependent upon his uncle. Sir Hector 
 Harrowby, a man of strong temper, as we 
 know, whose Ire might easily be aroused. 
 How would he receive the news that Frank 
 proposed to take as his w^Ife — as the future
 
 SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS. 269 
 
 mistress of Grimswych Park — a nameless girl, 
 a foreigner almost, foreign at least in education 
 and in the tongue she spoke ? . When such 
 thoughts arose he grew perturbed in spirit, 
 anxious, doubtful of the future, not varying 
 one whit in his strong affection for Lola, 
 but somewhat sorrowful for her, reofretful 
 that fate was so adverse, and that it was not 
 in his power to spare her even the temporary 
 anoruish which his uncle migrht cause if at 
 first he refused his consent to their marriage. 
 But such forebodings were unnatural with 
 such a character as Frank's ; he could not 
 be unsanguine long ; the moment he met 
 Lola again, all gloomy thoughts vanished 
 into thin air, and he was angry with himself 
 for doubting at all. Who could resist her ? 
 he asked with lover-like raptures ; and for 
 the time he was again at ease, feeling satisfied 
 that all would come right in the end. 
 
 Confident in his own uprightness, Frank 
 could look on ahead and wait thus hope- 
 fully. Not so Josefa, who was in a perpetual 
 fever lest affairs might at any moment take 
 an unsatisfactory turn. Her master might
 
 2 70 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 discover her double-dealing, and she would 
 forthwith be ejected from his house. Of 
 course she . knew discovery was certain to 
 come sooner or later, but it was naturally 
 her desire to postpone as long as possible 
 the inevitable day. Perhaps she might suc- 
 ceed in shifting the blame from herself, and 
 blinding Don Mariano to the nefarious part 
 she had played. But as this was doubtful, 
 she cast about to indemnify herself otherwise. 
 Hers was a base nature, she could stoop low 
 indeed to serve her own ends. She was 
 ready to sacrifice Lola just as she had 
 already betrayed her trust to her master, and 
 waited but a hint from Frank to assist him 
 in any infamous plan. Prepared to go to 
 any lengths, even to the extreme wicked- 
 ness of inducing Lola to leave her home, 
 the more she pondered the more satisfied 
 she became that this, in truth, was the con- 
 summation that would suit her personally 
 best. To purchase her complicity Frank 
 would doubtless pay handsomely — pay, as it 
 was clear he could, a large sum, sufficient 
 equivalent for the service rendered. With
 
 SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS. 2 7 1 
 
 this money she might retire to some sheltered 
 spot among the Sierras or upon the smiHng 
 slopes of the Mediterranean, to spend the 
 remainder of her days in idleness and com- 
 parative ease. No remorse would have 
 followed her thither ; nor had she in advance 
 one jot of compunction at the contemplation 
 of the horrible crime to which she was ready 
 to give her aid. She never for one moment 
 doubted that Frank's thoughts were as evil 
 as her own ; and, taking this for granted, she 
 was at no pains to sound him on the subject. 
 Her time was rather devoted to undermin- 
 ing Lola, and seeking Insidiously to combat 
 in advance any scruples which the Innocent 
 child might by and by display. 
 
 Josefa's chief fear was lest any unforeseen 
 accident should precipitate a crisis. If this 
 could be avoided she might trust to her 
 own skill and good fortune to turn matters 
 to her own advantage in the end. The 
 great difficulty was to keep Don Mariano 
 in continued ignorance of what was going 
 on ; to prevent Lola from broaching the sub- 
 ject or falling into a full confession. Several
 
 272 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 times had our heroine sugforested that it was 
 time to present Frank Wriottesley to her 
 grandfather; it was right that the old man 
 should know him, and receive him openly 
 at his house. Josefa, better versed In the 
 old man's sentiments towards the officer- 
 class, used all her eloquence to combat this 
 notion, and to persuade Lola to postpone 
 the Introduction from day to day. The 
 duena did not dare explain her real reason. 
 Lola had an instinctive dislike to auo^ht 
 
 o 
 
 that was underhand, and she would have 
 been firm in her refusal to receive Frank's 
 addresses were she sure that her grandfather 
 disapproved. 
 
 Meanwhile, In all unconscious Innocence, 
 firm in her trust of him, and without a 
 particle of self-upbraiding, she continued to 
 meet her lover, telling herself from day to 
 day that she ought not to conceal the true 
 state of affairs much lono^er from the grand- 
 father who loved her so well, yet still hesi- 
 tating and hanging back, shrinking with true 
 maiden modesty from exposing to view, even 
 before her nearest relative, this new and
 
 SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS. 273 
 
 beautiful possession which she treasured 
 almost as a sacred gift from heaven. 
 
 But the crisis which Josefa dreaded was 
 now indeed close at hand, and it came to 
 pass in this wise. 
 
 Winter-time is for the English residents 
 and their friends essentially " the gay season " 
 at Gibraltar, when, the climate is, as a rule, 
 perfection, and there is no lack of the sports 
 which are most dear to English hearts. 
 There is shooting of snipe and cock and red- 
 legged partridge in the neighbouring hiUs ; 
 and no talk of licence, of gamelaws, or pre- 
 serves. For those that care to embark more 
 deeply, Barbary supplies wild boar. The 
 Calpe hounds meet twice a week on Spanish 
 soil, and draw large fields to exasperate the 
 uninitiated tillers of the soil by seemingly 
 reckless contempt for growing wheat. The 
 air is fresh if not exactly keen ; the Vermilion 
 Sierra wears at times a coating of snow ; now 
 and again a film of ice as thick as a bank-note 
 is found in a pail upon the top of the Rock, 
 and our compatriots call the weather season- 
 able, and nearly persuade themselves it is 
 
 VOL. I. s
 
 274 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 cold. To those native-born the winter is 
 not so much admired. A I fresco life is no 
 longer possible ; the bands have ceased to 
 play at night upon the Alameda; to the 
 summer moonlight, yellow and strong as 
 Northern sunshine, have succeeded stormy 
 skies and torrents of rain. For them, sports 
 such as we worship have neither meaning 
 nor attraction ; to gallop at break-neck pace 
 over uneven ground would be no diversion ; 
 dinner-parties are not for them festivities, 
 shooting a mere wanton destruction of animal 
 life. They love gaiety rather, music, crowded 
 gatherings, chatter, spectacles of every sort. 
 The theatre is especially popular, whether 
 the performance be the music of Donizetti 
 interpreted by a second-rate troupe — the 
 Zarzuela^ or Spanish comic opera, sung by 
 native artists, — or, last of all, the mere amateur 
 efforts of the English officers, laudably seek- 
 ing to support the credit of our national stage. 
 
 There was great talk that December of an 
 affair of the latter kind, and Lola had begged 
 hard of her grandfather to be allowed to see 
 it. Don Mariano, taking alarm, had as usual
 
 SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS. 275 
 
 refused, at first peremptorily, then with less 
 and less force, as his stern resolves faded 
 before our heroine's vigorous appeals. But 
 he resisted stoutly, till, at the last moment, 
 the appearance of Ramona and her brother, 
 who had come in unexpectedly, decided the 
 matter. The cousins expressed a keen desire 
 to see an English play, still more to see the 
 dlite of the English garrison, and before their 
 entreaties Bellota was courteously compelled 
 to yield. A box was with difficulty procured 
 upon the grand tier, in front of which Ramona 
 and ' Lola took their seats long before the 
 curtain went up, and attracting no little atten- 
 tion as the house gradually filled. Neither 
 the ripe, handsome freshness of Ramona, nor 
 Lola's perfect features, were familiarly known, 
 and both were keenly examined and admired 
 by not a few opera-glasses in the stalls. 
 
 Frank Wriottesley came in late. Lola, 
 when he had spoken of this performance, 
 had told him there was no prospect of her 
 being present. Therefore he had no par- 
 ticular motive for attending either. But the 
 Sproules had a box, and pressed him to join
 
 276 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 them during the evening. He was on his 
 way thither, pausing first to speak to a friend 
 or two in the stalls, when some one called his 
 attention to ** that stunning Spanish girl in the 
 box on the grand tier." 
 
 - Lola ! " 
 
 Without a moment's hesitation Frank has- 
 tened upstairs and knocked at the door of the 
 box. Josefa's heart was in her mouth when 
 she opened It. 
 
 *' You cannot come in, Senor. This place is 
 too public. There are here many who know 
 us well, and the amo would soon hear of It. 
 I pray you, for the love of God, retire." 
 
 But Frank would take no denial. Besides, 
 Lola had turned her blushing face towards 
 him, and was waving him welcome with her 
 fan. 
 
 " At least sit here," cried Josefa, pointing to 
 a chair near the door. " We shall be lost, 
 undone. If you go now to the front. Wait at 
 least till the act Is over." 
 
 There was sense In what she said, and 
 although Frank was eager, he was also cir- 
 cumspect at times. After all, he did not care
 
 SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS. 277 
 
 as yet to blazon forth too loudly the fate that 
 had overtaken him. It would be time enough 
 by and by to advertise his engagement, and 
 challenge criticism for the girl of his choice. 
 So he seated himself demurely In the back part 
 of the box, contenting himself with exchanging 
 a few words with Miguel, who was not over- 
 joyed to see him, and bowing pleasantly to 
 Ramona in return for her cordial greeting. 
 
 Presently the curtain fell. There was the 
 usual shuffle of the cards. People moved 
 from their seats, or turned to gossip with ©ne 
 another. Within the first few moments Lola 
 changed places with Josefa. 
 
 " You said you would not come," said 
 Frank. 
 
 ** Como tu ! " replied Lola, pretending to 
 pout. " You also declared that nothing should 
 bring you hither. Is it thus that you behave, 
 hijoy when out of my sight ? Which then of 
 all these grand proud dames had power to 
 tempt you break a promise made to me ? Your 
 promises melt fast, like fat in the frying-pan." 
 
 " There is none here fit to fasten your shoe- 
 strings, Lola."
 
 278 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " Anda ! they are English though, of your 
 own blood. Why did you come abroad to 
 hunt partridges in the Sierras, when there was 
 better game close to your hand at home ? " 
 
 *' You know the saying, * Cual es mi tierra f 
 la de mi 7nujer! Which is my country ? that 
 to which my wife belongs." 
 
 ** But I am not your wife," said Lola, hanging 
 her head. 
 
 ** You will be, some day." 
 
 " That will be as you behave, my son. 
 Where do the wives come in your land over 
 yonder ? After the horses and the dogs ? " 
 
 Lola had not read Tennyson. Her own 
 observation of the English officers and their 
 tastes was sufficiently close to account for this 
 speech. 
 
 " See the curtain is up ; they are beginning 
 again. Do you like the play ? " 
 
 "It was dull till you came. I cannot follow 
 well ; you talk so fast, you English, yet the 
 words can hardly come out, because you shut 
 your teeth quite close and your lips — like this." 
 
 "■ Don't shut your lips, Lolita. It spoils your 
 beauty."
 
 SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS. 279 
 
 ** Vaya ! Thanks for the favour you do 
 
 me." 
 
 ** If we were not here In public, Td kiss you." 
 
 " Indecente I " cried Lola, putting up her 
 fan quickly with a pretty gesture between 
 them. *' Be quiet ! Hush ! Listen to them 
 down there. Tell me, what are they saying, 
 now ? '' 
 
 ''Shall I interpret it for you?" said Frank 
 earnestly, taking her hand in his. *' Oh, I 
 must Indeed," he added, when she seemed to 
 object, " I must have your hand. See, he has 
 got her hand down there upon the stage : I 
 must do that too If you wish me to translate." 
 
 " Yes ; but they are acting ; it Is different. 
 You must not take my hand. Paco ! They 
 will see us ; they will Indeed." 
 
 '' No, they won't. There ! " 
 
 He had kissed her hand. 
 
 " It's not my fault," Frank went on, as 
 she blushed deeply and tried to draw away. 
 ** That fellow on the stage is doing it — and 
 badly too. Now he Is saying, * I love you, 
 I love you ; you are the darling of my life, 
 the starlet of my soul ' "
 
 28o LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " It is not that. What nonsense ! You are 
 inventing.*' 
 
 *' It Is true ; I swear that it Is true. Those 
 are the words he uses, only, he does not mean 
 them — and I do." 
 
 Very pretty all this ; mere silly philander- 
 ing, harmless enough in itself as the cooing 
 of turtle-doves, but In consequences more 
 serious. 
 
 Frank flattered himself that he had escaped 
 observation, and so. In truth, he had — except 
 from one lynx-like pair of eyes. Mrs Sproule, 
 seated opposite, had caught sight of a red 
 jacket in the box with the Spanish beauties, 
 but had no suspicion that Wriottesley was the 
 wearer thereof. She had seen Ramona and 
 Lola early in the evening, and remembered them 
 both perfectly, but had not thought it necessary 
 to bow. Her gratitude for past kindness at 
 Agua Dulce was not keen enough to disturb 
 her ; nor did she feel there was the least neces- 
 sity for making any return, even to the extent 
 of publicly recognising the people to whom 
 she owed so much. In her own mind she 
 rather fancied that the kindness had been
 
 SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS. 28 1 
 
 on her part in condescending to honour their 
 house with her presence, and in accepting their 
 very humble attentions. But while she was 
 still wondering why Frank, faithless, had not 
 put in an appearance at the play, she suddenly 
 became aware that it was he who had been 
 seated all this time in the recesses of the 
 opposite box. Highly incensed at this de- 
 sertion, she nursed her rage, and took him 
 very seriously to task the following day. 
 
 **Well, Mr Wriottesley, I hope you are 
 properly ashamed of yourself." 
 
 '* And why ? " 
 
 ** Did we not keep a seat for you last 
 night ? And yet you never came." 
 
 " I was detained." 
 
 " In the opposite box only. Don't pretend 
 you were not at the theatre, for I saw you, 
 although you tried to hide." 
 
 " That I did not, I declare." 
 
 " When people's deeds are evil, they shun 
 the light." 
 
 *' Insinuating that my deeds are evil ? " 
 
 "If the cap fits you by all means put it on." 
 
 " I have done nothing of which I need be
 
 282 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 ashamed, Mrs Sproule. Those ladies with 
 whom I sat, — you know who they are, don't 
 you r 
 
 " One of the girls, that sallow-faced one, 
 reminded me rather of the people we saw at 
 that Spanish farm." 
 
 '* The same ! " 
 
 ** Common people rather. I wonder you 
 care to associate with them." 
 
 " They are ladies quite, Mrs Sproule. I 
 cannot suffer you to say one word in their 
 disparagement,'* cried Frank rather hotly, 
 thereby disclosing his hand. 
 
 ** Really, you must be rather hard hit to 
 defend them so warmly. Pray, when are we 
 to congratulate you ? " said Mrs Sproule with 
 a sneer ; " and which of the two is the lucky 
 girl of your choice ? " 
 
 " Mrs Sproule, your question will have 
 to be answered some day, and I am not 
 ashamed to answer it now and at once. One 
 of those ladies I firmly intend to make my 
 wife." 
 
 " How romantic I And pray, how will Sir 
 Hector receive the news ? "
 
 SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS. 283 
 
 "My uncle would never say ' No ' ; not if he 
 really knew Lola." 
 
 " Which is Lola ? the stout or the thin 
 one ? I forget," went on Mrs Sproule, screwing 
 up her eyes as people do when trying to re- 
 member something of very trifling importance. 
 
 ** You ought not to forget her ; it was she 
 who was at so much pains to make you com- 
 fortable at Agua Dulce." 
 
 ** I thought she was a sort of upper servant, 
 and would have given her some silver, only 
 there was not time. You cannot really mean, 
 Mr Wriottesley, that you are serious in 
 this ? " 
 
 *' Quite ! " 
 
 "It seems utterly suicidal. But I know you 
 are an obstinate man, upon whom arguments 
 are thrown away. If you must, you must." 
 
 " And you will give me your support ? I 
 shall want the good word of a friend to bring 
 Sir Hector round." 
 
 " You place me in a quandary, Mr Wriot- 
 tesley. I cannot admit that this is the right 
 sort of match for you, nor can I desert you in 
 your distress. What do you wish me to do ?
 
 284 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 Call ? I will if you like ; only you must tell 
 me what are her belongings here upon the 
 Rock ; I cannot go all the way to Ximena 
 again." 
 
 Frank, faltering a little, said, " Her name is 
 Bellota. They live at a cottage near Rosia 
 Bay." 
 
 " Bellota ! the name seems familiar." 
 
 " Probably you have heard it before. Old 
 Bellota is a man that every one knows." 
 
 ** * The Viscount ! ' to be sure ! What a 
 strange coincidence ! Of course, I mean that 
 your young lady cannot be any relation of 
 that notorious old Jew ? " 
 
 " Only his granddaughter," said Frank 
 plump and plain. Now that he was driven 
 into a corner he stood to his guns. 
 
 " What ! " shrieked Mrs Sproule in one 
 prolonged note of surprise. *' You must be 
 out of your mind, Mr Wriottesley." 
 
 ** I am not at all out of my mind. On 
 the contrary, Mrs Sproule, I am very sane 
 and very positive." 
 
 ** The man is not only a tradesman, but a 
 shameless old usurer, I am told, into the
 
 SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS. 285 
 
 bargrain. It quite takes away my breath. 
 Oh, Mr Wriottesley, you must let me say 
 distinctly that this will never, never do for 
 you." 
 
 " On such a matter I must claim to be 
 the best judge. The question affects me, 
 and me only." 
 
 ** Do you think your friends are all fools, 
 Mr Wriottesley. If you, yourself" 
 
 " Thank you, Mrs Sproule ; pray, call me 
 any names you like." 
 
 "We cannot suffer you to cut your own 
 throat, I mean — not without remonstrance. 
 Please, please be guided by advice. Do not 
 be so wrong-headed : do not recklessly throw 
 all your prospects away without pausing to 
 consider what you are about to do. You can 
 never marry a girl like this." 
 
 *' Pardon me, Mrs Sproule, that is my busi- 
 
 ness." 
 
 " Sir Hector will never stand it." 
 
 " That also is my business." 
 
 ** Dear, dear ! have you no common sense 
 left ? Can what is called love make big men 
 so childish and irrational all at once ? Mr
 
 286 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 Wriottesley, do be persuaded. By and by 
 you would regret it — no one more. Do 
 pause : you know the interest I have always 
 taken in you ; forgive my speaking so plainly 
 now. I beseech you not to sacrifice every- 
 thing to this most absurd and inconsiderate 
 passion." 
 
 " You are merely wasting words, Mrs 
 Sproule. I have quite made up my mind." 
 
 " A more obstinate and wilful man I never 
 met in all my life," said Mrs Sproule ener- 
 getically. " But I give you up ; from this 
 time forth I wash my hands of you.'* 
 
 *' Do not let us part in anger, Mrs Sproule. 
 There is much for which I have to thank 
 you and your husband. I had hoped that 
 now and in the future you would stand my 
 friends." 
 
 '' You will not let us," cried the lady. 
 *'We cannot encourage you in such folly as 
 this. We cannot, in common justice, give you 
 any advice but the very strongest entreaties 
 to put an end to the whole affair." 
 
 " I would not go past my plighted word 
 for all the estates in my uncle's county.
 
 SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS. 287 
 
 More ; sooner than surrender my love for 
 this girl I would sacrifice my right hand." 
 
 " These are mere heroics, the rhapsodies 
 of a lunatic." ' 
 
 " Thank you, Mrs Sproule ; then I will save 
 you the trouble of listening longer." 
 
 ** I won't detain you. I see I might as 
 well talk to the wall." 
 
 Thus they parted, coldly, but without any 
 actual breach ; and after he was gone Mrs 
 Sproule set to work to consider whether, in 
 spite of all his obstinacy, she might not yet 
 compass his deliverance from the ruin to 
 which he was so perversely tending. She 
 looked upon him as a man to be saved, 
 even against his will. He was to be pro- 
 tected against himself, just as obstinate people 
 are compelled, willy-nilly, to have their chil- 
 dren vaccinated, and dirty people ought to 
 be made to wash themselves and keep their 
 houses clean. 
 
 Of course, she told herself, she was actu- 
 ated by only the best intentions ; but we 
 know whither these good intentions lead, 
 and beneath their fair surface other motives
 
 288 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 urged her on. She suffered not a Httle in 
 temper at the obstinate opposition to her ad- 
 vice which Frank displayed. She was hurt 
 at finding that she had no power to guide 
 him ; sore because it seemed that a real, 
 wholesome passion had come to put an end 
 to the silly Platonic affection which all along 
 she fancied had existed between Frank Wri- 
 ottesley and herself. When thus roused and 
 egged on, Mrs Sproule was ready to go to 
 great lengths to gain her ends. She did not 
 recoil from measures which would have been 
 almost loathsome to others. This match must 
 be prevented, coute que coute, by any means, 
 fair or foul, that promised to be efficacious. 
 Bellota must be undeceived. No doubt he 
 encouraged Frank Wriottesley as a great 
 parti for his child. Sir Hector also must 
 be put upon his guard ; he must hear the 
 plain truth about this lowly girl whom his 
 nephew desired to lift into a position far above 
 her deserts. 
 
 Mrs Sproule was not a person to leave one 
 stone unturned in the prosecution of her resolves; 
 her schemes should not fail for want of careful
 
 SAVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS. 289 
 
 preparation ; and therefore she set to work 
 to ferret out what she could against Lola and 
 her family, in order to give point to her argu- 
 ments with Sir Hector Harrowby. In this 
 she found a willing ally in Ciruelas, who had 
 given her lessons on the guitar, and who 
 gladly lent his assistance to be revenged on 
 Frank. Through him she obtained a highly 
 coloured account of the fate of the first Dolores, 
 our heroine's mother, and many items of gossip 
 which represented old Bellota in anything but 
 a favourable light. Armed with these faots, 
 she sent an anonymous communication to Sir 
 Hector, which, to avoid detection, she made 
 Ciruelas write in his own hand. By his aid 
 she addressed old Bellota also in the same 
 cowardly fashion. 
 
 This was the substance of the latter letter : — 
 "You think perhaps that in Francis Wriot- 
 tesley you catch a wonderful prize for your 
 granddaughter Lola. It is not so. He is 
 heir to a rich man, but that man has many 
 caprices. His first act would be to disinherit 
 his nephew if he married beneath him, or 
 against his uncle's consent. Take care, then, 
 
 VOL I. T
 
 290 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 how far you suffer him to pay court to the 
 girl. Nothing can come of it but bitter 
 regrets, disappointments, perhaps ruin for 
 the child I presume you love." 
 
 This missive, duly despatched, reached Don 
 Mariano through the post. The effect It pro- 
 duced we will proceed to describe In the next 
 chapter.
 
 ( 291 ) 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE LOVERS MEET AND PART. 
 
 It would be difficult to give due effect to any 
 description of the rage into which old Bellota 
 fell on receipt of Mrs Sproule's letter. At first 
 he stormed and swore, and tore his hair ; loud 
 and vigorous were his denunciations of Josefa, 
 bitterly he upbraided Lola and the insidious 
 scoundrel who, in spite of him, had won her 
 affections. But as soon as the first paroxysm 
 of passion had abated, he resolved to see his 
 grandchild, and, taxing her openly with her 
 fault, insist upon her renouncing her lover once 
 and for all. 
 
 The name of Frank Wriottesley, who was 
 mentioned in the anonymous letter, was not 
 unknown to him. It was Bellotas business to 
 be well acquainted with nearly all the officers 
 of the garrison — certainly with all who, like
 
 292 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 Frank, were noted for spendthrift tastes. 
 Our hero had indeed done a little business 
 already, not with Bellota himself, but with 
 one of his agents, having required a 
 larger sum of ready money to pay for the 
 Bat than he could quite lay hands upon. His 
 bills were in Bellota's strong box at Crutchett's 
 Ramp, and the old spider had thus a certain 
 knowledge of Frank — by simple hearsay, no 
 more. But this raising of money was not a 
 point to give Frank favour in Bellota's eyes, 
 even had the old man been otherwise well 
 disposed towards him, which he was not. 
 Bellota's dislike of the whole class to which 
 Frank belonged was still as strong as ever, 
 and this underhand courtship, which had thus 
 providentially come to light, made him if 
 anything more bitter than before. He was 
 resolved to put an end to the whole affair — 
 a positive and unmistakable end. 
 
 Within an hour of the receipt of Mrs 
 Sproule's letter he returned to Rosia Cottage, 
 coming post-haste up the trellised verandah 
 which led from the outer gate to the house, 
 and making straight for the window opening
 
 THE LOVERS MEET AND PART. 293 
 
 on to the garden, at which his granddaughter 
 generally sat. 
 
 Josefa, who was with her charge, crossed her- 
 self devoutly as she saw her master approach. 
 Frank Wriottesley but a moment before had 
 gone over the wall — his usual mode of exit. 
 
 " El amo ! The master at this hour of the 
 morning! But at least to-day the saints are 
 kind. Had he seen your novio" she said 
 to Lola, ''not all the saints in the calendar, 
 not Michael and all his angels, would have 
 saved me from destruction. It puts me all in 
 
 • 
 
 a tremble. Senorita, what evil spirit tempted 
 you to favour this rubio — this mad young 
 Englishman with his yellow hair and false blue 
 eyes ^ Were there no lads, tall and brown, to 
 take your fancy among your own people ? " 
 
 '* Love knows no laws, Josefyia — we are its 
 slaves. But it is strange that mi abuelo should 
 return to the house at this unusual hour." 
 
 ''Some sour grape has given him the colic. 
 He looks to have that or worse," went on 
 Josefa, sotto voce, as Don Mariano came near 
 to where they sat. 
 
 In truth, the old man*s face was black,
 
 294 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 and his eyes flashed out like storm-signals 
 amid the dark night-clouds of an angry sky. 
 
 '* Begone!" he said abruptly to Josefa. "I 
 have that to say to this young lady which it 
 beseems not a servant to hear." 
 
 Josefa hated to be called a servant, and it 
 was with an unmistakable scowl that she rose 
 and prepared to retire. 
 
 "Save your frowns, Senora of little count, you 
 will want them ere long may be, for you and I 
 have a settlement to make that may perchance 
 open your flesh. Keep your back ready; there 
 is stick enough and to spare close at hand." 
 
 Lola had been at work, and she went on 
 stitching diligently while her grandfather was 
 talking, seeming, with downcast eyes, to take 
 but little notice of his words. But when he 
 had seated himself near her, and had taken 
 out, with the force of long habit, his tobacco- 
 pouch and bundle of cigarette papers, she 
 stretched out her hand towards him, saying — 
 
 *' Shall I make you one ? " 
 
 ** Gracias, no," replied Don Mariano, thereby 
 showing himself to be unusually ruflled. He 
 loved of all things to see her make his cigar-
 
 THE LOVERS MEET AND PART. 295 
 
 ettes and light them. He loved to watch her 
 nimble fingers, and to gaze at her bright 
 beauty as she stood before him. 
 
 " Has some bad insect stung you, abuelo, 
 that you are so cross ? " 
 
 "Stung! Ay, truly am I stung, and by 
 a poisonous asp." 
 
 **Am I the culprit? Shall I do penance 
 with candle and book, or go to the shrine 
 of our Lady of Europa barefoot to tell my 
 beads by the big lighthouse that guards the 
 Straits ? " 
 
 The girl's gaiety was a trifle forced. Some 
 misgiving seized her that her grandfather's 
 rage was connected with Frank Wriottesley. 
 Wrong-doers are always in momentary dread 
 of detection. Every turn of the door-handle 
 threatens to disclose the bearer of a forgfer's 
 warrant of arrest ; every footstep is that of 
 searchers near the concealed corpse. Lola, 
 in her little innocent way, felt herself a guilty 
 thing, and wished now that long ere this 
 she had made full confession of her crime — 
 the great crime of being in love. 
 
 *' Be serious, child. I am sore at heart.
 
 296 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 Nay, more ; I am enraged, furious, more 
 savage than a bull eight years old at bay 
 within the ring." 
 
 ** And with me ? " asked Lola, trembling in 
 spite of herself. There was a curious cadence 
 in her grandfather's voice which frightened her : 
 she had seen him angry before, but never 
 quite like this. ''What have I done, abuelito 
 of my heart ? Tell me of my sin, that I may 
 make a clean breast of it and seek absolution. 
 Surely it is not past forgiveness ? " 
 
 " Lola, as you hope for salvation, tell me, 
 speak truly — you have a lover ? No .'^ " 
 
 She blushed scarlet, but answered saucily 
 enough — 
 
 " Ya lo creo. I should think I had — a 
 dozen. Have not all girls, save those that 
 squint or carry humps ? " 
 
 ** If it were a dozen I should not mind ; 
 there is safety in crowds. But they tell me 
 you have but one — one only — and he is not 
 to my liking." 
 
 ** Who tell you, pray ? Does every gossip- 
 ing dame that climbs your stony stair carry 
 to you some new tale of me and of my doings ?
 
 THE LOVERS MEET AND PART. 297 
 
 Am I the talk of all those prosy knaves with 
 whom you sit and bargain ? '^ 
 
 "Is it true, I ask — true that you are en- 
 meshed, entangled with one of those fiends 
 in scarlet cloth that for some hidden purpose 
 God suffers to walk this earth as He does 
 the snakes and scorpions and reptiles, whom 
 our impulse is to crush and kill lest with 
 their venom they should do us harm ? Is 
 this true ? answer me, child. Hold up your 
 head, and with your eyes speak as well as 
 with your lips. Deny, for the love of Heaven 
 — denounce this wicked, cursed lie. Tell 'me 
 you do not love this Francis Wriottesley." 
 
 " No, abuelo, I cannot deny it," said Lola 
 firmly and looking him full in the face. " For 
 it is true, and I glory in the truth. I love 
 him, and he loves me." 
 
 *' Who is he? An officer? No?" 
 
 " Yes : I believe he is." 
 
 " You believe so ! Foolish goose ! Was 
 it not the glitter of the tinsel that took you 
 first ? The coat that is not yet his own — for 
 such as he pay no men their dues; and the 
 gilding that is on it will tarnish like the
 
 298 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 baser metal of which his heart is made. 
 Where didst meet him first ? " 
 
 *' At San Roque." 
 
 " I feared it. That Judas, Josefa, has 
 played me false. Oh, would that I held the 
 power of the governor of this strong place, 
 and I would mash her to a mummy behind this 
 rock, and leave her till the sharks and vultures 
 got indigestion from her foul remains." 
 
 '' Senor mio, it was not Josefa's fault. 
 When I fainted in the ring it was he who 
 carried me out ; and then in the evening, 
 at the Casino — we danced." 
 
 " Who took him there ? " 
 
 " Miguel." 
 
 ** Holy sainted men ! but every hand was 
 against me. Fate is hard to fight. And 
 since then you have met often ? '' 
 
 " At Agua Dulce ; he came thither to buy 
 horses." 
 
 " And here, in this house, upon the public 
 walks, where ? Don't hang your head. Can I 
 not guess ? Shame on 370U, mild-eyed and 
 gentle-voiced but deceitful and double-faced 
 child ! But as for Josefa, sourest locust of this
 
 THE LOVERS MEET AND PART. 299 
 
 season, she shall smart, I say. And you, Lola, 
 you must give him up. Nay, seek not to 
 alter my resolve. You must and shall forget 
 him and promise me never to see him more." 
 
 " I will not," replied Lola with decision. 
 Then suddenly changing her tone she cried, 
 " Oh, do not say you will separate us for 
 ever, abuelo mio ! It would be my death." 
 
 And she fondled him and made much of 
 him, as women will — even the purest and best 
 — to stave off sentence and gain their ends. 
 
 Don Mariano held her from him at arms- 
 length and spoke slowly — 
 
 ** Maria de los Dolores — Our Lady of 
 Sorrows — thus were you named at birth. 
 Know'st why ? " 
 
 " It was my mother's name. No ? " 
 
 " There was yet another reason than that." 
 
 Bellota paused ; he hated to tear up the 
 hard ground, the crust beneath which, far 
 down, his griefs were buried though still 
 alive. But with a strong effort he continued — 
 
 ** Listen, Lola ; I will tell you a tale, as often 
 I have romanced to amuse you, when, almost 
 a babe, you sat prattling and laughing on
 
 300 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 my knee. There was a man once — no matter 
 when — happy in the love of a devoted wife, 
 surrounded by a host of little ones whom 
 the good God had given him. He was 
 poor — what matter ? Returning when his 
 day's toil was done, a dozen merry tongues 
 greeted his approach ; the good wife soothed 
 his brow, and upon his own peaceful hearth 
 he forgot his troubles, and gained fresh cour- 
 age to struggle for their daily bread. Sud- 
 denly, in one short moment, so it seemed, 
 there came a blight — a plague fell upon 
 him. His saints forgot to speak for him, 
 their shrines perchance had been neglected — 
 perchance our Holy Mother looked away, 
 and without her sheltering grace the Evil 
 One had power to work his will. At one 
 stroke, at one fell swoop, in one short 
 summers night, he lost them all, but one — ■ 
 all that he held most dear, — the wife he 
 adored, the children of his loins, — all dead, 
 dead of the same fell fever — the yellow plague. 
 Ah, God ! how well I remember now." — As 
 he grew more impassioned, the flimsy pretence 
 of speaking at second-hand vanished, and it
 
 THE LOVERS MEET AND PART. 3OI 
 
 became clear that it was his own story that 
 he told. ** How well I remember each fatal 
 blow. I knew the disease by heart, and could 
 detect It as It crept towards them with stealthy 
 step, noting each symptom, unmasking every 
 move, till hope was lost and all was done. 
 Nine blessings I once possessed, and eight 
 were gone. One alone remained — saved, as 
 I think, by the intercession of those others 
 already gathered up to glory. She, by the 
 mercy of Heaven, was spared, to be, as I 
 fondly hoped, some consolation in my terrible 
 grief. In her alone I lived. There was none to 
 compare with her, as she grew up, gracious and 
 beautiful, a gift received direct from Heaven. 
 It IS of your mother, Lola, that I speak." 
 
 *' And what became of her, abuelo. You 
 never spoke like this before, — tell me what 
 happened my sweet mother ? (May she rest 
 in peace !) " 
 
 *' She was as the apple of my eye. I 
 think I would have sold my soul to bring 
 one gleam of pleasure to her cheek. I had 
 nursed and tended and loved her from a 
 child ; and yet, and yet "
 
 302 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " Yes-, yes ! go on." 
 
 ** She left me without a word — deserted 
 me, her father, to follow the fortunes of a 
 scoundrel who dazzled her by the deceitful 
 light he flashed in her eyes like a will-of-the- 
 wisp or corpse-candle, luring her only to 
 her ruin. I went up one morning, as was 
 my wont, with a dish of the fruit she loved. 
 Her room was empty ; she was gone. Gone ! 
 O God ! I thought I should have died ! ' 
 
 He paused for breath, consumed by strong 
 emotion ; then broke out into sudden maledic- 
 tions — 
 
 ** May Heaven's curse wither him and blast 
 him still. But he is dead ; he died soon after- 
 wards, leaving her forsaken, also to die. His 
 grand relations took no heed. Who was she ? 
 A light, wanton girl, full of the warm Southern 
 blood, whose passionate affection had been be- 
 yond control. They would not recognise her ; 
 nay, they drove her from them ; and she 
 came back to me, wasted and worn, the shadow 
 of her former self— she returned to me, her 
 father, whom one short year before she had 
 deserted without remorse or shame."
 
 THE LOVERS MEET AND PART. 303 
 
 ** But say, abuelo, say quickly, you did not 
 reject her, you did not turn her, poor darling, 
 from your door ? " 
 
 " I was not inhuman, Lola. The tigers 
 suckle their whelps. She was the last of 
 nine who had called me father ; she was of 
 my flesh and blood ; for their sake and hers 
 I took her in, and did my best to nurse the 
 pale flame of life which had flickered already 
 down so low. But alas ! our blessed sun was 
 not strong enough to thaw the chilling frosts 
 of the inhospitable North. She died — as you 
 were born, Dolores. Dolores ! child of my 
 innermost heart, she died and left me too ! " 
 
 Very poignant and bitter was the old man's 
 grief even now as he re-told the story of his 
 sorrow. Great tears were rolling down his 
 hard and wrinkled cheeks, and his brow was 
 deeply marked by the pain he sufl"ered. 
 
 Our Dolores, Dolores the younger, was 
 silent. What indeed could she say } This 
 terrible story was quite new to her. Its sad 
 details went straight to her heart. She 
 grieved for the lost mother she had never 
 known, but she had no apprehensions for
 
 304 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 herself. She need not distrust her Frank. 
 That pretty confidence which all girls possess 
 in the man on whom they doat, convinced 
 our Lola that with Frank Wriottesley her 
 happiness was perfectly secure. If her grand- 
 father did but know him ! Full of this 
 thought, she stole her hand gently towards 
 his, and following it, seated herself, childlike, 
 upon the old man's knee. 
 
 ^^ AbuelOy abuelitOy I would cut off my hair 
 and cast it in the gutter sooner than give 
 you pain. There would be no joy for me in 
 life if you were sorrowful and sad — nothing 
 would tempt me from your side. I do not 
 dream of leaving you — nor does my Francisco 
 wish it. He" ■ 
 
 "Is a lying thief — a villain who steals in 
 unawares to rob a better man of his choicest 
 jewel." 
 
 " No, grandfather ! Paco is as honest as the 
 sun, and as good as he is true. He would 
 scorn to do a dirty deed." 
 
 *'What call you this clandestine plucking of 
 the turkey, then ? Is it not mean and underhand 
 to pay you court and say no word to me ? "
 
 THE LOVERS MEET AND PART. 305 
 
 ** Would you have received him, abuelo, if 
 he had asked your permission first?" 
 
 This was a home thrust. 
 
 " That Is past now. It Is too late to speak 
 of that. He did not give me the chance. 
 I have sworn an oath that you shall never fall 
 Into the clutches of such a man as he. We may 
 be fallen low In the world, but our sense of 
 shame Is not less keen on that account." 
 
 " What shame, then ? Can there be any 
 shame In such love as his ? I pride In It, as 
 I do in the prospect of being one day caljed 
 his wife." 
 
 " His wife ! Child, It is plain that you 
 know little of this wicked world, still less of 
 him who flatters your foolish heart with 
 honied words. Think you It Is his purpose 
 to wed you, to put you on a level with him- 
 self and the cold proud people of his class .^ 
 Lola ! innocent, guileless child, you may thank 
 God that your eyes have not been opened 
 too late to the fraud and falsehood which 
 are as the breath In the nostrils of such 
 men as he." 
 
 '' You do him foul wrong, grandfather," 
 
 VOL I. u
 
 306 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 cried Lola with wide flashing eyes. Wonder 
 at Bellotas words had opened them first, 
 and now indignation followed to give them a 
 keener fire. " See here is his ring ; he has 
 pledged me his troth. He has sworn that I, 
 and I alone, shall be his wife." 
 
 " Words, Idle words ! His deceitful, lying 
 tongue can coin them as fast as a Jew 
 doubloons." 
 
 " Paco tells no lies." 
 
 "We shall see. At least he does not tell 
 you all the truth." 
 
 " How know you that ? What remains for 
 him to tell ? " inquired Lola artlessly. 
 
 " Does he tell you of his house, of his relatives, 
 away beyond there in rich, proud England ? " 
 
 "He has told me that his parents are dead ; 
 that they lost their lives in a fatal shipwreck." 
 
 " Ay ! but has he spoken of that uncle to 
 whom he is fast bound, hand and foot, owing 
 him everything in this world ? " 
 
 *' Yes ; I know him by heart, and the house 
 in which he lives, and which will be Francisco's 
 too some day." 
 
 '' And yours also ? Is it so foolish an idiot ?
 
 THE LOVERS MEET AND PART. 307 
 
 God makes it easy for the fool to swallow. 
 Half such a pill would stick in my dry throat. 
 That house is not his." 
 
 '' But it will be." 
 
 " Never ; not if he marries with such as you. 
 Of this I have good proof. His uncle would 
 probably disinherit him if he took home any 
 bride not of the old man's choosing ; but 
 assuredly if he demeaned himself to wed with 
 a Bellota — though our ancestors were kings 
 when his yet tilled the soil. If you married 
 him you would but disgrace and ruin him." • 
 
 '* I would die first!" cried Lola. " But he never 
 told me this. O grandfather, is it really true ? " 
 
 " I have it on the best authority — a letter 
 from a friend." 
 
 *' May I ask him ? Let him but tell me 
 with his own lips that I stand between him 
 and fortune, and there will be no necessity for 
 your stormy words. I would give him up of 
 my own free will." 
 
 " You shall see him. But trust not to what 
 he says. He will truckle and dissemble, as 
 lying villains always do," cried Bellota, still 
 beside himself with rage,
 
 308 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " Methlnks this unmeasured abuse comes 
 but ill from you, abuelo, who owest him, if not 
 your life, at least escape from serious harm." 
 
 " I owe him ? Girl, are you mad ? " 
 
 *' Did you not go on board the ship that 
 brought him out, and did not the rude sentry 
 seek to stay your steps with rough handling 
 and coarser words } Who saved you then ? 
 You never knew ? Paco, my Paquito, who 
 has told me the story again and again, for I 
 loved to hear that he was kind and generous, 
 and could stoop to protect the aged when per- 
 secuted and in trouble. And this is the only 
 return you make him — abuse, cruel abuse ! " 
 
 Lola's words staggered the old man not a 
 little. He was silent ; then with a heavy sigh, 
 he rose, saying, *' My oath ! my oath ! " and 
 went into the house. 
 
 How the poor child fought and wrestled 
 with herself that night ! It was now, for the 
 first time, that she really missed a mother's 
 love — the true shield for a maiden's guileless 
 heart. Out of the fulness of her own expe- 
 rience the tender parent guides her daughter s 
 feelings, administering gentle reproof if needed,
 
 THE LOVERS MEET AND PART. 309 
 
 soft sympathy, or that healing consolation 
 which binds up the sorest wounds. Such 
 cordial kindness, such rich affection, Lola had 
 never known. She had now no refuge in 
 her distress, no close and bosom friend to 
 whom she could fly to pour out all her woes. 
 She felt alone in the world, and conscious 
 that she must decide for herself this knotty 
 question, wherein lay the first real difficulty 
 and trial in all her hitherto happy joyous life. 
 
 It touched her so nearly ! If disappointed 
 now, it seemed as if her whole future must 
 be tainted with the black and bitter grief 
 Was It possible, she asked herself, to give up 
 her Frank, her treasure, the rich possession 
 in which were concentrated all Ideas of hap- 
 piness now and to come ? And yet, to keep 
 him would be at the price of his own ruin. 
 Could she with such utter selfishness ruin all 
 his worldly prospects ? For, If her grand- 
 father s story were true, it amounted to this ; 
 and the fear of doing her lover any injury, 
 the mere notion of standing in his light, when 
 duly realised, threatened to outweigh all other 
 considerations. No ; a thousand times better
 
 n 
 
 TO I.OLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 to lose him than to bring him into misery and 
 disgrace. But for this she would have never 
 despaired. Her grandfathers opposition could 
 not be quite insuperable. Had she not already 
 talked the old man out of refusals more per- 
 emptory than this ? His obstinacy, as we 
 know, had never prevailed long against the 
 persistence of her attacks, backed up with all 
 the argument that lay in her pleading voice 
 and winning ways. Might she not once more 
 overcome his scruples ? Yes ; if that were all, 
 there might have been hope ; but there could 
 be no hope if these crossgrained relatives in 
 England were really so disagreeable and hard. 
 
 And at length out of all her long and tearful 
 self-communings came this decision, that she 
 would obtain confirmation of her fears, or the 
 reverse, from the lips of her lover himself. 
 
 When Frank came next day to the garden, 
 she received him coldly enough. 
 
 "It is an age since we met, mda mm (my 
 life)," cried impetuous Frank, seeking to en- 
 fold her at once in his arms. 
 
 *' Back ; do not touch me." 
 
 " You are not usually so shy, my soul's 
 planet. In what have I displeased you ? "
 
 THE LOVERS MEET AND PART. 3 1 I 
 
 ** Sit there — on that far sofa---a long way off. 
 Yes ; it is my order ; sit as I desire you." 
 
 ** Are we going to play at soldiers ? " 
 
 ** There Is no joke or play In what I am 
 going to say to you. Paco, you must be very 
 formal — you must. I have much to ask, and 
 our talk must be serious — very serious." 
 
 " But you love me still ? Do not deny your 
 creed." 
 
 *' We shall see — It depends. There ! sit 
 still, do. Wait where you are, my son, and 
 tell me quickly, — who are you ? " 
 
 Frank laughed aloud. 
 
 ** This Is a court of justice, then, and you 
 are to try me in the balance ? Be merciful, 
 most righteous judge ! " 
 
 "It will be as you answer, culprit. Are 
 you not very wicked ? You should be hung in 
 chains, and sent to work at Ceuta. But now 
 try and speak the truth. Tell me, I ask again, 
 who are you ? " 
 
 ** My name is Francis Wriottesley ; my 
 friends call me Frank. My Lola says Paqulto. 
 My hair is light, my eyes green ; I have two 
 of them, Item two arms, item two legs "
 
 3 1 2 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 " So has a goose, my friend. But this is not 
 to the purpose. Where do you come from ? 
 Where is your home — the house of your 
 friends ? " 
 
 " At Grimswych. I told you of that long 
 ago." 
 
 '' And you live — how ? " 
 
 '' How I can — without you, that is to say." 
 
 " Does your life depend upon me then ? " 
 
 *' You know it does — my life and my happi- 
 ness.^' 
 
 *' What is your idea of happiness, Paco ? 
 Stay ! let me ask you — you know my cousins' 
 farm at Agua Dulce. There by the mill 
 stream stands a little hut of reeds, where lives 
 the man who feeds Teresa's pigs. His name 
 is Sebastian Barse — a worthy man, too, who 
 supports his wife and ten little ones on only a 
 few farthings a day. Tell me, could you live 
 on bread and oil, and a few farthings a day ? " 
 
 " With you, certainly." 
 
 " And the pigs ? " 
 
 "Your Spanish pigs are dear black balls, 
 and cleaner than many Christians. What plea- 
 santer existence than feeding the pigs, and my
 
 THE LOVERS MEET AND PART. 3 I 
 
 -> 
 
 Lola to bring the acorns. You would bring 
 my dinner too, a bowl oi gazpachoT 
 
 *' Which you know you cannot eat, and 
 always call pigs' food." 
 
 "Well, then, they could have it, and I the 
 acorns ; or you would give me a fowl boiled in 
 rice, or a salad of oranges and saffron, or some 
 broth of yellow beans. What would it matter 
 if you yourself cooked it } " 
 
 " You would live thus, you, my fine ca- 
 bailer 0, with your nice English ways, your 
 comforts, and your luxuries ? You would be 
 ready to face penury, and squalor and trials ? " 
 
 " If needs be, yes ; and more, to gain you." 
 
 *' And does it not amount to this, Francisco ? 
 To marry me would be to make yourself an 
 outcast from your people. No 1^' 
 
 '' Oh, no, my beautiful bird ! Alow I see 
 what you are driving at." 
 
 *' But, yes ; I say. You see I know all about 
 you — that you have an uncle rich as all the 
 Indies — a hard cold man, an English mzlor, 
 with no sympathy for such as me and mine — 
 who would not suffer you to fall so low as to 
 wed with the grandchild of a man who keeps a
 
 314 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 shop. Is not this so ? Would your uncle 
 consent to such a bride as me ? " 
 
 " My uncle Is anxious I should settle. He 
 wishes me to be married." 
 
 "Tome?^' 
 
 *' To you, my child — at least, he would If 
 he knew you." Frank could not help fencing 
 a little. He was too honest to deceive Lola 
 wilfully, yet the Insinuations dropped by Mrs 
 Sproule had set him thinking, and he was far 
 from confident that the way to happiness would 
 at first be quite smooth and clear of obstacle. 
 
 " Ay, wicked ! have I caught you ? He 
 does not know me. How then ? " 
 
 Frank was for the moment '' posed." He 
 could not reply all at once. 
 
 ** Listen to me, Paco — Francisco, whom 
 God and the Virgin know I love, ay, more 
 than I do my own soul, may I be forgiven for 
 saying so. I would die, die the death of all the 
 martyrs, rather than stand in the way between 
 you and all your people. Yes, you might cut 
 me into little pieces as they did the blessed 
 St Christopher, or grill me on a gridiron like 
 the holy St Lawrence, before I would "
 
 THE LOVERS MEET AND PART. 3 I 5 
 
 " Stay, stay, Lola ; you are too fast " 
 
 '* Listen first to me, Francisco. Nothing, 
 I say, would Induce me to act as the bitter 
 pill for your English friends to swallow ; " 
 and then, stamping her foot with Increasing 
 vehemence, as the question presented Itself 
 to her In a new light, she went on, **and 
 have we no pride, do you suppose ? We 
 Bellotas have blood as blue, ay bluer, than 
 yours. We are sons and daughters of some 
 one {hidalgos), and our ancestors two genera- 
 tions back were grandees of Spain. We 
 may be poor and fallen now. My father 
 sells you what you wish, and I am but an 
 
 ignorant underbred child ; still '' 
 
 ** Why, Lola, you are fit to be a duchess.'* 
 *' Thank you for the honour you do me." 
 ** I wish to heaven I were a duke for your sake. 
 You should be a duchess then I swear." 
 
 " You are my Paco — ah ! If only you might 
 be — and that would be quite enough for me." 
 
 " Come, Lollta, you are more reasonable 
 now. You have been jesting so far, you 
 have not said all this In real earnest. No- 
 thing would make you forget your promise .'* "
 
 :\l6 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 O 
 
 " I know that I can never love aeain ; 
 that the world holds one man only for me ; 
 that, if I cannot have my Paco, no one else 
 will do. But understand me, plain, plain ; 
 you shall not win me, never, never, never, 
 unless your friends agree.'' 
 
 *' Must they come and ask you ? " 
 *' Yes ; at least I must know that they 
 wish me to be your wife. I am resolved, 
 Francisco, I am by my salvation and the 
 sweet Virgin Mother." 
 
 ^' Then my uncle shall ask you himself." 
 *' You will write and get his consent? O son 
 of my soul, write, and write words that would 
 have persuaded the crucifying Jews to hold 
 their murderous hands. Write as if all the 
 universe were in feud till that answer came. It 
 is in truth my world which is bounded in that 
 letter, and if it fails — the great and awful day, 
 the last, may come, I care not how soon." 
 
 Poor child ! she was wound up to so high 
 a pitch, that the strings cracked, as it were, 
 and all at once her strength gave way. With 
 a loud torrent of sobs she fell almost sense- 
 less into Wriottesley's arms. If Frank had
 
 THE LOVERS MEET AND PART. 3 I 7 
 
 needed proof of the absorbing character of 
 the passion she felt for him, her last words, 
 and the grief that followed, would have been 
 more than enough to convince him. But 
 indeed he had never doubted her love ; and 
 the only effect of the scene in which he was 
 now taking part was to intensify and deepen 
 his own. Strangely affected, as true men 
 will be at the evidence of devotion to them- 
 selves, he was powerless to check her tears 
 or to assuage her grief; and could only kiss 
 her wet cheek again and again, murmuring ^in 
 her ear all the soft endearing words of a lan- 
 guage rich In tender expressions. '' My heart's 
 life," " starlet of my soul," " precious jewel." 
 
 But Lola soon recovered herself 
 
 " You will write, Paco ? " 
 
 ** At once." 
 
 " And will show me his answer ? " 
 
 '' Yes." 
 
 ** Whichever way it is ?" 
 
 *' It can only be one answer. He has 
 but to know you, and he could not hold out 
 a single instant. But what has led to all 
 this ? Who has told you of my uncle ? "
 
 ^l8 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 o 
 
 ** My own grandfather." 
 
 " Don Mariano ! then he knows ? " 
 
 " Everything. How, I cannot tell ; but 
 you remember how unexpectedly he returned 
 yesterday ? He came In here, just as you had 
 gone, and taxed me straight with encouraging 
 your attentions. I did not deny it." 
 
 " And then ? " 
 
 ** He commanded me to give you up. I 
 refused ; and then he told me a story — a sad, 
 sad story — of a girl like me, here upon this 
 big Rock, who, alas ! for her, attracted the 
 attention of one, an officer, an English officer 
 here. It may be such as you are, my Paco. 
 She fled with her lover, deserting her 
 father — an unfortunate, who had no other 
 child alive — fled, to find herself one day 
 neglected, scouted, abandoned, left alone, 
 perhaps to die upon a foreign Inhospitable 
 shore. Francisco, that girl was my mother." 
 
 *' Gracious God ! Lola, do you deem me 
 capable too of such villany as this ? If so, 
 we had better part to-day, this hour." 
 
 " Have I said I doubted you ? No, Paco," 
 said Lola, drawing herself up proudly to her
 
 THE LOVERS MEET AND PART. 3 I 9 
 
 full height. *' I have that faith and trust in 
 you, my heart's choice, that I would go forth 
 this instant, my hand in thine, out upon the 
 wide, wide world, freely confiding in thy 
 honour as I do in my own." 
 
 ** And she was your mother ! Did you 
 know her ? " 
 
 " She died as I was born. But you can- 
 not wonder now that my grandfather should 
 detest the class to which you belong, and that 
 he should refuse to entertain your suit." 
 
 *' He knows I am a ofentleman." 
 
 " Yes ; and for that reason distrusts your 
 intentions. But even that I could overcome. 
 My abuelo is not proof against my coaxing ; " 
 and once again she broke into her merry 
 laugh. '* And he felt he was not safe, so he 
 played a stronger card — your uncle." 
 
 *' And yet we will beat It. I will write 
 to-night a letter that would melt a stone." 
 
 ** You think you will succeed ?" 
 
 '' I am sure of it.'* 
 
 '' Then go and write : do not delay." 
 
 ** In fourteen days at latest the answer 
 will be here. Then I will beard Don Mariano
 
 320 LOLA : A TALE OF THE ROCK. 
 
 in his own den, and marry you in spite of 
 him and all the world." 
 
 " Fourteen days — it seems an age. And 
 not to see you all that time ! " 
 
 " How ? " 
 
 "My grandfather has forbidden me to see 
 you ever again. This meeting he knows of, 
 and allowed, on condition only that it should 
 be the last. He threatens to set a watch on 
 me, and that if we are found together he will 
 send me to a convent in the North of Spain." 
 
 " And yet we shall meet again, Lolita, I 
 think — once again, at least." 
 
 " Only once ! " cried Lola pouting. 
 
 *' Yes, once ; but that will be for always." 
 
 And with this for the present they parted. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 PRINTED BY BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO. 
 EDINBURGH ANU LONbON