THE HEART'S SECRET:

OR, THE FORTUNES OF A SOLDIER. 

BY LIEUTENANT MURRAY. 

BOSTON:

1852. 

PUBLISHER'S NOTE. --The following Novellette was originally publishedin the PICTORIAL DRAWING-ROOM COMPANION, and is but a specimen ofthe many deeply entertaining Tales, and gems of literary merit, which grace the columns of that elegant and highly popular journal. The COMPANION embodies a corps of contributors of rare literaryexcellence, and is regarded as the ne plus ultra, by its scores ofthousands of readers. 

PREFACE. 

THE locale of the following story is that gem of the AmericanArchipelago; the Island of Cuba, whose lone star, now merged in thesea, is destined yet to sparkle in liberty's hemisphere, and radiatethe light of republicanism. Poetry cannot outdo the fairy-likeloveliness of this tropical clime, and only those who have partakenof the aromatic sweetness of its fields and shores can fully realizethe delight that may be shared in these low latitudes. A briefresidence upon the island afforded the author the subject-matter forthe following pages, and he has been assiduous in his efforts toadhere strictly to geographical facts and the truthful belongings ofthe island. Trusting that this may prove equally popular with theauthor's other numerous tales and novelettes, he has the pleasure ofsigning himself, Very cordially, THE PUBLIC's HUMBLE SERVANT. 

DEDICATEDTO THE READERS OFGLEASON'S PICTORIAL DRAWING-ROOM COMPANION, FOR WHICH JOURNAL THESE PAGES WERE ORIGINALLY WRITTEN, BY THEIR VERY HUMBLE SERVANT, LIEUTENANT MURRAY. 

THE HEART'S SECRET. 

CHAPTER I. 

THE ACCIDENT. 

THE soft twilight of the tropics, that loves to linger over the lowlatitudes, after the departure of the long summer's day, wasbreathing in zephyrs of aromatic sweetness over the shores andplains of the beautiful Queen of the Antilles. The noise and bustleof the day had given place to the quiet and gentle influences of thehour; the slave had laid by his implements of labor, and now stoodat ease, while the sunburnt overseers had put off the air ofvigilance that they had worn all day, and sat or lounged lazily withtheir cigars. 

Here and there strolled a Montaro from the country, who, havingdisposed of his load of fruit, of produce and fowls, was nowpreparing to return once more inland, looking, with his long Toledoblade and heavy spurs, more like a bandit than an honest husbandman. The evening gun had long since boomed over the waters of theland-locked harbor from the grim, walls of Moro Castle, the guardhad been relieved at the governor's palace and the city walls, andnow the steady martial tread to the tap of the drum rang along thestreets of Havana, as the guard once more sought their barracks inthe Plaza des Armes. 

The pretty senoritas sat at their grated windows, nearly on a levelwith the street, and chatted through the bars, not unlike prisoners, to those gallants who paused to address them. And now a steady lineof pedestrians turned their way to the garden that fronts thegovernor's palace, where they might listen to the music of the band, nightly poured forth here to rich and poor. 

At this peculiar hour there was a small party walking in the broadand very private walk that skirts the seaward side of the city, nearly opposite the Moro, and known as the Plato. It is the onlyhour in which a lady can appear outside the walls of her dwelling onfoot in this queer and picturesque capital, and then only in thePlaza, opposite to the palace, or in some secluded and private walklike the Plato. Such is Creole and Spanish etiquette. 

The party referred to consisted of a fine looking old Spanish don, alady who seemed to be his daughter, a little boy of some twelve orthirteen years, who might perhaps be the lady's brother, and acouple of gentlemen in undress military attire, yet bearingsufficient tokens of rank to show them to be high in command. Theparty was a gay though small one, and the lady seemed to be aslively and talkative as the two gentlemen could desire, while they, on their part, appeared most devoted to every syllable and gesture. 

There was a slight air of hauteur in the lady's bearing; she seemedto half disdain the homage that was so freely tendered to her, andthough she laughed loud and clear, there was a careless, not to sayheartless, accent in her tones, that betrayed her indifference tothe devoted attentions of her companions. Apparently too muchaccustomed to this treatment to be disheartened by it, the twogentlemen bore themselves most courteously, and continued as devotedas ever to the fair creature by their side. 

The boy of whom we have spoken was a noble child, frank and manly inhis bearing, and evidently deeply interested in the maritime scenebefore him. Now he paused to watch the throng of craft of everynation that lay at anchor in the harbor, or which were moored; afterthe fashion here, with their stems to the quay, and now his fineblue eye wandered off over the swift running waters of the GulfStream, watching for a moment the long, heavy swoop of some distantseafowl, or the white sail of some clipper craft bound up the Gulfto New Orleans, or down the narrow channel through the Caribbean Seato some South American port. The old don seemed in the meantime toregard the boy with an earnest pride, and scarcely heeded at all thebright sallies of wit that his daughter was so freely and merrilybestowing upon her two assiduous admirers. 

"Yonder brigantine must be a slaver, " said the boy, pointing to arakish craft that seemed to be struggling against the current to thesouthward. 

"Most like, most like; but what does she on this side? the southernshore is her ground, and the Isle of Pines is a hundred leagues fromhere, " said the old don. 

"She has lost her reckoning, probably, " said the boy, "and made thefirst land to the north. Lucky she didn't fall in with those Floridawreckers, for though the Americans don't carry on the African tradenowadays, they know what to do with a cargo if it gets once hard andfast on the reefs. "

"What know you of these matters?" asked the old don, turning acurious eye on the boy. 

"O, I hear them talk of these things, and you know I saw a cargo'run' on the south side only last month, " continued the boy. "Therewere three hundred or more filed off from that felucca, two by two, to the shore. "

"It is a slaver, " said one of the officers, "a little out of herlatitude, that's all. "

"A beautiful craft, " said the lady, earnestly; "can it be a slaver, and so beautiful. "

"They are clipper-built, all of them, " said the old don. "Launchedin Baltimore, United States. "

Senorita Gonzales was the daughter of the proud old don of the samename, who was of the party on the Plato at the time we describe. Thefather was one of the richest as well as noblest in rank of all theresidents of the island, being of the old Castilian stock, who hadcome from Spain many years before, and after holding high office, both civil and military, under the crown, had at last retired with aprincely fortune, and devoted himself to the education of hisdaughter and son, both of whom we have already introduced to thereader. 

The daughter, beautiful, intelligent, and witty to a mostextraordinary degree, had absolutely broken the hearts of half themen of rank on the island; for though yet scarcely twenty years ofage, Senorita Isabella was a confirmed coquette. It was her passionto command and enjoy a devotion, but as to ever having in the leastdegree cherished or known what it was to love, the lady was entirelyvoid of the charge; she had never known the tenderness of reciprocalaffection, nor did it seem to those who knew her best, that the manwas born who could win her confidence. 

Men's hearts had been Isabella Gonzales's toys and playthings eversince the hour that she first had realized her power over them. Andyet she was far from being heartless in reality. She was mostsensitive, and at times thoughtful and serious; but this was in hercloset, and when alone. Those who thought that the sunshine of thatface was never clouded, were mistaken. She hardly received therespect that was due to her better understanding and naturallystrong points of character, because she hid them mainly behind anexterior of captivating mirthfulness and never ceasing smiles. 

The cool refreshing sea breeze that swept in from the water was mostdelicious, after the scorching heat of a summer's day in the WestIndies, and the party paused as they breathed in of its freshness, leaning upon the parapet of the walk, over which they looked downupon the glancing waves of the bay far beneath them. The moon wasstealing slowly but steadily up from behind the lofty tower of MoroCastle, casting a dash of silvery light athwart its dark batteriesand grim walls, and silvering a long wake across the now silentharbor, making its rippling waters of golden and silver hues, andcasting, where the Moro tower was between it and the water, a long, deep shadow to seaward. 

Even the gay and apparently thoughtless Senorita Isabella was struckwith delight at the view now presented to her gaze, and for a momentshe paused in silence to drink in of the spirit-stirring beauty ofthe scene. 

"How beautiful it is, " whispered the boy, who was close by her side. 

"Beautiful, very beautiful, " echoed Isabella, again becoming silent. 

No one who has not breathed the soft air of the south at an hoursuch as we have described, can well realize the tender influencethat it exercises upon a susceptible disposition. The whole partygazed for some minutes in silence, apparently charmed by the scene. There was a hallowing and chastening influence in the very air, andthe gay coquette was softened into the tender woman. A tear evenglistened in Ruez's, her brother's eyes; but he was a thoughtful anddelicate-souled child, and would be affected thus much more quicklythan his sister. 

The eldest of the two gentlemen who were in attendance upon DonGonzales and his family, was Count Anguera, lieutenant-governor ofthe island; and his companion, a fine military figure, apparentlysome years the count's junior, was General Harero of the royalinfantry, quartered at the governor's palace. Such was the partythat promenaded on the parapet of the Plato. 

As we have intimated, the two gentlemen were evidently striving toplease Isabella, and to win from her some encouraging smile or othertoken that might indicate a preference for their attentions. Admiration even from the high source that now tendered it was no newthing to her, and with just sufficient archness to puzzle them, shewaived and replied to their conversation with most provokingindifference, lavishing a vast deal more kindness and attention upona noble wolf-hound that crouched close to her feet, his big cleareye bent ever upon his mistress's face with a degree of intelligencethat would have formed a theme for a painter. It was a noblecreature, and no wonder the lady evinced so much regard for thehound, who ever and anon walked close to her. 

"You love the hound?" suggested General Harero, stooping to smoothits glossy coat. 

"Yes. "

"He is to be envied, then, upon my soul, lady. How could he, with nopowers of utterance, have done that for himself, which we poorgallants so fail in doing?"

"And what may that be?" asked Isabella, archly tossing her head. 

"Win thy love, " half whispered the officer, drawing closer to herside. 

The answer was lost, if indeed Isabella intended one, by thefather's calling the attention of the party to some object on theRegla shore, opposite the city, looming up in the dim light. 

Ruez had mounted the parapet, and with his feet carelessly danglingon the other side, sat gazing off upon the sea, now straining hiseye to make out the rig of some dark hull in the distance, and nowfollowing back the moon's glittering wake until it met the shore. Atthis moment the hound, leaving his mistress's side, put his forepaws upon the top of the parapet and his nose into one of the boy'shands, causing him to turn round suddenly to see what it was thattouched him; in doing which he lost his balance, and with a faintcry fell from the parapet far down to the water below. Each of thegentlemen at once sprang upon the stone work and looked over wherethe boy had fallen, but it would have been madness for any one, however good a swimmer; and as they realized this and their helplesssituation, they stood for a moment dumb with consternation. 

At that moment a plunge was heard in the water from the edge of thequay far below the parapet, and a dark form was traced making itsway through the water with that strong bold stroke that shows theeffort of a confident and powerful swimmer. 

"Thank God some one has seen his fall from below, and they willrescue him, " said Don Gonzales, springing swiftly down the Platosteps, followed by Isabella and the officers, and seeking the streetthat led to the quay below. 

"O hasten, father, hasten!" exclaimed Isabella, impatiently. 

"Nay, Isabella, my old limbs totter with fear for dear Ruez, " wasthe hasty reply of the old don, as he hurried forward with hisdaughter. 

"Dear, dear Ruez, " exclaimed Isabella, hysterically. 

Dashing by the guard stationed on the quay, who presented arms ashis superiors passed, they reached its end in time to see, throughthe now dim twilight, the efforts of some one in the watersupporting the half insensible boy with one arm, while with theother he was struggling with almost superhuman effort against thesteady set of the tide to seaward. Already were a couple of seamenlowering a quarter-boat from an American barque, near by, but therope had fouled in the blocks, and they could not loose it. A coupleof infantry soldiers had also come up to the spot, and havingsecured a rope were about to attempt some assistance to the swimmer. 

"Heave the line, " shouted one of the seamen. "Give me the bight ofit, and I'll swim out to him. "

"Stand by for it, " said the soldier, coiling it in his hand and thenthrowing it towards the barque. But the coil fell short of the mark, and another minute's delay occurred. 

In the meantime he who held the boy, though evidently a man of cooljudgment, powerful frame, and steady purpose, yet now breathed soheavily in his earnest struggle with the swift tide, that hispanting might be distinctly heard on the quay. He was evidentlyconscious of the efforts now making for his succor and that of theboy, but he uttered no words, still bending every nerve and facultytowards the stemming of the current tint sets into the harbor fromthe Gulf Stream. 

The hound had been running back and forth on the top of the parapet, half preparing every moment for a spring, and then deterred by theimmense distance which presented itself between the animal and thewater, it would run back and forth again with a most piteous howlingcry; but at this moment it came bounding down the street to thequay, as though it at last realized the proper spot from which tomake the attempt, and with a leap that seemed to carry it nearly arod into the waters, it swam easily to the boy's side. 

An exclamation of joy escaped from both Don Gonzales and Isabella, for they knew the hound to have saved a life before, and now prizedhis sagacity highly. 

As the hound swung round easily beside the struggling forms, theswimmer placed the boy's arm about the animal's neck, while thenoble creature, with almost human reason, instead of strugglingfiercely at being thus entirely buried in the water, save the merepoint of his nose, worked as steadily and as calmly as though he wasmerely following his young master on shore. The momentary relief wasof the utmost importance to the swimmer, who being thus partiallyrelieved of Ruez's weight, once more struck out boldly for the quay. But the boy had now lost all consciousness, and his arm slipped awayfrom the hound's neck, and he rolled heavily over, carrying down theswimmer and himself for a moment, below the surface of the water. 

"Holy mother! they are both drowned!" almost screamed Isabella. 

"Lost! lost!" groaned Don Gonzales, with uplifted hands andtottering form. 

"No! no!" exclaimed General Harero, "not yet, not yet. " He hadjumped on board the barque, and had cut the davit ropes with hissword, and thus succeeded in launching the boat with himself and thetwo seamen in it. 

At this moment the swimmer rose once more slowly with his burthen tothe surface; but his efforts were so faintly made now, that hebarely floated, and yet with a nervous vigor he kept the boy stillfar above himself. And now it was that the noble instinct of thehound stood his young master in such importance, and led him toseize with his teeth the boy's clothes, while the swimmer once morefairly gained his self-possession, and the boat with General Hareroand the seamen came alongside. In a moment more the boy with hispreserver and the dog were safe in the boat, which was rowed at onceto the quay. 

A shout of satisfaction rang out from twenty voices that hadwitnessed the scene. 

Isabella, the moment they were safely in the boat, fainted, whileCount Anguera ran for a volante for conveyance home. The swimmersoon regained his strength, and when the boat reached the quay, helifted the boy from it himself. It was a most striking picture thatpresented itself to the eye at that moment on the quay, in the dimtwilight that was so struggling with the moon's brighter rays. 

The father, embracing the reviving boy, looked the gratitude hecould not find words to express, while a calm, satisfied smileornamented the handsome features of the soldier who had saved Ruez'slife at such imminent risk. The coat which he had hastily thrownupon the quay when he leaped into the water, showed him to bear therank of lieutenant of infantry, and by the number, he belonged toGeneral Harero's own division. 

The child was placed with his sister and father in a volante, andborne away from the spot with all speed, that the necessary care andattention might be afforded to him which they could only expect intheir own home. 

In the meantime a peculiar satisfaction mantled the brow andfeatures of the young officer who had thus signally served DonGonzales and his child. His fine military figure stood erect andcommanding in style while he gazed after the volante that containedthe party named, nor did he move for some moments, seeming to beexercised by some peculiar spell; still gazing in the direction inwhich the volante had disappeared, until General Harero, hissuperior, having at length arranged his own attire, after the hastyefforts which he had made, came by, and touching him lightly on thearm, said:

"Lieutenant, you seem to be dreaming; has the bath affected yourbrain?"

"Not at all, general, " replied the young officer, hastening to puton his coat once more; "I have indeed forgotten myself for a singlemoment. "

"Know you the family whom you have thus served?" asked the general. 

"I do; that is, I know their name, general, but nothing further. "

"He's a clever man, and will remember your services, " said thegeneral, carelessly, as he walked up the quay and received thesalute of the sentinel on duty. 

Some strange feeling appeared to be working in the breast of theyoung officer who had just performed the gallant deed we haverecorded, for he seemed even now to be quite lost to all outwardrealization, and was evidently engaged in most agreeable communionwith himself mentally. He too now walked up the quay, also, receiving the salute of the sentinel, and not forgetting either, asdid the superior officer, to touch his cap in acknowledgement, asign that an observant man would have marked in the character ofboth; and one, too, which was not lost on the humble private, whoseduty it was to stand at his post until the middle watch of thenight. A long and weary duty is that of a sentinel on the quay atnight. 

CHAPTER II. 

THE BELLE AND THE SOLDIER. 

WHOEVER has been in Havana, that strange and peculiar city, whoseevery association and belonging seem to bring to mind the period ofcenturies gone by, whose time-worn and moss-covered cathedralsappear to stand as grim records of the past, whose noble palaces andresidences of the rich give token of the fact of its great wealthand extraordinary resources--whoever, we say, has been in thiscapital of Cuba, has of course visited its well-known and far-famedTacon Paseo. It is here, just outside the city walls, in a beautifultract of land, laid out in tempting walks, ornamented with thefragrant flowers of the tropics, and with statues and fountainsinnumerable, that the beauty and fashion of the town resort eachafternoon to drive in their volantes, and to meet and greet eachother. 

It was on the afternoon subsequent to that of the accident recordedin the preceding chapter, that a young officer, off duty, might beseen partially reclining upon one of the broad seats that here andthere line the foot-path of the circular drive in the Paseo. Hepossessed a fine manly figure, and was perhaps of twenty-four orfive years of age, and clothed in the plain undress uniform of theSpanish army. His features were of that national and handsome castthat is peculiar to the full-blooded Castilian, and the pure oliveof his complexion contrasted finely with a moustache and imperial asblack as the dark flowing hair that fell from beneath his foragingcap. At the moment when we introduce him he was playing with asmall, light walking-stick, with which he thrashed his boots mostimmoderately; but his thoughts were busy enough in another quarter, as any one might conjecture even at a single glance. 

Suddenly his whole manner changed; he rose quickly to his feet, andlifting his cap gracefully, he saluted and acknowledged theparticular notice of a lady who bent partially forward from a richlymounted volante drawn by as richly it caparisoned horse, and drivenby as richly dressed a calesaro. The manner of the young officerfrom that moment was the very antipodes of what it had been a fewmoments before. A change seemed to have come over the spirit of hisdream. His fine military figure became erect and dignified, and aslight indication of satisfied pride was just visible in the finelines of his expressive lips. As he passed on his way, after amomentary pause, he met General Harero, who stiffly acknowledged hismilitary salute, with anything but kindness expressed in the sternlines of his forbidding countenance. He even took some pains toscowl upon the young soldier as they passed each other. 

But what cared Lieutenant Bezan for his frowns? Had not the belle ofthe city, the beautiful, the peerless, the famed Senorita IsabellaGonzales just publicly saluted him?-that glorious being whosetranscendent beauty had been the theme of every tongue, and whoseloveliness had enslaved him from the first moment he had looked uponher-just two years previous, when he first came from Spain. Had notthis high-born and proud lady publicly saluted him? Him, a poorlieutenant of infantry, who had never dared to lift his eyes to meether own before, however deep and ardently he might have worshippedher in secret. What cared the young officer that his commander hadseen fit thus to frown upon him? True, he realized the power ofmilitary discipline, and particularly of the Spanish army; but heforgot all else now, in the fact that Isabella Gonzales had publiclysaluted him in the paths of the Paseo. 

Possessed of a highly chivalrous disposition, Lieutenant Bezan hadfew confidants among his regiment, who, notwithstanding this, lovedhim as well as brothers might love. He seemed decidedly to prefersolitude and his books to the social gatherings, or the clubs formedby his brother officers, or indeed to join them in any of theirordinary sports or pastimes. 

Of a very good family at home, he had the misfortune to have beenborn a younger brother, and after being thoroughly educated at thebest schools of Madrid, he was frankly told by his father that hemust seek his fortune, and for the future rely solely upon himself. There was but one field open to him, at least so it seemed to him, and that was the army. Two years before the opening of our story hehad enlisted as a third lieutenant of infantry, and had been at onceordered to the West Indies with his entire regiment. Here promotionfor more than one gallant act closely followed him, until at thetime we introduce him to the reader as first lieutenant. Being of anaturally cheerful and exceedingly happy disposition, he took lifelike a philosopher, and knew little of care or sorrow until the timewhen he first saw Senorita Isabella Gonzales-an occasion thatplanted a hopeless passion in his breast. 

From the moment of their first meeting, though entirely unnoticed byher, he felt that he loved her, deeply, tenderly loved her; and yetat the same time he fully realized how immeasurably she was beyondhis sphere, and consequently hopes. He saw the first officials ofthe island at her very feet, watching for one glance ofencouragement or kindness from those dark and lustrous eyes of jet;in short, he saw her ever the centre of an admiring circle of therich and proud. It is perhaps strange, but nevertheless true, thatwith all these discouraging and disheartening circumstances, Lieutenant Bezan did not lose all hope. He loved her, lowly andobscure though he was, with all his heart, and used to whisper tohimself that love like his need not despair, for he felt how trulyand honestly his heart warmed and his pulses beat for her. 

Nearly two entire years had his devoted heart lived on thus, if notonce gratified by a glance from her eye, still hoping that devotionlike his would one day be rewarded. What prophets of the future areyouth and love! Distant as the star of his destiny appeared fromhim, he yet still toiled on, hoped on, in his often weary round ofduty, sustained by the one sentiment of tender love and devotednessto one who knew him not. 

At the time of the fearful accident when Ruez Gonzales came so nearlosing his life from the fall he suffered off the parapet of thePlato, Lieutenant Bezan was officer of the night, his rounds havingfortunately brought him to the quay at the most opportune moment. Heknew not who it was that had fallen into the water, but guided by anative spirit of daring and humanity, he had thrown off his coat andcap and leaped in after him. 

The feelings of pleasure and secret joy experienced by the youngofficer, when after landing from the boat he learned by a singleglance who it was he had so fortunately saved, may be betterimagined than described, when his love for the boy's sister isremembered. And when, as we have related, the proud SenoritaIsabella publicly saluted him before a hundred eyes in the Paseo, hefelt a joy of mind, a brightness of heart, that words could notexpress. 

His figure and face were such that once seen their manly beauty andnoble outline could not be easily forgotten; and there were fewladies in the city, whose station and rank would permit them toassociate with one bearing only a lieutenant's commission, who wouldnot have been proud of his notice and homage. He could not beignorant of his personal recommendations, and yet the young officersought no female society-his heart it knew but one idol, and hecould bow to but one throne of love. 

Whether by accident or purposely, the lady herself only knew, butwhen the volante, in the circular drive of the Paseo, again cameopposite to the spot where Lieutenant Bezan was, the SenoritaIsabella dropped her fan upon the carriage-road. As the youngofficer sprang to pick it up and return it, she bade the calesaro tohalt. Her father, Don Gonzales, was by her side, and the lieutenantpresented the fan in the most respectful manner, being rewarded by aglance from the lady that thrilled to his very soul. Don Gonzalesexclaimed:

"By our lady, but this is the young officer, Isabella, whoyesternight so promptly and gallantly saved the life of our dearRuez. "

"It is indeed he, father, " said the beauty, with much interest. 

"Lieutenant Bezan, the general told us, I believe, " continued thefather. 

"That was the name, father. "

"And is this Lieutenant Bezan?" asked Don Gonzales, addressing theofficer. 

"At your service, " replied he, bowing respectfully. 

"Senor, " continued the father, most earnestly, and extending at thesame time his hand to the blushing soldier, "permit me and mydaughter to thank you sincerely for the extraordinary service yourendered to us and our dear Ruez last evening. "

"Senor, the pleasure of having served you richly compensated for anypersonal inconvenience or risk I may have experienced, " answeredLieutenant Bezan; saying which, he bowed low and looked once intothe lovely eyes of the beautiful Senorita Isabella, when at a wordto the calesaro, the volante again passed on in the circular drive. 

But the young officer had not been unwatched during the briefmoments of conversation that had passed between him and theoccupants of the vehicle. Scarcely had he left the side of thevolante, when he once more met General Harero, who seemed this timeto take some pains to confront him, as he remarked:

"What business may Lieutenant Bezan have with Don Gonzales and hisfair daughter, that he stops their volante in the public walks ofthe Paseo?"

"The lady dropped her fan, general, and I picked it up and returnedit to her, " was the gentlemanly and submissive reply of the youngofficer. 

"Dropped her fan, " repeated the general, sneeringly, as he gazed atthe lieutenant. 

"Yes, general, and I returned it. "

"Indeed, " said the commanding officers, with a decided emphasis. 

"Could I have done less, general?" asked Lieutenant Bezan. 

"It matters not, though you seem to be ever on hand to do the ladyand her father some service, sir. Perhaps you would relish anothercold bath, " he continued, with most cutting sarcasm. "Who introducedyou, sir, to these people?"

"No one, sir. It was chance that brought us together. You willremember the scene on the quay. "

"I do. "

"Before that time I had never exchanged one word with them. "

"And on this you presume to establish an acquaintance?"

"By no means, sir. The lady recognized me, and I was proud to returnthe polite salute with which she greeted me. "

"Doubtless. "

"Would you have me do otherwise, sir?"

"I would have you avoid this family of Gonzales altogether. "

"I trust, general, that I have not exceeded my duty either to thefather or daughter, though by the tone of your remarks I seem tohave incurred your disapprobation, " replied Lieutenant Bezan, firmlybut respectfully. 

"It would be more becoming in an officer of your rank, " continuedthe superior, "to be nearer his quarters, than to spend his hoursoff duty in so conspicuous and public a place as the Tacon Paseo. Ishall see that such orders are issued for the future as shall keepthose attached to my division within the city walls. "

"Whatever duty is prescribed by my superiors I shall most cheerfullyand promptly respond to, General Harero, " replied the young officer, as he respectfully saluted his general, and turning, he sought thecity gates on the way to his barracks. 

"Stay, Lieutenant Bezan, " said the general, somewhat nervously. 

"General, " repeated the officer, with the prompt military salute, ashe awaited orders. 

"You may go, sir, " continued the superior, biting his lips withvexation. "Another time will answer my purpose quite as well, perhaps better. You may retire, I say. "

"Yes, general, " answered the soldier, respectfully, and once moreturned away. 

Lieutenant Bezan was too well aware of General Harero's intimacy atthe house of Don Gonzales, not to understand the meaning of therebuke and exhibition of bitterness on the part of his superiortowards him. The general, although he possessed a fine commandingfigure, yet was endowed with no such personal advantages torecommend him to a lady's eye as did the young officer who had thusprovoked him, and he could not relish the idea that one who hadalready rendered such signal services to the Senorita Isabella andher father, even though he was so very far below himself in rank, should become too intimate with the family. It would be unfairtowards Lieutenant Bezan to suppose that he did not possesssufficient judgment of human nature and discernment to see all this. 

He could not but regret that he had incurred the ill will of hisgeneral, though it was unjustly entertained, for he knew only toowell how rigorous was the service in which he was engaged, and thata superior officer possessed almost absolute power over those placedin his command, in the Spanish army, even unto the sentence ofdeath. He had too often been the unwilling spectator, and even attimes the innocent agent of scenes that were revolting to his betterfeelings, which emanated solely from this arbitrary power vested inheartless and incompetent individuals by means of their militaryrank. Musing thus upon the singular state of his affairs, and theevents of the last two days, so important to his feelings, nowrecalling the bewitching glances of the peerless Isabella Gonzales, and now ruminating upon the ill will of General Harero, he strolledinto the city, and reaching La Dominica's, he threw himself upon alounge near the marble fountain, and calling for a glass of agrass, he sipped the cool and grateful beverage, and wiled away the houruntil the evening parade. 

Though Don Gonzales duly appreciated the great service thatLieutenant Bezan had done him, at such imminent personal hazard, too, yet he would no more have introduced him into his family onterms of a visiting acquaintance in consequence thereof, than hewould have boldly broken down any other strict rule and principle ofhis aristocratic nature; and yet he was not ungrateful; far from it, as Lieutenant Bezan had reason to know, for he applied his greatinfluence at once to the governor-general in the young officer'sbehalf. The favor he demanded of Tacon, then governor andcommander-in-chief, was the promotion to a captaincy of him who hadso vitally served the interests of his house. 

Tacon was one of the wisest and best governors that Cuba ever had, as ready to reward merit as he was to signally punish trickery orcrime of any sort, and when the case was fairly laid before him, byreference to the rolls of his military secretary, he discovered thatLieutenant Bezan had already been promoted twice for distinguishedmerit, and replied to Don Gonzales that, as this was the case, andthe young soldier was found to be so deserving, he should cheerfullycomply with his request as it regarded his early promotion in hiscompany. Thus it was, that scarcely ten days subsequent to themeeting in the Paseo, which we have described, Lieutenant Bezan wasregularly gazetted as captain of infantry, by honorable promotionand approval of the governor-general. 

The character of Tacon was one of a curious description. He wasprompt, candid, and business-like in all things, and the manner ofhis promoting Lieutenant Bezan was a striking witness of these veryqualities. The young officer being summoned by an orderly to hispresence, was thus questioned:

"You are Lieutenant Lorenzo Bezan?"

"Yes, your excellency. "

"Of the sixth infantry?"

"Excellency, yes. "

"Of company eight?"

"Of company eight, excellency. "

"Your commander is General Harero?"

"Excellency, yes. "

"You were on the quay night before last, were you not?"

"Excellency, I was. "

"And leaped into the water to save a boy's life who had fallenthere?"

"I did, excellency. "

"You were successful. "

"Excellency, I was. "

"You were promoted eleven months since in compliment for duty. "

"Yes, excellency. "

"Captain Bezan, here is a new commission for you. "

"Excellency you are only too kind to an humble soldier. "

A calm, proud inclination of the head on the part of thegovernor-general, indicated that the audience was over, and theyoung officer returned, knowing well the character of thecommander-in-chief. Not a little elated, Lorenzo Bezan felt that hewas richly repaid for the risk he had run by this promotion alone;but there was a source of gratification to him far beyond that ofhaving changed his title to captain. He had served and been noticedby Isabella Gonzales, and it is doubtful if he could have met withany good fortune that would have equalled this, in his eye; it wasthe scheme of his life-the realization of his sleeping and wakingdreams. 

This good fortune, as pleasant to him as it was unexpected, wasattributed by the young officer to the right source, and was inreality enhanced and valued from that very fact. 

"A bumper, " exclaimed his brother officers, that day at themess-table, when all were met. "A bumper to Captain Lorenzo Bezan. May he never draw his sword without cause; never sheathe it withouthonor!"

"But what's the secret of Bezan's good fortune?" asked one. 

"His luck, to be sure-born under a lucky star. "

"Not exactly luck, alone, but his own intrepidity and manliness, "replied a fellow-officer. "Haven't you heard of his saving the lifeof young Gonzales, who fell into the bay from the parapet of thePlato?"

"Not in detail. If you know about the affair, recite it, " saidanother. 

Leaving the mess, as did Captain Bezan at this juncture, we willfollow the thread of our story in another chapter, and relating toother scenes. 

CHAPTER III. 

A SUDDEN INTRODUCTION. 

IT was again night in the capital; the narrow streets werebrilliantly lighted from the store windows, but the crowd were nolonger there. The heat of the long summer day had wearied theendurance of master and slave; and thousands had already sought thatearly repose which is so essential to the dwellers in the tropics. Stillness reigned over the drowsy city, save that the soft musicwhich the governor-general's hand discourses nightly in the Plaza, stole sweetly over the scene, until every air seemed heavy with itstender influence and melody. Now it swelled forth in the martialtones of a military band, and now its cadence was low and gentle asa fairy whisper, reverberating to the ear from the opposite shore ofRegla, and the frowning walls of the Cabanas behind the Moro, andnow swelling away inland among the coffee fields and sugarplantations. 

The long twilight was gone; but still the deep streak of goldenskirting in the western horizon lent a softened hue to the scene, not so bright to the eye, and yet more golden far than moonlight:"Leaving on craggy hills and running streams A softness like theatmosphere of dreams. "

At this favorite hour the Senorita Isabella Gonzales and her youngbrother, Ruez, attended only by the wolf hound, who seemed to bealmost their inseparable companion, were once again strolling in thecool and retired walk of the Plato. The lady moved with all thepeculiar grace so natural to the Spanish women, and yet through all, a keen observer might have seen the lurking effects of pride andpower, a consciousness of her own extraordinary beauty, and thecontrol it gave her over the hearts of those of the other sex withwhom she associated. Alas! that such a trait should have become asecond nature to one with so heavenly a form and face. Perhaps itwas owing to the want of the judicious management of a mother, oftimely and kindly advice, that Isabella had grown up thus; certainlyit seemed hard, very hard, to attribute it to her heart, her naturalpromptings, for at times she evinced such traits of womanly delicacyand tenderness, that those who knew her best forgot her coquetry. 

Her brother was a gentle and beautiful boy. A tender spirit ofmelancholy seemed ever uppermost in his heart and face, and it hadbeen thus with him since he had known his first early grief-the lossof his mother-some four or five years before the present period ofour story. Isabella, though she was not wanting in naturaltenderness and affection, had yet outgrown the loss of her parent;but the more sensitive spirit of the boy had not yet recovered fromthe shock it had thus received. The father even feared that he neverwould regain his happy buoyancy, as he looked upon his pale andalmost transparent features, while the boy mused thoughtfully tohimself sometimes for the hour together, if left alone andundisturbed. 

"Ruez, dear, we've not been on the Plato since that fearful night, "said Senorita Isabella, as she rested her hand gently upon the boy'sshoulder. 

"It was a fearful night, sister, " said the boy recalling theassociations with a shudder. 

"And yet how clear and beautiful it seemed just before that terribleaccident. "

"I remember, " said the boy. 

"And the slaver in the distance, with her soft white sails andtreacherous business. "

"And the sparkling moon upon the bay. "

"It was very beautiful; and we have a night now almost its equal. "

"Did you notice how stoutly that Lieutenant Bezan swam with me?"

"Yes, brother. You forget, though, that he is Captain Bezan now, "she added. 

"Father told me so, " said the boy. "How fearfully the tide ran, andthe current set against us! He held me way up above the water, whilehe was quite under it himself, " continued Ruez. "I was sure he woulddrown; didn't it seem so to you, sister?"

"It did, it did; the deed was most gallantly done, " said Isabella, as she stooped down and kissed her brother; "and you will never beso careless again, Ruez?"

"No, sister. I shall be more. Careful, but I should like to see thatCaptain Bezan again. I have never seen him since that night, and hisbarracks are within pistol shot from here. "

"Hark! what was that?" asked Isabella, starting at some unusualnoise. 

"I heard nothing, " said the boy. 

"There it is again, " she continued, nervously, looking around. 

"Down, Carlo, down, " said the boy, sharply to the hound, as itsprang at the same time from a crouching posture, and uttered adeep, angry growl, peculiar to its species. 

But the animal seemed too much aroused to be so easily pacified withwords, and with heavy bounds sprang towards the seaward end of thePlato, over the parapet of which, where it joined a lofty stone wallthat made a portion of the stone barracks of the army, a man leapedto the ground. The hound suddenly crouched, the moment it fairlyreached the figure of the new coiner, and instead of the hostileattitude, it had so lately he assumed, now placed its fore paws uponthe breast of the person, and wagged its tail with evident tokens ofpleasure at the meeting. 

"That is a very strange way to enter the Plato, " said Isabella, toher brother, drawing nearer to his side as she spoke. "I wonder whoit can be?"

"Some friend of Carlo's, for he never behaves in that way tostrangers, " said the boy. 

"So it would seem; but here he comes, be he whom he may. "

"By our lady!" said the boy, earnestly, with a flash of spirit andcolor across his usually quiet and pale face. "Sister, it is CaptainBezan!"

"Captain Bezan, I believe, " said Isabella, courtesying coolly to hisrespectful bow. 

"The same, lady. "

"You have chosen a singular mode of introduction, sir, " said theSenorita Isabella Gonzales, somewhat severely, as she drew herselfup with an air of cold reserve. 

"It is true, lady, I have done a seemingly rash action; but if youwill please to pause for one moment, you will at once realize thatit was the only mode of introduction of which a poor soldier likemyself could have availed himself. "

"Our hall doors are always open, " replied Isabella Gonzales. 

"To the high born and proud, I grant you, lady, but not to such as Iam. "

"Then, sir, " continued the lady, quickly, "if custom and proprietyforbid you to meet me through the ordinary channels of society, doyou not see the impropriety of such an attempt to see me as thatwhich you have but just now made?"

"Lady, I can see nothing, hear nothing but my unconquerable love!"

"Love, sir!" repeated the lady, with a curl of her proud butbeautiful lip. 

"Ay, love, Isabella Gonzales. For years I have loved you in secret. Too humble to become known to you, or to attract your eye, even, Ihave yet nursed that love, like the better angel of my nature; havedreamed of it nightly; have prayed for the object of it nightly;have watched the starry heavens, and begged for some nobleinspiration that would make me more worthy of thy affection; I haveread nothing that I did not couple in some tender way with thee;have nursed no hope of ambition or fame that was not the nearer toraise me to thee, and over the midnight lamp have bent inearnestness year after year, that I might gain those jewels of themind that in intelligence, at least, would place me by thy side. Atlast fortune befriended me, and I was able by a mischance to him, thy brother, to serve thee. Perhaps even then it might have ended, and my respect would still have curbed the promptings of my passion, had you not so kindly noticed me on the Paseo. O, how wildly did myheart beat at that gentle, kind and thoughtful recognition of thepoor soldier, and no less quickly beats that heart, when you listenthus to me, and hear me tell how deeply I love. "

"Audacity!" said Isabella Gonzales, really not a little aroused atthe plainness of his speech. "How dare you, sir, to address suchlanguage to me?"

"Love dares do anything but dishonor the being that it loves. Ayear, lady, a month ago, how hopeless was my love-how far off in theblue ether was the star I worshipped. Little did I then think that Ishould now stand so near to you-should thus pour out of the fullnessof my enslaved and devoted heart, ay, thus look into those gloriouseyes. "

"Sir, you are impertinent!" said Isabella, shrinking from the ardorof his expression. 

"Nay, lady, " said the young officer, profoundly humble, "it isimpossible for such love as mine to lead to impertinence to one whomI little less than worship. "

"Leave me, sir!"

"Yes, Isabella Gonzales, if you will repeat those words calmly; ifyou will deliberately bid me, who have so often prayed for, so hopedfor such a moment as this, to go, I will go. "

"But, sir, you will compromise me by this protracted conversation. "

"Heaven forbid. But for you I would risk all things-life, reputation, all that is valuable to me in life; yet perhaps I amforgetful, perhaps a thoughtless. "

"What strange power and music there is in his voice, " whisperedIsabella, to herself. 

Completely puzzled by his deep respect, his gallant and noblebearing, the memory of his late noble conduct in saving Ruez's life, Isabella hardly knew what to say, and she stood thus half confused, trotting her pretty foot upon the path of the Plato with a vexedair. At last, as if struggling to break the spell that seemed to behanging over them, she said:

"How could one like you, sir, ever dare to entertain such feelingstowards me? the audaciousness of your language almost strikes medumb. "

"Lady, " said the young soldier, respectfully, "the sincerity of mypassion has been its only self-sustaining power. I felt that lovelike mine could not be in vain. I was sure that such affection wasnever planted in my breast to bloom and blossom simply fordisappointment. I could not think that this was so. "

"I am out of all patience with his impertinence, " said IsabellaGonzales, to herself, pettishly. "I don't know what to say to him. "

"Sir, you must leave this place at once, " she said, at last, after abrief pause. 

"I shall do so, lady, at your bidding; but only to pray and hope forthe next meeting between us, when you may perhaps better know thepoor soldier's heart. "

"Farewell, sir, " said Isabella. 

"Farewell, Isabella Gonzales. "

"Are you going so soon?" asked Ruez, now approaching them from ashort distance in the rear, where he had been playing with thehound. 

"Yes, Ruez, " said the soldier, kindly. "You are quite recovered, Itrust, from the effects of that cold bath taken off the parapetyonder. "

"O yes, I am quite recovered now. "

"It was a high leap for one of your age. "

"It was indeed, " said the boy, with a shudder at the remembrance. 

"And, O, sir, I have not thanked you for that gallant deed, " saidIsabella Gonzales, extending her hand incontinently to CaptainBezan, in the enthusiasm of the moment, influenced by the sincerityof her feelings, his noble and manly bearing, and the kind andtouching words he had uttered to Ruez. 

It would be difficult for us to describe her as she appeared at thatmoment in the soldier's eye. How lovely she seemed to him, whendropping all reserve for the moment, not only her tongue, but hereloquent eyes spoke from the tenderness of her woman's heart. Asacred vision would have impressed him no more than did theloveliness of her presence at that moment. 

Bending instinctively at this demonstration of gentle courtesy onher part, he pressed her hand most respectfully to his lips, and, asif feeling that he had gone almost too far, with a gallant wave ofthe hand he suddenly disappeared from whence he had so lately come, over the seaward side of the parapet towards the army barracks. 

Isabella gazed after him with a puzzled look for a while, then saidhalf to herself and in a pettish and vexed tone of voice:

"I did not mean that he should kiss my hand. I'm sure I did not; andwhy did I give it to him? How thoughtless. I declare I have nevermet so monstrously impudent a person in the entire course of mylife. Very strange. Here's General Harero, Don Romonez, and FelixGavardo, have been paying me court this half year and more, andeither of them would give half his fortune for a kiss of this hand, and yet neither has dared to even tell me that they love me, thoughI know it so well. But here is this young soldier, this new captainof infantry, why he sees me but half a minute before he declareshimself, and so boldly, too! I protest it was a real insult. I'lltell Don Gonzales, and I'll have the fellow dishonored and hiscommission taken from him, I will. I'm half ready to cry withvexation. Yes, I'll have Captain Bezan cashiered, and that directly, I will. "

"No you wont, sister, " said Ruez, looking up calmly into her face ashe spoke. 

"Yes I will, brother. "

"Still I say no, " continued the boy, gently, and caressing her handthe while. 

"And why not, Ruez?" asked Isabella, stooping and kissing hishandsome forehead, as the boy looked up so lovingly in her face. 

"Because he saved my life, sister, " replied Ruez, smiling. 

"True, he did save your life, Ruez, " murmured the beautiful girl, thoughtfully; an act that we can never repay; but it was mostpresuming for him to enter the Plato thus, and to--to--"

"Kiss your hand, sister, " suggested the boy, smiling in a knowingway. 

"Yes, it was quite shocking for him to be so familiar, Ruez. "

"But, sister, I can hardly ever help kissing you when you look kindto me, and I am sure you looked very kind at Captain Bezan. "

"Did I!" half mused Isabella, biting the handle of her Creole fan. 

"Yes; and how handsome this Captain Bezan is, sister, " continued theboy, pretending to be engaged with the hound, whom he patted whilehe looked sideways at Isabella. 

"Do you think him so handsome?" still half mused Isabella, in replyto her brother's remarks, while her eye rested upon the ground. 

"I know it, " said the boy, with spirit. "Don Miguel, General Harero, or the lieutenant-general, are none of them half so good looking, "he continued, referring to some of her suitors. 

"Well, he is handsome, brother, that's true enough, and brave Iknow, or he would never have leaped into the water to save yourlife. But I'll never forgive him, I'm sure of that, Ruez, " she said, in a most decided tone of voice. 

"Yes you will, sister. "

"No, I will not, and you will vex me if you say so again, " sheadded, pettishly. 

"Come, Carlo, come, " said Ruez, calling to the hound, as he followedclose upon his sister's footsteps towards the entrance of DonGonzales's house on the Plato. 

The truth was, Isabella Gonzales, the proud beauty, was pleased;perhaps her vanity was partly enlisted also, while she rememberedthe frankness of the humble soldier who had poured out his devotionsat her feet in such simple yet earnest strains as to carryconviction with every word to the lady's heart. Image, even from themost lowly, is not without its charm to beauty, and the proud girlmused over the late scene thoughtfully, ay, far more thoughtfullythan she had ever done before, on the offer of the richest andproudest cavalier. 

She had never loved; she knew not what the passion meant, as appliedto the opposite sex. Universal homage had been her share ever sinceshe could remember; and if Isabella Gonzales was not a confirmedcoquette, she was certainly very near being one. The light in whichshe regarded the advances of Captain Bezan, even puzzled herself;the phase of his case and the manner of his avowal were so farwithout precedent, that its novelty engaged her. She still feltvexed at the young soldier's assurance, but yet all unconsciouslyfound herself endeavoring to invent any number of excuses for theconduct he had exhibited!

"It is true, as he said, " she remarked, half aloud to herself, "thatit was the only way in which he could meet me on terms of sufficientequality for conversation. Perhaps I should have done the same, if Iwere a high-spirited youth, and really loved!"

As for Lorenzo Bezan, he quietly sought his quarters, as happy as aking. Had he not been successful beyond any reasonable hope? Had henot told his love? ay, had he not kissed the hand of her he loved, at last, almost by her own consent? Had not the clouds in thehorizon of his love greatly thinned in numbers? He was no moodylover. Not one to die for love, but to live for it rather, and topursue the object of his affection and regard with such untiring anddevoted service as to deserve, if not to win, success. At leastthis was his resolve. Now and then the great difference betweentheir relative stations would lead him to pause and consider thesubject; but then with some pleasant sally to himself he would walkon again, firmly resolved in his own mind to overcome all things forher whom he loved, or at least to strive to do so. 

This was all very well in thought, but in practice the young soldierwill not perhaps find this so easy a matter. Patience andperseverance are excellent qualities, but they are not certaincriteria of success. Lorenzo Bezan had aimed his arrow high, but itwas that little blind fellow, Cupid, that shot the bow. He was notto blame for it-of course not. 

"Ha! Bezan, whence come you with so bright a face?" asked a brotherofficer, as he entered his quarters in the barracks of the Plaza desArmes. 

"From wooing a fair and most beautiful maid, " said the soldier, mosthonestly; though perhaps he told the truth as being the thing leastlikely to be believed by the other. 

"Fie, fie, Bezan. You in love, man? A soldier to marry? By our lady, what folly! Don't you remember the proverb? 'Men dream in courtship, but in wedlock wake. '"

"May I wake in that state with her I love ere a twelvemonth, " saidLorenzo Bezan, smiling at his comrade's sally and earnestness. 

"Are you serious, captain?" asked the other, now trying to halfbelieve him. 

"Never more so in my life, I assure you, " was the reply. 

"And who is the lady, pray? Come, relieve your conscience, andconfess. "

"Ah, there I am silent; her name is not for vulgar ears, " said theyoung soldier, smiling, and with really too much respect to referlightly to Isabella Gonzales. 

CHAPTER IV. 

CUBAN BANDITTI. 

IT was one of those beautiful but almost oppressively hot afternoonsthat so ripen the fruits, and so try the patience of the inhabitantsof the tropics, that we would have the patient reader follow us onthe main road between Alquezar and Guiness. It is as level as aparlor floor, and the tall foliage, mostly composed of the loftypalm, renders the route shaded and agreeable. Every vegetable andplant are so peculiarly significant of the low latitudes, that wemust pause for a moment to notice them. 

The tall, stately palm, the king of the tropical forest, with itstufted head, like a bunch of ostrich feathers, bending its majesticform here and there over the verdant and luxuriant undergrowth, themahogany tree, the stout lignumvit‘, the banana, the fragrant andbeautiful orange and lemon, and the long, impregnable hedge of thedagger aloe, all go to show us that we are in the sunny clime of thetropics. 

The fragrance, too, of the atmosphere! How soft to the senses! Thisgentle zephyr that only ruffles the white blossoms of the limehedges, is off yonder coffee plantation that lies now like a fieldof clear snow, in its fragrant milk-white blossoms; and what abewitching mingling of heliotrope and wild honeysuckle is combinedin the air! how the gaudy plumed parrot pauses on his perch beneaththe branches of the plantain tree, to inhale the sweets of the hour;while the chirps of the pedoreva and indigo birds are mingled invocal praise that fortune has cast their lot in so lovely a clime. O, believe us, you should see and feel the belongings of thisbeautiful isle, to appreciate how nearly it approaches to your earlyideas of fairy land. 

But, alas! how often do man's coarser disposition and baser naturebelie the soft and beautiful characteristics of nature about him;how often, how very often, is the still, heavenly influence thatreigns in fragrant flowers and bubbling streams, marred anddesecrated by the harshness and violence engendered by humanpassions!

In the midst of such a scene as we have described, at the moment towhich we refer, there was a fearful struggle being enacted between asmall party of Montaros, or inland robbers, and the occupants andoutriders of a volante, which had just been attacked on the road. The traces that attached the horse to the vehicle had been cut, andthe postilion lay senseless upon the ground from a sword wound intheir head, while the four outriders were contending with thricetheir number of robbers, who were armed with pistols and Toledoblades. It was a sharp hand to hand fight, and their steel rang tothe quick strokes. 

In the volante was the person of a lady, but so closely enshroudedby a voluminous rebosa, or Spanish shawl, as hardly to leave any ofher figure exposed, her face being hid from fright at the scenebeing enacted about her. At her side stood the figure of a tall, stately man, whose hat had been knocked over his head in thestruggle, and whose white hairs gave token of his age. Two of therobbers, who had received the contents of his two pistols, lay deadby the side of the volante, and having now only his sword left, hestood thus, as if determined to protect her by his side, even at thecost of his life. 

The robbers had at last quite overmatched the four outriders, andhaving bound the only one of them that had sufficient life left tomake him dangerous to them, they turned their steps once moretowards the volante. There were in all some thirteen of them, butthree already lay dead in the road, and the other ten, who had somesharp wounds distributed among them, now standing together, seemedto be querying whether they should not revenge the death of theircomrades by killing both the occupants of the volante, or whetherthey should pursue their first purpose of only robbing them of whatvaluables they possessed. 

Fierce oaths were reiterated, and angry words exchanged between oneand another of the robbers, as to the matter they were hastilydiscussing, while the old gentleman remained firm, grasping the hiltof his well-tempered sword, and showing to his enemies, by thestern, deep resolve they read in his eye, that they had not yetconquered him. Fortunately their pistols had all been discharged, orthey might have shot the brave old man without coming to closerquarters, but now they looked with some dread upon the glitteringblade he held so firmly!

That which has required some time and space for us to describe, was, however, the work of but a very few moments of time, and therobbers, having evidently made up their minds to take the lives ofthe two persons now in the vehicle, divided themselves into twoparties and approached the volante at the same moment on oppositesides. 

"Come on, ye fiends in human shape, " said the old man, flourishinghis sword with a skill and strength that showed he was no strangerto its use, and that there was danger in him. "Come on, ye shallfind that a good blade in an old man's hands is no plaything!"

They listened for a moment: yes, that half-score of villains heldback in dismay at the noble appearance of the old man, and theflashing fire of his eye. 

"Ha! do you falter, ye villains? do you fear a good sword with rightto back it?"

But hark! what sound is that which startles the Montaros in themidst of their villany, and makes them look into each other's faceswith such consternation and fear? It is a very unfrequented spot-whocan be near? Scarcely had the sound fallen on their ears, beforethree horsemen in the undress uniform of the Spanish infantry, dashed up to the spot at full speed, while one of them, who seemedto be the leader of the party, leaped from his horse, and before theothers could follow his example, was engaged in a desperate hand tohand conflict with the robbers. Twice he discharged his pistols withfatal effect, and now he was fighting sword and sword with a stout, burly Montaro, who was approaching that side of the volante wherethe lady sat, still half concealed by the ample folds of her rebosa, though the approach of assistance had led her to venture so far asto partially uncover her face, and to observe the scene about her. 

The headlong attack, so opportunely made by the fresh horsemen, wastoo much for treble their number to withstand, more especially asthe leader of them had met with such signal success at theoutset-having shot two, and mortally wounded a third. In thiscritical state of affairs, the remaining banditti concluded thatdiscretion was the better part of valor, and made the best of theirtime and remaining strength to beat a hasty retreat, leaving the oldgentleman and his companion with their three deliverers, quite safein the middle of the road. 

"By our lady, sir, 'twas a gallant act. There were ten of thoserascals, and but three of you, " said the old gentleman, stepping outof the volante and arranging his ruffled dress. 

"Ten, senor? a soldier would make nothing of a score of suchscapegraces as those, " replied the officer (for such it was nowapparent he was), as he wiped the gore from his reeking blade with abroad, green leaf from the roadside, and placed it in the scabbard. 

One of the soldiers who had accompanied the officer had now cut thethongs that bound the surviving outrider, who was one of the familyattaches of the old gentleman, and who now busied himself about thevehicle, at one moment attending to the lady's wants, and now toharnessing the horse once more. 

Removing his cap, and wiping the reeking perspiration from his brow, the young officer now approached the volante and said to the lady:

"I trust, madame, that you have received no further injury by thisunfortunate encounter than must needs occur to you from fright. "

As he spoke thus, the lady turned quickly from looking towards theold gentleman, who was now on the other side of the vehicle, andafter a moment exclaimed:

"Is it possible, Captain Bezan, that we are indebted to you for thismost opportune deliverance from what seemed to be certaindestruction?"

"Isabella Gonzales!" exclaimed the young officer, with unfeignedsurprise. 

"You did not know us, then?" she asked, quickly, in reply. 

"Not I, indeed, or else I should sooner have spoken to you. "

"You thus risked your life, then, for strangers?" she continued. 

"You were the weakest party, were attacked by robbers; it onlyrequired a glance to realize that, and to attack them and releaseyou was the next most natural thing in the world, " replied thesoldier, still wiping the perspiration from his forehead andtemples. 

"Father!" exclaimed Isabella, with undisguised pleasure, "this isCaptain Bezan!"

"Captain Bezan?" repeated the old don, as surprised as his daughterhad been. 

"At your service, " replied the soldier, bowing respectfully to DonGonzales. 

"Why, sir, " said the old man, "what possible chance could havebrought you so fortunately to our rescue here, a dozen leagues fromthe city?"

"I was returning with these two companions of my company from abusiness trip to the south side of the island, where we had beensent with despatches from Tacon to the governor of the department. "

"No, matter, what chance has brought you here, at all events we oweour lives to you, sir, " said Don Gonzales, extending his handcordially to the young officer. 

After some necessary delay, under the peculiar circumstances, thehorses were finally arranged so as to permit of proceeding forwardon the road. The bodies of the servants were disposed of, and allwas ready for a start, when Isabella Gonzales turned to her fatherand pressing his arm said:

"Father, how pale he looks!"

"Who, my child!"

"There, see how very pale!" said Isabella, rising up from her seat. 

"Who do you speak of, Isabella?"

"Captain Bezan, father; see, there he stands beside his horse. "

"He does look fatigued; he has worked hard with those villains, "said the old man. 

"Why don't he mount? The rest have done so, and we are ready, "continued the old man, anxiously. 

At that moment one of the horsemen, better understanding the casethan either Isabella Gonzales or her father, left his well-trainedanimal in the road, and hastened to his officer's side. It requiredbut a glance for him to see that his captain was too weak to mount. 

Directing the outrider, who had now mounted one of the horsesattached to the volante, and acted as postilion, to drive towardshim whom his companion was partially supporting, Don Gonzales askedmost anxiously:

"Captain Bezan, you are ill, I fear; are you much hurt?"

"A mere trifle, Don Gonzales; drive on, sir, and I will follow youin a moment. "

"He is bleeding from his left arm and side, father, " said Isabella, anxiously. 

"You are wounded-I fear severely, Captain Bezan, " said the father. 

"A mere scratch, sir, in the arm, from one of the unlucky thrusts ofthose Montaros, " he replied, assuming an indifference that his paleface belied. 

"Ah! father, what can be done for him?" said Isabella, quickly. 

"I am unharmed, " said the grateful old man, "and can sit a horse allday long, if need be. Here, captain, take my seat in the volante, and Isabella, whom you have served at such heavy cost to yourself, shall act the nurse for you until we get to town again. "

Perhaps nothing, save such a proposition as this, could possiblyhave aroused and sustained the wounded officer; but after gentlyrefusing for a while to rob Don Gonzales of his seat in the volante, he was forced to accept it even by the earnest request of Isabellaherself, who seemed to tremble lest he was mortally wounded in theirbehalf. 

Little did Don Gonzales know, at that time, what a flame he wasfeeding in the young officer's breast. He was too intently engagedin his own mind with the startling scenes through which he had justpassed, and was exercised with too much gratitude towards CaptainBezan for his deliverance, to observe or realize any peculiarity ofappearance in any other respect, or to question the propriety ofplacing him so intimately by the side of his lovely child. Isabellahad never told her father, or indeed any one, of the circumstance ofher having met Captain Bezan on the Plato. But the reader, who isaware of the scene referred to, can easily imagine with whatfeelings the soldier took his seat by her side, and secretly watchedthe anxious and assiduous glances that she gave his wounded arm andside, as well as the kind looks she bestowed upon his pallid face. 

"I fear I annoy you, " said the soldier, realizing his proximity toher on the seat. 

"No, no, by no means. I pray you rest your arm here, " said IsabellaGonzales, as she offered her rebosa supported in part by her ownperson!

"You are too kind-far too kind to me, " said the wounded officer, faintly; for he was now really very weak from loss of blood and thepain of his wounds. 

"Speak not, I beseech of you, but strive to keep your courage uptill we can gain the aid of some experienced surgeon, " she said, supporting him tenderly. 

Thus the party drove on towards the city, by easy stages, where theyarrived in safety, and left Captain Bezan to pursue his way to hisbarracks, which he did, not, however, until he had, like a faithfulcourier, reported to the governor-general the safe result of hismission to the south of the island. 

The story of the gallant rescue was the theme of the hour for aperiod in Havana, but attacks from robbers on the road, underTacon's governorship, were too common an occurrence to create anygreat wonder or curiosity among the inhabitants of the city. ButCaptain Bezan had got wounds that would make him remember theencounter for life, and now lay in a raging fever at his quarters inthe infantry barracks of the Plaza des Armes. 

CHAPTER V. 

THE WOUNDED SOLDIER. 

THE fervor and heat of the mid-day atmosphere had been intense, buta most delightfully refreshing sea breeze had sprung up at last, andafter fanning its way across the Gulf Stream, was dallying now withthe palms and orange trees that so gracefully surrounded the marblestatue of Ferdinand, in the midst of the Plaza, and ruffling themarble basin of water that bubbles forth from the graceful basin atits base. Light puffs of it, too, found their way into theinvitingly open windows of the governor's palace, into an apartmentwhich was improved by General Harero. Often pausing at the window tobreathe in of the delightful atmosphere for a moment, he would againresume his irregular walk and seemingly absorbed in a dreamy frameof mind, quite unconscious of the outward world about him. At lasthe spoke, though only communing with himself, yet quite aloud:

"Strange, very strange, that this Captain Bezan should seem to standso much in my way. Curse his luck, the old don and his daughter feelunder infinite obligations to him already, and well they may, as tothe matter of that. If it was not for the girl's extraordinary stockof pride, we should have her falling in love with this young gallantdirectly, and there would be an end to all my hopes and fancies. He's low enough, now, however, so my valet just told me, and ten toone, if his physician knows his case, as he pretends, he'll make adie of it. He is a gallant fellow, that's a fact, and brave as he isgallant. I may as well own the fact that's what makes me hate himso! But he should not have crossed my path, and served to blight myhopes, there's the rub. I like the man well enough as a soldier, hang it. I'd like half the army to be just like him-they'd beinvincible; but he has crossed my interest, ay, my love; and if hedoes get up again and crosses me with Isabella Gonzales, whythen-well, no matter, there are ways enough to remove the obstaclefrom my path. 

"By the way, " he continued, after crossing and re-crossing the rooma few times, "what a riddle this Isabella Gonzales is; I wonder ifshe has got any heart at all. Here am I, who have gone scathlessthrough the courts of beauty these many years, actuallycaught-surprised at last; for I do love the girl; and yet how archlyshe teazes me! Sometimes I think within myself that I am about towin the goal, when drop goes the curtain, and she's as far away asever. How queenly she looks, nevertheless. I had much rather berefused by such a woman, to my own mortification, than to succeedwith almost any other, if only for the pleasure of looking intothose eyes, and reading in silent language her poetical and etherealbeauty-I might be happy but for this fellow, this Captain Bezan; hetroubles me. Though there's no danger of her loving him, yet heseems to stand in my way, and to divert her fancy. Thank Heaven, she's too proud to love one so humble. "

Thus musing and talking aloud to himself, General Harero walked backand forth, and back and forth again in his apartment, until hisorderly brought him the evening report of his division. A fardifferent scene was presented on the other side of the great square, in the centre of which stands the shrubbery and fountain of thePlaza. Let the reader follow us now inside the massive stone wallsof the Spanish barracks, to a dimly lighted room, where lay awounded soldier upon his bed. The apartment gave token in itsfurniture of a very peculiar combination of literary and militarytaste. There were foils, long and short swords, pistols, hand pikes, flags, military boots and spurs; but there were also Shakspeare, Milton, the illustrated edition of Cervantes's Don Quixote, and avoluminous history of Spain, with various other prose and poeticvolumes, in different languages. A guitar also lay carelessly in onecorner, and a rich but faded bouquet of flowers filled a porcelainvase. 

At the foot of the bed where the wounded soldier lay, stood a boywith a quivering lip and swimming eye, as he heard the sick man moanin his uneasy sleep. Close by the head of the bed sat anassistant-surgeon of the regiment, watching what evidently seemed tobe the turning point as to the sufferer's chance for life or death. As the boy and the surgeon watched him thus, gradually the opiatejust administered began to affect him, and he seemed at last to fallinto the deep and quiet sleep that is generally indicated by a low, regular and uninterrupted respiration. 

The boy had not only watched the wounded man, but had seemed also tohalf read the surgeon's thoughts, from time to time, and now markedthe gleam of satisfaction upon his face as the medicine produced thedesired effect upon the system of his patient. 

"How do you think Captain Bezan is, to-day?" whispered the boy, anxiously, as the surgeon's followed him noiselessly from thesick-room to the corridor without. 

"Very low, master Ruez, very low indeed; it is the most criticalperiod of his sickness; but he has gone finely into that last nap, thanks to the medicine, and if he will but continue under itsinfluence thus for a few hours, we may look for an abatement of thisburning thirst and fever, and then--"

"What, sir?" said the boy, eagerly, "what then?"

"Why, he may get over those wounds, but it's a severe case, andwould be little less than a miracle. I've seen sicker men live, andI've seen those who seemed less sick die. "

"Alas! then there is no way yet of deciding upon his case, " said theboy. 

"None, Master Ruez; but we'll hope for the best; that is all thatcan be done. "

Ruez Gonzales walked out of the barracks and by the guard with a sadcountenance, and whistling for Carlo, who had crouched by theparapet until his young master should come out, he turned his stepsup the Calla de Mercaderes to his home. Ruez sought his sister'sapartment, and throwing himself upon a lounge, seemed moody andunhappy. As he reclined thus, Isabella regarded him intently, asthough she would read his thoughts without asking for them. Thereseemed to be some reason why she did not speak to him sooner, but atlast she asked:

"Well, Ruez, how is Captain Bezan, to-day? have you been to thebarracks to inquire?" She said this in an assumed tone ofindifference, but it was only assumed. 

"How is he?" repeated Ruez, after turning a quick glance of his softblue eyes upon his sister's face, as though he would read her verysoul. Isabella felt his keen glance, and almost blushed. 

"Yes, brother, pray, how is Captain Bezan, to-day? do you not know?"

"His life hangs by a mere thread, " continued the boy, sadly, resuming again his former position. "The surgeon told me that hisrecovery was very doubtful. "

"Did he tell you that, Ruez?"

"Not those words, sister, but that which was equivalent to it, however. "

"He is worse, then, much worse?" she continued, in a hasty tone ofvoice. 

"Not worse, sister, " replied Ruez. "I did not say that he was worse, but the fever rages still, and unless that abates within a fewhours, death must follow. "

Isabella Gonzales sat herself down at an open balcony and looked offon the distant country in silence, so long, that Ruez and the houndboth fell asleep, and knew not that she at last left her seat. Thewarmth and enervating influence of the atmosphere almost requiresone to indulge in a siesta daily, in these low latitudes and sunnyregions of the earth. 

"He is dying, then, " said Isabella Gonzales, to herself, afterhaving sought the silence and solitude of her own chamber, "dyingand alone, far from any kindred voice or hand, or even friend, savethose among his brothers in arms. And yet how much do we owe to him!He has saved all our lives-Ruez's first, and then both father's andmine; and in this last act of daring gallantry and bravery, hereceived his death wound. Alas! how fearful it seems to me, thisstrange picture. Would I could see and thank him once more-take fromhim any little commission that he might desire in his last momentsto transmit to his distant home-for a sister, mother, or brother. Would that I could smooth his pillow and bathe his fevered brow; Iknow he loves me, and these attentions would be so grateful tohim-so delightful to me. But alas! it would be considered a disgracefor me to visit him. "

Let the reader distinctly understand the feelings that actuated theheart of the lovely girl. The idea of loving the wounded soldier hadnever entered the proud but now humbled Isabella's thoughts. Couldsuch a thought have been by any means suggested to her, she wouldhave spurned it at once; but it was the woman's sympathy that shefelt for one who would have doubtless sacrificed his life for herand hers; it was a simple act of justice she would have performed;and the pearly tear that now wet her cheek, was that of sympathy, and of sympathy alone. Beautiful trait, how glorious thou art inall; but how doubly glorious in woman; because in her nature thouart most natural, and there thou findest the congenial associationsnecessary for thy full conception. 

General Harero had judged Isabella Gonzales well when he said thatthere was no danger of her loving Lorenzo Bezan-she had too muchpride!

But let us look once more into the sick room we so lately left, where the wounded soldier lies suffering from his wounds. A volantehas just stopped at the barracks' doors, and a girl, whose dressbetokens her to be a servant, steps out, and telling her errand tothe corporal of the guard, is permitted to pass the sentinel, and isconducted to the sick man's room. She brings some cooling draughtsfor his parched lips, and fragrant waters with which to battle hisfevered temples and burning forehead. 

"Who sends these welcome gifts to Captain Bezan?" asked theassistant-surgeon. 

"My lady, sir. "

"And who is your lady, my good girl, if you please?" he asked. 

"The Senorita Isabella Gonzales, sir, " was the modest reply of themaid. 

"Ah, yes; her brother has been here this afternoon, I remember, "said the surgeon; "the sick man fell asleep then, and has not sinceawakened. "

"Heaven grant the sleep may refresh him and restore his strength, "said the girl. 

"Amen, say I to that, " continued the surgeon, "and amen says everyman in the regiment. "

"Is he so popular as that?" asked the girl, innocently. 

"Popular, why he's the pet of the entire division. He's the bestswordsman, best scholar, best-in short we could better lose half theother officers than Captain Bezan. "

"Do you think him any better than he was this morning?"

"The sleep is favorable, highly favorable, " replied the surgeon, approaching the bedside; "but in my judgment of the case, it mustentirely depend upon the state in which he wakes. "

"Is there fear of waking him, do you think?" asked the girl, in awhisper, as she drew nearer to the bed, and looked upon the high, pale forehead and remarkably handsome features of the young soldier. Though the few days of confinement which he had suffered, and theacute pain he had endured by them, had hollowed his checks, yet hewas handsome still. 

"No, " replied the surgeon, to her question; "he will sleep quitelong enough from the opiate, quite as long as I wish; and if heshould wake even now, it would not be too soon. "

"How very slightly he breathes, " continued the girl, observantly. 

"Very; but it is a relief to see him breathe in that way, " repliedthe surgeon. 

"Stay, did he not murmur something, then?" asked the maid. 

"Possibly, " replied the surgeon. "He has talked constantly duringhis delirium. Pray, my good girl, does he know your mistress verywell?"

"I think not, " was the reply. "But why do you ask that?"

"Because he seems constantly to dream and talk about her night andday. Indeed she is all he has spoken of since the height of hisfever was upon him. "

"Indeed!" said the girl, musing at the surgeon's words abstractedly. 

"Have you not heard your mistress speak of him at all?"

"Yes, that is, he once did the family some important service. Do yousay that he talked of Senorita Isabella in the hours of hisdelirium?"

"Yes, and in looking into his dressing-case, a few days since, tofind some lint for his wounds, I discovered this, " said tiresurgeon, showing the girl a miniature, painted on ivory with greatskill and beauty. "I think it must be a likeness of the SenoritaIsabella, " continued the surgeon, "though I have never seen her toknow her but once. "

"It is indeed meant for her, " said the girl, eagerly scanning thesoft and delicate picture, which represented the Senorita IsabellaGonzales as sitting at an open window and gazing forth on the soft, dreamy atmosphere of a tropical sunset. 

"You think it is like her?"

"O, very. "

"Well, I was sure that it was meant for the lady when I first sawit. "

"May I bathe his temples with this Florida water?" asked the girl, as she observed the sick man to move slightly and to moan. 

"Yes, it will have a tendency to rouse him gently, and it is nowtime for him to wake. "

The girl smoothed back the dark locks from the soldier's brow, andwith her hands bathed his marble-like forehead and temples as gentlyas she might have done had he been an infant. The stimulatinginfluence of the delicate spirits she was using was most delightfulto the senses of the sick man, and a soft smile for a momentbreathed his lips, as half awake and half dreaming, he returnedthanks for the kindness, mingled with Isabella's name. 

The girl bent over his couch to hear the words, and the surgeon sawa tear drop upon the sick man's hand from the girl's eyes as shestood there! In a moment more the soldier seemed to arouse, anduttered a long deep sigh, as though relieved from some heavy weightthat had long been oppressing him, both mentally and physically. Hesoon opened his eyes, and looked languidly about him, as if strivingto recall his situation, and what had prostrated him thus. 

The girl stepped immediately back from the bedside, as she observedthese tokens, and droping the rebosa that had been heretoforeconfined, veil-like to the crown of her head, and partially screenedher features, but she showed most unmistakable signs of delight, asshe read in the soldier's eyes that reason had once more returned toher throne, and that Lorenzo Bezan was once more rational. 

"How beautiful!" uttered the surgeon, half aloud, as he stood gazingat the girl. "If the mistress be as lovely as the maid, no wonderCaptain Bezan has talked of her in his delirium!"

"Step hither, step hither, he is awake!" whispered the girl to thesurgeon. 

"And his reason too has returned, " said the professional man, assoon as his eyes rested on the wounded soldier's face. "There ishope now!"

"Thank Heaven for its infinite mercy!" said the girl, with anearnest though tremulous voice, as she gathered her rebosa about herface and prepared to depart. 

"He will recover now?" she asked, once more, as she turned towardsthe surgeon. 

"With care and good nursing we may hope so, " was the reply of theattendant, who still looked earnestly into the face of the inquireras he spoke. 

"My lady knew not the pecuniary condition of Captain Bezan at thistime, and desired that this purse might be devoted to hisconvenience and comfort; but she also desires that this may not beknown to him. May I trust to you, sir, in this little matter?"

"It will give me great pleasure to keep the secret, and to improvethe purse solely for the sick man's individual benefit, " was thereply. 

"Thank you, sir; I see you are indeed his friend, " she answered, asshe bowed low and withdrew. 

Scarcely had the door closed after the visitor, before the surgeon, turning hastily once more to the miniature he had shown, examined itin various lights, now carefully within a part shaded by the hand, and now as a whole, and now near to, and then at a distance. 

"I more than suspected it, " he exclaimed, with emphasis; "and now Iknow it; that lady was Senorita Isabella Gonzales, the belle ofHavana!"

And so indeed it was. Unable longer to restrain her desire to seehim who had so infinitely served the interests of herself and herfather's house, the proud girl had smothered every adverse promptingin her bosom, and donning her dressing-maid's attire, had thusdressed in humble costume, stepped into a volante, and ordering thecalesaro to drive to the infantry barracks, where she knew the sickman was, had entered as we have seen, under pretext of bringingnecessities from her pretended mistress to the wounded soldier. Herscheme had succeeded infinitely well, nor would she have betrayedherself to even the surgeon's observant eye, had it not been forthat single tear!

"What angel was that?" whispered the sick man, to his attendant, whonow approached his bedside to administer some cooling draught to hisparched lips. 

"You have been dreaming, my dear fellow, " said the discreet surgeon, cautiously, "and are already much better; keep as quiet as possible, and we will soon have you out again. Here, captain, drink of thisfruit water, it will refresh you. "

Too weak to argue or even to talk at all, the sick man drank as hewas desired, and half closed his eyes again, as if he thought bythus doing he might once more bring back the sweet vision which hadjust gladdened his feeble senses. 

Like a true-hearted fellow as he was, the surgeon resolved not toreveal the lady's secret to any one-not even to his patient; for hesaw that this was her earnest desire, and she had confided in partto him her errand there. But those who saw the surgeon in the afterpart of that day, marked that he bore a depressed and thoughtfulcountenance. 

Isabella Gonzales had filled his vision, and very nearly his heart, also, by her exquisite loveliness and beauty!

CHAPTER VI. 

THE CHALLENGE. 

THE Tacon Theatre is one of the largest in the world, and issituated in the Paseo, just outside the city walls. You enter theparquet and first row of boxes from the level of the street, andabove this are four ranges of boxes, besides seats in the parquetfor six hundred persons. The gildings are elaborate and beautiful, and the frescoes are done by the first Italian artists; the wholebeing brilliantly lighted by an immense chandelier in the centre, and lesser ones pendant from the half moon of boxes, and suppliedwith gas. It is a superb establishment, and when it is filled withthe beauty and fashion of the city, it is a brilliant sight indeed. 

It is nearly a month subsequent to the scene that closed the lastchapter of our story, that we would carry the reader with us withinthe brilliantly lighted walls of the Tacon Theatre. How lively andgay is the prospect that presents itself to the eye-the glitteringjewelry and diamonds of the fair senor's and senoritas, casting backthe brilliant light, and rivalled in lustre by the sparkle of athousand eyes of jet. The gilded and jewelled fans rustle audibly(what would a Spanish or Creole lady do without a fan?)-theorchestra dashes off in a gay and thrilling overture, intermingledby the voices, here and there, of merry groups of the audience, while the stately figures of the soldiers on duty are seen, withtheir many-colored dresses and caps, amid the throng and at the rearof the boxes. 

In a centre box of the first tier sits Senorita Isabella Gonzales, with her father, brother, General Harero, and a party of friends. All eyes are turned towards the peerless beauty-those of the ladieswith envy at her extraordinary charms of person, and those of theyoung cavaliers and gentlemen with undisguised admiration at thepicture of loveliness which met their eyes. Isabella herself satwith an easy and graceful air of unconsciousness, bowing low to themeaningless compliments and remarks of General Harero, and nowsmiling at some pleasantry of Ruez who was close to her side, andnow again regarding for a moment the tall, manly figure of anofficer near the proscenium box, who was on duty there, andevidently the officer of the evening. This may sound odd to arepublican, but no assembly, no matter how unimportant, ispermitted, except under the immediate eye and supervision of themilitary. 

"There is Captain Bezan, " said Ruez, with undisguised pleasure, pointing towards the proscenium box where the young officer stood. 

"Yes, I see him, Ruez, " replied Isabella, "and it is the first timehe has been out on duty, I think, since his dangerous and protractedillness. "

"I know it is the first time, " said the boy, "and I don't think he'shardly able to be out now. How very pale he is looking, Isabella. "

"Do you think he's very pale, Ruez?" she asked, turning towards thesoldier, whose arm and sword were now outstretched, indicating somemovement to a file of soldiers on the other side. 

"He's too ill, I should think, to be out in the night air. "

"One would certainly think so, " answered Isabella. 

"His company was ordered out to-night, " said Ruez, "and though thesurgeon told him to remain in, he said he must be with his command. "

"You seem to know his business almost as well as himself, MasterRuez, " said General Harero, who had overheard the remarks relatingto Captain Bezan. 

"The captain and I are great friends, famous friends, " replied Ruez, instantly. "He's a noble fellow, and just my idea of what a soldiershould be. Don't you think him a fine soldier, General Harero?"asked the boy, most frankly. 

"Humph!" ejaculated the general, "why, yes, he's good enough foraught I know, professionally. Not quite rough and tough enough for athorough bred one, I think, " was the reply of his superior, who wasplainly watching Isabella Gonzales's eyes while he spoke to the boy, and who was anything but pleased to see how often she glanced atCaptain Bezan. 

"I don't know what you may mean by rough and tough, general, " saidRuez, with evident feeling evinced in his voice; "but I know, verywell, that Captain Bezan is as brave as a lion, and I don't believethere is a man in your service who can swim with such weight as hecan do. "

"May be not, " replied the general, with assumed indifference. 

"Then why say that he's not rough and tough? that means something, "continued the boy, with not a little pertinacity in defence of hisnew friend. 

"There's some difference, let me tell you, Master Ruez, betweenfacing an enemy with blazing gunpowder before your eyes, and merelyswimming a while in cold water. "

"The very wounds that came so near proving fatal to Captain Bezan, prove that he can fight, general, as well as swim, " said Ruez, rather smartly, in reply, while Isabella Gonzales glanced at herbrother with evident tokens of satisfaction in her face. 

"You are enthusiastic in your friend's behalf, " said General Harero, coldly. 

"And well I may be, since I not only owe him my own life, but thatof my dear sister and father, " continued Ruez, quite equal to thegeneral's remark in any instance. 

"Certainly, you are right, Master Ruez, " said General Harero, bitinghis lips, as he saw that Isabella was regarding him with more thanordinary attention. 

In the meantime Lorenzo Bezan remained, as in duty bound, at hispost, while many an admiring eye was resting upon his fine figureand martial bearing. He was quite unconscious of being the subjectof such particular remark and criticism within the bearing of her heso nearly worshipped-the beautiful Isabella Gonzales. Though hisheart was with her every moment, and his thoughts were never off thebox, even where she sat, yet it was only now and then that hepermitted himself to turn his eyes, as though by accident, towardsDon Gonzales and his daughter. He seemed to feel that General Harerowas particularly regarding him, and he strove to be less thoughtfulof Isabella, and if possible, more observant of his regular duty. Itis the duty of the officer of the night for the occasion, to fillthe post during the performance, where the young officer now stood, as it commanded a view of the entire house, and was the point, where, by an order from him, he could at once summon a much largerforce under arms than that which under ordinary circumstances wasrequired. Each division of the guard was set from this point, therefore Captain Bezan, as was his custom, remained here during theperformance. 

"It must be very tedious to stay thus standing just there, " remarkedRuez, pointing to Captain Bezan, and speaking to Isabella. 

"I should think so, " was the reply of his sister, who had oftenturned that way, to the no small annoyance of the observant GeneralHarero. 

"A soldier's duty, " replied the general, "should content him withhis post. "

It was nearly the middle of the evening's entertainment, whenturning his eyes towards the box occupied by Don Gonzales and hisparty, Captain Bezan caught the eye of Isabella Gonzales, and at thesame time observed distinctly the peculiar wave of the fan, withwhich a Spanish lady invites in a friendly manner the approach of afriend of the opposite sex. He could not be mistaken, and yet was itpossible that the belle of all that proud assemblage deigned openlyto notice and compliment him thus in public? Impelled by the ardorof his love, and the hope that he had rightly construed the signal, he approached the box from the rear, and stepping to its back, gavesome indication to one of his orderlies sufficiently loud in tone tocause Isabella and her father to turn their heads, as they at oncerecognized the voice of the young officer. 

"Ah! Captain Bezan, " said Don Gonzales, heartily, as he caught theyoung officer's eye, "glad to see you once more with epauletson-upon my soul I am. "

"Thank you, sir, " said the soldier, first saluting in due form hissuperior, and then bowing low and gracefully to Isabella Gonzales, who honored him with a gracious smile. 

"You are looking comparatively well, captain, " said Don Gonzales, kindly. 

"O yes, sir, I am as well as ever, now, " replied the officer, cheerfully. 

Ruez Gonzales loved Lorenzo Bezan like a brother; first, because hehad so materially served him at imminent peril of his own life, andsecondly, because he saw in him just such traits of character asattracted his young heart, and aroused it to a spirit of emulation. With the privilege of boyhood, therefore, he sprang over the seats, half upsetting General Harero to get at the young officer's side, which, having accomplished, he seized his hand familiarly. GeneralHarero frowned at this familiarity, and his face grew doubly darkand frowning, as he saw now how closely Isabella was observing theyoung officer all the while. 

"I trust you find yourself quite recovered, captain, from yoursevere illness, " said Isabella, reaching by her father, as sheaddressed Lorenzo Bezan kindly. 

"I am quite recovered, lady; better, if possible, than before, " hereplied, respectfully. "Master Ruez has been a constant nurse to me, thoughtful and kind, " he continued, as he looked down upon the boy'shandsome features with real affection lighting up his own pale face. 

Ruez only drew the closer to his side at these words, while hisfather, Don Gonzales, watched both the soldier and his boy with muchinterest for a moment, then turning to General Harero, he made someearnest and complimentary remark, evidently referring to CaptainBezan, though uttered in a low tone of voice, which seemed toincrease the cloud on the general's brow. 

But the young soldier was too much interested in gazing upon thelovely features of Isabella, to notice this; he seemed almostentranced by the tender vision of beauty that was before him. At thesame moment some slight disturbance occurred in a distant part ofthe extensive building, which afforded a chance for General Hareroto turn quickly to the young soldier, and in a sharp tone say:

"Your duty calls you hence, sir!"

For it moment the blood mantled to the officer's face at the tone ofthis remark, but suppressing his feelings, whatever they might be, with a respectful acknowledgement of the order, Lorenzo Bezanhastened to the quarter from whence the noise had come, and by atsimple direction obviated their trouble immediately. But heremembered the bitter and insulting air of his superior, and it cuthim to the quick, the more keenly too as having been given in thepresence of Isabella Gonzales. 

As he returned from this trifling duty, he necessarily again passedthe box where were Don Gonzales, amid his party, and seeing Ruezstanding there awaiting his return, he again paused for a moment toexchange at word with the boy, and once more received a pleasantgreeting from Isabella and her father. At this but reasonableconduct, General Harero seemed nettled and angry beyond all control, and turning once more towards Lorenzo Bezan, with a face black withsuppressed rage, said:

"It strikes me, sir, that Captain Bezan would consult his owninterest, and be best performing his ordinary duty by maintaininghis post at the proscenium!"

"I proposed to return there immediately, General Harero, and stoppedhere but for one moment, " said the young officer, with a burningcheek, at the intended insult. 

"Shall I put my words in the form of an order?" continued GeneralHarero, seeing that Bezan paused to assist Ruez once more over theseats to his position in the box. 

"It is not necessary, general, " replied the officer, biting his lipswith vexation. 

"I declare, general, " said Isabella, unable longer to remain quietat his repeated insults to the young officer, "you soldiers are sovery peremptory, that you half disconcert me. "

"It is sometimes necessary, " was the quick and stern reply, "to beprompt with young and headstrong officers who do not well understandtheir duty, or rather, I may say, who knowing their duty, fail toperform it, " emphasizing the last part of the sentence. 

This was intended not only for the lady's ear, but also for that ofLorenzo Bezan, who barely succeeded in commanding his feelings forthe moment, so far as to turn silently away to return to his post ofobservation. The effect of the scene was not lost upon thehigh-spirited beauty. Isabella had marked well the words and tone ofvoice with which General Harero spoke, and she saw, too, the effectof his words upon the free, manly spirit of the young soldier, andfrom that moment, either intentionally, or by accident, she paid nofurther attention during the whole evening to General Harero, neither turning towards him, nor even speaking to him at all. 

The general, of course, observed this particularly, desiring as hedid to stand in the best possible light as it regarded Isabella'sfavor, and imputing her conduct to the presence of Captain Bezan, and the conversation that had taken place relative to his dutybetween Captain Bezan and himself; he hated the young officer morethan ever, as being in some degree the cause of preventing theconsummation of his hopes as it regarded the favor of the lady. Hehad long cherished a regard for the beautiful daughter of DonGonzales, for her personal charms, as well as the rich coffers whichher father could boast. As the reader has already surmised, he hadbeen a constant and ardent, though unsuccessful suitor, for noinconsiderable period. It will not, therefore, be wondered at, thathe should have felt very sensitive upon this point. As he passedLorenzo Bezan, therefore, at the close of the performance, in goingout of the theatre that night, while still in the most immediateproximity to Isabella Gonzales, her father, and the party with them, he took occasion to speak very loud, and in the most peremptorymanner to him, saying:

"I find you exceedingly lax, Captain Bezan, as it regards theexercise of your duty and command. You will report yourself to me, after morning parade, for such orders as shall be deemed proper foryou under the circumstances, as a public reproof for derelictionfrom duty. "

"Yes, general, " replied the young officer, with the usual salute tohis superior. 

Still curbing his feelings, the young officer contented himself witha kind glance from Isabella Gonzales, who had overheard the last actof petty tyranny on the general's part, and for that very reasonredoubled her passing notice and smiles upon Captain Bezan. Theofficer marched his company to their barracks, and then sought thesilence and quiet of his own room, to think over the events of thepast evening. 

His temples burned still with the angry flush that the insult of hissuperior officer had produced there, and throwing himself into achair, he recalled the whole scene at the theatre, from hisanswering Isabella's friendly signal, until the time when GeneralHarero passed him at the entrance, and for the last time reprovedhim. 

He weighed the cause of these repeated attacks upon him by hissuperior, and could at once divine the cause of them. That wasobvious to his mind at the first glance. He could not but perceivethe strong preference that General Harero evinced for IsabellaGonzales, nor could he disguise the fact to his own heart that shecared not a farthing for him. It required but a very simple capacityto understand this; any party, not interested in the general'sfavor, could easily discern it. But the general counted upon hishigh rank, and also upon the fact that his family was a good one, though his purse was not very long. 

Lorenzo Bezan remembered not alone the annoyance of that evening. Hehad not yet forgotten the insult from the general in the Paseo, andcoupling that with other events, he saw very well that hiscommanding officer was decidedly jealous of him. He saw, too, thatthere was not any chance of matters growing any better, but that onthe contrary they must continue to grow worse and worse, since behad determined, come what might, he should pursue his love with thefair lady Isabella. 

Could he bear to be insulted thus at every turn by such a man asGeneral Harero? No! He felt himself, in courage, intellectualendowments, birth, ay, everything but the rank of a soldier, to bemore than his equal. His heart beat quickly when he recollected thatthe latter taunt and threat had been given in the presence of DonGonzales and his daughter. The malignity, the unfairness of thisattack upon him at this time, was shameful, and deserved to bepunished. Brooding upon these things alone and at a late hour of thenight, he at last wrought himself up to such a point, perhaps insome degree aggravated by his late wounds, which were hardly yethealed, that he determined he would challenge General Harero tomartial and mortal conflict. 

True this was preposterous in one of his rank, as contending againstanother so vastly his superior in position and influence; but hisfeelings had begun to assume an uncontrollable character; he couldnot bear to think that he had been thus insulted before IsabellaGonzales. It seemed to him that she would think less of him if hedid not resent and punish such an insult. In the heat of hisresentment, therefore, he sat down and wrote to his superior asfollows:

"GENERAL HARERO: Sir-Having received, at different periods and underpeculiar circumstances, insults from you that neither become me as agentleman tamely to submit to, nor you as a soldier to give, I dohereby demand satisfaction. It would be worse than folly in me topretend that I do not understand the incentive that governs you-theactuating motive that has led to these attacks upon me. In my dutyas an officer I have never failed in the least; this you know verywell, and have even allowed before now, to my very face. Yourattacks upon me are, therefore, plainly traceable to a spirit ofjealousy as to my better success with the Senorita Gonzales thanyourself. Unless I greatly mistake, the lady herself has discoveredthis spirit within your breast. 

"Now, sir, the object of this note is to demand of you to lay asidethe station you hold, and to forget our relative ranks as officersin the Spanish army, and to meet me on the platform of ourindividual characters as gentlemen, and render me that satisfactionfor the insult which you have placed upon me, which I have a rightto demand. A line from you and a friend can easily settle thisbusiness. LORENZO BEZAN. "

This note was carefully sealed and addressed, and so despatched asto reach its destination early on the following morning. It was amost unfortunate epistle for Captain Bezan, and could the youngofficer have calmly considered the subject, he would never have beenso imprudent as to send it to his superior. So long as he bore thepetty annoyances of General Harero without murmuring he was strong, that the step he had now taken greatly weakened his cause andposition. Perhaps he partly realized this as he sent the note awayon the subsequent morning; but he felt too much pride to relent, andso only braced himself to meet the result. 

The note gave General Harero what he wanted, and placed CaptainBezan completely at his mercy. It gave him the opportunity to dothat which he most desired, viz. , to arrest and imprison the youngofficer. Consulting with the governor general, merely by way ofstrengthening himself, he took his opinion upon the subject beforehe made any open movement in the premises. This was a wary step, andserved in some degree to rob the case of any appearance ofpersonality that it might otherwise have worn to Tacon's eye. 

As it was, the wary old soldier felt some degree of suspicion in thematter, as was evident by his remarks to the general, who broughtthe charge. It did not seem very natural that one who had justexperienced such favor and promotion should so early be guilty of atbreach of discipline. He was accustomed to judge of men and matterswith care, and judiciously, and for this reason he now rested hishead upon his hand for a moment, upon the table by his side, andafter a pause of some minutes thus passed in silence, during whichhe had considered the verbal charge brought against Lorenzo Bezan byhis commanding officer, he once more cast a searching glance uponGeneral Harero. He had never detected him in any small or unfairbusiness, but he had suspected him of being capable of such things. 

"Is this not the young man whom I have lately promoted forgallantry?" asked the governor-general. 

"Excellency, yes. "

"It is strange that he should be guilty of such insubordination. "

"Very strange, excellency. "

"You know not the reason that has induced this conduct?"

"No--that is--" continued General Harero, as he saw Tacon's piercingeye bent upon him, "I can easily presume. "

"Have you the letter of challenge that Captain Bezan sent?"

"Excellency, yes. "

"I will see it. "

"Excellency, at your pleasure, " said the general, hoping not to havebeen obliged to show this document. 

"Now, if you please, general. "

"At once, excellency. "

General Harero produced the letter, and handed it with somethingvery like a blush tinging his sunburnt check, to hiscommander-in-chief. Tacon read it slowly, pausing now and then tore-read a line, and then, remarked, as he slowly folded it up oncemore:

"A love affair. "

"Why, your excellency will easily understand that the young officerhas dared to lift his eyes to one above his rank, and she caresnothing for him. His causes for complaint are all imaginary. "

"Well, be this as it may, in that I shall not interfere. He has beenguilty of a serious breach of discipline and must suffer for it. Youmay take the necessary steps at once in the matter, general. "

"Excellency, yes, " said General Harero, hastening away with secretdelight, and at once taking such measures as should carry out hisown wishes and purposes. 

The result of the matter was, that before ten o'clock that morningthe note conveying the challenge was answered by an aid-de-camp anda file of soldiers, who arrested Captain Bezan for insubordination, and quietly conducted him to the damp underground cells of themilitary prison, where he was left to consider the new position inwhich he found himself, solitary and alone, with a straw bed, and noconvenience or comfort about him. And it is not surprising that sucha situation should have been particularly suggestive to a mind soactive as that of Lorenzo Bezan. 

CHAPTER VII. 

THE PRISONER. 

TO know and fully realize the bitter severity exercised in theSpanish prisons, both at Madrid and in Havana, one must havewitnessed it. Cold, dark and dreary cells, fit only to act assupports to the upper and better lighted portions of the dismalstructure, are filled by those persons who have incurred in any waythe displeasure of the military board of commission. Here, in one ofthe dampest and most dreary cells, immured with lizards, tarantulas, and other vile and unwholesome reptiles, Captain Bezan, but so veryrecently-risen from a sick bed, and yet smarting under his wounds, found himself. He could now easily see the great mistake he had madein thus addressing General Harero as he had done, and also, as heknew very well the rigor of the service to which he was attachedwhen he considered for a moment, he had not the least possible doubtthat his sentence would be death. 

As a soldier he feared not death; his profession and experience, which had already made him familiar with the fell destroyer in everypossible form and shape, had taught him a fearlessness in thismatter; but to leave the air that Isabella Gonzales breathed, to bethus torn away from the bright hopes that she had given rise to inhis breast, was indeed agony of soul to him now. In the horizon ofhis love, for the first time since his heart had known the passion, the sun had risen, and the genial rays of hope, like young spring, had commended to warm and vivify his soul. 

Until within a very short time she whom he loved was to him as somedistant star, that might be worshipped in silence, but notapproached; but now, by a series of circumstances that looked likeprovidential interference in his behalf, immense barriers had beenremoved. Thinking over these matters, he doubly realized the misstephe had taken, and the heart of the lone prisoner was sad in thedepths of his dreary dungeon. 

Many days passed on, and Lorenzo Bezan counted each hour as one lessthat he should have to live upon the earth. At first all intercoursewas strictly denied him with any person outside the prison walls, but one afternoon he was delighted as the door of his cell wasthrown open, and in the next moment Ruez sprang into his arms. 

"My dear, dear friend!" said the boy, with big tears starting fromhis eyes, and his voice trembling with mingled emotions of pleasureand of grief. 

"Why, Ruez, " said the prisoner, no less delighted than was the boy, "how was it possible for you to gain admittance to me? You are thefirst person I have seen, except the turnkey, in my prison. "

"Everybody refused me; General Harero refused father, who desiredthat I might come and see if he could not in some way serve you. Atlast I went to Tacon himself. O, I do love that man! Well, I toldhim General Harero would not admit me, and when I told him all--"

"All of what, Ruez?"

"Why, about you and me, and sister and father. He said, 'Boy, youare worthy of confidence and love; here, take this, it will pass youto the prison, and to Captain Bezan's cell;' and he wrote me this ona card, and said I could come and see you by presenting it to theguard, when I pleased. "

"Tacon is just, always just, " said Lorenzo Bezan, "and you, Ruez, are a dear and true friend. " As the soldier said this, he turned todash away a tear-confinement and late sickness had rendered himstill weak. 

"Captain?"

"Master Ruez. "

"I hate General Harero. "

"Why so?"

"Because sister says it is by his influence that you are here. "

"Did Isabella say that?"

"Yes. "

"Well, tell me of your father and sister, Ruez. You know I am ahermit here. "

Lorenzo Bezan had already been in prison for more than ten days, when Ruez thus visited him, and the boy had much to tell him: howGeneral Harero had called repeatedly at the house, and Isabella hadtotally refused to see him; and how his father had tried to reasonwith General Harero about Captain Bezan, and how the general haddeclared that nothing but blood could wash out the stain ofinsubordination. 

With the pass that the governor-general had given him, Ruez Gonzalescame often to visit the imprisoned soldier, but as the day appointedfor the trial drew near, Ruez grew more and more sad and thoughtfulat each visit, for, boy though he was, he felt certain of LorenzoBezan's fate. He was not himself unfamiliar with militaryexaminations, for he was born and brought up within earshot of thespot where these scenes were so often enacted by order of themilitary commission, and he trembled for his dearly loved friend. 

At length the trial came; trial! we might with more propriety callit a farce, such being the actual character of an examination beforethe military commission of Havana, where but one side is heard, andcondemnation is sure to follow, as was the case so lately with oneof our own countrymen (Mr. Thrasher), and before him the murder bythis same tribunal of fifty Americans in cold blood! Trial, indeed!Spanish courts do not try people; they condemn them to suffer--thatis their business. 

But let us confine ourselves to our own case; and suffice it to say, that Captain Bezan was found guilty, and at once condemned to die. His offence was rank insubordination, or mutiny, as it wasdesignated in the charge; but in consideration of former services, and his undoubted gallantry and bravery, the sentence read to theeffect, as a matter of extraordinary leniency to him, that it shouldbe permitted for him to choose the mode of his own death-that is, between the garote and being shot by his comrades. 

"Let me die like a soldier, " replied the young officer, as thequestion was thus put to him, before the open court, as to the modeof death which he chose. 

"You are condemned, then, Lorenzo Bezan, " said the advocate of thecourt, "to be shot by the first file of your own company, upon theexecution field. "

This sentence was received with a murmur of disapprobation from thefew spectators in the court, for the condemned was one of the mostbeloved men in the service. But the young officer bowed his headcalmly to the sentence, though at close observer might have seen aslight quiver of his handsome lips, as he struggled for an instantwith a single inward thought. What that thought was, the reader caneasily guess, --it was the last link that bound him to happiness. 

Lorenzo Bezan had no fear of death, and perhaps estimated his lifequite as lightly as any other person who made a soldier's callinghis profession; but since his heart had known the tender promptingsof love, life had discovered new charms for him; he lived andbreathed in a new atmosphere. Before he had received the kindconsiderations of the peerless daughter of Don Gonzales, he couldhave parted the thread of his existence with little regret. But now, alas! it was very different; life was most sweet to him, because itwas so fully imbued with love and hope in the future. 

Wild as the idea might have seemed to any one else, the youngofficer had promised his own heart, that with ordinary success, andprovided no extraordinary difficulty should present itself in hispath, to win the heart and love of the proud and beautiful IsabellaGonzales. He had made her character and disposition his constantstudy, was more familiar, perhaps, with her strong and her weakpoints than was she herself, and believed that he knew how best toapproach her before whom so many, vastly higher than himself, hadknelt in vain, and truth to say, fortune seemed to have seconded hishopes. 

It was the death of all these hopes, the dashing to earth of thefairy future he had dreamed of, that caused his proud lip to tremblefor a moment. It was no fear of bodily ill. 

General Harero had accomplished his object, and had triumphed overthe young officer, whose impetuosity had placed him within hispower. The sentence of death cancelled his animosity to LorenzoBezan, and he now thought that a prominent cause of disagreement andwant of success between the Senorita Isabella Gonzales and himselfwas removed. Thus reasoning upon the subject, and thus influenced, he called at the house of Don Gonzales on the evening following thatof Captain Bezan's sentence, expecting to be greeted with the usualcourtesy that had been extended to him. Ruez was the first one whomhe met of the household, on being ushered to the drawing-room by aslave. 

"Ah! Master Ruez, how do you do?" said the general, pleasantly. 

"Not well at all!" replied the boy, sharply, and with undisguiseddislike. 

"I'm sorry to learn that. I trust nothing serious has affected you. "

"But there has, though, " said the boy, with spirit; "it is therascality of human nature;" at the same moment he turned his backcoldly on the general and left the room. 

"Well, that's most extraordinary, " mused the general, to himself;"the boy meant to hit me, beyond a doubt. "

"Ah, Don Gonzales, " he said to the father, who entered the room amoment after, "glad to see you; have had some unpleasant business onmy hands that has kept me away, you see. "

"Yes, very unpleasant, " said the old gentleman, briefly and coldly. 

"Well, it's all settled now, Don Gonzales, and I trust we shall beas good friends as ever. "

Receiving no reply whatever to this remark, and being left tohimself, General Harero looked after Don Gonzales, who had retiredto a balcony in another part of the room, for a moment, and thensummoning a slave, sent his card to Senorita Isabella, and receivedas an answer that she was engaged. Repulsed in every quarter, hefound himself most awkwardly situated, and thought it about time tobeat a retreat. 

As General Harero rose and took his leave in the most formal manner, he saw that his pathway towards the Senorita Isabella's graces wasby no means one of sunshine alone, but at that moment it presentedto his view a most cloudy horizon. The unfortunate connection ofhimself with the sentence of Captain Bezan, now assumed its truebearing in his eye. Before, he had only thought of revenge, and theobject also of getting rid of his rival. Now he fully realized thatit had placed him in a most unpleasant situation, as it regarded thelady herself. Indeed he felt that had not the matter gone so far, hewould gladly have compromised the affair by a public reprimand tothe young officer, such as should sufficiently disgrace him publiclyto satisfy the general's pride. But it was too late to regret now, too late for him to turn back-the young soldier must die!

In the meantime Lorenzo Bezan was remanded to his dismal prison andcell, and was told to prepare for the death that would soon awaithim. One week only was allowed him to arrange such matters as hedesired, and then he was informed that he would be shot by hiscomrades in the execution field, at the rear of the city barracks. It was a sad and melancholy fate for so young and brave an officer;but the law was imperative, and there was no reprieve for him. 

The cold and distant reception that General Harero had received atDon Gonzales's house since the sentence had been publicly pronouncedagainst Captain Lorenzo Bezan, had afforded unmistakable evidence tohim that if his victim perished on account of the charge he hadbrought against him, his welcome with Isabella and her father was atan end. But what was to be done? As we have said, he had gone toofar to retrace his steps in the matter. Now if it were but possibleto get out of the affair in some way, he said to himself, he wouldgive half his fortune. Puzzling over this matter, the disappointedgeneral paced back and forth in his room until past midnight, and atlast having tired himself completely, both mentally and physically, he carelessly threw off his clothes, and summoning his orderly, gavesome unimportant order, and prepared to retire for the night. 

But scarcely had he locked his door and drawn the curtains of hiswindows, when a gentle knock at the door caused him once more toopen it, when an orderly led in a person who was closely wrapped upin a cloak, and after saluting respectfully left the new comer alonewith his superior. 

"Well, sir, did you obtain me those keys?" asked General Harero. 

"I did, and have them here, general, " was the reply. 

"You say there is no need of my entering at the main postern. "

"None. This first key opens the concealed gate in the rear of theguard house, and this the door that leads to the under range of theprison. You will require no guide after what I have already shownyou. But you have promised me the fifty ounces. "

"I have. "

"And will hold me harmless?"

"At all hazards. "

"Then here are the keys. "

"Stay; it would be as well for you to be about at the timespecified, to avert any suspicions or immediate trouble. "

"I will be on the alert, general. You may rely upon me in thisbusiness, since you pay for my services so liberally. "

"Good night, sir. "

"Good night, general. "

And gathering his cloak about him, the stranger vanished stealthilythrough the door, which General Harero closed and locked after him. Having consummated the preliminaries to some piece of rascality orsecret business that he did not care to make public. 

More than half of the time allotted to the prisoner for preparationin closing up his connection with life, had already transpired sincehis sentence had been pronounced, and he had now but three days lefthim to live. Ruez Gonzales, improving the governor-general's pass, had visited the young officer daily, bringing with him such luxuriesand necessities to the condemned as were not prohibited by the rulesof the prison, and which were most grateful to him. More so, because, though this was never intimated to him, or, indeed, appeared absolutely obvious, he thought that oftentimes Isabella hadselected these gifts, if indeed she had not prepared them with herown hands. A certain delicacy of feeling prevented him from sayingas much to her brother, or of even questioning him upon any point, however trivial, as to any matter of a peculiar nature concerningIsabella. Sometimes he longed to ask the boy about the subject, buthe could not bring himself to do so; he felt that it would beindelicate and unpleasant to Isabella, and therefore he limitedhimself to careful inquiries concerning her health and such simplematters as he might touch upon, without risk of her displeasure. 

Lorenzo Bezan took the announcement of his fate calmly. He felt ithis duty to pray for strength, and he did so, and sought in the holysilence and confidence of prayer for that abiding and inwardassurance that may carry us through the darkness and the valley ofdeath. Ruez, poor boy, was almost distracted at the realization ofthe young soldier's fate. Boy though he was, he had yet thefeelings, in many respects, of manhood, and though before LorenzoBezan he said nothing of his coming fate, and indeed struggled toappear cheerful, and to impart a pleasant influence to the prisoner, yet when once out of his presence, he would cry for the hourtogether, and Isabella even feared for the child's reason, unlesssome change should take place ere long. 

When his mother was taken from him, and their home made desolate bythe hand of death, Ruez, in the gentleness and tenderness of hisheart, had been brought so low by grief, that it was almostmiraculous that he had survived. The influence of that sorrow, as wehave before observed, had never left him. His father's assiduouscare and kindness, and Isabella's gentle and sisterly love for him, had in part healed the wound, when now his young and susceptibleheart was caused thus to bleed anew. He loved Lorenzo Bezan with astrange intensity of feeling. There was an affinity in their naturesthat seemed to draw them together, and it was strange that strengthof consolation and happiness that weak and gentle boy imparted tothe stern soldier!

In his association of late with Ruez, the condemned officer feltpurified and carried back to childhood and his mother's knee; thelong vista of eventful years was blotted out from his heart, thestern battles he had fought in, the blood he had seen flow likewater, his own deep scars and many wounds, the pride and ambition ofhis military career, all were forgotten, and by Ruez's side he wasperhaps more of a child at heart than the boy himself. How strangeare our natures; how susceptible to outward influence; how attunableto harshness or to plaintive notes! We are but as the ’olian harp, and the winds of heaven play upon us what times they will!

It was midnight in the prison of Havana; nought could be heard bythe listening ear save the steady pace of the sentinels stationed atthe various angles of the walls and entrances of the courtyard thatsurrounded the gloomy structure. It was a calm, tropical light, andthe moon shone so brightly as to light up the grim walls and heavyarches of the building, almost as bright as if it were day. Now andthen a sentinel would pause, and resting upon his musket, look offupon the silvery sea, and perhaps dream of his distant Castilianhome, then starting again, he would rouse himself, shoulder theweapon, and pace his round with measured stride. Lorenzo Bezan, thecondemned, had knelt down and offered up a prayer, silent butsincere, for Heaven's protection in the fearful emergency that besethim; he prayed that he might die like a brave man, yet with a rightfeeling and reconciled conscience with all mankind. Then throwinghimself upon his coarse straw bed, that barely served to separatehim from the damp earthen floor, he had fallen asleep-a calm, deep, quiet sleep, so silent and childlike as almost to resemble deathitself. 

He had not slept there for many minutes, before there was heard amost curious noise under the floor of his prison. At first it didnot awaken him, but partially doing so, caused him to move slightly, and in at half conscious, half dreamy state, to suggest some causefor the unusual phenomenon. It evidently worked upon his brain andnervous system, and he dreamed that the executioner had come forhim, that his time for life had already expired, and the noise heheard was that of the officers and men, come to execute the sentencethat had been pronounced upon him by the military commission. 

By degrees the noise gradually increased, and heavy bolts and barsseemed to be removed, and a gleam of light to stream across thecell, while the tall form of a man, wrapped in a military cloak, came up through the floor where a stone slab gave way to thepressure applied to it from below. 

Having gained a footing, the new comer now turned the light of adark lantern in the direction of the corner where the prisoner wassleeping. The figure approached the sleeping soldier, and bendingover him, muttered to himself, half aloud:

"Sleeping, by Heaven! he sleeps as quietly as though he was in hiscamp-bedstead, and not even under arrest. "

As the officer thus spoke-for his cloak now falling from oneshoulder, partially exposed his person and discovered his rank-thestrong light of the lantern fell full upon the sleeper's face, andcaused him suddenly to awake, and partially rising from the floor, he said:

"So soon! has my time already come? I thought that it was not yet. Well, I am ready, and trust to die like a soldier!"

"Awake, Captain Bezan, awake!" said the new comer. "I have news foryou!"

"News!"

"Yes. "

"What possible news can there be that I can feel interested in?"

"Rise, and I will tell you, " replied the other, while he shaded thelantern with his hand. 

"Speak on, I am listening, " replied Lorenzo Bezan, rising to hisfeet. 

"I would speak of your liberty. "

"My liberty? I am condemned to die, and do you come to mock me?"

"Be patient; the way is open, and you may yet escape from death. "

"And what should interest you, General Harero, in my fate? Yourpurpose is gained; I am removed from your path; why do you visit methus at this still hour of the night, and in so extraordinary amanner by a secret entrance to my cell?"

"All this matters nothing. I came not here to answer questions. Onone condition you are free. I have the means of your escape athand. "

"Name the condition, " said the prisoner, though without exhibitingthe least interest. 

"There is a vessel which will sail for America with the morningtide; swear if I liberate you that you will take passage in her, andnever return to this island. "

"Never!" said the soldier, firmly. "I will never leave those I loveso dearly. "

"You refuse these terms?" continued the general, in a hoarse tone ofvoice. 

"I do, most unhesitatingly. Life would be nothing to me if robbed ofits brightest hope. "

"You will not consider this for a moment? it is your only chance. "

"I am resolved, " said Lorenzo Bezan; "for more than one reason I amdetermined. "

"Then die for your obstinacy, " said General Harero, hoarse with rageand disappointment. 

Thus saying, General Harero descended into the secret passage fromwhence he had just emerged, and replacing the stone above his head, the prisoner heard the grating of the rusty bolts and bars as theywere closed after him. They grated, too, most harshly upon hisheart, as well as upon their own hinges, for they seemed to say, "thus perishes your last hope of reprieve-your last possibility ofescape from the fate that awaits you. "

"No matter, " said he, to himself, at last, "life would be of littlevalue to me now if deprived of the presence of Isabella, and thatdear boy, Ruez, and therefore I decided none too quickly as I did. Besides, in honor, I could hardly accept my life at his hands on anyterms-he whom I have to thank for all my misfortunes. No, no; letthem do their worst, I know my fate is sealed; but I fear it not. Iwill show them that I can die as I have lived, like a soldier; theyshall not triumph in my weakness so long as the blood flows throughmy veins. "

With this reflection and similar thoughts upon his mind, he oncemore threw himself upon the hard damp floor, and after thinking longand tenderly of Isabella Gonzales and her brother, he once moredropped to sleep, but not until the morning gun had relieved thesentinels, and the drum had beat the reveille. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

THE FAREWELL. 

THE apartment in Don Gonzales's house appropriated as Ruez'ssleeping room, led out of the main reception hall, and adjoined thatof his sister Isabella. Both rooms looked out upon the Plato, andover the Gulf Stream and outer portions of the harbor, where thegrim Moro tower and its cannon frown over the narrow entrance of theinner bay. One vessel could hardly work its way in ship shapethrough the channel, but a thousand might lay safely at anchorinside this remarkably land-locked harbor. At the moment when wewould introduce the reader to the house of the rich old DonGonzales, Isabella had thrown herself carelessly upon a couch in herroom, and half sighing, half dreaming while awake, was gazing outupon the waters that make up from the Caribbean Sea, at thesouthward, and now and then following with her eyes the tradingcrafts that skimmed the sparkling waters to the north. 

As she gazed thus, she suddenly raised herself to a sittingposition, as she heard the suppressed and most grievous sobs of someone near the room where she was, and rising, she approached thewindow to discover the cause of this singular sound. The noise thathad excited her curiosity came from the next chamber, evidently, andthat was her brother's. Stealing softly round to the entrance of hischamber, she went quietly in and surprised Ruez as lay grieving upona couch with eyes filled with tears. 

"Why, Ruez, what does this mean? Art sick, brother, that you are sodepressed?" asked the beautiful girl, seating herself down by hisside. 

"Ay, sister, sick at heart, " said the boy, with a deep drawn sigh. 

"And why, Ruez?" she continued, gently parting the hair from hisforehead. 

"How can you ask such a question, sister? do you not know already?"he asked, turning his deep blue eyes full upon her. 

"Perhaps not, brother, " replied Isabella, struggling to suppress asigh, while she turned her face away from her brother's searchingglance. 

"Do you not know, sister, that to-morrow Captain Bezan is sentencedto die?"

"True, " said Isabella Gonzales, with an involuntary shudder, "I doknow it, Ruez. "

"And further, sister, " continued the boy, sagely, "do you not knowthat we have been the indirect cause of this fearful sacrifice?"

"I do not see that, brother, " said Isabella, quickly, as she turnedher beautiful face fully upon her brother, inquiringly. 

Ruez Gonzales looked like one actuated by some extraordinaryinspiration; his eyes were wonderfully bright, his expression thatof years beyond his actual age, and his beautiful sister, while shegazed thus upon him at that moment, felt the keen and searchingglance that he bestowed upon her. She felt like one in the presenceof a superior mind; she could not realize her own sensations. Theboy seemed to read her very soul, as she stood thus before him. Itwas more than a minute before he spoke, and seemed to break thespell; but at last-and it seemed an age to Isabella Gonzales-he didso, and said:

"Sister?"

"Well, Ruez?"

"Captain Bezan loves you. "

"Perhaps so. "

"I say he does love you. "

"It is possible. "

"I say he loves you, " continued the boy, almost sternly. 

"Well, brother, what of that?" she asked, with assumed indifference. 

"It is that, sister, which has led General Harero to persecute himas he has done, and it is that which has led him like a noble spiritto turn to bay. "

A moment's pause ensued. 

"Is it not so, sister?" he asked, still looking keenly at her. "Haveyou not yourself intimated that Captain Bezan was to suffer owing tohis interest and services for us?"

"You do indeed speak truly, brother, " said the lovely girl, breathing more quickly, and half amazed at Ruez's penetration andprophetic manner of speech. 

"Alas!" said the boy, once more relapsing into his former mood, "that he might be saved!"

"Has our father seen the governor-general, Ruez?" asked his sister, earnestly. 

"Yes. "

"And to no effect?"

"None. Tacon, you know, is most strict in his administration ofjustice, and he says that if he were to pardon one such breach ofmilitary discipline as Captain Bezan as been guilty of, the wholearmy would at once be impregnated with insubordination. "

"Would that I could see Captain Bezan, if only for one singlemoment, " murmured Isabella Gonzales, half aloud, yet only toherself. 

"Do you mean so, sister?" asked Ruez, catching quickly at hissister's words, and with an undisguised expression of delightwritten upon his handsome countenance. 

"Yes, no, brother, that is to say, if I could see him withpropriety, you know, Ruez; that is what I meant to say. "

"Nothing easier, than for you to do so, if you desire it, " said theboy. 

"Do you think so, Ruez?" said his sister, somewhat eagerly. 

"Certainly, Isabella, my pass will serve for you with a triflingdisguise. "

"But our difference in size; besides, you know that my voice--"

"Will not be noticed by those stiff sentries, or the turnkey, "interrupted the boy. "They do not know me at all, and would notsuspect you. "

"Ah! but I can see many impediments in the way of one of my sex, "added Isabella Gonzales, with a deep sigh. 

Captain Lorenzo Bezan awoke on the day previous to that appointedfor his execution, with cheerful spirit. He found no guilt in hisheart, he felt that he had committed no crime, that his soul wasfree and untrammelled. His coarse breakfast of rude cassava root andwater was brought to him at a late hour, and having partaken ofsufficient of this miserable food to prevent the gnawings of hunger, he now sat musing over his past life, and thinking seriously of thatmorrow which was to end his career upon earth forever. A strangereverie for a man to be engaged in a most critical period-thewinding up of his earthly career. 

"I wonder, " said he to himself, somewhat curiously, "why Ruez doesnot come to-day? it is his hour-ay, must be even past the time, andthe boy loves me too well to neglect me now, when I am so near myend. Hark! is that his step? No; and yet it must be; it is too lightfor the guard or turnkey. O yes, that is my door, certainly, andhere he is, sure enough. I knew he would come. "

As the prisoner said this, the door slowly opened on its rusty andcreaking hinges, and the turnkey immediately closed it after the newcomer, who was somewhat closely wrapped in the profuse folds of along Spanish cloak. 

Well, Ruez, " said Captain Bezan, quite leisurely, and withoutturning his head towards the door, "I had begun to fear that youwould not come to-day. You know you are the only being I see, exceptthe turnkey, and I'm quite sensitive about your visits, my dear boy. However, you are here, at last; sit down. "

"Captain Bezan, it appears to me that you do not welcome me verycordially, " said Isabella Gonzales, in reply, and a little archly. 

"Lady!" said the prisoner, springing to his feet as though he hadbeen struck by an electric shock, "Senorita Isabella Gonzales, is itpossible that you have remembered me at such a time-me, who am sosoon to die?"

Isabella Gonzales had now thrown back the ample folds of the cloakshe wore, and lifting her brother's cap from her head, her beautifulhair fell into its accustomed place, and with a slight blush tingingeither cheek, she stood before the young soldier in his cell, anobject of ineffable interest and beauty. 

"Heaven bless you, lady, " said the prisoner, kneeling at her feet. 

"Nay. I pray you, sir, Captain Bezan, do not kneel at such a time. "

"Ah! lady, how can I thank you in feeble words for this sweet ray ofsunshine that you have cast athwart my dark and dreary path? I nolonger remember that I am to die-that my former comrades are topierce my heart with bullets. I cannot remember my fate, lady, sinceyou have rendered me so happy. You have shown me that I did notmistake the throne at which I have secretly worshipped-that, allgood and pure as you are, you would not forget Lorenzo Bezan, thepoor, the lonely soldier who had dared to tell you how dearly heloved you. "

As he spoke, Isabella Gonzales seemed for one moment to forgetherself in the realizations of the scene. She listened to his thriceeloquent words with eyes bent upon the ground at first, and thengazing tenderly upon him, and now that he had ceased to speak, theysought once more the floor of the room in silence. He could not butconstrue these delicate demonstrations in his favor, and drawingclose to her side, he pressed her hand tenderly to his lips. Thetouch seemed to act like magic, and aroused her to presentconsciousness, while she started as if in amazement. All the prideof her disposition was instantly aroused; she felt that for a singlemoment she had forgotten herself, and to retrieve the apparentacquiescence that she had seemed to show to the condemned soldier'swords and tale of love, she now appeared to think that she mustassume all the hauteur of character that usually governed her in herintercourse with his sex and the world generally. It was but asimple struggle, and all her self-possession was rallied again toher service and absolute control. 

"Captain Bezan, " she said, with assumed dignity, and drawing herselfup in all her beauty of to person to its full height, "I came nothither to hear such talk as this from you, nor to submit to suchfamiliarity, and I trust, sir, that you will henceforth rememberyour station, and respect mine. "

The breast of the prisoner heaved with inward emotion, in thestruggle to suppress its outward show, and he bit his lips until theblood nearly flowed. His face instantly became the picture ofdespair; for her words had planted that grief and sorrow in hisheart which the fear of death could not arouse there. Even IsabellaGonzales seemed for a moment struck with the effect of her repulse;but her own proud heart would not permit her to recall one word shehad uttered. 

"I would not leave you, Captain Bezan, " said she, at length, as shegathered the ample folds of the cloak about her, "without once moretendering to you my most earnest thanks for your great services toour family. You know to what I refer. I need not tell you, " shecontinued, with a quivering lip, "that my father has done all in hispower to have your sentence remitted, but, alas! to no effect. Taconseems to be resolved, and unchangeable. "

As she spoke thus, spite of all her assumed pride and self-control, a tear trembled in her eye, and her respiration came quickly-almostin sobs!

The young soldier looked at her silently for a moment; at first heseemed puzzled; he was weighing in his own mind the meaning of allthis as contrasted with the repulse he had just received, and withthe estimate he had before formed of her; at last, seeming to readthe spirit that had possessed her, he said:

"Ah, lady, I bless you a thousand times for that tear!"

"Nay, sir, I do not understand you, " she said, quickly. 

"Not your own heart either, lady, else you disguise its truth. Ah!why should all this be so? why should hearts be thus masked?"

"Sir, this is positive impertinence, " said Isabella Gonzales, struggling once more to summon her pride to sustain her. 

"Impertinence, lady?" repeated the prisoner, sadly. 

"That was my word, sir, " answered the proud girl, with assumedharshness. 

"No, it would be impossible for me, on the very brink of the grave, to say aught but the truth; and I love you too deeply, toofervently, to be impertinent. You do not know me, lady. In my heartI have reared an altar to worship at, and that shrine for threeyears has been thy dearly loved form. How dearly and passionately Ihave loved-what a chastening influence it has produced upon my life, my comrades, who know not yet the cause, could tell you. To-morrow Imust die. While I hoped one day to win your love, life was most dearto me, and I was happy. I could then have clung to life with as muchtenacity as any one. But, lady, I find that I have been mistaken; mywhole dream of fancy, of love, is gone, and life is no better to methan a burden. I speak not in haste, nor in passion. You must bearme witness that I am calm and collected; and I assure you that thebullets which end my existence will be but swift-winged messengersof peace to my already broken heart!"

"Captain Bezan, " said Isabella, hesitating, and hardly speakingdistinctly. 

"Well, lady?"

"How could you have so deceived yourself? How could you possiblysuppose that one in your sphere of life could hope to be united toone in mine?" asked Isabella Gonzales, with a half averted face anda trembling voice, as she spoke. "It was foolhardy, sir; it was morethan that; it was preposterous!"

"Lady, you are severe. "

"I speak but truth, Captain Bezan, and your own good sense willsustain it. "

"I forgot your birth and rank, your wealth-everything. I acknowledgethis, in the love I bore you; and, lady, I still feel, that had notmy career been thus summarily checked, I might yet have won yourlove. Nay, lady, do not frown; true love never despairs-never isdisheartened--never relinquishes the object that it loves, whilethere is one ray of light yet left to guide it on. It did seem to menow, when we are parting so surely forever, that it might have been, on your part, more kindly, and that you would, by a smile, or even atear-drop, for my sake, have thus blessed me, and lightened my heavysteps to the field of execution and of trial. "

Isabella Gonzales, as she listened to his words, could no longersuppress her feelings, but covering her face with her hands, shewept for a moment like a child. Pride was of no avail; the heart hadasserted its supremacy, and would not be controlled. 

"You take advantage of my woman's heart, sir, " she said, at last. "Icannot bear the idea that any one should suffer, and moreparticularly one who has endeared himself to me and mine by suchimportant service as you have done. Do not think that tears argueaught for the wild tale you have uttered, sir. I would not have youdeceive yourself so much; but I am a woman, and cannot view violenceor grief unmoved!"

"Say, rather, lady, " added the soldier, most earnestly, "that youare pure, beautiful, and good at heart, but that pride, that onlyalloy of thy most lovely character, chokes its growth in yourbosom. "

"Sir!"

"Well, Senorita Isabella. "

"Enough of this, " she said, hastily and much excited. "I must leaveyou now, captain. It is neither fitting that I should hear, nor thatyou should utter such words as these to Isabella Gonzales. Farewell!"

"Lady, farewell, " replied the prisoner, more by instinct than by anycomprehension that she was actually about to leave him. 

"I pray you, Captain Bezan, do not think that I cherish any unkindthoughts towards you, " she said, turning when at the door; "on thecontrary, I am by no means unmindful of my indebtedness to you; butfar be it from me to sanction a construction of my feelings oractions which my heart will not second. "

"Lady, your word is law to me, " replied the submissive prisoner. 

When she had gone, and the rough grating of the turnkey'sinstruments had done sounding in his ear, Captain Bezan remained amoment looking upon the slot where she had stood, with apparentamazement. He could not realize that she had been there at all; andhardest of all, that she had left him so abruptly. But her"farewell" still rang in his ears, and throwing himself upon hisrude seat, with his face buried in his hands, he exclaimed:

"Welcome, welcome death! I would that thou wert here already!"

After a few moments thus passed, as it were, in the very depths ofdespair, he rose and walked his dreary cell in a sad and silentreverie, a reviewal of all these matters. 

"How I have mistaken that beautiful creature, how idolized, howloved her! I knew that there was much, ay, very much, of pride inher heart. I knew the barriers that rose between her and me; but, alas, I thought them not so very at high, so very impregnable. Iwould not, could not, have believed that she would have left methus. It was our last farewell. She might have been more kind;might, without much risk of loss of pride have permitted me such aparting as should have rendered my last hours happy! Alas! alas!what toys of fortune we are; what straws for every breeze toshake-for every wind to shatter!

"We set our hearts upon an object, and blinded by our warm desires, believe, like children, that which we hope for. I have never pausedto think in this matter of my love, I have been led ont tooprecipitately by the brilliancy of the star that I followed; itslight blinded me to all other influences; and, too truly, I feel it, blinded me to reason also. Isabella Gonzales, the belle of thisbrilliant city, the courted, beloved, rich, proud Isabella Gonzales;what else might I have expected, had one moment been permitted to mefor reason, for cool reflection. I was mad in my fond and passionatelove; I was blind in my folly, to ever dream of success. But the endwill soon be here, and I shall be relieved from this agonizing feverat my heart, this woeful pain of disappointed love, ofbroken-heartedness. "

He folded his arms, and permitting his head to sink upon his breast, sat down, the very picture of despair. 

CHAPTER IX. 

THE EXECUTION SCENE. 

THE morning was bright and beautiful that ushered in the day whichwas appointed for the execution of Captain Lorenzo Bezan, inaccordance with the sentence passed upon him. The birds carolledgaily in the little grove that is formed about the fountain whichfronts the governor-general's palace and the main barracks of thearmy, while the fresh, soft air from inland came loaded withdelicious flavors and sweet aroma. Nature could hardly have assumeda more captivating mood than she wore at that time. 

The soldiers, who sauntered about the Plaza, and hung around thedoors of the guard house, wore an air quite different from thatwhich the bright and beautiful tropical morning might be supposed toinduce. They knew only too well of the tragedy that was that day toenacted; such occasions-the spilling of the tide of life, in coldblood-suited not their chivalrous notions at any time, much less sonow, for they loved the officer who was to lose his life-a victim toHarero-whom, again, few men respected, either as a soldier or aman-his character was repulsive to nearly all. 

"So the captain is to be shot to-day, " remarked one of CaptainBezan's own company, to a comrade whom he had just met in the Plaza. 

"Yes, I had rather it had been--"

"Hush, Alonzo, " said his companion, observing General Harero walkingacross the street. 

"That is he, and he is the only man I ever saw, " continued theofficer, "that I would like to see shot in cold blood. Poor Bezan, he's sacrificed to the general!"

"I wonder what gave the trouble between them. "

"Don't know; some say there's a lady in the case. "

"I hadn't heard of that. "

"Yes, you know he challenged the general?"

"Yes, "

"Well, that was about a lady, in some way; I heard one of theofficers say so. "

"The first file do the business. "

"Yes, and thankful am I, Alonzo, that you and I are in the fourthsection. "

The hour appointed for the execution of the sentence had nearlyarrived, and the steady roll of the drum beat the regiment to whichCaptain Bezan's company belonged, to the line. His own immediatecompany was formed on the side of the Plaza at right angles with therest of the line, in all some thousand rank and file. This company"stood at ease, " and the men hung their heads, as if ashamed of thebusiness they were about to perform. In the rest of the line the menexchanged a few words with each other, now and then, quietly, butthe company referred to, spoke not a word. To each other. Theirofficers stood in a little knot by themselves, and evidently feltsad at heart when they remembered the business before them, fortheir comrade condemned to die had been a universal favorite withthem. 

But a few moments transpired, after the forming of the line, beforean aid-de-camp approached and transmitted an order to thefirst-lieutenant, now commanding the company, and the first file oftwelve men were marched away to the rear of the barracks, while therest of the company were sent to the prison to do guard duty inescorting the prisoner to the ground. It seemed to them as thoughthis additional insult might have been spared to the prisoner-thatof being guarded by his late command, in place of any other portionof the regiment being detailed for this service. But this wasGeneral Harero's management, who seemed to gloat in his owndiabolical purposes. 

In the meantime the prisoner had risen that morning from his damp, rude couch, and had completed his simple toilet with more than usualneatness. After offering up a sincere prayer, and listening to thewords of the priest who had been sent to prepare him for the lasthour, he declared calmly that he was ready to die. He had looked forRuez Gonzales, and wondered not a little that the boy had not cometo bid him farewell that morning-a last, long farewell. 

"Perhaps his young heart was too full for him to do so, " said thedoomed soldier; "and yet I should have felt happier to see himagain. It is strange how much his purity and gentleness of characterhave caused me to love him. Next to Isabella Gonzales, surely thatboy is nearest to my heart. Poor Ruez will miss me, for the boyloves me much. "

As he mused thus to himself, the steady and regular tread of armedmen was heard approaching his prison door, and the young soldierknew full well for what purpose they came. In a few moments after, he who had formerly been his second in command entered the cell andsaluted the prisoner respectfully. 

"Captain Bezan, " said the lieutenant, "I need not explain in detailto you the very unpleasant business upon which I have been at thistime sent, nor add, " continued the officer, in a lower tone ofvoice, "how much I regret the fate that awaits you. "

"Nay, Ferdinand, " answered Captain Bezan, calmly, "say nothing ofthe matter, but give me your hand, my friend, and do your duty. "

"Would to God I could in any way avoid it, Lorenzo, " said hisbrother officer, who had long been associated with him, and who hadloved him well. 

"Regrets are useless, Ferdinand. You know we all have our allottedtime, and mine has come. You shall see that I will die like asoldier. "

"Ay, Lorenzo; but in such a way; so heartlessly, so needlessly, soin cold blood; alas! why were you so imprudent? I am no woman, comrade. You have fought in the same field, and slept in the sametent with me oftentimes, and you know that I have laid the sod uponmy companion's breast without a murmur, without a complaint; butthis business is too much for me!"

"Fie, fie, man, " said the prisoner, with assumed indifference; "lookupon it as a simple duty; you but fulfil an order, and there's theend of it. "

"I can't, for the life of me, I can't!"

"Why, my good fellow, come to think of it, you should not complain, of all others, since it gives you promotion and the command of ourbrave boys. "

A look of deep reproach was the only answer he received to thisremark. 

"Forgive me, Ferdinand, forgive me, I did but jest, " he continued, quickly, as he again grasped the hand of his comrade between hisown. 

"Say no more, Lorenzo. Is there aught I can do for you before wemarch?"

"Nothing. "

"No little boon-no service you would like to trust to a friend andcomrade?"

"My papers are all arranged and addressed to you, with directionshow I should like to have them disposed of. There is nothing else, Ferdinand. "

"It will be my melancholy pleasure to follow your wishesimplicitly, " was the reply. 

"Thank you, Ferdinand. "

"Is that all?"

"All. "

"Then we must at once away. "

"One moment-stay, Ferdinand; tell my poor boys who act theexecutioners, those of the first file, to fire low-at my heart, Ferdinand! You will remember?"

"Alas! yes, " said his comrade, turning suddenly away from theprisoner. 

"And tell them, Ferdinand, that I most heartily and sincerelyforgive them for the part they are called upon to play in this day'sdrama. "

"I will-I will. "

"That is all. I have no other request, and am prepared now to followyou, " he added, with a calm and resigned expression of countenance. 

The drum beat-the file opened-the prisoner took his position, andthe detachment of men whom he had so often commanded amid thecarnage of battle and the roar of cannon, now guarded him towardsthe place of his execution. 

Lorenzo Bezan had but a little way to march; but still a blushsuffused his face as he passed, thus humiliated, through the publicPlaza, where he had so often paraded his company before. All eyeswere low bent upon him, from the humblest to the highest, for he waswell known, and his fate had created much remark among all. He wasmarched quietly to the rear of the barracks, and as the companyfiled by the guard house, to the long open space on the city side, just opposite Moro Castle, he distinctly heard a voice from one ofthe windows say:

"God bless and help you, Captain Bezan!"

He turned partially round to see the speaker, but no one wasvisible. He was sure it was Ruez's voice, and wondering why he didnot come forward to meet his eye, he marched on to the plain wherethe entire division of General Harero's command was drawn up towitness the scene. It is difficult to conceive, and much more so todescribe, such an impressive sight as presented itself at thismoment to the spectator. There was so much mockery in the brilliantuniforms, flaunting plumes and gilded accoutrements of the soldiery, when contrasted with the purpose of the scene, that one could hardlycontemplate the sight even for a moment with ordinary composure. 

The prisoner, attended by a private and two officers, was led to hisposition, where, divested of his coat, he stood simply in his linenand nether garments, and quietly submitted to have his hands boundbehind him, while he exchanged a few pleasant words with those whowere about him. At a signal from the provost marshal, one of theofficers essayed to bind a handkerchief before his eyes, but at anearnest request to the contrary by the prisoner, he desisted, and ina moment after he stood alone beside the open grave that had beendug to receive his remains!

Behind him rolled the ocean, mingling with the waters of the GulfStream; on either side were ranged the long line of infantry thatformed his division, while in front was ranged his own company, andsome ten yards in front of them stood the file of thirteen men whowere to be his executioners. They had just been supplied with theirmuskets by an officer, and were told that one was without ball, thateach one might hope his was not the hand to slay his former comradein arms. Another signal from the provost, and the lieutenantcommanding Captain Bezan's company advanced from the rear to theside of the first file to his regular position, at the same timesaying in a low voice:

"Fire low, my men, as you love our former comrade-aim at his heart!"

A glance, and a sad one of intelligence, was all he could receivefrom the men. Two or three successive orders brought the file to theproper position for firing. 

At that moment Lorenzo Bezan, with a slight exertion of the greatphysical strength which he possessed, easily broke the cords asunderthat bound his wrists behind him, and dashing the dark hair from hishigh and manly forehead, he calmly folded his arms upon his breast, and awaited the fire that was to end his existence. The fearful wordwas given by the officer, and so still was every one, so breathlessthe whole scene, that the order was distinctly heard through theentire length of the lines. 

The morning sun shone like living fire along the polished barrels ofthe guns, as the muzzles all ranged in point towards the heart ofthe condemned. In spite of the effort not to do so, the officerpaused between the order to aim, and that to fire. The word appearedto stick in his throat, and he opened his mouth twice before hecould utter the order; but at last he did so, distinctly, thoughwith a powerful effort. 

The, sharp, quick report of the muskets that followed this order, seemed to jar upon every heart among that military throng, except, indeed, of him who sat upon a large dapple gray horse, at the rightof the line, and whose insignia bespoke him to be the commandingofficer, General Harero. He sat upon his horse like a statue, with acalm but determined expression upon his features, while a sternsmile might be observed to wreathe his lips for an instant at thereport of the guns fired by the executing file. 

But see, as the smoke steadily sweeps to seaward, for a moment itcompletely covers the spot where the victim stood, and now it sweepsswiftly off over the water. But what means that singular murmur soaudible along the line-that movement of surprise and astonishmentobserved in all directions?

Behold, there stood erect the unharmed form of Lorenzo Bezan! Not ahair of his head was injured; not a line of his noble countenancewas in the least distorted. As calm as though nought had happened, he stood there unmoved. He had so braced himself to the effort, thatnothing human could have unnerved him. Hastily directing anaid-de-camp to the spot with some new order, General Harero issuedanother to his officers for the lines to be kept firm, andpreparations were instantly set about for another and more certainattempt upon the life of the condemned, who seemed to the spectatorsto have escaped by some divine interposition, little less than amiracle. 

At that instant there dashed into the area a mounted aid-de-camp, bearing the uniform of the governor-general's suite, and ridingdirectly up to General Harero, he handed him a paper. It was donebefore the whole line of military and the spectators, all of whomseemed to know as well its purport, as did the general after readingit. 

"A reprieve! A reprieve!" ran from mouth to mouth along the wholelength of the line, until at last it broke out in one wild huzza, defying all discipline. 

Those nearest to General Harero heard him utter a curse, deep butsuppressed, for the surmise of the multitude was correct. CaptainBezan had been reprieved; and, probably, in fear of this very thing, the general of the division had taken upon himself to set the timeof execution one hour earlier than had been announced to Tacon-apiece of villany that had nearly cut off the young soldier from theclemency that the governor had resolved to extend to him at the verylast moment, when the impressiveness of the scene should have hadits effect. 

Issuing one or two hasty orders, General Harero put spurs to hishorse and dashed off the grounds with chagrin but too plainlywritten in his face not to betray itself. He could even detect ahiss now and then from the crowd, as he passed; and one or two, bolder than the rest, cast epithets at him in vile language, but hepaused not to listen. He was no favorite with citizens or soldiers, and hastily dismounting at the door of the palace, he sought his ownroom with deep feelings of suppressed rage and bitterness. 

But what was the meaning of those twelve musketeers all missingtheir aim? So vexed was General Harero at this, that his first orderwas for their united arrest; but that had been countermanded now, since the governor had reprieved the prisoner; for the general sawthat he stood in a false position, in having changed the hour forexecution, and did not care to provoke a controversy that might leadto his exposure before the stern justice of Tacon, and he did wellto avoid it. 

It was very plain to officers and men that there had been foul playsomewhere, and so excited had the division become by this time, thatthe officers began to look seriously at each other, fearing animmediate outbreak and disregard of discipline. It was a time to trythe troops, if one had ever occurred. They would have stood firm andhave received an enemy's fire without wavering; but there seemedsome cold-blooded rascality here, in the arriving of the reprieveafter the twelve men had fired, even though they did soineffectually. 

Quick, stern orders were quickly passed from line to line, thedivision was wheeled into column, the drums beat a quick march, andthe whole column passed up the Calle del Iganasio towards the frontof the main barracks, where, lest the symptoms, already referred to, should ripen into something more serious still, orders were issuedto keep the division still under arms. In the meantime, CaptainLorenzo Bezan, still as calm as though nought had occurred, wasmarched back to his cell in the prison, to hear the conditions uponwhich the reprieve, as dictated by Tacon, was granted. As he passedthe guard house again, on his return, he heard his name called as hehad heard it when he marched with the guard:

"God bless you, Captain Bezan!"

"Strange, " thought the prisoner-he knew it for Ruez Gonzales's voiceat once; "where can that boy be secreted?" He mused for a second oftime. This was the portion of the guard room where the officer onduty had loaded the guns for his execution, and from here they hadbeen taken and passed into the hands of the men. It did not requiremuch penetration on the part of the reprieved soldier to understandnow the reason why these twelve men had missed their aim!

Had they exercised the skill of Kentucky sharp-shooters they couldhave done no harm; blank cartridges don't kill. But how unexpected, how miraculous it appeared, how strange the sensations of the youngofficer, after that loud sounding discharge, to find himselfstanding thus unharmed, --no wound, no bullet whistling by his ears, the dead, sluggish smoke alone enveloping his person for a moment, and then, as it swept away seaward, the shout of the astonisheddivision rang upon his senses. He felt that all eyes were upon him, and adamant itself could not have remained firmer than did he. Fewmen would have possessed sufficient self-control to bear themselvesthus; but he was a soldier, and had often dared the bullet of theenemy. He was familiar with the whistling of bullets, and othersounds that carry on their wings the swift-borne messengers ofdeath. Besides this, there was an indifference as to life, existingin his bosom at that moment, that led him to experience a degree ofapathy that it would be difficult for us to describe, or for thereader to realize. He felt as he did when he exclaimed, in hislonely cell in prison, as he was left for the last time by her he soloved--"Welcome, welcome, death! I would that thou wert herealready!"

How it was accomplished, of course he knew not; nor could he hardlysurmise in his own mind, so very strictly is the care of suchmatters attended to under all like circumstances; but one thing hefelt perfectly sure of, and indeed he was right in hisconjecture--Ruez had drawn the bullets from the guns!

CHAPTER X. 

THE BANISHMENT. 

LORENZO BEZAN had hardly reached his place of confinement, oncemore, before he was waited upon by the secretary of thegovernor-general, who explained to him the terms on which hisreprieve was granted, viz. , that he should leave the territory andsoil of Cuba by the next homeward bound packet to Spain, to remainthere, unless otherwise ordered by special direction of thegovernment. His rank as captain of infantry was secured to him, andthe usual exhortation in such cases was detailed, as to the hopethat the present example might not be lost upon him, as to thematter of a more strict adherence to the subject of militarydiscipline. 

Repugnant as was the proposition to leave the island while life washis, Lorenzo Bezan had no alternative but to do so; and, moreover, when he considered the attraction that held him on the spot, how theSenorita Isabella Gonzales had treated him, when she had everyreason to believe that it was his last meeting with her, and nearlythe last hour of his life, he saw that if she would treat him thusat such a moment, then, when he had not the excuse of remarkableexigency and the prospect of certain death before him, she would beno kinder. It was while exercised by such thoughts as these that heanswered the secretary:

"Bear my thanks, with much respect, to the governor-general, andtell him that I accept from him his noble clemency and justice, theboon of my life, on his own terms. "

The secretary bowed low and departed. 

We might tell the reader how Lorenzo Bezan threw himself upon hisbed of straw, and wept like a child-how he shed there the firsttears he had shed since his arrest, freely and without a check. Hisheart seemed to bleed more at the idea of leaving the spot whereIsabella lived, and yet to live on himself, elsewhere, than hisspirit had faltered at the idea of certain death. Her last cruelwords, and the proud spirit she exhibited towards him, wereconstantly before his eyes. 

"O, " said he, half aloud, "how I have worshipped, how adored thatfairest of God's creatures!"

At moments he had thought that he saw through Isabella'scharacter-at moments had truly believed that he might by assiduity, perhaps, if favored by fortune, win her love, and, may be, her handin marriage. At any rate, with his light and buoyant heart, therewas sunshine and hope enough in the future to irradiate his soulwith joy, until the last scene in his drama of life, added to thatof her last cold farewell!

He was soon informed that the vessel which was to take him to Spainwould sail on the following morning, and that no further timewould be permitted to him on the island. He resolved to write onelast letter of farewell to Isabella Gonzales, and then to depart;and calling upon the turnkey for writing materials, which were nowsupplied to him, he wrote as follows"

"DEAR LADY: Strange circumstances, with which you are doubtless wellacquainted by this time, have changed my punishment from death tobanishment. Under ordinary circumstances it would hardly be calledbanishment for any person to be sent from a foreign clime to theplace of his nativity; nor would it appear to be such to me, were itnot that I leave behind me the only being I have ever reallyloved-the idol angel of my heart-she who has been to me life, soul, everything, until now, when I am wretched beyond description;because without hope, all things would be as darkness to the humanheart. 

"I need not review our brief acquaintanceship, or reiterate to youthe feelings I have already expressed. If you can judge between truelove and gallantry, you know whether I am sincere or otherwise. Icould not offer you wealth, Isabella Gonzales. I could not offer yourank. I have no fame to share with you; but O, if it be the will ofHeaven that another should call you wife, I pray that he may loveyou as I have done. I am not so selfish but that I can utter thisprayer with all my heart, and in the utmost sincerity. 

"The object of this hasty scrawl is once more to say to youfarewell; for it is sweet to me even to address you. May God blessyour dear brother, who has done much to sustain me, bowed down as Ihave been with misfortune, and broken in spirit; and may theespecial blessing of Heaven rest ever on and around you. 

"This will ever be the nightly prayer of LORENZO BEZAN. "

When Isabella Gonzales received this note on the following day, itsauthor was nearly a dozen leagues at sea, bound for the port ofCadiz, Spain! She hastily perused its contents again and again. Looked off upon the open sea, as though she might be able to recallhim, threw herself upon her couch, and wept bitter, scalding tears, until weary nature caused her to sleep. 

At last Ruez stole into her room quietly, and finding her asleep, and a tear-drop glistening still upon her cheek, he kissed away thepearly dew and awoke her once more to consciousness. He, too, hadlearned of Captain Bezan's sudden departure; and by the open letterin his sister's hand, to which he saw appended his dearly lovedfriend's name, he judged that her weeping had been caused by theknowledge that he had left them-probably forever. 

Lorenzo Bezan should have seen her then, in her almost transcendentbeauty, too proud, far too proud, to own even to herself that sheloved the poor soldier; yet her heart would thus unbidden andspontaneously betray itself, in spite of all her proud calmness, andstrong efforts at self-control. The boy looked at her earnestly;twice he essayed to speak, and then, as if some after thought hadchanged his purpose, he kissed her again, and was silent. 

"Well, brother, it seems that Captain Bezan has been liberated andpardoned, after all, " said Isabella, with a voice of assumedindifference. 

"Yes, sister, but at a sad cost; for he has been banished to Spain. "

"How strange he was not shot, when so many fired at him. "

"Sister?"

"Well. "

"Can you keep a secret?"

"I think so, Ruez, " said Isabella, half smiling at the question ofher brother. 

"Well, it's not so very wonderful, since I drew the bullets from theguns!"

And Ruez explained to her that he had secreted himself in the house, with the hope that something might turn up to save his friend evenyet, and there he had found a chance to draw the bullets from thetwelve muskets. After he had told her, she threw her arms about hisneck, and said:

"You are a dear, good brother. "

"And for what, sister?"

"For saving Captain Bezan's life; for otherwise he had been shot. "

"But why do you care so much about it, sister?" asked the boy, seriously. 

"O, nothing, only-that is, you know, Ruez, we owe Captain Bezan somuch ourselves for having hazarded his life for us all. "

Ruez turned away from his sister with an expression in his face thatmade her start; for he began to read his sister's heart, young as hewas, better than she knew it herself. He loved Lorenzo Bezan sodearly himself-had learned to think so constantly of him, and toregard him with such friendly consideration, that no influence ofpride could in the least affect him; and though he had sufficientpenetration to pierce through the subject so far as to realize thathis dearly loved friend regarded his sister with a most ardent andabsorbing love, he could not exactly understand the proud heart ofIsabella, which, save for its pride, would so freely return thecondemned soldier's affection. 

Well, time passed on in its ever-varying round. Lorenzo Bezan was onhis way to Spain, and Isabella and her brother filling nearly thesame round of occupation, either of amusement or self-imposed duty. Occasionally General Harero called; but this was put a stop to, atlast, by Ruez's pertinently asking him one evening how he came toorder the execution of Lorenzo Bezan to take place a full hourbefore the period announced in the regular sentence signed by thegovernor-general!

Ruez was not the first person who had put this question to him, andhe felt sore about it, for even Tacon himself had reprimanded himfor the deed. Thus realizing that his true character was known toDon Gonzales and his family, he gave up the hope of winning IsabellaGonzales, or rather the hope of sharing her father's rich coffers, and quietly withdrew himself from a field of action where he hadgained nothing, but had lost much, both as it regarded this family, and, owing to his persecution of Captain Bezan, that of the army. 

Isabella Gonzales became thoughtful and melancholy without exactlyknowing why. She avoided company, and often incurred her father'sdecided displeasure by absenting herself from the drawing-room whenthere were visitors of importance. She seemed to be constantly in adreamy and moody state, and avoided all her former haunts andcompanions. A skilful observer might have told her the cause of allthis, and yet, strange to say, so blind did her pride render her, that she could not see, or at least never acknowledged even toherself, that the absent soldier had aught to do with it. 

Had not Isabella Gonzales treated Lorenzo Bezan as she did at theirlast meeting, he would never have accepted the governor-general'spardon on the terms offered, nor life itself, if it separated himfrom her he loved. But as it was, he seemed to feel that life hadlost its charm, ambition its incentive for him, and he cast himselfforth upon the troubled waters without compass or rudder. And it wasprecisely in this spirit that he found himself upon the deck of thevessel, whose white wings were wafting him now across the ocean. 

He, too, was misanthropic and unhappy; he tried to reason withhimself that Isabella Gonzales was not worthy to render him thusmiserable; that she was a coquette-an unfeeling, though beautifulgirl; that even had he succeeded, and fortune favored him in hislove, she would not have loved him its his heart craved to be loved. But all this sophistry was overthrown in a moment by the memory ofone dear glance, when Isabella, off her guard, and her usual hauteurof manner for the instant, had looked through her eyes the wholetruthfulness of her soul; in short, when her heart, not her head, had spoken!

Alas! how few of us feel as we do; how few do as we feel!

Perhaps there is no better spot than on shipboard for a dreamer tobe; he has then plenty of time, plenty of space, plenty of theme, and every surrounding, to turn his thoughts inward upon himself. Lorenzo Bezan found this so. At times he looked down into the stilldepths of the blue water, and longed for the repose that seemed tolook up to him from below the waves. He had thought, perhaps, toolong upon this subject one soft, calm evening, and had indeedforgotten himself, as it were, and another moment would have seenthe working of what seemed a sort of irresistible charm to him, andhe would have cast himself into that deep, inviting oblivion!

Then a voice seemed to whisper Isabella's name in his ear! Hestarted, looked about him, and awoke from the fearful charm thatheld him. It was his good angel that breathed that name to him then, and saved him from the curse of the suicide!

From that hour a strange feeling seemed to possess the youngsoldier. Like him in Shakspeare's "Seven Ages, " he passed from loveto ambition. A new charm seemed to awake to him in the future, notto the desertion of his love, nor yet exactly to its promotion. Anindefinite idea seemed to move him that he must win fame, glory andrenown; and yet he hardly paused to think what the end of thesewould be; whether they would ultimately bring him nearer to theproud girl of his hopes and his love. Fame rang in his ears; theword seemed to fire his veins; he was humble-he must be honored; hewas poor-he must be rich; he was unknown-he must be renowned! Withsuch thoughts as these, his pulses beat quicker, his eye flashed, and his check became flushed, and then one tender thought ofIsabella would change every current, and almost moisten thosebloodshot eyes with tears. Would to God that Lorenzo Bezan could nowbut shed a tear-what gentle yet substantial relief it would haveafforded him. 

Thus was the exiled soldier influenced; while Isabella Gonzales was, as we have seen, still living on under the veil of her pride;unable, apparently, for one single moment to draw the curtain, andlook with naked eye upon the real picture of her feelings, actions, and honest affections. She felt, plain enough, that she wasmiserable; indeed the flood of tears she daily shed betrayed this toher. But her proud Castilian blood was the phase through which aloneshe saw, or could see. It was impossible for her to banish LorenzoBezan from her mind; but yet she stoutly refused to admit, even toherself, that she regarded him with affection-he, a lowly soldier, achild of the camp, a myrmidon of fortune-he a fit object for thelove of Isabella Gonzales, the belle of Havana, to whom princes hadbowed? Preposterous!

Her brother, whose society she seemed to crave more than ever, saidnothing; he did not even mention the name of the absent one, but hesecretly moaned for him, until the pale color that had slightlytinged his check began to fade, and Don Gonzales trembled for theboy's life. It was his second bereavement. His mother's loss, scarcely yet outgrown, had tried his gentle heart to its utmosttension; this new bereavement to his sensitive mind, seemed reallytoo much for him. A strange sympathy existed between Isabella andthe boy, who, though Lorenzo Bezan's name was never mentioned, yetseemed to know what each other was thinking of. 

But in the meantime, while these feelings were actuating Isabellaand her brother at Havana, Lorenzo Bezan had reached Cadiz, and wason his way to the capital of Spain, Madrid. 

CHAPTER XI. 

THE PROMOTION. 

WE have already given the reader a sufficient idea of Lorenzo Bezan, for him to understand that he was a person possessed of more thanordinary manliness and personal beauty. A distinguished andchivalric bearing was one of his main characteristics, and you couldhardly have passed him in a crowd, without noting his fine manlyphysical appearance, and strikingly intelligent features. Fired withthe new ambition which we have referred to in the closing of thelast chapter, Lorenzo Bezan arrived in the capital of his nativeland, ready and eager to engage in any enterprise that called forbravery and daring, and which in return promised honor andpreferment. 

Tacon, governor-general of Cuba, had marked his qualities well, andtherefore wrote by the same conveyance that took the young soldierto Spain, to the head of the war department, and told them of whatstuff he was composed, and hinted at the possibility of at onceplacing him in the line of his rank, and of giving him, if possible, active service to perform. Tacon's opinion and wishes were highlyrespected at Madrid, and Lorenzo Bezan found himself at once placedin the very position he would have desired-the command of as fine acompany, of the regular service as the army could boast, and hisrank and position thoroughly restored. 

There was just at that period a revolt of the southern and westernprovinces of Spain, which, owing to inactivity on the part ofgovernment, had actually ripened into a regularly organizedrebellion against the throne. News at last reached the queen thatregular bodies of troops had been raised and enlisted, under wellknown leaders, and that unless instant efforts were made to suppressthe rising, the whole country would be shortly involved in civilwar. In this emergency the troops, such its could be spared, were atonce detached from the capital and sent to various points in thedisaffected region to quell the outbreak. Among the rest was thecompany of Lorenzo Bezan and two others of the same regiment, andbeing the senior officer, young as he was, he was placed in commandof the battalion, and the post to which he was to march at once, into the very heart of the disaffected district. 

Having arrived in the neighborhood of the spot to which his ordershad directed him, he threw his whole force, some less than threehundred men, into one of the old Moorish fortifications, stillextant, and with the provisions and ammunition he had brought withhim, entrenched himself, and prepared to scour and examine thesurrounding country. His spies soon brought him intelligence of thedefeat of two similar commands to his own, sent out at the sametime to meet the insurgents; and, also, that their partial successhad very naturally elated them in the highest degree. That they wereregularly organized into regiments, with their stands of colors, andproper officers, and that one regiment had been sent to take thefort where he was, and would shortly be in the neighborhood. 

Lorenzo Bezan was a thorough soldier; he looked to the details ofall the plans and orders he issued, so that when the enemy appearedin sight, they found him ready to receive them. They were fullythrice his number, but they had a bad cause and poor leaders, and hefeared not for the result. On they came, in the fullness ofconfidence, after having already participated in two victories overthe regular troops; but they had, though a younger, yet a far betterand more courageous officer to deal with in Captain Bezan. The fightwas long and bloody, but ere night came on the insurgents werecompelled to retire, after having lost nearly one third of theirnumber in the contest. 

The camp of the insurgents was pitched some half mile from the oldfort occupied by Captain Bezan and his followers, just beneath thebrow of a sheltering undulation of ground. Night overshadowed thefield, and it was still as death over the battle field, when CaptainBezan, summoning his followers, told them that the enemy lay yonderin sleep; they could not anticipate a sally, and from a confidentialspy he had ascertained that they had not even set a sentinel. 

"I shall lead you out this night to attack them; take only yourweapons. If we are defeated, we shall want nothing more; ifvictorious, we shall return to our post and our munitions. "

He had lost scarcely two score of his men in the fight, protected asthey were by the walls of the fortress, while the besiegers wereentirely exposed to the fire of musketry, and the two small cannonthey had brought with them, and so they entered into the daring planof their commander with the utmost zeal. They were instructed as tothe plan more fully, and at midnight, as the last rays of the moonsank below the horizon, they quietly filed forth from the fortressand turned towards the insurgents' camp. Slowly and silently theystole across the plain, without note of drum or fife, and headed bytheir young commander, until they reached the brow of the littleelevation, beyond which the enemy lay sleeping, some in tents, someon the open field, and all unguarded. 

The signal was given, and the small band of disciplined men fellupon the camp. Lorenzo Bezan with some fifty picked followers soughtthe head quarters of the camp, and having fought their way thither, possessed themselves of the standards, and made prisoner of theleader of the body of insurgents, and ere the morning sun had risen, the camp was deserted, the enemy, totally defeated, had fled, orbeen taken prisoners and bound, and the victorious little band ofthe queen's troops were again housed within the walls of thefortress. 

But their fighting was not to end here; a second body of the enemy, incensed as much by the loss of their comrades as elated by variousvictories over other detachments of the army, fell upon them; butthey were met with such determined spirit and bravery, and socompletely did Lorenzo Bezan infuse his own manly and resolvedspirit into the hearts of his followers, that the second comers wererouted, their banners taken, and themselves dispersed. These twovictories, however, had cost him dear; half his little gallant bandhad lost their lives, and there were treble their number ofprisoners securely confined within the fortress. 

Fresh troops were despatched, in reply to his courier, to escortthese to the capital, and an order for himself and the rest of hiscommand to return to Madrid, forthwith. This summons was of coursecomplied with, and marching the remnant of his command to thecapital, Captain Bezan reported himself again at head quarters. Herehe found his services had been, if possible, overrated, and himselfquite lionized. A major's commission awaited him, and the thanks ofthe queen were expressed to him by the head of the department. 

"A major, --one step is gained, " said the young soldier, to himself;"one round in the ladder of fame has been surmounted; my eyes arenow bent upward!"

And how he dreamed that night of Cuba, of rank and wealth, and thepower and position they conferred-and still his eyes were bentupward!

With a brief period permitted for him to rest and recover fromslight wounds received in his late battles, Lorenzo, now MajorBezan, was again ordered to the scene of trouble in the southerndistrict, where the insurgents, more successful with older officerssent against them, had been again victorious, and were evidentlygaining ground, both in strength of purpose and numbers. This timehe took with him a full command of four companies, little less thanfour hundred men, and departed under far better auspices than he haddone before, resolved, as at the outset, to lead his men where workwas to be done, and to lead them, too, on to victory or utterdestruction! It was a fearful resolve; but in his present state offeelings it accorded with the spirit that seemed to actuate hissoul. 

But success does not always crown the most daring bravery, and twicewere Lorenzo Bezan and his followers worsted, though in no waydiscouraged. But at last, after many weeks of toil and hardship, hewas again victorious, again routed twice his own number, againcaptured a stand of colors, and again despatched his trophies to thefeet of his queen. The civil war then became general, and for nearlya year Lorenzo Bezan and his followers were in the battle field. Victory seemed to have marked him for a favorite, and his swordseemed invincible; wherever he led, he infused his own daring andimpetuous spirit into the hearts of his followers, and where hisplume waved in the fight, there the enemy faltered. 

A second and third victory crowned him within another promotion, anda colonel's commission was sent to the adventurous soldier after thehard fought battles he had won for the queen. Once more he paused, and whispered to himself:

"Another round in the ladder is gained! have patience, LorenzoBezan; fame may yet be thine; she is thy only bride now; alas, alas, that it should be so! that there cannot be one-one dearer than allthe world beside-to share with thee this renown and honor, this famewon by the sword on the field of battle; one whose gentleness andlove should be the pillow on which to rest thy head and heart afterthe turmoil and whirlwind of war has subsided!"

Scarcely a year had transpired since the condemned soldier had beenbanished from Cuba, and now from a captaincy he had risen to wearthe star of a colonel. No wonder, then, that he thus soliloquized tohimself upon the theme of which he dreamed. 

The life he led, the fierce contests he engaged in, had no effect inhardening the heart of the young soldier: one thought, one singleword, when he permitted himself to pause and look back upon thepast, would change his whole spirit, and almost render himeffeminate. At times his thoughts, spite of himself, wandered faraway over the blue waters to that sunny isle of the tropics, whereIsabella Gonzales dwelt, and then his manly heart would heave morequickly, and his pulses beat swifter; and sometimes a tear had wethis check as he recalled the memory of Ruez, whom he had reallyloved nearly as well as he had done his proud and beautiful sister. The boy's nature, so gentle, affectionate and truthful, and yet inemergency so manly and venturesome, as evinced in his drawing thebullets from the guns that would else have taken the life of LorenzoBezan, was a theme of oft recalled admiration and regard to theyoung soldier. 

Though he felt in his heart that Isabella Gonzales could never lovehim, judging from the cold farewell that had at last separated them, still fame seemed dear to him on her account, because it seemed tobring him nearer to her, if not to raise a hope in his heart thatshe might one day be his. At times, in the lonely hours of thenight, alone in his tent, he would apostrophize her angelicfeatures, and sigh that Heaven, which had sent so sweet a mould inhuman form, should have imbued it with a spirit so haughty, a soulso proud as to mar the exquisite creation. 

"I have thought, " he amused to himself, "I that I knew her-that thebright loveliness of her soul would dazzle and outshine the pridethat chance had sown there-that if boldly and truly wooed, she wouldin turn boldly and truly love. It seemed to me, that it was thefirst barrier only that must he carried by assault, and after that Ifelt sure that love like mine would soon possess the citadel of herheart. But I was foolish, self-confident, and perhaps have deserveddefeat. It may be so, but Isabella Gonzales shall see that thehumble captain of infantry, who would hardly be tolerated, so lowlyand humble was he, will command, ere long, at least, some degree ofrespect by the position that his sword shall win for him. Ay, andGeneral Harero, too, may find me composed of better metal than hesupposed. There is one truthful, gentle and loving spirit that willsympathize with me. I know and feel that; Ruez, my boy, may Heavenbless thee!"

"Count Basterio, what sort of a person is this Colonel Bezan, whosesword has been invincible among the rebels, and who has sent us twostand of colors, taken by himself?" asked the queen, of one of herprincipal courtiers, one day. 

"Your majesty, I have, never seen him, " answered the count, "but I'mtold he's a grim old war-horse, covered with scars gained in yourmajesty's service. "

"Just as I had thought he must be, " continued the queen, "but someone intimated to us yesterday that he was young, quite young, and ofnoble family, Count Basterio. "

"He has displayed too much knowledge of warfare to be very young, your majesty, " said the count, "and has performed prodigies duringthis revolt, with only a handful of men. "

"That is partly what has so much interested me. I sent to the waroffice yesterday to know about him, and it was only recorded that hehad been sent from Cuba. None of the heads of the departmentremembered to have seen him at all. "

"I saw by the Gazette that he would return to Madrid with hisregiment to-day, " said the count, "when, if your majesty desires it, I will seek out this Colonel Bezan, and bring him to you. "

"Do so; for we would know all our subjects who are gallant anddeserving, and I am sure this officer must be both, from what I havealready been able to learn. "

"Your wish shall be obeyed, your majesty, " said the obsequiouscourtier, bowing low, and turning to a lady of the court, hard by, began to chat about how this old "son of a gun, " this specimen ofthe battle-field would be astonished at the presence of his queen. 

"He's all covered with scars, you say?" asked one of the ladies. 

"Ay, senorita, from his forehead to his very feet, " was the reply. 

"It will be immensely curious to see him; but he must lookterrifically. "

"That's true, " added the count; "he's grizzly and rough, but veryhonest. "

"Can't you have him muzzled, " suggested a gay little senorita, smiling. 

"Never fear for his teeth, I wear a rapier, " added the count, pompously. 

"But seriously, where's he from?"

"Of some good family in the middle province, I understand. "

"O, he's a gentleman, then, and not a professional cut-throat?"asked another. 

"I believe so, " said the courtier. 

"That's some consolation, " was the rejoinder to the count's reply. 

While the merits of Lorenzo Bezan were thus being discussed, he wasmarching his regiment towards the capital, after a year's campaignof hard fighting; and the Gazette was right in its announcement, forhe entered the capital on the evening designated, and occupied theregularly assigned barracks for his men. 

CHAPTER XII. 

THE QUEEN AND THE SOLDIER. 

IT was a noble and brilliant presence into which Lorenzo Bezan wassummoned on the day following his arrival from the seat of war. Donsand senoras of proud titles and rich estates, the high officials ofthe court, the prime ministers the maids of honor, the gayly dressedpages and men-at-arms, all combined to render the scene one of moststriking effect. 

The young soldier was fresh from the field; hard service andexposure had deepened the olive tint of his clear complexion to adeep nut brown, and his beard was unshaven, and gave a fineclassical effect to his handsome but melancholy features. The brightclearness of his intelligent eye seemed to those who looked upon himthere, to reflect the battles, sieges and victories that the gallantsoldier had so lately participated in. Though neat and clean inappearance, the somewhat sudden summons he had received, led him toappear before the court in his battle dress, and the same sword hungby his side that had so often reeked with the enemy's blood, andflashed in the van of battle. 

There was no hauteur in his bearing; his form was erect andmilitary; there was no self-sufficiency or pride in his expression;but a calm, steady purpose of soul alone was revealed by thecountenance that a hundred curious eyes now gazed upon. More thanone heart beat quicker among the lovely throng of ladies, as theygazed upon the young hero. More than one kindly glance was bestowedupon him; but he was impervious to the shafts of Cupid; he couldnever suffer again; he could love but one, and she was far away fromhere. 

Lorenzo Bezan had never been at court. True that his father, andindeed his elder brother, and other branches of the house had theentree at court; but his early connection with the army, and anaturally retiring disposition, had prevented his ever having beenpresented, and he now stood there for the first time. The queen wasnot present when he first entered, but she now appeared and took herseat of state. Untaught in court etiquette, yet it came perfectlynatural for Lorenzo Bezan to kneel before her majesty, which he didimmediately, and was graciously bidden to rise. 

"Count Basterio, " said the queen, "where is this Colonel Bezan, whomyou were to bring to us to-day? have you forgotten your commission, sir?"

"Your majesty, he stands before you, " replied the complaisantcourtier. 

"Where, count?"

"Your majesty, here, " said the courtier, pointing more directly toour hero. 

"This youth, this Colonel Bezan! I had thought to sec an olderperson, " said the queen, gazing curiously upon the fine and noblefeatures of the young soldier. 

"I trust that my age may be of no detriment to me as it regards yourmajesty's good feelings towards me, " said Lorenzo Bezan, respectfully. 

"By no means, sir; you have served us gallantly in the field, andyour bravery and good judgment in battle have highly commendedthemselves to our notice. "

"I am little used, your majesty, to courtly presence, and find thateven now I have come hither accoutred as I would have ridden on tothe field of battle; but if a heart devoted to the service of yourmajesty, and a willing hand to wield this trusty weapon, are anyexcuses in your sight, I trust for lenient judgment at your royalhands. "

"A brave soldier needs no excuse in our presence, Colonel Bezan, "replied the queen, warmly. "When we have heard of your prowess inthe field, and have seen the stands of colors you have taken fromthe enemy, far outnumbering your own force, we have thought you weresome older follower of the bugle and the drum-some hardy and grayold soldier, whose life had been spent in his country's service, andtherefore when we find an soldier like yourself, so young, and yetso wise, we were surprised. "

"Your majesty has made too much of my poor deserts. Already have Ibeen twice noticed by honorable and high promotion in rank, and wearthis emblem to-day by your majesty's gracious favor. " As he spoke, he touched his colonel's star. 

"For your bravery and important services, Captain Bezan, wear thisnext that star for the present, " said the queen, presenting theyoung soldier with the medal and order of St. Sebastian, a dignitythat few attained to of less distinction than her privy councillorsand the immediate officers of the government. 

Surprised by this unexpected and marked honor, the young soldiercould only kneel and thank her majesty in feeble words, which hedid, and pressing the token to his lips, he placed it about his neckby the golden chain that had supported it but a moment before uponthe lovely person of his queen. The presence was broken up, andLorenzo Bezan returned to his barracks, reflecting upon his singulargood fortune. 

His modest demeanor, his brilliant military services, his handsomeface and figure, and in short his many noble points of manliness;and perhaps even the slight tinge of melancholy that seemed everstruggling with all the emotions that shone forth from hisexpressive face, had more deeply interested the young queen in hisbehalf than the soldier himself knew of. He knew nothing of the envyrealized by many of the courtiers when they saw the queen presenthim with the medal taken from her own neck, and that, too, of anorder so distinguished as St. Sebastian. 

"What sort of spirit has befriended you, Colonel Bezan?" said one ofhis early friends; "luck seems to lavish her efforts upon you. "

"I have been lucky, " replied the soldier. 

"Lucky! the whole court rings with your praise, and the queendelights to honor you. "

"The queen has doubly repaid my poor services, " continued the youngofficer. 

"Where will you stop, colonel?"

"Stop?"

"Yes; when will you have done with promotion?-at a general'scommission?"

"No fear of that honor being very quickly tendered to me, " was thereply; while at the same moment he secretly felt how much he shoulddelight in every stop that raised him in rank, and thus entitled himto positions and honor. 

Such conversations were not unfrequent; for those who did notparticularly envy him, were still much surprised at his rapid growthin favor with the throne, his almost magic success in battle, anddelighted at the prompt reward which he met in payment for theexercise of those qualities which they could not themselves buthonor. 

Scarcely had he got off his fighting harness, so to speak, before hefound himself the object of marked attention by the nobility andmembers of the court. Invitations from all sources were showeredupon him, and proud and influential houses, with rich heiresses torepresent them, were among those who sought to interest theattention if not the heart of the young but rising soldier-he whomthe queen had so markedly befriended. Her majesty, too, seemed nevertired of interesting herself in his behalf, and already had severaldelicate commissions been entrusted to his charge, and performedwith the success that seemed sure to crown his simplest efforts. 

So far as courtesy required, Colonel Bezan responded to everyinvitations and every extension of hospitality; but though beset bysuch beauty as the veiled prophet of Khorassan tempted young Azimwith, still he passed unscathed through the trial of star-lit eyesand female loveliness, always bending, but never breaking; for hisheart would still wander over the sea to the vision of her, who, tohim, was far more beautiful than aught his fancy had pictured, orhis eyes had seen. All seemed to feel that some tender secretpossessed him, and all were most anxious as to what it was. Even thequeen, herself, had observed it; but it was a delicate subject, andnot to be spoken of lightly to him. 

Lorenzo Bezan had most mysteriously found the passage to the queen'sgood graces, and she delighted to honor him by importantcommissions; so two years had not yet passed away, when the epauletsof a general were presented to the young and ambitious soldier!Simply outranked now by General Harero, who had so persecuted him, in point of the date of his commission, he far outstretched thatselfish officer in point of the honors that had been conferred uponhim by the throne; and being now economical with the handsomeprofessional income he enjoyed, he was fast amassing a pecuniaryfortune that of itself was a matter of no small importance, not onlyto himself, but also in the eyes of the world. 

Among the courtiers he had already many enemies, simply because ofhis rise and preferment, and he was known as the favorite of thequeen. Some even hinted darkly that she entertained for him feelingsof a more tender nature than the court knew of, and that hispromotion would not stop at a general's commission, and perhaps notshort of commander-in-chief of the armies of Spain. But suchpersons knew nothing to warrant these surmises; they arose from thecourt gossip, day by day, and only gained importance from beingoften repeated. 

"She delights to honor him, " said one lady to another, in thequeen's ante-chamber. 

"Count Basterio says that he will be made prime minister within atwelvemonth. "

"The count is always extravagant, " replied the other, "and I thinkthat General Bezan richly merits the honors he receives. He is somodest, yet brave and unassuming. 

"That is true, and I'm sure I don't blame the queen for repaying hisimportant services. But he doesn't seen to have any heart himself. "

"Why not? He treats all with more than ordinary courtesy, and has avoice and manner to win almost any heart he wills. But some darkhints are thrown out about him. "

"In what respect, as having already been in love?" asked the otherlady. 

"Yes, and the tender melancholy that every one notices, is owing todisappointed affection. "

"It is strange that he should meet with disappointment, for GeneralBezan could marry the proudest lady of the court of Madrid. "

"O, you forget when he came home to Spain he was only an humblecaptain of infantry, who had seen little service. Now he is ageneral, and already distinguished. "

They were nearer right in their surmises than even themselves wereaware of. It was very true that Captain Bezan, the unknown soldier, and General Bezan, the queen's favorite, honored by orders, andentrusted with important commissions, successful in desperatebattles, and the hero of the civil war, were two very differentindividuals. No one realized this more acutely than did LorenzoBezan himself. No step towards preferment and honor did he makewithout comparing his situation with the humble lieutenant's birththat he filled when he first knew Isabella Gonzales, and when hishopes had run so high, as it regarded winning her love. 

Of all the beauty and rank of the Castilian court, at the period ofwhich we write, the Countess Moranza was universality pronounced thequeen of beauty. A lineal descendant of the throne, her positionnear the queen was of such a nature as to give her great influence, and to cause her favor to be sought with an earnestness only secondto the service rendered to the queen herself. Her sway over thehearts of men had been unlimited; courted and sought after by thenobles of the land, her heart had never yet been touched, or herfavors granted beyond the proud civility that her birth, rank andposition at court entitled her to dispense. 

She differed from Isabella Gonzales but little in character, save inthe tenderness and womanliness, so to speak, of her heart-that shecould not control; otherwise she possessed all the pride andself-conceit that her parentage and present position were calculatedto engender and foster. On Lorenzo's Bezan's first appearance atcourt she had been attracted by his youth, his fame, the absence ofpride in his bearing, and the very subdued and tender, if notmelancholy, cast of his countenance. She was formally introduced tohim by the queen, and was as much delighted by the simple sincerityof his conversation as she had been by his bearing and the fame thatpreceded his arrival at the court. She had long been accustomed tothe flirting and attention of the court gallants, and had regardedthem with little feeling; but there was one who spoke from theheart, and she found that he spoke to the heart, also, for she waswarmly interested in him at once. 

On his part, naturally polite and gallant, he was assiduous in everylittle attention, more so from the feeling of gratitude for thefriendship she showed to him who was so broken-hearted. Intercourseof days and hours grew into the intimacy of weeks and months, andthey became friends, warm friends, who seemed to love to confide ineach other the whole wealth of the soul. Unaccustomed to femalesociety, and with only one model ever before his eyes, Lorenzo Bezanafforded, in his truthfulness, a refreshing picture to thecourt-wooed and fashionable belle of the capital, who had so longlived in the artificial atmosphere of the queen's palace, and thesurroundings of the Spanish capital. 

The absence of all intrigue, management and deceit, the frank, open-hearted manliness of his conversation, the delicacy of hisfeelings, and the constant consideration for her own ease andpleasure, could not but challenge the admiration of the beautifulCountess Moranza, and on her own part she spared no means to returnhis politeness. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

UNREQUITED LOVE. 

PLEASED, and perhaps flattered, by the constant and unvaryingkindness and friendliness evinced towards him by the CountessMoranza, the young general seemed to be very happy in her company, and to pass a large portion of his leisure hours by her side. Thecourt gossips, ever ready to improve any opportunity that may offer, invented all manner of scandal and prejudicial stories concerningthe peerless and chaste Countess Moranza; but she was above thepower of their shafts, and entertained Lorenzo Bezan with prodigalhospitality. 

To the young soldier this was of immense advantage, as she who wasthus a firm friend to him, was a woman of brilliant mind andcultivation, and Lorenzo Bezan improved vastly by the intellectualpeers of the countess. The idea of loving her beyond the feelings awarm friendship might induce, had never crossed his mind, and had itdone so, would not have been entertained even for one moment. Ofloving he had but one idea, one thought, one standard, and thatheart embodiment, that queen of his affections, was IsabellaGonzales. 

They rode together, read to each other, and, in short, were quiteinseparable, save when the queen, by some invitation, which was lawof course to the young general, solicited his attendance uponherself. Her friendship, too, was in want, and her interest greatfor Lorenzo Bezan, and he delighted to shower upon him every honor, and publicly to acknowledge his service in to the throne. 

"The queen seems very kind to you, general, " said the countess, tohim. 

"She is more than kind-she lavish rewards upon me. "

"She loves bravery. "

"She repays good fortune in round sums, " replied the officer. 

"But why do you ever wear that sober, sombre, and sad look upon thatmanly and intellectual face?"

"Do I look thus?" asked the soldier, with a voice of surprise. 

"Often. "

"I knew it not, " replied Lorenzo Bezan, somewhat earnestly. 

"It seems a mystery to me that General Bezan, honored by the queen, with a purse well filled with gold, and promoted beyond allprecedent in his profession, should not rather smile than frown; butperhaps there is some reason for grief in your heart, and possibly Iam careless, and probing to the quick a wound that may yet befresh. "

The soldier breathed an involuntary sigh, but said nothing. 

"Yes. I see now that I have annoyed you, and should apologize, " shesaid. 

"Nay, not so; you have been more than a friend to me; you have beenan instructress in gentle refinement and all that is lovely in yoursex, and I should but poorly repay such consideration and kindness, were I not to confide in you all my thoughts. "

The countess could not imagine what was coming. She turned pale, andthen a blush stole over her beautiful features, betraying how deeplyinterested she was. 

"I hope, general, " she said, "that if there is aught in which aperson like myself might offer consolation or advice to you, it maybe spoken without reserve. "

"Ah, countess, how can I ever repay such a debt as you put me underby this very touching kindness, this most sisterly considerationtowards me?"

There was a moment's pause in which the eyes of both rested upon thefloor. 

"You say that I am sad at times. I had thought your brilliantconversation and gentleness of character had so far made me forgetthat I no longer looked sad. But it is not so. You, so rich inwealth and position, have never known a want, have never received aslight, have never been insulted at heart for pride's sake. Lady, Ihave loved a being, so much like yourself, that I have often dreamedof you together. A being all pure and beautiful, with but one sadalley in her sweet character-pride. I saw her while yet most humblein rank. I served herself and father and brother, even to savingtheir lives; I was promoted, and held high honor with my command;but she was rich, and her father high in lordly honors andassociations. I was but a poor soldier; what else might I expect butscorn if I dared to love her? But, countess, you are ill, " said thesoldier, observing her pallid features and quick coming and goingbreath. 

"Only a temporary illness; it is already gone, " she said. "Pray goon. "

"And yet I believe she loved me also though the pride of her heartchoked the growth of the tendrils of affection. Maddened by theinsults of a rival, who was far above me in rank, I challenged him, and for this was banished from the island where she lives. Do youwonder that I am sometimes sad at these recollections? that my fullheart will sometimes speak in my face?"

"Nay, it is but natural, " answered the countess, with a deep sigh. 

General Bezan was thinking of his own anguish of heart, of thepeculiarities of his own situation, of her who was far away, yet nowpresent in his heart, else he would have noticed more particularlythe appearance of her whom he addressed. The reader would have seenat once that she received his declaration of love for another like adeath blow, that she sat there and heard him go on as one would situnder torture; yet by the strong force of her character subduingalmost entirely all outward emotions. There was no disguising it toa careful observer, she, the Countess Moranza, loved him!

From the first meeting she had been struck by his noble figure, hismelancholy yet handsome and intellectual face, and knowing thegallantry of his services to the queen, was struck by the modestbearing of a soldier so renowned in battle. After refusing half ofthe gallants of the court, and deeming herself impregnable to theshafts of Cupid, she had at last lost her heart to this man. Butthat was not the point that made her suffer so now, it was that heloved another; that he could never sustain the tender relation toher which her heart suggested. All these thoughts now passed throughher mind. 

We say had General Bezan not been so intent in his thoughts faraway, he might have discovered this secret, at least to some extent. 

He knew not the favor of woman's love; he knew only of his toounhappy disappointment, and, on this his mind was sadly andearnestly engaged. 

Days passed on, and the young general saw little of the countess, for her unhappy condition of mind caused her to seclude herselfalmost entirely from society, even denying herself to him whom sheloved so well. She struggled to forget her love, or rather to bringphilosophy to her aid in conquering it. She succeeded in a largedegree; but at the same time resolved to make it her business toreconcile Lorenzo Bezan to her he loved, if such a thing werepossible; and thus to enjoy the consciousness of having performed atleast one disinterested act for him whom she too had loved, as wehave seen, most sincerely and most tenderly. 

Thus actuated, the countess resolved to make a confidant, or, atleast, partially to do so, of the queen, and to interest her toreturn Lorenzo Bezan once more to the West Indian station, withhonor and all the due credit. It scarcely needed her eloquence inpleading to consummate this object, for the queen alreadyprepossessed in the young soldier's favor, only desired to know howshe might serve him best, in order to do so at once. In hershrewdness she could not but discover the state of the countess'sheart; but too delicate to allude to this matter, she made up hermind at once as to what should be done. 

She wondered not at the countess's love for Lorenzo Bezan; she couldsympathize with her; for had he been born in the station to haveshared the throne with her, she would have looked herself upon himwith a different eye; as it was, she had delighted to honor him fromthe first moment they had met. 

"Your wish shall be granted, countess, " said the queen; "he shallreturn to Cuba, and with honor and distinction. "

"Thanks, a thousand thanks, " was the reply of the fair friend. 

"You have never told me before the particulars of his returninghome. "

"It was but lately that I learned them, by his own lips, " sheanswered. 

"His life is full of romance, " mused the queen, thoughtfully. 

"True, and his bravery, has he opportunity, will make him a hero. "

"The lady's name-did he tell you that?" asked the queen. 

"He did. "

"And whom was it?"

"Isabella Gonzales. "

"Isabella Gonzales?"

"Yes, my liege lady. "

"A noble house; we remember the name. "

"He said they were noble, " sighed the countess, thoughtfully. 

"Well, well, " continued the queen, "go you and recruit your spiritsonce more; as to Lorenzo Bezan, he is my protege, and I will at onceattend to his interests. "

Scarcely had the Countess Moranza left her presence, before thequeen, summoning an attendant, despatched a message to General Bezanto come at once to the palace. The queen was a noble and beautifulwoman, who had studied human nature in all its phases; sheunderstood at once the situation of her young favorite's heart, andby degrees she drew him out, as far as delicacy would permit, andthen asked him if he still loved Isabella Gonzales as he had donewhen he was a poor lieutenant of infantry, in the tropical service. 

"Love her, my liege?" said the young general, in tones almostreproachful, to think any one could doubt it, "I have never for onemoment, even amid the roar of battle and the groans of dying men, forgotten Isabella Gonzales!"

"Love like thine should be its own reward; she was proud, too proudto return thy love; was it not so, general?"

"My liege, you have spoken for me. "

"But you were a poor lieutenant of infantry then. "

"True. "

"And that had its influence. "

"I cannot but suppose so. "

"Well, " said the queen, "we have a purpose for you. "

"I am entirely at your majesty's disposal, " replied the youngsoldier. 

"We will see what commission it best fits so faithful a servant ofour crown to bear, and an appointment may be found that will carrythee back to this distant isle of the tropics, where you have leftyour heart. "

"To Cuba, my liege?"

"Ay. "

"But my banishment from the island reads forever, " said the soldier. 

"We have power to make it read as best suits us, " was the reply. 

"You are really too good to me, " replied the soldier. 

"Now to your duty, general, and to-morrow we shall have furtherbusiness with you. "

Lorenzo Bezan bowed low, and turned his steps from the palacetowards his own lodgings, near the barracks. It was exceedinglypuzzling to him, first, that he could not understand what had ledthe queen to this subject; second, how she could so well discern thetruth; and lastly, that such consideration was shown for him. Hecould not mistake the import of the queen's words; it was perfectlyplain to him what she had said, and what she had meant; and in astrange state of mind, bordering upon extreme of suspicion andstrong hope, and yet almost as powerful fears, he mused over thesingular condition in which he found himself and his affairs. 

It seemed to him that fortune was playing at shuttlecock with him, and that just for the present, at any rate, his star was in theascendant. "How long shall I go on in my good fortune?" he askedhimself; "how long will it be before I shall again meet with afierce rebuff in some quarter? Had I planned my own future for theperiod of time since I landed at Cadiz, I could not have betteredit-indeed I could not have dared to be as extravagant as I find thereality. No wonder that I meet those envious glances at court. Whoever shared a larger portion of the honorable favor of the queenthan I do? It is strange, all very strange. And this beautifulCountess Moranza-what a good angel she has been to me; indeed, whathave I not enjoyed that I could wish, since I arrived in Spain? Yethow void of happiness and of peace of heart am I! Alas, as thehumble lieutenant in the Plaza des Armes in Havana, as the lowlysoldier whom Isabella Gonzales publicly noticed in the Paseo, as thefortunate deliverer of herself and father, and as resting my woundedbody upon her own support, how infinitely happier was I. How brightwas hope then in my breast, and brilliant the charms of the fairyfuture! Could I but recall those happy moments at a cost of all therenown my sword may have won me, how gladly would I do so thismoment. This constant suspense is worse than downright defeat orcertain misfortune. Is there no power can give us an insight intothe hidden destiny of ourselves? is there no means by which we cansee the future? Not long could I sustain this ordeal of suspense. Ah, Isabella, what have I not suffered for thy love? what is there Iwould not endure!"

CHAPTER XIV. 

THE SURPRISE. 

IT had already been announced among the knowing ones at Havana thatthere was to be a new lieutenant governor general arrive ere longfor the island, and those interested in these matters feel of coursesuch an interest as an event of this character would naturallyinspire. Those in authority surmised as to what sort of a personthey were to be associated with, and the better classes of societyin the island wished to know what degree of addition to theirsociety the new comer would be-whether he was married or single, etc. 

Isabella Gonzales realized no such interest in the matter; theannouncement that there was to be a new lieutenant-governor createdno interest in her breast; she remained as she had done these nearlyfour years, secluded, with only Ruez as her companion, and only thePlato as the spot for promenade. She had not faded during theinterim of time since the reader left her with Lorenzo Bezan'sletter in her hand; but a soft, tender, yet settled melancholy hadpossessed the beautiful lineaments and expressive lines of herfeatures. She was not happy. She had no confidant, and no one knewher secret save herself; but an observant person would easily havedetected the deep shadow that lay upon her soul. 

We say she had not faded-nor had she; there was the same soft andbeautiful expression in her face, even more tender than before; forit had lost the tinge of alloy that pride was wont to impart to it;where pride had existed before, there now dwelt tender melancholy, speaking from the heart, and rendering the lovely girl far, far moreinteresting and beautiful. She had wept bitter, scalding tears overthat last farewell between herself and Lorenzo Bezan in the prison;she blamed herself bitterly now that she had let him depart thus;but there was no reprieve, no recalling the consequences; he wasgone, and forever!

Communication with the home government was seldom and slowlyconsummated, and an arrival at that period from Old Spain was anevent. Partly for this reason, and partly because there was no oneto write to her, Isabella, nor indeed her father, had heard anythingof Lorenzo Bezan since his departure. General Harero had learned ofhis promotion for gallant service; but having no object incommunicating such intelligence, it had remained wholly undivulged, either to the Gonzales family or the city generally. 

It was twilight, and the soft light that tints the tropics in such adelicate hue at this hour was playing with the beauty of IsabellaGonzales's face, now in profile, now in front, as she lounged on acouch near the window, which overlooked the sea and harbor. She heldin her hand an open letter; she had been shedding tears; those, however, were now dried up, and a puzzled and astonished feelingseemed to be expressed in her beautiful countenance, as she gazednow and then at the letter, and then once more off upon thesparkling waters of the Gulf Stream. 

"Strange, " she murmured to herself, and again hastily read over theletter, and examined the seal which had enclosed it in a ribbonenvelope and parchment. "How is it possible for the queen to know mysecret? and yet here she reveals all; it is her own seal, and Ithink even her own hand, that has penned these lines. Let me readagain:

"SENORITA ISABELLA GONZALES: Deeply interested as we are for thewelfare of all our loyal subjects, we have taken occasion to sendyou some words of information relative to yourself. Beyond a doubtyou have loved and been beloved devotedly; but pride, ill assertedarrogance of soul, has rendered you miserable. We speak notknowingly, but from supposition grounded upon what we do know. Hewho loved you was humble-humble in station, but noble in personalqualities, such as a woman may well worship in man, bravery, manliness and stern and noble beauty of person. We say he loved you, and we doubt not you must have loved him; for how could it beotherwise? Pride caused you to repulse him. Now, senorita, know thathe whom you thus repulsed was more than worthy of you; that, although he might have espoused one infinitely your superior in rankand wealth in Madrid, since his arrival here, he had no heart togive, and still remained true to you! Know that by his daringbravery, his manliness, his modest bearing, and above all, hisclear-sighted and brilliant mental capacity he has challenged ourown high admiration; but you, alas! must turn in scorn your proudlip upon him! Think not we have these facts from him, or that he hasreflected in the least upon you; he is far too delicate for suchconduct. No, it is an instinctive sense of the position ofcircumstances that has led to this letter and this plain language. (Signed) YOUR QUEEN. 

"The Senorita Isabella Gonzales. "

One might have thought that this would have aroused the pride andanger of Isabella Gonzales, but it did not; it surprised her; andafter the first sensation of this feeling was over, it struck her asso truthful, what the queen had said, that she wept bitterly. 

"Alas! she has most justly censured me, but points out no way for meto retrieve the bitter steps I have taken, " sobbed the unhappy girl, aloud. "Might have espoused one my superior in rank and fortune, atMadrid, but he had no heart to give! Fool that I am, I see it all;and the queen is indeed but too correct. But what use is all thisinformation to me, save to render me the more miserable? Show awretch the life he might have lived, and then condemn him to death;that is my position-that my hard, unhappy fate!

"Alas! does he love me still? he whom I have so heartlesslytreated-ay, whom I have crushed, as it were, for well knew howdearly he loved me! He has challenged even the admiration of thequeen, and has been, perhaps, promoted; but still has been true tome, who in soul have been as true to him. "

Thus murmured the proud girl to herself-thus frankly realized thetruth. 

"Ah, my child, " said Don Gonzales, meeting his daughter, "put on thybest looks, for we are to have the new lieutenant-governor installedto-morrow, and all of us must be present. He's a soldier of muchrenown, so report says. "

"Doubtless, father; but I'm not very well to-day, and shall behardly able to go to-morrow--at least I fear I shall not. "

"Fie, fie, my daughter; thou, the prettiest bird in all the island, to absent thyself from the presence on such an occasion? It willnever do. "

"Here, Ruez, leave that hound alone, and come hither, " he continued, to the boy. "You, too, must be ready at an early hour to-morrow togo with Isabella and myself to the palace, where we shall beintroduced to the new lieutenant-governor, just arrived fromMadrid. "

"I don't want to go, father, " said the boy, still fondling the dog. 

"Why not, Ruez?"

"Because Isabella does not, " was the childish reply. 

"Now if this be not rank mutiny, and I shall have to call in acorporal's guard to arrest the belligerents, " said Don Gonzales, half playfully. "But go you must; and I have a secret, but I shallnot tell it to you-no, not for the world-a surprise for you both;but that's no matter now. Go you must, and go you will; so prepareyou in good season to-morrow to attend me. "

Both sister and brother saw that he was in earnest, and madearrangements accordingly. 

The occasion of instating the lieutenant-governor in his high andresponsible station, was one of no little note in Havana, and wascelebrated by all the pomp and military display that could possiblyadd importance to the event, and impress the citizens with thesacred character of the office. The day was therefore ushered in bythe booming of cannon and the music of military bands, and theuniversal stir at the barracks told the observer that all gradeswere to be on duty that day, and in full numbers. The palace of thegovernor-general was decorated with flags and streamers, and eventhe fountain in the Plaza des Armes seemed to bubble forth withadditional life and spirit on the occasion. 

It was an event in Havana; it was something to vary the monotony ofthis beautiful island-city, and the inhabitants seized upon it as agala day. Business was suspended; the throng put on their holidaysuit, the various regiments appeared in full regalia and uniform, for the new lieutenant-commander-in-chief was to review them in theafter part of the day. 

The ceremony of installation was performed in the state hall of thepalace, where all the military, wealth, beauty and fashion of theisland assembled, and among these the venerable and much respectedDon Gonzales, and his peerless daughter, Isabella, and his nobleboy, Ruez. The reception hall was in a blaze of beauty and fashion, till patiently awaiting the introduction of the new and highofficial the queen had sent from Spain to sit as second to the braveTacon. 

An hour of silence had passed, when at a signal the band struck up anational march, and then advanced into the reception room Tacon, andby his side a young soldier, on whose noble brow sat dignity andyouth, interwoven in near embrace. His eyes rested on the floor, andhe drew near to the seat of honor with modest mien, his spurred heeland martial bearing alone betokening that in time of need his swordwas ready, and his time and life at the call of duty. 

Few, if any, had seen him before, and now among the ladies there rana low murmur of admiration at the noble and manly beauty of theyoung soldier. The priest read the usual services, the customaryhymn and chant were listened to, when the priest, delegated for thispurpose, advanced and said:

"We, by the holy power vested in us, do anoint thee, Lorenzo Bezan--"

At these words, Isabella Gonzales, who had, during all the while, been an absent spectator, never once really turning her eyes towardthe spot where the new officer stood, dropped her fan, and sprang toher feet. She gazed for one single moment, and then uttering onelong and piteous scream, fell lifeless into her father's arms. Thiscry startled every one, but perhaps less the cause of it than anyone else. He he had schooled so critical a moment ceremony went onquietly and was duly installed. 

"Alas, alas, for me, what made thee ill?" said the, as he bent overher couch, after. 

But Isabella answered him not; she was in a half-dreamy, half-conscious state, and knew not what was said to her. 

Ruez stood on the other side of her couch, and kissed her whiteforehead, but said nothing. Yet he seemed to know more than hisfather as to what had made Isabella sick, and at last he provedthis. 

"Why could you not tell Isabella and me, father, that our old friendCaptain Bezan was to be there, and that it was he who was to belieutenant-governor? Then sister would not have been so startled. "

"Startled at what, Ruez?"

"Why, at unexpectedly seeing Captain Bezan, " said the boy, honestly. 

"General Bezan, he is now. But why should she be startled so?"

"O, she is not very well, you know, father, " said the boy, evasively. 

"True, she is not well, and I managed it as a surprise, and it wastoo much of one, I see. "

And father and brother tended by the sick girl's bedside as theywould have done that of an infant. Poor Isabella, what a medley ofcontradictions is thy heart!

The ceremonies of the day passed off as usual; the review took placein the after part of the day, and as General Bezan, now outrankingGeneral Harero, rode by his division, he raised his hat to his oldcomrades in arms, and bowed coldly to their commander. His rise andnew position filled the army with wonder; but none envied him; theyloved their old favorite too well to envy his good fortune to him;even his brother officers echoed the cheers for the newlieutenant-general. 

But when the noise, the pomp, and bustle of the day was over, andwhen alone in his apartment by himself, it was then that LorenzoBezan's heart and feelings found sway. He knew full well who it wasthat uttered that scream, and better, too, the cause of it; hefeared that he could neither sleep nor eat until he should see herand speak to her once more; but then again he feared to attemptthis. True, his position gave him the entree to all classes now, andher father's house would have been welcome to him; but he would farrather have seen her as the humble Captain Bezan, of yore, than witha host of stars upon his breast. 

Isabella revived at last, but she scarcely escaped a fever from theshock her system, mental and physical, had received. And how busy, too, wore her thoughts, how never tiring in picturing him with hisnew honors, and in surprise how he could have won such distinctionand honor at the queen's hands, She read again and again the queen'sletter. He had no heart to give. That she looked upon-those fewwords-until her eyes became blind at the effort. And still she readon, and thought of him whom she knew had loved her so dearly, sotenderly, and yet without hope. 

Isabella Gonzales's pride had received a severe shock. Will shestill bow low to the impulsive and arbitrary promptings of her proudspirit, or will she rise above them, and conquer and win a harvestof peace and happiness?

The story must disclose the answer; it is not for us to say here. 

CHAPTER XV. 

THE SERENAPE. 

GENERAL HARERO, as we have already intimated, had not, for aconsiderable period, enjoyed any degree of intimacy with IsabellaGonzales or her father, but actuated by a singular pertinacity ofcharacter, he seemed not yet to have entirely given up his hopes inrelation to an alliance with her. The arrival of Lorenzo Bezan againupon the island, he felt, would, in any instance, endanger, if nottotally defeat any lingering plans he might still conceive in hismind to bring into operation for the furtherance of his hopes; butwhen his arrival had actually occurred, and under such brilliantauspices for the young soldier, General Harero was enraged beyondcontrol. He sought his quarters, after the review, in a desperatemood, and walked the narrow precincts of his room with bitterthoughts rankling in his bosom, and a burning desire for revengegoading him to action. 

A thousand ways, all of which were more or less mingled withviolence, suggested themselves to his mind as proper to adopt. Nowhe would gladly have fought his rival, have gone into the field andrisked his own life for the sake of taking his; but this must bedone too publicly, and he felt that the public feeling was with thenew official; besides that, General Bezan could now arrest him, ashe had done the young officer when he challenged his superior, asthe reader will remember. Dark thoughts ran through his brain-somebearing directly upon Isabella Gonzales, some upon Lorenzo Bezan;even assassination suggested itself; and his hands clenched, and hischeeks burned, as the revengeful spirit possessed him and worked inhis veins. While Lorenzo Bezan was absent he was content to bide histime, reasoning that eventually Isabella Gonzales would marry him, after a few more years of youthful pride and vanity had passed; butnow he was spurred on to fresh efforts by the new phase that mattershad taken, and but one course he felt was left for him to pursue, which one word might express, and that was action!

Having no definite idea as to what Lorenzo Bezan would do, under thenew aspect of affairs, General Harero could not devise in what wayto meet him. That Isabella had been prevented from absolutely lovinghim only by her pride, when he was before upon the island, he knewfull well, and he realized as fully that all those obstacles thatpride had engendered were now removed by the rank and position ofhis rival. He wondered in his own mind whether it was possible thatLorenzo Bezan might not have forgotten her, or found some moreattractive shrine whereat to worship. As he realized Isabella'sunmatched loveliness, he felt that, however, could hardly be; andthus unsettled as to the state of affairs between the two, he waspuzzled as to what course to pursue. 

In the meantime, while General Harero was thus engaged with himself, Lorenzo Bezan was thinking upon the same subject. It was nearlymidnight; but still he walked back and forth in his room withthoughtful brow. There was none of the nervous irritation in hismanner that was evinced by his rival; but there was deep and anxioussolicitude written in every line of his handsome features. He wasthinking of Isabella. Was thinking of her, did we say? He had neverforgotten her for one hour since the last farewell meeting in theprison walls. He knew not how she felt towards him now-whether a newpride might not take the place of that which had before actuatedher, and a fear lest she should, by acknowledging, as it were, theformer error, be led still to observe towards him the same austeremanner and distance. 

"Have I won renown, promotion, and extended fame to no purpose, atlast?" he asked himself; "what care I for these unless shared in byher; unless her beautiful eyes approve, and her sweet lipsacknowledge? Alas, how poor a thing am I, whom my fellow-mortalscount so fortunate and happy!"

Thus he mused to himself, until at last stepping to the open balconywindow, he looked out upon the soft and delicious light of ittropical moon. All was still-all was beautiful; the steady pace ofthe sentinel on duty at the entrance of the palace, alone, soundingupon the ear. Suddenly a thought seemed to suggest itself to hismind. Seizing his guitar, from a corner of his room, he threw a thinmilitary cloak about his form, and putting on a foraging cap, passedthe sentinel, and strolled towards the Plato! How well he rememberedthe associations of the place, as he paused now for a moment in theshadow of the broad walls of the barracks. He stood there but for amoment, then drawing nearer to the house of Don Gonzales, he touchedthe strings of his guitar with a master hand, and sung with a clear, musical voice one of those exquisite little serenades with which theSpanish language abounds. 

The song did not awake Isabella, though just beneath her window. Sheheard it, nevertheless, and in the half-waking, half-dreaming statein which she was, perhaps enjoyed it even with keener sense than shewould have done if quite aroused. She dreamed of love, and ofLorenzo Bezan; she thought all was forgotten-all forgiven, and thathe was her accepted lover. But this was in her sleep-awake, shewould not have felt prepared to say yet, even to herself, whethershe really loved him, or would listen to his address; awake, therewas still a lingering pride in her bosom, too strong for easyremoval. But sweet was the pure and beautiful girl's sleep-sweet wasthe smile that played about her delicate mouth-and lovely beyond thepainter's power, the whole expression of soft delight that dwelt inher incomparably handsome features. 

The song ceased, but the sleeper dreamed on in delightful quietude. 

Not so without; there was a scene enacting there that would chillthe heart of woman, and call into action all the sterner powers ofthe other sex. 

Some strange chance had drawn General Harero from his quarters, also, at this hour, and the sound of the guitar had attracted him tothe Plato just as Lorenzo Bezan had completed his song. Hearingapproaching footsteps, and not caring to be discovered, theserenader slung his guitar by its silken cord behind his back, andwrapping his cloak about him, prepared to leave the spot; but hardlyhad he reached the top of the broad stairs that lead towards theCalle de Mercaderes (street of the merchants), when he stood face toface with his bitter enemy, General Harero!

"General Harero!"

"Lorenzo Bezan!"

Said each, calling the other's name, in the first moment ofsurprise. 

"So you still propose to continue your persecutions towards thislady?" said General Harero, sarcastically. 

"Persecutions?"

"That was my word; what other term can express unwelcome visits?"

"It were better, General Harero, that you should remember the changewhich has taken place in our relative positions, of late, and notprovoke me too far. "

"I spit upon and defy your authority. "

"Then, sir, it shall be exercised on the morrow for your especialbenefit. "

"Not by you, though, " said the enraged rival, drawing his swordsuddenly, and thrusting its point towards the heart of LorenzoBezan. 

But the young soldier had been too often engaged in hand to handconflicts to lose his presence of mind, and with his uplifted armshrouded in his cloak, he parried the blow, with only a slight fleshwound upon his left wrist. But General Harero had drawn blood, andthat was enough; the next moment their swords were crossed, and afew passes were only necessary to enable Lorenzo Bezan to revengehimself by a severe wound in his rival's left breast. Maddened bythe pain of his wound, and reckless by his anger, General Hareropressed hard upon the young officer; but his coolness was more thana match for his antagonist's impetuosity; and after inflicting asevere blow upon his cheek with the flat of his sword, Lorenzo Bezaneasily disarmed him, and breaking his sword in twain, threw it uponthe steps of the Plato, and quietly walked away leaving GeneralHarero to settle matters between his own rage, his wounds and thesurgeon, as best he might, while he sought his own quarters withinthe palace walls. 

General Harero was more seriously wounded than he had at firstdeemed himself to be, and gathering up the fragments of his sword, he sought the assistance of his surgeon, in a state of anger andexcitement that bid fair, in connection with his wounds, to lead himinto a raging fever. Inventing some plausible story of beingattacked by some unknown ruffian, and desiring the surgeon toobserve his wishes as to secrecy, for certain reasons, the woundedman submitted to have his wounds dressed, and taking some coolingmedicine by way of precaution, lay himself down to sleep just as thegray of morning tinged the western horizon. 

That morning Isabella Gonzales awoke with pleasant memories of herdream, little knowing that the sweet music she had attributed to thecreations of her own fancy, was real, and that voice and instrumentactually sounded beneath her own chamber window. 

"Ah, sister, " said Ruez, "how well you are looking this morning. "

"Am I, brother?"

"Yes, better than I have seen you this many a long day. "

"I rested well last night, and had pleasant dreams, Ruez. "

"Last night, " said the boy, "that reminds me of some music I heard. "

"Music?"

"Yes, a serenade; a manly voice and guitar, I should judge. "

"It is strange; I dreamed that I heard it, too, but on waking Ithought it was but a dream. It might have been real, " musedIsabella, thoughtfully. 

"I am sure of it, and though I, too, was but half awake, I thoughtthat I recognized the voice, and cannot say why I did not rise tosee if my surmise was correct, but I dropped quickly to sleepagain. "

"And who did, you think it was, brother?" asked Isabella Gonzales. 

"General Bezan, our new lieutenant-governor, " said the boy, regarding his sister closely. 

"It must have been so, then, " mused Isabella, to herself; "we couldnot both have been thus mistaken. Lorenzo Bezan must have been onthe Plato last night; would that I could have seen him, if but forone moment. "

"I should like to speak to General Bezan, " said Ruez; "but he's sohigh an officer now that I suppose he would not feel so muchinterest in me as he did when I used to visit him in the governmentprison. "

Isabella made no reply to this remark, but still mused to herself. 

Ruez gazed thoughtfully upon his sister; there seemed to be muchgoing on in his own mind relative to the subject of which they hadspoken. At one moment you might read a tinge of anxious solicitudein the boy's handsome face, as he gazed thus, and anon a look ofpride, too, at the surpassing beauty and dignity of his sister. 

She was very beautiful. Her morning costume was light and graceful, and her whole toilet showed just enough of neglige to add interestto the simplicity of her personal attire. Her dark, jetty haircontrasted strongly with the pure white of her dress, and there wasnot an ornament upon her person, save those that nature had lavishedthere in prodigal abundance. She had never looked more lovely thanat that hour; the years that had passed since the reader met her infamiliar conversation with our hero, had only served still more toperfect and ripen her personal charms. Though there had stolen overher features a subdued air of thoughtfulness, a gentle tinge ofmelancholy, yet it became her far better than the one of constantlevity and jest that had almost universally possessed herheretofore. 

Her eyes now rested upon the floor, and the long silken lashesseemed almost artificial in their effect upon the soft olivecomplexion beneath their shadow. No wonder Ruez loved his sister sodearly; no wonder he felt proud of her while he gazed at her there;nor was it strange that he strove to read her heart as he did, though he kept his own counsel upon the subject. 

He was a most observant boy, as we have seen before in these pages, but not one to manifest all of his observations or thoughts. Heseemed to, and doubtless did, actually understand Isabella's heartbetter than she did herself, and a close observer would have notedwell the various emotions that his expressive countenance exhibited, while he gazed thus intently at his dearly loved sister. Ruez was astrange boy; he had few friends; but those few he loved with all hisheart. His father, sister, and Lorenzo Bezan, shared his entireaffection. His inclinations led him to associate but little withthose of his own age; he was thoughtful, and even at that age, a daydreamer. He loved to be alone; oftentimes for hours he was thus-attimes gazing off upon the sea, and at others, gazing upon vacancy, while his thoughts would seem to have run away with him, mentallyand physically. These peculiarities probably arose from hisuncommonly sensitive disposition, and formed a sort of chrysalisstate, from which he was yet to emerge into manliness. 

Kissing her cheek, and rousing her from the waking dream thatpossessed her now, Ruez turned away and left her to herself and thethoughts his words had aroused. We, too, will leave IsabellaGonzales, for a brief period, while we turn to another point of ourstory, whither the patient reader will please to follow. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

A DISCOVERY. 

"SHE never loved me, " said Lorenzo Bezan, in the privacy of his ownroom, on the morning subsequent to that of the serenade. "It wasonly my own insufferable egotism and self-conceit that gave me suchconfidence. Now I review the past, what single token or evidence hasshe given to me of particular regard? what has she done that anylady might not do for a gentleman friend? I can recall nothing. True, she has smiled kindly-O how dearly I have cherished thesesmiles! But what are they? Coquettes smile on every one! Alas, howmiserable am I, after all the glory and fame I have won!"

Lorenzo Bezan was truly affected, as his words have shown him to be. He doubted whether Isabella Gonzales had ever loved him; her screamand fainting might have been caused by surprise, or even the heat. He had been too ready to attribute it to that which his own hearthad first suggested. O, if he only dared to address her now-to seeher, and once more to tell how dearly and ardently he loved herstill-how he had cherished her by the camp fires, in the battle-field, and the deprivations of war and the sufferings of a soldier'swounds. If he could, if he dared to tell her this, he would behappier. But, how did he know that a proud repulse did not awaithim! Ah, that was the fear that controlled him; he could not bear topart again from her as he had last done. 

While he was thus engaged in reverie alone, a servant, whom he haddespatched on an errand, returned to say that General Harero wasvery ill and confined to his bed; that some wounds he hadaccidentally received in quelling some street affray had brought ona burning and dangerous fever. On the receipt of this informationLorenzo Bezan wrote a hasty note and despatched the servant oncemore for a surgeon to come to his quarters; a demand that wasanswered by the person sent for in a very few minutes. It was thesame surgeon who a few years before had so successfully attendedBezan. The recognition between them was cordial and honest, whilethe new lieutenant-general told him of General Harero's severeillness, and expressed a wish for him to immediately attend the sickman. 

"But, General Bezan, " said the surgeon, "you have little cause forlove to General Harero. "

"That is true; but still I desire his recovery; and if you compassit by good nursing and the power of your art, remember fiftydoubloons is your fee. "

"My professional pride would lead me to do my best, " replied thesurgeon, "though neither I nor any other man in the service lovesGeneral Harero any too much. "

"I have reasons for my interest that it is not necessary toexplain, " said General Bezan, "and shall trust that you will do yourbest for him, as you did for me. "

"By the way, general, I have been half a mind, more than once, eversince your return to the island, to tell you of a little affairconcerning your sickness at that time, but I feared you might deemit in some measure impertinent. "

"By no means. Speak truly and openly to me. I owe you too much toattribute any improper motives to you in any instance. What do yourefer to?"

"Well, general, I suppose on that occasion I discovered a secretwhich I have never revealed to any one, and upon which subject mylips have been ever sealed. "

"What was it?"

"Your love for Isabella Gonzales. "

"And how, pray, came you to surmise that?" asked Lorenzo Bezan, insurprise. 

"First by your half incoherent talk in moments of delirium, andafterwards by finding her portrait, painted probably by yourself, among your effects. "

"True. I have it still, " said Lorenzo Bezan, musingly. 

"But more than that I discovered from the lady herself?" said thesurgeon. 

"From the lady? What do you mean?" asked General Bezan, mostearnestly. 

"Why she visited you during your illness, and though she came indisguise, I discovered her. "

"In disguise?"

"Yes. "

"How did you discover her? I pray you tell me all, if you are myfriend. "

"By a tear!"

"A tear!"

"Yes, because I knew no servant or lady's maid sent to execute hermistress's bidding would have been so affected, and that led me towatch for further discovery. "

"Did she weep?"

"One tear fell from her eyes upon your hands as she bent over you, and it told me a story that I have since sometimes thought youshould know. "

"A tear!" mused General Bezan, to himself, rising and walking up anddown his room in haste; "that must have come from the heart. Smilesare evanescent; kind words, even, cost nothing; but tears, they arehonest, and come unbidden by aught save the heart itself. Tears, didyou say?" he continued, pausing before the surgeon. 

"As I have said, general. "

"And she bathed my forehead, you say?"

"She did, and further, left with me a purse to be devoted tosupplying your wants. "

"This you never told me of before. "

"I have had no opportunity, and to speak honestly, it was very welltimed and needed. "

"Money!" mused Lorenzo Bezan. "Money, that is full of dross; but atear, --I would to Heaven I had earlier known of that. "

"I hope I have caused you no uneasiness, general. "

"Enough. Go on your mission to General Harero; save him, if you can;you have already saved me! Nay, do not stare, but go, and see meagain at your leisure. "

The surgeon bowed respectfully, and hastened away as he wasdirected. 

That tear had removed mountains from Lorenzo Bezan's heart; hehardly knew what further to do under the circumstances. The earliestimpulse of his heart was to seek Isabella, and throwing himself ather feet, beg her to forgive him for having for one moment doubtedthe affection and gentleness of her woman heart. This was theturning point with him if she had a heart, tender and susceptible, and not coroded by coquetry; he had no fear but that he could winit; his love was too true, too devoted, too much a part of his souland existence to admit of doubt. Joy once more reigned in his heart. He was almost childish in his impatience to see her; he could hardlywait even for an hour. 

At last, seating himself at a table, he seized upon pen and paperand wrote as follows:

"ISABELLA GONZALES: I know not how to address you, in what tone towrite, or even as to the propriety of writing to you at all; but thesuspense I now suffer is my excuse. I need not reiterate to you howdearly I love you; you know this, dear one, as fully as anyassertion of my own could possibly express it. It is trite that mylove for you has partaken in no small degree of a character ofpresumption, daring, as an humble lieutenant of infantry, to lift myeyes to one as peerless and beautiful as yourself, and of a class ofsociety so far above what my own humble position would authorize meto mingle with. But the past is past, and now my rank and fortuneboth entitle me to the entree, to your father's house. I mention notthese because I would have them weigh in my favor with you. Far fromit. I had rather you would remember me, and love me as I was when wefirst met. 

"Need I say how true I have been to the love I have cherished foryou? How by my side in battle, in my dreams by the camp fire, andfilling my waking thoughts, you have ever been with me in spirit?Say, Isabella Gonzales, is this homage, so sincere, thus tried andtrue, unwelcome to you? or do you, in return, love the devotedsoldier, who has so long cherished you in his heart as a fit shrineto worship at? I shall see you, may I not, and you will not repulseme, nor speak to me with coldness. O, say when I may come to you, when look once more into those radiant eyes, when tell you with mylips how dearly, how ardently I love you-have ever loved you, andmust still love you to the last? I know you will forgive theimpetuosity, and, perhaps, incoherent character of this note. LORENZO BEZAN. "

We have only to look into the chamber of Isabella Gonzales, a fewhours subsequent to the writing of this letter, to learn its effectupon her. 

She was alone; the letter she had read over and over again, and nowsat with it pressed to her bosom by both hands, as though she mightthus succeed in suppressing the convulsive sobs that shook her wholeframe. Tears, the luxury of both joy and sorrow, where the heart istoo full of either, tears streamed down her fair cheeks; tears ofjoy and sorrow both; joy that he was indeed still true to her, andsorrow that such hours, days, nay, years of unhappiness, had beenthus needlessly passed, while they were separated from each other, though joined in soul. O, how bitterly she recalled her pride, andremembered the control it had held over her, how blamed herself atthe recollection of that last farewell in the prison with the noblebut dejected spirit that in spite of herself even then she loved!

She kissed the letter again and again; she wept like a child!

"The queen was right-he had no heart to give. A countess? She mighthave brought him higher title, a prouder name, richer coffers; buthe is not one to weigh my love against gold, or lineage, or proudestates, or even royal favor; such, such is the man to whom I owe myvery life, my father's life, Ruez's life, nay, what do I not owe tohim? since all happiness and peace hang upon these; and yet Irepulsed, nay, scorned him, when he knelt a suppliant at my feet. O, how could a lifetime of devoted love and gentleness repay him all, and make me even able to forgive myself for the untrue, unnaturalpart I have played?"

She covered her face with her hands, as if to efface the memory ofthe conduct which she had just recalled so earnestly, and thenrising, walked back and forth in her apartment with all theimpetuosity of her Creole blood evinced in the deepened color of hercheek, and the brightness of her beauteous eyes. Then once moreseating herself, she sat and trotted her foot impatiently upon thefloor. 

"O, why, why cannot I recall the past; alas, I see my error toolate. Pride, pride, how bitterly and surely dost thou bring thineown reward!"

She strove to answer the letter that now lay open before her uponthe table, but could scarcely hold the pen, so deep and long drawnwere the sighs that struggled in her bosom. Sheet after sheet wascommenced and destroyed. Tears drowned out the efforts of her pen, and she knew not what to do. She bit her fair lips in vexation; whatshould she write? Once more she read his note, and full of thefeelings it induced, tried to answer it. But in vain; her sheet wasbathed in tears before she had written one line. 

"It is but the truth, " she said, to herself, "and I do not care ifhe knows it. "

As she thus spoke, she once more seized the pen and wrote:

"In vain have I essayed to write to you. Let these tears be youranswer! ISABELLA GONZALES. "

If the beautiful girl had studied for months to have answered theletter of him who loved her so well, it would have been impossiblefor her to have penned a more touching, more truthful, or moreeloquent reply than this. Striking a tiny silver bell by her side, aslave approached, and was despatched with this note at once to thepalace of the governor-general. 

"Why, sister!" said Ruez, entering the room and speaking at the sametime, "you look as if you had been weeping. Pray, are you ill?"

"Nay, brother, I am not ill. It was but a slight affair; it is allover now. Where's Carlo, Ruez?"

The attempt to turn the course of conversation to the dog, was notunobserved by the intelligent boy. He saw at once that there wassome matter in his sister's heart that was better to remain her ownproperty, and so, with a kiss, he said no more, but sat down at thewindow and looked off upon the brilliant afternoon effect of the sunand the light land breeze upon the water. Neither spoke for manyminutes, until at last Ruez, still looking off upon the waters ofthe outer harbor, or Gulf Stream, said:

"I wonder where General Bezan keeps himself when off duty?"

"Why, brother?"

"Because I have called there twice, and have not seen him yet. "

"Twice!"

"Yes. "

"You know it is but a very few days since he arrived here, brotherRuez, and he must be very busy. "

"Probably, " answered Ruez, stealing a glance towards his sister. 

"His present duty must engage a large portion of his time, Isuppose. "

"O, yes, " said the boy, laughing, "just about one quarter as much ofhis time as was demanded of him when he was a lieutenant in GeneralHarero's division. "

"By-the-by, Ruez, they say the general is very ill of some chancewounds. "

"The general deserves all he got, beyond a doubt, and there islittle fear but that he will recover fast enough. He's not one ofthe sort that die easily. Fortune spares such as he is to trypeople's temper, and annoy humanity. "

"But is he decidedly better?" asked Isabella, with some interest. 

"Yes, the surgeon reports him out of danger. Yesterday he was in afever from his wounds. I can't conceive how he got them, and no oneseems to know much about it. "

"There's Carlo and father, on the Plato; good-by, sister I'm goingto join them. "

CHAPTER XVII. 

THE ASSASSIN. 

THE apartment where General Harero was confined to his bed by thesevere wounds he had received, presented much such an aspect asLorenzo Bezan's had done, when in the early part of this story thereader beheld him in the critical state that the wounds he receivedfrom the Montaros on the road had placed him. It was dark and gloomythen. The same surgeon who had been so faithful a nurse to our hero, was now with the wounded officer. Notwithstanding the excitement ofhis patient's mind, he had succeeded in quieting him down by properremedies, so as to admit of treating him properly for his wounds, and to relieve his brain, at least in part, from the excitement offeeling that a spirit of revenge had created there. 

A knock was heard at the door just at the moment when we would havethe reader look with us into the apartment, and the surgeon admitteda tall, dark person, partly enveloped in a cloak. It was evening;the barracks were still, and the gloom of the sick room was, ifpossible, rendered greater by the darkness that was seen from theuncurtained window. At a sign from his patient the surgeon left himalone with the new comer, who threw himself upon a camp-stool, andfolding his arms, awaited the general's pleasure. In the meantime, if the reader will look closely upon the hard lineaments of hisface, the heavy eyebrow, the profusion of beard, and thecold-blooded and heartless expression of features, he will recognizethe game man whom he has once before met with General Harero, andwho gave him the keys by which he succeeded in making a secretentrance to Lorenzo Bezan's cell in the prison before the timeappointed for his execution. It was the jailor of the militaryprison. 

"Lieutenant, " said the general, "I have sent for you to perform asomewhat delicate job for me. "

"What is it, general?"

"I will tell you presently; be not in such haste, " said the sickman. 

"I am at your service. "

"Have I not always paid you well when employed by me, lieutenant?"

"Nobly, general, only too liberally. "

"Would you like to serve me again in a still more profitable job?"

"Nothing could be more agreeable. "

"But it is a matter that requires courage, skill, care and secrecy. It is no boy's play. "

"All the better for that, general. "

"Perhaps you will not say so when I have explained it to you morefully. "

"You have tried me before now!" answered the jailor, emphatically. 

"True, and I will therefore trust you at once. There is a life to betaken!"

"What! another?" said the man, with surprise depicted on his face. 

"Yes, and one who may cost you some trouble to manage-a quick manand a swordsman. "

"Who is it?"

"Lorenzo Bezan!"

"The new lieutenant-general?"

"The same. "

"Why, now I think of it, that is the very officer whom you visitedlong ago by the secret passage in the prison. "

"Very true. "

"And now you would kill him?"

"Yes. "

"And for what?"

"That matters not. You will be paid for your business, and must askno questions. "

"O, very well; business is business. "

"You see this purse?"

"Yes. "

"It contains fifty doubloons. Kill him before the set of to-morrow'ssun, and it is yours. "

"Fifty doubloons?"

"Is it not enough?"

"The risk is large; if he were but a private citizen, now-but thelieutenant-governor!"

"I will make it seventy-five. "

"Say one hundred, and it is a bargain, " urged the jailor, coolly. 

"On your own terms, then, " was the general's reply, as he groanedwith pain. 

"It is dangerous business, but it shall be done, " said the other, drawing a dagger from his bosom and feeling its point carefully. "But I must have another day, as to-night it may be too late beforeI can arrange to meet him, and that will allow but one more night topass. I can do nothing in the daytime. "

"Very well. "

"Where shall I be most likely to meet him, think you?"

"Possibly after twilight, on the Plato, near the house of DonGonzales. "

"I will be on the watch for him, and my trusty steel shall not failme. "

Thus saying, and after a few other words of little importance, thejailor departed. 

Maddened by the short confinement and suffering he had experienced, General Harero resolved to rid himself at once of the stumblingblock in his path that General Bezan proved himself to be. Areckless character, almost born, and ever bred a soldier, he stoppedat no measures to bring about any desired end. Nor was LorenzoBezan's life the first one he had attempted, through the agency ofothers; the foul stains of murder already rested upon his soul. Itwas some temporary relief, apparently, to his feelings now, to thinkthat he had taken the primary steps to be revenged upon one whom heso bitterly hated. He could think of nothing else, now, as he laythere, suffering from those wounds, and at times the expression ofhis face became almost demoniac, as he ground his teeth and bit hislips, in the intense excitement of his passions, the struggle of hisfeelings being so bitter and revengeful. 

But we must leave the sick man with himself for a while, and goelsewhere. 

Lorenzo Bezan had been pressed with the business incident to his newposition, and this, too, so urgently, that he had not yet answeredthe note he had received from her he had loved so dearly. He hadplaced it next his heart, however, and would seize upon the firstmoment to answer it, not by the pen, but in person. It was for thispurpose, that, on the same evening we have referred to, he had takenhis guitar, and was strolling at a late hour towards the Plato. Itwas the first moment that he could leave the palace without serioustrouble, and thinking Isabella might have retired for the night, heresolved at least to serenade her once more, as he had so latelydone. 

It would be impossible to justly describe the feelings that actuatedthe spirit of the lieutenant-governor. His soul was once morebuoyant with hope; he loved deeply, ay, more dearly than everbefore, and he believed that he was now indeed loved in return. Howlight was his heart, how brilliant the expression of his face, as heturned his steps towards the spot where his heart had so oftenreturned when the expanse of ocean rolled between him and the spotso dear to him from association. He hurried forward to the stepsthat ascended from near the end of the Calle de Mercaderes, on tothe Plato, but before he had reached it, there came bounding towardshim a large dog, which he instantly recognized to be the hound thathad so materially aided him in saving the life of Ruez Gonzales, long before. 

At the same moment a hand was laid roughly upon his shoulder, butwas instantly removed and on turning to see what was the meaning ofthis rude salutation, the young general discovered a large, darkfigure struggling with the hound, who, upon his calling to him, seemed to relinquish the hold he had of the man's throat, and sprangto his side, while the person whom the dog had thus attacked, disappeared suddenly round an angle of the Cathedral, and leftLorenzo Bezan vastly puzzled to understand the meaning of all this. The man must evidently have raised his arm to strike him, else thedog would not have thus interposed, and then, had the stranger beenan honest man, he would have paused to explain, instead ofdisappearing thus. 

"I must be on my guard; there are assassins hereabouts, " he said tohimself, and after a moment's fondling of the hound, who hadinstantly recognized him, he once more drew nearer to the Plato, when suddenly the palace bell sounded the alarm of fire. His dutycalled him instantly to return, which he was forced to do. 

It was past midnight before the fire was quenched, and Lorenzo Bezandismissed the guard and extra watch that had been ordered out at thefirst alarm, and himself, greatly fatigued by his exertions and carein subduing the fire, which in Havana is done under the directionand assistance of the military, always, he threw himself on hiscouch, and fell fast asleep. 

Early the subsequent morning, he despatched a line to IsabellaGonzales, saying that on the evening of that day he would answer inperson her dear communication; and that though pressing duty hadkept him from her side, she was never for one moment absent from hisheart. He begged that Ruez might come to him in the meantime, and hedid so at once. The meeting between them was such as the readermight anticipate. The officer told the boy many of his adventures, asked a thousand questions of his home, about his kind old father, Isabella, the hound, and all. While Ruez could find no words toexpress the delight he felt that the same friend existed in GeneralBezan, that he had loved and cherished as the captain of infantry. 

"How strange the fortune that has brought you back again, and sohigh, too, in office. I'm sure we are all delighted. Father says yourichly deserve all the honor you enjoy, and he does not very oftencompliment any one, " said the boy. 

The twilight had scarcely faded into the deeper shades of night, onthe following evening, when Lorenzo Bezan once more hastened towardsthe Plato, to greet her whom he loved so tenderly and so truly-shewho had been the star of his destiny for years, who had been hissole incentive to duty, his sole prompter in the desire for fame andfortune. 

In the meantime there was a scene enacting on the Plato that shouldbe known to the reader. Near the door of the house of Don Gonzales, stood Isabella and Ruez, and before them a young person, whose dressand appearance betokened the occupation of a page, though hisgarments were soiled and somewhat torn in places. Isabella wasaddressing the youth kindly, and urged him to come in and resthimself, for he showed evident tokens of fatigue. 

"Will you not come in and refresh yourself? you look weary and ill. "

"Nay, lady, not now. You say this is the house of Don Gonzales?"

"Yes. "

"And are you the daughter of that house?" continued the page. 

"I am. "

"I might have known that without asking, " said the page, apparentlyto himself. 

"Indeed, do you know us, then?" asked Isabella, with some curiosity. 

"By reputation, only, " was the reply. "The fine of beauty travelsfar, lady. "

"You would flatter me, sir page. "

"By our lady, no!"

"Where last thou heard of me, then?"

"Far distant from here, lady. "

"You speak and look like one who has travelled a long way, " saidIsabella. 

"I have. "

"Do you live far from here, then?" asked Ruez, much interested inthe stranger. 

"Yes, " was the reply. "Lady, I may call on you again, " continued thepage, "but for the present, adieu. "

Turning suddenly away, the stranger walked leisurely towards thehead of the broad stairs that led from the Plato to the streetbelow, and descended them. 

At the same moment, Lorenzo Bezan, on his way to Isabella Gonzales, had just reached the foot of the stairs, when hearing quick stepsbehind him, he turned his head just in time to see the form of thepage thrown quickly between the uplifted arm of the same dark figurewhich he had before met here, and himself-and the point of agleaming dagger, that must else have entered his own body, found asheath in that of the young stranger, who had thus probably savedhis life. More on the alert than he had been before for danger, Lorenzo Bezan's sword was in his hand in an instant, and its keenblade pierced to the very heart of the assassin, who fell to rise nomore. 

Such, alas, seemed to be the fate of the page who had so gallantlyrisked, and probably lost, his own life, to protect that of thelieutenant-governor. 

"Alas, poor youth, " said Lorenzo Bezan, "why didst thou peril thylife to save me from that wound? Canst thou speak, and tell me whothou art, and what I shall do for thee?"

"Yes, in a few moments; bear me to Don Gonzales's house, quickly, for I bleed very fast!"

Lorenzo Bezan's first thought, on observing the state of the case, was to obtain surgical aid at once, and preferring to do thishimself to trusting to the strange rabble about him, he turned hissteps towards the main barracks, where he expected to find hisfriendly surgeon whom he had despatched to serve General Harero. Hefound his trusty professional man, and hastily despatched him to thehouse of Don Gonzales, bidding him exercise his best skill for onewho had just received a wound intended for his own body. 

We, too, will follow the surgeon to the bedside of the wounded page, where a surprise awaited all assembled there, and which will bedescribed in another chapter. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE DISGUISE. 

WITH the assistance of some passers-by, the wounded page was borne, as he had desired, to Don Gonzales's house, while, in accordancewith an order from Lorenzo Bezan, the now lifeless body of thejailor, for he it was who had attempted the life of thelieutenant-governor, was borne away to the barrack yard. At the doorof Don Gonzales's house the page was met by Ruez and Isabella; andthose who held the wounded boy, hastily telling of his hurt, and themanner in which it was received, carried him, as directed byIsabella, to her brother's room, and a surgeon was at once sent for. 

"Sister, " whispered Ruez, "did you hear what those people said?"

"What, brother?"

"Why, that the page saved the life of the lieutenant-governor, Lorenzo Bezan?"

"Yes. "

"He must have been hard by, for the page had only just left us. "

"True. "

"Yet he was not with the rest who entered the house, " continuedRuez. 

"No, " answered Isabella, "some one said he hastened away for asurgeon. "

"Hark!"

"Who called you, just now, sister?" asked the brother. 

"It was only the groan of that poor boy. I wish they would bring thesurgeon. "

"But he calls your name; go to him, dear Isabella. "

"O, they have found the surgeon, and here he comes, " said hissister. 

And thus indeed it was. Entering the apartment, the surgeon preparedto examine the wound, but in a moment he called to Isabella, saying:

"Lady, this individual is one of thine own sex! and, I am very sorryto say, is mortally wounded. "

"A woman!"

"Yes, lady; see, she would speak to you; she beckons you near. "

"Lady, I need not ask what that professional man says. I know toowell by my own feelings that I must die, indeed that I am dying!"

"O, say not so; perhaps there may yet be hopes, " said Isabella, tenderly. 

"Nay, there is none; indeed it is better, far better as it is. "

"Why, do you wish to die?" asked Isabella, almost shrinking fromher. 

"Yes. There is nought left for me to live for, and it is sweet todie, too, for him, for him I have so dearly, so truly loved!"

"Of whom do you speak?"

"General Bezan!"

"You love him?"

"Ay, lady, I believe far better than you can ever do. "

"Me!"

"Yes, for I know your own heart, and his true love for you!"

"Who are you?"

"That matters not. But where is he? I thought he followed me here. "

"He went for the surgeon, and I have not seen him, " was the reply. 

Isabella trembled, for at that moment General Bezan, hastening backfrom the surgeon's, and despatching some matter that occurred by theway, now entered the house, and was greeted most cordially by DonGonzales and Ruez. And from them he learned the extent of theinjury, and, moreover, that the supposed page was a woman, disguisedin a page's costume. 

"Ah, general!" said Don Gonzales, "I fear, this is some littleaffair of gallantry on your part that will result rather seriously. "

"Be assured, sir, " said the soldier, "that I cannot in any wayexplain the matter, and that I think there is some decided mistakehere. "

"Let us go to her apartment and see what can be done for herinjury, " said General Bezan, after a moment's pause, "be she whomshe may. "

Just as they entered the apartment, the surgeon had loosened thedress of the sufferer at the throat, and there fell out into sightthe insignia of the golden fleece and cross of St. Sebastian, in ascroll of diamonds that heralded the royal arms of Spain, and whichnone but those in whose veins coursed royal blood could wear! Thesurgeon started back in amazement, while Don Gonzales uncovered outof respect to the emblem. Springing to the side of the couch, General Bezan turned the half averted face towards him, while heseized the hand of the sufferer, and then exclaimed:

"Is this a miracle-is this a dream-or is this really the CountessMoranza?"

"It is the Countess Moranza, " replied the suffering creature, whileher eyes were bent on Lorenzo Bezan with an expression of mostineffable tenderness. 

All this while Isabella stood aghast, quite in the rear of them all;but that look was not lost upon her; she shuddered, and a coldperspiration stood upon her brow. Had she lived to see such asight-lived to see another preferred to herself? Alas, what knew sheof the scene before her? was it not a shameless one? Had LorenzoBezan deceived this high-born and noble lady, and leaving her tofollow him, came hither, once more to strive for her love? Her brainwas in a whirlwind of excitement, the room grew dark, she reeled, and would have fallen but for the assistance of Ruez, who helped herto her room, and left her there, himself as much amazed at what hehad seen as his sister could possibly be. 

"Has she gone?" asked the sufferer. 

"Who, lady?" said the soldier, tenderly. 

"Isabella Gonzales. "

"Yes, " replied the father. "Do you desire to see her?"

"O yes, I must see her, and quickly; tell her I must see her. "

The father retired; while Lorenzo Bezan said, as he bent over theperson of the countess:

"Alas, I cannot ask thee now what all this means; you are too ill totalk; what may I, what can I do for thee?"

"Nothing, Lorenzo Bezan. Draw nearer-I have loved thee dearly, passionately loved thee, loved thee as a woman can love; it was notdesigned that I should win thy heart-it was already another's; butit was designed, the virgin be thanked, that though I might not wedthee, I might die for thee!"

"O, countess, countess, your words are like daggers to my heart. Ihave been a thoughtless, guilty wretch, but, Heaven bear me witness, I did not sin knowingly!"

"Nay, speak not one word. I am dying even now; leave me for a while. I would be alone with this lady; see, she comes, trembling andbathed in tears!"

Lorenzo Bezan, almost crazed with the contending emotions that besethim, knew not what to say-what to do; he obeyed her wish, and leftthe room, as did also the rest, leaving Isabella and the CountessMoranza alone together. General Bezan walked the adjoining room likeone who had lost all self-control-now pressing his forehead withboth hands, as if to keep back the press of thoughts, and now, almost groaning aloud at the struggling of his feelings within histhrobbing breast. The light broke in upon him; while he had been sohappy, so inconsiderate at Madrid, in the society of the beautifuland intelligent woman; while he had respected and loved her like abrother, he had unwittingly been planting thorns in her bosom! Hesaw it all now. He even recalled the hour when he told her of hislove for Isabella Gonzales-and remembered, too, the sudden illnessthat she evinced. "Alas! how blind I have been, how thoughtless ofall else but myself, and my own disappointments and heart-secrets. Next to Isabella, I could have loved that pure and gentle being. Idid feel drawn to her side by unspeakable tenderness and gratitudefor the consolation she seemed ever so delicately to impart; but forthis right hand I would not have deceived her, the virgin bear mewitness. "

The moments seemed hours to him, while he waited thus in such astate of suspense as his frame of mind might be supposed toindicate. The surgeon entered to take his leave. 

"How is she, sir?" asked Lorenzo Bezan, hastily. 

"I have not seen her since we left her with Don Gonzales's daughter. She desired to be left alone with her, you remember, and it is bestto do as she wishes. My skill can do her no good. She cannot livebut a very few hours, and I may as well retire. "

"There is, then, no hope for her, no possibility of recovery?"

"None!"

Throwing himself into a chair, Lorenzo Bezan seemed perfectlyovercome with grief. He did not weep, no tears came to his relief;but it was the fearful struggle of the soul, that sometimes racksthe stout frame and manly heart. The soldier who had passed so manyhours on the battle-field-who had breathed the breath of scores ofdying men, of wounded comrades, and bleeding foes, was a child now. He clasped his hands and remained in silence, like one wrapped inprayer. 

He had not remained thus but a short time, when a slave summoned himto the bedside of the dying countess. He found her once more alone. Isabella had retired to her own apartment. 

"General, " said the sufferer, holding out her hand, which he pressedtenderly to his lips!

"Forgive me, Countess Moranza, pray forgive me?"

"I have nothing to forgive, and for my sake charge yourself with noblame for me. It is my dying request, for I can stay but a littlelonger. I have one other to make. You will grant it?"

"Anything that mortal can do I will do for thee. "

"Take, then, this package. It contains papers and letters relativeto myself, my estates, and to you. Strictly obey the injunctionstherein contained. "

"I will, " said the soldier, kneeling. 

"This promise is sacred, and will make me die the happier, " shesaid, drawing a long sigh. "I have explained to her you love thecause of my singular appearance here, and have exculpated you fromall blame on my account. "

"Ah! but countess, it is terrible that you should have sacrificedyour life to save mine. "

"Say not so; it is the only joy of this moment, for it has saved mefrom the curse of the suicide!" she almost whispered, drawing himcloser to her side as she spoke. "I could not live, save in thelight of your eyes. I knew you were poor, comparatively so-thatfortune would place your alliance with her you have loved beyondquestion as to policy. I resolved to follow you-do all in my powerto make you happy--ask of you sometimes to remember me--and then--"

"O, what then?" said Lorenzo Bezan, almost trembling. 

"Die by my own hands, in a way that none should know! But how muchhappier has Heaven ordered it. I could have wished, have prayed forsuch a result; but not for one moment could I have hoped for it. Asit is I am happy. "

"And I am wretched, " said the soldier; "had the choice been offeredme of thy death or mine, how quickly would I have fallen for thee, who hast been more than a sister, a dear, kind sister to me. "

The sufferer covered her face with her hands; his tender words, andhis gentle accents of voice, and the truthful expression of hisface, for one moment reached her hear; through its most sensitivechannel! But the struggle was only for a moment; the cold hand ofdeath was upon her; she felt even the chill upon her system. Aslight shudder ran through her frame. She crossed her hands upon herbosom, and closing her eyes, breathed a silent prayer, and pressedthe glittering cross that hung about her neck fervently to her lips. Then turning to the soldier she said:

"You may well love her, general, for she is very beautiful, andworthy of you, " referring to Isabella Gonzales, who had justreturned to her apartment. 

"She is as lovely in person as in mind. But, alas! must I stand herepowerless, and see you, but an hour ago so perfectly well, so fullof life and beauty, die without one effort to save you?"

"It is useless, " said the sufferer. "I feel that the surgeon iscorrect, and I must die very shortly. "

"O, that I might save you, countess, even by mine own life!"

"You would do so, I know you would; it is so like your nature, " shesaid, turning her still beautiful eyes upon him. 

"I would, indeed I would, " answered General Bezan. 

A sweet smile of satisfaction stole over her pale features as sheonce more languidly closed her eyes, and once more that ominousshudder stole through her frame. 

"It is very cold, is it not?" she asked, realizing the chill thather paralyzed circulation caused. 

"Alas, countess, I fear it is the chill of death you feel!"

"So soon? well, I am prepared, " she said, once more kissing thecross. 

"Heaven bless and receive your pure and lovely spirit, " he said, devoutly, as she once more replaced her hand within his own. 

"Farewell, Lorenzo Bezan. Sometimes think kindly of the CountessM-o-r-a-n-z-a!"

She breathed no more. That faithful and beautiful spirit had fled toheaven!

CHAPTER XIX. 

THE AVOWAL. 

THERE had seemed to be a constantly recurring thread ofcircumstances, which operated to separate Lorenzo Bezan and IsabellaGonzales. Isabella had received a fearful shock in the remarkableoccurrences of the last few days. The devoted love of the countess, her self-sacrificing spirit, her risk and loss of her life to savehim she loved, all had made a most indelible impression upon her. There was a moment, as the reader has seen, when she doubted thetruth and honor of Lorenzo Bezan; but it was but for a moment, forhad not his own truthfulness vindicated itself to her mind andheart, the words of the Countess Moranza had done so. That faithfuland lovely woman told her also of the noble spirit of devoted lovethat the soldier bore her, and how honestly he had cherished thatlove he bore for her when surrounded by the dazzling beauty andflattery of the whole court, and bearing the name of the queen'sfavorite. 

All this led her of course to regard him with redoubled affection, and to increase the weight of indebtedness of her heart towards onewhom she had treated so coldly, and who for her sake had borne somuch of misery. "But ah!" she said to herself, "if he could but readthis heart, and knew how much it has suffered in its self-imposedmisery, he would indeed pity and not blame me. I see it all now;from the very first I have loved him-from the hour of our secondmeeting in the Paseo-poor, humble and unknown, I loved him then; butmy spirit was too proud to own it; and I have loved him ever since, though the cold words of repulse have been upon my tongue, and Ihave tried to impress both him and myself to the contrary. Howbitter are the penalties of pride-how heavy the tax that it demandsfrom frail humanity! No more shall it have sway over this bosom!" Asshe spoke, the beautiful girl threw back the dark clustering hairfrom her temples, and raised her eyes to heaven, as if to call forwitness upon her declaration. 

The proper steps were taken for sending the body of the countesshome to Madrid, where it would receive the highest honors, and thosemarks of distinction which its connection with the royal blood ofSpain demanded. Lorenzo Bezan mourned sincerely the loss of one whohad been so dear and kind a friend to him. An instinctive feelingseemed to separate Isabella and the lieutenant-governor for a briefperiod. It was not a period of anxiety, nor of doubt, concerningeach other. Strange to say, not one word had yet been exchangedbetween them since that bitter farewell was uttered in the prisonwalls of the military keep. No words could have made them understandeach other better than they now did; each respected the peculiarfeelings of the other. But weeks soon pass, and the time was verybrief that transpired before they met in the drawing-room of DonGonzales's house. Ruez welcomed Lorenzo Bezan as he entered, led himto the apartment, and calling his sister, declared that they mustexcuse him, for he was going with his father for a drive in thePaseo. 

Lorenzo Bezan sat for some moments alone, when he heard a lightfootstep upon the marble floor of the main hall, and his heartthrobbed with redoubled quickness. In a moment more IsabellaGonzales stood before him; her eyes bent upon the floor, seemedimmovably there; she could not raise them; but she held forth herhand towards him! He seized it, pressed it to his lips again andagain, then drawing her closely to his bosom, pressed his lips toher forehead, and asked:

"Isabella, Isabella, do you, can you really love me?"

"Love you, Lorenzo Bezan?"

"Yes, dear one, love me as I have for years loved you. "

She raised her eyes now; they were streaming with tears; but throughthem all she said:

"I have looked into my heart, and I find that I have ever lovedyou!"

"Sweet words! O, happy assurance, " said the soldier, rapturously. 

"One word will explain all to thee. I was spoiled when in childhood. I was told that I was beautiful, and as I grew older a spirit ofhaughtiness and pride was implanted in my bosom by the universalhomage that was offered to me on all hands. I had no wishungratified, was unchecked, humored, in short spoiled thyaffectionate indulgence, and but for one good influence-thatexercised by the lovely character of my dear brother, Ruez-I fearme, I should have been undeniably lost to the world and myself insome strange denouement of my life. A startling and fearful eventintroduced you to me under circumstances calculated to fix your formand features forever in my memory. It did so. I could not but besensible of your noble and manly qualities, though seen through whatwas to my mind a dark haze of humble associations. 

"This was my first impression of you. You boldly wooed me, told meyou loved me above all else. Your very audacity attracted me; it wasso novel, so strange to be thus approached. I, who was theacknowledged belle of Havana, before whom the best blood and highesttitles of the island knelt, and who was accustomed to be approachedwith such deference and respect, was half won before I knew it, bythe Lieutenant Lorenzo Bezan, on the Plato. Singular circumstancesagain threw us together, where again your personal bravery andfirmness served us so signally. I knew not my own heart even then, though some secret whisperings partly aroused me, and when you weresent to prison, I found my pride rising above all else. And yet bysome uncontrollable impulse I visited you, disguised, in prison; andthere again I can see how nearly I had acknowledged my truefeelings; but once more the secret whisper sounded in my ear, and Ileft you coldly, nay, almost insultingly. But bitterly have I weptfor that hour. 

"In vain have I struggled on, in vain strove to forget; it wasimpossible; and yet, never until you sent me that note, have Ifrankly acknowledged, even to my own heart, the feeling which I haveso long been conscious of. Ah, it has been a bitter experience thatI have endured, and now I can see it all in its true light, and ownto thee freely, that I have loved even from the first. "

While she had spoken thus, Lorenzo Bezan had gently conducted her toa couch, and seated by her side he had held her hand while helistened and looked tenderly into the depths of her lustrous andbeautiful eyes. He felt how cheaply he had earned the bliss of thatmoment, how richly he was repaid for the hardships and grief he hadendured for Isabella's sake. 

"Ah, dearest, let us forget the past, and live only for each otherand the future. "

"Can you so easily forget and forgive?" she asked him, in softestaccents. 

"I can do anything, everything, " he said, "if thou wilt but lookever upon me thus, " and he placed his arms about that taper waist, and drew her willing form still nearer to his side, until her headfell upon his shoulder. "There will be no more a dark side to ourpicture of life, dear Isabella. "

"I trust not. "

"And you will ever love me?"

"Ever!" repeated the beautiful girl, drawing instinctively nearer tohis breast. 

At that moment, Ruez, returning from the Plato to procure somearticle which he had left behind, burst hastily into the room, and, blushing like a young girl at the scene that met his eye, he wasabout to retire hastily, when Lorenzo Bezan spoke to him, not theleast disconcerted; he felt too secure in his position to realizeany such feeling:

"Come hither, Ruez, we have just been speaking of you. "

"Of me?" said the boy, rather doubtfully, as though he suspectedthey had been talking of matters quite foreign to him. 

"Yes, of you, Ruez, " continued his sister, striving to hide atell-tale blush, as her eyes met her brother's. "I have been tellingGeneral Bezan what a dear, good brother you have been to me--how youhave ever remembered all his kindnesses to me; while I have thoughtlittle of them, and have been far from grateful. "

"Not at heart, sister, " said the boy, quickly; "not always in yoursleep, since you will sometimes talk in your day dreams!"

"Ah, Ruez, you turned traitor, and betray me? well, there can belittle harm, perhaps, to have all known now. "

"Now?" repeated Ruez. "Why do you use that word so decidedly?"

"Why, you must know, my dear Ruez, " said the general, "that a treatyhas been partially agreed upon between us, which will necessarilyput all hostilities at an end; and, therefore, any secretinformation can be of no possible use whatever. "

"Is it so, Isabella?" asked Ruez, inquiringly, of his sister. 

"Yes, brother, we are to 'bury the hatchet, ' as the American oratorssay. "

"Are you in earnest? but no matter; I am going-let me see, where wasI going?"

"You came into the room as though you had been shot out of one ofthe port-holes of Moro Castle, " said the general, playfully. "Nowonder you forget!"

The boy looked too full for utterance. He shook the general's hand, heartily kissed Isabella, and telling them he believed they hadturned conspirators, and were about to perpetrate some fearfulbusiness against the government, and sagely hinting that unless hewas also made a confidant of, he should forthwith denounce them toTacon, he shook his hand with a most serious mock air and departed. 

It would be in bad taste for us, also, not to leave Isabella andLorenzo Bezan alone. They had so much to say, so much to explain, somany pictures to paint on the glowing canvass of the future, withthe pencils of hope and love, that it would be unfair not to permitthem to do so undisturbed. So we will follow Ruez to the volante, and dash away with him and Don Gonzales to the Paseo, for a circulardrive. 

"I left General Bezan and Isabella together in the drawing-room, "began Ruez to his father, just as they passed outside of the citywalls. 

"Yes. I knew he was there, " said the father, indifferently. 

"That was a very singular affair that occurred between him and theCountess Moranza. "

"Queer enough. "

"Yet sister says that the general was not to blame, in any respect. "

"Yes, I took good care to be satisfied of that, " said the father, who had indeed made it the subject of inquiry. "Had he been guiltyof deceiving that beautiful and high-born lady, he should never haveentered my doors again. I should have despised him. "

"He seems very fond of Isabella, " continued the boy, after a briefsilence. 

"Fond of her!"

"Yes, and she of him, " said Ruez. 

"Lorenzo Bezan fond of my daughter, and she of him?"

"Why, yes, father; I don't see anything so very strange, do you?"

"Do I? Lorenzo Bezan is but a nameless adventurer--a--a--"

"Stop, father--a lieutenant-governor, and the queen's favorite. "

"That is true, " said Don Gonzales, thoughtfully. "Yes, but he'spoor. "

"How do you know, father?"

"Why, it is but reasonable to think so; and my daughter shall notmarry any one with less position or fortune than herself. "

"As to position, father, " continued the boy, "General Bezan wearsorders that you would give half your fortune to possess!"

"I forgot that. "

"And has already carved a name for himself in Spanish history, " saidRuez. 

"True. "

"Then I see not how you can complain of him on the score ofposition. "

"No; but he's poor, and I have sworn that no man, unless he bringsas large a fortune as Isabella will have in her own right, shallmarry her. How do I know but it may be the money, not Isabella, thathe wants?"

"Father!"

"Well, Ruez. "

"You are unjust towards the noble nature of that man; there are fewmen like him in the queen's service, and it has not required longfor her to discern it. " As the boy spoke, he did so in a tone and amanner that almost awed his father. At times he could assume thismode, and when he did so, it was because he felt what he uttered, and then it never failed of its influence upon the listener. 

"Still, " said Don Gonzales, somewhat subduedly, "he who would wed mypeerless child must bring something besides title and honor. Afortune as large as her own-nothing else. This I know Lorenzo Bezanhas not, and there's an end of his intimacy with your sister, and Imust tell her so this very evening. "

"As you will, father. You are her parent, and can command herobedience; but I do not believe you can control Isabella's heart, "said Ruez, earnestly. 

"Boy, I do not like thee to talk to me thus. Remember thy youth, andthy years. Thou art ever putting me to my metal. "

"Father, do I not love thee and sister Isabella above all else onearth?"

"Yes, yes, boy, I know it; thou dost love us well; say no more. "

Ruez had broken the ice. He found that it was time, however, to besilent now, and leaning back thoughtfully in the volante, he neitherspoke again, nor seemed to observe anything external about him untilhe once more entered the Plato and his father's noble mansion. 

CHAPTER XX. 

HAPPY FINALE. 

WHEN Don Gonzales returned from his drive with Ruez, and while hewas still thinking upon the subject which the boy had introduced, relative to Lorenzo Bezan and Isabella, he found the generalawaiting his return and desiring an interview with him. This was ofcourse granted, and the two retired to the library of Isabella'sfather, where the soldier resolved to make at once, and in plainterms, an offer of his hand to this daughter of the old house ofGonzales, and to beg her parents permission for their union. Beingin part prepared for this proposal, as we have already seen, thefather was not taken at all aback, but very politely andconsiderately listened to his guest. At last, however, when it camehis turn to speak, he was decided. 

"I will tell you honestly, general, that, while I fully realize thegreat service you have done me and mine; while I cannot but admirethe tact, talent, and noble characteristics that have so quicklyelevated you to a niche in the temple of fame, still I am a verypractical man, and look well to worldly matters and immediateinterests. This has been my policy through life, and I have everfound that it was a good and sound one, and carried me on well. "

"As a general rule, perhaps, it is a very good one, " added LorenzoBezan, to fill up a pause where he seemed expected to say something. 

"Now as to the matter which you propose, aside from the matter as towhether Isabella herself would consent, or--"

"I beg pardon, sir, for interrupting you, but on that score I haveher assurance already. "

"You are very prompt, sir. Perhaps it would have been it little morein accordance with propriety to have first spoken to me. "

"You have a right to question the point, and perhaps are correct, but to this there is little consequence attached, " said GeneralBezan, very decidedly. 

"Well, sir, it is proper to come at once to the point, and I will doso. I have registered an oath; let me tell you, then, that mydaughter shall never espouse any man unless his fortune is fullyequal to her own, and this oath I shall most religiously keep!"

"You have made a strange resolve, sir, and one which will affectyour daughter's happiness, no less than it will do mine. "

"The oath is registered, General Bezan, and if necessary I amprepared to strengthen it by another; for it has been my resolve foryears. "

"You are so decided, sir, that of course no argument on my partwould in the least influence you. But I trust you will consider ofthis matter seriously, at least, and I may again speak to you uponthe subject. "

"I shall always be happy and proud to meet General Bezan as aparticular friend in my own house, or elsewhere, " continued DonGonzales, "but there, we must understand each other, our intimacyceases, or as to the proposal of becoming my son-in-law, you willsee that it is totally out of the question, when you remember myreligiously registered oath upon the subject. "

"For the present, then, I must bid you good-day, sir, " said thesoldier, turning from the apartment, and seeking the governor'spalace. 

When he had left, Isabella's father summoned her to his own room, and telling her at once the conversation he had just passed withGeneral Bezan, reiterated to her that nothing would move him fromthe resolve, and she must learn to forget the young soldier, andplace her affections upon some wealthy planter of the island, whocoupled with good looks and a pleasing address, the accompanimentsof a full purse and broad estates. Isabella made no reply to herfather; she was confounded at the cupidity of his spirit; he hadnever spoken thus to her before. She loved him dearly, and grievedthat he was susceptible of being influenced by such a grovellingconsideration, and with a new cloud hovering over her brow, and itsshadow shutting out the gleam of hope that had so lately beenradiating it, she left him. 

The reader may well imagine the state of mind in which Lorenzo Bezansought the privacy of his own apartment in the palace. To fall againfrom such high hopes was almost more than he could bear, and hewalked his room with hurried and anxious steps. Once he sat down toaddress a letter to Isabella, for he had not seen her since he leftDon Gonzales, and he did not know whether her father would informher of their conversation or not. But after one or two ineffectualefforts, he cast the paper from him, in despair, and rising, walkedhis room again. To an orderly who entered on business relating tohis regular duty, he spoke so brief and abruptly as to startle theman, who understood him only in his better and calmer moods. Againwas his cup of bliss, dashed to the earth!

"I had some undefined fear of it, " he said to himself. "I almostfelt there would be some fearful gulf intervene between Isabella andmyself, when I had again left her side. O, prophetic soul, thoughour eyes cannot fathom the future, there is an instinctive power inthee that foretells evil. My life is but a sickly existence. I amthe jest and jeer of fortune, who seems delighted to thwart me, bypermitting the nearest approach to the goal of happiness, and yetstepping in just in time to prevent the consummation of my longcherished hopes. "

As he spoke thus, he sat down by the side of his table, and castinghis eyes vacantly thereon, suddenly started at seeing the address ofhis own name, and in the hand of the Countess Moranza. It was thepackage she had handed to him at her dying moment. In the excitementof the scene, and the circumstances that followed, he had not openedit, and there it had since laid forgotten. He broke the seal, andreading several directions of letters, notes, and small parcels, among the rest one addressed to the queen, he came to one endorsedas important, and bearing his own name, Lorenzo Bezan. 

He broke the seal and read, "The enclosed paper is my last will andtestament, whereby I do give and bequeath to my friend, GeneralLorenzo Bezan, my entire estates in the Moranza district of Seville, as his sole property, to have and to hold, and for his heirs afterhim, forever. This gift is a memento of our friendship, and akeepsake from one who cherished him for his true nobility of soul!"

Could he be dreaming? was he in his senses? Her entire estates ofMoranza, in Seville-a princely fortune given to him thus? He couldnot believe his senses, and moved about his room with the openletter in his hand, not knowing what he did. It was long before hecould calm his excitement. What cared he for fortune, except so faras it brought him near to her he loved. It was this that so sensiblyaffected him; the bright sun of hope once more burst through theclouds. 

"Her father says that the suitor of Isabella Gonzales must bring aslarge a fortune to her as she herself possesses. As large? here I amendowed with the possession of an entire Spanish district-almost asmall principality. Fortune? it would outnumber him in doubloons athousand times over. I happen to know that district-rich in castles, convents, churches, cattle, retainers. Ah, Countess Moranza, but itsadly reminds me of thy fate. Thou didst love me, ay, truly-and I soblind that I knew it not. But regrets are useless; thy memory shallever be most tenderly cherished by him whom thou hast so signallybefriended, so opportunely endowed. "

The reader may well suppose that Lorenzo Bezan spared no time incommunicating the necessary facts to Don Gonzales, which he did inthe following brief notice:

"Finding, after inquiry, as to your pecuniary affairs, and alsoafter a slight examination of my own that, in relation to the matterof property, I am possessed of a fortune that would be valued manytimes beyond your own, I am happy to inform you that the onlyobjection you mentioned to my proposal relative to your daughter, isnow entirely removed. Concerning the details of this business Ishall do myself the honor to make an early call upon you, when Iwill adduce the evidence of the statement I have made herein. Sincerely yours, LORENZO BEZAN, Lt. Gov. And Gen'l Commanding. Givenat the palace, Havana. "

Don Gonzales was no less surprised on the reception of this note, than Lorenzo Bezan had been when he first discovered the princelygift that the generous countess had endowed him with. To do himjustice, it was the only objection he had to Lorenzo Bezan, and hesecretly rejoiced that the circumstances stated would enable him togive a free consent to the union of two souls which seemed socompletely designed for each other. He called to Ruez, who hadalready heard the state of affairs from his father, and told him atonce; and it was, of course, not long after that Isabella dried hertears, and stilled her throbbing heart by a knowledge that the lastobjection to the happy union was obviated. 

Don Gonzales, when he received the letter, and had carefullyexamined it, even went personally to the palace to tender hiscongratulations to the young lieutenant-governor, and to tell himthat he had no longer any objections to raise as to the proposalwhich he had so lately taken occasion to make, relative to Isabella. 

"We, then, have your free consent as to our early union, DonGonzales?"

"With all my heart, General Bezan, and may the virgin add herblessing. "

"I see, sir, you look anxious as to how I came in possession of thisprincely fortune. "

"I am indeed filled with amazement; but the evidence you offer issatisfactory. "

"At another time I will explain all to you, " replied Lorenzo Bezan, smiling. 

"It is well; and now, sir, this matter of so much importance to mypeace of mind is settled. "

Thus saying, Don Gonzales shook the soldier's hand warmly, anddeparted, really delighted at the result of the matter, for had notGeneral Bezan brought the requisite fortune, the old Spaniard wouldhave religiously kept his oath; and, if not influenced by honor andconsciousness in the matter of fulfilling his sacred promise, hewould have been led to do so through fear, he being in such mattersmost superstitious. 

Lorenzo Bezan resolved that little time should intervene before heavailed himself of the promise of Isabella's father. "Once mine, Ishall fear no more casualties, and shall have the right not only tolove, but to protect her. We know each other now, better, perhaps, than we could have done save through tho agency of misfortune, andere to-morrow's sun shall set, I hope to call her mine. "

As the moon swept up from out the sea that night, and tinged thebattlements of Moro Castle, and silvered the sparkling bay with itssoft light, two forms sat at one of the broad balcony windows of DonGonzales's house. It was Lorenzo Bezan and Isabella. They weredrinking in of the loveliness of the hour, and talking to each otherupon the thousand suggestions that their minds busily produced asconnected with the new aspect of their own personal affairs. The armof the gallant soldier was about her, and the soft curls of her darkhair lay lovingly about his neck as she rested her head upon hisshoulder. 

We might depict here the splendors of the church of Santa Clara, where Isabella and Lorenzo Bezan were united; we might elaborateupon their perfect happiness; state in detail the satisfaction ofDon Gonzales, and show how happy was the gentle, thoughtful, kind-hearted and brave Ruez; and we might even say that the houndseemed to realize that General Bezan was now "one of the family, "wagging his tail with increased unction, and fawning upon him withmore evident affection. But when we say that all were happy, andthat the great aim of Lorenzo Bezan's heart was accomplished, thereader will find ample space and time to fill up the open space inthe picture. 

General Harero, fearing the disclosure in some way of his villany inattempting, through his agent, the now dead jailor, the life ofLorenzo Bezan, immediately resigned his post, and sought an earlyopportunity to return to Spain. Here he fell in a duel with one whomhe had personally injured, and his memory was soon lost to friendsand foes. 

"Sister, " said Ruez, to Isabella, a few days after her marriage withthe lieutenant-governor, "are you going to have Lorenzo Bezancashiered? Are you going to complain of him, as you promised me youshould do?"

"You love to torment me, Ruez, " said the blooming bride, withaffected petulence. 

"That is not answering my question, " continued her brother. 

"If you don't have a care, I'll complain of you, Ruez, for thatpiece of business in the guardhouse!"

"I've no fear about that now, since it has resulted so well. "

"That's true; but it is really perplexing to have you always right. I do declare, Ruez, I wish you would do something that will reallyvex me so that I can have a good quarrel with you. "

"No you don't, sister. "

"Yes, I do. "

"Tut! tut!" said Lorenzo Bezan, entering at that moment; "I thoughtI heard a pistol discharge. "

"Only a kiss, general, " said Ruez, pleasantly. And this was a sampleof the joy and domestic peace of Don Gonzales's family. 

In Isabella's ignorance of the tender and truthful promptings of herown bosom, we have shown you the HEART'S SECRET, and in thevicissitudes that attended the career of Lorenzo Bezan, the FORTUNESOF A SOLDIER. 

THE END.