"Is it a bear, or a brigand?" whispered Francisco, hurriedly, sounding
the uttermost depths of his terror in the two words.
"It is an eavesdropper," said Juanita, impetuously; "and who and why, I
intend to know," and she started towards the thicket.
"Do not leave me, good Juanita," said the young acolyte, grasping the
girl's skirt.
"Nay; run to the hacienda quickly, and leave me to search the thicket.
Run!"
The boy did not wait for a second injunction, but scuttled away, his
long coat catching in the brambles, while Juanita darted like a
kitten into the bushes. Her search was fruitless, however, and she was
returning impatiently when her quick eye fell upon a letter lying amidst
the dried grass where she and Francisco had been seated the moment
before. It had evidently fallen from his breast when he had risen
suddenly, and been overlooked in his alarm. It was Father Pedro's letter
to the Father Superior of San Jose.
In an instant she had pounced upon it as viciously as if it had been the
interloper she was seeking.
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