Page:Gaston Leroux--The bride of the sun.djvu/313

Rh everything. He was so comical that they all burst into laughter, while the little old gentleman, purple with fury, strode toward the door.

"Not so quick, Natividad, not so quick!" called the Marquis alter him. "There is also some good news for you. You have been appointed inspector superior at Lima."

Again Natividad fell into a chair, but beaming, stuttering with joy and gratitude.

"It's a dream … the dream of my life…. I might have been dead though!"

"The appointment, which I saw President Veintemilla sign, is, of course, only valid in the event of your being living," smiled the Marquis. "As those Indians of yours haven't eaten you alive, you can keep an eye on them again."

"Hush! We must not talk about it," replied Natividad, the magistrate's toga weighing on his shoulders again.

"And neither shall we," whispered Dick, bending over Maria-Teresa's pale face.

She nodded slowly. "Do you know, Dick, looking round me and seeing the same old chairs and books again, the same dear faces, and when I think of the Temple of Death, it really does only seem like an ugly dream."

Natividad, having said good-by to all, was talking to the Marquis by the door. He opened it and fell back with a muffled exclamation.