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110 Margarita there. Ramona's cheeks blazed with a disproportionate indignation. But she bethought herself, “Ah, the Señora may have sent her to call Alessandro!” She rose, went to the door of Felipe's room, and looked in. The Señora was sitting in the chair by Felipe's bed, with her eyes closed. Felipe was dozing. The Señora opened her eyes, and looked inquiringly at Ramona.

“Do you know where Margarita is?” said Ramona.

“In Father Salvierderra's room, or else in the kitchen helping Marda,” replied the Señora, in a whisper. “I told her to help Marda with the peppers this morning.”

Ramona nodded, returned to the veranda, and sat down to decide on her course of action. Then she rose again, and going to Father Salvierderra's room, looked in. The room was still in disorder. Margarita had left her work there unfinished. The color deepened on Ramona's cheeks. It was strange how accurately she divined each process of the incident. “She saw him from this window,” said Ramona, “and has run after him. It is shameful. I will go and call her back, and let her see that I saw it all. It is high time that this was stopped.”

But once back in the veranda, Ramona halted, and seated herself in her chair again. The idea of seeming to spy was revolting to her.

“I will wait here till she comes back,” she said, and took up her embroidery. But she could not work. As the minutes went slowly by, she sat with her eyes fixed on the almond orchard, where first Alessandro and then Margarita had disappeared. At last she could bear it no longer. It seemed to her already a very long time. It was not in reality very long,—a half hour or so, perhaps; but it was long enough for Margarita to have made great headway, as she thought, in her talk with Alessandro, and for