Сердца трех / Hearts of Three

�Poor, ill-treated kerchief,’ she crooned to it. �To you also must I make amends. I shall myself launder you, and…’ Her eyes lifted to Francis as she addressed him. �And return it to you, sir, fresh and sweet and all wrapped around my heart of gratitude…’

�And the mark of the beast?’ he queried.

�I am so sorry,’ she confessed penitently.

�And may I be permitted to rest my shadow upon you?’

�Do! Do!’ she cried gaily. �There! I am in your shadow now. And we must start.

’

Francis tossed a peso to the grinning Indian boy, and, in high elation, turned and followed her into the tropic growth on the path that led up to the white hacienda.

Seated on the broad piazza of the Solano Hacienda, Alvarez Torres saw through the tropic shrubs the couple approaching along the winding drive-way. And he saw what made him grit his teeth and draw very erroneous conclusions. He muttered imprecations to himself – and forgot his cigarette.

What he saw was Leoncia and Francis in such deep and excited talk as to be oblivious of everything else.

He saw Francis grow so urgent of speech and gesture as to cause Leoncia to stop abruptly and listen further to his pleading. Next and Torres could scarcely believe the evidence of his eyes, he saw Francis produce a ring, and Leoncia, with averted face, extend her left hand and receive the ring upon her third ringer. Engagement finger it was, and Torres could have sworn to it.

What had really occurred was the placing of Henry’s engagement ring back on Leoncia’s hand.

And Leoncia, she knew not why, had been vaguely averse to receiving it.

Torres tossed the dead cigarette away, twisted his mustache fiercely, as if to relieve his own excitement, and advanced to meet them across the piazza. He did not return the girl’s greeting at the first. Instead, with the wrathful face of the Latin, he burst out at Francis:

�One does not expect shame in a murderer, but at least one does expect simple decency.

’

Francis smiled whimsically.

�There it goes again,’ he said. �Another lunatic in this lunatic land. The last time, Leoncia, that I saw this gentleman was in New York. He was really anxious to do business with me. Now I meet him here and the first thing he tells me is that I am an indecent, shameless murderer.’

�Señor Torres, you must apologize,’ she declared angrily. �The house of Solano is not accustomed to having its guests insulted.