“It was nothing,” he smiled remotely; and went his way to find the patron and deliver to him a message from a friend.

Behind Jack came the click of slipper-heels upon the hardwood; and he turned from staring, puzzled, after the stiff-necked Manuel, and gave the girl a smile such as a man reserves for the woman who has entered into his dreams.

“Santa Maria, what elegance!  Now will the senor ride in splendor that will dazzle the eyes to look upon!” Teresita bantered, poking a slipper-toe tentatively towards the saddle, and clasping her hands in mock rapture.  “On every corner, silver crescents; on the tapideros, silver stars bigger than Venus; riding behind the cantle, a whole milky way; Jose will surely go mad with rage when he sees.  Stars has Jose, but no moon to bear him company when he rides.  Surely the cattle will fall upon their knees when the senor draws near!”

“Shall we ride out and put them to the test?” he asked wishfully, shaking out the bridle to show the beautiful design of silver inlaid upon the leather cheek-piece, and stooping to adjust a big-roweled, silver-incrusted spur upon his boot-heel.  “Manuel does exactly as he is told.  I said he was to get the best he could find—­”

“And so no vaquero in the valley will be so gorgeous—­” She broke off suddenly to sing in lilting Spanish a fragment of some old song that told of the lilies of the field that “Toil not, neither do they spin.”

“That is not kind.  I may not spin, but I toil—­I leave it to Dade if I don’t.”  This last, because he caught sight of Dade coming across from the row of huts, which was a short cut up from the corrals.  “And I can show you the remains of blisters—­” He held out a very nice appearing palm towards her, and looked his fill at her pretty face, while she bent her brows and inspected the hand with the gravity that threatened to break at any instant into laughter.

That sickening grip in the chest which is a real, physical pain, though the hurt be given to the soul of a man, slowed Dade’s steps to a lagging advance towards the tableau the two made on the steps.  So had the senorita sent him dizzy with desire (and with hope to brighten it) in the two weeks and more that he had been the honored guest.  So had she laughed and teased him and mocked him; and he had believed that to him alone would she show the sweet whimsies of her nature.  But from the moment when he laid her gold thimble in her waiting hand and got no reward save an absent little nod of thanks, the dull ache had been growing in his heart.  He knew what it was that had sent Jose off in that headlong rage against all gringos; though two days before he would have said that Jose’s jealousy was for him, and with good reason.  There had been glances between those two who stood now so close together—­swift measuring of the weapons which sex uses against sex, with quick smiles when the glances chanced to meet.  Jose also had seen the byplay; and the fire had smoldered in his eyes until at last it kindled into flame and drove him cursing from the place.  In his heart Dade could not blame Jose.