He thanked her with his eyes, opened the hall door, and went out.

CHAPTER XIX

DEADLOCK

Virginia, having changed swiftly to her riding-togs, took up her little black emergency kit, which would lend an air of business urgency to her nocturnal ride with Norton, and stepped out into the hall.

“There’s a call for you from Las Estrellas,” said Struve, appearing from the front, whence his voice had come to her mingled with the excited tones of a Mexican.  “Tony Garcia has been hurt; pretty badly, I expect.  His brother says that Tony got his hand caught in some kind of machinery he was fooling with late this afternoon and crushed so that it’s all but torn off.”

Into the light cast by the hotel porch-lamp Norton, leading Persis, rode around the corner of the building.

“I was just going out,” said Virginia.  “But I’ll go on this case first.  Mr. Norton is riding with me.  Please ask him to wait while I get my other bag.”

In her room again, the lamp lighted on her table, she stood a moment frowning thoughtfully into vacancy.  Then with a quick shake of the head she snatched up the two other bags which might be needed in treating Tony’s hurt and again hastened out.  Norton bending from his saddle took them from her.  As Struve relinquished into her gantletted hands the reins of Persis’s bridle she swung lightly up to the mare’s back.

“The poor fellow must be suffering all kinds of torture,” she said as Norton reined in with her.  “Let’s hurry.”

He offered no answer as they clattered out of San Juan and turned out across the level lands toward Las Estrellas.  So, as upon another night when speeding upon a similar errand, they rode for a long time in silence.  Again they two alone were pushing out into the dark and the vast silence that was broken only by the soft thudding of their own horses’ hoofs and the creak of saddle leather and jingle of spur and bit chains.

“You wanted to talk with me?” suggested the girl after fifteen minutes of wordless restraint between them.

“Yes,” he answered.  “But not now.  That is, if you will give me a further chance after you have done what you can for poor old Tony.  You will hardly need to stay at Las Estrellas all night, I imagine.  When we leave you can listen to me.  Do you mind?”

“No,” she said slowly.  “I don’t mind.  I’d rather it was then.  You and I have a good bit to think about before we do any talking.  Haven’t we?”

They fell silent again.  The soft beauty of the night over the southern desert lands . . . and there is no other earthly beauty like it . . . touched the girl’s soul now as it had never done before; perhaps, similarly, it disturbed shadows in the man’s.  She was distressed by the position in which she found herself, and the night’s infinite quiet and utter peace was grateful to her.  As she left the hotel her thoughts were in chaos; she was caught in a fearsome labyrinth whence there appeared no escape.  Now, though no way out suggested itself, still the stars were shining.