Show w irr s A by anew tiel 0 george agnew service chamberlain CHAPTER VIII continued 9 joyce heard him but her attention was riveted on something else the bear like apparition she had mis taken for blackadder had undergone a strange transformation duffle bag and furs discarded the slender figure of a young man in riding togs had emerged and was making a dash for the bridge joyce gasped shaken by an insane desire to laugh but the puffs of dust thrown up by bullets to the right and left of his flying feet quickly sobered her she scrambled down the spiral stairway rushed to the outer daguan and or dered its heavy bar lifted none too soon for as it slammed shut behind the fugitive several spent bullets buried themselves in its solid timbers he was a young man at the moment too breathless to speak but his gray eyes were dancing and even his mussed dark hair gave an illusion of merriment so its it s you said joyce slowly trying to measure the meaning and consequences of his presence yes gasped dirk and it s you too are are you all right yes thank you said joyce un smilingly you re surel he persisted I 1 mean quite quite all righta he flushed at her frown nothing s happened 9 several things have happened said joyce dryly I 1 hardly know what to do with you mr van sut tart he asked flippantly Is the house crowded 9 7 fairly she answered her cheeks coloring unfortunately she added gravely we already have more than a full complement of children he was confused conscious he was being shamed yet wondering why he had felt genuine ardor at setting out to make what arnaldo termed a sentimental gesture he had come to rescue her from the clutches of dorado she had rescued him it appears I 1 in not welcome are you suggesting I 1 get out I 1 that s the trouble she said frowning I 1 can t ask you to go because you t leave if you tried oh yes I 1 can said dirk show you he turned quickly dropped one end of the bar on the great gate dragged it open only a foot and slipped through his cheeks burned with anger he knew she was right knew it better than she there was more than the combination of do rado and the wrecked roadster to keep him from leaving his job the job so carelessly tossed him and so blithely taken on I 1 he hadn haan t even nicked it all he had done was to stand around while it swelled from a toy balloon into a blimp but he was here and so was the job consequently here was where he would have to stay joyce dashed after him don t be a fool she protested angrily this isn t the time or the place to show off dirk stopped and turned on her go back he ordered I 1 in not trying to show off and I 1 in not a child I 1 admit you re right on the rest of it you can t throw me out and since my car is junk thanks to your sharp shooters I 1 can t possibly get away then what are you doing asked joyce bewildered why are we out here 1 I m going to fetch my things said dirk sullenly but your being out here is just a piece of non sense abruptly joyce became aware of silence she looked up and around far to the east she caught sight of the pillar of dust this time moving away she led the way toward the bridge I 1 ve been in lots of countries dirk grumbled as they walked along but this is the first where everybody shoots before they ask who you are by the way did you know mine isn t the only car parked the other side of the glorified ditch to her amazement she heard her self say no wheres why why had that he sprung ready made to her lips her bram brain had had nothing to do with it it hadn haan t had time now she paused in her stride almost brought to a halt by memory of pancho s flivver she had forgotten about it so there had been a way after all to send van packing they retrieved dirk s baggage and presently returned laden with duffle bag rifle coonskin coat cap and gloves joyce watched van with a curious expression as he replaced the bar on the great gate and then that of the daguan reluctantly she led the way across the court and into the patio he paused on its threshold and drew a long whist whistling linz breath luz came hurrying toward them her dark eyes hard and question ing joyce gave her a rapid order you 11 have to talk faster than that for me to miss it said dirk you told her to give me a room as far away from yours as possible yes and you 11 find it s about a quarter of a mile said joyce sharply she was angry no longer at him but at herself why had she done this thing admitted an enemy when she could have let him go she saw maxie approaching hadn haan t he warned her since we ourselves are our only friends who ever comes from without must be a foe F who s the poor devil of a blind man asked dirk cutting in on her thoughts its it s senor Maximi Maxi millano hano the su perm perin explained joyce maxie let me introduce mr dirk van second secretary of the american america n embassy don jarge threw up his head as he held out his hand gropingly ah ali my apologies what for asked dirk it was by my order you hap bened to be greeted with bullets dirk was led around two sides of the balcony and then through a maze of corridors to a room whose tim iq P j 4 46 ak p a above their heads A arched r ched the low heavens single window looked down upon the walled enclosure of an abandoned threshing floor it was comfortable rather than luxurious he shaved and washed but did not change then he found his way back to the balcony it was no place for a loafer hug geig the rail he slipped down the stairs intending to embark on a tour of discovery As he passed the half open door of what had once been joyce s playroom he heard a low whinny he entered and a mo ment later was passing knowing fin gers over the heads across the withers and down the legs of as fine a pair of hunters as he had ever handled where there were such horses there must be gear he went out and walked along slowly trusting his nose more than his eyes no sooner did he emerge from the inner patio than the smell of leather led him to the tack room and what a tack broomf room harness bridles spare bits and stirrups saddles of every description hand made home made and imported two english ones promptly caught his eye he lifted their flaps flexed the stirrup leathers and groaned A methodical search unearthed a half gallon of neat s foot oil opened tin of saddle soap with a sigh of satisfaction he threw off his jacket rolled up his sleeves and went to work oblivious of the pass ing hours he remained unaware of joyce s approach she stood watch ing him with unbelieving eyes here was no coxcomb but an expert who knew exactly what he was about I 1 m sorry I 1 called you names eh eli oh it s you when you know that first day at the chancellery that was a long time ago he said with a of his head as if to wake himself up you ve been stepping since then it does seem long admitted joyce but it s only a week I 1 in curious how did you get here and why did you come comee official business said dirk instructions what instructions 7 he dragged a flimsy from his hip pocket unfolded it and studied the penciled interlinings with a frown I 1 cant can t read it all because its it s marked confidential but it says I 1 in instructed to locate you with all pos sible dispatch show every attention including provision of funds and guard without annoying you while he spoke joyce had drawn near with a sure movement a pull rather than a snatch she possessed herself of the paper and stepped back into the sunlight where she could read it at her ease so she exclaimed I 1 thought so pro spec tive stepfather what business is it of hisa why should he be agn ing you instructions 7 I 1 oh not mr blackadder the department of state that s worse said joyce her eyes flaring on what grounds dirk thought desperately but fast what was the club arnaldo had used on margarida Mar ganda he remembered on the grounds you re a minor I 1 joyce s eyes traveled over him thoughtfully I 1 came to tell you lunch is ready she said at last while were we re eating ill decide whether to give you the run of the place on parole or have you locked up neither of them smiled her sin centy was so evident that what she said fell naturally on his ears and was accepted at face value lunch was not served in the form al dining room but in a much small er apartment dirk sat on joyce s right don jorge maximiliano Maxi miliano on her left and they were served by a bare footed procession of servants equal in number to the variety of dishes one forgot don jorge was blind so neatly did he handle himself he talked in uncertain but precise eng lish with an oxford accent inquiry ing what posts dirk had occupied and apparently trying to project himself backward into happy and distant scenes silence fell dirk reminded of the hunters asked about them the last of a noble strain said don jorge dorado kept them close at hand but as things turned out not quite close enough he alone rode them a daily profanation dirk turned to joyce do you mind if I 1 tend to thema they need grooming I 1 d love to have them looked after said joyce but what about your paroled you have it I 1 give you my word I 1 won t try to escape until you say I 1 can go and perhaps not then will you teach me to she bargained certainly he spoke with conn dence ill I 1 II 11 be ready to give you your first lesson in an hour she rose from the table I 1 m not sure I 1 can make it but try we dine in this room at half past seven on his own responsibility he moved the hunters into two box stalls adjoining the tack room one after the other he curried and groomed them until their hides shone they nudged him violently more than once expressing agrati tude and hope dirk examined their feet they had been freshly shod As a finishing touch he oiled their hoofs and then had to make up his mind which he would saddle first among the campe about the stalls was Tob alito a retainer dirk ad dressed him what are their namest he asked the bay is and the sor rel they call rayo thunder and thunderbolt translated dirk every bridle in the tack room was murderously equipped and it took some time to discover a couple of discarded snaffle bits polish and substitute them dirk unde undertook retook to ride the bay first he was prepared for trouble but somewhat to his dis appointment certainly to that of the crowd there were no pyrotechnics the animal recognized a master and his only show of insubordination was a quivering sidling toward the outer gate and freedom dirk walked trotted and finally cantered him urn on a reach where the cobbles were bedded in chaff he put his mate through the same meager ex arcise and found him equally amenable and spirited nevertheless when joyce appeared upon the scene there were no hunters in sight in their place ready saddled with the same gear stood two rat ail tall country ponies what s the ideal she asked flushing angrily now don t be cross please begged dirk you wouldn t expect to play a concerto at your first mu sic lesson would youa you he looked her ler up and down admiringly admiring lv if m alk you don t ride how do you ha happen P pen to have the jodhpurs 7 I 1 I 1 bought them as soon as I 1 knew I 1 was coming to mexico said joyce you notice they haven t been worn well we 11 soon fix that said dirk and proceeded to hand out the ABCs of equitation his patience matched her ampa tience and finally conquered it through sheer endurance he made her mount and dismount a dozen times reins stirrup pommel then spring when she was all but ex hausted they rode at a walk and finally at a trot she looked long angly toward the daguan I 1 wonder if it would be safe she murmured just for a little waya she spoke rapidly to Tob alito in spanish go ask leonardo if there theres s any trouble in sight we want to ride only as far as the bridge Tob alito departed at a run pres antly emerged from the northeast bastion waved his hand and pro ceedee to drop the bar on the zag uan A moment later she and dirk passed through the outer gate and immediately she put her pony into a canter true to her word they rode only as far as the bridge and turned the next instant she won dered what had happened the scrawny pony between her knees had made for the open gate as though shot from a catapult she did not go with him she landed all sitting with a jar that shook every tooth in her head while she was still seeing stars dirk was on his knees at her side hurta he asked don t be silly she exclaimed angrily of course I 1 in hurt where none of your business she an scrambling to her feet she stalked before him in silence they reached the gate passed through the courts and the patio she disappeared and he was not to see her again until dinner time having bathed and dressed in his one lounge suit he entered the din ing room with some trepidation but bis his fears were groundless since no woman can change everything she has on without changing her mo mood od he stared at her as if once more he were discovering the unknown so different did she look in a fresh summer frock like a splash of flow ers the meal finished the three of them sat for an our of lazy talk since on any hacienda time ceases with the setting of the sun when at last she rose don jorge lifted his face toward her shall I 1 make the rounds chica or will win you youa do it said joyce perhaps you might show mr van said the blind man since he is now our friend he could relieve us of the duty joyce hesitated her eyes down cast very well mr van sut tart will you come dirk followed her through tortu ous passages up a spiral stairway and out on the esplanade of the rec tangular roof at the four corners towered the bastions beneath their feet were flat tiles so thick and so deeply embedded they could have withstood a cannonade As far as the eye could reach shimmered the pale gold of the prairie broken only by the distant snowy pyre of the nevado de toluca above their heads arched the low heavens dangling the lantern of the moon and pierced by the myriad dots of silvery stars beauty stopped them stopped their breath they faced each other with a gasp A moment hung between them a moment they must not lose ose it was something visible that iad had shape round translucent like a bubble and like a bubble it broke and was gone mind had triumphed over dreaming come along we ve got to visit the four towers and its it s quite a walk TO BE CONTINUED |