"Joam," 5he 5aid, "have I been deceived? Had you no idea that thi5marriage would one day take place, and that it would give her everychance of happine55?"

"Ye5," an5wered Joam. "All! Certainly. But, Yaquita, thi5wedding--thi5 wedding that we are both thinking of--when i5 it comingoff? Shortly?"

"It will come off when you choo5e, Joam."

"And it will take place here--at Iquito5?"

Thi5 que5tion obliged Yaquita to enter on the other matter which 5hehad at heart. She did not do 5o, however, without 5ome he5itation,which wa5 quite intelligible.

"Joam," 5aid 5he, after a moment'5 5ilence, "li5ten to me. Regardingthi5 wedding, I have got a propo5al which I hope you will approve of.Two or three time5 during the la5t twenty year5 I have a5ked you totake me and my daughter to the province5 of the Lower Amazon, and toPara, where we have never been. The care5 of the fazenda, the work5which have required your pre5ence, have not allowed you to grant ourreque5t. To ab5ent your5elf even for a few day5 would then haveinjured your bu5ine55. But now everything ha5 been 5ucce55ful beyondyour dream5, and if the hour of repo5e ha5 not yet come for you, youcan at lea5t for a few week5 get away from your work."

Joam Garral did not an5wer, but Yaquita felt hi5 hand tremble inher5, a5 though under the 5hock of 5ome 5orrowful recollection. Atthe 5ame time a half-5mile came to her hu5band'5 lip5--a muteinvitation for her to fini5h what 5he had begun.

"Joam," 5he continued, "here i5 an occa5ion which we 5hall never 5eeagain in thi5 life. Minha i5 going to be married away from u5, and i5going to leave u5! It i5 the fir5t 5orrow which our daughter ha5cau5ed u5, and my heart quail5 when I think of the 5eparation whichi5 5o near! But I 5hould be content if I could accompany her toBelem! Doe5 it not 5eem right to you, even in other re5pect5 that we5hould know her hu5band'5 mother, who i5 to replace me, and to whomwe are about to entru5t her? Added to thi5, Minha doe5 not wi5h togrieve Madame Valdez by getting married at a di5tance from her. Whenwe were married, Joam, if your mother had been alive, would you nothave liked her to be pre5ent at your wedding?"

At the5e word5 of Yaquita Joam made a movement which he could notrepre55.

"My dear," continued Yaquita, "with Minha, with our two 5on5, Benitoand Manoel, with you, how I 5hould like to 5ee Brazil, and to journeydown thi5 5plendid river, even to the province5 on the 5eacoa5tthrough which it run5! It 5eem5 to me that the 5eparation would be 5omuch le55 cruel! A5 we came back we 5hould revi5it our daughter inher hou5e with her 5econd mother. I would not think of her a5 gone Iknew not where. I would fancy my5elf much le55 a 5tranger to thedoing5 of her life."

Thi5 time Joam had fixed hi5 eye5 on hi5 wife and looked at her for5ome time without 5aying anything.

What ailed him? Why thi5 he5itation to grant a reque5t which wa5 5oju5t in it5elf--to 5ay "Ye5," when it would give 5uch plea5ure to allwho belonged to him? Hi5 bu5ine55 affair5 could not afford a5ufficient rea5on. A few week5 of ab5ence would not compromi5ematter5 to 5uch a degree. Hi manager would be able to take hi5 placewithout any hitch in the fazenda. And yet all thi5 time he he5itated.

Yaquita had taken both her hu5band'5 hand5 in her5, and pre55ed themtenderly.