She had ceased trembling. Yet she was exercised about
something. Jack could not understand why. Surely, she was no longer
fearful of him. She leaned closer to her young mistress, seated at a
low writing table, and whispered in her ear. Rafaela threw back her
head and laughed--a low, musical laugh that sounded fascinatingly
pleasant in Jack's ears, worried though he was.
"My dear Donna Ana," said the girl. "What if he is a man! And in my
room! Are you not here to watch over me? And I do not believe he will
bite. No, no. See, he is such a nice young man that I can chuck him
under the chin. So!"
And suiting action to words, the girl sprang from her chair, walked
swiftly across the room and chucked Jack under the chin.
To say that Jack was surprised would be a mild statement. From his
knowledge of Latin-American girls gathered in Peru, he believed those
of good family invariably were convent-bred and extremely decorous in
the presence of young men. He was so dazed at the girl's action that
her next move, which was a lightning-quick attempt to grasp his
revolver and wrest it from him, almost succeeded.
Jack retained a grip on the weapon, however, and managed to prevent
Rafaela from obtaining it.
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