Uncle Barto, as he always wished her to call him, was the first to
tell her the good news.
"He's found, my dear. What did I tell you? They couldn't keep him; I
knew that."
"The Holy Virgin be praised!" cried Mariquita. "But is he
well--uninjured? When shall we see him?"
"Soon, my dear, soon. He will be brought--I mean he will come on board
in a few days now."
A simple pressure of the hand, a half-whispered exclamation of joy in
her own fluent Spanish, was the only greeting that Mariquita gave her
wounded lover when they lifted him on to the deck of the
hospital-ship. But the vivid blush that mantled in her cheek, and the
glad light that came into her splendid eyes, showed how much she had
suffered, and how great was her emotion at this moment of trial.
As for Stanislas, he was nearly speechless with surprise.
"You here, Mariquita! What strange adventure is this? Tell me at
once--"
"No, no," interposed the doctor; "it is a long story. You are tired
now, and will have plenty of time to hear from Miss Hidalgo all about
herself."
It was the telling of this story as she sat by the side of his couch,
hand locked in hand, and he learnt by degrees the full measure of her
self-sacrificing devotion, that did McKay so much good. It braced and
strengthened him, giving him a new and stronger desire to live and
enjoy the unspeakable blessing of this true woman's love.
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