Bandit Love

"I have brought you your betrothed, Myra," said Don Carlos, after

quickly closing the door behind him and throwing off his disguise. "I

have brought Mr. Antony Standish here, and I propose to test the

strength of his love for you and your love for him."

"How interesting!" drawled Myra, with forced calmness. "Where is Tony,

and how did you manage to capture him? I should have thought the whole

district by now would be full of police and soldiers hunting for El

Diablo Cojuelo."

"Mr. Standish has been conveyed to a cell through the entrance used by

my men," answered Don Carlos. "Unfortunately the messages summoning

the police and the military, and reporting that the beautiful Señorita

Rostrevor and Don Carlos de Ruiz have been kidnapped, do not appear to

have been delivered. Possibly the servants of Don Carlos, sent to

summon aid, were intercepted by the followers of El Diablo Cojuelo."

"Quite possibly!" agreed Myra, satirically, meeting the challenging

glance of his twinkling eyes unflinchingly. "But how did you manage to

capture Tony? Didn't he make a fight of it?"

"A masked and armed emissary of El Diablo Cojuelo by some mysterious

means found his way into El Castillo de Ruiz, surprised Mr. Standish in

his own room and demanded that he should accompany him to arrange terms

for your ransom. Needless to say, I was the masked emissary. Mr.

Standish demanded that his own safety be guaranteed, and it was not

until I sardonically suggested he was more concerned about himself than

about his fiancée, and was probably content to leave the beautiful

Señorita Rostrevor to the tender mercies of El Diablo Cojuelo rather

than endure any personal hardship, that I persuaded him to accompany

me."

"Well, the fact that he accompanied you, without any guarantee of his

personal safety, shows how much he loves me," commented Myra.

"H'm! That remains to be proved, but I promise you he shall be put to

the test," retorted Don Carlos. "You, of course, can simplify the

situation by telling him you have fallen in love with your captor and

do not wish to be ransomed."

"I can further simplify the situation by telling Tony that El Diablo

Cojuelo is Don Carlos de Ruiz," said Myra.

"No, Myra, that would complicate matters, since it might necessitate my

keeping Standish a prisoner here indefinitely in order to prevent him

from denouncing me to the authorities. Give me your word of honour not

to reveal my identity to Standish, and I will have him brought in here

to strike a bargain for you in your presence. You should be interested

to know what value your English lover places on you."