"What do you want?" asked Beltran impatiently, who felt the warring of two souls through those antagonistic fingers.
"You must come at once," said Agueda, with decision. "The storm will soon burst."
"Nonsense! We have had many sultry nights like this. Where do you get your information?"
"My uncle Adan says that the storm will soon burst. He has gone to saddle the horses."
Beltran turned with rage upon Agueda. A flash of lightning showed her the anger blazing in his eyes. It also disclosed to her gaze Felisa cowering close to him.
"How dare you come here frightening the child? Your uncle has his reasons, doubtless, for what he says. As for me, I am perfectly convinced that there will be no storm--that is, no flood."
"Oh, cousin! What will become of us? Why does that girl fear the storm so?"
"There will be no storm, vida mia, and if there is, has not the casa stood these many years? Agueda knows that as well as I."
Agueda withdrew a little, she stood irresolute. She heard the sound of horses' feet, she heard Uncle Adan calling to her. She heard Don Noé calling to Eduardo Juan to bring a light, and not be so damned long about it. Old Juana called, "'Gueda, 'Gueda, honey! come! Deyse deat' in de air! 'Gueda!"
There was a sudden rush of hoofs across the potrero, and then the despairing wail from Palandrez, "Dey has stampeded!" She heard without hearing. She remembered afterward, during that last night that she was to inhabit the casa, that all these sounds had passed across almost unheeding ears. She ran again to Don Beltran.
"Come! Come, Beltran, dear Beltran," she said. "The river is upon us!"
She wrung her hands helplessly. It seemed to her as if Beltran had lost his power of reasoning.
"How dare she call you Beltran?" said Felisa.
There came a crash which almost drowned the sound of her voice, then a scream from Felisa, intense and shrill. Agueda heard Beltran's voice, first in anger, then soothing the terrified girl again, shouting for horses, and above it all, she heard the water topple over the embankment, and the swash of the waves against the foundations of the casa.
She ran hurriedly and brought the lantern which hung within the comidor. When Felisa opened her eyes, and looked around her at the waste of waters, she shrieked again.