When the Owl Cries Part 43

That night, after Raul had gone to sleep, Angelina stole downstairs and entered the chapel. Fear gripped her, the same fear that had overtaken her in Guadalajara, at Estelle's, the same night fear. Now, as she hesitated in the chapel, she saw Mona beside her, transparent.

Calling Mona, she went toward the altar: she knew that thieves were stealing the Virgin's jewels. Someone must protect her. Lighting a taper, she hurried to the front of the chapel. The Virgin was intact under her watermelon dome of gla.s.s. Her tiny olivewood face smiled serenely, and Angelina felt happy. In the wavering light, the diamonds and rubies sparkled, and Angelina knelt in prayer.

She thanked G.o.d for the Virgin's safety and then burst out:

"Oh, Virgin, help me! I have had a terrible quarrel with Estelle. We were so dear to each other. I want so to have at least one friend, someone to love me ... and--and take Mona away from me. Take her away!"

She thought she heard a sharp sound. She gathered her nightgown about her and stood up. Carrying the taper, she rushed toward the door, where she listened, her ear against the wood.

Perhaps Raul had missed her?

Frightened, she thought of going to Vicente's room, seeing his face, touching him. No, he was at school in Colima. She remembered the phantom dog, expecting to see it, and sobbed.

Stealing back into the house, she heard Don Fernando coughing. It sounded as though he were in pain, and so she lit a night lamp and took him a gla.s.s of water and held it patiently.

"Thanks. My throat ... gets dry. What time is it?"

"It's night ... sometime in the night."

"Go back to bed," he told her.

"But I can't sleep," she said softly.

He tried to see her, but without his gla.s.ses he saw only a white blur.

"I've been awake a long time," he said. "A long time."

"Are you in pain?"

"No. But I keep seeing things," he said.

"What kind of things?" she said.

"People ... faces mostly. People I've known."

"Oh," she said.

"Do you remember Lola Navarro?" he asked.

"No," she said. The darkness of the room, pierced at either end by the window and the door, seemed to tremble as a breeze came through.

"You were just married when Lola lived here with me," he said.

"I remember," she said, half-remembering. It felt good to be able to speak, to say anything at all.

"Do you remember how well she rode?" He paused, the dark room bothering him. "I miss Caterina..." he said, and his coughing started again and she held the gla.s.s, making an effort to steady her hand.

Presently, she asked, "Are you asleep?"

"No."

"I thought you'd fallen asleep."

"I wish I could."

"I've had a quarrel with Estelle."

"You shouldn't have brought her here."

"I didn't bring her."

"Women without men are no good," he said.

Back in bed, she fell into a troubled sleep until peac.o.c.ks and roosters woke her. She dressed and the shrill pot-rack, pot-rack of the guinea hen annoyed her; it seemed to her the most hideous of hacienda noises.

Raul got up and dressed rapidly and as he dressed he told her that he and his men must drive three hundred head of cattle to Colima. At breakfast, he still could not tell her about Refugio.

She toyed with her dish of fruit, thinking of Estelle, remembering Guadalajara people.

Such a sad face, he thought.

"Couldn't you and Gabriel do something with some of the children?" he suggested.

"Perhaps we could. I ... I'll talk to Gabriel."

He gulped his food: eggs and bread.

"Bring my coffee," he said to Chavela.

His chewing annoyed her and she wanted to leave the table.

"Why do we change so?" she asked.

"Many things are changing," he said, not following her.

"I don't mean that." She poured herself water.

He got up and drank his coffee standing. "Have to go," he mumbled. "I hear the cattle in the court. Goodbye."

Raul overtook the cattle outside the hacienda gate: Esteban had the group in front, Manuel worked the rear, and other cowboys covered the sides, to pick up strays and keep them moving.

Raul and Manuel rode side by side a while.

"Have we got them all?"

"So far, so good. A fine bunch," said Manuel. "Are we sure of railroad cars?"

"General Matanzas promised cars. He gets a cut."