The Hes) Devil ‘Teresa DenysI CHAPTERI ‘She was, he thought, the loveliest thing he had ever seen, His first glance down the sunlit steps had been mere curiosity to see whose coach had been driven into the courtyard below the castilo's Grand Patio in defiance of the twenty-five years’ rule that no one ‘ave the King himself if he ever came ~ was permitted to drive through the inner wards ofthe great building. Then he had noticed the scarlet-clad outrders and grown interested. There was 4 standing command that any comer from King Felipe should receive a royal welcome, and Bugenio’s own mea Wwould scarcely have gone out to convoy anvone of less importance It would be ironic, he had thought, if the King had chosen to break his long silence now; now when Eugenio was busy cresting the masterpiece of plotting that would {wart all his royal benefactors intents and desires. But the coach that rolled to the foot of the steps had ‘been Eugenio de Castaieda’s own, the ostemation his. The ‘watching man hd been about to turn away with no more than faint amusement at this gaudy return from what was bound to have been yet another fruitless quest what could it have been else? ~ when the crested door had opened and Eugenio himself had sprung our with unusual vigour, his broad flushed face creased in an excited grin, The malt had paused then, motionless and watchful, and his companion hhad noticed his abstraction and halted, too. Through the haze of settling dust, over the heads of twenty-five men dismounting, the man had watched Eugenio hand the girl down the carriage steps. The clumsy ‘cartwheel farthingale, so out of date for al its preposteroes ‘grandeur, swung like a bell as she clambered cautiously to ‘the ground, From the depths of the interior of the carriage 7fa thin, full-tipped Moorish gis evidently « maid, had Smerged and was steadying her mistess's stiffened skirts. ‘fe it herself rigid and apparently oblivious of being Te eilre of 0 much anxious attention, should have Tpaked like every other acquiescent, wel-bred Spanish git: ‘Poushty, lifeless dol. Like the rest she was encased in feavy Brocades tht imprisoned her body lke a cages het Pemrontured into a span of stfiy artificial ringlets that ae ed her face like a yoke overlapping her head. Like Trae her skin was alabaster-pale her eyes downcast a though she flinched from the sun's lessening warmth, eth she disengaged her hand from Eugenio de Casta; feda's clutching fist and raised her face to look around Rega Spas only for a moment and then her eyes were Teneced again, but tat fist flashing impression had been. rertramed and he had felt the involuntary tightening of very sinew in his body, She must have been seventeen oF tighteen years ld, he thought, old by the usual standards seate s bride, yet she could aot be a companion ~ Eugenio (Nould never waste the miserly treasure of good manners see mo was not of the first importance to him. He hed Cteeeeded at last, then, and had brought back # bride to the castllo~ his bride a new Duquese ‘his sade his companion was breathing heavily, and the man noticed that his eyes, too, were riveted tothe gil, ‘The realization annoyed him obscurely, Te heard himself sa ‘Shall we go? It must be close on sinner time, and the other man grunted a reluctant assent "Together they moved along the shadowy colonnade to the nmin door, catching glimpses ofthe sunlit scene below them between the bars of shadow as they passed pillar by Pillar, Another woman, older it was hard vo se Ber face -rpad climbed out of the cariage and stood beside the irl “sho was listening stonily to Eugenio's speech of welcome Tranwwer to her companioa’s expostulation the gil std Tomething but did not smile, and the other womans lifted Sere came with sudden, unexpected clarity to the men beneath the colonnade. i all so splendid, Juana ~ ar oTuattereti ea gsm Ser ee me aii cea a Bement anata is lips curled he had thought that over the Years he had Sirens Sone reine Sugenio had brought her here, by whatever means, he sl ot ay et er 0 afd shoul be ef Soo nee these in Ge Caaf. eco 3 nen be er Ea parte sia heme hen the Ringe) ne el sit by bang sch ete ito» ie at Seria sctee ‘enough. He himself could afford to fore he tameedaasaae ste ice Juana de Arrlanos had trey lstene Sans’ fw ot words: tes dejs is» Gone crags sth ander aunt Bei bed infer nto much ae a a aching indirect the sound ef hs foc Itscned ire that wen se ssw hin se fad thowa havo eh at aie gto its ich musicality in part redeeming hi-unprepos sslerot,Bu whe adt seen mse fad oot ov dremed tht she would cre send dae tying 10 red nae whic hs Oe red her, question Seopa oping sth tse tl he "Tht Bist day at Zucaro she had bei other ate ntchant ends who cue ded igs °