Questioning Diego was useless, for he was a discreet servant, and told
her, simply, that the Father's business called him away. This was far
from satisfying her, of course, but she could learn nothing more from
him.
Juana, however, was not dependent entirely upon Diego for information as
to what was going on in her little world, that is, at the mission. She
was an acute little person in spite of her simplicity, and it would not
have taken one as acute as she, to see that something was disturbing the
neophytes, and tending to make them unruly. One day, at the hour for
shutting up the Indian children for the night, a youth was discovered
missing. Search was made, and kept up far into the night and the next
day, but without result. Ordinarily this would have excited no great
attention, but indications of the troublous times of 1824 had already
made their appearance, and every little incident out of the common
routine was looked upon with apprehension. The young Indian returned at
the close of the next day, and tried to appear as if nothing had
occurred.
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