"Si, señor." She put them in her belt. "You like California?"

"Very much. It is full of gold, and, I should say, excellent for
agriculture."

"But it no is beautiful country?"

"Oh, yes, it does very well, and the climate is pretty fair in some
parts."

"You living in San Francisco?"

"I am a mining engineer, and we have got hold of a good thing near
here."

"The mine--it is yours?"

"Only a part of it."

"The Americanos make all the money now."

"The gold was put here for some one to take out. You Californians had
things all your own way for a hundred years, but you let it stay there."

"Tell me how you take it out."

He entered into a detailed and somewhat technical description, but her
quick mind grasped the meaning of unfamiliar words.

"You like make the money?" she asked, after he had finished.