The Girl of the Golden West by Giacomo Puccini, David Belasco Page A

a Mexican camp in
the Sierras. Suffice it to say that her fall from grace had been
rapid, though her dissolute career had in no way diminished her
beauty. Indeed, her features were well-nigh perfect, her skin
transparently clear, if dark, and her form was suppleness itself as
she danced. And that she was the undisputed belle of the evening
was made apparent by the number of men who watched her with eyes
that marvelled at her grace when dancing, and surrounded her
whenever she stopped, each pleading with her to accept him as a
partner.
    Almost every colour of the rainbow had a place in her costume
for the occasion: The bodice was of light blue silk; the skirt
orange; encircling her small waist was a green sash; while her
jet-black hair was fastened with a crimson ribbon. Diamonds flashed
from the earrings in her ears as well as from the rings on her
fingers. All in all, it was scarcely to be wondered at that her
charms stirred to the very depths the fierce passion of the
desperate characters about her.
    That Ramerrez dreaded the interview which he had determined to
have with his confederate can easily be understood by anyone who
has ever tried to sever his relations with an enamoured woman. In
fact the outlaw dreaded it so much that he decided to postpone it
as long as he could. And so, after sauntering aimlessly about the
room, and coming, unexpectedly, across a woman of his acquaintance,
he began to converse with her, supposing, all the time, that Nina
Micheltoreña was too occupied with the worshippers at her shrine to
perceive that he was in the dance-hall. But it was decidedly a case
of the wish being father to the thought: Not a movement had he made
since he entered that she was not cognisant of it and, although she
hated to acknowledge it to herself, deep down in her heart she was
conscious that he was not as thoroughly under the sway of her dark
eyes as she would have wished. Something had happened in the last
few weeks that had brought about a change in him, but just what it
was she was unable to determine. There were moments when she saw
plainly that he was much more occupied with his daring plans than
he was with thoughts of her. So far, it was true, there had been no
evidences on his part of any hesitation in confiding his schemes to
her. Of that she was positive. But, on the other hand, she had
undoubtedly lost some of her influence over him. It did not lessen
her nervousness to realise that he had been in the hall for some
time without making any effort to see her. Besides, the appointment
had been of his own making, inasmuch as he had sent word by one of
his band that she should meet him to-night in this place.
Furthermore, she knew that he had in mind one of the boldest
projects he had yet attempted and needed, to insure success, every
scrap of knowledge that she possessed. In the meantime, while she
waited for him to seek her out, she resolved to show him the extent
of her power to fascinate others; and from that moment never had
she seemed more attractive and alluring to her admirers, in all of
whom she appeared to excite the fiercest of passions. In fact, one
word whispered in an ear by those voluptuous lips and marvellously
sweet, musical voice, and the recipient would have done her
bidding, even had she demanded a man's life as the price of her
favour.
    It is necessary, however, to single out one man as proving an
exception to this sweeping assertion, although this particular
person seemed no less devoted than the other men present. He was
plainly an American and apparently a stranger to his countrymen as
well as to the Mexicans. His hair was white and closely cropped,
the eyebrows heavy and very black, the lips nervous and thin but
denoting great determination, and the face was tanned to the colour
of old leather, sufficiently so as to be noticeable even in a
country where all faces were tanned, swarthy, and dark. One would
have thought that this big, heavy, but extremely-active man whose
clothes,