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diff --git a/old/54105-0.txt b/old/54105-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9409c86..0000000 --- a/old/54105-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7187 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Swan of Vilamorta, by Emilia Pardo Bazán - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Swan of Vilamorta - -Author: Emilia Pardo Bazán - -Translator: Mary J. Serrano - -Release Date: February 3, 2017 [EBook #54105] -[Last updated: February 15, 2017] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SWAN OF VILAMORTA *** - - - - -Produced by Josep Cols Canals, Ernest Schaal, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - - - - THE - - SWAN OF VlLAMORTA - - - BY - EMILIA PARDO BAZ¡N - AUTHOR OF "A WEDDING TRIP," "A CHRISTIAN WOMAN," - "MORRIÑA," ETC. - - TRANSLATED BY - MARY J. SERRANO - - TRANSLATOR OF "MARIE BASHKIRTSEFF: THE JOURNAL - OF A YOUNG ARTIST," ETC. - - - NEW YORK - CASSELL PUBLISHING COMPANY - 104 & 106 FOURTH AVENUE - - - - - Copyright, 1891. - - BY - - CASSELL PUBLISHING COMPANY. - - _All rights reserved._ - - - THE MERSHON COMPANY PRESS, - RAHWAY, N. J. - - - - - THE - SWAN OF VILAMORTA. - - * * * - - I. - -Behind the pine grove the setting sun had left a zone of fire -against which the trunks of the pine trees stood out like bronze -columns. The path was rugged and uneven, giving evidence of the -ravages wrought by the winter rains; at intervals loose stones, -looking like teeth detached from the gum, rendered it still more -impracticable. The melancholy shades of twilight were beginning to -envelop the landscape; little by little the sunset glow faded away -and the moon, round and silvery, mounted in the heavens, where the -evening star was already shining. The dismal croaking of the frogs -fell sharply on the ear; a fresh breeze stirred the dry plants and -the dusty brambles that grew by the roadside; and the trunks of the -pine trees grew momentarily blacker, standing out like inky bars -against the pale green of the horizon. - -A man was descending the path slowly, bent, apparently, on -enjoying the poetry and the peace of the scene and the hour. He -carried a stout walking-stick, and as far as one could judge in the -fading light, he was young and not ill-looking. - -He paused frequently, casting glances to the right and to the -left as if in search of some familiar landmark. Finally he stood -still and looked around him. At his back was a hill crowned with -chestnut trees; on his left was the pine grove; on his right a small -church with a mean belfry; before him the outlying houses of the -town. He turned, walked back some ten steps, stopped, fronting the -portico of the church, examined its walls, and, satisfied at last -that he had found the right place, raised his hands to his mouth and -forming with them a sort of speaking trumpet, cried, in a clear -youthful voice: - -"Echo, let us talk together!" - -From the angle formed by the walls, there came back instantly -another voice, deeper and less distinct, strangely grave and -sonorous, which repeated with emphasis, linking the answer to the -question and dwelling upon the final syllable: - -"Let us talk togethe-e-e-e-r!" - -"Are you happy?" - -"Happy-y-y-y!" responded the echo. - -"Who am I?" - -"I-I-I-I!" - -To these interrogations, framed so that the answer should make -sense with them, succeeded phrases uttered without any other object -than that of hearing them reverberated with strange intensity by the -wall. "It is a lovely night."--"The moon is shining."--"The sun has -set."--"Do you hear me, echo?"--"Have you dreams, echo, of glory, -ambition, love?" The traveler, enchanted with his occupation, -continued the conversation, varying the words, combining them into -sentences, and, in the short intervals of silence, he listened to the -faint murmur of the pines stirred by the evening breeze, and to the -melancholy concert of the frogs. The crimson and rose-colored clouds -had become ashen and had begun to invade the broad region of the -firmament over which the unclouded moon shed her silvery light. The -honeysuckles and elder-flowers on the outskirts of the pine grove -embalmed the air with subtle and intoxicating fragrance. And the -interlocutor of the echo, yielding to the poetic influences of the -scene, ceased his questions and exclamations and began to recite, in -a slow, chanting voice, verses of Becquer, paying no heed now to the -voice from the wall, which, in its haste to repeat his words, -returned them to him broken and confused. - -Absorbed in his occupation, pleased with the harmonious sounds of -the verse, he did not notice the approach of three men of odd and -grotesque appearance, wearing enormous broad-brimmed felt hats. One -of the men was leading a mule laden with a leathern sack filled, -doubtless, with the juice of the grape; and as they walked slowly, -and the soft clayey soil deadened the noise of their footsteps, they -passed close by the young man, unperceived by him. They exchanged -some whispered words with one another. "Who is he, -man?"--"Segundo."--"The lawyer's son?"--"The same."--"What is he -doing? Is he talking to himself?"--"No, he is talking to the wall of -Santa Margarita."--"Well, we have as good a right to do that as he -has."--"Begin you ----"--"One--two--here goes----" - -And from those profane lips fell a shower of vile words and -coarse and vulgar phrases, interrupting the _Oscuras Golondrinas_ -which the young man was reciting with a great deal of expression, and -producing, in the peaceful and harmonious nocturnal silence, the -effect of the clatter of brass pans and kettles in a piece of German -music. The most refined expressions were in the following style: -"D---- (here an oath). Hurrah for the wine of the Border! Hurrah for -the red wine that gives courage to man! D----" (the reader's -imagination may supply what followed, it being premised that the -disturbers of the Becquerian dreamer were three lawless muleteers who -were carrying with them an abundant provision of the blood of the -grape). - -The nymph who dwelt in the wall opposed no resistance to the -profanation and repeated the round oaths as faithfully as she had -repeated the poet's verses. Hearing the vociferations and bursts of -laughter which the wall sent back to him mockingly, Segundo, the -lawyer's son, aware that the barbarians were turning his sentimental -amusement into ridicule, became enraged. Mortified and ashamed, he -tightened his grasp on his stick, strongly tempted to break it on the -ribs of some one of them; and, muttering between his teeth, "Kaffirs! -brutes! beasts!" and other offensive epithets, he turned to the left, -plunged into the pine grove and walked toward the town, avoiding the -path in order to escape meeting the profane trio. - -The town was but a step away. The walls of its nearest houses -shone white in the moonlight, and the stones of some buildings in -course of erection, garden walls, orchards, and vegetable beds, -filled up the space between the town and the pine grove. The path -grew gradually broader, until it reached the highroad, on either side -of which leafy chestnut trees cast broad patches of shade. The town -was already asleep, seemingly, for not a light was to be seen, nor -were any of those noises to be heard which reveal the proximity of -those human beehives called cities. Vilamorta is in reality a very -small beehive, a modest town, the capital of a district. Bathed in -the splendor of the romantic satellite, however, it was not without a -certain air of importance imparted to it by the new buildings, of a -style of architecture peculiar to prison cells, which an -_Americanized_ Galician, recently returned to his native land with a -plentiful supply of cash, was erecting with all possible expedition. - -Segundo turned into an out-of-the-way street--if there be any -such in towns like Vilamorta. Only the sidewalks were paved; the -gutter was a gutter in reality; it was full of muddy pools and heaps -of kitchen garbage, thrown there without scruple by the inhabitants. -Segundo avoided two things--stepping into the gutter and walking in -the moonlight. A man passed so close by him as almost to touch him, -enveloped, notwithstanding the heat, in an ample cloak, and holding -open above his head an enormous umbrella, although there was no sign -of rain; doubtless he was some convalescent, some visitor to the -springs, who was breathing the pleasant night air with hygienic -precautions. Segundo, when he saw him, walked closer to the houses, -turning his face aside as if afraid of being recognized. With no less -caution he crossed the Plaza del Consistorio, the pride of Vilamorta, -and then, instead of joining one of the groups who were enjoying the -fresh air, seated on the stone benches round the public fountain, he -slipped into a narrow side street, and crossing a retired little -square shaded by a gigantic poplar turned his steps in the direction -of a small house half hidden in the shadow of the tree. Between the -house and Segundo there stood a lumbering bulk--the body of a -stage-coach, a large box on wheels, its shafts raised in air, -waiting, lance in rest, as it were, to renew the attack. Segundo -skirted the obstacle, and as he turned the corner of the square, -absorbed in his meditations, two immense hogs, monstrously fat, -rushed out of the half-open gate of a neighboring yard, and at a -short trot that made their enormous sides shake like jelly, made -straight for the admirer of Becquer, entangling themselves stupidly -and blindly between his legs. By a special interposition of -Providence the young man did not measure his length upon the ground, -but, his patience now exhausted, he gave each of the swine a couple -of angry kicks, which drew from them sharp and ferocious grunts, as -he ejaculated almost audibly: "What a town is this, good Heavens! -Even the hogs must run against one in the streets. Ah, what a -miserable place! Hell itself could not be worse!" - -By the time he had reached the door of the house, he had, to some -extent, regained his composure. The house was small and pretty and -had a cheerful air. There was no railing outside the windows, only -the stone ledges, which were covered with plants in pots and boxes; -through the windows shaded by muslin curtains a light could be seen -burning, and in the silent façade there was something peaceful and -attractive that invited one to enter. Segundo pushed open the door -and almost at the same instant there was heard in the dark hall the -rustling of skirts, a woman's arms were opened and the admirer of -Becquer, throwing himself into them, allowed himself to be led, -dragged, carried bodily, almost, up the stairs, and into the little -parlor where, on a table covered with a white crochet cover, burned a -carefully trimmed lamp. There, on the sofa, the lover and the lady -seated themselves. - -Truth before all things. The lady was not far from thirty-six or -thirty-seven, and what is worse, could never have been pretty, or -even passably good-looking. The smallpox had pitted and hardened her -coarse skin, giving it the appearance of the leather bottom of a -sieve. Her small black eyes, hard and bright like two fleas, matched -well her nose, which was thick and ill-shaped, like the noses of the -figures of lay monks stamped on chocolate. True, the mouth was -fresh-colored, the teeth white and sound like those of a dog; but -everything else pertaining to her--dress, manner, accent, the want of -grace of the whole--was calculated rather to put tender thoughts to -flight than to awaken them. With the lamp shining as brightly as it -does, it is preferable to contemplate the lover. The latter is of -medium height, has a graceful, well-proportioned figure, and in the -turn of his head and in his youthful features there is something that -irresistibly attracts and holds the gaze. His forehead, which is high -and straight, is shaded and set off by luxuriant hair, worn somewhat -longer than is allowed by our present severe fashion. His face, thin -and delicately outlined, casts a shadow on the walls which is made up -of acute angles. A mustache, curling with the grace which is peculiar -to a first mustache, and to the wavy locks of a young girl, shades -but does not cover his upper lip. The beard has not yet attained its -full growth; the muscles of the throat have not yet become prominent; -the Adam's apple does not yet force itself on the attention. The -complexion is dark, pale, and of a slightly bilious hue. - -Seeing this handsome youth leaning his head on the shoulder of -this woman of mature age and undisguised ugliness, it would have been -natural to take them for mother and son, but anyone coming to this -conclusion, after a single moment's observation, would have shown -scant penetration, for in the manifestations of maternal affection, -however passionate and tender they may be, there is always a -something of dignity and repose which is wanting in those of every -other affection. - -Doubtless Segundo felt a longing to see the moon again, for he -rose almost immediately from his seat on the sofa and crossed over to -the window, his companion following him. He threw open the sash, and -they sat down side by side in two low chairs whose seats were on a -level with the flower-pots. A fine carnation regaled the sense with -its intoxicating perfume; the moon lighted up with her silvery rays -the foliage of the poplar that cast broad shadow over the little -square. Segundo opened the conversation this wise: - -"Have you made any cigars for me?" - -"Here are some," she answered, putting her hand into her pocket -and drawing from it a bundle of cigars. "I was able to make only a -dozen and a half for you. I will complete the two dozen to-night -before I go to bed." - -There was a moment's silence, broken by the sharp sound made by -the striking of the match and then, in a voice muffled by the first -puff of smoke, Segundo went on: - -"Why, has anything new happened?" - -"New? No. The children--putting the house in order--and -then--Minguitos. He made my head ache with his complaining--he -complained the whole blessed evening. He said his bones ached. And -you? Very busy, killing yourself reading, studying, writing, eh? Of -course!" - -"No, I have been taking a delightful walk. I went to Peñas-albas -and returned by way of Santa Margarita. I have seldom spent a -pleasanter evening." - -"I warrant you were making verses." - -"No, my dear. The verses I made I made last night after leaving -you." - -"Ah! And you weren't going to repeat them to me. Come, for the -love of the saints, come, recite them for me, you must know them by -heart. Come, darling." - -To this vehement entreaty succeeded a passionate kiss, pressed on -the hair and forehead of the poet. The latter raised his eyes, drew -back a little and, holding his cigar between his fingers after -knocking off the ashes with his nail, proceeded to recite. - -The offspring of his muse was a poem in imitation of Becquer. His -auditor, who listened to it with religious attention, thought it -superior to anything inspired by the muse of the great Gustave. And -she asked for another and then another, and then a bit of Espronceda -and then a fragment or two of Zorrilla. By this time the cigar had -gone out; the poet threw away the stump and lighted a fresh one. Then -they resumed their conversation. - -"Shall we have supper soon?" - -"Directly. What do you think I have for you?" - -"I haven't the least idea." - -"Think of what you like best. What you like best, better than -anything else." - -"Bah! You know that so far as I am concerned, provided you don't -give me anything smoked or greasy----" - -"A French omelet! You couldn't guess, eh? Let me tell you--I -found the receipt in a book. As I had heard that it was something -good I wanted to try it. I had always made omelets as they make them -here, so stiff, that you might throw one against the wall without -breaking it. But this--I think it will be to your taste. As for me, I -don't like it much, I prefer the old style. I showed Flores how to -make it. What was in the one you ate at the inn at Orense? Chopped -parsley, eh?" - -"No, ham. But what difference does it make what was in it?" - -"I'll run and take it out of the pantry! I thought--the book says -parsley! Wait, wait." - -She overturned her chair in her haste. An instant later the -jingling of her keys and the opening and closing of a couple of doors -were heard in the distance. A husky voice muttered some -unintelligible words in the kitchen. In two minutes she was back -again. - -"Tell me, and those verses, are you not going to publish them? Am -I not going to see them in print?" - -"Yes," responded the poet, slowly turning his head to one side -and sending a puff of smoke through his lips. "I am going to send -them to Vigo, to Roberto Blanquez, to insert them in the _Amanecer_." - -"I am delighted! You will become famous, sweetheart! How many -periodicals have spoken of you?" - -Segundo laughed ironically and shrugged his shoulders. - -"Not many." And with a somewhat preoccupied air he let his gaze -wander over the plants and far away over the top of the poplar whose -leaves rustled gently in the breeze. The poet pressed his companion's -hand mechanically, and the latter returned the pressure with -passionate ardor. - -"Of course. How do you expect them to speak of you when you don't -put your name to your verses?" she said. "They don't know whose they -are. They are wondering, likely----" - -"What difference does the name make? They could say the same -things of the pseudonym I have adopted as of Segundo García. The few -people who will trouble themselves to read my verses will call me the -Swan of Vilamorta." - - - - - II. - - -Segundo García, the lawyer's son, and Leocadia Otero, the -schoolmistress of Vilamorta, had met each other for the first time in -the spring at a pilgrimage. Leocadia had gone with some girls to whom -she had taught their letters and plain sewing. Before the chorus of -nymphs Segundo had recited verses for more than two hours in an oak -grove far from the noise of the drum and the bagpipes, where the -strains of the music and the voices of the crowd came softened by -distance. The audience was as silent as if they were hearing mass, -although certain passages of a tender or passionate nature were the -occasion, among the children, of nudges, pinches, laughter -instantaneously suppressed; but from the black eyes of the -schoolmistress, down her cheeks, pitted by the smallpox and pale with -emotion, flowed two large, warm tears, followed so quickly and in -such abundance by others that she was obliged to take out her -handkerchief to wipe them away. And returning by starlight, -descending the mountain on whose summit stood the sanctuary, by -sylvan footpaths carpeted with grass and bordered with heather and -briars, the order of march was as follows: first the children, -running, jumping, pushing one another among the heather and greeting -every fall with shouts of laughter; Leocadia and Segundo behind, -arm-in-arm, pausing from time to time to talk in subdued tones, -almost in whispers. - -A sad and ugly story was told about Leocadia Otero. Although, -without actually saying so, she had given it to be understood that -she was a widow, it was whispered that she had never been married; -that the puny Dominguito, the little cripple who was always sick, was -born while she lived in the house of her uncle and guardian at -Orense, after the death of her parents. What was certain was that her -uncle had died shortly after the birth of the child, bequeathing to -his niece a couple of fields and a house in Vilamorta, and Leocadia, -after passing the necessary examinations, had obtained the village -school and gone to settle in that town. She had lived in it now for -more than thirteen years, observing the most exemplary conduct, -watching day and night over Minguitos, and living with the utmost -frugality in order to rebuild the dilapidated house, which she had -finally succeeded in doing shortly before her meeting with Segundo. -Leocadia was a woman of notably industrious habits; in her wardrobe -she had always a good supply of linen, in her parlor bamboo furniture -with a rug before the sofa, grapes, rice, and ham in her pantry, and -carnations and sweet basil in her windows. Minguitos was always as -neat as a new pin; she herself, when she raised the skirt of her -habit of Dolores, of good merino, displayed underneath voluminous -embroidered petticoats, stiff with starch. For all which reasons, -notwithstanding her ugliness and her former history, the -schoolmistress was not without suitors--a wealthy retired muleteer, -and Cansin, the clothier. She rejected the suitors and continued -living alone with Minguitos and Flores, her old servant, who now -enjoyed in the house all the privileges of a grandmother. - -The iniquitous wrong suffered by her in early youth had produced -in Leocadia, absorbed as she was in her bitter recollections, a -profound horror of marriage and an insatiable thirst for the -romantic, the ideal, which is as a refreshing dew to the imagination -and which satisfies the emotions. She had the superficial knowledge -of a village schoolmistress--rudimentary, but sufficient to introduce -exotic tastes into Vilamorta; that is to say, a taste for literature -in its most accessible forms--novels and poetry. She devoted to -reading the leisure hours of her monotonous and upright life. She -read with faith, with enthusiasm, uncritically; she read believing -and accepting everything, identifying herself with each one of the -heroines, in turn, her heart echoing back the poet's sighs, the -troubadour's songs, and the laments of the bard. Reading was her one -vice, her secret happiness. When she requested her friends at Orense -to renew her subscription to the library for her they laughed at her -and nicknamed her the "Authoress." She an authoress! She only wished -she were. If she could only give form to what she felt, to the world -of fancy she carried in her mind! But this was impossible. Never -would her brain succeed in producing, however hard she might squeeze -it, even so much as a poor _seguidilla_. Poetry and sensibility were -stored up in the folds and convolutions of her brain, as solar heat -is stored up in the coal. What came to the surface was pure -prose--housekeeping, economy, stews. - -When she met Segundo, chance applied the lighted torch to the -formidable train of feelings and dreams shut up in the soul of the -schoolmistress. She had at last found a worthy employment for her -amorous faculties, an outlet for her affections. Segundo was poetry -incarnate. He represented for her all the graces, all the divine -attributes of poetry--the flowers, the breeze, the nightingale, the -dying light of day, the moon, the dark wood. - -The fire burned with astounding rapidity. In its flames were -consumed, first her honorable resolution to efface by the -blamelessness of her conduct the stigma of the past, then her strong -and deep maternal affection. Not for an instant did the thought -present itself to Leocadia's mind that Segundo could ever be her -husband; although both were free the difference in their ages and the -intellectual superiority of the young poet placed an insurmountable -barrier in the way of the aspirations of the schoolmistress. She fell -in love as into an abyss, and looked neither before nor behind. - -Segundo had had in Santiago, during his college days, youthful -intrigues, adventures of a not very serious nature, such as few men -escape between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five, occasionally -taking part, also, in what in that romantic epoch were called -_orgies_. Notwithstanding all this, however, he was not vicious. The -son of a hysterical mother, whose strength was exhausted by repeated -lactations, and who at last succumbed to the debility induced by -them, Segundo's spirit was much more exacting and insatiable than his -body. He had inherited from his mother a melancholy temperament and -innumerable prejudices, innumerable instinctive antipathies, -innumerable superstitious practices. He had loved her, and he -cherished her memory with veneration. And more tenacious even than -his loving remembrance of his mother was the invincible antipathy he -cherished for his father. It would not be true to say that the lawyer -had been the murderer of his wife, and yet Segundo clearly divined -the slow martyrdom endured by that fine nervous organization, and had -always before his eyes, in his hours of gloom, the mean coffin in -which the dead woman was interred, shrouded in the oldest sheet that -was to be found. - -Segundo's family consisted of his father, an aunt, advanced in -years, two brothers, and three sisters. The lawyer García enjoyed the -reputation of being wealthy--in reality this fortune was -insignificant--a village fortune accumulated penny by penny, by -usurious loans and innumerable sordid privations. His practice -brought him in something, but ten mouths to feed and the professional -education of three sons swallowed up not a little. The eldest of the -boys, an officer in an infantry regiment, was stationed in the -Philippine Islands, and, far from expecting any money from him, they -were thankful if he did not ask for any. Segundo, the second in age -as well as in name, had just been graduated--one lawyer more in -Spain, where this fruit grows so abundantly. The youngest was -studying at the Institute at Orense, with the intention of becoming -an apothecary. The girls spent the days running about in the gardens -and cornfields, half the time barefooted, not even attending -Leocadia's school to save the slight expense that would be incurred -in procuring the decent clothing which this would necessitate. As for -the aunt--Misía Gáspara--she was the soul of the house, a narrow and -sapless soul, a withered old woman, silent and ghost-like in -appearance, still active, in spite of her sixty years, who, without -ceasing to knit her stockings with fingers as yellow as the keys of -an old harpsichord, sold barley in the granary, wine in the cellar, -lent a dollar at fifty per cent. interest to the fruit-women and -hucksters of the market, receiving their wares in payment, measured -out the food, the light, and their clothing to her nieces, fattened a -pig with affectionate solicitude, and was respected in Vilamorta for -her ant-like abilities. - -It was the lawyer's aspiration to transmit his practice and his -office to Segundo. Only the boy gave no indication of an aptitude for -stirring up law-suits and prosecutions. How had he achieved the -miracle of passing with honor in the examinations without ever having -opened a law-book during the whole term, and failing in attendance at -the college whenever it rained or whenever the sun shone? Well, by -means of an excellent memory and a good natural intelligence; -learning by heart, when it was necessary, whole pages from the -text-books, and remembering and reciting them with the same ease, if -not with as much taste, as he recited the "Doloras" of Campoamor. - -On Segundo's table lay, side by side, the works of Zorrilla and -Espronceda, bad translations of Heine, books of verse of local poets, -the "Lamas-Varela," or, _Antidote to Idleness_, and other volumes of -a no less heterogeneous kind. Segundo was not an insatiable reader; -he chose his reading according to the whim of the moment, and he read -only what was in conformity with his tastes, thus acquiring a -superficial culture of an imperfect and varied nature. Quick of -apprehension, rather than thoughtful or studious, he had learned -French without a teacher and almost by intuition, in order to read in -the original the works of Musset, Lamartine, Proudhon, and Victor -Hugo. His mind was like an uncultivated field in which grew here and -there some rare and beautiful flower, some exotic plant; of the -abstruse and positive sciences, of solid and serious learning, which -is the nurse of mental vigor--the classics, the best literature, the -severe teachings of history--he knew nothing; and in exchange, by a -singular phenomenon of intellectual relationship, he identified -himself with the romantic movement of the second third of the -century, and in a remote corner of Galicia lived again the -psychological life of dead and gone generations. So does some -venerable academician, over-leaping the nineteen centuries of our -era, delight himself now with what delighted Horace and live -platonically enamored of Lydia. - -Segundo composed his first verses, cynical and pessimistic in -intention, ingenuous in reality, before he had reached the age of -seventeen. His classmates applauded him to the echo. He acquired in -their eyes a certain prestige, and when the first fruits of his muse -appeared in a periodical he had, without going beyond the narrow -circle of the college, admirers and detractors. Thenceforth he -acquired the right to indulge in solitary walks, to laugh rarely, to -surround his adventures with mystery, and not to play or take a drink -for good-fellowship's sake except when he felt in the humor. - -And he seldom felt in the humor. Excitation of the senses, of a -purely physical nature, possessed no attraction for him; if he drank -at times through bravado, the spectacle of drunkenness, the -winding-up of student orgies--the soiled tablecloth, the maudlin -disputes, his companions lying under the table or stretched on the -sofa, the shamelessness and heartlessness of venal women--repelled -him and he came away from such scenes filled with disgust and -contempt, and at times a reaction proper to his complex character -sent him, a sincere admirer of Proudhon, Quinet, and Renan, to the -precincts of some solitary church, where he drew in with delight long -breaths of the incense-laden air. - -The lawyer García made no protest against his son's literary -inclinations because he regarded them as a passing amusement proper -to his age, a youthful folly, like dancing at a village feast. He -began to grow uneasy when he saw that Segundo, after graduation, -showed no inclination to help him in the conduct of his tortuous -law-suits. Was the boy, then, going to turn out good for nothing but -to string rhymes together? It was no crime to do this, but--when -there was not a pile of law-papers to go through and stratagems to -think of to circumvent the opposing party. Since the lawyer had -observed this inclination of his son he had treated him with more -persistent harshness and coldness than before. Every day at table or -whenever the occasion offered, he made cutting speeches to him about -the necessity of earning one's own bread by assiduous labor, instead -of depending upon others for it. These continual sermons, in which he -displayed the same captious and harassing obstinacy as in the conduct -of his law-suits, frightened Segundo from the house. In Leocadia's -house he found a place of refuge, and he submitted passively to be -adored; flattered in the first place by the triumph his verses had -obtained, awakening admiration so evidently sincere and ardent, and -in the second place attracted by the moral well-being engendered by -unquestioning approval and unmeasured complacency. His idle, dreamy -brain reposed on the soft cushions which affection smoothes for the -beloved head; Leocadia sympathized with all his plans for the future, -developing and enlarging them; she encouraged him to write and to -publish his verses; she praised him without reserve and without -hypocrisy, for, for her, whose critical faculty was situated in her -cardiac cavities, Segundo was the most melodious singer in the -universe. - -Gradually the loving prevision of the schoolmistress extended to -other departments of Segundo's existence. Neither the lawyer García -nor Aunt Gáspara supposed that a young man, once his education was -finished, needed a penny for any extraordinary expense. Aunt Gáspara, -in particular, protested loudly at every fresh outlay--after filling -her nephew's trunk one year she thought he was provided with shirts -for at least ten years to come: clothes had no right to tear or to -wear out, without any consideration, in that way. Leocadia took note -of the wants of her idol; one day she observed that he was not well -supplied with handkerchiefs and she hemmed and marked a dozen for -him; the next day she noticed that he was expected to keep himself in -cigars for a year on half a dollar, and she took upon herself the -task of making them for him, furnishing the material herself gratis. -She heard the fruit-women criticising Aunt Gáspara's stinginess; she -inferred from this that Segundo had a poor table, and she set herself -to the task of devising appetizing and nutritious dishes for him; in -addition to all which she ordered books from Orense, mended his -clothes, and sewed on his buttons. - -All this she did with inexpressible delight, going about the -house with a light, almost youthful step, rejuvenated by the sweet -maternity of love, and so happy that she forgot to scold the -school-children, thinking only of shortening their tasks that she -might be all the sooner with Segundo. There was in her affection much -that was generous and spiritual, and her happiest moments were those -in which, as they sat side by side at the window, his head resting on -her shoulder, she listened, while her imagination transformed the -pots of carnations and sweet basil into a virgin forest, to the -verses which he recited in a well-modulated voice, verses that seemed -to Leocadia celestial music. - -The medal had its obverse side, however. The mornings were full -of bitterness when Flores would come with an angry and frowning face, -her woolen shawl twisted and wrinkled and falling over her eyes, to -say in short, abrupt phrases: - -"The eggs are all used; shall I get more? There is no sugar; -which kind shall I buy--that dear loaf sugar that we bought last -week? To-day I got coffee, two pounds of coffee, as if we had a gold -mine. I won't buy any more cordial--you can go for it yourself--I -won't." - -"What are you talking about, Flores? What is the matter with -you?" - -"I say that if you like to give Ramon, the confectioner, -twenty-four reals a bottle for _anisette_, when it is to be had for -eight at the apothecary's, you can do so, but that I am not going to -put the money in that thief's hand; he will be asking you five -dollars a bottle for it next." - -Leocadia would come out of her reverie with a sigh, and go to the -bureau drawer for the money, not without thinking that Flores was -only too right; her savings, her couple of thousand reals laid by for -an emergency, must be almost gone; it was better not to examine into -the condition of the purse; better put off annoyances as long as -possible. God would provide. And she would scold the old woman with -feigned anger. - -"Go for the bottle; go--and don't make me angry. At eight the -children will be here and I have my petticoat to iron yet. Make -Minguitos his chocolate; you would be better employed in seeing that -he has something to eat. And give him some cake." - -"Yes. I'll give him some, I'll give him some. If I didn't give -the poor child something----" grumbled the servant, who at Minguitos' -name felt her anger increase. In the kitchen could be heard the -furious knock given to the chocolate-pot to settle it on the fire and -the angry sound of the mill, afterward, beating the chocolate into -froth. Flores would enter the room of the deformed boy, who had not -yet left his bed, and taking his hand in hers, say: - -"Are you warm, child? I have brought you your chocolate; do you -hear?" - -"Will mamma give it to me?" - -"I will give it to you." - -"And mamma--what is she doing?" - -"Ironing some petticoats." - -The little humpback would fix his eyes on Flores, raising his -head with difficulty from between the double arch of the breast and -back. His eyes were deep set, with large pupils; on his mouth, with -its prominent jaws, rested a melancholy and distorted smile. Throwing -his arms around the neck of Flores, and putting his lips close to her -ear: - -"Did the _other one_ come yesterday?" he asked. - -"Yes, child, yes." - -"Will he come again to-day?" - -"He'll come. Of course he'll come! Stop talking, _fillino_, stop -talking and take your chocolate. It's as you like it--thin and with -froth." - -"I don't think I have any appetite for it. Put it there beside -me." - - - - - III. - - -In Vilamorta there was a Casino, a real Casino, small indeed, and -shabby, besides, but with its billiard-table, bought at second-hand, -and its _boy_, an old man of seventy, who once a year dusted and -brushed the green cover. For the only reunions in the Casino of -Vilamorta were those of the rats and the moths who assembled daily, -to amuse themselves by eating away the woodwork. The chief centers of -reunion were the two apothecaries' shops, that of Doña Eufrasia, -fronting the Plaza and that of Agonde in the high street. Doña -Eufrasia's shop, nestling in the shadowy corner of an archway, was -dark; in the hours of meeting it was lighted by a smoky kerosene -lamp; its furniture consisted of four grimy chairs and a bench. - -From the street all that was to be seen were dark mass-cloaks, -overcoats, broad-brimmed hats, two or three clerical tonsures that -shone at a distance like metal clasps against the dark background of -the shop. Agonde's shop, on the contrary, was brightly illuminated -and gloried in the possession of six glass globes of brilliant -coloring and fantastic effect, three rows of shelves laden with -imposing and scientific-looking white porcelain jars bearing Latin -inscriptions in black letters, a divan, and two leather-covered -armchairs. The two contrasting shops were also antagonistic; they had -declared war to the knife against each other. - -Agonde's shop, liberal and enlightened in its opinions, said of -the reactionary shop that it was a center of unending conspiracies, -where _El Cuartel Real_ and all the rebel proclamations had been read -during the civil war, and where for the past five years -ammunition-belts were being diligently prepared for a Carlist party -that never took the field; and according to the reactionary shop, -that of Agonde was the headquarters of the Freemasons; where lampoons -were printed on a little handpress and where gambling was shamelessly -carried on. The meetings in the reactionary shop broke up with -religious punctuality at ten, in winter, and eleven in summer, while -the liberal shop continued to cast on the sidewalk until midnight the -light of its two bright lamps and the blue, red, and emerald-green -reflections of its glass globes; for which reasons the members of the -liberal reunion called those of the other party _owls_, while those -of the reactionary clique gave their opponents the name of _members -of the Casino of the Gaming Table_. - -Segundo never put his foot over the threshold of the reactionary -shop and, since the beginning of his acquaintance with Leocadia -Otero, he had shunned that of Agonde also, for his vanity was wounded -by the jests and gibes of the apothecary, who was noted for his -waggish humor. One evening as Saturnino Agonde was crossing the Plaza -of the Alamo at an unusually late hour--on his way the devil only -knew whither--he had caught sight of Leocadia and Segundo seated at -the window, and had heard the psalmody of the verses which the poet -was declaiming. From that time Segundo had seen depicted on the -countenance of Agonde, a practical man of a sanguine temperament, -such contempt for sentimental trifling and for poetry that he -instinctively avoided him as far as it was possible to do so. -Occasionally, however, whenever he desired to read _El Imparcial_, to -know what was going on, he would stop in at the shop for a few -moments. He did so on the day after his conversation with the echo. - -The meeting was very animated. Segundo's father was leaning back -on the sofa with a newspaper resting on his knees; his -brother-in-law, the notary Genday, Ramon, the confectioner, and -Agonde were hotly disputing with him. At the further end of the shop -Carmelo, the tobacconist, Don Fermin, alias _Tropiezo_,[1] the -physician, the secretary of the Municipality and the Alcalde sat -playing _tresillo_ at a small table. When Segundo entered, he -remarked something unusual in the air of his father and of the group -that surrounded him, but certain that he would presently be told the -cause, he silently dropped into an armchair, lighted a cigar, and -took up the copy of _El Imparcial_ that was lying on the counter. - - [1] Trip. - -"Well, the papers here say nothing, absolutely nothing, about -it," exclaimed the confectioner. - -From the tresillo table came the voice of the doctor confirming -Ramon's doubts; the doctor, too, was of the opinion that the event in -question could not happen without due notice of it being given in the -papers. - -"You would die rather than believe anything," replied Agonde. "I -am certain of it, I tell you, and it seems to me that when I am -certain of it----" - -"And I too," affirmed Genday. "If it is necessary to call -witnesses to prove it, they are there. I know it from my own brother, -who heard it from Mendez de las Vides; you can judge whether I have -the news on good authority or not. Do you want further proof? Well, -two armchairs, a handsome gilt bedstead, a great deal of china and a -piano have been ordered from Orense for Las Vides. Are you -convinced?" - -"In any case they will not come as soon as you say," objected -Tropiezo. - -"They will come at the time I have said. Don Victoriano wants to -spend the holidays and the vintage season here; they say he longs to -see his native place again, and that he has spoken of nothing all the -winter but the journey." - -"He is coming to die here," said Tropiezo; "I heard that he was -in a very bad state of health. You are going to be left without a -leader." - -"Go to----What a devil of a man, what an owl, always predicting -misfortunes! Either hold your tongue, or talk sense. Attend to the -game, as you ought to." - -Segundo was gazing abstractedly at the glass globes of the shop, -his attention seemingly occupied with the blue, green, and red points -of light that sparkled in their center. He understood now the subject -of their conversation--the expected arrival of Don Victoriano Andres -de la Comba, the minister, the great political leader of the country, -the radical representative of the district. What mattered to Segundo -the arrival of this pretentious coxcomb! And giving himself up to the -enjoyment of his cigar, he allowed the noisy dispute to go on -unheeded. Afterward he became absorbed in the reading of an article -in _El Imparcial_, in which a new poet was warmly eulogized. - -Meanwhile at the tresillo table matters were becoming -complicated. The apothecary, who sat behind the Alcalde, was giving -him advice--a delicate and difficult task. - -The tobacconist and Don Fermin held all the good cards; they had -the man between them--a ticklish position. The Alcalde was a thin -shriveled-up old man, of a very timid disposition, who, before he -ventured to play a card, would think a hundred years about it, -calculating all the contingencies and all the possible combinations -of which cards are capable. He did not want now to play that _solo_. -It would be a great mistake! But the impetuous Agonde encouraged him, -saying: "Come! I buy it." Thus urged, the Alcalde came to a decision, -but not without having first entered a protest: - -"Very well, I'll play it, but it is a piece of folly, -gentlemen--so that you may not say I am afraid." - -And all that he had foreseen happened; he found himself between -two fires: on the one side his king of hearts is trumped, on the -other his opponent takes his knave of trumps with his queen. Don -Fermin wins the trick without knowing how, while the tobacconist, who -is smiling maliciously, keeps all his good cards. The Alcalde lifts -his eyes appealingly to Agonde. - -"Didn't I tell you so? A nice fix we have got ourselves into! We -shall lose the hand; it is lost already." - -"No, man, no. What a coward you are--always afraid of everything. -There you are hesitating as long about throwing a card as if your -life depended on it. Play a trump! play a trump! That is the way -cowards always lose--they are afraid to play their trumps." - -The opponents winked at each other maliciously. - -"_De posita non tibi_," exclaimed the tobacconist. - -"_Si codillum non resultabit_," assented Don Fermin. - -The Alcalde, quaking with fear, proceeded, by Agonde's advice, to -look through the tricks his partners had taken, in order to see how -many trumps had been already played. Tropiezo and the tobacconist -protested: - -What a mania he had for examining the cards! - -The Alcalde, somewhat tranquillized, resolved at last to put an -end to his uncertainty, and with a few bold and decisive plays the -hand ended, each player winning three tricks. - -"A tie!" exclaimed the tobacconist and the apothecary almost -simultaneously. - -"You see! Playing as badly as you could you haven't lost the -hand," said Agonde. "They needed all their cards to win what they -did." - -They were all absorbed in the game--whose interest was now at its -height--with the exception of Segundo, who had abandoned himself to -one of those idle reveries in which the activity of the imagination -is stimulated by bodily ease. The voices of the players reached his -ears like a distant murmur; he was a hundred leagues away; he was -thinking of the article he had just been reading, of which certain -expressions particularly encomiastic--mellifluous phrases in which -the critic artfully glossed over the faults of the poet--had remained -stamped on his memory. When would his turn come to be judged by the -Madrid press? God alone knew. He lent his attention once more to the -conversation. - -"We must at least give him a serenade," declared Genday. - -"A serenade, indeed!" responded Agonde. "A great thing that! -Something more than a serenade--we must have some sort of a -procession--a demonstration which will show that the people here are -with him. We must appoint a committee to receive him with rockets and -bands of music. Let those plotters at Doña Eufrasia's have something -to rage about." - -The name of the other shop produced a storm of exclamations, -jests, and stamping of feet. - -"Have you heard the news?" asked the waggish Tropiezo. "It seems -that Nocedal has written a very flattering letter to Doña Eufrasia, -saying that as he represents Don Carlos in Madrid so she, by reason -of her merits, ought to represent him in Vilamorta." - -Homeric bursts of laughter and a general huzza greeted this -remark. - -"Well, that may be an invention; but it is true, true as gospel, -that Doña Eufrasia sent Don Carlos her likeness with a complimentary -inscription." - -"And the regiment? Have they fixed on the day on which it is to -take the field?" - -"Of course. They say that the Abbot of Lubrego is to command it." - -The hilarity of the assembly was redoubled, for the Abbot of -Lubrego was nearing his seventieth year, and was so feeble that he -could scarcely hold himself on his mule. A boy at this moment entered -the shop, swinging in his hand a glass bottle. - -"Don Saturnino!" he cried, in a shrill voice. - -"What is it you want?" answered the druggist, mimicking his -tones. - -"Give me some of what this smells like." - -"All right," said Agonde, putting the bottle to his nose. "What -does this smell like, Don Fermin?" - -"Let me see--it smells something like--laudanum, eh?--or arnica?" - -"Arnica let it be, it is less dangerous. I hope it will have a -good effect." - -"It is time to retire, gentlemen," said the Lawyer García, -consulting his silver timepiece. - -Genday stood up and Segundo followed his example. - -The tresillo party proceeded to settle accounts; calculating -winnings and losses, centavo by centavo, by means of white counters -and yellow counters. After the close atmosphere of the shop the cool -air of the street was grateful; the night was mild and clear; the -stars shone with a friendly light and Segundo, who was quick to -perceive the poetic aspect of things, felt tempted to leave his -father and his uncle without ceremony and walk along the road, alone, -according to his custom, to enjoy the beauty of the night. But his -Uncle Genday linked his arm through his, saying: - -"You are to be congratulated, my boy." - -"Congratulated, uncle?" - -"Weren't you crazy to get away from here? Didn't you want to take -your flight to some other place? Haven't you a hatred for office -work?" - -"Good man," interposed the lawyer; "he is crazy enough as it is, -and you want to unsettle his mind still more----" - -"Hold your tongue, you fool! Don Victoriano is coming here, we -will present the boy to him and ask him to give him a place. And he -will give him one, and a good one too; for whether he thinks so or -not, if he does not do what we ask him, the pancake will cost him a -loaf. The district is not what he imagines it to be, and if his -adherents do not keep their eyes open the clergy will play a trick -upon them." - -"And Primo? And Mendez de las Vides?" - -"They are no match for the priest. The day least expected they -will be made a show of; they will hang their heads for shame. But -you, my boy--think well about it. You are not in love with the law?" - -Segundo shrugged his shoulders with a smile. - -"Well, turn the matter over in your mind; think what would suit -you best. For you must be something; you must stick your head in -somewhere. Would you like a justiceship? a place in the post-office? -in one of the departments?" - -They had turned the corner of the Plaza on their way to García's -house and were passing under Leocadia's window when the fragrance of -the carnations penetrated to Segundo's brain. He felt a poetic -revulsion of feeling and, dilating his nostrils to inhale the -perfume, he exclaimed: - -"Neither justice nor post-office employee. Say no more on that -point, uncle." - -"Don't insist, Clodio," said the lawyer bitterly. "He wants to be -nothing, nothing but a downright idler, to spend his life scribbling -rhymes. Neither more nor less. The money must be handed out for the -Institute, the University, the shirt-front, the frock coat, the -polished boots, and then, when one thinks they are ready to do for -themselves, back they come, to be a burden to one, to smoke and to -eat at one's expense. I have three sons to spend my money, to squeeze -me dry, and not one to give me any help. That is all these young -gentlemen are good for." - -Segundo stopped, twisting the end of his mustache, with a frown -on his face. They all stood still at the corner of the little plaza, -as people are wont to do when a conversation changes to a dispute. - -"I don't know what puts that into your head, father," declared -the poet. "Do you suppose that I propose to myself never to be -anything more than Segundo García, the lawyer's son? If you do, you -are greatly mistaken. You may be very anxious to be rid of the burden -of supporting me, but you are not half as anxious as I am to relieve -you of it." - -"Well, then, what are you waiting for? Your uncle is proposing a -variety of things to you and none of them suits you. Do you want to -begin by being Minister?" - -The poet began to twist his mustache anew. - -"There is no use in being impatient, father. I would make a very -bad post-office clerk and a still worse justice. I don't want to tie -myself down to any fixed career, in which everything is arranged -beforehand and moves by routine. In that case I should be a lawyer -like you or a notary like Uncle Genday. If we really find Don -Victoriano disposed to do anything for me, ask some position--no -matter what--without fixed duties, that will enable me to reside in -Madrid. I will take care of the rest." - -"You will take care of the rest. Yes, yes, you say well. You will -draw upon me for little sums, eh? like your brother in the Philippine -Islands. Let me tell you for your guidance, then, that you needn't do -so. I didn't steal what I have, and I don't coin money." - -"I am not asking anything from you!" cried Segundo, in a burst of -savage anger. "Am I in your way? I will get out of it, then; I will -go to America. That ends it." - -"No," said the lawyer, calming down. "Provided you exact no more -sacrifices from me." - -"Not one! not if I were starving!" - -The lawyer's door opened; old Aunt Gáspara in her petticoat, -looking like a fright, had come to let them in. Tied around her head -was a cotton handkerchief which came so far over her face as almost -to conceal her sour features. Segundo drew back at this picture of -domestic life. - -"Aren't you coming in?" asked his father. - -"I am going with Uncle Genday." - -"Are you coming back soon?" - -"Directly." - -Walking down the square he communicated his plans to Genday. The -latter, a short man, with a fiery temper, signified his approbation -by movements quick and restless as those of a lizard. His nephew's -ideas were not displeasing to him. His active, scheming mind, the -mind of an electoral agent and a clever notary, accepted vast -projects more readily than the methodical mind of the lawyer García. -Uncle and nephew were much of the same way of thinking as to the best -manner of profiting by Don Victoriano's influence; conversing in this -way they reached Genday's house, and the servant of the latter--a -fresh-looking girl--opened the door for her master with all the -flattering obsequiousness of a confirmed old bachelor's maid-servant. -Instead of returning home Segundo, preoccupied and excited, walked -down the plaza to the highroad, stopped at the first clump of -chestnut trees he came to, and seating himself on the step of a -wooden cross which the Jesuits had erected there during the last -mission, gave himself up to the harmless diversion of contemplating -the evening star, the constellations, and all the splendors of the -heavenly bodies. - - - - - IV. - - -During the tiresome _siestas_ of Vilamorta, while the visitors to -the springs digested their glasses of mineral water and compensated -themselves for the loss of their morning sleep by a restorative nap, -the amateur musicians of the popular band practiced by themselves the -pieces they were shortly to execute together. From the shoemaker's -shop came the melancholy notes of a flute; in the baker's resounded -the lively and martial strains of the horn; in the tobacconist's -moaned a clarionet; in the cloth-shop, the suppressed sighs of an -ophicleide filled the air. Those who thus devoted themselves to the -worship of Euterpe were clerks in shops, younger sons, the youthful -element of Vilamorta. These snatches of melody rose with piercing -sonorousness on the drowsy warm atmosphere. When the news spread that -Don Victoriano Andres de la Comba and his family were expected to -arrive within twenty-four hours in the town, to leave it again -immediately for Las Vides, the brass band was tuned to the highest -pitch and ready to deafen, with any number of waltzes, dances, and -quicksteps, the ears of the illustrious statesman. - -In the town an unusual animation was noticeable. Agonde's house -was opened, ventilated, and swept, clouds of dust issuing through the -windows, at one of which, later on, appeared Agonde's sister, with a -fringe of hair over her forehead and wearing a pearl-shell necklace. -The housekeeper of the parish priest of Cebre, a famous cook, went -busily about the kitchen, and the pounding of the mortar and the -sizzling of oil could be heard. Two hours before the time of the -arrival of the stage-coach from Orense, that is to say at three -o'clock in the afternoon, the committee of the notabilities of the -Combista-radical party were already crossing the plaza, and Agonde -stood waiting on the threshold of his shop, having sacrificed to the -solemnity of the occasion his classic cap and velvet slippers, and -wearing patent-leather boots and a frock coat which made him look -more bull-necked and pot-bellied than ever. The coach from Orense was -entering the town from the side next the wood, and, at the tinkling -of the bells, the clatter of the hoofs of its eight mules and ponies, -the creaking of its unwieldy bulk, the inhabitants of Vilamorta -looked out of their windows and came to their doors; the reactionary -shop only remained closed and hostile. When the cumbrous vehicle -turned into the square the excitement increased; barefooted children -climbed on the coach steps, begging an _ochavo_ in whining accents; -the fruit-women sitting in the arches straightened themselves up to -obtain a better view, and only Cansin, the clothier, his hands in his -trousers' pockets, his feet thrust into slippers, continued walking -up and down his shop with an Olympic air of indifference. The -overseer reined in the team, saying in soothing accents to a -rebellious mule: - -"E-e-e-e-e-e-h! There, there, Canóniga." - -The brass band, drawn up before the town-hall, burst into a -deafening prelude, and the first rocket whizzed into the air sending -forth a shower of sparks. The crowd rushed _en masse_ toward the door -of the coach, to offer their hands, their arms, anything, and a stout -lady and a priest, with a cotton checked handkerchief tied around his -temples, alighted from it. Agonde, more amused than angry, made signs -to the musicians and the rocket-throwers to desist from their task. - -"He is not coming yet! he is not coming yet!" he shouted. In -effect, there were no other passengers in the omnibus. The overseer -hastened to explain: - -"They are just behind, not two steps off, as one might say. In -Count de Vilar's carriage, in the barouche. On the Señora's account. -The luggage is here. And they paid for the seats as if they had -occupied them." - -It was not long before the measured trot of Count de Vilar's pair -of horses was heard and the open carriage, of an old-fashioned style, -rolled majestically into the plaza. Reclining on the back seat was a -man enveloped, notwithstanding the heat, in a cloth cloak; at his -side sat a lady in a gray linen duster, the fanciful brim of her -traveling-hat standing out sharply against the pure blue of the sky. -In the front seat sat a little girl of some ten years and a -_mademoiselle_, a sort of transpyrenean nursery governess. Segundo, -who had kept in the background at the arrival of the diligence, this -time was less stubborn and the hand which, covered with a long Suède -glove, was stretched out in quest of a support, met with the -energetic and nervous pressure of another hand. The Minister's lady -looked with surprise at the gallant, gave him a reserved salutation -and, taking the arm Agonde offered her, walked quickly into the -apothecary's. - -The statesman was slower in alighting. His adherents looked at -him with surprise. He had changed greatly since his last visit to -Vilamorta--then in the midst of the revolution--some eight or ten -years before. His iron-gray hair, whiter on the temples, heightened -the yellow hue of his complexion; the whites of his eyes, too, were -yellow and streaked with little red veins; and his furrowed and -withered countenance bore unmistakable traces of the anxieties of the -struggle for social position, the vicissitudes of the political -bench, and the sedentary labors of the forum. His frame hung loosely -together, being wanting in the erectness which is the sign of -physical vigor. When the handshakings began, however, and the -"Delighted to see you----" "At last----" "After an age----" resounded -around him, the dying gladiator revived, straightened himself up, and -an amiable smile parted his thin lips, lending a pleasing expression -to the now stern mouth. He even opened his arms to Genday, who -squirmed in them like an eel, and he clapped the Alcalde on the back. -García, the lawyer, tried to attract attention to himself, to -distinguish himself among the others, saying in the serious tone of -one who expresses an opinion in a very delicate matter: - -"There, upstairs, upstairs now, to rest and to take some -refreshment." - -At last the commotion calmed down, the great man entering the -apothecary's, followed by García, Genday, the Alcalde, and Segundo. - -They seated themselves in Agonde's little parlor, respectfully -leaving to Don Victoriano the red rep sofa, around which they drew -their chairs in a semi-circle. Shortly afterward the ladies made -their appearance, and, now without her hat, it could be seen that -Señora de Comba was young and beautiful, seeming rather the elder -sister than the mother of the little girl. The latter, with her -luxuriant hair falling down her back and her precocious womanly -seriousness, had the aspect of a sickly plant, while her mother, a -smiling blonde, seemed overflowing with health. They spoke of the -journey, of the fertile borders of the Avieiro, of the weather, of -the road; the conversation was beginning to languish, when Agonde's -sister entered opportunely, preceded by the housekeeper of the -priest, carrying two enormous trays filled with smoking cups of -chocolate, for supper was a meal unknown to the hosts. When the trays -were set on the table and the chocolate handed around, the company -grew more animated. The Vilamortans, finding a congenial subject on -which to exercise their oratorical powers, began to press the -strangers, to eulogize the excellence of the viands, and calling -Señora de la Comba by her baptismal name, and adding an affectionate -diminutive to that of the little girl, they launched forth into -exclamations and questions. - -"Is the chocolate to your taste, Nieves?" - -"Do you like it thin or thick?" - -"Nieves, take that morsel of cake for my sake; you will find it -excellent; only we have the secret of making it." - -"Come, Victoriniña, don't be bashful; that fresh butter goes very -well with the hot bread." - -"A morsel of toasted sponge-cake. Ah-ha! You don't have cake like -that in Madrid, eh?" - -"No," answered the girl, in a clear and affected voice. "In -Madrid we eat crullers and doughnuts with our chocolate." - -"It is the fashion here to take sponge-cake with it, not -crullers. Take that one on the top, that brown one. That's nothing, a -bird could eat it." - -Don Victoriano joined in the conversation, praising the bread, -saying he could not eat it, as it had been absolutely prohibited to -him, for his malady required that he should abstain from starch and -gluten in every form--indeed, he had bread sent him from France, -bread prepared _ad hoc_ without those elements--and as he spoke, he -turned toward Agonde, who nodded with an air of intelligence, showing -that he understood the Latin phrase. And Don Victoriano regretted -doubly the prohibition now, for there was no bread to be compared to -the Vilamorta bread--which was better of its kind than cake, yes -indeed. The Vilamortans smiled, highly flattered, but García, with an -eloquent shake of the head, said that the bread was deteriorating, -that it was not now what it had formerly been, and that only Pellejo, -the baker of the plaza, made it conscientiously, having the patience -to select the wheat, grain by grain, not letting a single wormeaten -one pass. It was for this reason that his loaves turned out so sweet -and substantial. Then a discussion arose as to whether bread should -be porous or the contrary, and as to whether hot bread was wholesome. - -Don Victoriano, reanimated by these homely details, talked of his -childhood, of the slices of bread spread with butter or molasses -which he used to eat between meals, and when he added that his uncle, -the priest, occasionally administered a sound drubbing to him, a -smile once more softened the deep lines of his face. This expansion -of feeling gave a sweeter expression to his countenance, effacing -from it the traces left by years of strife, the scars of the wounds -received in the battle of life, illuminating it with a reflection -from his vanished youth. How he longed to see again a grapevine in -Las Vides from which he had robbed grapes a hundred times when he was -a child. - -"And you will rob them again now," exclaimed Clodio Genday gayly. -"We must tell the master of Las Vides to put a guard over the vine of -Jaen." - -The jest was received with demonstrations of hilarity, and the -girl laughed with her shrill laugh at the idea of her papa robbing a -grapevine. Segundo only smiled. His eyes were fixed on Don -Victoriano, and he was thinking of what his life had been. He went -over in his mind the history of the great man: At Segundo's age Don -Victoriano, too, was an obscure lawyer, buried in Vilamorta, eager to -break from the shell. He had gone to Madrid, where a celebrated -jurisconsult had taken him as his assistant. The jurisconsult was a -politician, and Victoriano followed in his footsteps. How did he -begin to prosper? This period was shrouded in obscurity. Some said -one thing, some another. Vilamorta found him, when it least expected, -its candidate and representative. Once in Congress Don Victoriano's -importance grew steadily, and when the Revolution of September came -it found him in a sufficiently exalted position to be improvised a -minister. The brief ministry gave him neither time to wear out his -popularity nor to give proof of special gifts, and, with his prestige -almost intact, the Restoration admitted him as a member of a -fusionist cabinet. He had just laid down the portfolio and come to -re-establish his shattered health in his native place, where his -influence was strong and incontestible, thanks to his alliance with -the illustrious house of Mendez de las Vides. Segundo asked himself -if a lot like Don Victoriano's would satisfy his aspirations. Don -Victoriano had wealth--stocks in banks and shares in railways among -whose directors the name of the able jurisconsult figured. Our -versifier raised his eyebrows disdainfully and glanced at the -Minister's wife; that graceful beauty certainly did not love her -lord. She was the daughter of a younger son of the house of Las -Vides--a magistrate; she had probably married her husband, allured by -his position. No; most assuredly the poet did not envy the -politician. Why had this man risen to the eminent position he -occupied? What extraordinary gifts did he possess? A diffuse -parliamentary orator, a passive minister, with some forensic -ability--sum total, a mediocrity. - -While these reflections were passing through Segundo's mind, -Señora de Comba amused herself by examining minutely the dress and -the appearance of everyone present. She took in every detail, under -her half-closed lids, of the toilet of Carmen Agonde, who was arrayed -in a tight-fitting deep blue bodice that sent the blood to her -plethoric cheeks. She next lowered her mocking glance to the -patent-leather boots of the pharmacist, and then raised them again to -Clodio Genday's fingers, stained by the cigar, and the purple and -white checked velvet waistcoat of the lawyer García. Finally, her -glance fell on Segundo, in critical examination of his attire. But -another glance, steady and ardent, cast it back like a shield. - - - - - V. - - -Agonde rose early on the following morning, and descended shortly -afterward to his shop, leaving his guests wrapped in their slumbers, -and Carmen charged, the moment they should stir, to pour the -chocolate into their mouths. The apothecary desired to enjoy the -effect produced in the town by Don Victoriano's sojourn in his house. -He was reclining in his leather-covered easy-chair when he saw -Tropiezo riding past on his gray mule, and called out to him: - -"Hello! Hello! Where are you bound for so early?" - -"For Doas, man. I have not a minute to spare." And saying this -the doctor alighted from his mule, which he tied to an iron ring -fastened in the wall. - -"Is the case so urgent?" - -"Urgent? That it is. The old woman, the grandmother of Ramon, the -confectioner. It appears she has already received the last -sacrament." - -"And it is only now they have sent for you?" - -"No; I went to see her yesterday, and I applied two dozen -leeches, that drew their fill of blood from her. She looked like a -dying kid; she was very weak, and as thin as a wafer. Perhaps if I -had given her something that I thought of, instead of applying -leeches----" - -"Ah! a trip," interrupted Agonde maliciously. - -"Life is a series of trips," responded the doctor, shrugging his -shoulders. "And upstairs?" he added, raising his eyes interrogatively -to the ceiling. - -"Snoring like princes." - -"And he--how does he look?" asked Don Fermin, lowering his voice -and dwelling on every word. - -"He?" repeated Agonde, following his example. "So-so. Oldish. And -very gray." - -"But what is the matter with him? Let us hear. For as to being -sick, he is that." - -"He has--a new disease--a very strange one, one of the latest -fashion." And Agonde smiled maliciously. - -"New?" - -Agonde half-closed his eyes, bent toward Tropiezo, and whispered -something in his ear. - -Tropiezo burst into a laugh; suddenly he looked very serious, and -tapping his nose repeatedly with his forefinger: - -"I know, I know," he said emphatically. "And the waters here, and -some others in France, are the only cure for that disease. If he -drinks a few glasses from the spring, he will be himself again." - -Tropiezo emitted his dictamen leaning on the counter, forgetful -of the mule that was stamping impatiently at the door. - -"And the Señora--what does she say of her husband's state of -health?" he suddenly asked, with a wink. - -"What should she say of it, man? Probably she does not know that -it is serious." - -A look of derision lighted up the inexpressive features of the -physician; he glanced at Agonde and smothering another burst of -laughter, began: - -"The Señora--" - -"Chut!" interrupted the apothecary furiously. The whole Comba -family were making an irruption into the shop through the small door -of the porch. Mother and daughter formed a charming group, both -wearing wide-brimmed hats of coarse straw adorned with enormous bows -of flame-colored bunting. Their écru cotton gowns embroidered with -red braid completed the rustic character of their costumes, reminding -one of a bunch of poppies and straw. The girl's luxuriant dark hair -hung loose over her shoulders, and the fair locks of the mother -curled in a tangled mass under the shade of her broad-brimmed hat. -Nieves did not wear gloves nor was there visible on her face a trace -of powder, or of any other of the cosmetics whose use is imputed -unjustly by the women of the provinces to the Madridlenians; on the -contrary, her rosy ears and neck showed signs of energetic friction -with the towel and cold water. As for Don Victoriano, the ravages -made in his countenance by care and sickness were still more apparent -in the morning light; it was not, as Agonde had said, age that was -visible there; it was virility, but tortured, exhausted, wounded to -death. - -"Why! Have you had chocolate already?" asked Agonde, in -confusion. - -"No, friend Saturnino, nor shall we take it, with your -permission, until we return. Don't trouble yourself on our account. -Victoriniña has ransacked your pantry--your closets----" - -The child half opened a handkerchief which she held by the four -corners, disclosing a provision of bread, cake, and the cheese of the -country. - -"At least let me bring you a whole cheese. I will go see if there -is not some fresh bread, just out of the oven----" - -Don Victoriano objected--let him not be deprived of the pleasure -of going to breakfast in the poplar-grove near the spring, just as he -had done when a boy. Agonde remarked that those articles of food were -not wholesome for him, to which Tropiezo, scratching the tip of his -ear, responded sceptically: - -"Bah! bah! bah! Those are new-fangled notions. What is wholesome -for the body--can't they understand that--is what the body craves. If -the gentleman likes bread--and for your malady, Señor Don Victoriano, -there is nothing like the waters here. I don't know why people go to -give their money to those French when we have better things at home -than any they can give us." - -The Minister looked at Tropiezo with keen interest depicted on -his countenance. He called to mind his last visit to Sanchez del -Abrojo and the contraction of the lips with which the learned -practitioner had said to him: - -"I would send you to Carlsbad or to Vichy, but those waters are -not always beneficial. At times they hasten the natural course of a -disease. Rest for a time, and diet yourself--we will see how you are -when you return in the autumn." And what a look Sanchez del Abrojo -put on when he said this! An impenetrable, sphinx-like expression. -The positive assertion of Tropiezo awoke tumultuous hopes in Don -Victoriano's breast. This village practitioner must know a great deal -from experience, more perhaps than the pompous doctors of the -capital. - -"Come, papa," said the child impatiently, pulling him by the -sleeve. - -They took the path toward the grove. Vilamorta, naturally given -to early rising, was more full of activity at this hour than in the -afternoon. The shops were open, the baskets of the fruit-venders were -already filled with fruit. Cansin walked up and down his -establishment with his hands in his pockets, affecting to have -noticed nothing, so as not to be obliged to bid good-morning to -Agonde and acknowledge his triumph. Pellejo, covered with flour, was -haggling with three shopkeepers from Cebre, who wanted to buy some of -his best wheat. Ramon, the confectioner, was dividing chocolate into -squares on a large board placed on the counter and rapidly stamping -them with a hot iron before they should have time to cool. - -The morning was cloudless and the sun was already unusually hot. -The party, augmented by García and Genday, walked through orchards -and cornfields until they reached the entrance to the walk. Don -Victoriano uttered an exclamation of joy. It was the same double row -of elms bordering the river, the foaming and joyous Avieiro, that ran -on sparkling in gentle cascades, washing with a pleasant murmur the -rocks, worn smooth by the action of the current. He recognized the -thick osier plantations; he remembered all his longings of the day -before and leaned, full of emotion, on the parapet of the walk. The -scene was almost deserted; half a dozen melancholy and -bilious-looking individuals, visitors to the springs, were walking -slowly up and down, discussing their ailments in low tones, and -eructating the bicarbonate of the waters. Nieves, leaning back on a -stone bench, gazed at the river. The child touched her on the -shoulder, saying: - -"Mamma, the young man we saw yesterday." - -On the opposite bank Segundo García was standing on a rock, -absorbed in meditation, his straw hat pushed far back on his head, -his hand resting on his hip, doubtless with the purpose of preserving -his equilibrium in so dangerous a position. Nieves reproved the -little girl, saying: - -"Don't be silly, child. You startled me. Salute the gentleman." - -"He is not looking this way. Ah! now he is looking. Salute him, -you, mamma. He is taking off his hat, he is going to fall! There! now -he is safe." - -Don Victoriano descended the stone steps leading to the spring. -The abode of the naiad was a humble grotto--a shed supported on rough -posts, a small basin overflowing with the water from the spring, some -wretched hovels for the bathers, and a strong and sickening odor of -rotten eggs, caused by the stagnation of the sulphur water, were all -that the fastidious tourist found there. Notwithstanding this, Don -Victoriano's soul was filled with the purest joy. In this naiad he -beheld his youth, his lost youth--the age of illusions, of hopes -blooming as the banks of the Avieiro. How many mornings had he come -to drink from the fountain, for a jest, to wash his face with the -water, which enjoyed throughout the country the reputation of -possessing extraordinary curative virtue for the eyes. Don Victoriano -stretched out his hands, plunged them into the warm current, feeling -it slip through his fingers with delight, and playing with it and -caressing it as one caresses a loved being. But the undulating form -of the naiad escaped from him as youth escapes from us--without the -possibility of detaining it. Then the ex-Minister felt a thirst -awaken in him to drink the waters. Beside him on the edge of the -basin was a glass; and the keeper, a poor old man in his dotage, -presented it to him with an idiotic smile. Don Victoriano drank, -closing his eyes, with indescribable pleasure, enjoying the -mysterious water, charmed by the magic arts of memory. When he had -drained the glass he drew himself up and ascended the stairs with a -firm and elastic step. Victoriniña, who was breakfasting on bread and -cheese in the avenue, was astonished when her father took a piece of -bread from her lap, saying gayly: - -"We are all God's creatures." - - - - - VI. - - -Almost as much as by Don Victoriano's arrival was Vilamorta -excited by the arrival of Señor de las Vides, accompanied by his -steward, Primo Genday. This event happened on the afternoon of the -memorable day on which Don Victoriano had infringed the commands of -science by eating half a pound of fresh bread. At three o'clock, -under a blazing sun, Genday the elder and Mendez entered the plaza, -the latter mounted on a powerful mule, the former on an ordinary nag. - -Señor de las Vides was a little old man as dry as a vine branch. -His carefully shaven cheeks, his thin lips and aristocratically -pointed nose and chin, his shrewd, kind eyes, surrounded by -innumerable crows' feet, his intellectual profile, his beardless -face, called loudly for the curled wig, the embroidered coat and the -gold snuff-box of the Campomanes and Arandas. With his delicate and -expressive countenance the countenance of Primo Genday contrasted -strongly. The steward's complexion was white and red, he had the fine -and transparent skin, showing the full veins underneath, of those who -are predisposed to hemiplegy. His eyes were of a greenish color, one -of them being attached, as it were, to the lax and drooping lid, -while the other rolled around with mischievous vivacity. His silvery -curls gave him a distant resemblance to Louis Philippe, as he is -represented on the coins which bear his effigy. - -By a combination not unusual in small towns Primo Genday and his -brother Clodio served under opposite political banners, both being in -reality of one mind and both pursuing the same end; Clodio ranged -himself on the side of the radicals, Primo was the support of the -Carlist party, and in cases of emergency, in the electoral contests, -they clasped hands over the fence. When the hoofs of Primo Genday's -nag resounded on the paving-stones, the windows of the reactionary -shop were opened and two or three hands were waved in friendly -welcome. Primo paused, and Mendez continued on his way to Agonde's -door, where he dismounted. - -He was received in Don Victoriano's arms, and then disappeared -among the shadows of the staircase. The mule remained fastened to the -ring, stamping impatiently, while the onlookers on the plaza -contemplated with respect the nobleman's old-fashioned harness of -embossed leather, ornamented with silver, bright with use. One after -another other mules and horses were brought to join the first comer. -And the crowd assigned them their riders with considerable judgment. -The chestnut nag of the alguazil, a fine animal, with a saddle and a -silk headstall, was no doubt for the Minister. The black donkey with -the side-saddle--who could doubt that it was for the Señora? The -other gentle white donkey they would give to the little girl. The -Alcalde's ass was for the maid. Agonde would ride the mare he always -rode, the Morena, that had more malanders on her head than hairs in -her tail. During this time the radicals, García, Clodio, Genday, and -Ramon, were discussing the respective merits of the animals and the -condition of their trappings and calculating the probabilities of -their being able to reach Las Vides before nightfall. The lawyer -shook his head, saying emphatically and sententiously: - -"They are taking their time about it if they expect to do that." - -"And they are bringing the alguazil's horse for Don Victoriano!" -exclaimed the tobacconist. "Tricky as the very devil! There will be a -scene. When you rode him, Segundo, did he play you no trick?" - -"Me, no. But he is lively." - -"You shall see, you shall see." - -The travelers were now coming out of the house, and the cavalcade -began to form. The ladies seated themselves in their side-saddles and -the men settled their feet in their stirrups. Then the scene -predicted by the tobacconist took place, to the great scandal and the -further delay of the party. As soon as the alguazil's nag became -aware of the presence of a female of his race he began to snuff the -air excitedly, neighing fiercely. Don Victoriano gathered up the -reins, but, before the animal had felt the iron in his mouth, he -became so unmanageable, first rearing, then kicking violently, and -finally turning his head around to try to bite his rider's legs, that -Don Victoriano, somewhat pale, thought it prudent to dismount. -Agonde, furious, dismounted also. - -"What an infernal animal!" he cried. "Here, brutes--who told you -to bring the alguazil's horse? One would suppose you didn't know it -was a wild beast. You--Alcalde, or you, García--quick, go for -Requinto's mule; it is only two steps from here. Señor Don -Victoriano, take my mule. And that tiger, to the stable with him!" - -"No," interrupted Segundo, "I will ride him as he is already -saddled. I will go with you as far as the cross." - -And Segundo, providing himself with a strong switch, caught the -nag by the mane and at a bound was in the saddle. Instead of leaning -his weight on the stirrup he pressed the animal's sides between his -legs, raining a shower of blows at the same time on his head. The -animal, which was already beginning to curvet and prance again, gave -a snort of pain, and now, quivering and subdued, obeyed his rider's -touch. The cavalcade put itself in motion as soon as Requinto's mule -was brought, after handshakings, waving of hats, and even a timid -_viva_, from what quarter no one knew. The cortége proceeded along -the highway, the mare and the mules heading the procession, the -donkeys following behind, and at their side the nag, kept in order by -dint of switching. The sun was sinking in the west, turning the dust -of the road into gold; the chestnut trees cast lengthened shadows on -the ground, and from the osier-brake came a pleasant breeze laden -with moisture from the river. - -Segundo rode along in silence; Victoriniña, delighted to be -riding on a donkey, smiled, making fruitless efforts to hide with her -frock her sharp knee-bones, which the shape of the saddle compelled -her to raise and uncover. Nieves, leaning back in her saddle, opened -her rose-lined écru lace parasol, and, as they started, drew from her -bosom a diminutive watch, which she consulted for the hour. A few -moments of embarrassed silence followed. At last Segundo felt that it -was necessary to say something: - -"How are you doing, Victoriniña?" he said to the child. "Are you -comfortable?" - -"Yes, quite comfortable." - -"I warrant you would rather ride on my horse. If you are not -afraid I will take you before me." - -The girl, whose embarrassment had now reached its height, lowered -her eyes without answering; her mother, smiling graciously, however, -now joined in the conversation. - -"And tell me, García, why don't you address the child as _thou_? -You treat her with so much ceremony! You will make her fancy she is a -young lady already." - -"I should not dare to do so without her permission." - -"Come, Victoriniña, tell this gentleman he has your permission." - -The child took refuge in that invincible muteness of growing -girls whom an exquisite and precocious sensibility renders painfully -shy. A smile parted her lips, and at the same time her eyes filled -with tears. Mademoiselle said something gently to her in French; -meanwhile Nieves and Segundo, laughing confidentially at the -incident, found the way smoothed for them to begin a conversation. - -"When do you think we shall arrive at Las Vides? Is it a pretty -place? Shall we be comfortable there? How will it agree with -Victoriano? What sort of a life shall we lead? Shall we have many -visitors? Is there a garden?" - -"Las Vides is a beautiful place," said Segundo. "It has an air of -antiquity--a lordly air, as it were. I like the escutcheon, and a -magnificent grapevine that covers the courtyard, and the camellias -and lemon trees in the orchards, that look like good-sized chestnut -trees, and the view of the river, and, above all, a pine grove that -talks and even sings--don't laugh--that sings; yes, Señora, and -better than most professional singers. Don't you believe it? Well, -you shall see for yourself presently." - -Nieves looked with lively curiosity at the young man and then -hastily turned her glance aside, remembering the quick and nervous -hand-pressure of the day before, when she was alighting from the -carriage. For the second time in the space of a few hours this young -man had surprised her. Nieves led an extremely regular life in -Madrid--the life of the middle classes, in which all the incidents -are commonplace. She went to mass and shopped in the morning; in the -afternoon she went to the Retiro, or made visits; in the evening she -went to her parents' house or to the theater with her husband; on -rare occasions to some ball or banquet at the house of the Duke of -Puenteanchas, a client of Don Victoriano's. When the latter received -the portfolio it made little change in Nieves' way of life. She -received a few more salutations than before in the Retiro; the clerks -in the shops were more attentive to her; the Duchess of Puenteanchas -said some flattering things to her, calling her "pet," and here ended -for Nieves the pleasure of the ministry. The trip to Vilamorta, the -picturesque country of which she had so often heard her father speak, -was a novel incident in her monotonous life. Segundo seemed to her a -curious detail of the journey. He looked at her and spoke to her in -so odd a way. Bah, fancies! Between this young man and herself there -was nothing in common. A passing acquaintance, like so many others to -be met here at every step. So the pines sang, did they? A misfortune -for Gayarre! And Nieves smiled graciously, dissembling her strange -thoughts and went on asking questions, to which Segundo responded in -expressive phrases. Night was beginning to fall. Suddenly, the -cavalcade, leaving the highroad, turned into a path that led among -pine groves and woods. At a turn of the path could be seen the -picturesque dark stone cross, whose steps invited to prayer or to -sentimental reverie. Agonde stopped here and took his leave of the -party, and Segundo followed his example. - -As the tinkling of the donkeys' bells grew fainter in the -distance Segundo felt an inexplicable sensation of loneliness and -abandonment steal over him, as if he had just parted forever from -persons who were dear to him or who played an important part in his -life. "A pretty fool I am!" said the poet to himself. "What have I to -do with these people or they with me? Nieves has invited me to spend -a few days at Las Vides, _en famille_. When Nieves returns to Madrid -this winter she will speak of me as 'That lawyer's son, that we met -at Vilamorta.' Who am I? What position should I occupy in her house? -An altogether secondary one. That of a boy who is treated with -consideration because his father disposes of votes." - -While Segundo was thus caviling, the apothecary overtook him, and -horse and mule pursued their way side by side. In the twilight the -poet could distinguish the placid smile of Agonde, his red cheeks, -looking redder in contrast to the lustrous black mustache, his -expression of sensual amiability and epicurean beatitude. An enviable -lot was the apothecary's. This man was happy in his comfortable and -well-ordered shop, with his circle of friends, his cap and his -embroidered slippers, taking life as one takes a glass of cordial, -sipping it with enjoyment, in peace and harmony, along with the other -guests at the banquet of life. Why should not Segundo be satisfied -with what satisfied Agonde perfectly? Whence came this longing for -something that was not precisely money, nor pleasure, nor fame, nor -love--which partook of all these, which embraced them all and which -perhaps nothing would satisfy? - -"Segundo." - -"Eh?" he answered, turning his head toward Agonde. - -"How silent you are, my boy! What do you think of the Minister?" - -"What would you have me think of him?" - -"And the Señora? Come, you have noticed her, I warrant. She wears -black silk stockings, like the priests. When she was mounting the -donkey----" - -"I am going to take a gallop as far as Vilamorta. Do you care to -join me, Saturnino?" - -"Gallop with this mule? I should arrive there with my stomach in -my mouth. Gallop you, if you have a fancy for doing so." - -The nag galloped for half a league or so, urged by his rider's -whip. As they drew near the canebrake by the river, Segundo slackened -his horse's gallop to a very slow walk. It was now almost dark and -the cool mists rose, moist and clinging, from the bosom of the -Avieiro. Segundo remembered that it was two or three days since he -had put his foot in Leocadia's house. No doubt the schoolmistress was -now fretting herself to death, weeping and watching for him. This -thought brought sudden balm to Segundo's wounded spirit. How tenderly -Leocadia loved him! With what joy did she welcome him! How deeply his -poetry, his words, moved her! And he--why was it that he did not -share her ardor? Of this exclusive, this absolute, boundless love, -Segundo had never deigned to accept even the half; and of all the -tender terms of endearment invented by the muse he chose for Leocadia -the least poetical, the least romantic; as we separate the gold and -silver in our purse from the baser coin, setting aside for the beggar -the meanest copper, so did Segundo dispense with niggard hand the -treasures of his love. A hundred times had it happened to him, in his -walks through the country, to fill his hat with violets, with -hyacinths and branches of blackberry blossoms, only to throw them all -into the river on reaching the village, in order not to carry them to -Leocadia. - - - - - VII. - - -While she distributed their tasks among the children, saying to -one, "Take care to make this hem straight," to another, "Make this -seam even, the stitch smaller," to a third, "Use your handkerchief -instead of your dress," and to still another, "Sit still, child, -don't move your feet," Leocadia cast a glance from time to time -toward the plaza in the hope of seeing Segundo pass by. But no -Segundo was to be seen. The flies settled themselves to sleep, -buzzing, on the ceiling; the heat abated; the afternoon came, and the -children went away. Leocadia felt a profound sadness take possession -of her and, without waiting to put the house in order, she went to -her room and threw herself on the bed. - -The glass door was pushed gently open, and some one entered -softly. - -"Mamma," said the intruder, in a low voice. - -The schoolmistress did not answer. - -"Mamma, mamma," repeated the hunchback, in a louder voice. -"Mamma!" he shouted at last. - -"Is that you? What do you want?" - -"Are you ill?" - -"No, child." - -"As you went to bed----' - -"I have a slight headache. There, leave me in peace." - -Minguitos turned round and walked in silence toward the door. As -her eyes fell on the protuberance of his back, a sharp pang pierced -the heart of the schoolmistress. How many tears that hump had cost -her in other days. She raised herself on her elbow. - -"Minguitos!" she called. - -"What is it, mamma?" - -"Don't go away. How do you feel to-day? Have you any pain?" - -"I feel pretty well, mamma. Only my chest hurts me." - -"Let me see; come here." - -Leocadia sat up in the bed and, taking the child's head between -her hands, looked at him with a mother's hungry look. Minguitos' face -was long and of a melancholy cast; the prominent lower jaw was in -keeping with the twisted and misshapen body that reminded one of a -building shaken out of shape by an earthquake or a tree twisted by a -hurricane. Minguitos' deformity was not congenital. He had always -been sickly, indeed, and it had always been remarked that his head -seemed too heavy for his body, and that his legs seemed too frail to -support him. Leocadia recalled one by one the incidents of his -childhood. At five years old the boy had met with an accident--a fall -down the stairs; from that day he lost all his liveliness; he walked -little and never ran. He contracted a habit of sitting Turkish -fashion, playing marbles for hours at a time. If he rose his legs -soon warned him to sit down again. When he stood, his movements were -vacillating and awkward. When he was quiet he felt no pain, but when -he turned any part of his body, he experienced slight pains in the -spinal column. The trouble increased with time; the boy complained of -a feeling as if an iron band were compressing his chest. Then his -mother, now thoroughly alarmed, consulted a famous physician, the -best in Orense. He prescribed frictions with iodine, large doses of -phosphates of lime, and sea-bathing. Leocadia hastened with the boy -to a little sea-port. After taking two or three baths, the trouble -increased; he could not bend his body; his spinal column was rigid -and it was only when he was in a horizontal position that he felt any -relief from his now severe pains. Sores appeared on his skin, and one -morning when Leocadia begged him with tears to straighten himself, -and tried to lift him up by the arms, he uttered a horrible cry. - -"I am broken in two, mamma--I am broken in two," he repeated with -anguish, while his mother, with trembling fingers sought to find what -had caused his cry. - -It was true! The backbone had bent outward, forming an angle on a -level with his shoulderblades, the softened vertebræ had sunk and -_cifosis_, the hump, the indelible mark of irremediable calamity, was -to deform henceforth this child who was dearer to her than her life. -The schoolmistress had had a moment of animal and sublime anguish, -the anguish of the wild beast that sees its young mutilated. She had -uttered shriek after shriek, cursing the doctor, cursing herself, -tearing her hair and digging her nails into her flesh. Afterward -tears had come and she had showered kisses, delirious, but soothing -and sweet, on the boy, and her grief took a resigned form. During -nine years Leocadia had had no other thought than to watch over her -little cripple by night and by day, sheltering him in her love, -amusing with ingenious inventions the idle hours of his sedentary -childhood. A thousand incidents of this time recurred to Leocadia's -memory. The boy suffered from obstinate dyspnoea, due to the pressure -of the sunken vertebræ on the respiratory organs, and his mother -would get up in the middle of the night and go in her bare feet to -listen to his breathing and to raise his pillows. As these -recollections came to her mind Leocadia felt her heart melt and -something stir within her like the remains of a great love, the warm -ashes of an immense fire, and she experienced the unconscious -reaction of maternity, the irresistible impulse which makes a mother -see in her grown-up son only the infant she has nursed and protected, -to whom she would have given her blood, if it had been necessary, -instead of milk. And uttering a cry of love, pressing her feverish -lips passionately to the pallid temples of the hunchback, she said, -falling back naturally into the caressing expressions of the dialect: - -"_Malpocadiño._ Who loves you? say, who loves you dearly? Who?" - -"You don't love me, mamma. You don't love me," the boy returned, -half-smiling, leaning his head with delight on the bosom that had -sheltered his sad childhood. The mother, meantime, wildly kissed his -hair, his neck, his eyes--as if to make up for lost time--lavishing -upon him the honeyed words with which infants are beguiled, words -profaned in hours of passion, which overflowed in the pure channel of -maternal love. - -"My treasure--my king--my glory." - -At last the hunchback felt a tear fall on his cheek. Delicious -assuagement! At first, the tears were large and round, scorching -almost, but soon they came in a gentle shower and then ceased -altogether, and there remained where they had fallen only a grateful -sense of coolness. Passionate phrases rushed simultaneously from the -lips of mother and son. - -"Do you love me dearly, dearly, dearly? As much as your whole -life?" - -"As much, my life, my treasure." - -"Will you always love me?" - -"Always, always, my joy." - -"Will you do something to please me, mamma? I want to ask -you----" - -"What?" - -"A favor. Don't turn your face away!" - -The hunchback observed that his mother's form suddenly grew stiff -and rigid as a bar of iron. He no longer felt the sweet warmth of her -moist eyelids, and the gentle contact of her wet lashes on his cheek. -In a voice that had a metallic sound Leocadia asked her son: - -"And what is the favor you want? Let me hear it." - -Minguitos murmured without bitterness, with resignation: - -"Nothing, mamma, nothing. I was only in jest." - -"But what was the favor you were going to ask me?" - -"Nothing, nothing, indeed." - -"No, you wanted to ask something," persisted the schoolmistress, -seizing the pretext to give vent to her anger. "Otherwise you are -very deceitful and very sly. You keep everything hidden in your -breast. Those are the lessons Flores teaches you; do you think I -don't notice it?" - -Saying this, she pushed the boy away from her, and sprang from -the bed. In the hall outside almost at the same moment was heard a -firm and youthful step. Leocadia trembled, and turning to Minguitos, -stammered: - -"Go, go to Flores. Leave me alone. I do not feel well, and you -make me worse," - -Segundo's brow was clouded, and as soon as the joy of seeing him -had subsided Leocadia was seized with the desire to restore him to -good humor. She waited patiently for a fitting opportunity, however, -and when this came, throwing her arms around his neck, she began with -the complaint: Where had he kept himself? Why had he stayed away so -long? The poet unburdened himself of his grievances. It was -intolerable to follow in the train of a great man. And allowing -himself to be carried away by the pleasure of speaking of what -occupied his mind he described Don Victoriano and the radicals, he -satirized Agonde's reception of his guests, his manner of -entertaining them, spoke of the hopes he founded in the protection of -the ex-Minister, giving them as a reason for the necessity of paying -court to Don Victoriano. Leocadia fixed her dog-like look on -Segundo's countenance. - -"And the Señora and the girl--what are they like?" - -Segundo half-closed his eyes the better to contemplate an -attractive and charming image that presented itself to his mental -vision, and to reflect that in the existence of Nieves he played no -part whatsoever, it being manifest folly for him to think of Señora -de Comba, who did not think of him. This reflection, natural and -simple enough, aroused his anger. There was awakened within him a -keen longing for the unattainable, that insensate and unbridled -desire with which the likeness of a beautiful woman dead for -centuries may inspire some dreamer in a museum. - -"But answer me--are those ladies handsome?" the schoolmistress -asked again. - -"The mother, yes"--answered Segundo, speaking with the careless -frankness of one who is secure of his auditor. "Her hair is fair, and -her eyes are blue--a light blue that makes one think of the verses of -Becquer." And he began to recite: - - "'Tu pupila es azul, y cuando ries - Su claridad suave me recuerda----'" - -Leocadia listened to him at first with eyes cast down; afterward -with her face turned away from him. When he had finished the poem she -said in an altered voice, with feigned calmness. - -"They will invite you to go there." - -"Where?" - -"To Las Vides, of course. I hear they intend to have a great deal -of company." - -"Yes; they have given me a pressing invitation, but I shall not -go. Uncle Clodio insists upon it that I ought to cultivate the -friendship of Don Victoriano so that he may be of use to me in Madrid -and help me to get a position there. But, child, to go and play a -sorry part is not to my liking. This suit is the best I have, and it -is in last year's fashion. If they play tresillo or give tips to the -servants--and it is impossible to make my father understand this--and -I shall not try to do so: God forbid. So that they shall not catch a -sight of me in Las Vides." - -When she heard what his intentions were, Leocadia's countenance -cleared up, and rising, radiant with happiness, she ran to the -kitchen. Flores was washing plates and cups and saucers by the light -of a lamp, knocking them angrily together and rubbing savagely. - -"The coffee-pot--did you clean it?" - -"Presently, presently," responded the old woman. "Anyone would -think that one was made of wood, that one is never to get tired--that -one can do things flying." - -"Give it to me, I will clean it. Put more wood on the fire; it is -going out and the beefsteak will be spoiled." And so saying Leocadia -washed the coffee-pot, cleaning the filter with a knitting-needle, -and put some fresh water down to boil in a new saucepan, throwing -more wood on the fire. - -"Yes, heap on wood," growled Flores, "as we get it for nothing!" - -Leocadia, who was slicing some potatoes for the beefsteak, paid -no attention to her. When she had cut up as many as she judged -necessary, she washed her hands hastily in the jar of the drain, full -of dirty water, on whose surface floated large patches of grease. She -then hurried to the parlor where Segundo was waiting for her, and -soon afterward Flores brought in the supper, which they ate, seated -at a small side-table. By the time they had got to the coffee Segundo -began to be more communicative. This coffee was what Leocadia most -prided herself on. She had bought a set of English china, an -imitation lacquer-box, a _vermeil_ sugar-tongs and two small silver -spoons, and she always placed on the table with the coffee a -liquor-stand, supplied with cumin, rum, and anisette. At the third -glass, of cumin, seeing the poet amiable and propitious, Leocadia put -her arm around his neck. He drew back brusquely, noticing with strong -repulsion the odor of cooking and of parsley with which the garments -of the schoolmistress were impregnated. - -At this moment precisely Minguitos, after letting his shoes drop -on the floor, was drawing the coverlet around him with a sigh. -Flores, seated on a low chair, began to recite the rosary. The sick -child required, to put him to sleep, the monotonous murmur of the -husky voice which had lulled him to rest, ever since his mother had -ceased to keep him company at bedtime. The Ave Marias and Gloria -Patris, mumbled rather than pronounced, little by little dulled -thought and, by the time the litany was reached, sleep had stolen -over him, and, half-unconscious, it was with difficulty he made the -responses to the barbarous phrases of the old woman: "Juana celi--Ora -pro nobis--Sal-es-enfermorun--nobis--Refajos -pecadorum--bis--Consolate flitorum--sss----" - -The only response was the labored, restless, uneven breathing -that came through the sleeping boy's half-closed lips. Flores softly -put out the tallow candle, took off her shoes, in order to make no -noise, and stole out gently, feeling her way along the dining-room -wall. From the moment in which Minguitos fell asleep there was no -more rattling of dishes in the kitchen. - - - - - VIII. - - -It was late before the Swan blew out the tallow candle which Aunt -Gáspara placed every day, always with much grumbling, in his brass -candlestick. Seated at the little table littered with books, he had -before him a sheet of paper half covered with lines of unequal -length, variegated with blots and corrections, little heaps of sand, -and here and there a flourish. Segundo would not have slept all night -if he had not first written down the poem which, from the moment he -had left the cross, had been running through his brain. Only that, -before taking up the pen, he seemed to have the poem already composed -in his head, so that all he had to do was to turn the spigot and it -would flow out in a stream, and when he took the pen in his hand the -verses, instead of rushing forth, hid themselves or vanished. A few -strophes fell on the paper, rounded, fluent, finished, with -harmonious and opportune rhymes, with a certain sweetness and -sonorousness extremely delightful to the author himself, who -scribbled them down hastily before they should take flight. Of -others, however, only the first two lines occurred to him, and, -perhaps, the fourth--this last rounded, effective; but the third line -was wanting and he must hunt for it, fill up the space, graft on the -syllables to eke out the meter. The poet paused and looked up at the -ceiling, biting the ends of his mustache, and then the idle pen -traced, obeying the mechanical impulse of the hand, a cocked hat, a -comet, or some other equally irrelevant design. Sometimes after -rejecting seven or eight rhymes he would content himself with the -ninth, which was neither better nor worse than the others. When a -superfluous syllable would cause a line to halt, he must look for -another adverb, another adjective. And the accents! If the poet could -only enjoy the privilege, of saying, eternél, for instance, instead -of etérnel, it would be so easy to write verses! - -Confounded technical difficulties! The divine fire of inspiration -glowed and burned in Segundo's mind, but as soon as he tried to -transfer it to the paper, to give expression to what he felt--to -condense, in words, a world of dreams, a psychic nebula--his mind -became a blank. To unite the form with the idea, to imprison feeling -in the golden links of rhyme! Ah, what a light and flowery chain in -appearance, and how hard to weave in reality! How deceptive the -natural grace, the facile harmony of the master! How easy it seems to -express simple, familiar images, to utter the chimeras of the -imagination and the heart in easy and flowing meter, and yet how -impossible it is, for him who is not called Becquer, to give his -verse those palpitating, diaphanous, azure wings on which the -Becquerian butterfly soars! - -While the Swan continues his task of effacing and correcting, -Leocadia is in her bedroom, preparing to retire. On other nights she -went to her room with a smile on her lips, her face glowing, her eyes -humid and half-closed, with deep circles under them, her hair in -disorder. And on those nights she was in no hurry to retire; she -would busy herself arranging the articles on her bureau, she would -even look at herself in the glass of her cheap toilet table. To-night -her lips were dry, her cheeks pale, she went at once to bed, loosened -her clothing, and let it fall on the floor, put out the light and -buried her face in the cool, thick cotton sheets. She did not wish to -think, all she wished was to forget and to sleep. She tried to lie -still. A thousand needles seemed to pierce her flesh; she turned -around, in search of a cool spot, then turned again in search of -another, and presently she threw off the sheets. She felt a horrible -restlessness, a savor of bitterness in her mouth. In the silence of -the night she could hear the tumultuous beating of her heart; if she -lay on her left side its noise almost deafened her. She tried to fix -her thoughts on indifferent subjects, and repeated to herself with -monotonous and persistent regularity--"To-morrow is Sunday, the -children will not come." In vain; her brain boiled, her blood burned -as before. Leocadia was jealous. - -Measureless, nameless torture! Hitherto the poor schoolmistress -had not known the accompaniment of love, jealousy, whose barbed sting -pierces the soul, whose consuming fire dries up the blood, whose -chill freezes the heart, whose restless anguish makes the nerves -quiver. Segundo scarcely noticed the young girls of Vilamorta; as for -the peasant girls, they did not exist for him, he did not even regard -them as women; so that Leocadia had attributed the poet's hours of -coldness to the bad offices of the muses. But now! She recalled the -poem, "A los ojos azules," and his manner of reciting it. Those -honeyed verses were to her gall and wormwood. Tears sprang to her -eyes, and she broke into convulsive sobs which shook her frame and -made the bedstead creak and the cornhusks of the mattress rustle. -Still her overwrought brain did not suspend its activity. There was -not a doubt but that Segundo was in love with Señora de Comba; but -she was a married woman. Bah! in Madrid and in novels all the married -women have lovers. And then, who could resist Segundo, a poet who was -the rival of Becquer, who was young, handsome, ardent, when he wished -to be so? - -What could Leocadia do to avert this great calamity? Was it not -better to resign herself to it? Ah, resignation, that is easily said! -Why had God denied her the power to express her feelings? Why had she -not knelt before Segundo, begging him for a little love, describing -to him and communicating to him the flame that consumed the marrow of -her bones? Why had she remained mute when she had so many things to -say? Segundo would not go to Las Vides; so much the better. He had no -money; better still. He would accept no position, he would not leave -Vilamorta, better and better. But what did it matter if after all -Segundo did not love her; if he had turned away from her with a -gesture which she could still see in the darkness, or rather in the -lurid light of jealousy. - -How warm the night was! How restless she felt! She got out of bed -and threw herself on the floor, thinking to find some relief in the -coolness of the boards. Instead of feeling any alleviation she was -seized with a fit of trembling. A lump seemed to rise in her throat -that prevented her from breathing. She made an effort to stand up but -found that she was not able; she felt a hysterical attack coming on, -but she tried to restrain her cries, her sobs, her contortions, in -order not to awaken Flores. For a time she succeeded; but at last the -nervous crisis conquered; her rigid limbs writhed, she dug her nails -into her throat, she rolled about and beat her temples against the -floor. Then a cold perspiration broke out over her body, and for a -moment she lost consciousness. When she returned to herself she was -calm but exhausted. She rose to her feet, went back to bed, drew the -clothing over her and sank into a sort of stupor, in which there was -neither thought nor feeling. The beneficent sleep of early morning -had wrapped her senses in oblivion. - -She woke late, unrested, exhausted, and, as it were, stupefied. -She could scarcely manage to dress herself; it seemed to her as if a -year had passed since the night before, and as for her jealous rage, -her projects of resistance--how could she have thought of such -things? All that mattered to her, all she desired, was that Segundo -should be happy, that he should achieve his high destiny, that he -should be famous. The rest was madness, a convulsion, an attack of -the nerves to which she had given way, overcome by the sense of her -loneliness. - -The schoolmistress opened the bureau-drawer in which she kept her -savings and the money for the household expenses. Beside a pile of -stockings was a slim and flabby purse. A short time ago it had -contained a few thousand reals, all she possessed in money. Scarcely -thirty dollars remained, and out of these she must pay Cansin for a -black merino dress, the confectioner for liqueurs, and some friends -at Orense for purchases made on her account. And she would not -receive her little income until November. A brilliant prospect truly! - -After a moment of anguish caused by the struggle between her -economical principles and her resolution, Leocadia washed her face, -smoothed her hair, put on her dress and her silk manto and left the -house. Being Sunday, the streets were full of people, and the cracked -bell of the chapel kept up an incessant ringing. The plaza was full -of bustle and animation. Before Doña Eufrasia's door, three or four -mules, whose clerical riders were in the shop, were impatiently -trying to protect themselves from the persistent attacks of the flies -and hornets, shaking their heads, stamping their hoofs, and switching -their flanks with their rough tails. And the fruit-venders, too, in -the intervals between selling their wares and chatting and laughing -with one another, were watchful to chase away the troublesome insects -that settled on the cherries and tomatoes wherever the skin was -broken, leaving uncovered the sweet pulp or the red flesh. But the -grand conclave of the flies was held in the confectionery of Ramon. -It was nauseating to see the insects buzzing blindly in the hot -atmosphere, entangling their legs in the caramels, and then making -desperate efforts to free themselves from their sweet captivity. A -swarm of flies were buzzing around a méringue pie which adorned the -center of the shelf, and Ramon having grown tired of defending it -against their attacks, the invading army rifled it at their pleasure; -around the plate lay the bodies of the flies which had perished in -the attack; some dry and shriveled, others swollen and with white and -livid abdomens. - -Leocadia entered the back shop. Ramon was there, with his -shirt-sleeves rolled up, exposing his brawny arms, shaking a saucepan -gently to cool the egg-paste which it contained; then he proceeded to -cut the paste with a hot knife, the sugar fizzing and sending forth a -pleasant odor as it came in contact with the hot metal. The -confectioner passed the back of his hand across his perspiring brow. - -What did Leocadia want? Brizar anisette, eh? Well, it was all -sold. "You, Rosa, isn't it true that the anisette is all sold?" - -The confectioner's wife was seated in a corner of the kitchen, -feeding a sickly-looking infant. She fixed her gloomy, morbidly -jealous gaze on the schoolmistress and cried in a harsh voice: - -"If you come for more anisette, remember the three bottles that -are still unpaid for." - -"I will pay them now," answered the schoolmistress, taking a -handful of dollars from her pocket. - -"Never mind that now, there is no hurry," stammered the -confectioner, ashamed of his wife's rudeness. - -"Take it, Ramon. Why, it was to give it to you that I came." - -"If you insist; but the deuce a hurry I was in." - -Leocadia hastened away. Not to have remembered the confectioner's -wife! Who would ask anything from Ramon before that jealous tigress, -who, small as she was, and sickly as she looked, ruled her burly -husband with a rod of iron. Perhaps Cansin---- - -The clothier was displaying his goods to a group of countrywomen, -one of whom persisted in declaring the bunting she was looking at to -be cotton, rubbing it between her fingers to prove herself in the -right. Cansin, on his side, was rubbing the cloth with exactly -opposite views. - -"How should it be cotton, woman, how should it be cotton?" he -cried in his shrill voice, putting the cloth close to the buyer's -face. Cansin appeared so angry that Leocadia did not venture to -address him; she passed on, quickening her steps. She thought of her -other suitor, the tavern-keeper. But she suddenly remembered, with a -feeling of repulsion, his thick lips, his cheeks that seemed to drip -blood. Turning over in her mind every possible means by which she -might obtain the money she needed, a thought occurred to her. She -rejected it, she weighed it, she accepted it. Quickening her pace, -she walked toward the abode of the lawyer García. - -At her first knock Aunt Gáspara opened the door. What a meaning -contraction of the brow and lips, what a sour face greeted her! -Leocadia, abashed and covered with confusion, stood still on the -threshold. The old woman, like a vigilant watch-dog, barred the -entrance, ready to bark or bite at the first sign of danger. - -"What did you want?" she growled. - -"To speak to Don Justo. May I?" said the schoolmistress humbly. - -"I don't know. I'll see." - -And the dragon without further ceremony shut the door in -Leocadia's face. Leocadia waited. At the end of ten minutes a harsh -voice called to her: - -"Come on!" - -The heart of the schoolmistress bounded within her. To go through -the house in which Segundo was born! It was dark and shabby, cold and -bare, like the abode of a miser, in which the furniture is made to do -service until it falls to pieces with old age. Crossing a hall, -Leocadia saw through a half-open door some garments belonging to -Segundo hanging on a peg, and recognized them with a secret thrill. -At the end of the hall was the lawyer's office, an ill-kept, untidy -room, full of papers and dusty and uninteresting-looking books. Aunt -Gáspara withdrew, and Leocadia remained standing before the lawyer, -who, without inviting her to be seated, said to her with a suspicious -and hostile air, and in the severe tones of a judge: - -"And what can I do for you, Señora Doña Leocadia?" - -A formula accompanied inwardly by the observation: - -"I wager that the scheming schoolmistress has come to tell me -that she is going to marry that crazy boy and that I shall have to -support them both." - -Leocadia fixed her dejected gaze on García's face, trying to -discover in his dry and withered features some resemblance to the -features of a beloved countenance. His face, indeed, resembled -Segundo's in all but the expression, which was very different; that -of the father's being as cautious and suspicious as the son's was -dreamy and abstracted. - -"Señor Don Justo----" stammered the schoolmistress. "I am sorry -to trouble you. I hope you will not take this visit amiss--they told -me that you----Señor--I need a loan----" - -"Money!" roared the lawyer, clenching his fists. "You ask me for -money!" - -"Yes, Señor, on some property----" - -"Ah!" (sudden transition in the lawyer, who became all softness -and amiability). "But how stupid I am! Come in, come in and sit down, -Doña Leocadia. I hope you are quite well. Why, anyone might find -himself in a difficulty. And what property is it? Talking together -people come to an understanding, Señora. Perhaps the vineyard of La -Junqueira, or the other little one, El Adro? Of late years they have -yielded little----" - -The business was discussed and the promissory note was signed. -Aunt Gáspara meanwhile walked uneasily and with ghost-like tread, up -and down the hall outside. When her brother issued from the room and -gave her some orders she crossed herself hastily several times on the -forehead and the breast. She then descended stealthily to the cellar, -and, after some little delay, returned and emptied on the lawyer's -table the contents of her apron, whence rolled four objects covered -with dust and cobwebs, from which proceeded, as they struck the -table, the peculiar sound produced by coin. These objects were an -earthern savings-bank, a stocking, a leathern sack, and a little -muslin bag. - -That afternoon Leocadia said to Segundo: - -"Do you know what, sweetheart? It is a pity that for the sake of -a new suit or some such trifle you should lose the chance of -establishing yourself and obtaining what you wish. See, I have a -little money here that I have no particular use for. Do you want it, -eh? I will give it to you now and you can return it to me by and by." - -Segundo drew himself up and, with a genuine outburst of offended -dignity, exclaimed: - -"Never propose anything like that to me again. I accept your -attentions at times so as not to see you breaking your heart at my -refusal, but that you should clothe me and support me--no, that is -too much." - -Half an hour later the schoolmistress renewed her entreaties -affectionately, availing herself of the opportunity, seeing the Swan -somewhat pensive. Between him and her there ought to be no _mine_ or -_thine_. Why should he hesitate to accept what it afforded her so -great a pleasure to give? Did her future by chance depend upon those -few paltry dollars? With them he could present himself decently at -Las Vides, publish his verses, go to Madrid. It would make her so -happy to see him triumph, eclipse Campoamor, Nuñez de Arce, and all -the rest! And what was there to prevent Segundo from returning her -the money, and with interest, too? Talking thus, Leocadia filled a -handkerchief tied at the four corners with ounces and _doblillos_ and -_centenes_ and handed it to the poet, saying in a voice rendered -husky by her emotion: - -"Will you slight me?" - -Segundiño took the unbeautiful, ungraceful head of the -schoolmistress between his hands, and looking fixedly in the eyes -that looked at him humid with happiness he said: - -"Leocadia, I know that you are the one human being in this world -who loves me truly." - -"Segundiño, my life," she stammered, beside herself with -happiness, "it isn't worth mentioning. Just as I give you that--as I -hope for salvation--I would give you the blood from my veins!" - -And what would Aunt Gáspara have said had she known that several -of the ounces from the stocking, the savings-bank, the sack, and the -bag would return immediately, loyal and well-trained, to sleep, if -not under the rafters of the cellar, at least under the roof of Don -Justo? - - - - - IX. - - -The grapevine of Las Vides which has such pleasant recollections -for Don Victoriano Andres de la Comba, bears those large, substantial -grapes of the light red and pale green hues which predominate in -Flemish vineyards, which are known in the neighborhood by the name of -_náparo_ or _Jaen_ grapes. Its clusters hang in long corymbs of a -gracefully irregular shape, half hiding themselves among the thick -foliage. The vine casts a cool shade, and the murmur of a slender -stream of water that falls into a rough stone basin in which -vegetables lie soaking, adds to the air of peacefulness of the scene. - -The massive building looks almost like a fortress; the main -building is flanked by two square towers, low-roofed and pierced by -deep-set windows; in the middle of the central building, above a long -iron balcony, stands out the large escutcheon with the armorial -bearings of the Mendez--five vine-leaves and a wolf's head dripping -blood. This balcony commands a view of the mountain slope and of the -river that winds below; at the side of one of the towers is a wooden -gallery, open to the sun, which projects over the garden, and where, -thanks to the southern exposure, fine carnations grow luxuriantly in -old pots filled with mold, and wooden boxes overflow with sweet -basil, Santa Teresa's feathers, cactus, asclepias, and mallows--a -sun-loving, rich, Arabian flora of intoxicating sweetness. The -interior of the house is merely a series of whitewashed rooms with -the rafters exposed and almost without furniture, excepting the -central room, called the balcony-room, which is furnished with chairs -with straw seats and wooden, lyre-shaped backs, of the style of the -Empire. A mirror from which the quicksilver has almost disappeared, -with a broad ebony frame ornamented with allegorical figures of -gilded brass representing Phoebus driving his chariot, hangs above -the sofa. The pride of Las Vides is not the rooms, but the cellar, -the immense wine-vault, dark, and echoing, and cool as the aisle of a -cathedral, with its large vats ranged in a line on either side. This -apartment, unrivaled in the Border, is the one which Señor de las -Vides shows with most pride--this and his bedroom, which has the -peculiarity of being impregnable, as it is built in the body of the -wall and can be entered only through a narrow passage which scarcely -affords room for a man to turn around. - -Mendez de las Vides resembled in no way the traditional type of -the ignorant lord of the manor who makes a cross for his signature, a -type very common in that inland country. On the contrary, Mendez -prided himself on being learned and cultured. He wrote a good -hand--the small, close handwriting characteristic of obstinate old -age; he read well, settling his spectacles on his nose, holding the -newspaper or the book at a distance, emphasizing the words in a -measured voice. Only his culture was confined to a single epoch--that -of the Encyclopedists, with whom his father became acquainted late in -life, and he himself a century after their time. He read Holbach, -Rousseau, Voltaire, and the fourteen volumes of Feijóo. He bore the -stamp and seal of this epoch even in his person. In religion he was a -deist, never neglecting, however, to go to mass and to eat fish in -Holy Week; in politics he was inclined to uphold the prerogatives of -the crown against the church. Since the arrival of Don Victoriano, -however, some movement had taken place in the stratified ideas of the -hidalgo of Las Vides. He admired English independence, the regard -paid to the right of the individual combined with a respect for -tradition and the civilizing influence of the aristocratic classes--a -series of Saxon importations more or less felicitous but to which Don -Victoriano owed his political success. Uncle and nephew spent hour -after hour discussing these abstruse problems of social science, -while Nieves worked, listening with the hope of hearing the trot of -some horse sound on the stones of the path announcing some visitor, -some distraction in her idle existence. - -To make the journey to Las Vides, Segundo borrowed the vicious -nag of the alguazil. From the cross onward the road grew precipitous -and difficult. Smooth, slippery rocks obstructed the way at times, so -that the rider was obliged to hold a tight rein to keep the animal, -whose hoofs slipped continually, drawing sparks from the stone, from -falling headlong down the descent. The ground, parched by the heat, -was rugged and uneven. The houses seemed to cling to the -mountain-side, threatening to lose their hold at every moment and -topple over into the river, and the indispensable pot of carnations, -whose flowers peeped through the rails of the wooden balconies, -reminded one of the flower with which a gypsy carelessly adorns her -hair. Sometimes Segundo's way led through a pine grove, and he -inhaled the balsamic odor of the resin and rode over a carpet of dry -leaves which deadened the sound of his horse's hoofs; suddenly, -between two fences, a narrow path, bordered by blackberry bushes, -foxglove and honeysuckle would open before him, and not unfrequently -he experienced the delightful sense of well-being produced by the -coolness cast by umbrageous foliage during the heat of the day, as he -rode through some verdant tunnel--under some lofty grape arbor -supported on wooden posts, beholding above his head the bunches -already ripening, and listening to the noisy twittering of the -sparrows and the shrill whistle of the blackbird. Lizards ran along -the moss-covered walls. When two or more paths met Segundo would rein -in his horse, to inquire the way to Las Vides of the women who toiled -wearily up the steep path, bending under their load of pine wood, or -the children playing at the doors of the houses. - -Far below ran the Avieiro, that, from the height at which Segundo -regarded it, looked like a steel blade flashing and quivering in the -sunshine. Before him was the mountain where, like the steps of a -colossal amphitheater, rose one above another massive walls of -whitish stone, erected for the support of the grapevines, the white -stripes showing against the green background, forming an odd -combination in which stood out here and there the red roof of some -dovecote or some old homestead, the whole surmounted by the darker -green of the pine woods. Segundo at last saw below him the tiles of -Las Vides. He descended a steep slope and found himself before the -portico. - -Under the grapevine were Victorina and Nieves. The child was -amusing herself jumping the rope, which she did with extraordinary -agility, the feet close together, without moving from one spot, the -rope turning so rapidly that the graceful form of the jumper seemed -to be enveloped in a sort of mist. Through the interstices in the -foliage of the grapevine came large splashes of sunshine suddenly -flooding the girl's form with light, in which her hair, her arms and -her bare legs gleamed, for she wore only a loose navy blue blouse -without sleeves. When she caught sight of Segundo she gave a little -cry, dropped the rope and disappeared. Nieves, to make amends, rose -from the bench where she had been working, with a smile on her lips -and a slight flush of surprise on her cheeks, and extended her hand -to the newcomer, who made haste to dismount from his horse. - -"And Señor Don Victoriano, how is he?" he asked. - -"Oh, he is somewhere in the neighborhood; he is very well, and -very much interested in the labors of the country--very contented." -Nieves said these words with the abstracted air with which we speak -of things that possess only a slight interest for us. Segundo -observed that the glance of the Minister's wife rested on his fine -suit, which he had just received from Orense; and the idea that she -might think it pretentious or ridiculous disturbed him so greatly for -a time that he regretted not having worn his ordinary clothes. - -"You frightened away Victorina," continued Nieves, smiling. -"Where can the silly child have disappeared to? No doubt she ran away -because she had on only a blouse. You treat her like a woman, and she -is growing unbearable. Come." - -Nieves gathered up the skirt of her morning gown of white -cretonne spotted with rosebuds, and made her way intrepidly into the -kitchen, which was on a level with the yard. Following the little -Louis XV. heels covered by the Breton lace of her petticoat, Segundo -passed through several rooms--the kitchen, the dining-room, the -Rosary room, so called because in it Primo Genday said prayers with -the servants, and finally the balcony room. Here Nieves stopped, -saying: - -"I will call to them if they chance to be in the vineyard." - -And leaning out of the window, she cried: - -"Uncle! Victoriano! Uncle!" - -Two voices responded. - -"What is it? We are coming." - -Finding nothing opportune to say, Segundo was silent. Her -conscience at rest, now that she had called the elders, Nieves turned -toward him and said, with the graciousness of a hostess who knows -what are the duties of her position: - -"How good this is of you! We had not thought you would care to -come before the vintage. And now that the holidays are -approaching--indeed I supposed we should see you in Vilamorta before -seeing you here, as Victoriano has determined to take a fortnight's -course of the waters." - -She leaned against the wall as she spoke, and Segundo tapped the -toe of his boot with his whip. From the garden came the voice of -Mendez: - -"Nieves! Nieves! Come down, if it is all the same to you." - -"Excuse me, I am going for a parasol." - -She soon returned, and Segundo offered her his arm. They -descended into the garden through the gallery, and after the -customary greetings were over Mendez protested against Segundo's -returning that afternoon to Vilamorta. - -"The idea! A pretty thing that would be! To expose yourself to -the heat twice in the same day!" - -And Señor de las Vides, availing himself of an opportunity which -no rural proprietor ever lets slip, took possession of the poet and -gave himself up to the task of showing him over the estate. He -explained to him at the same time his viticultural enterprises. He -had been among the first to employ sulphur fumigation with success, -and he was now using new manures which would perhaps solve the -problem of grape cultivation. He was making experiments with the -common wine of the Border, trying to make with it an imitation of the -rich Bordeaux; to impart to it, with powdered lily-root, the bouquet, -the fragrance, of the French wines. But he had to contend against the -spirit of routine, fanaticism, as he said, confidentially lowering -his voice and laying his hand on Segundo's shoulder. The other -vine-growers accused him of disregarding the wholesome traditions of -the country, of adulterating and making up wine. As if they -themselves did not make it up. Only that they did so, using common -drugs for the purpose--logwood and nightshade. He contented himself -with employing rational methods, scientific discoveries, the -improvements of modern chemistry, condemning the absurd custom of -using pitch in the skins, for although the people of the Border -approved of the taste of pitch in the wine, saying that the pitch -excited thirst, the exporters disliked, and with reason, the -stickiness imparted by it. In short, if Segundo would like to see the -wine vaults and the presses---- - -There was no help for it. Nieves remained at the door, fearing to -soil her dress. When they came out they proceeded to inspect the -garden in detail. The garden, too, was a series of walls built one -above another, like the steps of a stairs, sustaining narrow belts of -earth, and this arrangement of the ground gave the vegetation an -exuberance that was almost tropical. Camellias, peach trees, and -lemon trees grew in wild luxuriance, laden at once with leaves, -fruits, and blossoms. Bees and butterflies circled and hummed around -them, sipping their sweets, wild with the joy of mere existence and -drunken with the sunshine. They ascended by steep steps from wall to -wall. Segundo gave his arm to Nieves and at the last step they paused -to look at the river flowing below. - -"Look there," said Segundo, pointing to a distant hill on his -left. "There is the pine grove. I wager you have forgotten." - -"I have not forgotten," responded Nieves, winking her blue eyes -dazzled by the sun; "the pine grove that sings. You see that I have -not forgotten. And tell me, do you know if it will sing to-day? For I -should greatly like to hear it sing this afternoon." - -"If a breeze rises. With the air as still as it is now, the pines -will be almost motionless and almost silent. And I say _almost_, for -they are never quite silent. The friction of their tops is sufficient -to cause a peculiar vibration, to produce a murmur----" - -"And does that happen," asked Nieves jestingly, "only with the -pines here or is it the same with all pines?" - -"I cannot say," answered Segundo, looking at her fixedly. -"Perhaps the only pine grove that will ever sing for me will be that -of Las Vides." - -Nieves lowered her eyes, and then glanced round, as if in search -of Don Victoriano and Mendez, who were on one of the steps above -them. Segundo observed the movement and with rude imperiousness said -to Nieves: - -"Let us join them." - -They rejoined their companions and did not again separate from -them until they entered the dining-room, where Genday and Tropiezo -were awaiting them. The last to arrive was the child, now modestly -attired in a piqué frock and long stockings. - -The table at which they dined was placed, not in the center, but -at one side of the dining-room; it was square and at the sides, -instead of chairs, stood two oaken benches, dark with age, as seats -for the guests. The head and foot of the table were left free for the -service. Sober by nature, Segundo noticed with surprise the -extraordinary quantity of food consumed by Don Victoriano, observing -at the same time that his face was thinner than before. Now and then -the statesman paused remorsefully, saying: - -"I am eating ravenously." - -The Amphitryon protested, and Tropiezo and Genday expounded in -turn liberal and consoling doctrines. "Nature is very wise," said -Señor de las Vides, who had not forgotten Rousseau, "and he who obeys -her cannot go astray." Primo Genday, fond of eating, like all -plethoric people, added with a certain theological unction: "In order -that the soul may be disposed to serve God the reasonable -requirements of the body must first be attended to." Tropiezo, on his -side, pushed out his lower lip, denying the existence of certain -new-fangled diseases. Since the world began there had been people who -suffered as Don Victoriano was suffering and no one had ever thought -of depriving them of eating and drinking, quite the contrary. For the -very reason that the disease was a wasting one it was necessary to -eat well. Don Victoriano allowed himself to be easily persuaded. -Those dishes of former times, those antiquated, miraculous -cruet-stands in which the oil and the vinegar came from the same tube -without ever mingling, that immense loaf placed on the table as a -center-piece, were for him so many delightful relics of the past, -which reminded him of happy hours, the irresponsible years of -existence. At the dessert, when Primo Genday, still heated with a -political discussion in which he had characterized the liberals as -uncircumcised, suddenly grew very serious and proceeded to recite the -Lord's Prayer, the Minister, a confirmed rationalist, was surprised -at the devoutness with which he murmured--"Our daily bread." -_Caramba_, those memories of the days when one was young! Don -Victoriano grew young again in going over those recollections of his -boyish days. He even called to mind ephemeral engagements, -flirtations of a fortnight with young ladies of the Border who, at -the present time, must be withered old maids or respectable mothers -of families. A pretty fool he was! The ex-Minister laid down his -napkin and rose to his feet. - -"Do you sleep the siesta?" he asked Segundo. - -"No, Señor." - -"Nor I either; let us go and smoke a cigar together." - - - - - X. - - -They seated themselves near the window in the pa rlor in a couple -of rocking-chairs brought from Orense. The garden and the vineyard -breathed a lazy tranquillity, a silence so profound that the dull -sound of the ripe peaches breaking from the branch and falling on the -dry ground could be plainly heard. Through the open window came odors -of fruit and honey. In the house unbroken silence reigned. - -"Will you have a cigar?" - -"Thanks." - -The cigars were lighted and Segundo, following Don Victoriano's -example, began to rock himself. The rhythmical movement of the -rocking-chairs, the drowsy quiet of the place, invited to a serious -and confidential conversation. - -"And you, what do you do in Vilamorta? You are a lawyer, are you -not. I think I have heard that it is your intention to succeed your -father in his practice--a very intelligent man." - -Segundo felt that the occasion was propitious. The smoke of the -cigars, diffusing itself through the atmosphere, softened the light, -disposing him to confidence and dispelling his habitual reserve. - -"The thought of beginning now the career my father is just ending -horrifies me," he said, in answer to the ex-Minister's question. -"That sordid struggle to gain a little money, more or less, those -village intrigues, that miserable plotting and planning, that -drawing-up of documents--I was made for none of those things, Señor -Don Victoriano. It is not that I could not practice. I have been a -fair student and my good memory always brought me safely through in -the examinations. But for what does the profession of law serve? For -a foundation, nothing more. It is a passport, a card of admission to -some office." - -"Well----" said Don Victoriano, shaking the ashes from his cigar, -"what you say is true, very true. What is learned at the University -is of scarcely any use afterward. As for me, if it had not been for -my apprenticeship with Don Juan Antonio Prado, who taught me to make -a practical use of my legal knowledge and to know how many teeth -there are in a comb, I should not have distinguished myself greatly -by my Compostelan learning. My friend, what makes a man of one, what -really profits one is this terrible apprenticeship, the position in -which a boy finds himself when a pile of papers is set before him, -and a pompous gentleman says to him, 'Study this question to-day and -have ready for me by to-morrow a formulated opinion on it.' There is -the rub! That is what makes you sweat and bite your nails! There -neither laziness nor ignorance will avail you. The thing must be -done, and as it cannot be done by magic----" - -"Even in Madrid and on a large scale the practice of the law has -no attractions for me. I have other aspirations." - -"Let us hear what they are." - -Segundo hesitated, restrained by a feeling of shyness, as if he -had been going to narrate a dream or to descant on the delights of -love. He followed with his eyes for a few moments the blue smoke -curling upward and finally, the semi-obscurity of the room, secluded -as a confessional, dissipated his reserve. - -"I wish to follow the profession of literature," he returned. - -The statesman stopped rocking himself and took his cigar from his -mouth. - -"But my boy, literature is not a profession!" he said. "There is -no such thing as the profession of literature! Let us understand each -other--have you ever been out of Vilamorta? I mean beyond Santiago -and the neighboring towns?" - -"No, Señor." - -"Then I can understand those illusions and those childish -notions. They still believe here that a writer or a poet, from the -mere fact of his being such, may aspire to--and what do you write?" - -"Poetry." - -"You don't write prose at all?" - -"An occasional essay or newspaper article. Very little." - -"Bravo! Well, if you trust to poetry to make your way in the -world--I have remarked something curious in this place and I am going -to tell you what it is. Verses are still read here with interest, and -it seems the girls learn them by heart. But in the capital I assure -you there is scarcely anyone who cares for poetry. You are twenty or -thirty years behind the age here--at the height of the romantic -period." - -Segundo, annoyed, said with some vehemence: - -"And Campoamor? And Nuñez de Arce? And Grilo? Are they not famous -poets? Are they not popular?" - -"Campoamor? They read him because he is very witty, and he sets -the girls thinking and he makes the men laugh. He has his merit, and -he amuses while he philosophizes. But remember that neither he nor -Nuñez de Arce lives by writing verses. Much prosperity that would -bring them! As to Grilo--well, he has his admirers among ladies of -rank, and the Queen Mother publishes his poems, and as far as we can -judge he has plenty of money. But convince yourself that no one will -ever grow rich by following the road that leads to Parnassus. And -this is when masters are in question, for of poets of a secondary -rank, young men who string rhymes together with more or less -facility, there are probably now in Madrid some two or three hundred. -Have you ever heard of any of them? No; nor I either. A few friends -praise them when they publish anything in some insignificant review. -But there is no need to go on. In plain words, it is time lost." - -Segundo silently vented his anger on his cigar. - -"Don't take what I say as an offense," continued Don Victoriano. -"I know little about literature, although in my youthful days I wrote -_quintillas_, like everybody else. Besides, I have seen nothing of -what you have written, so that my opinion is impartial and my advice -sincere." - -"My ambition," began Segundo at last, "is not confined -exclusively to lyric poetry. Perhaps later I might prefer the -drama--or prose. Who knows? I only want to try my fortune." - -Don Victoriano rose and stepped out into the balcony. Suddenly he -returned, placed both hands on Segundo's shoulders, and putting his -clean-shaven face close to the face of the poet, said with a pity -which was not feigned: - -"Poor boy! How many, many disappointments are in store for you!" - -And as Segundo, astonished at this sudden effusion, remained -silent, he continued: - -"Novice as you are, you have no means of knowing what you are -doing. I am sorry for you. You are deluding yourself. In the present -state of society, in order to attain eminence in anything, you must -sweat blood like Christ in the garden of Gethsemane. If it is lyric -poetry that is in question, God help you! If you write comedies or -farces, you have an enviable fate before you--to flatter the actors, -to have your manuscript lie neglected in the corner of a drawer, to -have half an act cut out at a stroke; and then the dread of the first -night, and of what comes after it--which may be the worst of all. If -you become a journalist, you will not have ten minutes in the day to -yourself, you will make the reputation of others, and you will never -see even so much as the shadow of your own. If you write books--but -who reads in Spain? And if you throw yourself into politics--ah, then -indeed!" - -Segundo, his eyes cast down, his gaze wandering over the pine -knots in the boarded floor, listened without opening his lips to -those convincing accents that seemed to tear away one by one the -rose-leaves of his illusions, with the same strident sound with which -the nail of the speaker flicked away the ash of his cigar. At last he -raised his contracted face and looking at the statesman said, not -without a touch of sarcasm in his voice: - -"As for politics, Señor Don Victoriano, it seems to me that you -ought not to speak ill of that. It has treated you well; you have no -cause of complaint against it. For you politics has not been a -stepmother." - -Don Victoriano's countenance changed, showing plainly the ravages -disease had made in his organism; and rising to his feet a second -time, he threw away his cigar and, walking up and down the room with -hasty steps, he burst forth passionately, in words that rushed from -his lips in a sudden flood, in an impetuous and unequal stream, like -the stream of blood gushing from a severed artery: - -"Don't touch that point. Be silent about that, boy. How do you, -how does anybody know what those things are until he has thrown -himself headlong into them and is caught fast and cannot escape! If I -were to tell you--but it is impossible to tell one's whole life, day -by day, to describe a battle which has lasted for years, without rest -or respite. To struggle in order to make one's self known, to go on -struggling to keep one's self from being forgotten, to pass from law -to politics, from a wheel set with knives to a bed of live coals, to -fight in Congress without faith, without conviction, because one must -fight to keep the place one has won; and with all this not to have a -free hour, not a tranquil moment, not have time for anything. One -achieves fortune when one no longer has the inclination to enjoy it; -one marries and has a family and--one has hardly liberty to accompany -one's wife to the theater. Don't talk to me. A hell, a hell upon -earth is what politics is. Would you believe" (and here he uttered a -round oath) "that when my little girl was beginning to walk, I -proposed to myself one day to have the pleasure of taking her out -walking--a caprice, a whim. Well, I was going downstairs with the -child in my arms, very contented, when lo, I found myself face to -face with the Marquis of Cameros, a candidate for representative from -Galicia, who had come to ask me for fifteen or twenty -letters--written in my own hand so that they might prove more -efficacious. And I was such a fool, man, I was such a fool, that -instead of throwing the Marquis down the stairs, as I ought to have -done, I walked back my two flights, gave the child to her nurse, and -shut myself up in my office to prepare the election. And it was the -same thing always; tell me, then, have I reason or not to abominate -such folly, such humbug? Ah, what pains we are at to make ourselves -miserable!" - -There could be no doubt of it; in the voice of the statesman -there was the sound of repressed tears; in his throat smothered -curses and blasphemies struggled for utterance. Segundo, to do -something, threw open the window leading to the balcony. The sun was -low in the heavens; the heat had grown less intense. - -"And worst of all--the consequences!" continued Don Victoriano, -pausing in his walk. "You strive and struggle without pausing to -reflect what will be the effect upon your health. You fight, like the -knights of old, with visor down. But as you are not made of iron, but -only of flesh and blood, when you least expect it, you find yourself -sick, sick, wounded, without knowing where. You do not lose blood, -but you lose the sap of life, like a lemon that is squeezed." And the -ex-Minister laughed bitterly. "And you want to stop, to rest, to get -back health at any cost, and you find that it is too late; you have -not a drop of moisture left in your body. Well, keep on until there -is an end to you. Much your labors and your triumphs have profited -you! You have drawn down on yourself a doom from which there is no -escape!" - -He spoke with gesticulations, thrusting his hands into his -trousers pockets in an outburst of confidence, expressing himself -with as little reserve as if he had been alone. And in reality he was -talking to himself. His words were a monologue, the spoken utterance -of the gloomy thoughts which Don Victoriano, thanks to heroic -efforts, had hitherto been able to conceal in his own breast. The -strange malady from which he suffered gave rise to horrible -nightmares; he dreamed that he was turning into a loaf of sugar and -that his intellect, his blood, his life, were flowing away from him, -through a deep, deep channel, converted into syrup. In his waking -moments his mind refused to accept, as one refused to accept a -humiliation, so strange a malady. Sanchez del Abrojo must be -mistaken; his was some functional, transitory disorder, an ordinary -ailment, the result of his sedentary life, and Tropiezo's -old-fashioned remedies would perhaps after all prove more efficacious -than those of science. And if they did not? The statesman felt a cold -chill run through him that made his hair stand on end and constricted -his heart. To die when he was scarcely past forty, with his mental -powers unimpaired, with so many things begun, so many accomplished! -And no doubt this consuming thirst, this insatiable voracity, this -debilitating sensation of melting away, of fusion, of dissolving, -were all fatal symptoms. - -Suddenly Don Victoriano remembered the presence of Segundo, which -he had almost forgotten. And laying both hands on his shoulders a -second time, and fixing on the poet's eyes, his dry eyes, scorched by -repressed tears, he cried: - -"Do you wish to hear the truth, and to receive good advice? Have -you ambitions, aspirations, hopes? Well, I have had disappointments, -and I desire to do you a service by recounting them to you now. Don't -be a fool; stay here all your life; help your father, take up his -practice when he lays it down, and marry that blooming daughter of -Agonde. Never leave this land of fruits, of vines, whose climate is -so delightful. What would I not give now never to have left it! No, -my boy, remain quietly here; end a long life here surrounded by a -numerous progeny. Have you observed how healthy your father is? It is -a pleasure to see him, with his teeth so sound and perfect. I have -not a single tooth that is not decayed; they say that it is one of -the symptoms of my malady. Why, if your mother were living now you -would be having little brothers and sisters." - -Segundo smiled. - -"But, Señor Don Victoriano," he said, "to act out your ideas -would be to vegetate, not to live." - -"And what greater happiness than to vegetate," responded the -statesman, looking out of the window. "Do you think those trees there -are not to be envied?" - -The garden, indeed, seen in the light of the setting sun, had a -certain air of voluptuous bliss, as if it were enjoying a happy -dream. - -The lustrous leaves of the lemon trees and the camellias, the -gummy trunks of the fruit trees, seemed to drink in with delight the -fresh evening breeze, precursor of the vivifying dews of night. The -golden atmosphere took on in the distance faint lilac tints. -Innumerable noises began to make themselves heard, preludes to songs -of insects, to the concerts of the frogs and toads. - -The pensive tranquillity of the scene was broken in upon by the -quick trot of a mule, and Clodio Genday, out of breath, flung himself -out of his saddle, and reeled into the garden. Gesticulating with his -hands, with his head, with his whole body, he called, screamed, -vociferated: - -"Oh, I have a nice piece of news for you, a nice piece of news! I -will be there directly, I will be there directly!" - -They went to the head of the stairs leading to the garden, to -meet him, and when he rushed upon them, like an arrow shot from a -bow, they saw that he wore neither collar nor cravat, and that his -dress was in the utmost disorder. - -"A mere bagatelle, Señor Don Victoriano--that they are playing a -trick upon us; that they have played it already, that unless we take -prompt measures we shall lose the district. You would not believe it, -if I were to tell you of all the plans they have been laying, for a -long time past, at Doña Eufrasia's shop. And we simpletons suspecting -nothing. And all the priests are in the plot; the parish priests of -Lubrego, of Boan, of Naya, and of Cebre. They have set up as a -candidate Señorito de Romero of Orense, who is willing to loosen his -purse-strings. But where is Primo, that good-for-nothing, that -scarecrow, who never found out a word of all this?" - -"We will look for him, man. What do you tell me, what do you tell -me? I never thought they would have dared----" - -And Don Victoriano, animated and excited, followed Clodio, who -went shouting through the parlor: - -"Primo! Primo!" - -A little later Segundo saw the two brothers and the ex-Minister -going through the garden disputing and gesticulating violently. -Clodio was making charges against Primo, who tried to defend himself, -while Don Victoriano acted as peacemaker. In his fury Clodio shook -his clenched fist in Primo's face, almost laying violent hands upon -him, while the culprit stammered, crossing himself hastily: - -"Mercy, mercy, mercy! Ave Maria!" - -The poet watched them as they passed by, remarking the -transformation that had taken place in Don Victoriano. As he turned -away from the window he saw Nieves standing before him. - -"And those gentlemen," she said to him graciously, "have they -left you all alone? The pines must at this time be singing. There is -a breeze stirring." - -"Undoubtedly they will be singing now," returned the poet. "I -shall hear them as I ride back to Vilamorta." - -Nieves' movement of surprise did not pass unnoticed by Segundo, -who, looking her steadily in the face, added coldly and proudly: -"Unless you should command me to remain." - -Nieves was silent. She felt that courtesy required that she -should make some effort to detain her guest, while at the same time -to ask him to remain, they two being alone, seemed to her inexpedient -and liable to misconstruction. At last she took a middle course, -saying with a forced smile: - -"But why are you in such a hurry? And will you make us another -visit?" - -"We shall see each other later in Vilamorta. Good-by, Nieves, I -will not disturb Don Victoriano. Say good-by to him for me and tell -him he may count upon my father's services and upon mine." - -Without taking Nieves' outstretched hand or looking at her he -descended into the courtyard. He was settling his feet in the -stirrups when he saw a little figure appear close beside him. It was -Victorina, with her hands full of lumps of sugar, which she offered -the nag. The animal eagerly pushed out its under lip, which moved -with the intelligent undulations of an elephant's trunk. - -Segundo interposed: - -"Child, he will bite you; he bites." - -Then he added gayly: - -"Do you want me to lift you up here? You don't? I wager I can -lift you!" - -He lifted her up and seated her on the saddle-cloth, before him. -She struggled to free herself and in her struggles her beautiful hair -fell over the face and shoulders of Segundo, who was holding her -tightly around the waist. He observed with some surprise that the -girl's heart was beating tumultuously. Turning very pale Victorina -cried: - -"Mamma, mamma!" - -At last she succeeded in releasing herself and ran toward Nieves, -who was laughing merrily at the incident. Half-way she stopped, -retraced her steps, threw her arms around the horse's neck and -pressed on his nose a warm kiss. - - - - - XI. - - -Eight or ten days intervened between Segundo's visit to Las Vides -and the return of Don Victoriano and his family to Vilamorta. Don -Victoriano desired to drink the waters and at the same time to take -measures to frustrate the dark machinations of Romero's partisans. -His plan was a simple one--to offer Romero some other district, where -he would not have to spend a penny, and thus removing the only rival -who had any prestige in the country he would avoid the mortification -of a defeat through Vilamorta. It was important to do this before -October, the period at which the electoral contest was to take place. -And while Genday, García, the Alcalde and the other Combistas managed -the negotiation, Don Victoriano, installed in Agonde's house, drank -two or three glasses of the salubrious waters every morning, after -which he read his correspondence, and in the afternoon, when the -sultry heat invited to a siesta, he read or wrote in the cool parlor -of the apothecary. - -Segundo frequently accompanied him in these hours of retirement. -They talked together like two friends, and the statesman, far from -insisting on the ideas he had expressed in Las Vides, encouraged the -poet, offering him to endeavor to obtain a position for him in Madrid -which should enable him to carry out his plans. - -"A position that will not take up much of your time, nor require -much mental labor--I will see, I will see. I will be on the lookout -for something." - -Segundo observed unmistakable signs of improved health in the -wrinkled face of the Minister. Don Victoriano was experiencing the -transitory benefit which mineral waters produce at first, stimulating -the organism only to waste it all the more rapidly, perhaps, -afterward. Both digestion and circulation had become more active, and -perspiration, even, entirely suppressed by the disease, had become -re-established, dilating the pores with grateful warmth and -communicating to the dry fibers the elasticity of healthy flesh. As a -candle flares up brightly before going out, so Don Victoriano seemed -to be recovering strength when in reality he was wasting away. -Fancying health was returning to him, he breathed with delight the -narrow atmosphere of party intrigues, taking pleasure in disputing -his district inch by inch, in winning over adherents and receiving -demonstrations of sympathy, and secretly flattered by the absurd -proposal made by his parishioners to the parish priest of Vilamorta, -that incense should be burned before him. In the evening he amused -himself patriarchally among Agonde's visitors, listening to the -comical stories told of the clique at Doña Eufrasia's shop and -enjoying the ripple of excitement occasioned by the proximity of the -feasts. Little by little the innocent tresillo table of Agonde had -become transformed into something much more wicked. Now, instead of -four persons being seated at it, there was only one, around whom, -their eyes fixed on his hands, the others stood grouped. The banker's -left hand grasped the cards tightly while with the ball of his thumb -he pushed up the last card until first the spot could be descried, -then the number, then the knob of a club, the point of a diamond, the -blue tail of a horse, the turreted crown of a king, and other hands -took up stakes or took money from the pocket and laid it down on the -fateful pieces of cardboard with the words: - -"On the seven! On the four! The ace is in sight!" - -Through respect for Don Victoriano, Agonde refrained from dealing -the cards when the latter was present, bridling with difficulty the -only passion that could warm his blood and excite his placid nature, -giving up his place to Jacinto Ruedas, a famous strolling gambler, -known everywhere, who followed the scent of the gaming-table as -others follow the scent of a banquet, a rare type, something between -a swindler and a spy, who made low jests in a hoarse voice. The -chroniclers do not state whether the civil authorities, that is to -say, the judge of Vilamorta, made any attempt to interfere with the -unlawful diversion in which the visitors to the pharmacy indulged, -but it is an ascertained fact that, the judge having one leg shorter -than the other, the pounding of his crutch on the sidewalk gave -timely warning of his approach to the players. And as for the -municipal authority, it is known to a certainty that one day, or to -speak with more exactness, one night, he entered the apothecary's -back shop like a bomb, holding in his hand money which he threw on a -card, crying: - -"Gentlemen, I am queen!" - -"Be an ass, if you like!" responded Agonde, pushing him away with -marked disrespect. - -This year Don Victoriano's presence and the open hostilities -waged between his partisans and those of Romero gave a martial -character to the feasts. The Combists desired to render them more -splendid and brilliant than ever before and the Romerists to render -them a failure, as far as it was possible. In the main room of the -townhall the monster balloon, which occupied the whole length of the -apartment, was being repaired; its white sides were being covered -with inscriptions, figures, emblems, and symbols, and around the -floor were scattered tin kettles filled with paste, pots of -vermilion, Sienna, and ochre, balls of packthread and cut paper -figures. From the giant balloon sprung daily broods of smaller -balloons, miniature balloons, made with remnants and fancifully -decorated in pink and blue. At the meetings at Doña Eufrasia's they -spoke contemptuously of these preparations and commented on the -audacity of the inn-keeper's son, a mere dauber, who undertook to -paint Don Victoriano's likeness on one of the divisions of the large -balloon. The Romerist young ladies, compressing their lips and -shrugging their shoulders, declared that they would attend neither -the fire-works nor the ball, not if their adversaries were to offer -novenas with that purpose to every saint in heaven. - -On the other hand, the young ladies of the Combist party formed a -sort of court around Nieves. Every afternoon they called for her to -take her out walking; chief among these were Carmen Agonde, -Florentina, the daughter of the Alcalde, Rosa, a niece of Tropiezo, -and Clara, the eldest of García's daughters. This latter was running -about barefooted, spending her time gathering blackberries in her -apron, when she received the astounding news that her father had -ordered a gown for her from Orense, that she might visit the -Minister's lady. And the gown came with its fresh bows and its stiff -linings and the girl, her face and hands washed, her hair combed, her -feet covered with new kid boots, her eyes cast down and her hands -crossed stiffly before her, went to swell Nieves' train. Victorina -took Clara García under her especial protection, arranged her dress -and hair and made her a present of a bracelet, and they became -inseparable companions. - -They generally walked on the highroad, but as soon as Clara grew -more intimate with Victorina she protested against this, declaring -that the paths and the by-ways were much more amusing and that much -prettier things were to be met with in them. And she pressed -Victorina's arm saying: - -"Segundo knows lovely walks!" - -As chance would have it, that same afternoon, returning to the -town, they caught sight of a man stealing along in the shadow of the -houses, and Clara, who was on the other side of the way, ran over to -him, and threw her arm around his waist, crying: - -"Hey, Segundo; you can't escape from us now, we have caught you." - -The poet gave a brotherly push to Clara, and ceremoniously -saluting Nieves, who returned his salutation with extreme cordiality, -he said to her: - -"The idea of this girl--I am sure she has been making herself -troublesome to you. You must excuse her." - -They sat down on one of the benches of the Plaza, to enjoy the -fresh air, and when, on the following day the party walked out after -the siesta, Segundo joined them, studiously avoiding Nieves as if -some secret understanding, some mysterious complicity existed between -them. He mingled among the girls and, laying aside his habitual -reserve, he laughed and jested with Victorina, for whom he gathered, -as they walked along the hedges, ripe blackberries, acorns, early -chestnut burrs, and innumerable wild flowers, which the girl put into -a little Russian leather satchel. - -Sometimes Segundo led them along precipitous paths cut in the -living rock, bordered by walls, supporting grapevines through which -the expiring rays of the sun could scarcely penetrate. Again he would -take them through bare and arid woods until they reached some old oak -grove, some chestnut tree, inside whose trunk, decayed and split with -age, Segundo would hide himself while the girls hand in hand danced -around it. - -One day he took them to the stone bridge that crossed the -Avieiro, under whose arches the black water, cold and motionless, -seems to be dreaming a sinister dream. And he told them how in this -spot, where, owing to the water being deeper there and less exposed -to the sun's rays, the largest trout gathered, a corpse had been -found floating last month near the arch. He took them to hear the -echo also, and all the girls were wild with delight, talking all -together, without waiting for the wall to repeat their cries and -shouts of laughter. On another afternoon he showed them a curious -lake regarding which innumerable fables were told in the -country--that it had no bottom, that it reached to the center of the -earth, that submerged cities could be seen under its surface, that -strange woods floated and unknown flowers grew in its waters. The -so-called lake was in reality a large excavation, probably a Roman -mine that had been flooded with water, which, imprisoned within the -chain of hillocks of argillaceous tophus heaped up around it by the -miners' shovels, presented a sepulchral and fantastic aspect, the -weird effect of the scene being heightened by the somber character of -the marsh vegetation which covered the surface of the immense pool. -When it began to grow dark the children declared that this lugubrious -scene made them horribly afraid; the girls confessed to the same -feeling, and started for the highroad running at the top of their -speed, leaving Segundo and Nieves behind. This was the first time -they had found themselves alone together, for the poet avoided such -occasions. Nieves looked around uneasily and then, meeting Segundo's -eyes fixed, ardent and questioning upon hers, lowered her gaze. Then -the gloom of the landscape and the solemnity of the hour gave her a -contraction of the heart, and without knowing what she was doing she -began to run as the girls had done. She heard Segundo's footsteps -behind her, and when she at last stopped, at a little distance from -the highroad, she saw him smile and could not help smiling herself at -her own folly. - -"Heavens! What a silly fright!" she cried, "I have made myself -ridiculous. I am as bad as the children! But that blessed pool is -enough to make one afraid. Tell me, how is it that they have not -taken views of it? It is very curious and picturesque." - -They returned by the highroad; it was now quite dark and Nieves, -as if wishing to efface the impression made by her childish terror, -showed herself gay and friendly with Segundo; two or three times her -eyes encountered his and, doubtless through absent-mindedness, she -did not turn them aside. They spoke of the walk of the following day; -it must be along the banks of the river, which was more cheerful than -the pond; the scenery there was beautiful, not gloomy like that of -the pool. - -In effect the road they followed on the next day was beautiful, -although it was obstructed by the osier plantations and canebrakes -and the intricate growth of the birches and the young poplars, which -at times impeded their progress. Every now and then Segundo had to -give his hand to Nieves and put aside the flexible young branches -that struck against her face. Notwithstanding all his care, he was -unable to save her from wetting her feet and leaving some fragments -of the lace of her hat among the branches of a poplar. They stopped -at a spot where the river, dividing, formed a sort of islet covered -with cats-tails and gladioli. A rivulet running down the -mountain-side mingled its waters silently and meekly with the waters -of Avieiro. At the river's edge grew plants with dentated leaves and -a variety of ferns and graceful aquatic plants. Segundo knelt down on -the wet ground and began to gather some flowers. - -"Take them, Nieves," he said. - -She approached and, kneeling on one knee, he handed her a bunch -of flowers of a pale turquoise blue, with slender stems, flowers of -which she had hitherto seen only imitations, as adornments for hats, -and that she had fancied had only a mythical existence; flowers of -romance, that she had thought grew only on the banks of the Rhine, -which is the home of everything romantic; flowers that have so -beautiful a name--_Forget-me-not_. - - - - - XII. - - -Nieves was what is called an exemplary wife, without a dark page -in her history, without a thought of disloyalty to her husband, a -coquette only in her dress and in the adornment of her person, and -even in these practicing no alluring arts, content to obey slavishly -the dictates of fashion. - -Her ideal, if she had any, was to lead a comfortable, elegant -existence, enjoying the consideration of the world. She had married -when she was very young, Don Victoriano settling on her some -thousands of dollars, and on the wedding-day her father had called -her into his magisterial office and, keeping her standing before him -as if she were a criminal, had charged her to respect and obey the -husband she had chosen. She obeyed and respected him. - -And her obedience and respect were a torture to Don Victoriano, -who sought in marriage a compensation for the long years he had spent -in his law office; years of loneliness during which his arduous -labors and confinement to business had prevented him from forming any -tender tie or cultivating gentle affections, permitting him at the -most some hasty pleasure, some reckless and exciting adventure, which -did not satisfy his heart. He fancied that the beautiful daughter of -the President of the Court would requite him for all the tender joys -he had missed and he found with vain and bitter disappointment that -Nieves saw in him only the grave husband who is accepted with -docility, without repugnance, nothing more. Respecting against his -will the peace of this superficial being, he neither could nor dared -disturb it, and he fretted his soul with unavailing longings, -hastening to the crisis of maturity and multiplying the white patches -that streaked his black hair. - -When the child was born Don Victoriano hoped to repay himself -with interest in new and holy caresses, to take solace in a pure -oasis of affection. But the requirements of his position, the hurry -of business, the complex obligations and the implacable cares of his -existence, interposed themselves between him and a father's joys. He -saw his daughter only from a distance, barely succeeding, when the -coffee was brought in, in having her for awhile on his knee. And then -came the first warnings of his disease. - -From the time in which his malady declared itself with all its -afflicting symptoms, Nieves had still less of her husband's society -than before; it seemed to her as if she had returned to the rosy days -of her girlhood, when she flitted about like a butterfly and played -at lovers with her companions, who wrote her fictitious love-letters -of an innocent nature, which they put under her pillow. - -She never had had much amusement since that time. A great deal of -amusement was to be found in the routine of a methodical Madrid life! -Yes, there was a period during which the Marquis de Cameros, a rich -young client of Don Victoriano's, had come to the house with some -frequency, and he had even been asked to dine with them three or four -times, without ceremony. Nieves remembered that the Marquis had cast -many furtive glances at her, and that they had always met him, by -chance, at whatever theater they went to. It did not go beyond this. - -Nieves was now in the bloom of her second youth--between -twenty-nine and thirty--terrible epoch in a woman's life; and if it -brought her no red passion flowers, at least she wished to adorn -herself with the romantic forget-me-nots of the poet. It seemed to -Nieves that in the porcelain vase of her existence a flower had been -wanting, and the fragile blue spray came to complete the beauty of -the drawing-room toy. Bah! What harm was there in all this? It was a -childish adventure. Those flowers, preserved between the leaves of a -costly prayer-book, inspired her only with thoughts as pallid and -sapless as the poor petals now pressed and dry. - -She had fastened the blue spray in her bosom. How well it looked -among the folds of the écru lace! - -"Tell me, mamma," Victorina had said to her that night before -going to bed, "did Segundo give you those pretty flowers?" - -"Oh, I don't remember--yes, I think that García picked them for -me." - -"Will you give them to me to keep in my little satchel?" - -"Go, child, go to bed quickly. Mademoiselle, see that she says -her prayers!" - - - - - XIII. - - -The proximity of the feasts put an end to long walks. The -promenaders confined themselves to walks on the highroad, returning -soon to the town, where the plaza was crowded with busy people. The -promenaders included the young ladies of the Combist party, gayly -attired, parish priests, ill-shaven, of sickly aspect and dejected -looking, gamblers of doubtful appearance and strangers from the -Border--all types which Agonde criticised with mordacity, to Nieves' -great amusement. - -"Do you see those women there? They are the Señoritas de Gondas, -three old maids and a young lady, whom they call their niece, but as -they have no brother----Those other two are the Molendes, from Cebre, -very aristocratic people, God save the mark! The fat one thinks -herself superior to Lucifer, and the other writes poetry, and what -poetry! I tell Segundo García that he ought to propose to her; they -would make an excellent pair. They are staying at Lamajosa's; there -they are in their element, for Doña Mercedes Lamajosa, when any -visitor comes, in order that it may be known that they are noble, -says to her daughters: 'Girls, let one of you bring me my knitting; -it must be in the press, where the letters-patent of nobility are.' -Those two handsome, well-dressed girls are the Caminos, daughters of -the judge." - -On the eve of the fair the musicians paraded the streets morning -and afternoon, deafening everybody with the noise of their triumphal -strains. The plaza in front of the townhall was dotted with booths, -which made a gay confusion of brilliant and discordant colors. Before -the townhall were erected some odd-looking objects which with equal -probability might be taken for instruments of torture, children's -toys, or scarecrows, but which were in reality fireworks--trees and -wheels which were to burn that night, with magnificent pomp, favored -by the stillness of the atmosphere. From the window of the building -issued, like a Titanic arm, the pole on which was to be hoisted the -gigantic balloon, and along the balustrade ran a series of colored -glasses, forming the letters V. A. D. L. C.--a delicate compliment to -the representative of the district. - -It was already dark when Don Victoriano, accompanied by his wife -and daughter, set out for the townhall to see the fireworks. It was -with difficulty they made their way through the crowd which filled -the plaza, where a thousand discordant noises filled the air--now the -timbrel and castanets in some dance, now the buzz of the _zanfona_, -now some slow and melancholy popular _copla_, now the shout of some -aggressive and quarrelsome drunkard. Agonde gave his arm to Nieves, -made way for her among the crowd, and explained to her the programme -of the night's entertainment. - -"Never was there seen a balloon like this year's," he said; "it -is the largest we have ever had here. The Romerists are furious." - -"And how has my likeness turned out?" asked Don Victoriano with -interest. - -"Oh! It is superb. Better than the likeness in _La -Illustracion_." - -At the door of the townhall the difficulties increased, and it -was necessary to trample down without mercy the country-people--who -had installed themselves there, determined not to budge an inch lest -they should lose their places--before they were able to pass in. - -"See what asses they are," said Agonde. "It makes no difference -whether you step over them or not, they won't rise. They have no -place to sleep and they intend to pass the night here; to-morrow they -will waken up and return to their villages." - -They made their way as best they could over this motley heap in -which men and women were crowded together, intertwined, entangled in -repulsive promiscuity. Even on the steps of the stairs -suspicious-looking groups were lying, or some drunken peasant snored, -surfeited with _pulpo_, or some old woman sat counting her coppers in -her lap. They entered the hall, which was illuminated only by the dim -light shed by the colored glasses. Some young ladies already occupied -the space in front of the windows, but the Alcalde, hat in hand, with -innumerable apologies, made them draw their chairs closer together to -make room for Nieves, Victorina, and Carmen Agonde, around whom an -obsequious circle gathered; chairs were brought for the ladies, and -the Alcalde took Don Victoriano to the Secretary's office, where a -tray, with some bottles of Tostado and some atrocious cigars, awaited -him. The young ladies and the children placed themselves in front, -leaning on the railing of the balcony, running the risk of having -some rocket fall upon them. Nieves remained a little behind, and drew -her silver-woven Algerian shawl closer around her, for in this empty, -gloomy hall the air was chill. At her side was an empty chair, which -was suddenly occupied by a figure whose outlines were dimly -distinguishable in the darkness. - -"Why, García," she cried, "it is a cure for sore eyes. We haven't -seen you for two days." - -"You don't see me now, either, Nieves," said the poet, leaning -toward her and speaking in a low voice. "It would be rather difficult -to see one here." - -"That is true," answered Nieves, confused by this simple remark. -"Why have they not brought lights?" - -"Because it would spoil the effect of the fireworks. Don't you -prefer this species of semi-obscurity?" he added, smiling, before he -uttered it, at the choice phrase. - -Nieves was silent. Unconsciously she was fascinated by the -situation, in which there was a delicate blending of danger and -security which was not without a tinge of romance; she felt a sense -of security in the proximity of the open window, the young girls -crowded around it, the plaza, where the multitude swarmed like ants, -and whence came noises like the roaring of the sea, and songs and -confused cries full of tender melancholy; but at the same time the -solitude and the darkness of the hall and the species of isolation in -which she found herself with the Swan afforded one of those chance -occasions which tempt women of weak principles, who are neither so -imprudent as to throw themselves headlong into danger, nor so -cautious as to fly from its shadow. - -Nieves remained silent, feeling Segundo's breath fanning her -cheek. Suddenly both started. The first rocket was streaking the sky -with a long trail of light, and the noise of the explosion, deadened -though it was by distance, drew a cheer from the crowd in the plaza. -After this advanced guard came, one after another, at regular -intervals, with measured, hollow, deafening sound, eight bombs, the -signal announced in the programme of the feasts for the beginning of -the display. The window shook with the report and Nieves did not -venture to raise her eyes to the sky, fearing, doubtless, to see it -coming down with the reverberation of the bombs. After this the noise -of the flying fireworks, chasing one another through the solitudes of -space, seemed to her soft and pleasant. - -The first of these were ordinary rockets, without any novelty -whatever--a trail of light, a dull report, and a shower of sparks. -But soon came the surprises, novelties, and marvels of art. There -were fireworks that exploded, separating into three or four cascades -of light that vanished with fantastic swiftness in the depths of -space; from others fell with mysterious slowness and noiselessness -violet, green, and red lights, as if the angels had overturned in the -skies a casket of amethysts, emeralds, and rubies. The lights -descended slowly, like tears, and before they reached the ground -suddenly went out. The prettiest were the rockets which sent down a -rain of gold, a fantastic shower of sparks, a stream of drops of -light as quickly lighted as extinguished. The delight of the crowd in -the plaza, however, was greatest at the fireworks of three explosions -and a snake. These were not without beauty; they exploded like simple -rockets, sending forth a fiery lizard, a reptile which ran through -the sky in serpentine curves, and then plunged suddenly into -darkness. - -The scene was now wrapped in darkness, now flooded with light, -when the plaza would seem to rise to a level with the window, with -its swarm of people, the patches of color of the booths and the -hundreds of human faces turned upward, beaming with delight at this -favorite spectacle of the Galicians, a race which has preserved the -Celtic love and admiration for pyrotechnic displays, for brilliantly -illuminated nights in which they find a compensation for the cloudy -horizon of the day. - -Nieves, too, was pleased by the sudden alternations of light and -darkness, a faithful image of the ambiguous condition of her soul. -When the firmament was lighted up she watched with admiration the -bright luminaries that gave a Venetian coloring to these pleasant -moments. When everything was again enveloped in darkness she ventured -to look at the poet, without seeing him, however, for her eyes, -dazzled by the fireworks, were unable to distinguish the outlines of -his face. The poet, on his side, kept his eyes fixed persistently on -Nieves, and he saw her flooded with light, with that rare and -beautiful moonlight glow produced by fireworks, and which adds a -hundredfold to the softness and freshness of the features. He felt a -keen impulse to condense in one ardent phrase all that the time had -now come for saying, and he bent toward her--and at last he -pronounced her name! - -"Nieves!" - -"Well?" - -"Had you ever seen fireworks like these before?" - -"No; it is a specialty of this province. I like them greatly. If -I were a poet like you I would say pretty things about them. Come, -invent something, you." - -"Like them happiness brightens our existence, for a few brief -moments, Nieves--but while it brightens, while we feel it----" - -Segundo inwardly cursed the high-sounding phrase that he found -himself unable to finish. What nonsense he was talking! Would it not -be better to bend down a little lower and touch with his lips----But -what if she should scream? She would not scream, he would venture to -swear. Courage! - -In the balcony a great commotion was heard. Carmen Agonde called -to Nieves: - -"Nieves, come, come! The first tree--a wheel of fire----" - -Nieves rose hastily and went and leaned over the balustrade, -thinking that it would not do to attract attention sitting all the -evening chatting with Segundo. The tree began to burn at one end, not -without difficulty, apparently, spitting forth an occasional red -spark; but suddenly the whole piece took fire--a flaming wheel, an -enormous wafer of red and green light, which turned round and round, -expanding and shaking out its fiery locks and making the air resound -with a noise like the report of fire-arms. It was silent for a few -brief instants and seemed on the point of going out, a cloud of rosy -smoke enveloped it, through which shone a point of light, a golden -sun, which soon began to turn with dizzying rapidity, opening and -spreading out into an aureole of rays. These went out one by one, and -the sun, diminishing in size until it was no larger than a coal, -lazily gave a few languid turns, and, sighing, expired. - -As Nieves was returning to her seat she felt a pair of arms -thrown around her neck. They were those of Victorina who, intoxicated -with delight at the spectacle of the fireworks, cried in her thin -voice: - -"Mamma, mamma! How lovely! How beautiful! And Carmen says they -are going to set off more trees and a wheel----" - -She stopped, seeing Segundo standing beside Nieves' chair. She -hung her head, ashamed of her childish enthusiasm, and, instead of -returning to the window, she remained beside her mother, lavishing -caresses upon her to disguise the shyness and timidity which always -took possession of her when Segundo looked at her. Two other pieces -were burning at two of the corners of the plaza, a pin-wheel and a -vase, that sent forth showers of light, first golden, then blue. The -child, notwithstanding her admiration for the fireworks, did not -appear to have any intention of going to the window to see them, -leaving Nieves and Segundo alone. The latter remained seated for some -ten minutes longer, but seeing that the child did not leave her -mother's side, he rose quickly, seized by a sudden frenzy, and walked -up and down the dimly-lighted hall with hasty steps, conscious that -for the moment he was not sufficiently master of himself to maintain -outward calmness. - -By Heaven, he was well employed! Why had he been fool enough to -let slip so favorable an opportunity! Nieves had encouraged him; he -had not dreamed it; no; glances, smiles, slight but significant -indications of liking and good-will; all these there had been, and -they all counseled him to end so ambiguous and doubtful a situation. -Ah! If this woman only loved him! And she should love him, and not in -jest and as a pastime, but madly! Segundo would not be satisfied with -less. His ambitious soul scorned easy and ephemeral triumphs--all or -nothing. If the Madridlenian thought of flirting with him she would -find herself mistaken; he would seize her by her butterfly wings and, -even at the cost of breaking them, he would hold her fast; if one -wished to retain a butterfly in his possession he must pierce it -through the heart or press it to death. Segundo had done this a -thousand times when he was a boy; he would do it now again; he was -resolved upon it; whenever a light or mocking laugh, a reserved -attitude or a tranquil look, showed Segundo that Señora de Comba -maintained her self-possession, his heart swelled with rage that -threatened to suffocate him; and when he saw the child beside her -mother, who was keeping up an animated conversation with the little -girl, as if she were keeping her there as a protection, he determined -that he would not let the night pass without knowing what were her -feelings toward him. - -He returned to Nieves, but she had now risen and the child was -drawing her by the hands to the window; this was the solemn and -critical moment; the monster balloon had just been attached to the -pole for the purpose of inflating it; and from the plaza came a loud -buzz, a buzz of eager expectation. A phalanx of Combist artisans, -among whom figured Ramon, the confectioner, were clearing a space -around it sufficiently large to allow of the fuse burning freely, so -that the difficult operation might be accomplished. The silhouettes -of the workmen, illuminated by the light of the fuse, could be seen -moving about, bending down, rising up, dancing a sort of mad dance. -The darkness was no longer illuminated by the glare of the rockets, -and the human sea looked black as a lake of pitch. - -Still folded in innumerable folds, its sides clinging together, -the balloon swayed feebly, kissing the ground with its lips of wire, -between which the ill-smelling fuse was beginning to burn brightly. -The manufacturers of the colossal balloon proceeded to unfold it -gently and affectionately, lighting below it other fuses to aid the -principal one and hasten the rarification of air in its paper body. -This began to distend itself, the folds opening out with a gentle, -rustling sound, and the balloon, losing its former limp and lank -appearance, began to be inflated in places. As yet the figures on its -sides appeared of unnatural length, like figures reflected from the -polished, convex surface of a coffee urn; but already several borders -and mottoes began to make their appearance here and there, acquiring -their natural proportions and positions and showing clearly the -coarse red and blue daubs. - -The difficulty was that the mouth of the balloon was too large, -allowing the rarefied air to escape through it; and if the fuses were -made to burn with greater force there was danger of setting the paper -on fire and instantly reducing the superb machine to ashes--a -terrible calamity which must be prevented at all costs. Therefore -many arms were eagerly stretched out to support it, and when the -balloon leaned to one side many hands made haste to sustain it--all -this to the accompaniment of cries, oaths, and maledictions. - -In the plaza the surging crowd continued to increase, and the -eager expectancy became momentarily greater. Carmen Agonde, with her -mellow laugh, recounted to Nieves the plots that went on behind the -scenes. Those who were trying to push their way to the front in order -to overturn the fuses and prevent the ascent of the balloon belonged -to the Romerist party; a good watch the maker of the fireworks had -been obliged to keep to prevent them from wetting his powder trees; -but the greatest hatred was to the balloon, on account of its bearing -Don Victoriano's likeness; they had vowed and determined that so -ridiculous and grotesque an object should not ascend into the air -while they had life to prevent it; and that they themselves would -construct another balloon, better than that of the townhall, and that -this should be the only one to ascend. For this reason they applauded -and uttered shouts of derision every time the gigantic balloon, -unable to rise from the earth, fell down feebly to the right or to -the left, while Don Victoriano's partisans directed their efforts on -the one hand to protect from all injury the enormous bulk of the -balloon, on the other to inflate it with warm air to make it rise. - -Nieves' eyes were fixed attentively on the monster, but her -thoughts were far away. Segundo had succeeded in pushing his way -through the crowd in front of the window and was now sitting beside -her, on her right. No one was observing them now, and the poet, -without preface, passed his arm around Nieves' waist, placing his -hand boldly on the spot where, anatomically speaking, the heart is -situated. Instead of the elastic and yielding curve of the form and -the quickened pulsation of the organ, Segundo felt under his hand the -hard surface of one of those long corset-breastplates full of -whalebones, and furnished with steel springs, which fashion -prescribes at the present day--an apparatus to which Nieves' form -owed much of its slender grace. Infernal corset! Segundo could have -wished that his fingers were pincers to pierce through the fabric of -her gown, through the steel whalebones, through her inner garments, -through the flesh and through the very ribs and fasten themselves in -her heart, and seize it red-hot and bleeding and crush, tear, -annihilate it! Why could he not feel the throbbings of that heart? -Leocadia's heart, or even Victorina's, bounded like a bird's when he -touched it. And Segundo, enraged, pressed his hand with greater -force, undeterred by the fear of hurting Nieves, desiring, on the -contrary, to strangle her. - -Surprised at Segundo's audacity, Nieves remained silent, not -daring to make the slightest movement, lest by doing so she should -attract attention, and protesting only by straightening her form and -raising her eyes to his with a look of anguish, soon lowering them, -however, unable to resist the expression in the eyes of the poet. The -latter continued to search for the absent heart without succeeding in -feeling anything more than the throbbing of his own arteries, of his -pulse compressed against the unyielding surface of the corset. But -fatigue finally conquered, his fingers relaxed their pressure, his -arm fell down powerless, and rested without strength or illusion on -the form, at once flexible and unyielding, the form of whalebone and -steel. - -Meanwhile the balloon, in defiance of the Romerist intriguers, -continued to expand, as its enormous body was filled with gas and -light, illuminating the plaza like a gigantic lantern. It swayed from -side to side majestically, and on its immense surface could be read -plainly all the inscriptions and laudatory phrases invented by the -enthusiastic Combists. The effigy, or rather the colossal figure of -Don Victoriano, which filled one of its sides completely, followed -the curve of the balloon and stood out, so ugly and disproportioned -that it was a pleasure to see it; it had two frying-pans for eyes, -the pupils being two eggs fried in them, no doubt; for mouth a -species of fish or lizard and for beard a tangled forest or map of -blots of sienna and lampblack. Giant branches of green laurel crossed -each other above the head of the colossus, matching the golden palms -of his court dress, represented by daubs of ocher. And the balloon -swelled and swelled, its distended sides grew ever tenser and tenser, -and it pulled impatiently at the cord that held it, eager to break -away and soar among the clouds. The Combists yelled with delight. -Suddenly a murmur was heard, a low murmur of expectation. - -The cord had been dexterously cut and the balloon, majestic, -magnificent, rose a few yards above the ground, bearing with it the -apotheosis of Don Victoriano, the glory of his laurels, mottoes and -emblems. In the balcony and in the plaza below resounded a salvo of -applause and triumphal acclamations. Oh, vanity of human joys! It was -not one Romerist stone only but three at least that at this instant, -directed with unerring aim, pierced the sides of the paper monster, -allowing the hot air, the vital current, to escape through the -wounds. The balloon contracted, shriveled up like a worm when it is -trodden upon, and finally, doubling over in the middle, gave itself -up a prey to the devouring flames lighted by the fuse which in a -second's space enveloped it in a fiery mantle. - -At the same moment that the balloon of the official candidate -expired thus miserably, the little Romerist balloon, its swelling -sides daubed with coarse designs, rose promptly and swiftly from a -corner of the plaza, resolved not to pause in its ascent until it had -reached the clouds. - - - - - XIV. - - -Nieves spent a restless night and when she awoke in the morning -the incidents of the preceding evening presented themselves to her -mind vaguely and confusedly as if she had dreamed them; she could not -believe in the reality of Segundo's singular hardihood, that taking -possession of her, that audacious outrage, that she had not known how -to resent. How compromising the position in which the daring of the -poet had placed her! And what if anyone had noticed it? When she bade -good-night to the girls who had been sitting with her at the window, -they had smiled in a way that was--well, odd; Carmen Agonde, the fat -girl with the sleepy eyes and placid temper, gave evidence at times -of a strain of malice. But, no; how could they have observed -anything? The shawl she had worn was large and had covered her whole -figure. And Nieves took the shawl, put it on and looked at herself in -the mirror, using a handglass to obtain a complete view of her -person, in order to assure herself that, enveloped in this garment, -it was impossible for an arm passed around her waist to be seen. She -was engaged in this occupation when the door opened and someone -entered. She started and dropped the glass. - -It was her husband, looking more sallow than ever, and bearing -the traces of suffering stamped on his countenance. Nieves' heart -seemed to turn within her. Could it be possible that Don Victoriano -suspected anything? Her apprehensions were soon relieved, however, -when she heard him speak, with ill-disguised pique, of the insulting -behavior of the Romerists and the destruction of the balloon. The -Minister sought an outlet for his mortification by complaining of the -pain of the pin-prick. - -"But did you ever see the like, child? What do you think of it?" -he said. - -He then went on to complain of the noise of the fair, which had -lasted all night and had not allowed him to close his eyes. Nieves -agreed that it was extremely annoying; she, too, had been unable to -sleep. The Minister opened the window and the noise reached them -louder and more distinct. It resembled a grand chorale, or symphony, -composed of human voices, the neighing of horses and mules, the -grunting of pigs, the lowing of cows, calves, and oxen, hucksters' -criers, noises of quarreling, songs, blasphemies, and sounds of -musical instruments. The flood-tide of the fair had submerged -Vilamorta. - -From the window could be seen its waves, a surging sea of men and -animals crowded together in inextricable confusion. Suddenly among -the throng of peasants a drove of six or eight calves would rush with -helpless terror; a led mule had cleared a space around him, dealing -kicks to right and left, screams and groans of pain were heard on all -sides, but those behind continued pushing those in front and the -space was filled up again. The venders of felt hats were a curious -sight as they walked about with their merchandise on their heads, -towers of twenty or thirty hats piled one above another, like Chinese -pagodas. Other venders carried for sale, on a portable counter slung -from their necks by ribbons, balls of thread, tape, thimbles, and -scissors; the venders of distaffs and spindles carried their wares -suspended around their waists, from their breast, everywhere, as -unskillful swimmers carry bladders, and the venders of frying-pans -glittered in the sun like feudal warriors. - -The confused din, the ceaseless movement of the multitude, and -the mingling together of human beings and animals, made the brain -dizzy, and the ear was wearied by the plaintive lowing of the cows -under the drivers' lash, the terrified cries of women, the brutal -hilarity of drunken men who issued from the taverns with hats pushed -far back on their heads, seeking an outlet for their superabundant -energy by assaulting the men or pinching the girls. The latter, -screaming with terror, escaped from the drunkards to fall, perhaps, -on the horns of some ox or to receive a blow from the snout of some -mule that bathed their foreheads and temples in its frothy saliva. -But most terrifying of all was it to see infants carried high above -their mothers' heads, braving, like frail skiffs, the dangers of this -stormy sea. - -Nieves remained for half an hour or so looking out of the window, -and then, sight and hearing both weary, she withdrew. In the -afternoon she watched the scene again for a while. The buying and -selling was less brisk, and the better classes of the Border began to -make their appearance at the fair. Agonde, who, absorbed in the -desperate gambling that went on in the back shop, had kept himself -invisible during the day, now went upstairs and, while he wiped the -perspiration from his brow, pointed out to Nieves the notabilities of -the place, as they passed by, naming to her in turn the archpriests, -the parish priests, the physicians, and the gentry. - -"That very thin man, riding that horse that looks as if it had -been strained through a colander, with silver trimmings in his saddle -and silver spurs, is Señorito de Limioso, a scion of the house of the -Cid--God save the mark! The Pazo of Limioso is situated in the -neighborhood of Cebre. As for money, they have not an _ochavo_; they -own a few barley-fields, and a couple of grapevines past yielding, -that bring them in a trifle. But do you suppose that Señorito de -Limioso would go into an inn to dine? No, Señora; he carries his -bread and cheese in his pocket, and he will sleep--Heaven knows -where. As he is a Carlist they may let him stretch himself on the -floor of Doña Eufrasia's back shop, with the saddle of his nag for a -pillow, for on a day like this there are no mattresses to spare. And -you may be sure that his servant's belt bulges out in the way it -does, because he carries the nag's feed in it." - -"You exaggerate, Agonde." - -"Exaggerate? No, indeed. You have no idea what those gentlemen -are. Here they are called _Seven on a horse_, because they have one -horse for all seven which they ride in pairs, in turn, and when they -are near the town they stop to ride in, one by one, armed with whip -and spur, and the nag comes in seven different times, each time with -a different rider. Why, see those ladies coming there, the one on a -donkey, the other on a mule--the Señoritas de Loiro. They are friends -of the Molendes. Look at the bundles they carry before them; they are -the dresses for to-night's ball." - -"But are you really in earnest?" - -"In earnest? Yes, indeed, Señora. They have them all here, every -article--the bustle, or whatever it may be called, that sticks out -behind, the shoes, the petticoats, and even the rouge. And those are -very refined, they come to the town to dress themselves; most of the -young ladies, a few years ago, used to dress themselves in the pine -wood near the echo of Santa Margarita. As they had no house in the -town to stay at, and they were not going to lose the ball, at -half-past ten or eleven they were among the pines, hooking their -low-necked dresses, fastening on their bows and their gewgaws, and as -fine as you please. All the gentry together, Nieves, if you will -believe me, could not make up a dollar among them. They are people -that, to avoid buying lard, or making broth, breakfast on wine and -water. They hang up the loaf of wheaten bread among the rafters so -that it may be out of reach and may last forever. I know them -well--vanity, and nothing more." - -The apothecary spoke angrily, multiplying instances, and -exaggerating them in the telling, with the rage of the plebeian who -eagerly seizes an opportunity to ridicule the poor aristocracy, -relating anecdotes of everyone of the ladies and gentlemen--stories -of poverty more or less skillfully disguised. Don Victoriano laughed, -remembering some of the stories, now become proverbial in the -country, while Nieves, her anxiety set at rest by her husband's -laughter, began to think without terror, with a certain secret -complacency, rather, of the episodes of the fireworks. She had feared -to see Segundo among the crowd, but, as the night advanced and the -brilliant colors of the booths faded into the surrounding darkness, -and lights began to appear, and the singing of the drunkards grew -hoarser, her mind became tranquil, and the danger seemed very remote, -almost to have disappeared. In her inexperience she had fancied at -first that the poet's arm would leave its trace, as it were, on her -waist, and that the poet would seize the first opportunity to present -himself before her, exacting and impassioned, betraying himself and -compromising her. But the day passed by, serene and without incident, -and Nieves experienced the inevitable impatience of the woman who -waits in vain for the appearance of the man who occupies her -thoughts. At last she remembered the ball. Segundo would certainly be -there. - - - - - XV. - - -And she adorned herself for the town ball with a certain -illusion, with the same care as if she were dressing for a soirée at -the palace of Puenteancha. - -Naturally the gown and the ornaments were very different from -what they would have been in the latter case, but they were selected -with no less care and consideration--a gown of white China crêpe, -high-necked, and without a train, trimmed with Valenciennes lace, -that fell in clinging folds, whose simplicity was completed by long -dark Suède gloves wrinkled at the wrist, reaching to the elbow. A -black velvet ribbon, fastened by a diamond and sapphire horseshoe, -encircled her neck. Her beautiful fair hair, arranged in the English -fashion, curled slightly over the forehead. - -She was almost ashamed of having selected this toilette when she -crossed the muddy plaza, leaning on Agonde's arm, and heard the poor -music, and found the entrance of the townhall crowded with -country-people sitting on the floor, whom it was necessary to step -over to reach the staircase. On the landings ran the lees of the -fair--a dark wine-colored rivulet. Agonde drew her aside. - -"Don't step there, Nieves; take care," he said. - -She felt repelled by this unsightly entrance, calling to mind the -marble vestibule and staircase of the palace of Puenteancha, carpeted -down the center, with plants arranged on either side. At the door of -the apartment which she was now entering was a counter laden with -cakes and confectionery, at which the wife of Ramon, the -confectioner, holding in her arms the inevitable baby, presided, -casting angry glances at the young ladies who had come to amuse -themselves. - -Nieves was given a seat in the most conspicuous part of the room, -in front of the door. The whitewashed walls were not very clean, nor -was the red cloth which covered the benches very fresh, nor did the -badly snuffed candles in the tin chandelier produce a brilliant -illumination. Owing to the large number of people present the heat -was almost insupportable. In the center of the apartment the men -stood grouped together--the youth of Vilamorta, visitors to the -springs, strangers, gamblers, and the gentry from the neighboring -country, mingling in one black mass. Every time the band struck up -anew, deafening the ear with its sonorous strains, the indefatigable -dancers would leave the group and hurry off in search of their -partners. - -Nieves watched the scene with amazement. The young ladies, with -their large chignons and their clusters of curls, their faces daubed -with coarse rice-powder, their bodices cut low around the throat, -their long trains of cheap materials, continually trodden upon and -torn by the heavy boots of the gallants, their clumsy, tastelessly -arranged flowers, and their short-wristed gloves of thick kid, too -small for their hands, all seemed to her strange and laughable. She -remembered Agonde's descriptions, the toilet made in the pine grove, -and fanned herself with her large black fan as if to drive off the -pestilent air in which the whirl of the dance enveloped her. The -dancers pursued their task earnestly, diligently, as if they were -contending for a prize to be awarded to the one who should first get -out of breath, moving, not with their own motion only, but impelled -by the jostling, pushing, and crowding of those around them. And -Nieves, accustomed to the elegant and measured dancing of the -soirées, wondered at the courage and resolution displayed by the -dancers of Vilamorta. Some of the girls, whose flounces had been torn -by some gallant's boot-heel, turned up their skirts, quickly tore off -the whole trimming, rolled it into a ball, which they threw into a -corner, and then returned, smiling and contented, to the arms of -their partners. In vain the men wiped the perspiration from their -faces; their collars and shirt-fronts grew limp, their hair clung to -their foreheads; the silk bodices of the ladies began to show stains -of perspiration, and the marks of their partners' hands. And the -gymnastics continued, and the dust and the particles of perspiration -vitiated the atmosphere, and the floor of the room trembled. There -were handsome couples, blooming girls and gallant young men, who -danced with the healthy gayety of youth, with sparkling eyes, -overflowing with animation; and there were ridiculous couples, short -men and tall women, stout women and beardless boys, a baldheaded old -man and a stout, middle-aged woman. There were brothers who danced -with their sisters through shyness, because they had not the courage -to invite other young ladies to dance, and the secretary of the town -council, married for many years to a rich Orensen who was old and -very jealous, danced all the evening with his wife, dancing polkas -and waltzes in the time of a _habanera_ to keep from dying by -asphyxiation. - -When Nieves entered the ballroom, the other women looked at her, -first with curiosity, then with surprise. How strange to come so -simply dressed! Not to wear a train a yard and a half long, nor a -flower in her hair, nor bracelets nor satin shoes. Two or three -ladies from Orense, who had cherished the expectation of making a -sensation in the ball of Vilamorta, began to whisper among -themselves, criticising the artistic negligence of her attire, the -modesty of the white, high-necked bodice, and the grace of the small -head, with its elegantly arranged hair, vaporous as the engravings in -_La Illustracion_. The Orensens determined to copy the fashion-plate, -the Vilamortans and the women of the Border, on the contrary, -criticised the Minister's lady bitterly. - -"She is dressed almost as if she would dress at home." - -"She does it because she doesn't want to wear her good clothes -here. Of course for a ball here----She thinks probably that we know -nothing. But she might at least have dressed her hair a little -better. And how easy it is to see that she is bored; look, why, she -seems to be asleep." - -"And a little while ago she seemed as if she couldn't sit still a -moment--she kept tapping the floor with her foot as if she were -impatient to be gone." - -And it was true; Nieves was bored. And if the young ladies who -censured her could only have known the cause! - -She could see Segundo nowhere, anxiously as she looked for him, -at first with furtive glances, then openly and without disguise. At -last García came to salute her, and then she could restrain herself -no longer, and making an effort to speak in a natural and easy tone, -she asked: - -"And the boy? It is a wonder he is not here." - -"Who? Segundo? Segundo is--so eccentric. If you could only guess -what he is doing now. Reading verses or composing them. We must leave -him to his whims." - -And the lawyer waved his hands with a gesture that seemed to say -that the eccentricities of genius must be respected, while in his own -mind he said: - -"He is most likely with that damned old woman." - -The truth is that nothing in the world would have induced the -poet, under the circumstances, to come to a ball like the present -one, to be obliged to dance with the young country girls of his -acquaintance, to perspire and to be pulled about like the other young -men. And his absence, the result of his æsthetic feeling, produced a -marvelous effect on Nieves, effacing the last remnant of fear, -stimulating her coquettish instincts, and piquing her curiosity. - -At the same time, in the radical circle that surrounded Don -Victoriano and his wife, the approaching departure of the Minister -and Nieves for Las Vides to be present at the vintage was -discussed--a project that delighted the Minister as an unexpected -holiday delights a schoolboy. The persons whom the hidalgo had -invited or intended to invite for the festive occasion were named, -and when Agonde uttered Segundo's name Nieves raised her eyes, and a -look of animation lighted up her face, while she said to herself: - -"He is fully capable of not going." - - - - - XVI. - - -A great day for Las Vides is the day appointed by the town -council for the inauguration of the vintage. The whole year is passed -in looking forward to and preparing for the beautiful harvest time. -The vine is still clothed in purple and gold, but it has already -begun to drop a part of its rich garniture as a bride drops her veil, -the wasps settle in clusters on the grapes, announcing to man that -they are now ripe. The last days of September, serene and peaceful, -are at hand. To the vintage without delay! - -Neither Primo Genday nor Mendez takes a moment's rest. The bands -of vintagers who come from distant parishes to hire themselves out -must be attended to, must have their tasks assigned them; the work of -gathering in the grapes must be organized so that it may be -advantageously and harmoniously conducted. For the labors of the -vintage resemble, somewhat, a great battle in which an extraordinary -expenditure of energy is required from the soldier, a waste of muscle -and of blood, but in which he must be supplied, in return, with -everything necessary to recruit his strength during his moments of -repose. In order that the vintagers might engage in their arduous -labors with cheerfulness and alacrity, it was necessary to have at -hand in the cellar the cask of must from which the carters might -drink at discretion when they returned exhausted from the task of -carrying the heavy _coleiro_, or basket, filled with grapes up the -steep ascents; it was necessary that they should have an abundant -supply of the thick wine flavored with mutton suet, the sardines and -the barley-bread, when the voracious appetite of the bands demanded -them; to which end the fire was always kept burning on the hearth at -Las Vides and the enormous kettles in which the mess was cooked were -always kept filled. - -When in addition to this the presence of numerous and -distinguished guests be considered, some idea may be formed of the -bustle of the manor-house during these incomparable days. Its walls -sheltered, besides the Comba family, Saturnino and Carmen Agonde, the -young and amiable curate of Naya, the portly arch-priest of Loiro, -Tropiezo, Clodio Genday, Señorita de Limioso and the two Señoritas de -Molende. Every class was here represented, so that Las Vides was a -sort of microcosm or brief compendium of the world of the -province--the priests attracted by Primo Genday, the radicals by the -head of the house of Mendez. And all these people of conditions so -diverse, finding themselves associated together, gave themselves up -to the enjoyment of the occasion in the greatest possible harmony and -concord. - -To the merriment of the vintagers the merriment of the guests -responded like an echo. It was impossible to resist the influence of -the Bacchic joyousness, the delirious gayety which seemed to float in -the atmosphere. Among all the delightful spectacles which Nature has -to offer, there is none more delightful than that of her fruitfulness -in the vintage time, the baskets heaped full of clusters of ruddy or -dark red grapes, which robust men, almost naked, like fauns, carry -and empty into the vat or wine-press; the laughter of the vintagers -hidden among the foliage, disputing, challenging each other from vine -to vine to sing, a gayety which is followed by a reaction at -nightfall--as is usually the case with all violent expressions of -feeling in which there is a great expenditure of muscular strength; -the merry challenges ending in some prolonged Celtic wail, some -plaintive _a-laá-laá_. The pagan sensation of well-being, the -exhilaration produced by the pure air of the country, the mere joy of -existence, communicated themselves to the spectators of these -delightful scenes, and at night, while the chorus of fauns and -Bacchantes danced to the sound of the flute and the timbrel, the -gentry diverted themselves with childish frolics in the great house. - -The young ladies slept all together in a large, bare apartment, -the Rosary-room, the male guests being lodged by Mendez in another -spacious room called the screen-room, because in it was a screen, as -ugly as it was antique; the arch-priest only being excluded from this -community of lodging, his obesity and his habit of snoring making it -impossible for any person of even average sensibility to tolerate him -as a roommate; and the gay and mischievous party being thus divided -into two sections, there came to be established between them a sort -of merry warfare, so that the occupants of the Rosary-room thought of -nothing but playing tricks on the occupants of the screen-room, from -which resulted innumerable witty inventions and amusing skirmishes. -Between the two camps there was a neutral one--that of the Comba -family, whose slumbers were respected and who were exempt in the -matter of practical jokes, although the feminine band often took -Nieves as their confidante and counselor. - -"Nieves, come here, Nieves; see, how foolish Carmen Agonde is; -she says she likes the arch-priest, that barrel, better than Don -Eugeniño, the parish priest of Naya, because it makes her laugh, she -says, to see him perspiring and to look at the rolls of fat in the -back of his neck. And say, Nieves, what trick shall we play to-night -on Don Eugeniño? And on Ramon Limioso, who has been daring us all -day?" - -It was Teresa Molende, a masculine-looking black-eyed brunette, a -good specimen of the mountaineer, who spoke thus. - -"They must pay for the trick they played on us yesterday," added -her sister Elvira, the sentimental poetess. - -"What was that?" - -"You must know that they locked Carmen up. They are the very -mischief! They shut her up in Mendez's room. What is there that they -won't think of! They tied her hands behind her back with a silk -handkerchief, tied another handkerchief over her mouth, so that she -couldn't scream, and left her there like a mouse in a mouse-trap. And -we, hunting and hunting for Carmen, and no Carmen to be seen. And -there we were thinking all sorts of things until Mendez went up to -his room to go to bed and found her there. Of course they had that -silly creature to deal with, for if it had been I----" - -"They would shut you up too," declared Carmen. - -"Me!" exclaimed the Amazon, drawing up her portly figure. "They -would be the ones to get shut up!" - -"But they entrapped me into it," affirmed Carmen, looking as if -she were just ready to cry. "See, Nieves, they said to me: 'Put your -hands behind you, Carmiña, and we'll put a five-dollar piece in -them,' and I put them behind me, and they were so treacherous as to -tie them together." - -Nieves joined in the laughter of the two sisters. It could not be -denied that this simplicity was very amusing. Nieves seemed to be in -a new world in which routine, the worn-out conventionalities of -Madrid society, did not exist. True, such noisy and ingenuous -diversions might at times verge on impropriety or coarseness, but -sometimes they were really entertaining. From the moment the guests -rose from table in the afternoon nothing was thought of but frolic -and fun. Teresa had proposed to herself not to allow Tropiezo to eat -a meal in peace, and with the utmost dexterity she would catch flies -on the wing, which she would throw slyly into his soup, or she would -pour vinegar into his glass instead of wine, or rub pitch on his -napkin so that it might stick to his mouth. For the arch-priest they -had another trick--they would draw him on to talk of ceremonies, a -subject on which he loved to expatiate, and when his attention was -engaged, take away his plate slyly, which was like tearing a piece of -his heart out of his breast. - -At night, in the parlor of the turbid mirrors, in which were the -piano and the rocking-chairs, a gay company assembled; they sang -fragments of _El Juramento_, and _El Grumete_; they played at -hide-and-seek, and, without hiding, played _brisea_ with _malilla_ -counters; when they grew tired of cards, they had recourse to -forfeits, to mind-reading, and other amusements. And the frolicsome -rustic nature once aroused, they passed on to romping games--fool in -the middle, hoodman-blind, and others which have the zest imparted by -physical exercise--shouts, pushes and slaps. - -Then they would retire to their rooms, still excited by their -sports, and this was the hour when their merriment was at its height, -when they played the wildest pranks; when they fastened lighted -tapers to the bodies of crickets and sent them under the bedroom -doors; when they took the slats out of Tropiezo's bedstead so that -when he lay down he might fall to the ground and bruise his ribs. In -the halls could be heard smothered bursts of laughter and stealthy -footsteps, white forms would be seen scurrying away, and doors would -be hastily locked and barricaded with articles of furniture, while -from behind them a mellow voice could be heard crying: - -"They are coming!" - -"Fasten the door well, girls! Don't open, not if the king himself -were to knock!" - - - - - XVII. - - -Segundo was the last of the guests to arrive at Las Vides. As he -cared but little for games and as Nieves did not take any very active -part in them either, they would often have found themselves thrown -for society upon each other had it not been for Victorina, who, from -the moment Segundo appeared, never left her mother's side, and Elvira -Molende who, from the very instant of his arrival, clung to the poet -like the ivy to the wall, directing on him a battery of sighs and -glances, and treating him to sentimental confidences and rhapsodies -sweet enough to surfeit a confectioner's boy. From the moment in -which Segundo set foot in Las Vides, Elvira lost all her animation, -and assumed a languishing and romantic air, which made her cheeks -appear hollower and the circles under her eyes deeper than ever. Her -form acquired the melancholy droop of the willow and, giving up -sports and pranks, she devoted herself exclusively to the Swan. - -As it was moonlight, and the evenings were enjoyable out of -doors, as soon as the sun had set, and the labors of the day were -ended, and the vintagers assembled for a dance, some of the guests -would assemble together also in the garden, generally at the foot of -a high wall bordered with leafy camellias, or they would stop and sit -down for a chat at some inviting spot on their way home from a walk. -Elvira knew by heart a great many verses, both good and bad, -generally of a melancholy kind--sentimental and elegiac; she was -familiar with all the flowers of poetry, all the tender verses which -constituted the poetic wealth of the locality, and uttered by her -thin lips, in the silvery tones of her gentle voice, with the soft -accents of her native land, the Galician verses, like an Andalusian -moral maxim in the sensual mouth of a gypsy, had a peculiar and -impressive beauty--the sensibility of a race crystallized in a poetic -gem, in a tear of love. These plaintive verses were interrupted at -times by mocking bursts of laughter, as the gay sounds of the -castanets strike in on the melancholy notes of the bagpipes. The -poems in dialect acquired a new beauty, their freshness and sylvan -aroma seemed to augment by being recited by the soft tones of a -woman's voice, on the edge of a pine wood and under the shadow of a -grapevine, on a serene moonlight night; and the rhyme became a vague -and dreamy melopoeia, like that of certain German ballads; a labial -music interspersed with soft diphthongs, tender _ñ_'s, _x_'s of a -more melodious sound than the hissing Castilian _ch_. Generally, -after the recitations came singing. Don Eugenio, who was a Borderer, -knew some Portuguese _fados_, and Elvira was unrivaled in her -rendering of the popular and melancholy song of Curros, which seems -made for Druidical nights, for nights illuminated by the solemn light -of the moon. - -Segundo's heart thrilled with gratified vanity when Elvira -recited shyly, in alternation with the verses of the popular and -admired poets of the country, songs of the Swan, which had appeared -in periodicals of Vigo or Orense. Segundo had never written in -dialect, and yet Elvira had a book in which she pasted all the -productions of the unknown Swan; Teresa, joining in the animated -conversation with the best intentions in the word, betrayed her -sister: - -"She writes verses too. Come, child, recite something of your -own. She has a copy-book full of things invented, composed by -herself." - -The poetess, after the indispensable excuses and denials, recited -two or three little things, almost without poetic form, weak, sincere -in the midst of their sentimental falseness--verses of the kind which -reveal no artistic faculty, but which are the sure indication that -the author or authoress feels an unsatisfied desire, longs for fame -or for love, as the inarticulate cry of the infant expresses its -hunger. Segundo twisted his mustache, Nieves lowered her eyes and -played with the tassels of her fan, impatient and somewhat bored and -nervous. This occurred two or three days after the arrival of Segundo -who, in spite of all his attempts, had not yet been able to succeed -in saying a word in private to Nieves. - -"How uncultured these young ladies are!" said Señora de Comba to -herself, while aloud she said, "How lovely, how tender! It sounds -like some of Grilo's verses." - - - - - XVIII. - - -It was something different from poetry that formed the theme of -conversation of the head of the house of Las Vides, the Gendays, and -the arch-priest, installed on the balcony under the pretext of -enjoying the moonlight, but in reality to discuss the important -question of the vintage. - -A fine crop! Yes, indeed, a fine crop! The grape had not a trace -of oïdium; it was clean, full, and so ripe that it was as sticky to -the touch as if it had been dipped in honey. There was not a doubt -but that the new wine of this year was better than the old wine of -last year. Last year's vintage was an absolute failure! Hail to-day, -rain to-morrow! The grape with so much rain had burst before it was -time to gather it, and had not an atom of pulp; the result was a wine -that scarcely left a stain on the shirt-sleeves of the muleteers. - -At the recollection of so great a calamity, Mendez pressed his -thin lips together, and the arch-priest breathed hard. And the -conversation continued, sustained by Primo Genday, who, with much -verbosity, spitting and laughter, recounted details of harvests of -twenty years before, declaring: - -"This year's crop is exactly like the crop of '61." - -"Exactly," assented Mendez. "As for the Rebeco, it will not give -a load less this year, and the Grilloa--I don't know but that it will -give us six or seven more. It is a great vine, the Grilloa!" - -After these cheerful prognostications of a rich harvest, Mendez -described with satisfaction to his attentive audience some -improvements which he had introduced into the cultivation of the -vine. He had most of his casks secured with iron hoops; they were -more expensive than wooden ones, but they lasted longer and they -saved the troublesome labor of making new hoops for each harvest; he -was thinking too, by way of experiment, of setting up a wine-press, -doing away with the repulsive spectacle of the trampling of the -grapes by human feet, and in order that the pressed skins and the -pulp of the grapes might not go to waste, he would distill from them -a refined alcohol which Agonde would buy from him at its weight in -gold. - -Lulled by the grave voices discussing important agricultural -questions on the balcony, Don Victoriano, somewhat fatigued by his -expedition to the vineyards, sat smoking in the rocking-chair, buried -in painful meditations. Since his return from the springs he had been -growing weaker day by day; the temporary improvement had vanished; -the debility, the unnatural appetite, the thirst, and the desiccation -of the body had increased. He remembered that Sanchez del Abrojo had -told him that a slight perspiration would be of the greatest benefit -to him, and when he observed, after he had been drinking the waters -for a few days, the re-establishment of this function, his joy knew -no bounds. But what was his terror when he found that his shirt, -stiff and hard, adhered to his skin as if it had been soaked in -syrup. He touched a fold of the sleeve with his lips and perceived a -sweetish taste. It was plain! He perspired sugar! The glucose -secretion was, then, uncontrollable, and by a tremendous irony of -fate all the bitterness of his existence had come to end in this -strange elaboration of sweet substances. - -For some days past he had noticed another alarming symptom. His -sight was becoming affected. As the aqueous humor of the eye dried up -the crystalline lens became clouded, producing the cataract of -diabetes. Don Victoriano had chills. He regretted now having put -himself into the homicidal hands of Tropiezo and drunk the waters. -There was not a doubt but that he was being wrongly treated. From -this day forth a strict regimen, a diet of fruits, fecula, and milk. -To live, to live, but for a year, and to be able to hide his malady! -If the electors saw their candidate blind and dying, they would -desert to Romero. The humiliation of losing the coming election -seemed to him intolerable. - -Bursts of silvery laughter, and youthful exclamations proceeding -from the garden, changed the current of his thoughts. Why was it that -Nieves did not perceive the serious condition of her husband's -health? He wished to dissemble before the whole world, but before his -wife----Ah, if his wife belonged to him she ought to be beside him -now, consoling and soothing him by her caresses instead of diverting -herself and frolicking among the camellias, like a child. If she was -beautiful and fresh and her husband sickly, so much the worse for -her. Let her put up with it, as was her duty. Bah! What nonsense! -Nieves did not love him, had never loved him! - -The noise and laughter below increased. Victorina and Teresa, the -verses being exhausted, had proposed a game of hide-and-seek. -Victorina was crying at every moment, "Teresa's it!" "Segundo's it!" - -The garden was very well adapted for this exercise because of its -almost labyrinthine intricacy, owing to the fact of its being laid -out in sloping terraces supported on walls and separated by rows of -umbrageous trees, communicating with each other by uneven steps, as -is the case with all the estates in this hilly country. Thus it was -that the play was very noisy, as the seeker had great difficulty in -finding those who were hiding. - -Nieves endeavored to hide herself securely, through laziness so -as not to have to run after the others. Chance provided her with a -superb hiding-place, a large lemon tree situated at one end of a -terrace, near some steps which afforded an easy means of escape. She -hid herself here in the densest part of the foliage, drawing her -light gown closely around her so that it might not betray her. She -had been only a few moments in her hiding-place when a shadow passed -before her and a voice murmured softly: - -"Nieves!" - -"Oh!" she cried, startled. "Who has found me out here?" - -"No one has found you; there is no one looking for you but me," -cried Segundo vehemently, penetrating into Nieves' hiding-place with -such impetuosity that the late blossoms which whitened the branches -of the giant tree showered their petals over their heads, and the -branches swayed rhythmically. - -"For Heaven's sake, García!" she cried, "for Heaven's sake, don't -be imprudent--go away, or let me go. If the others should come and -find us here what would they say? For Heaven's sake, go!" - -"You wish me to go?" said the poet. "But, Señora, even if they -should find me here, there would be nothing strange in that; a little -while ago I was with Teresa Molende behind the camellias there; -either we are playing or we are not playing. But if you desire it--to -please you----But before I go I wish to ask you a question----" - -"Somewhere else--in the parlor," stammered Nieves, lending an -anxious ear to the distant noises and cries of the game. - -"In the parlor! Surrounded by everybody! No, that cannot be. No, -now, do you hear me?" - -"Yes, I hear you," she returned in a voice rendered almost -inaudible by terror. - -"Well, then, I adore you, Nieves; I adore you, and you love me." - -"Hist! Silence, silence! They are coming. I think I hear steps." - -"No, it is the leaves. Tell me that you love me and I will go." - -"They are coming! For Heaven's sake! I shall die of terror! -Enough of jesting, García, I entreat you----" - -"You know perfectly well that I am not jesting. Have you -forgotten the night of the fireworks? If you did not love me you -would have released yourself from my arm on that night, or you would -have cried out. You look at me sometimes--you return my glances. You -cannot deny it!" - -Segundo was close to Nieves, speaking with fiery impetuosity, but -without touching her, although the fragrant, rustling branches of -their shelter closed around them, inviting them to closer proximity. -But Segundo remembered the cold hard whalebones, and Nieves drew -back, trembling. Yes, trembling with fear. She might cry out, indeed, -but if Segundo persisted in remaining how annoying it would be! What -a mortification! What gossip it would give rise to! After all the -poet was right--the night of the fireworks she had been culpably weak -and she was paying for it now. And what would Segundo do if she gave -him the _yes_ he asked for? He repeated his proud and vehement -assertion: - -"You love me, Nieves. You love me. Tell me that you love me, only -once, and I will go." - -Not far off could be heard the contralto voice of Teresa Molende -calling to her companions: - -"Nieves--where is she? Victorina, Carmen, come in, the dew is -falling!" - -And another shrill voice, that of Elvira, woke the echoes: - -"Segundo! Segundo! We are going in!" - -In fact that almost imperceptible mizzle, which refreshes the -sultry nights of Galicia, was falling; the lustrous leaves of the -lemon tree in which Nieves sat, shrinking back from Segundo, were wet -with the night dew. The poet leaned toward her and his hands touched -her hands chilled with cold and terror. He crushed them between both -his own. - -"Tell me that you love me, or----" - -"But, good Heavens, they are calling me! They are noticing my -absence. I am cold!" - -"Tell me the truth then. Otherwise there is no human power that -can tear me from here--come what will. Is it so hard to say a single -word?" - -"And what do you want me to say, tell me?" - -"Do you love me, yes or no?" - -"And you will let me go--go to the house?" - -"Anything you wish--but first tell me, do you love me?" - -The _yes_ was almost inaudible. It was an aspiration, a prolonged -_s_. Segundo crushed her wrists in his grasp. - -"Do you love me as I love you? Answer plainly." - -This time Nieves, making an effort, pronounced an unequivocal -_yes_. Segundo released her hands, raised his own to his lips with a -passionate gesture of gratitude, and springing down the stairs, -disappeared among the trees. - - - - - XIX. - - -Nieves drew a long breath. She felt dazed. She shook her wrists, -hurt by the pressure of Segundo's fingers, and arranged her hair, wet -with the night dew, and disordered by the contact of the branches. -What had she said after all? Anything, no matter what, to escape from -so compromising a situation. She was to blame for having withdrawn -from the others and hidden herself in so retired a spot. And with -that desire to give publicity to unimportant actions which seizes -people when they have something to conceal she called out: - -"Teresa! Elvira! Carmen! Carmen!" - -"Nieves! where are you, Nieves?" came in answer from various -quarters. - -"Here, beside the big lemon tree. Wait for me, I am coming!" - -When they entered the house, Nieves, who had to some extent -recovered her composure, began to reflect on what had passed and -could not but wonder at herself. To say _yes_ to Segundo. She had -uttered the word partly under compulsion, but she had uttered it. How -daring the poet had been. It seemed impossible that the son of the -lawyer of Vilamorta should be so determined. She was a lady of -distinction, highly respected, her husband had just been Minister. -And García's family, what were they--nobodies; the father wore -collars frayed at the edges that were a sight to see; they kept no -servant; the sisters ran about barefooted half the time. Even Segundo -himself--he had an unmistakable provincial air and a strong Galician -accent. He could not indeed be called ugly; there was something -remarkable in his face and in his manner. He spoke with so much -passion! As if he commanded instead of entreating! What a masterful -air he had! And there was something flattering to one's vanity in -having a suitor of this kind, so ardent and so daring. Who had ever -fallen in love with Nieves before? There were three or four who had -made gallant speeches to her--one who had watched her through his -opera-glass. Everyone in Madrid treated her with that indifference -and consideration which respectable ladies inspire. - -For the rest, this persistency of Segundo's was to a certain -extent compromising. Would people notice it? Would her husband notice -it? Bah! Her husband thought only of his ailments, of the elections. -He scarcely ever spoke to her of anything else. But what if he -should notice it? How horrible, good Heavens! And the girls who had -been playing hide and seek, might they not suspect something? Elvira -seemed more languishing and sighed more frequently than usual. Elvira -admired Segundo. He--no, he did not pay the slightest attention to -her. And Segundo's verses sounded well, they were beautiful; they -were worthy of a place in _La Ilustracion_. In short, as they would -be obliged to return to Madrid before the elections, there was hardly -any real danger. She would always preserve a pleasant recollection of -the summer. The thing was to avoid--to avoid---- - -Nieves did not venture to tell herself what it was necessary to -avoid, nor had she settled this point when she entered the parlor, -where the game of tresillo was already going on. Señora de Comba -seated herself at the piano and played several quick airs--polkas and -rigadoons, for the girls to dance. When she stopped they cried out -for another air. - -"Nieves, the _muñeira_!" - -"The _riveirana_, please!" - -"Do you know the whole of it, Nieves?" - -"The whole of it--why, did I not hear it in the feasts?" - -"Let us have it then, come." - -"Who will dance it?" - -"Who knows how to dance it?" - -Several voices answered immediately: - -"Teresa Molende; ah! it is a pleasure to see her dance it." - -"And who will be her partner?" - -"Ramonciñe Limioso here, he dances it to perfection." - -Teresa laughed in the deep, sonorous tones of a man, declaring -solemnly that she had forgotten the muñeira--that she never knew it -well. From the tresillo table came a protest--from the master of the -house, Mendez: Teresina danced it to perfection. Let her not try to -excuse herself; no excuse would avail her; there was not in all the -Border a girl who danced the riveirana with more grace; it was true -indeed that the taste and the skill for these old customs of the -country were fast disappearing. - -Teresa yielded, not without once more affirming her incompetence. -And after fastening up her skirt with pins, so that it might not -impede her movements she stopped laughing and assumed a modest and -ingenuous air, veiling her large lustrous eyes under her thick -lashes, dropping her head on her breast, letting her arms fall by her -sides, swaying them slightly, rubbing the balls of the thumbs and the -forefingers together, and thus, moving with very short steps, her -feet close together, keeping time to the music, she made the tour of -the room, with perfect decorum, her eyes fixed on the floor, stopping -finally at the head of the room. While this was taking place, -Señorito de Limioso took off his short jacket, remaining in his -shirt-sleeves, put on his hat, and asked for an indispensable -article. - -"Victorina, the castanets." - -The child ran and brought two pairs of castanets. The Señorito -secured the cord between his fingers and after a haughty flourish, -began his rôle. Teresita's partner was as lean and shriveled as Don -Quixote himself, and, like the Manchego hidalgo, it was undeniable -that he had a distinguished and stately air, scrupulously as he -imitated the awkward movements of a rustic. He took his place before -Teresa and danced a quick measure, courteously but urgently wooing -her to listen to his suit. At times he touched the floor with the -sole of his foot, at others with his heel or toe only, almost -twisting his ankles out of joint with the rapidity of his movements, -while he played the castanets energetically, the castanets in -Teresa's hands responding with a faint and timid tinkle. Pushing his -hat back on his head the gallant looked boldly at his partner, -approached his face to hers; pursued her, urged his suit in a -thousand different ways, Teresa never altering her humble and -submissive attitude nor he his conquering air, his gymnastics, and -his resolute movements of attack. - -It was primitive love, the wooing of the heroic ages, represented -in this expressive Cantabrian dance, warlike and rude; the woman -dominated by the strength of the man and, better than enamored, -afraid; all which was more piquant in view of the Amazon-like type of -Teresa and the habitual shyness and circumspection of the Señorito. -There was an instant, however, in which the gallant peeped through -the barbarous conqueror, and in the midst of a most complicated and -rapid measure he bent his knee before the beauty, describing the -figure known as _punto del sacramento_. It was only for a moment -however; springing to his feet he gave his partner a tender push and -they stood back to back, touching each other, caressing each other, -and amorously rubbing shoulder against shoulder and spine against -spine. In two minutes they suddenly drew apart and with a few -complicated movements of the ankles and a few rapid turns, during -which Teresa's skirts whirled around her, the riveirana came to an -end and a storm of applause burst from the spectators. - -While the Señorito wiped the perspiration from his brow and -Teresa unpinned her skirt, Nieves, who had risen from the piano, -looked around and noticed Segundo's absence. Elvira made the same -observation but aloud. Agonde gave them the clew to the mystery. - -"No doubt he is at this moment in the pine grove or on the -river-bank. There is scarcely a night in which he does not make -eccentric expeditions of the kind; in Vilamorta he does the same -thing." - -"And how is the door to be closed if he does not come? That boy -is crazy," declared Primo Genday. "We are not all going to do without -our sleep, we who have to get up early to our work, for that -featherhead. Hey, do you understand me? I will shut up the house and -let him manage in the best way he can. Ave Maria!" - -Mendez and Don Victoriano protested in the name of courtesy and -hospitality, and until midnight the door of Las Vides remained open, -awaiting Segundo's return. As he had not come by that time, however, -Genday went himself to bar the door muttering between his teeth: - -"Ave Mar-- Let him sleep out of doors if he has a fancy for doing -so." - -Segundo, in fact, was at this time on his way to the pine grove. -He was in a state of intense excitement, and he felt that it would be -impossible for him in his present mood to meet anyone or to take part -in any conversation. Nieves, so reserved, so beautiful, had said yes -to him. The dreams of an ideal love which had tormented his spirit -were not, then, destined never to be realized, nor would fame be -unattainable when love was already within his ardent and eager grasp. -With these thoughts passing through his mind he ascended the steep -path and walked enraptured through the pine grove. At times he would -lean against the dark trunk of some pine, his brow bared to the -breeze, drinking in the cool night air, and listening, as in a dream, -to the mysterious voices of the trees and the murmur of the river -that ran below. Ah, what moments of happiness, what supreme joys, -were promised him by this love, which flattered his pride, excited -his imagination and satisfied his egotism, the delicate egotism of a -poet, avid of love, of enjoyments which the imagination idealizes and -the muse may sing without degradation! All that he had pictured in -his verses was to be realized in his life; and his song would ring -forth more clearly and inspiration would flow more freely, and he -would write, in blood, verses that would cause his readers' hearts to -thrill with emotion. - -In defiance of duty and reason Nieves loved him--she had told him -so. The poet smiled scornfully when he thought of Don Victoriano, -with the profound contempt of the idealist for the practical man -inept in spiritual things. Then he looked around him. The pine grove -had a gloomy air at this hour. And it was cold. Besides it must be -late. They would be wondering at his absence in Las Vides. Had Nieves -retired? With these thoughts passing through his mind he descended -the rugged path and reached the door ten minutes after the careful -hand of Genday had secured the bolt. The _contretemps_ did not alarm -Segundo; he would have to scale some wall; and the romance of the -incident almost pleased him. How should he effect an entrance? - -Undoubtedly the easiest way would be by the garden, into which he -could lower himself from the brow of the hill--a question of a few -scratches, but he would be in his own room in ten minutes' time, -without encountering the dogs that were keeping watch in the yard, or -any member of the household, as that side of the house, the side -where the dining-room was situated, was uninhabited. And upon this -course he decided. He turned back and ascended the top of the hill, -not without some difficulty. From thence he could command a view of -the gallery and a good part of the garden. He studied the nature of -the declivity, so as to avoid falling on the wall and perhaps -breaking his leg. The hill was bare and without vegetation and the -figure of the Swan stood out boldly against the background of the -sky. - -When Segundo fixed his eyes on the gallery for the purpose of -deciding on the safest place for a descent, he saw something that -troubled his senses with a sweet intoxication, something that gave -him one of those delightful surprises which make the blood rush to -the heart to send it coursing back joyful and ardent through the -veins. In the semi-obscurity of the gallery, standing among the -flower-pots, his keen gaze descried, without the possibility of a -doubt as to the reality of the vision, a white figure, the silhouette -of a woman, whose attitude seemed to indicate that she too had seen -him, had observed him, that she was waiting for him. - -Fancy swiftly sketched out and filled in the details of the -scene--a colloquy, a divine colloquy of love with Nieves, among the -carnations and the vines, alone, without any other witnesses than the -moon, already setting, and the flowers, envious of so much happiness. -And with a swift movement he rolled down the steep declivity, landing -on the hard wall. The fruit trees hid the path from him, and two or -three times he lost his way; at last he found himself at the foot of -the staircase leading to the gallery, and he raised his eyes to -satisfy himself as to the reality of the lovely apparition. A woman -dressed in white was indeed waiting there, leaning over the wooden -balustrade of the balcony; but the distance did not now admit of any -optical illusion; it was Elvira Molende, in a percale wrapper, her -hair hanging loose about her shoulders, as if she were an actress -rehearsing the rôle of _Sonnambula_. How eagerly the poor girl was -leaning over the balustrade! The poet would swear that she even -called his name softly, with a tender lisp. - -And he passed on. He made the tour of the garden, entered the -courtyard by the inner door, which was not closed at night, and -knocked loudly at the door of the kitchen. The servant opened it for -him, cursing to himself the young gentlemen who stayed up late at -night because they were not obliged to rise early in the morning to -open the cellar for the grape-tramplers. - - - - - XX. - - -As the time occupied in the gathering of the grapes and the -elaboration of the wine in the spacious cellar of Mendez was so -prolonged, and as in that part of the country everyone has his own -crop, however small, to gather in, part of the guests went away, -desirous of attending to their own vineyards. Señorito de Limioso -needed to see for himself how, between oïdium, the blackbirds, the -neighbors, and the wasps, not a single bunch of grapes had been left -him; the Señoritas de Molende had to hang up with their own hands the -grapes of their famous Tostado, renowned throughout the country; and -for similar reasons Saturnino Agonde, the arch-priest, and the curate -of Naya took their leave one by one, the court of Las Vides being -reduced to Carmen Agonde, maid of honor, Clodio Genday, Aulic -councilor, Tropiezo, court physician, and Segundo, who might well be -the page or the troubadour charged to divert the châtelaine with his -ditties. - -Segundo was consumed with a feverish impatience hitherto unknown -to him. Since the day of the interview in the lemon tree Nieves had -shunned every occasion of being alone with him; and the feverish -dream that haunted his sleep, the intolerable anguish which consumed -him, was that he had advanced no further than the fugitive _yes_, -which he sometimes even doubted he had heard. He could not endure -this slow torture, this ceaseless martyrdom; he would have been less -unhappy if instead of encouraging him Nieves had requited his love -with open scorn. It was not the brutal desire for positive victories -which thus tormented him; all he wished was to convince himself that -he was really loved, and that under that steely corset a tender heart -throbbed. And so mad was his passion that when he found it impossible -to approach Nieves, he was seized by an almost irresistible impulse -to cry out, "Nieves, tell me again that you love me!" Always, always -obstacles between the two; the child was always at her mother's side. -Of what avail was it to be rid of Elvira Molende who, since the -memorable night on which she had kept guard in the gallery, had -looked at the poet with an expression that was half satirical, half -mournful? The departure of the poetess removed an obstacle, indeed, -but it did not put an end to his difficulties. - -Segundo suffered in his vanity, wounded by the systematic reserve -of Nieves, as well as in his love, his ardent longing for the -impossible. It was already October; the ex-Minister spoke of taking -his departure immediately, and although Segundo counted on -establishing himself in Madrid later on through his influence, and -meeting Nieves again, an infallible instinct told him that between -Nieves and himself there existed no other bond of union than their -temporary sojourn in Las Vides, the poetic influences of the season, -the accident of living under the same roof, and that if this dream -did not take shape before their separation it would be as ephemeral -as the vine leaves that were now falling around them, withered and -sapless. - -Autumn was parting with its glories; the wrinkled and knotted -vine stalks, the dry and shrunken vine branches, lay bare to view, -and the wind moaned sadly, stripping their leaves from the boughs of -the fruit trees. One day Victorina asked Segundo: - -"When are we going to the pine grove to hear it sing?" - -"Whenever you like, child. This afternoon if your mother wishes -it." - -The child conveyed the proposition to Nieves. For some time past -Victorina had been more than usually demonstrative toward her mother, -leaning her head upon Nieves' breast, hiding her cheek in her neck, -passing her hands over her hair and her shoulders while she would -repeat softly, in a voice that seemed to ask for a caress: - -"Mamma! mamma!" - -But the eyes of the miniature woman, half-veiled by their long -lashes, were fixed with loving, longing glance, not on her mother, -but on the poet, whose words the child drank in eagerly, turning very -red if he chanced to make some jesting remark to her or gave any -other indication of being aware of her presence. - -Nieves objected a little at first, not wishing to appear -credulous or superstitious. - -"But what has put such an idea into your head?" - -"Mamma, when Segundo says that the pines sing, they sing, mamma, -there is not a doubt of it." - -"But you don't know," said Nieves, bestowing on the poet a smile -in which there was more sugar than salt--"that Segundo writes poetry, -and that people who write poetry are permitted to--to invent--a -little?" - -"No, Señora," cried Segundo. "Do not teach your child what is not -true. Do not deceive her. In society it often happens that we utter -with the lips sentiments that are far from the heart, but in poetry -we lay bare the feelings of the inmost soul, feelings which in the -world we are obliged to hide in our own breasts, through respect--or -through prudence. Believe me." - -"Say, mamma, are we going there to-day?" - -"Where?" - -"To the pine grove." - -"If you are very anxious to go. What an obstinate child! But -indeed I too am curious to hear this orchestra." - -Only Nieves, Victorina, Carmen, Segundo, and Tropiezo took part -in the expedition. The elders remained behind smoking and looking on -at the important operation of covering and closing some of the vats -which contained the must, now fermented. As Mendez saw the party -about to start, he called out in a tone of paternal warning: - -"Take care with the descent. The pine needles in this hot weather -are as slippery as if they had been rubbed with soap. The ladies must -be helped down. You, Victorina, don't be crazy; don't go rushing -about there." - -The famous pine grove was distant some quarter of a league, but -they spent fully three-quarters of an hour in making the ascent, -along a path as steep, narrow, and rugged as the ascent to heaven is -said to be, and which long before reaching the wood was carpeted with -the polished, smooth, dry pine needles, which, if they rendered the -descent more easy than was agreeable, compensated for it by making -the ascent extremely difficult, causing the foot to slip, and -fatiguing the ankles and the knees. Nieves stopped from time to time -to take breath, and was at last fain to avail herself of the support -of the plump arm of Carmen Agonde. - -"_Caramba_, this is like practicing gymnastics! Whoever escapes -being killed when we are going back will be very lucky." - -"Lean well on me, lean well on me," said the sturdy country girl. -"Many a limb has been broken here already, no doubt. This ascent is -terrible!" - -They reached the summit at last. The prospect was beautiful, with -that species of beauty that borders on sublimity. The pine wood -seemed to hang over an abyss. Between the trunks of the trees could -be caught glimpses of the mountains, of an ashen blue blending into -violet in the distance; on the other side of the pine wood, that -which overlooked the river, the ground fell abruptly in a steep, -almost perpendicular descent, while far below flowed the Avieiro, not -winding peacefully along, but noisy and foaming, roused into rage by -the barrier opposed to its progress by some sharp black rocks and -separating into numerous currents that curled around the bowlders -like angry green snakes covered with silver scales. To the roaring -and sobbing of the river the pine wood kept accompaniment with its -perpetual plaint intoned by the summits of the trees, which swayed -and vibrated to the kisses of the breeze, dolorous kisses that drew -from them an incessant moan. - -The excursionists, impressed by the tragic aspect of the scene, -remained mute. Only the child broke the silence, speaking in tones as -hushed as if she were in a church. - -"Well, it is true, mamma! The pines sing. Do you hear them? It -sounds like the chorus of bishops in 'L'Africaine.' They even seem to -speak--listen--in bass voices--like that passage in the -'Huguenots----'" - -Nieves agreed that the murmur of the pines was in truth musical -and solemn. Segundo, leaning against a tree, looked down at the river -foaming below; Victorina approached him, but he stopped her and made -her go back. - -"No, my child," he said; "don't come near; it is a little -dangerous; if you should lose your footing and roll down that -declivity----Go back, go back." - -As nothing further occurred to them to say about the pines, the -excursionists began to think of returning home; Nieves was a little -uneasy about the descent, and she wished to undertake it before the -sun should set. - -"Now, indeed, we shall break some of our bones, Don Fermin," she -said to the doctor. "Now, indeed, you may begin to get your bandages -and splints ready." - -"There is another road," said Segundo, emerging from his -abstraction. "And one which is much less toilsome and much more level -than this." - -"Yes, talk to us now about the other road," cried Tropiezo, true -to his habit of voting with the opposition. "It is even worse than -the one by which we came." - -"How should it be worse, man? It is a little longer, but as it is -not so steep it is the best in the end. It skirts the pine wood." - -"Do you want to tell me which is the best road--me who know the -whole country as well as I know my own house? You cannot go by that -road; I know what I am saying." - -"And I say that you can, and I will prove it to you. For once in -your life don't be stubborn. I came by it not many days ago. Do you -remember, Nieves, the night we played hide-and-seek in the garden, -the night they barred me out and I got over the wall?" - -Had it not been for the thick shade cast by the pine trees and -the fading daylight, it would have been seen that Nieves blushed. - -"Let us take whichever road is easiest and most level," she said, -evading an answer. "I am very awkward about walking over rough -roads." - -Segundo offered his arm, saying jestingly: - -"That blessed Tropiezo knows as much about roads as he does about -the art of healing. Come, and you shall see that we will be the -gainers by it." - -Tropiezo, on his side, was saying to Carmen Agonde, shaking his -head obstinately: - -"Well, we will please ourselves and go by the cut, and arrive -before they do, safe and sound, with the help of God." - -Victorina, according to her custom, was going to her mother's -side, when the doctor called out to her: - -"Here, take hold of the end of my stick or you will slip. Your -mamma will have enough to do to keep herself from falling. And God -save us from a _trip_," he added, laughing loudly at his jest. - -The voices and footsteps receded in the distance, and Segundo and -Nieves continued on their way in silence. The precipitous character -of the path along which they walked inspired Nieves with something -like fear. It was a little path cut on the slope of the pine wood, on -the very edge of the precipice, almost overhanging the river. -Although Segundo gave Nieves the least dangerous side, that next the -wood, leaving himself scarcely a foothold, so that he was obliged to -place one foot horizontally before the other, in walking, this did -not set her fears at rest or make the adventure seem any the less -dangerous to her. Her terror was increased a hundredfold when she saw -that they were alone. - -"Are they not coming?" she asked anxiously. - -"We will overtake them in less than ten minutes. They are going -by the other road," answered Segundo, without adding a single word of -endearment, or even pressing the arm which trembled with terror -within his. - -"Let us go on, then," said Nieves, in tones of urgent entreaty. -"I am anxious to be home." - -"Why?" asked the poet, suddenly standing still. - -"I am tired--out of breath----" - -"Well, you shall rest and take a drink of water if you desire -it." - -And with rash hardihood Segundo, without waiting for an answer, -drew Nieves down the slope and, skirting the rock, stopped on a -narrow ledge which projected over the river. By the fading sunset -light they discried a crystal thread of water trickling down the -black front of the rock. - -"Drink, if you wish--in the palm of your hand, for we have no -glass," said Segundo. - -Nieves mechanically released Segundo's arm, scarcely conscious of -what she was doing, and took a step toward the stream; but the ground -at the base of the rock, kept moist by the dripping of the water, was -overgrown with humid vegetation as slippery as sea-weed, and as she -set her foot upon it she slipped and lost her balance. In her -vertigo, she saw the river roaring menacingly below, the sharp rocks -waiting to receive her and mangle her flesh, and she already felt the -chill air of the abyss. A hand clutched her by her gown, by her -flesh, perhaps; held her up and drew her back to safety. She dropped -her head on Segundo's shoulder and the latter, for the first time, -felt Nieves' heart beat under his hand. And how quickly it beat! It -beat with fear. The poet bent over her, and on her very lips breathed -this question: - -"Do you love me? tell me, do you love me?" - -The answer was inaudible, for even if the words had been formed -in her throat her sealed lips were unable to articulate them. During -this short space of time, which was for them an eternity, there -flashed across Segundo's brain a thought potent and destructive as -the electric spark. The poet stood fronting the precipice, Nieves -with her back toward it, kept from falling over its edge only by the -arm of her savior. A movement forward, a stronger pressure of his -lips to hers, would be sufficient to make them both lose their -balance and precipitate them into the abyss. It would be a beautiful -ending--worthy of the ambitious soul of a poet. Thinking of it -Segundo found it alluring and desirable, and yet the instinct of -self-preservation, an animal impulse, but one more powerful than the -romantic idea, placed between the thought and the action an -insuperable barrier. He pleased himself, in imagination, with the -picture of the two bodies clasped in each other's arms, borne along -by the current of the river. He even saw in fancy the scene of the -discovery of the corpses, the exclamations; the profound impression -that such an event would cause in the district; and _something_, some -poetic feeling that stirred and thrilled in his youthful soul, urged -him to take the leap; but at the same time a cold fear congealed his -blood, obliging him to proceed slowly, not toward the abyss, but in -an opposite direction, toward the path. - -All this, short enough in the telling, was instantaneous in the -thinking. Segundo felt a cold chill strike through him, putting to -flight thoughts of love as well as of death. It was the chill -communicated to him by the lips of Nieves, who had fainted in his -arms. - -He dipped his handkerchief in the spring and applied it to her -temples and wrists. She half opened her eyes. They could hear -Tropiezo talking, Carmen laughing; they were coming doubtless in -search of them, to triumph over them. Nieves, when she came back to -consciousness and found herself still alone, did not make the -slightest effort to free herself from the poet's embrace. - - - - - XXI. - - -As if by tacit agreement the hero and heroine of the adventure -made light of the danger they had run, to their companions in the -excursion in the first place, and afterward to the elders at Las -Vides. Segundo observed a certain reticence regarding the particulars -of the occurrence. Nieves, on the contrary, was more talkative than -usual, speaking with nervous loquacity, going over the most -insignificant details a hundred times. She had slipped; García had -reached out his hand to her; she had caught it, and as she -was--well--timid, she had been a little frightened, although there -was not the slightest occasion for being so. But the obstinate -Tropiezo, with mild scorn, contradicted her. Good Heavens, how -mistaken she was! No danger? Why, it was only by a miracle that -Nieves was not now floating in the Avieiro. The ground there was as -slippery as soap, and the stones below were as sharp as razors, and -the current was so strong that----Nieves denied the danger, making an -effort to laugh; but the terror of the accident had left unmistakable -traces upon her countenance, changing its warm healthy pallor to a -sickly hue, producing dark circles under her eyes, and making her -features twitch convulsively. - -Segundo longed to say a few words to her, to ask her to grant him -an interview; he comprehended that he must avail himself of these -first moments, while her soul was still under the softening influence -of gratitude and fright which made her cold heart palpitate beneath -the whalebone of her stays. In the brief scene of the precipice the -arrival of Tropiezo had allowed Nieves no time to respond explicitly -to the poet's ardor, and Segundo wished to come to some agreement -with her, to devise some means of seeing each other and talking to -each other alone, to establish the fact at once that all these -anxieties, these vigils, these intrigues, were love and requited -love--a mutual passion, in short. When and how should he find the -desired opportunity of establishing an understanding with Nieves? - -It may be said that in the history of every love affair there -exists a first period in which obstacles accumulate and difficulties, -seemingly insurmountable, arise, driving to despair the lover who has -made up his mind to conquer them, and that there comes, too, a second -period in which the mysterious force of desire and the power of the -will sweep away these obstacles, and circumstances, for the moment -favorable, aid the lovers. So it happened on the night of this -memorable day. As Victorina had been somewhat frightened, hearing of -the danger her mother had been in, she had been sent to bed early, -and Carmen Agonde had remained with her to put her asleep by telling -her stories. The principal witnesses being thus removed and the -elders plunged in one of their interminable viticultural, -agricultural, and sociological discussions, Nieves, who had gone out -on the balcony for air--for she felt as if she had a lump in her -throat which prevented her from breathing--had an opportunity to chat -for ten minutes with Segundo, who was standing near the window, not -far from the rocking-chairs. - -Occasionally they would raise their voices and speak on -indifferent subjects--the afternoon's accident, the strange singing -of the pines. And low, very low, the diplomatic negotiation of the -poet followed its course. An interview, a conversation with some -degree of freedom. Why, of course it could be! Why could it not take -place in the gallery that very night? No one was going to think of -going there to spy out what was passing. He could let himself down -easily into the garden----He could not? She was very timid----It -would be wrong? Why?--She was tired and not very well----Yes, he -understood. She would prefer the daytime, perhaps. Well, the other -would be better, but----Without fail? At the hour of the siesta? In -the parlor? No; nobody ever went there; everyone was asleep. On her -word of honor?--Thanks. Yes, it was necessary to dissemble so as not -to attract attention. - -Meantime the gentlemen at the tresillo table talked of the -vintage and its consequences. The poor country girls earned a good -deal of money at the work. Apropos of which Don Victoriano gave -expression to some of his favorite ideas, referring to English -legislature, and eulogizing the wisdom of that great nation whose -laws regulating labor give evidence of a careful study of the -problems it involves, and of some regard for the welfare of women and -children. With these serious disquisitions the evening ended, every -owl retiring to his olive tree. - -Nieves, seated at her toilet table, her open dressing-case and a -small silver-framed mirror before her, was taking out, one by one, -the tortoise-shell hair-pins which fastened her hair. Mademoiselle -gathered them together and arranged them neatly in a box and braided -Nieves' hair, after which the latter threw herself back in her seat -and drew a deep breath; suddenly she looked up. - -"If you could make me a cup of lime tea," she said, "in your own -room, without troubling anybody?" - -The Frenchwoman left the room and Nieves leaned her elbow -thoughtfully on the table, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand, -without moving her eyes from the mirror. Her face was deathly pale. -No, this life could not continue; if it did it would carry her to her -grave. She was very nervous--what terrors! What anxiety, what moments -of anguish she had suffered! She had seen death face to face, and had -had more frights, more fears, more misery in a single day than in all -the previous years of her existence put together. If this were love -in truth there was little that was pleasing in it; such agitations -were not suited to her. It was one thing to like to be pretty, and to -be told so, and even to have a passionate adorer, and another to -suffer these incessant anxieties, these surprises that bring one's -heart to one's mouth and expose one to the risk of disgrace and -destroy one's health. And the poets say that this is happiness. It -may be so for them--as for the poor women----And why had she not the -courage to tell Segundo that there must be an end to this, to say to -him: "I can endure these alarms no longer. I am afraid. I am -miserable!" Ah, she was afraid of him, too. He was capable of killing -her; his handsome black eyes sent forth at times electric sparks and -phosphoric gleams. And then he always took the lead, he dominated -her, he mastered her. Through him she had been on the point of -falling into the river, of being dashed to pieces on the rocks. Holy -Virgin! Why, only half an hour ago did he not almost force her to -agree to a meeting in the gallery? Which would be a great piece of -madness, since it would be impossible for her to go to that part of -the house without her absence being noticed by Mademoiselle, or -someone else, and its cause being discovered. Good Heavens! All this -was terrible, terrible! And to-morrow she must go to the parlor at -the hour of the siesta. Well, then, she would take a bold resolution. -She would go, yes, but she would go to clear up this -misunderstanding, to give Segundo some plain talk that would make him -place some restraint upon himself; that he should love her, very -good; she had no objection to that, that was well enough; but to -compromise her in this way, that was a thing unheard of; she would -entreat him to return to Vilamorta; they would soon go to Madrid. Ah, -how long that blessed Mademoiselle delayed with the lime tea. - -The door opened to admit, not Mademoiselle, but Don Victoriano. -There was nothing to surprise her in his appearance; he slept in a -sort of cabinet near his wife's room and separated from it by a -passageway, and every night before retiring he gave a kiss to the -child, whose bed was beside her mother's; nevertheless Nieves felt a -chill creep over her, and she instinctively turned her back to the -light, coughing to hide her agitation. - -The truth was that Don Victoriano looked very serious, even -stern. He had not indeed been very cheerful or communicative ever -since his illness had assumed a serious character; but in addition to -his air of dejection there was an indefinable something, a darker -gloom on his face than usual, a cloud pregnant with storm. Nieves, -observing that he did not approach the child's bed, cast down her -eyes and affected to be occupied in smoothing her hair with the ivory -comb. - -"How do you feel, child? Have you recovered from your fright?" -asked her husband. - -"No; I am still a little----I have asked for some lime tea." - -"You did well. See, Nieves----" - -"Well--well?" - -"See, Nieves, we must go to Madrid at once." - -"Whenever you wish. You know that I----" - -"No, the thing is that it is necessary, indispensable. I must put -myself seriously under treatment, child; for if things continue as -they are now it will soon be all over with me. I had the weakness to -put myself in the hands of that ass, Don Fermin. God forgive me for -it! and I fear," he added, smiling bitterly, "that I have made a -fatal mistake. Let us see if Sanchez del Abrojo will get me out of -the scrape--I doubt it greatly." - -"Heavens, how apprehensive you are!" exclaimed Nieves, breathing -freely once more and availing herself of the resource offered to her -by Don Victoriano's illness. "Anyone would think you had an incurable -disease. When you are once in Madrid and Sanchez has you under his -care--in a couple of months you will not even remember this trifling -indisposition." - -"Bravo! child, bravo! I don't wish to hurt your feelings or to -seem unkind, but what you say proves that you neither look at me, nor -care a straw about my health, nor pay any attention to me whatever, -which--forgive me--is not creditable to you. My disease is a serious, -a very serious one--it is a disease that carries people off in fine -style. I am being converted into sugar, my sight is failing, my head -aches, I have no blood left, and you, serene and gay, sporting about -like a child. A wife who loved her husband would not act in this way. -You have troubled yourself neither about the state of my body nor the -state of my mind. You are enjoying yourself, having a fine time, and -as for the rest--a great deal it matters to you!" - -Nieves rose to her feet, tremulous, almost weeping. - -"What are you saying? I--I----" - -"Don't distress yourself, child; don't cry. You are young and -well; I am wasted and sickly. So much the worse for me. But listen to -me. Although I seem to you dry and serious, I loved you tenderly, -Nieves, I love you still, as much as I love that child who is -sleeping there, I swear it to you before God! And you might--you -might love me a little--like a daughter--and take some interest in -me. The trouble would not be for long now--I feel so sick." - -Nieves drew near him with an affectionate movement and he touched -her forehead with his parched lips, pressing her to him at the same -time. Then he added: - -"I have still another observation to make, another sermon to -preach to you, child." - -"What is it?" murmured his wife smiling, but terrified. - -"That boy García--don't be alarmed, child, there is no need for -that--that boy looks at you sometimes in a very curious way, as if he -were making love to you. No, I am not doubting you. You are and you -have always been an irreproachable wife--I am not accusing you, nor -do I attach any importance to such folly. But, although you may not -believe it, the young men here are very daring; they are shyer in -appearance than those of the capital, but they are bolder in reality. -I spent my youthful years here, and I know them. I am only putting -you on your guard so that you may keep that jackanapes within bounds. -For the rest of the time we are to remain in this place, avoid those -long walks and all those other rusticities which they indulge in -here. A lady like you among these people is a sort of queen, and it -is not proper that they should take the same liberties with you as -with the Señoritas de Molende or others like them--but I have already -told you that such a thought has not even crossed my mind. It is one -thing that this village Swan should have fallen in love with you, and -have given you his hand to help you over the rocks, and another that -I should insult you, child!" - -Shortly afterward Mademoiselle entered with the steaming cup of -tea. And greatly Nieves needed it. Her nerves were in a state of the -utmost tension. She was on the verge of a hysterical attack. She even -felt nausea when she took the first few spoonfuls. Mademoiselle -offered her some anti-hysterical drops. Nieves drank the remedy, and -with a few yawns and two or three tears the attack passed off. She -thought she would go to bed, and went into her bedroom. There she saw -something which renewed her uneasiness--Victorina, instead of being -asleep, lay with eyes wide open. She had probably heard every word of -the conversation. - - - - - XXII. - - -She had in fact heard it all, from beginning to end. And the -words of the conjugal dialogue were whirling around in her brain, -mingling confusedly together, stamping themselves in characters of -fire on her virgin memory. She repeated them to herself, she tried to -understand their meaning, she weighed them, she drew conclusions from -them. - -No one can tell which is the precise moment that divides day from -night, sleeping from waking, youth from maturity, and innocence from -knowledge. Who can fix the moment in which the child, passing into -adolescence, observes in herself that undefinable something which may -perhaps be called consciousness of sex, in which vague presentiment -is changed into swift intuition, in which, without an exact notion of -the realities of life, she divines all that experience will -corroborate and accentuate later on, in which she understands the -importance of a sign, the significance of an act, the character of a -relationship, the value of a glance, and the meaning of a reticence. -The moment in which her eyes, hitherto open only to external life, -acquire power to scrutinize the inner life also, and losing their -superficial brilliancy, the clear reflection of her ingenuous purity, -acquire the concentrated and undefinable expression which constitutes -the _glance of a grown person_. - -This moment arrived for Victorina at the age of eleven, on the -night we have mentioned, overhearing a dialogue between her father -and mother. Motionless, with bated breath, her feet cold, her head -burning, the child heard everything, and afterward, in the dim light -of the bedroom, united broken links, remembering certain incidents, -and at last understood without attaching much importance to what she -understood, reasoning, however, with singular precocity, owing, -perhaps, to the painful activity with which imagination works in the -silence of night and the repose of the bed. - -It is certain that the child slept badly, tossing about -restlessly in her monastic little bed. Two ideas, especially, seemed -to pierce her brain like nails. Her father was ill, very ill, and he -was annoyed and displeased, besides, because Segundo had fallen in -love with her mamma. With her mamma. Not with her! With her who -preserved all the flowers he had given her like relics. - -The sorrows of childhood know neither limit nor consolation. When -we are older and more storms have passed over us, and we have seen -with astonishment that man can survive griefs which we had thought -unsurvivable, and that the heavens do not fall because we have lost -what we love, it may almost be said that absolute despair, which is -the heritage of childhood, does not exist. It was evident to -Victorina that her father was dying and that her mother was wicked, -and Segundo a villain, and that the world had come to an end--and -that she too, she too, desired to die. If it were possible for the -hair to turn white at eleven, Victorina would have become white on -the night in which suffering changed her from a bashful, timid, -blushing child to a moral being, capable of the greatest heroism. - -Nor did Nieves enjoy the balmy sweets of slumber. Her husband's -words had made her thoughtful. Was Don Victoriano's illness a fatal -one? It might be so! He looked greatly altered, poor fellow. And -Nieves felt a touch of grief and apprehension. Why, who could doubt -that she loved her husband, or that she should regret his death? She -did not feel for him any passionate love, such as is described in -novels--but affection--yes. Heaven grant the malady might be a -trifling one. And if it were not? And if she were to be left a wi---- -She did not dare to complete the word even in her thoughts. To think -of such a thing seemed like indulging in wicked desires. No, but the -fact was that women, when their husbands die, were--Holy Virgin! It -must be a terrible grief. Well, but _if it happened_? -Segundo--Heavens, what folly! Most assuredly such an absurdity had -never entered his head. The Garcías--nobodies. And here a vivid -picture of all Segundo's relations and their manner of living -presented itself to her mind. - -She would willingly have absented herself from the rendezvous on -the following day, because her husband had begun to suspect something -and the situation was a compromising one, although in the place -designated for the interview the meeting between them might always be -attributed to chance. On the other hand if she failed to meet him, -Segundo, who was so enamored, was fully capable of creating a -scandal, of going to look for her in her room, of forcing an entrance -into it through the window. - -After all, thinking well over the matter, she judged it most -prudent to comply with her promise and to entreat Segundo to--forget -her--or at least not to compromise her. That was the best course to -pursue. - -Nieves passed the morning in a state of complete prostration; she -scarcely tasted a morsel at breakfast and during the meal she kept -her eyes turned away from Segundo, fearing lest her husband should -surprise some furtive glance of intelligence between them. To make -matters worse, Segundo, desirous of reminding her with his eyes of -her promise, looked at her on this day oftener than usual. -Fortunately Don Victoriano's attention seemed to be all given to -satisfying his voracious appetite for eating and drinking. The meal -being finished everyone retired as usual to take the siesta. Nieves -went to her room. She found Victorina there, lying on the bed. For -greater precaution she asked her: - -"Are you going to sleep the siesta, my pet?" - -"To sleep, no. But I am comfortable here." - -Nieves looked at herself in the glass and saw that she was pale. -She washed her teeth, and after satisfying herself by a rapid glance -that her husband was resting in the other room, she stole softly into -the parlor. She was trembling. This atmosphere of storm and danger, -grateful to the sea-fowl, was fatal to the domestic bird. It was no -life to be always shuddering with fear, her blood curdled by fright. -It was not to live. It was not to breathe. She would end by becoming -crazy. Had she not fancied just now that she heard steps behind her, -as if someone were following her? Two or three times she had stopped -and leaned, fainting, against the wall of the corridor, vowing in her -own mind that she would never put herself in such a dilemma again. - -When she reached the parlor she stopped, half startled. It was so -silent and drowsy in the semi-obscurity, with the half-closed -shutters through which entered a single sunbeam full of dancing -golden motes, with its sleepy mirrors that were too lazy to reflect -anything from their turbid surfaces, its drowsy asthmatic clock, -whose face looked like a human countenance watching her and coughing -disapprovingly. Suddenly she heard quick, youthful foot-steps and -Segundo, audacious, impassioned, threw himself at her feet and -clasped his arms around her. She tried to restrain him, to advise -him, to explain to him. The poet refused to heed her, he continued -pouring forth exclamations of gratitude and love and then, rising to -his feet, he drew her toward him with the irresistible force of a -passion which does not stop to consider consequences. - -When Don Victoriano saw the child enter his room, white as wax, -livid, almost, darting fire from her eyes, in one of those -horror-inspired attitudes which can neither be feigned nor imitated, -he sprang from the bed where he had been lying awake smoking a cigar. -The child said to him, in a choking voice: - -"Come, papa! come, papa!" - -What were the thoughts that passed through her father's mind? It -was never known why he followed his daughter without putting to her a -single question. On the threshold of the parlor father and child -paused. Nieves uttered a shrill scream and Segundo, with an -impassioned and manly gesture, placed himself before her to shield -her with his body. An unnecessary defense. In the figure of the man -standing on the threshold there was nothing of menace; what there was -in it to inspire terror was precisely its air of stupor and -helplessness; it seemed a corpse, a specter overwhelmed with impotent -despair--the face, green rather than sallow, the eyes opened, dull -and fixed, the hands and feet trembling. The man was making fruitless -efforts to speak; paralysis had begun with the tongue; he tried in -vain to move it in his mouth, to form sounds. Horrible conflict! The -words struggled for utterance but remained unuttered; his face -changed from livid to red, the blood becoming congested in it, and -the child, clasping her father around the waist, seeing this combat -between the spirit and the body, cried: - -"Help! help! Papa is dying!" - -Nieves, not daring to approach her husband, but comprehending -that something very serious was the matter, screamed too for help. -And at the various doors appeared one after another Primo Genday and -Tropiezo in their shirt-sleeves, and Mendez with a cotton -handkerchief tied over his ears. - -Segundo stood silent in the middle of the room, uncertain what -course to pursue. To leave the room would be cowardly, to -remain----Tropiezo shook him. - -"Go, flying, to Vilamorta, boy!" he said. "Tell Doroteo, the -cabman, to go to Orense and bring back a doctor with him--the best he -can find. I don't want to make a trip this time," he added with a -wink. "Run, hurry off!" - -The Swan approached Nieves, who had thrown herself on the sofa -and was weeping, her face covered with her dainty handkerchief. - -"They want me to go for a doctor, Nieves. What shall I do?" - -"Go!" - -"Shall I return?" - -"No--for God's sake leave me. Go bring the doctor! go bring the -doctor!" And she sobbed more violently than before. - - * * * * * - -In spite of all Segundo's haste, the physician did not arrive in -Las Vides until early on the morning of the following day. He did not -think the case an unusual one. This disease often terminated in this -way, in paralysis; it was one of the most frequent complications of -the terrible malady. He added that it would be well to remove the -patient to Orense, taking suitable precautions. The removal was -effected without much difficulty, and Don Victoriano lived for a few -days longer. Twenty-four hours after the interment Nieves and -Victorina, attired in the deepest mourning, departed for the capital. - - - - - XXIII. - - -The black pall of winter has fallen over Vilamorta. It is -raining, and in the wet and muddy main street and plaza no one is to -be seen but occasionally some countryman, riding enveloped in his -grass cloth cloak, his horse's hoofs clattering on the stone -pavement, raising showers of mud. There are now no fruit-venders for -the simple reason that there is no fruit; all is deserted, damp, -muddy, and gloomy; Cansin, in listing slippers, a comforter around -his neck, walks up and down unceasingly before his door, to prevent -chilblains; the Alcalde avails himself of a very narrow arch in front -of his house to pass away the afternoon, walking ten steps up and ten -steps down, stamping energetically to keep his feet warm--an exercise -which he affirms to be indispensable to his digestion. - -Now indeed the little town seems lifeless! There are neither -visitors to the springs nor strangers from the surrounding country, -neither fairs nor vintages. Everywhere reigns the stillness and -solitude of the tomb, and a moisture so persistent that it covers -with a minute green vegetation the stones of the houses in course of -construction. These little towns in winter are enough to make the -most cheerful person low-spirited; they are the very acme of tedium, -the quintessence of dullness--the disinclination to arrange one's -hair, to change one's dress, the interminable evenings, the -persistent rain, the gloomy cold, the ashen atmosphere, the leaden -sky! - -In the midst of this species of lethargy in which Vilamorta is -plunged there are, however, some happy beings, beings who are now at -the summit of felicity, although soon destined to end their existence -in the most tragic manner; beings who, by their natural instinct -alone, have divined the philosophy of Epicurus and practice it, and -eat, drink, and make merry, and neither fear death nor think of the -unexplored region which opens its gates to the dying, beings who -receive the rain on their smooth skins with rejoicing, beings for -whom the mud is a luxurious bath in which they roll and wallow with -delight, abandoning the discomfort and narrowness of their lairs and -sties. They are the indisputable lords and masters of Vilamorta at -this season of the year; they who with their pomps and exploits -supply the reunions at the apothecary's with food for conversation, -and entertainment for familiar gatherings in which their respective -sizes are discussed and they are studied from the point of view of -their personal qualities, heated discussions taking place as to -whether the short or the long ear, the curly tail, the hoof more or -less curved upward, and the snout more or less pointed, augur the -more succulent flesh and the more abundant fat. Comparisons are made. -Pellejo's hog is superb as far as size is concerned, but its flesh, -of an erysipelatous rosy hue, and its immense flabby belly, betray -the hog of relaxed muscle, nourished on bakehouse refuse; a -magnificent swine, that of the Alcalde, which has been fed on -chestnuts, not so large as the other, but what hams it will make! -What hams! And what bacon! And what a back, broad enough to ride -upon! This will be the swine of the season. There are not wanting -those who affirm, however, that the queen of the swine of Vilamorta -is the pig of Aunt Gáspara, García's pig. The haunches of this -magnificent animal look like a highroad; it once came near being -suffocated by its own fat; its teats touch its hoofs and kiss the mud -of the road. Who can calculate how many pounds of lard it will yield, -and the black puddings it will fill with its blood, and the sausages -that its intestines will make? - -It stops raining for a week; the cold grows more intense, frost -falls, whitening the grass of the paths and hardening the ground. -This is the signal for the hecatomb, for which the auspices are now -favorable, for, in addition to the cold, the moon is in her last -quarter; if she were on the wane the flesh would spoil. The hour has -come for wielding the knife. And through the long nights of Vilamorta -resound at the most unexpected moments desperate grunts--first grunts -of fury, that express the impotent rage of the victim at finding -himself bound to the bench, and reveal in the degenerate domestic pig -the descendant of the wild mountain boar; then of pain, when the -knife penetrates the flesh, an almost human cry when its blade -pierces the heart, and at last a series of despairing groans which -grow fainter and fainter as life and strength escape with the warm -stream of blood. - -This bloodcurdling drama was being enacted in the house of the -lawyer García at eleven o'clock on a clear frosty December night. The -girls, wild with delight, and dying with curiosity, crowded around -the expiring pig, in whose heart and throat the butcher, with rolled -up sleeves and bare arms, was about to plunge the knife. Segundo, -shut up in his bedroom, had before him some sheets of paper, more or -less covered with scrawls. He was writing verses. But as the sounds -of the tragedy reached him, he dropped his pen with dismay. He had -inherited from his mother a profound horror of the spectacle of the -killing; it usually cost his mother ten or twelve days of suffering, -during which she was unable to eat food, sickened by the sight of the -blood, the intestines and the viscera, so like human intestines and -human viscera, the greasy flitches of bacon hanging from the roof, -and the strong and stimulating odor of the black pudding and spices. -Segundo abhorred even the name of pig, and in the morbid condition of -his mind, in the nervous excitement which consumed him, it was an -indescribable martyrdom to be unable to set his foot outside the door -without stumbling against and entangling himself among the accursed -and repulsive animals, or seeing, through the half-open doors, -portions of their bodies hanging on hooks. All Vilamorta smelled of -pig-killing, of warm entrails; Segundo did not know at last where to -hide himself, and intrenched himself in his own room, closing the -doors and windows tightly, secluding himself from the external world -in order to live with his dreams and fancies in a realm where there -were no hogs, and where only pine groves, blue flowers and precipices -existed. Insufficient precaution to free himself from the torture of -that brutal epoch of the year, since here in his own house he was -besieged by the drama of gluttony and realism. The poet seized his -hat and hurried out of the room. He must flee where these grunts -could not penetrate, where those smells should not surround him. He -walked along the hall, closing his eyes in order not to see, by the -light of the candle which one of the children was holding, Aunt -Gáspara with her skeleton-like arm, bare to the elbow, stirring a red -and frothing liquid in a large earthern pan. When they saw Segundo -leaving the house the sisters burst into shouts of laughter, and -called to him, offering him grotesque delicacies, ignoble spoils of -the dying. - -Leocadia had not retired; she felt ill and she was dozing in a -chair, wrapped in a shawl and shivering with cold; she opened the -door quickly to Segundo, asking him in alarm if anything had -happened. Nothing, indeed. They were killing the pig at home--a -Toledan night; they would not let him sleep. Besides, the night was -so cold--he felt somewhat indisposed--as if he had a chill. Would she -make him a cup of coffee, or better still, a rum punch? - -"Both, my heart, this very instant!" - -Leocadia recovered her spirits and her energy as if by -enchantment. Soon there rose from the punch-bowl the sapphire flame -of the punch. In its glare the schoolmistress's face seemed very -thin. It had lost its former healthy color, a warm brown like that of -the crust of a well-baked loaf. The pangs of disappointed love were -revealed in the pallor of her cheeks, in the feverish brightness of -her eyes, the purplish hue of her lips. Grief had given her prosaic -features an almost poetic stamp; as she had grown thinner her eyes -looked larger; she was not now the robust woman, with firm flesh and -fresh-colored lips, who, pitted though she was by the smallpox, could -still draw a coarse compliment from the tavern-keeper; the fire of an -imperious, uncontrollable, and exacting passion was consuming her -inwardly--the love which comes late in life, that devouring love -which reason cannot conquer, nor time uproot, nor circumstances -change, which fixes its talons in the vitals and releases its prey -only when it has destroyed it. - -And this love was of so singular a nature that,--insatiable, -volcanic, desperate, as it was,--far from dictating acts of violence -to Leocadia and drawing from her furious reproaches, it inspired her -with a self-abnegation and a generosity without limits, banishing -from her mind every thought of self. - -The summer, the vintage season, the whole period during which she -had scarcely seen Segundo, when she knew he had not given her a -passing thought, that he was devoting himself to another woman, had -been horrible for her; and yet not a jealous word, not a complaint -had crossed her lips, nor did she once regret having given Segundo -the money; and when she saw the poet, her joy was so genuine, so -profound, that it effaced, as if by magic, the remembrance of her -sufferings and repaid her for them a hundredfold. - -Now there was an additional reason why she should lavish her -affection upon the poet. He too was suffering, he was ill. What was -the matter with him? He himself did not know: hypochondria, the grief -of separation, spleen, the impatient disgust produced by the contrast -of his mean surroundings with the dreams that filled his imagination. -A constant inappetency, depression of spirits, an uneasy sensation in -the stomach, nerves on the stretch, like the strings of a guitar. And -his love for Nieves was not like Leocadia's love, one of those -passions that absorb the whole being, affect the heart, attenuate the -flesh, and subjugate the soul. Nieves lived only in his imagination, -in his vanity, in his lyrics, in his romantic reveries, those eternal -inspirers of love. Nieves was the visible incarnation, in beautiful -and alluring form, of his longings for fame, his literary ambition. - -Leocadia had served the punch and was pouring out the coffee -when, her hand trembling with pleasure and emotion, she spilled some -of the hot liquid, scalding herself slightly; she took no notice of -the burn, however, but went on, with the same solicitude as always, -to minister to Segundo's comfort. Thinking to please and interest the -poet she asked him for news of the volume of poems which he had in -hand, and which was to spread his fame far beyond Vilamorta, so soon -as it should be published in Orense. Segundo did not show much -enthusiasm at this prospect. - -"In Orense," he said, "in Orense----Do you know that I have -changed my mind? Either I shall publish it in Madrid or I shall not -publish it at all. The loss to Spanish literature would not be so -very great." - -"And why don't you want to publish it now in Orense?" - -"I will tell you. Roberto Blanquez is right in the advice he -gives me in a letter he has just written me from Madrid. You know -that Roberto is in a situation there. He says that no one reads books -published in the provinces; that he has noticed the contempt with -which books that do not bear the imprint of some publishing house of -the capital are looked upon there. And besides, that they delay a -century here in printing a volume, and when it is printed it is full -of errors, and unattractive in appearance--in short, that they do not -take. And therefore----" - -"Well, then, let the book be published in Madrid. How much would -it cost?" - -"Child, the prices Roberto tells me are enough to frighten one. -It seems that the affair would cost a fortune. No publisher will buy -verses or even share with the author the expense of publishing them." - -Leocadia answered only by a smile. The little parlor had a look -of homelike comfort. Although winter had despoiled the balcony of its -charms, turning the sweet basil yellow and withering the carnations, -within, the hissing of the coffee-pot, the alcoholic vapor of the -punch, the quietude, the solicitous affection of the schoolmistress, -all seemed to temper and soften the atmosphere. Segundo felt a -pleasant drowsiness stealing over him. - -"Will you give me a blanket from your bed?" he said to the -schoolmistress. "There is not a spot at home where I could rest -to-night. I might sleep a little on the sofa here." - -"You will be cold." - -"I shall be in heaven. Go." - -Leocadia left the room, and returned dragging in with her an -unwieldy bulk--a mattress; then she brought a blanket; then, pillows. -Total, a complete bed. For all that was wanting--only the sheets--she -brought them also. - - - - - XXIV. - - -Leocadia did not vacillate on the following day. She knew the way -and she went straight to the lawyer's house. The latter received her -with a frowning brow. Did people think he was coining money? Leocadia -had now no land to sell; what she brought was of trifling value. If -she made up her mind to mortgage the house he would speak to his -brother-in-law Clodio, who had some money saved, and who would like -to have some such piece of property. Leocadia breathed a sigh of -regret, it was not with her as with the peasantry--she had no -attachment to land, but the house! So neat, so pretty, so -comfortable, arranged according to her own taste! - -"Pshaw, by paying the amount of the mortgage you can have it back -the moment you wish." - -So it was settled. Clodio handed out the money, tempted by the -hope of obtaining, at half its value, so cozy a nest in which to end -his bachelor existence. In the evening Leocadia asked Segundo to show -her the manuscript of his poems and to read some of them to her. -Frequent mention was made in them, with reticences and transparent -allusions, of certain blue flowers, of the murmur of a pine wood, of -a precipice, and of various other things which Leocadia knew well -were not inventions, but had their explanation in past, and to her -unknown, events. The schoolmistress divined a love story whose -heroine could be no one but Nieves Mendez. But what she could not -understand, what she could not explain, was how Señora de Comba, now -a widow, and free to reward Segundo's love, did not do so -immediately. The verses breathed profound despondency, ardent -passion, and intense bitterness. Now Leocadia understood Segundo's -sadness, his dejection, his mental anguish. How much he must suffer -in secret! Poets, by their nature, must suffer more and crueler -tortures than the rest of humanity. There was not a doubt of it--this -separation, these memories were killing Segundo slowly. Leocadia -hesitated how to begin the conversation. - -"See, listen. Those verses are beautiful and deserve to be -printed in letters of gold. It just happens, child, that I received -some money a few days ago from Orense. Do you know what I was -thinking of the other night while you were asleep in the little bed I -arranged for you? That it would be better for you to go yourself to -publish them--yonder--to Madrid." - -To her great surprise she saw that Segundo's face clouded. To go -to Madrid now! Impossible; he must first learn something of Nieves. -The last tragic scene of his love affair, the dénouement of her -sudden widowhood, raised between them a barrier difficult to pass. -Nieves was rich, and if Segundo should go to her now and throw -himself at her feet, he would not be the lover asking her to requite -his love, but the suitor to her hand, alleging anterior rights and -basing on them his aspirations to replace her defunct husband. And -Segundo, who had accepted money from Leocadia, felt his pride rebel -at the thought that Nieves might take him for a fortune-hunter, or -might scorn him for his obscurity and his poverty. But did not Nieves -love him? Had she not told him so? Why, then, did she not send him -some message. True, he had made no attempt to communicate with the -beautiful widow, or to refresh her memory. He feared to do it -awkwardly, inopportunely, and so reopen the wound caused by the death -of her husband. - -The volume of verses--an excellent idea! The volume of verses was -the one means of recovering his place in Nieves' recollection -worthily, borne on the wings of popular applause. If this volume were -read, admired, praised, it would win fame for its author; the -difference between his own and Nieves' social position, which might -now make his pretensions appear ridiculous, would disappear. "To -marry!" said Segundo to himself. Marriage seemed to him a secondary -matter. Let Nieves only love him. It was love he asked, not marriage. -Sitting at Leocadia's very table he wrote to Blanquez, giving him -instructions, and prepared the manuscript to post it, and made out -the index and the title-page with the impatient joy of one who, -expecting to win a fortune, buys a ticket in the lottery. When he was -gone Leocadia remained sunk in thought. Segundo had no desire to go -to Madrid. Then the gleam of happiness that flashed across her mind -at the thought that Segundo should establish himself in Vilamorta was -quenched by two considerations--one was that Segundo would die of -tedium here; the other that she could not long continue to supply his -wants. In mortgaging the house she had burned her last cartridge. -What should she mortgage now--herself? And she smiled sadly. In the -hall resounded the steps of the neglected little cripple, on his way -to bed, where Flores would soon lull him to sleep with her solecisms -and barbarous litanies. The mother sighed. And this being, this being -who had no support but her--what should he live on? When ruin had -overtaken her, and she could no longer give him food or shelter, what -a mute and continual reproach would the presence of the unhappy child -be to her! And how could she set him to work? - -To work! This word brought to her mind the plans she had matured -in those hours of sleeplessness and despair in which all the past is -retraced in thought and new plans are formed for the future and every -possible course of action is deliberated upon. It was plain that -Minguitos was unfitted for the material labor of cultivating the -ground, or for making shoes, or grinding chocolate, like that -good-looking Ramon; but he knew how to read and write and in -arithmetic, with a little help from Leocadia, he would be a prodigy. -To sit behind a counter kills nobody; to attend to a customer, to -answer his questions, take the money, enter down what is sold, are -rather entertaining occupations that cheer the mind than fatiguing -labors. In this way the little hunchback would be amused and would -lose a little of his terror of strangers, his morbid fear of being -laughed at. - -A few years before if anyone had proposed to Leocadia to separate -her from her child, to deprive him of the shelter of her loving arms, -she would have insulted him. Now it seemed to her so easy and natural -a solution of the question to make him a clerk in a shop. Something, -nevertheless, still thrilled in the depths of her mother's heart, -some fibers still closely attached to the soul, that bled, that hurt. -She must tear them away quickly. It was all for the good of the -child, to make a man of him, so that to-day or to-morrow---- - -Leocadia held two or three consultations with Cansin, who had a -cousin in Orense, the proprietor of a cloth shop; and Cansin, -dilating upon his influence with him, and the importance of the -favor, gave the schoolmistress a warm letter of recommendation to -him. Leocadia went to the city, saw the shopkeeper, and the -conditions on which he agreed to receive Minguitos were agreed upon. -The boy would be fed and lodged, his clothes washed, and he would -receive an occasional suit, made from the remnants of cloth left over -in the shop. As to pay, he would be paid nothing until he should have -acquired a thorough knowledge of the business--for a couple of years -or so. And was he very much deformed? Because that would not be very -pleasant for the customers. And was he honest? He had never taken any -money out of his mother's drawer, had he? - -Leocadia returned home with her soul steeped in gall. How should -she tell Minguitos and Flores? Especially Flores! Impossible, -impossible--she would create a scandal that would alarm the -neighborhood. And she had promised to take Minguitos without fail on -the following Monday! A stratagem occurred to her. She said that a -relative of hers lived in Orense and that she wished to take the -child there to make his acquaintance. She depicted the journey in -glowing colors, so that Minguitos might think he was going on a -pleasure trip. Did he not want to see Orense again? It was a -magnificent town. She would show him the hot springs, the Cathedral. -The child, with an instinctive horror of public places, of coming in -contact with strangers, sorrowfully shook his head; and as for the -old servant, as if she divined what was going on, she raged and -stormed all the week. When Sunday came and mother and son were about -to take their departure in the stage-coach Flores threw her arms -around the neck of the boy as he was mounting the step, and embraced -him with the tremulous and doting fondness of a grandmother, covering -his face with kisses, and moistening it with the saliva on her -withered lips. She spent the rest of the day sitting in the doorway, -muttering words of rage, or of tender pity, her forehead pressed -between her hands in an attitude of despair. - -Leocadia, once they were in the diligence, tried to convince the -boy that the change was for his good; describing to him the pleasant -life that awaited him in that fine shop situated in the most central -part of Orense, which was so lively, where he would have very little -to do, and where he had the hope of earning, if not to-day, -to-morrow, a little money for himself. At her first words the boy -fixed on his mother his astonished eyes, in which a look of -intelligence gradually began to dawn. Minguitos was quick of -comprehension. He drew up close to his mother, and laid his head down -on her lap without speaking. - -As he continued silent, Leocadia said to him: - -"What is the matter with you? Does your head ache?" - -"No; let me sleep so--for a little--until we reach Orense." - -And thus he remained, quiet and silent, lulled to sleep, -apparently, by the creaking of the diligence and the deafening noise -of the windows rattling in their sashes. When they reached the city -Leocadia touched him on the shoulder, saying: - -"We have arrived." - -They alighted from the stagecoach and then only did Leocadia -observe that her lap was moist and that, on the spot where the boy -had rested his forehead, sparkled two or three crystal drops. But on -finding himself among strangers, in the gloomy shop crowded with -rolls of dark cloth, the hunchback's attitude ceased to be resigned; -he caught hold of his mother's skirt with a despairing impulse, -uttering a single cry in which were concentrated all his reproaches, -all his affection: - -"M-a-a-a-m-m-a--m-a-a-a-m-m-a!" - -This cry still resounded through Leocadia's heart when, on her -arrival at Vilamorta, she saw Flores lying in wait for her in the -doorway. Lying in wait is the exact expression, for Flores threw -herself upon her, the moment she appeared, like a bulldog, like a -wild animal asking for and demanding her young. And as a man in a fit -of rage throws at his adversary whatever he finds nearest his hand so -Flores heaped on Leocadia every species of insult, all sorts of -injurious and opprobrious epithets, crying, in a voice that trembled -with rage and hatred: - -"Thief, thief, wretch! What have you done with your child, thief? -Go, drunkard, vagabond, go drink your liqueurs--and your child, -perhaps, dying of hunger! Reprobate, wolf, traitress, where is the -child? Where is the little angel? Where have you hidden him, schemer? -In such a hurry you were to get rid of him so as to be left alone -with your trumpery young gentleman! Wolf, wolf--if I had a gun, as -sure as I am standing here, I would send a charge of shot into you!" - -Leocadia, her face pale, her eyes red with weeping, put out her -hand to stop the mouth of the frenzied old woman; but the latter -caught her fingers between her toothless gums, biting them and -slavering them with the foam of her fury, and when the schoolmistress -went upstairs, the old woman followed her, crying after her in hoarse -and sinister accents: - -"You will never have the grace of God, wolf--God and the Holy -Virgin will punish you! Go, go, rejoice now because you have carried -out your evil designs! May you be forever accursed, accursed, -accursed!" - -The malediction made Leocadia shudder. The house, with Minguitos -away, seemed like a tomb. Flores had neither made the dinner nor -lighted the lamp. Leocadia, too sick at heart to do either, threw -herself on the bed, dressed as she was, and, later on, undressed -herself and went to bed without tasting a morsel of food. - - - - - XXV. - - -With what interest did Segundo read the letters of Roberto -Blanquez giving him news of his book. Roberto was a few years older -than the Swan; the difference in their ages was not so great as to -prevent their having been very good friends when they were at college -together, though it was great enough to have given Blanquez so much -more experience than the poet as to enable him to serve as his guide -and mentor. Blanquez, too, had had his poetic epoch, when he had -written Galician verses; he now devoted himself to the prose of a -modest clerkship, and wrote official articles. Madrid was -enlightening him, and, with the natural penetration of one in whose -veins flowed Galician blood, he was gradually acquiring a knowledge -of practical life. He entertained for Segundo a fanatic admiration -and a sincere attachment, one of those college attachments which last -a lifetime. Segundo wrote to him with entire confidence--some cousins -of Blanquez were acquainted with the mother of Nieves Mendez, and -through this channel Segundo occasionally received tidings of his -lady-love. Blanquez was not ignorant of the episodes of the summer. -And in the beginning his news was very satisfactory: "Nieves lives in -the greatest retirement--my cousins have given me news of her. She -scarcely ever leaves the house except to go to mass. The child is not -well. The physicians say it is the age. They are going to send her to -a convent of the Sacred Heart to be educated. They say the mother -looks superb, my boy. It seems they have been left very well off. The -book will soon appear now. Yesterday I chose the paper for the -edition and the linen paper for the hundred copies _de luxe_. The -type will be Elzevir, which is at present the most fashionable. The -title-page--they make them beautiful now, in six colors--would you -like it to represent something fanciful, something allegorical?" In -this style were Roberto's letters, source of illusions for Segundo, -sole food for his imagination through all that long and gloomy -winter, in that out-of-the-way corner of the world, in the midst of -his prosaic domestic surroundings, his mind filled with the -recollections of his unhappy passion. - -March had arrived, that uncertain month of sunshine and showers -which heralds in the spring with affluence of violets and primroses, -when the cold begins to lessen, and in the pale blue sky white clouds -float like streamers, when Segundo received that most precious of all -objects, that object the sight of which makes the heart palpitate -with joy and longing, mingled with an undefinable fear resembling, -somewhat, the feeling with which the new-made father regards his -first-born--his first printed book. It seemed to him a dream that the -book should be there, before his eyes, in his hands, with the -satin-smooth white cover on which the artist had gracefully twined -around a group of pine trees a few sprays of forget-me-nots; with its -pea-green paper, that gave it an antique air, the compositions headed -by three mysterious asterisks. Looking at his verses thus, free from -blots, finished and correct, the thought standing out clearly in -distinct black characters on the delicately tinted page, he almost -felt as if they had issued from his brain just as they were, smoothly -flowing and with perfect rhymes, without corrections or unmeaning -syllables put in to fill out the meter. - -Leocadia was even more moved by the sight of the book than its -author had been. She shed tears of joy. The fame of the poet was, in -a sense, her work! For two or three days she was happy, forgetting -the bad news which Flores brought her every Sunday from Orense; from -Orense, where Leocadia did not dare to go herself, fearing to yield -to the entreaties and melt before the prayers of the child, but where -palpitated those fibers of her heart which still bled, and which -Flores wrung with torture by her account of the sufferings of -Minguitos, who declined visibly in health, and who always complained -that they made sport of him in the shop and cast up his deformity to -him. - -Unsolvable mysteries of the human heart! Segundo, who despised -his native place, who believed--nor was he mistaken--that there was -not in Vilamorta a single person capable of judging of the merits of -a poem, could not refrain from going one evening to Saturnino -Agonde's and drawing carelessly the volume from his pocket, throwing -it on the counter and saying with affected indifference: - -"What do you think of that book, my boy?" - -On the instant he repented of his weakness, so many were the -nonsensical remarks and absurd jokes with which the beautiful volume -inspired the irreverent assemblage. He wished he had never shown it. -He had drawn all this upon himself. If the public did not treat him -better than his fellow-townsmen! Man can never isolate himself -completely from his surroundings--the circle in which he moves must -always have an interest for him. However little importance Segundo -might attach to the opinions of the Vilamortans, and although their -approbation would assuredly not have raised him in his own -estimation, their stupid mockery wounded and embittered his soul. He -went home hurt and pained. He spent a feverish night--one of those -nights in which great projects are conceived and decisive resolutions -adopted. - -His resolutions and his plans he summed up in the letter he wrote -to Blanquez. The latter did not answer by return of mail; days -passed, and Segundo went every morning to the post-office, always -meeting with the same laconic answer. At last one day he received a -voluminous registered letter. - - - - - XXVI. - - -As he opened it, several newspapers fell out, containing notices -marked by a cross of the volume of poems just published, entitled -"Songs of Absence," this being the name chosen by Segundo for his -volume of rhymes. - -These were accompanied by a letter of four pages from Roberto. -What it might contain was of such vital importance to Segundo, so -great the influence it might exercise over his future, that he laid -it aside fearing, he knew not why, to read it, wishing to defer what -he so eagerly desired. The letter lay open before him and certain -names, certain words frequently repeated, caught his eye. The name of -the widowed Señora de Comba was often mentioned in it. To calm his -agitation, which was purely nervous, he took up the newspapers, -resolving to read first the marked paragraphs. He traversed the _via -crucis_, in the fullest signification of the words. - -_El Imperial_ gave a noisy boom to Galicia and, as a proof that -the country produced poets in the same abundance as it produced -exquisite peaches and beautiful flowers mentioned, without naming -him, the author of "Songs of Absence," a beautiful volume just -published. And not a line more, not a word of criticism, nothing to -indicate that anybody in the office of the popular daily had taken -the trouble even to cut the leaves of the book. _El Liberal_, better -informed, declared, in three lines, that "Songs of Absence" gave -evidence of the author's great facility in versification. _La Epoca_, -in the most obscure corner of its department, "New Books," eulogized -the typographical elegance of the book; disapproved of the romantic -savor of the title and of the title-page, and deplored in trenchant -phrases that the poet should have sought inspiration in the barren -theme of absence when there were so many wholesome, cheerful and -fruitful subjects on which to write. _El Dia_---- - -Ah, as for _El Dia_, it gave Segundo a castigation in style: not -one of those angry, predetermined, energetic castigations, in which -the lash is taken up with both hands to crush a powerful and -dangerous adversary, but a contemptuous cut of the whip, a flick with -the nail, as it were, as one might brush away a troublesome insect; -one of those summary criticisms in which the critic does not take the -trouble to adduce proof or argument in support of his criticisms, -whose justice he deems so evident as not to require demonstration; an -execution by a few jests, but jests of a kind that extinguish a new -author, crush him, relegate him forever to the limbo of obscurity. -The critic said that now when verses of supreme merit lacked readers -it was greatly to be deplored that the press should be made to groan -with rhymes of an inferior quality; that now when Becquer had been -placed in the pantheon of the immortals it was a crime to treat him -with the disrespect of stupidly imitating him, mutilating and -counterfeiting his best thoughts; and finally, that it was to be -regretted that estimable young men, endowed, perhaps, with admirable -capabilities for trade, or for the career of an apothecary or a -notary, should spend their parents' money in costly editions of -verses which no one would either buy or read. - -Underneath this philippic Roberto Blanquez had written: "Pay no -attention to this ass. Read my article." - -And indeed in an obscure, insignificant sheet, one of those -innumerable periodicals that see the light in Madrid without Madrid -ever seeing them, Blanquez poured forth the gall of his wounded -friendship and patriotism--taking the critic to task, eulogizing -Segundo's book and declaring him the worthy compeer of Becquer, with -the difference that the former was a little sweeter, a little more -dreamy, a little more melancholy, as being the son of a land as -beautiful as it was unfortunate, and which was fairer than Andalusia, -than Switzerland, or than any other country on the face of the globe; -ending by saying that if Becquer had been born in Galicia he would -feel, think, and write like _The Swan of Vilamorta_. - -Segundo seized the bundle of newspapers and, after looking at -them for a moment fixedly and with a gloomy brow, tore them into -pieces, large at first, then small, then smaller still, which he -threw out of the window to hover for a moment in the air like -butterflies or like the silvery petals of the flower of illusion, and -then fall into the nearest pool. Segundo smiled bitterly. "There goes -fame," he said to himself. "Now I think I am calmer. Let us see what -the letter says." - -Of this letter we need cite here only certain passages, -supplementing them with the comments made on them in his mind by the -reader. - -"According to your request I went to the house of Señora de Comba -to deliver to her the copy, so carefully wrapped up and sealed, which -you sent me for that purpose."--Of course. It contained an -inscription which I did not want her to think that you might have -read.--"She has a beautiful house, hangings and natural flowers -everywhere."--Everything pertaining to her is like that, beautiful -and refined.--"But I was obliged to return several times before she -would receive me, the moment was always inopportune."--She does not -receive indiscriminately all who may chance to present -themselves.--"At last she received me, after innumerable ceremonies -and formalities. She is very beautiful close by, more beautiful, -even, than at a distance, and it seems impossible that she should -have a daughter twelve years old; she looks at most twenty-four or -twenty-five."--What news Roberto has to tell me.--"The moment I told -her I had come on your part"--Let us hear--"she became--what shall I -say?"--red--"displeased and annoyed, my boy, and in addition so -serious, that I was quite taken aback, and did not know what to -do."--Infamous! Infamous!--"She was afraid that I"--Let us hear; let -us finish, let us finish.--"She refused to receive the book, in spite -of my urgent entreaties"--but this is inconceivable. Ah, what a -woman!--"because she says it would remind her too forcibly of that -place and of the death of her husband, whom God keep in his glory; -and consequently she begs you to excuse her"--wretch!--"from opening -the package and reading your verse, for which she thanks you."--Ha! -ha! ha!--Bravo! What an actress! - -"Notwithstanding all this, as you had charged me explicitly to -deliver it to her, I determined not to take the book back with me -and, taking up my hat and saluting her, I laid your package on a -table. On the following morning, however, it came back to me -unopened, with all its seals intact."--And I did not throw her into -the Avieiro that day when our lips--the more fool I! Well, let us -finish. - -"In view of the little widow's conduct I imagine that you must -have invented all that about the window and the precipice; you must -have told it to me to fool me or, as you are so imaginative, you -dreamed that it happened and you took the dream for reality."--He -does well to mock me.--"At all events, my boy, if you were interested -in the widow, think no more about her. I know to a certainty, through -my cousins, who have it for a fact from their father, that at the -expiration of the period of her mourning she is to marry a certain -Marquis de Cameros who represented at one time a district in -Lugo."--Yes, yes, I understand.--"The thing is serious, for, -according to what my cousins say, the house linen is being -embroidered already with the coronet of a marchioness." - -The letter was torn still more slowly and into still smaller -pieces than the newspapers. With the fragments Segundo made a ball -which he threw far into the middle of the pool. "Such is love," he -said to himself, laughing bitterly. - -He began to walk up and down the room, at first with a certain -monotonous regularity, then restlessly and with fury. Clara, the -eldest of his sisters, half opened the door of the room, saying: - -"Aunt Gáspara says you are to come." - -"What for?" - -"Dinner is ready." - -Segundo took his hat and rushing into the street walked toward -the river, filled with that species of fury which one who has just -received some mental shock, some bitter disappointment, is apt to -feel at being called on to take part in any of the ordinary concerns -of life. - - - - - XXVII. - - -What a walk was his along the marshy borders of the Avieiro! At -times he hurried on without any motive for accelerating his steps, -and again, equally without motive, stood still, his gaze riveted on -some object but in reality seeing nothing. One regret, a gnawing -grief, pierced his soul when he recalled the past. As in a shipwreck -there is for each of the passengers some one particular object whose -loss he deplores more bitterly than that of all his other -possessions, so Segundo, of all his past life, regretted one instant -above every other, an instant which he would have given all he -possessed to live over again--that during which he had stood with -Nieves on the edge of the precipice, when he might have obtained a -worthy and glorious death, carrying with him into the abyss the -precious treasure of his illusions, and the form of the woman who for -that one unforgettable instant only, had truly loved him. - -"A coward then, and a coward now!" thought the poet, calling all -his resolution to his aid but finding himself unable to summon the -necessary courage to throw himself at once into the cold and muddy -waters of the river. What moments of anguish! Giddy with suffering he -seated himself on a stone on the river bank and watched with idiotic -vacancy of expression the circles formed on the bosom of the river by -the drops of rain that fell slantingly from the gray sky, as they -expanded and were lost in other circles that pressed upon them on all -sides, while new circles took their place, to be lost in their turn -in yet other circles, covering the surface of the water with a wavy -design resembling the silver work called _guilloché_. The poet did -not even notice that these same rain-drops that fell thick and fast -on the surface of the Avieiro fell also on his hat and shoulders, ran -down his forehead and, making their way between his collar and his -skin, trickled down his neck. He noticed it only when the chill they -produced made him shiver and he rose and walked slowly home, where -dinner was already over and no one thought of offering him even so -much as a cup of broth. - -Two or three days later a fever declared itself, which was at -first slight, but soon grew serious. Tropiezo called it a gastric and -catarrhal fever, and truth compels us to say that he administered -remedies not altogether inappropriate; gastric and catarrhal fevers -are, for physicians whose knowledge is derived chiefly from -experience, a perfect boon from Heaven, a glorious field in which -they may count every battle a victory; a beaten path in which they -run no risk of going astray. It will not lead them to the unknown -pole of science, but at least it will betray them into no abyss. - -As Tropiezo was leaving García's house one evening, after his -customary visit to Segundo, muffled up to the ears in his comforter, -he saw, standing beside the lawyer's door in the shadow cast by the -contiguous wall, a woman clad in an old morning gown and with her -head bare. The night was bright and Don Fermin was able to -distinguish her features, but it was not without some difficulty that -he recognized her to be Leocadia, so altered and aged did the poor -schoolmistress look. Her countenance betrayed the keenest anxiety as -she asked the doctor: - -"And what news, Don Fermin? How is Segundo getting on?" - -"Ah, good evening, Leocadia. Do you know that at first I did not -recognize you?--Well, very well; there is no cause for uneasiness. -To-day I ordered him some of the _puchero_ and some soup. It was -nothing--a cold caught by getting a wetting. But the boy seems a -little preoccupied, and he was for a time so sad and dejected that I -thought he was never going to get back his appetite. At this season -it is necessary to go warmly clad; we have a fine day, and then, when -you least expect it, back come the rain and the cold again. And -you--how are you getting on? They tell me that you have not been -well, either. You must take care of yourself." - -"There is nothing the matter with me, Don Fermin." - -"So much the better. Any news of the boy?" - -"He is in Orense, poor child. He can't get used to it." - -"He will get used to it by and by. Of course--accustomed to be -petted. Well, Leocadia, good-night. Go home, my dear woman, go home." - -Don Fermin proceeded on his way, drawing his comforter up closer -around his ears. That woman was mad; she had not taken the disease -lightly, it seemed. And how altered she was! How old she had grown in -these last few months! Old women were worse than young girls when -they fell in love. He had done wisely, very wisely in telling her -nothing about Segundo's new plans. She was capable of tearing down -the house if he had told her. No, silence, silence. A shut mouth -catches no flies. Let her find it out through someone else besides -him. And with these sensible ideas and worthy intentions Tropiezo -reached Agonde's, and before a quarter of an hour had elapsed -unbosomed himself of his news: Segundo García was going to America to -seek his fortune--as soon as he should be entirely well, of course. -He would take the steamer at Corunna. - -The occasion was a favorable one for the company to lament once -more in concert the death of Don Victoriano Andres de la Comba, -protector and father of all the Vilamortans in want of situations, a -useful representative and an untiring worker for the district. If he -were alive now most assuredly a young man of so much ability--a -poet--that night the party all agreed that Segundo had ability and -was a poet--would not be obliged to go across the raging seas in -quest of a decent situation. But since they had lost Don Victoriano, -Vilamorta was without a voice in the regions of influence and favor, -for Señorito de Romero, the present representative of the district, -belonged to the class of docile representatives who give no trouble -to the Government, who vote when their votes are wanted, and who hold -themselves cheap, valuing themselves at no more than a few tobacco -shops, and half a dozen or so of official appointments. Agonde took -his revenge that night, expatiating on his favorite theme, and -abusing the pernicious Eufrasian influence which was responsible for -the decadence of Vilamorta, on account of which its youth were -obliged to emigrate to the New World. The apothecary expounded his -theories--he liked the representative of a district to show himself -in it occasionally. Otherwise of what use was he? In his eyes the -ideal representative was that famous politician from whom the barber -of the town he represented had asked a place, basing his request on -the fact that, owing to the distribution of appointments among the -persons of his station in the town, there were no customers left for -him to shave and he was starving. The Alcalde here interposed, saying -that he had it on very good authority that Señorito de Romero -intended to interest himself in earnest for Vilamorta; the -confectioner and some others of those present confirmed this -statement, and then arose a discussion in which it was proved beyond -a doubt that a dead representative has no friends and that the new -representative of the district had already, in the very stronghold of -the former Combista radicals, friends and adherents. - - - - - XXVIII. - - -The Swan has left his native lake, or rather, his pool; he has -crossed the Atlantic on the wings of steam. Will he ever return? Will -he come back with a sallow countenance, a disordered liver, and some -thousands of dollars, in bills of exchange, in his pocketbook, to end -his life where it began, as the ship disabled by storms receives its -last repairs in the dockyard in which it was built? Will the black -vomit, that terrible malady of the Antilles, the scourge of the -Iberians who seek to emulate Columbus conquering a new world, attack -him on his arrival on the young continent? Will he remain in the -tropics, riding in his carriage, united in the bonds of matrimony to -some Creole? Will he preside one day over one of those diminutive -republics, in which the doctors are generals and the generals -doctors? Will his melancholy be cured by the salty kiss of the ocean -breeze, by the contact of virgin soil, the sharp spur of necessity, -that, pushing him into the conflict, will say to him, "Work"? - -History may perhaps at some future day relate the story of the -metamorphosis of the Swan, of his wanderings and his vicissitudes; -but years must first elapse, for it was only yesterday, as one might -say, that Segundo García quitted Vilamorta, leaving the -schoolmistress behind him dissolved in tears. And the story of the -schoolmistress is the only episode in the chronicle of the Swan which -we can at present bring to an end. - -Leocadia was the theme of much gossip in Vilamorta. She was -seriously ill, according to some, according to others, ruined, and -according to many, touched in her mind. She had been seen haunting -the neighborhood of Segundo's house on various nights during the -poet's illness; it was affirmed that she had sold her land and that -her house was mortgaged to Clodio Genday; but the strangest thing of -all, that which was most bitterly censured, was her neglect of her -son after having cared for him and watched over him from his infancy, -never going to Orense to see him, while old Flores went there -constantly, bringing back worse and worse news of the child every -time she went--that he was wasting away, that he spit blood, that he -was dying of grief, that he would not last a month. Leocadia, as she -listened, would let her chin fall upon her breast, and at times her -shoulders would move convulsively, as if she were weeping. Otherwise -she appeared calm, although she was very silent and had lost her -former activity. She helped Flores in the kitchen, attended to the -children of the school, swept and dusted--all like an automaton, -while Flores, who pitilessly spied out every occasion to find fault -with her, took pleasure in crying: - -"Woman, you have left this side of the pan dirty--woman, you -haven't mended your skirt--woman, what are you thinking about? I am -going to Orense to-day and you will have to take care of the -_puchero_." - -At the end of the summer Clodio demanded the interest on his loan -and Leocadia was unable to pay it; she was notified accordingly that, -after the necessary legal proceedings, the creditor would avail -himself of his legal right to take possession of the house. This was -a terrible blow for Leocadia. - -It will sometimes happen that a prisoner, a distinguished -personage, a king, it may be, shut up through an adverse fate within -the walls of a dungeon, stripped of his grandeur, deprived of all -that once constituted his happiness, will bear his ills for years -with resignation, calm in appearance although dejected, but if some -day, by the cruel tyranny of his jailors, this prisoner is deprived -of some bauble, some trifling object for which he had conceived an -affection, the grief pent up within his bosom will burst its bounds, -and the wildest manifestations of grief will follow. Something like -this happened to Leocadia when she learned that she must abandon -forever the beloved little house where she had spent in Segundo's -company hours unique in her existence; the little house in which she -was mistress, which had been rebuilt with her savings, the little -house lately so neat and so attractive, of which she was so proud. - -Flores heard her on several nights sobbing loudly, but when on -one or two occasions, moved by an involuntary feeling of pity, the -old woman went into her room to ask her what ailed her, if she could -do anything for her, Leocadia, covering her face with the bedclothes, -had answered in a dull voice: "There is nothing the matter with me, -woman; let me sleep. You will not even let me sleep!" - -During those days her moods varied constantly and she formed a -thousand different plans. She talked of going to live in Orense, of -giving up the school and taking sewing to do in the house; she -talked, too, of accepting the proposal of Clodio Genday, who, having -dismissed his young servant, for what reason no one knew, offered to -take Leocadia as his housekeeper, by which arrangement she would -remain in her house, Flores, of course, being dismissed. None of -these plans lasted for more than a very short time, but were all in -turn rejected to give place to others no less ephemeral; and while -the schoolmistress was thus engaged in forming and rejecting plans -the time was fast approaching when she should find herself without a -shelter. - -One market day Leocadia went to purchase various articles -urgently needed by Flores, among others a sieve and a new -chocolate-pot, the old one being no longer fit for use. The movement -of the crowd, the jostling of the hucksters, and the glare of the -autumnal sun made her head, weak from want of sleep, from fasting, -and from suffering--slightly dizzy. She stopped before a stall where -sieves were sold, a sort of variety booth, where innumerable -indispensable trifles were for sale--chocolate-beaters, frying-pans, -saucepans, kerosene lamps. In a corner were two articles of -merchandise in great request in the place--consisting of pink paper, -soft, like brown paper, and some whitish powder, resembling spoiled -flour. Leocadia's glance fell on these, and the vender, thinking she -wished to buy some, began to extol their properties, explaining that -the pink sheets moistened and placed on a plate, would not leave a -fly alive in the neighborhood, and that the white powder was -_seneca_, for killing mice, the manner of using it being to mix it -well with cheese and place the mixture, made into little balls, in -their haunts. Leocadia asked the price and told the vender to give -her a small quantity, and the woman, to appear generous, took up a -good portion on the spatula, wrapped it up in paper, and gave it to -her for a trifling sum. The drug indeed was of little value, being -very common in that part of the country, where native arsenic abounds -in the calcareous spar forming one of the banks of the Avieiro, and -arsenic, acid--rat-poison--is sold openly in the fairs, rather than -in drug shops. The schoolmistress put away the powder, bought, -through complaisance, half a dozen of the pink slips of paper, and on -her return home punctually delivered to Flores the articles she had -been commissioned to purchase. - -Flores noticed that after dinner Leocadia shut herself up in her -bedroom, where the old woman could hear her talking aloud as if she -were praying. Accustomed to her eccentricities the servant thought -nothing about the matter. When she had ended her prayer, the -schoolmistress stepped out on the balcony, where she stood gazing for -a long time at the flower-pots; she then went into the parlor and -looked for a good while also at the sofa, the chairs, the little -table, the spots which reminded her of the past. Then she went into -the kitchen. Flores declared afterward--but in such cases who is -there that does not lay claim to a prophetic instinct--that -Leocadia's manner on entering had attracted her attention. - -"Have you any fresh water?" she asked. - -"Yes." - -"Give me a glass of it." - -Flores affirmed that, as she took the glass, the hand of the -schoolmistress trembled, as if she had a chill, and the strangest -part of the matter was that, although there was no sugar in the -water, Leocadia asked for a spoon, which she put into the glass. An -hour, or perhaps an hour and a half passed, when Flores heard -Leocadia groan. She hurried to her room and saw her lying on the bed, -her face frightfully pale, making desperate and fruitless efforts to -vomit. Then a cold perspiration broke out on the forehead of the sick -woman, and she remained motionless and speechless. Flores, terrified, -ran for Don Fermin, urging him to hurry, saying this was no jesting -matter. When Don Fermin arrived out of breath, he asked: - -"What is this, Leocadia? What is the matter with you; my dear -woman, what is the matter with you?" - -Opening her dilated eyes, she murmured: - -"Nothing, Don Fermin, nothing." - -Standing on the table at the head of the bed was the glass; it -contained no water, but the bottom and the sides of the vessel were -coated with a white powder which had remained undissolved and which -the schoolmistress, not wishing to leave it there, had scraped off in -places with the spoon. It is proper to say, on this occasion also, -that the illustrious Tropiezo made no mistake in the treatment of so -simple a case. Tropiezo had already fought some battles with this -common toxic substance and knew its tricks; he had recourse, without -a moment's delay, to the use of powerful emetics and of oil. Only the -poison, having gained the start of him, had already entered into the -circulation and ran through the veins of the schoolmistress, chilling -her blood. When the nausea and the vomiting ceased several little red -spots--an eruption similar to that of scarlet-fever--made their -appearance on Leocadia's pallid face. This symptom lasted until death -came to set her sad spirit free and release it from its sufferings, -which was toward daybreak. Shortly before her death, during an -interval of freedom from pain, Leocadia, making a sign to Flores to -come nearer, whispered in her ear: "Promise me--that the child shall -not know it--by the soul of your mother--don't tell him--don't tell -him the manner of my death." - -A few days later Tropiezo was defending himself to the party at -Agonde's who, for the pleasure of making him angry, were accusing him -of being responsible for the death of the schoolmistress. - -"For one thing, they called me too late, much too late," he said; -"when the woman was almost in her death agony. For another, she had -taken a quantity of arsenic which was not large enough to produce -vomiting, but which was too small to cause merely a colic and be done -with it. Where I made the mistake was in waiting so long before -sending for the priest. I did it with the best intentions, so as not -to frighten her and hoping we might yet pull her through. When -extreme unction was administered she had no senses left to know what -was going on." - -"So that," said Agonde maliciously, "where you are called in, -either the soul or the body is sure to meet with a trip." - -The company applauded the joke, and there followed funereal jests -mingled with expressions of pity. Clodio Genday, the creditor of the -deceased, moved about uneasily in his chair. What stupid -conversation, _canario_! Let them talk of more cheerful subjects! - -And they talked of very cheerful and satisfactory subjects -indeed. Señorito de Romero had promised to put a telegraph-office in -Vilamorta; and the newspapers were saying that, owing to the -increasing importance of the viticultural interests of the Border, a -branch railroad was needed for which the engineers were soon coming -to survey the ground. - - - THE END. - - - - - THE ANGLOMANIACS. - - _A Story of New York Society To-day._ - - By MRS. BURTON HARRISON. - - A Volume, 12mo, on Extra Fine Laid Paper, Dainty Binding, $1.00. - Also in "Cassell's Sunshine Series," paper, 50c. - - -This is the story that has attracted such wide attention while -running through the _Century Magazine_. There has been no such -picture of New York social life painted within the memory of the -present generation. The satire is as keen as a rapier point, while -the story itself has its marked pathetic side. Never has the subject -of Anglomania been so cleverly treated as in these pages, and it is -not to be wondered at that society is deeply agitated as to the -authorship of a story which touches it in its most vulnerable part. - - "This delicious satire from the pungent pen of an - anonymous writer must be read to be appreciated. From the - introduction on board the Etruria to the final, when the - heroine waves adieu to her English Lord, it is life, real, - true American life, and we blush at the truth of the picture. - There is no line not replete with scathing sarcasm, no - character which we have not seen and known.... Read this book - and see human nature; ponder upon what is there written, and - while it may not make you wise, it certainly will make you - think upon what is a great and growing social - evil."--_Norristown Daily Herald._ - - "The heroine is the daughter of an honest money-making - old father and an ignorant but ambitious mother, whose money - has enabled the mother and daughter to make their way into - the circle of the 'Four Hundred.'"--_N. Y. Herald._ - - - - - CASSELL PUBLISHING COMPANY, - 104 & 106 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK. - - - - - _LORD HOUGHTON'S - LIFE AND LETTERS._ - - - THE LIFE, LETTERS, AND FRIENDSHIPS OF RICHARD MONCKTON - MILNES, FIRST LORD HOUGHTON. BY T. WEMYSS REID. INTRODUCTION - BY RICHARD HENRY STODDARD. - - In two vols., with portraits. Price, $5.00. - - -"A perfect storehouse of interesting things, grave and gay, -political, philosophical, literary, social, witty."--_London Times._ - -"The book of the season, and an enduring literary -masterpiece."--_The Star_, London. - -"In this biography, not his acquaintances only, but his friends, -are counted by hundreds, and they are found in every country."--_The -Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, in The Speaker._ - -"A charming book, on almost every page of which there is -something to arrest the attention of the intelligent reader."--_The -Western Daily Press._ - -"These charming volumes are more interesting than most novels, -and fuller of good stories than any jest-book. Every page is full of -meat--sweetbread be it understood, and not meat from the -joint."--_The Spectator_, London. - -"We can only strongly recommend the reader to get the 'Life and -Letters' as soon as he can, and he will thank Mr. Wemyss Reid for -having furnished him with the means of passing as many agreeable -evenings as it will take him to read through the book."--_The New -York Herald._ - - * * * * * - - CASSELL PUBLISHING COMPANY, - 104 & 106 Fourth Avenue, New York. - - - - - Transcriber Notes: - -Passages in italics were indicated by _underscores_. - -Small caps were replaced with ALL CAPS. - -Throughout the document, the oe ligature was replaced with "oe". - -Throughout the dialogues, there were words used to mimic accents -of the speakers. Those words were retained as-is. Possible -misspellings in dialogues are not corrected if there is a chance that -the misspellings were deliberate. - -Errors in punctuations and inconsistent hyphenation were not -corrected unless otherwise noted. - -On page 22, "aquiring" was replaced with "acquiring". - -On page 23, "induge" was replaced with "indulge". - -On page 72, "recived" was replaced with "received". - -On page 84, "decribed" was replaced with "described". - -On page 99, "Dona" was replaced with "Doña". - -On page 106, "countrary" was replaced with "contrary". - -On page 121, "Nunez" was replaced with "Nuñez". - -On page 127, "outbrust" was replaced with "outburst". - -On page 129, "volputuous" was replaced with "voluptuous". - -On page 130, "Gesticulatng" was replaced with "Gesticulating". - -On page 169, "Vila morta" was replaced with "Vilamorta". - -On page 181, "aproaching" was replaced with "approaching". - -On page 187, "tolerate him" was replaced with "to tolerate him". - -On page 193, "expreses" was replaced with "expresses". - -On page 200, an extra single quotation mark was deleted. - -On page 238, "consiousness" was replaced with "consciousness". - -On page 240, "thought ful" was replaced with "thoughtful". - -On page 277, "passsages" was replaced with "passages". - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Swan of Vilamorta, by Emilia Pardo Bazán - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SWAN OF VILAMORTA *** - -***** This file should be named 54105-0.txt or 54105-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/1/0/54105/ - -Produced by Josep Cols Canals, Ernest Schaal, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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