Don Calixto's girls, looked more at
Amparito than at his intended, and Alzugaray listened smilingly to the
young person's sallies.

Toward the middle of the meal the conversation grew brisker; the judge
recounted, with much art, a mysterious crime that had occurred in a town
in Andalusia among farming people, and he succeeded in keeping them all
hanging to his lips.

At the end of the recital, the conversation became general; the younger
element talked together, and Caesar made comments about what the judge
had told them, and defended the most immoral and absurd conclusions, as
though they were Conservative ideas.

Caesar's observations were discussed by the men, and the judge and Don
Calixto agreed that Caesar was a man of real talent, who would play a
great role in Congress.

"Please give me a little wine," said Amparito, holding her glass to
Alzugaray; "your friend pays no attention to me; I have asked him for
some wine twice, and nothing doing."

Caesar acted as if he hadn't heard and kept on talking.

Amparito took the glass, wet her lips in it, and looked at Alzugaray
maliciously.

After eating and having coffee, as the two married ladies and the girls
were inert from so long a meal, they arose, and Alzugaray, the mayor's
son, and Amparito's father followed them. Don Calixto, the judge, and
Caesar remained at table. The priest had gone to sleep.

A bottle of chartreuse was brought, and they started in drinking and
smoking.

Caesar's throat grew dry and he became nauseated from drinking, smoking,
and talking.

At five the judge took his leave, because he had to glance in at court;
Don Calixto wanted to take his nap, and after he had escorted Caesar to
the garden, he went away. The two married ladies were alone, because
the young people had gone with Amparito's father on an excursion to the
Devil's Threshold, a defile where the river flows between some red
precipitous rocks full of clefts.

Caesar joined the two ladies, and kept up a monotonous, dreary
conversation about the ways of the great city.

At twilight all the excursionists came back from their jaunt. One of the
young ladies played something very noisy on the piano, and the judge's
daughter was besought to recite one of Campoamor's poems.

"It is a very pretty thing," said the judge's wife, "a girl who laments
because her lover abandons her."

"Given the customs of Spain, as they are, the girl would be in a house
of prostitution," said Ca