in public! And what went on in private, when
that Tonet went to her house on the pretext of playing with the baby,
and found her alone?

The two processions had now joined and were going back toward the
church. The jealous, infuriated woman continued, in a half-audible
voice, to hurl her insulting tirade over those broad, exuberant
shoulders in front of her--a splendid pedestal for a beautiful head with
luxuriant hair. Dolores turned around with a smirk of biting ridicule on
her face. Beg pardon! Had all that been for her? When would that dirty
scullion stop annoying a lady? Couldn't a person look at a parade
without being insulted? And a glitter of gold sparkled with a wicked
gleam in the pupils of her sea-green eyes.

Yes, came the reply. It had all been for her, every word! An immoral,
impudent wench, who was always eyeing other women's husbands! Dolores
laughed contemptuously. Thanks! Rosario could keep her husband, for all
she cared. What a jewel he was, besides! She had her own man and that
was enough for her. Tonet might do for other women, if they were fool
enough to take him on. But for the thief there's nobody in the world but
thieves! No, madam, her job in life was not stealing husbands, but
slapping the faces of lying gossips who talked too much!

"_Mare, Mare!_" screamed Pascualet, clinging to the skirts of his
beautiful mother, who, her dark skin pale as death, had drawn herself
up to her full height preparing to throw herself upon her enemy.
Rosario, meanwhile, was struggling to shake off a number of women who
were holding her pinioned by her weak, flaccid arms.

"What's going on here? At it again, eh?" It was the harsh, scolding
voice of _tia_ Picores, who had interposed her towering form between the
combatants. She would settle the row! She knew how to handle those
hot-heads. "You, Dolores, home with you! And you, you groveling, lying
slanderer, get out of my sight and hearing." And with a shove and a
threat, first in one direction and then the other, she put them both to
rout.

Lord, Lord, what people! And on Good Friday! On Good Friday! And right
in front of Mary and Jesus! God might forgive them, but she wouldn't!
The thousandth time! And that's the way they bring up girls nowadays.
And when the stern old woman saw that the younger ones were still
shouting insults at each other from a distance, she went at them again,
shaking her fists and calling them names, till they were dragged away by
thei