ow suddenly grown my wings! And I'm going to fly out
over this great green carpet, so sweet with its first perfumes! Don't
you feel as I do, Rafael?..."

Rafael, gravely, said he did. He, too, felt a seething in his blood, the
nip of life in every one of his pores! And his eyes ran over the bare
neck in front of him, a neck of such tempting smoothness, its white
beauty set off by the red kerchief; and over the violets resting on that
strong, robust bosom. The two orchard women exchanged a shrewd smile, a
meaningful wink, at sight of Rafael, and went on ahead of their
mistress, with the evident design of not disturbing the couple by their
presence; but Leonora caught the look on their faces.

"Yes, go right on," she said. "We'll take our time, but we'll be there
soon!"

And when they were out of hearing she resumed, pointing to the women
with her closed parasol:

"Did you see that? Didn't you notice their smiles and the winks they
exchanged when they saw you on the road?... Oh, Rafael! You are blind as
a bat! And no good is going to come of it! If I had any reputation to
lose, I'd be mighty careful with a friend like you! What do you suppose
they are thinking?"

And she laughed with a pout of condescension, as though for her part,
she did not care what people might be saying about her friendship with
Rafael.

"On the market-place all the huckstresses talk to me about you, with the
idea of flattering me. They assure me we'd make a wonderful couple. My
kitchen woman seizes every opportunity to tell me how handsome you are.
You ought to thank her.... Even my aunt, my poor aunt, with one leg in
the grave, drew it out the other day to say to me: 'Do you notice that
Rafael visits us quite frequently? Do you think he wants to marry you?'
Marry, you see! Ha, ha, ha! Marry! That's all poor auntie can see in the
world for a woman!"

And she went on gaily chattering like a wild bird escaped from a cage
and happy at its liberty, though her frank, mocking laughter was in
strange contrast with the expression of sinister determination on
Rafael's face.

"But how glum and queer you look today! Are you ill?... What's the
matter?"

Rafael took advantage of this opening. Ill, yes! Sick with love! He knew
the whole place was gossiping about them. But it wasn't his fault. He
simply couldn't hide his feelings. If she only realized what that mute
adoration was costing him! He had tried to root the thought of her out
of his mind, b