it met several of the ladies we had seen on Sunday, after poor Maraquita
had taken the veil. Were very kindly received, and warmly greeted by the
sunny smile and speaking eyes of Senora Margarita. The ladies danced
with much grace, and entered into the spirit of the thing as if they
enjoyed it. They were in different costumes, and saw here the only
graceful exhibition of the _Jaceto_ and _Sciar_. Many of them had no
covering to their beautiful little feet, excepting that magical slipper
named before, which they managed to admiration, never allowing it to
lose its position, or to touch the floor at any other part but the toe,
to which it adhered with singular tenacity, through the most difficult
steps of the whirling waltz or puzzling polka.

The lovely daughter of the Don--Margarita, however, was dressed in the
latest Parisian fashion, and looked like an--angel, I was going to
write, but the recollection of that "lurking devil" in her eye stayed
the perjury of my pen. She looked a real bona fide woman, and a specimen
of the race I shall be well enough satisfied with, until I am assured
beyond a doubt that angels _are_ feminine, of which there is no proof in
either sacred or profane history (all the illustrations I have ever seen
proving the contrary)--and I can get as close to them as I was to Senora
Margarita.

_February 22d._--Birthday of the immortal Washington. The day appointed
for sailing was fast approaching, and had to make all speed to get
through various engagements in Manilla. Having been informed that an
opera would be performed on our last evening, and opera being a special
delight, went ashore for the purpose of attending, but on arriving at
the theatre found the opera had been postponed on account of the _primo
tenore_ being afflicted with "boils." Had often known _broils_ to have
been the cause of disappointment to the lovers of "Ernani" and other
rapturous representative music, but here the _artiste_ had gotten hot
blood into him, instead of getting into hot water; and thinking of the
patient man of Uz, I sympathized with him; for, _par parenthese_, these
eruptions of the skin are exceedingly sore in this climate, as you may
find out if you but come to the East Indies and eat mangoes.

A comedy had been substituted, called El lindo Diego, the part of which
we saw was well performed. A disagreeable feature, however, was in the
position of the prompter, who was placed in the centre of the
footlights, an