rms of the upper part
of the lady's body settled into an easy position in the window frame.
She bowed her head of black hair done up in blue and red curlpapers,
and rolled her fine great stupid brown eyes. I merely waved my hat and
strode on. At the garden gate I met the mulatto boy Alcides, who was
just bringing the breakfast rolls in an open basket from the main house
of the institution, across the street. I stopped him and asked why he
was again carrying the bread in an open basket, instead of throwing a
napkin over it, as he was supposed to do.

"Forgot it," he replied with an unconcerned shrug; for one had to speak
to him more emphatically. I therefore selected from the Portuguese
vocabulary of abuse, which is as massive and opulent as that of any
Romance language whatever, a few juicy morsels, and swore that if this
carelessness happened again I would shut the fellow up in the dark
chamber and give him twenty-four hours to fix his duty in mind. He made
a grimace.

"You may thank God," I cried, "that I haven't any gloves on. If I
had, I would pound your face until you hadn't an eye or a tooth left in
the right place!"

He contemptuously showed his two porcelain rows of white teeth.

In anger I made for him--he turned round, and I drew back for a mighty
kick; but to my disgrace, the mishued curmudgeon knew how to frustrate
my effort; the heel of my boot came in all too slight touch with the
hostile posterior, I was hurled about by the momentum of my shot that
missed its mark, and suddenly stood facing in the opposite direction. I
had to laugh at myself. But Alcides made a quick move round the corner
of the house. Donna Leocadia, whose corpulence still filled the window,
called to me that I was always too good-natured; I ought not to have
let the rascal run away, but ought to have banged his head several
times against the wall. Then with an undulating lurch she got up and
stepped back from the window, to receive the fellow in her room; she
was not so squeamish as I, and she generally, moreover, had not washed
her hands.

In the most cheerful frame of mind I now walked along the streets,
which were still fairly cool with the freshness of the morning. I
bought a copy of the latest newspaper, seated myself in the cane chair
of a bootblack, got a shine, and read my paper. Then I entered a cafe
and in deliberate European comfort sipped a cup of coffee with cream,
and pitied the Brazilians, who hastily sat down at th