FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47  
48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   >>   >|  
eing blotted out on the edge of the horizon. Before going into the house they went to the Swiss restaurant[7] to drink chocolate. While they were there, Rivera saw for a single instant the cadet's face pressed against the window-pane. "Julita, won't you let me go out and ask that boy to take chocolate with us?" "I don't wish you to! I don't wish you to!" exclaimed the young lady, in an almost frantic tone. There was nothing left for it but lo let her have her own way and torture the unhappy son of Mars. "Maximina, I suppose that you don't know," said the cruel little Madrilena, as they were going into the house, "what we call such lads as the one who followed us to the door!" "No; what?" "_Encerradores._"[8] And laughing, she ran up stairs. Dinner passed in social and friendly converse. _La brigadiera_ was beaming that day, as Miguel used to say; she talked a great deal for her, and went so far as to relate in her pleasant Seville accent a number of anecdotes about people of note in Madrid. But when they came to dessert, Maximina began to feel somewhat uneasy, because it had been agreed among them all that they should stay at home that evening, and go to bed betimes, for they were all tired, especially _la brigadiera_ and Julita, who had arisen so early that morning. The problem of getting up from the table and retiring appeared terribly formidable to the young girl of Pasajes. Fortunately, _la brigadiera_ and Julita were both in good humor; dessert was taken leisurely, and no one beside herself noticed it. As the moments passed, her embarrassment increased, and she felt a strange trembling come over her, preventing her, in spite of herself, from taking part in the conversation. And, indeed, just as she feared, the moment came when the conversation began to languish. Miguel, in order to hide the small modicum of embarrassment which he also felt, did his best to set it going again, and his success was remarkable for a quarter of an hour. But the end inevitably came at last. _La brigadiera_ yawned two or three times; Julita looked at the clock, and saw that it was half-past nine. Maximina fixed her eyes on the table-cloth and played with her napkin-ring, while her husband, overcome by a decided feeling of awkwardness, made his chair squeak. At last Julita jumped up suddenly, hurried from the dining-room, and immediately returned with a small candlestick in her hand, quickly went to her sis
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47  
48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Julita
 
brigadiera
 
Maximina
 

embarrassment

 
Miguel
 

chocolate

 

dessert

 

passed

 
conversation
 

feared


taking

 
trembling
 

preventing

 

appeared

 

terribly

 

formidable

 

retiring

 

morning

 
problem
 

Pasajes


Fortunately

 

noticed

 

moments

 

increased

 
leisurely
 

strange

 
quarter
 

overcome

 

decided

 

feeling


awkwardness

 

husband

 
played
 

napkin

 

squeak

 

candlestick

 

returned

 

quickly

 

immediately

 

jumped


suddenly

 

hurried

 

dining

 

success

 

languish

 

modicum

 

remarkable

 

arisen

 

looked

 

inevitably