ime of being bashful.

The nucleus of the _tertulia_ was formed by a dozen young girls eager to
see Miguel's gifts; and he, by refusing to accede to this desire, which
he could scarcely understand, gave them an hour of real torture. At last
Dona Rosalia called him aside and assured him that it would be the
proper thing for him to exhibit them.

The young man was persuaded to do this, and he dragged into the middle
of the room his trunk and a grip-sack in which he had brought some
jewels. He pulled out the two solitary dresses which he had brought for
his bride: the one she was to wear during the ceremony; the other was
her travelling-dress. Both aroused great admiration by their softness
and elegance; the same with the set of diamonds and pearls. The village
maidens could not handle and praise these trinkets enough, and they
showed by the extravagance of their exclamations that they regarded the
possession of such things as the greatest joy in the world.

Maximina, standing behind, with her eyes wide open, looked on with more
astonishment than curiosity; her young friends from time to time cast on
her vivacious and questioning glances, to which she answered with a
slight and unnatural smile, without losing the frightened expression
from her face; this was even increased when she saw lifted out of the
trunk her wedding-dress made of white silk trimmed with orange flowers.
A deep color spread over her face, and neither the flush nor her
trepidation departed from her during the evening.

They spent the time in gayly singing and dancing to the music of the
guitar. Don Valentin--oh, unheard of gallantry!--danced a _zorcio_ with
a handsome maiden, who, by her persuasive eloquence succeeded in warming
up his heels; but he had to give it up suddenly in disgust, owing to an
excruciating attack of the gout which paralyzed his right foot. His
sweet spouse consoled him by saying:--

"Fine employment that is for you!... Simply to show off!"

Miguel danced the _giraldilla_, constantly taking Maximina for his
partner. When they became tired, they would go and sit down together in
some corner of the room and exchange few words, but numberless glances.
The brigadier's son, seeing that his lady-love was suffocating, took a
fan and began to fan her; but Maximina, noticing that they were watched
and that some smiled, stopped him, gently saying:--

"I don't need to be fanned, thank you very much. You are much more
heated than I...."