Filomena looked at Maximina, and she, not having the strength to refuse or to make an excuse, made an ambiguous gesture, which the countess"
daughter interpreted as an acceptance.
"Very good; at eight sharp we will call for her. You can come to our box, also, if you like; or, perhaps you may like to improve the opportunity for a little dissipation."
"Filomena! for shame!"
"Yes, yes; how virtuous you are! Any one who trusts in you must be fresh!"
And jumping up, she began to play with the paper-cutter, the paper-weight, and all the objects that lay on the table, among others a box of cigars.
"To see what cigars you smoke!... Man! what little bits of ones! what cunning ones! Are they mild?"
"Rather."
"Come now, I should like to try "em."
And without any hesitation she took a "puro," and bit off the end.
Miguel laughed, and handed her a lighted match.
"I have a very clear head," she replied, giving a bold stare at Maximina.
But after four puffs she threw away the cigar, saying:--
"Horrors! What detestable cigars you smoke! They taste as if they were from Cordova!"
"You little hypocrite! It makes you squeamish!"
Filomena shrugged her shoulders, and began to run over the books in his library, naming them aloud:--
"_Works of Moliere_ ... _Descartes_; _Discourse concerning Method...._ Method of what?... _Gil Blas de Santillana!_ Ouf! how dull that book is!
I could not get half through it. Haven"t you any of Octave Fueillet"s novels? No? Then you show very poor taste.... _Plato: Dialogues._ _Goethe: Faust._ I should like to take this book, Miguel, because I only know the opera, and I am very much interested in the argument....
_Stuart Mill: Logic...._ _Saint Thomas: Theodicea._ _Lope de Vega: Comedias...._ _Balzac: Physiology of Marriage...._ I have read that book; it has some very delicate and true observations.... Haven"t you read it, Maximina?"
Maximina was dumfounded.
"That is one of the books that Miguel has forbidden me to read."
Filomena fixed her eyes on him, and smiled in a peculiar way, as though to say, "I understand you."
Then suddenly, with the vivacity and ease which marked all her movements, she left the bookcase, opened the parlor door, and went in.
Maximina and Miguel followed her. She sat down at the piano and began to give a powerful rendering of a polka. Before she had played it through she jumped up, and went to the _entredos_, where there were two great pots of flowers, and buried her face in them again and again, breathing in the fragrance with ecstacy.
"Oh, what lovely flowers! Did you buy them?"
"No; my sister-in-law Julia sent them to me."
"I am going to give you a slip," said Miguel.
"No; it is a shame to mutilate a growing plant."
"It won"t mutilate it. I am going to make you a little bouquet.
Maximina, bring me some thread and a pair of scissors."
The young wife went for what he wanted, and handed them to him gravely, without saying a word. Then she went and sat down on the sofa, and from there watched the arrangement of the bouquet.
While this was proceeding, Miguel and Filomena kept up a constant warfare of repartees, in which the young lady showed sovereign freedom, and he very little respect for her.
Maximina listened to what they said, perhaps without understanding a word; but the expression of her sweet eyes kept growing more and more grave and thoughtful.
Finally Miguel handed the young lady the bouquet, with a gallant smile.
She accepted it with a smile of thanks.
"For this gallant action I forgive you for all the saucy things that you have said to me. _Caramba!_ it is already eleven o"clock!" said she, consulting the clock that stood in front of the mirror, "and mamma told me to make haste! _Adios_, Miguel! see you later, Maximina!"
And she flew from the room like a rocket, and opened and shut the outer door herself. The keen and somewhat mocking glance which she gave Maximina as she went out showed that she had an inkling of what was pa.s.sing through her mind at that moment.
The young wife started to rise; but when she saw how swiftly Filomena was taking her departure, she sat down again, and remained there with her arms by her side, her head bent over, and her eyes on the floor.
Miguel was looking at her out of the corner of his eyes, and understanding perfectly what that att.i.tude signified: he hesitated for several minutes before he threw his arm around her.
"What is the matter?" he asked, drawing nearer and sitting down by her side.
"Nothing," she replied, lightly lifting upon him her sweet eyes dimmed with tears.
"Oh, what a little goose! Jealous of that impudent creature!"
"No, no! I am not jealous," rejoined the girl, forcing herself to smile.
"Only I somehow felt a pain without knowing why.... I was so happy till a moment ago!"
"And you are now just the same as you were, sweetheart!" he said, embracing her. "Isn"t it true that you are?... Tell me yes!... A few jokes with that shameless girl--are they sufficient to destroy all your happiness? That isn"t common sense...."
It needed a few more words to banish his wife"s painful impression; and then, wiping her eyes, she exclaimed with a trembling voice torn from her very heart:--
"If you knew, Miguel, how I loved you!"
After their reconciliation they went out of the parlor with their arms about each other.
XII.
Julita often visited her brother and sister, but her presence was not as pleasant for them as it used to be. The young girl"s character had notably changed during the last few weeks; she rarely gave way to that hearty and contagious laugh which used to fascinate all who heard it; nor did her conversation any longer sparkle with the piquante and ready wit which formerly entranced every one. She had grown more reserved and thoughtful; the smile that from time to time hovered over her lips was melancholy; she had become irritable and peevish; in the course of a few days she had three quarrels with her brother on the most trifling subjects: such a thing in days gone by had rarely happened.
"What a pity, Julita!" exclaimed Miguel at the close of one of them.
"You are following in mamma"s footsteps."
Her physical appearance had also undergone some change, and not for the better; the roses of her cheeks had paled a little; there were blue circles under her eyes; and though this made them more l.u.s.trous, it took away in large measure that sweet and picturesque expression that was characteristic of them.