Early next morning Anselmo took his departure, but I was up in time
to say good-bye to the worthy spinner of interminable yarns leading to
nothing. I was, in fact, engaged in performing my morning ablutions in
a large wooden bucket under the willows when he placed himself in the
saddle; then, after carefully arranging the drapery of his picturesque
garments, he trotted gently away, the picture of a man with a tranquil
stomach and at peace with the whole world, even neighbour Gumesinda
included.
I had spent a somewhat restless night, strange to say, for my hospitable
hostess had provided me with a deliciously soft bed, a very unusual
luxury in the Banda Orientál, and when I plunged into it there were
no hungry bedfellows waiting my advent within its mysterious folds. I
thought about the pastoral simplicity of the lives and character of the
good people slumbering near me; and that inconsequent story of Anselmo's
about Manuel and Pascuala caused me to laugh several times. Finally my
thoughts, which had been roaming around in a wild, uncertain manner,
like rooks “blown about the windy skies,” settled quietly down to the
consideration of that beautiful anomaly, that mystery of mysteries, the
white-faced Margarita. For how, in the name of heredity, had she got
there? Whence that pearly skin and lithesome form; the proud, sweet
mouth, the nose that Phidias might have taken for a model; the clear,
spiritual, sapphire eyes, and the wealth of silky hair, that if unbound
would cover her as with a garment of surpassing beauty? With such a
problem vexing my curious brain, what sleep could a philosopher get?
When Batata saw me making preparations for departure, he warmly pressed
me to stay to breakfast. I consented at once, for, after all, the
more leisurely one does a thing the sooner will it be
accomplished--especially in the Banda Orientál. One breakfasts here
at noon, so that I had plenty of time to see, and renew my pleasure in
seeing, pretty Margarita.
In the course of the morning we had a visitor; a traveller who arrived
on a tired horse, and who slightly knew my host Batata, having, I was
told, called at the house on former occasions. Marcos Marcó was his
name; a tall, sallow-faced individual about fifty years old, slightly
grey, very dirty, and wearing threadbare gaucho garments. He had
a slouching gait and manner, and a patient, waiting, hungry animal
expression of face. Very, very keen were his eyes, and I detected him
several times watching me narrowly.
Leaving this Oriental tramp in conversation with Batata, who with
misplaced kindness had offered to provide him with a fresh horse, I went
out for a walk before breakfast. During my walk, which was along a tiny
stream at the foot of the hill on which the house stood, I found a
very lovely bell-shaped flower of a delicate rose-colour. I plucked it
carefully and took it back with me, thinking it just possible that I
might give it to Margarita should she happen to be in the way. On my
return to the house I found the traveller sitting by himself under the
corridor, engaged in mending some portion of his dilapidated horse-gear,
and sat down to have a chat with him. A clever bee will always be able
to extract honey enough to reward him from any flower, and so I did not
hesitate tackling this outwardly very unpromising subject.
“And so you are an Englishman,” he remarked, after we had had some
conversation; and I, of course, replied in the affirmative.
“What a strange thing!” he said. “And you are fond of gathering pretty
flowers?” he continued, with a glance at my treasure.
“All flowers are pretty,” I replied.
“But surely, señor, some are prettier than others. Perhaps you have
observed a particularly pretty one growing in these parts--the white
margarita?”
Margarita is the Oriental vernacular for verbena; the fragrant white
variety is quite common in the country; so that I was justified in
ignoring the fellow's rather impudent meaning. Assuming as wooden an
expression as I could, I replied, “Yes, I have often observed the flower
you speak of; it is fragrant, and to my mind surpasses in beauty the
scarlet and purple varieties. But you must know, my friend, that I am
a botanist--that is, a student of plants--and they are all equally
interesting to me.”
This astonished him; and, pleased with the interest he appeared to take
in the subject, I explained, in simple language, the principles on which
a classification of plants is founded, telling him about that _lingua
franca_ by means of which all the botanists in the world of all nations
are able to converse together about plants. From this somewhat dry
subject I launched into the more fascinating one of the physiology
of plants. “Now, look at this,” I continued, and with my penknife I
carefully dissected the flower in my hand, for it was evident that I
could not now give it to Margarita without exposing myself to remarks.
I then proceeded to explain to him the beautiful complex structure by
means of which this campanula fertilises itself.
He listened in wonder, exhausting all the Spanish and Oriental
equivalents of such expressions as “Dear me!” “How extraordinary!”
“Lawks a mussy!” “You don't say so!” I finished my lecture, satisfied
that my superior intellect had baffled the rude creature; then,
tossingaway the fragments of the flower I had sacrificed, I restored the
penknife to my pocket.
“These are matters we do not often hear about in the Banda Orientál,”
he said. “But the English know everything--even the secrets of a flower.
They are also able to do most things. Did you ever, sir botanist, take
part in acting a comedy?”
After all, I had wasted my flower and scientific knowledge on the animal
for nothing! “Yes, I have!” I replied rather angrily; then, suddenly
remembering Eyebrows' teaching, I added, “and in tragedy also.”
“Is that so?” he exclaimed. “How amused the spectators must have been!
Well, we can all have our fill of fighting presently, for I see the
_White Flower_ coming this way to tell us that breakfast is ready.
Batata's roast beef will give something for our knives to do; I only
wish we had one of his own floury namesakes to eat with it.”
I swallowed my resentment, and when Margarita came to us, looked up
into her matchless face with a smile, then rose to follow her into the
kitchen.