Miguel reached Pasajes late Friday afternoon. On alighting from the
train he found Ursula's boat moored to the shore.
"Good afternoon, Don Miguel," said the boat-woman, showing genuine joy
in her face, where the fires of alcohol were flaming more than ever
brilliantly; "I was beginning to think that I should not see you again."
"Indeed!"
"How should I know?... Men are so queer about getting married!.... But,
senorito, you can't imagine how glad everybody in the village was to
hear about it!.... Only a few jealous women would not believe it.... How
I will make 'em fume to-night! I'm going all around telling everybody
that I myself brought you over to Don Valentin's."
"Don't think of making any one fume," replied the young man, laughing;
"but bend to your oars a little more."
"Are you in a hurry to see Maximina?"
"Of course I am."
It was the twilight hour: the shadows clustering in the recesses of the
bay had already crept far up on the mountains. On the few vessels at
anchor the hands were busy loading and unloading their cargoes, and
their shouts and the creaking of windlasses were the only sounds that
disturbed the peacefulness of the place.
Directly in front a few lights began to appear in the houses. Miguel did
not take his eyes from one that gleamed faintly in the dwelling of the
ex-captain of the _Rapido_. He felt a pleasant and delicious desire
which from time to time made his lips tremble and his heart beat more
rapidly. But no one as yet was in sight on the wooden balcony where so
many times he had reclined, watching the arrival and departure of the
ships. His eager face betrayed the thoughts that possessed him. Ursula
smiled as her sharp eyes watched him covertly.
He leaped on shore, dismissed the boat-woman, mounted the uneven stone
stairway, and made his way through the single, crooked street of the
village. As he reached the little square, he saw on the balcony of his
sweetheart's house a figure which quickly disappeared. The young man
smiled with joy, and with a rapid step made his way through the doorway.
Without looking in at the tobacconist's shop he rapped on the door with
his knuckles.
"Who is it?" cried a sweet, mellow voice within, which echoed in his
heart like heavenly music.
"It is Miguel."
The latch was raised; he pushed the door open and saw Maximina herself,
with a candle in her hand, on the first landing of the stairway.
She wore a dress of black and white plaid, and her hair was in a braid
as usual. She was a little paler than ordinary, and around her soft blue
eyes delicate circles were traced, showing the effect of her recent
anxieties. She smiled and blushed at sight of Miguel, who in two bounds
cleared the distance between them, and clasping her in his arms,
imprinted a reasonable score of kisses on her face in spite of the
girl's protestations and endeavors to tear herself away.
"I am looking at you!" said a voice from overhead.
It was Dona Rosalia. In spite of the jocose tone in which she spoke,
Maximina was so startled that she let the candle fall, and they were
left in perfect darkness, until Dona Rosalia, choking with laughter,
came with a lamp; but her niece had disappeared.
"Did you ever see a girl like her? She is going to be married to-morrow,
and yet she is as bashful as though she had known you only since
yesterday.... Most likely she has locked herself up in her room.... It
will make you some trouble to get her out now!"
Miguel went up to her room and called gently at the door.
There was no answer.
"Maximina," he said, with difficulty restraining his laughter.
"I don't want to! I don't want to!" replied the girl, with amusing
desperation.
"But what is it that you do not want to do?"
"I don't want to come out!"
"Ah! you don't want to come out?... Then see here; the cure is not going
to marry us with so much wood separating us!..." A few minutes of
silence followed. Miguel put his mouth down to the key-hole, and said,
lowering his voice:--
"Why won't you open the door, _tonta_[1]?... Does it make you feel
bashful?"
"Yes," whispered the girl, on the other side.
"Don't be alarmed! Your aunt isn't here."
After some time, and by dint of many persuasive words, she made up her
mind to open the door. Even then she was blushing to her ears. Miguel
captured her hands, and said, with a gentle reproach in his voice:--
"Come now, little rogue, why didn't you wait for me on the balcony?...
Why, I looked for you there until I almost put my eyes out! But not a
sign of Maximina!"
"Yes, yes!"
"What does 'yes, yes' mean? Did you wait for me?"
"I have been on the balcony ever since dinner! I saw you get into the
boat; I saw you talking and laughing with Ursula; and I saw you jump on
shore, and then from the other balcony I saw you when you reached the
square...."
"That last I know you did.... But we shall see; when are you going to
dismount from your high horse? Are you going to treat me this way after
we are married?"
"Oh, no!"
They went down into the parlor, where they found Don Valentin, Adolfo,
and the girls, who warmly welcomed the young man. The welcome extended
him by the ex-captain was not unlike that of an uncommunicative whale;
but there was something about him that made it evident that he was
satisfied.
Dona Rosalia at that instant came in; and when she saw Maximina, she
could not refrain from laughing, whereupon the maiden dashed out of the
room with all haste, and flew up the stairs like a hurricane: but Miguel
succeeded in overtaking her before she reached her chamber. While he was
exhausting all his powers of persuasion to induce her to return with him
to the sitting-room, Dona Rosalia, vexed at her running away, called
from below:--
"Leave her, Don Miguel; leave that foolish little goose! I don't see how
any one can fall in love with her! ough! what a simpleton!"
Of course Maximina, at this new indignity, began to cry; but Miguel was
there to comfort her, and no one in the world could do so with greater
success.
After a little, the lovers came down again, and quite a little
_tertulia_ or reception, composed of neighbors who dropped in to
congratulate them, was held in the parlor. Dona Rosalia did not appear
for some time. She was unquestionably annoyed with her niece because of
her terrible crime 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...."
"Why do you address me so formally?[2] Is that the way we ought to do?"
"Well, then, _thou_ art more heated than I.... Fan thyself."
At ten o'clock all departed, taking leave of the lovers, with smiles
more or less malicious.
"Good night, Maximina; sleep well."--"Your last night of maidenhood,
dear! Beware! Your last night!" said one ancient matron, the mother of
at least eleven sons.
Maximina smiled, abashed.
"_Adios! adios!..._ How it will pain us to have you leave us!"
And a few of the young maidens kissed her again and again, with great
manifestations of love.
"Girl, don't you forget that this is your last night of maidenhood!
Ponder on it! It is a solemn thing!" said the matron once more.
Again Maximina smiled.
Then the old woman frowned, and whispered to the one who was standing
next her:--
"That child imagines that she is going on a pilgrimage! _Ay Dios!_ It is
evident that she has not a grain of feeling. Marriage is a very serious
affair ... very serious." And until she reached her own house she did
not cease discoursing long and learnedly on the seriousness of this tie.
Our lovers were left with Dona Rosalia and Don Valentin; the children
had already gone to bed,--the youngest, Adolfo, whom his mother had been
obliged to take to his room by main force and the promise to wake him on
the next day in time to be present at the ceremony. Don Valentin
likewise bade them good night and went to his room. Miguel and Maximina
sat down on two low chairs, and began to whisper, while Dona Rosalia,
still in bad humor, decided to knit until it should seem good to her to
put an end to the session, which should be within a very few minutes.
Miguel noticed that Maximina was absent-minded and somewhat nervous.
"What is the matter?... I can see by thy face that something troubles
thee.... Art thou not content to be my wife?"
"Oh, yes! There is nothing the matter."
"Then, why this absent-mindedness?"