"Well, then, just as you please."
During their walk Utrilla, with incredible geometrical skill, cut a
series of circles, ellipses, parabolas, and other incomprehensible and
erratic curves, the focus of which was constantly our friends. When they
went home, he took a straight line, so well reckoning the measure of his
powers that the outline of his silhouette all the way just came short of
being 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 sister-in-law and kissed her cheek, saying, "Good night."[9] And
she ran out of the room again, with a smile on her lips to hide the
embarrassment which she felt in common with the others.
"Well, young people," said _la brigadiera_ arising with emphasis, "let
us retire; we all feel the need of rest.... Isabel, make a light in the
guest chamber."
Maximina, blushing to her ears, and scarcely able to move, owing to her
timidity, went to kiss her. Miguel did the same; and though he felt a
genuine sense of awkwardness, he cloaked it under the smile of a man of
the world.