Part 55 (2/2)
Caesar acted as if he hadn't heard and kept on talking.
Amparito took the gla.s.s, wet her lips in it, and looked at Alzugaray maliciously.
After eating and having coffee, as the two married ladies and the girls were inert from so long a meal, they arose, and Alzugaray, the mayor's son, and Amparito's father followed them. Don Calixto, the judge, and Caesar remained at table. The priest had gone to sleep.
A bottle of chartreuse was brought, and they started in drinking and smoking.
Caesar's throat grew dry and he became nauseated from drinking, smoking, and talking.
At five the judge took his leave, because he had to glance in at court; Don Calixto wanted to take his nap, and after he had escorted Caesar to the garden, he went away. The two married ladies were alone, because the young people had gone with Amparito's father on an excursion to the Devil's Threshold, a defile where the river flows between some red precipitous rocks full of clefts.
Caesar joined the two ladies, and kept up a monotonous, dreary conversation about the ways of the great city.
At twilight all the excursionists came back from their jaunt. One of the young ladies played something very noisy on the piano, and the judge's daughter was besought to recite one of Campoamor's poems.
”It is a very pretty thing,” said the judge's wife, ”a girl who laments because her lover abandons her.”
”Given the customs of Spain, as they are, the girl would be in a house of prost.i.tution,” said Caesar in a low tone, ironically.
”Shut up,” replied Alzugaray.
The girl recited the poem, and Caesar asked Alzugaray sarcastically if those verses were by the girl's father, because they sounded to him like the verses of a notary or a judge of the Court of First Instance.
Then somebody suggested that they should have supper there.
Caesar noticed that this plan did not appeal to the mistress of the house, and he said:
”One should be moderate in all things. I am going home to bed.”
After this somewhat pedantic phrase, which to Don Calixto seemed a pearl, Caesar took leave of his new acquaintances with a great deal of ceremony and coolness. Alzugaray said he would remain a while longer.
When Caesar was bowing to Amparito, she asked him jokingly:
”Is it your wife that keeps you in such good habits?”
”My wife!” exclaimed Caesar, surprised.
”Didn't your friend say...”
”Ah! Yes, it is she who makes me have such good habits.”
This said, he left the drawing-room and went quickly down the stairs.
The cool night air made him s.h.i.+ver, and he went with a heavy, aching head to his hotel, and got to bed. He slept very profoundly, but not for more than an hour, and woke up sweaty and thirsty. His headache was gone. It was not yet past eleven. He lighted the light, and sitting up in bed, set to thinking over the probabilities of success in his undertaking.
Meanwhile he stared at the red chrysanthemum which was in the b.u.t.ton-hole of his coat, and remembered Amparito.
”That child is a prodigy of coquetry and bad bringing-up,” he thought with vexation; ”these emanc.i.p.ated small town young ladies are more unattractive than any others. I prefer Don Calixto's daughter, who at least is naively and un.o.bjectionably stupid. But this other one is unsupportable.”
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