Part 3 (1/2)

[Ill.u.s.tration: ALCAZAR GARDENS, SEVILLE]

But her brother did not move. He only stood, scowling down at her. Then he continued to talk in that low, frightening voice.

”Do you know,” he said, ”that you have brought terrible misfortune upon us, Lira?”

Lira felt the hot tears begin to sting her eyes again. So he, too, was going to scold her for losing the castanets! But suddenly he took a step toward her and, thrusting his face close to hers, said, ”The Visigoths are coming to drive us away from our homes!”

Lira began to tremble. Those terrifying savages! She knew that they had been sweeping her country, destroying everything in their path. Now they were about to descend upon her home. And it was all her fault--hers! She sobbed and clung to her brother.

”Oh, why did I do it?” she cried. ”Why did I hide the castanets?”

Her brother put his hand under her chin and lifted her head so that their eyes met.

”Are you sorry, little sister?” he asked kindly.

Lira's answer was a pitiful wail.

”Will you ever tell another untruth?”

”No, no, never, as long as I live!”

”Will you remember the jingle about the castanets?”

”Yes, yes! Always and forever!”

”And will you work hard and learn to dance and carry on our mother's art?”

”Yes, yes! Oh, I will try so hard!”

”Then--look, sister!”

And to her amazement, Lira's brother held out the magic castanets. He had been watching when she hid them. And when she had gone into the cave, he had played a trick upon her by taking them away.

It was a trick that Lira never forgot--never, though she lived to be very old. All her life she treasured the magic castanets and never again did she lose sight of them.

But something else she did lose, and that was her round little figure.

Indeed, she became lovely and slender. She also became a famous dancer, and one day she taught her own children the dances of Spain.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SEVILLE]

CHAPTER IV

THE SOUVENIRS SPEAK

Pilar was on her way to Juan's shop on the Street of the Serpents. In her hand were those magic castanets. She was taking them to Juan. She was going to sell them.

She pa.s.sed the lovely Alcazar (al-ka'thar) Gardens, from which came the perfume of flowers and blossoms. She heard the soft voice of bells from the Giralda, a prayer tower which had belonged to an ancient Moorish mosque (m[)o]sk).