ggestion.

I grabbed the back of the nearest piece of furniture and the splendour of
marbles and mirrors, of cut crystals and carvings, swung before my eyes
in the golden mist of walls and draperies round an extremely conspicuous
pair of black stockings thrown over a music stool which remained
motionless. The silence was profound. It was like being in an enchanted
place. Suddenly a voice began to speak, clear, detached, infinitely
touching in its calm weariness.

"Haven't you tormented me enough to-day?" it said. . . . My head was
steady now but my heart began to beat violently. I listened to the end
without moving, "Can't you make up your mind to leave me alone for
to-night?" It pleaded with an accent of charitable scorn.

The penetrating quality of these tones which I had not heard for so many,
many days made my eyes run full of tears. I guessed easily that the
appeal was addressed to the atrocious Therese. The speaker was concealed
from me by the high back of the sofa, but her apprehension was perfectly
justified. For was it not I who had turned back Therese the pious, the
insatiable, coming downstairs in her nightgown to torment her sister some
more? Mere surprise at Dona Rita's presence in the house was enough to
paralyze me; but I was also overcome by an enormous sense of relief, by
the assurance of security for her and for myself. I didn't even ask
myself how she came there. It was enough for me that she was not in
Tolosa. I could have smiled at the thought that all I had to do now was
to hasten the departure of that abominable lunatic--for Tolosa: an easy
task, almost no task at all. Yes, I would have smiled, had not I felt
outraged by the presence of Senor Ortega under the same roof with Dona
Rita. The mere fact was repugnant to me, morally revolting; so that I
should have liked to rush at him and throw him out into the street. But
that was not to be done for various reasons. One of them was pity. I
was suddenly at peace with all mankind, with all nature. I felt as if I
couldn't hurt a fly. The intensity of my emotion sealed my lips. With a
fearful joy tugging at my heart I moved round the head of the couch
without a word.

In the wide fireplace on a pile of white ashes the logs had a deep
crimson glow; and turned towards them Dona Rita reclined on her side
enveloped in the skins of wild beasts like a charming and savage young
chieftain before a camp fire. She never even raised her eyes,