English and mentioned no names. When told, her small face
beamed, and she kissed Christine's hand joyfully and bounded away.
Christine took out her beautiful handkerchief and wiped the spot.

"Christine," I said, "do you remember the fate of the proud girl who
walked upon bread?"

"You think that I may starve for kisses some time?" said my friend,
going on with the wiping.

"Not while I am alive," called out Edward from behind. His style of
courtship _was_ of the sledge-hammer sort sometimes. But he did not get
much for it on that day; only lofty tolerance, which seemed to amuse him
greatly.

Edward played with Felipa very much as if she was a rubber toy or a
trapeze performer. He held her out at arm's length in mid-air, he poised
her on his shoulder, he tossed her up into the low myrtle trees, and
dangled her by her little belt over the claret-colored pools on the
barren; but he could not frighten her: she only laughed and grew wilder
and wilder, like a squirrel. "She has muscles and nerves of steel," he
said admiringly.

"Do put her down: she is too excitable for such games," I said in
French, for Felipa seemed to divine our English now. "See the color she
has."

For there was a trail of dark red over the child's thin oval cheeks
which made her look strangely unlike herself. As she caught our eyes
fixed upon her she suddenly stopped her climbing and came and sat at
Christine's feet. "Some day I shall wear robes like the senora's," she
said, passing her hand over the soft fabric; "and I think," she added
after some slow consideration, "that my face will be like the senora's
too."

Edward burst out laughing. The little creature stopped abruptly and
scanned his face.

"Do not tease her," I said.

Quick as a flash she veered around upon me. "He does not tease me," she
said angrily in Spanish; "and, besides, what if he does? I like it." She
looked at me with gleaming eyes and stamped her foot.

"What a little tempest!" said Christine.

Then Edward, man-like, began to explain. "You could not look much like
this lady, Felipa," he said, "because you are so dark, you know."

"Am I dark?"

"Very dark; but many people are dark, of course; and for my part I
always liked dark eyes," said this mendacious person.

"Do you like my eyes?" asked Felipa anxiously.

"Indeed I do: they are like the eyes of a dear little calf I once owned
when I was a boy."

The child was satisfied, and went back to her place beside C