me made his lips tremble and his heart beat more
rapidly. But no one as yet was in sight on the wooden balcony where so
many times he had reclined, watching the arrival and departure of the
ships. His eager face betrayed the thoughts that possessed him. Ursula
smiled as her sharp eyes watched him covertly.

He leaped on shore, dismissed the boat-woman, mounted the uneven stone
stairway, and made his way through the single, crooked street of the
village. As he reached the little square, he saw on the balcony of his
sweetheart's house a figure which quickly disappeared. The young man
smiled with joy, and with a rapid step made his way through the doorway.
Without looking in at the tobacconist's shop he rapped on the door with
his knuckles.

"Who is it?" cried a sweet, mellow voice within, which echoed in his
heart like heavenly music.

"It is Miguel."

The latch was raised; he pushed the door open and saw Maximina herself,
with a candle in her hand, on the first landing of the stairway.

She wore a dress of black and white plaid, and her hair was in a braid
as usual. She was a little paler than ordinary, and around her soft blue
eyes delicate circles were traced, showing the effect of her recent
anxieties. She smiled and blushed at sight of Miguel, who in two bounds
cleared the distance between them, and clasping her in his arms,
imprinted a reasonable score of kisses on her face in spite of the
girl's protestations and endeavors to tear herself away.

"I am looking at you!" said a voice from overhead.

It was Dona Rosalia. In spite of the jocose tone in which she spoke,
Maximina was so startled that she let the candle fall, and they were
left in perfect darkness, until Dona Rosalia, choking with laughter,
came with a lamp; but her niece had disappeared.

"Did you ever see a girl like her? She is going to be married to-morrow,
and yet she is as bashful as though she had known you only since
yesterday.... Most likely she has locked herself up in her room.... It
will make you some trouble to get her out now!"

Miguel went up to her room and called gently at the door.

There was no answer.

"Maximina," he said, with difficulty restraining his laughter.

"I don't want to! I don't want to!" replied the girl, with amusing
desperation.

"But what is it that you do not want to do?"

"I don't want to come out!"

"Ah! you don't want to come out?... Then see here; the cure is not going
to marry us with so much woo