rive
with me several evenings. 'Come now,' I said to myself, 'if she does
not get pneumonia, she may at least catch a bit of a fever, and as she
is feeble...." Do you understand?"

"Perfectly! and did she?"

"Hush, man, hush! The one who caught a catarrh, and had to stay in the
house four days was ... myself. I haven't got over my cough yet!"

All this time they were walking along the Calle de Peligros, and they
saw coming toward them a young woman not at all bad-looking, since she
had bright, rosy complexion and red lips; her dress was attractive and
rather scanty. As she passed she smiled upon Uncle Manolo, giving him a
very expressive salute.

"Who is that girl?" asked Miguel.

"Don't you know her? She is Josefina Garcia, one of the ballet at Los
Bufos."

And after they had walked a few steps farther, he added, with some
perturbation:--

"See here, Miguel, if you will excuse me, I will leave you.... At five
we will meet at La Cerveceria[34], if you say so."

"All right, uncle, all right," he added, without being able to hide a
smile; "go where you please. We'll meet again."

And they took leave of each other, shaking hands.

XV.

How much anxiety, how much misery it caused Maximina to make ready for
their 'fiesta'! Her slow and painstaking character ill accorded with
Miguel's marvellously quick and lively bent. Hence it came about that in
arranging the details of the affair little differences of opinion sprang
up between the two.

Miguel, not taking into account that it was the first time that she had
ever found herself engaged in such a rout, demanded impossibilities of
her.

The poor child, seeing his annoyance, made incredible efforts to have
everything right, not because the result made much difference to her,
but because she feared worse than death any blame from her husband.

Miguel, not noticing it, and being carried away by his impatience, did
not spare his criticisms on every occasion, harassing and mortifying her
beyond measure; only when, after some remark made in a harsh tone, he
saw the tears gathering in her eyes, would he perceive how unjust and
cruel he had been, and going to her he would cover her with kisses, and
beg her pardon.

Maximina would instantly become happy, and drying her eyes, would say
with touching innocence:--

"I will do what I can to satisfy you. You will not scold me any more,
will you?"

At last the preparations were all completed. A few new article