Losilla that she wore
patches."

"As Heaven is my witness, how that chronicler who reported such thing
would lie! El Rivera has said it and stands ready to support his
statement in the lists that La Losilla has lovely patches on her face,
and that they are of such and such a kind, and applied in such skilful
sort that the most ingenious artificer could not have placed them with
more neatness."

"Let us drop fables; the main thing now is that I do not wish you to
approach me under this appearance of a _blase_ ladykiller! Do you hear?
The people will be thinking that you are making love to me."

"Very well; I will not make love to you: what do you want me to do,
then?"

Filomena cast another look of feigned anger at him.

"How graceful! Do you know, Senor de Rivera, that in spite of your
audacity, I imagine that you are a person who has not yet got all your
wisdom teeth?"

Miguel smiled without replying.

Maximina, who was sitting directly opposite, kept directing timid
glances toward them.

Meanwhile, Julia, who had very quickly noticed the persistent attention
which her sister-in-law was receiving from Saavedra, and the eagerness
that he showed in talking with her, began to grow nervous and irritable,
so that her annoyance showed in her face. She endeavored vainly, by a
rather inopportune gesture, to bring him back to her side. Finding
herself defeated and humiliated, blind with jealousy and anxious to have
revenge on Saavedra, she began to flirt with Utrilla. O fortunate cadet!
and who could have predicted that in one instant thou wouldst be enabled
to pass from those unendurable torments to the summit of all bliss and
felicity? For as soon as Julita and he drew near each other, it was as
though the poles of positive and negative electricity were brought into
contact: the flash of love was visible to everybody.

Julita smiled, blushed, prattled, gave him her fan and her gloves, and
the flowers from her bosom, and devoured him with her eyes; but this did
not prevent her from now and then looking surreptitiously at her cousin
and sister-in-law and casting angry glances at them.

Maximina was endeavoring with all the power of her soul to divine what
her husband was saying to Filomena: the affected gravity with which they
both spoke did not help to calm her; she knew from experience that
Miguel was apt to put on a serious face when he was going to say to that
young lady any piece of impudence that came into h