giving him most terrible denunciations. The
countess asked for sugar and water, and with that anointed the breast;
then the child, won by this most delicate attention, no longer hesitated
to yield to the desires of all the senoras, and began to suckle with
little haste--like an apprentice, in fact--in the operation.

"Just see what a cunning little rascal he is!"

"_Ave Maria!_ it seems incredible that it can have such a temper!"

"Such a thing as that you never saw in your life before, woman!"

"He is a perfect little villain!"

After this performance, the baby proposed to do all in his power to
confirm this favorable opinion that had been formed of his genius. In
fact he opened his right eye just the least wee bit, and immediately
shut it again, to the great astonishment and delight of all present;
then accidentally getting his own hand into his mouth, he began to suck
at it with all his might. Not satisfied with this gallant exhibition of
his talents, he proved it still more completely when Placida put her
finger into his mouth; in an instant he was furiously sucking at that
also; but quickly becoming aware of the deception practised upon him, he
became furiously angry, and gave it to be understood, with sufficient
clearness, that whenever there was any attempt to lower his dignity,
they would see him always protest in the same or similar fashion.

When he was put back into bed again, he fell asleep in a moment, and
"slept like a bishop" (that was Juana's simile), while his mother from
time to time lifted the coverlid to look at him, with not only
tenderness, but also childish curiosity. Miguel having rather carelessly
leaned on the bed, she thought that he was going to hurt the child.

"Look out! look out!" she cried in choleric tone.

And she gave him such an indignant look that the young man was amazed,
since it was beyond the power of his imagination to conceive those sweet
eyes having such an expression.

Instead of being grieved, he began to laugh like a madman. Maximina was
mortified, but smiled, and her innocent face regained the expression of
lovely calm so peculiar to it.

Unfortunately, her calm was quickly disturbed in a most unexpected way.
It happened that after the "bishop" had waked up, the feminine council
conceived certain suspicions that his illustrious highness needed some
attention, and an ocular inspection was forthwith ordered. The countess
found that it was even as they had thought.