erless round-about expressions to avoid addressing them directly.

Miguel, in order to take a humorous revenge upon them for the annoyance
that they caused his wife, began in turn to speak to them with great
familiarity; and, though this for a moment surprised them, they took it
in perfectly good part. Not satisfied with this, he soon took occasion
to shake the white-mustachioed gentleman rudely by the arm, saying:--

"See here, old boy, don't sleep so much! Wouldn't you like a little
gin?"

Don Nazario--for that was his name--opened his eyes in sudden terror,
drained the cup that was offered him, and immediately fell into another
doze.

It was really time for them all to do the same. So Miguel drew the shade
of the lamp, and so "that the light might not trouble their eyes," he
also doubled around it a folded newspaper. Thus the car was made dark;
only the pale starlight gleamed in through the windows.

It was a clear, cold January night, such as are peculiar to the plains
of Castille. Each passenger got into the most comfortable position
possible, snuggling down into the corners. Rivera said to his wife:--

"Lean your head on my shoulder. I cannot sleep in the train."

The girl did as she was bidden, in spite of herself; she was afraid of
incommoding him.

All was quiet. Miguel managed to get hold of one of her hands, and
gently caressed it. After a while, leaning his head over and touching
his lips to his wife's brow, he whispered very softly:--

"Maximina, I adore you," and then he repeated the words with even more
emotion, "_Te adoro, te adoro!_"

The girl did not reply; but feigned to be asleep. Miguel asked with
persuasive voice:--

"Do you love me? Do you?"

The same immobility.

"Tell me! do you love me?"

Then Maximina, without opening her eyes, made a slight sign of assent,
and added:--

"I am very sleepy."

Miguel, perceiving the trembling of her hands, smiled, and said:--

"Then go to sleep, darling."

And now nothing was to be heard in the compartment, except Don Nazario's
snoring, in which he was a specialist. He usually began to snore in a
deliberate and solemn manner, in decided, full pulsations; gradually it
increased in energy, the periods became shorter and more energetic, and
at the same time a sort of guttural note was introduced, which was
scarcely perceptible at first; from the nostrils the voice descended
into the gullet, rising and falling alternately for a long time. But,