omewhat mocking tone in which
Don Alfonso spoke, felt a cold chill run down her back, and she dropped
her arms which she had raised to arrange her hair. She stood a moment or
two in suspense, and then turning her pale face toward him, she said
deliberately, in an unnatural voice:--

"It seems to me that I could not have heard such coarse and vile words
come from your mouth."

"Why do you call them vile, child? All that I did was to give you my
opinion without taking the trouble to consider whether it was good or
bad," replied the _caballero_ laughing.

"Hush! hush! Alfonso.... There are moments when my imagination is filled
with ideas so horrible that if they stayed long I am certain that I
should go mad and throw myself out of the window."

As she said this, she flung her hat on the toilet table and came and sat
down on the sofa, remaining with her head sunk low and her hands
crossed in meditative attitude. Great tears began to roll down her
cheeks.

"Crying?" asked the _caballero_, approaching her.

The girl raised her eyes gleaming with fury and looked at him.

"Crying! yes!" she said in an exasperated tone. "And why not? What do
you care for my tears? I wish to go home immediately! do you hear? I
wish to go now ... this very instant."

"Calm yourself, Julia."

"I do not wish to calm myself. Why am I here with you, I should like to
know? Do me the favor to take me home again. Though my mother should
kill me, I wish to go to her instantly, do you hear?"

Don Alfonso made no answer; he wisely allowed a few minutes to pass so
that she might recover a little. Then he said in a muffled and
melancholy voice:--

"Well then, if you are already tired of me I will take you back to
Madrid again.... I supposed that your love was a little more
substantial.... I made a mistake. Patience.... My conscience does not
reproach me in the least. Since we left Madrid I have done all that I
could to treat you in a straightforward manner. Circumstances brought us
here and have retained us against my will.... However, we will start as
soon as you like. The truth is, we have waited long enough for that
miserable luggage.... Now I am going to tell you something," he added in
a broken voice. "If in any respect during these last days I have done
anything to hurt your feelings, forgive me. I love you and regard you as
my lawful wife, because you are in the sight of God and you will be very
soon before men ... that is, if you accept