Maraquando being interrupted. “Why can’t you behave yourself, you ill-conducted little person.”
“Do they eat beetles, here?” asked Tim, eagerly.
“Beetles! they’d be thin, if they did,” said Tim, drily. “I don’t know. Do you eat beetles, Señor?” he added, turning to Don Miguel.
The Spaniard made a gesture of disgust, and looked inquiringly at his sister.
“Los pajaros,” explained Doña Serafina, smiling.
“Oh, ‘tis birds she’s talking about!”
“Birds!” replied the doctor, blankly. “I thought I showed her butterflies. This way,” and he began hovering round again.
Tim roared.
“They’ll think you have gone out of what little mind you possess, Peter!”
“Ah, pobrecito,” said Serafina, when the meaning of the pantomime was explained, “I thought he was playing at a flying bird.”
“You’ll never make your salt as an actor, Peter,” jeered Tim, as they all laughed over the mistake. “I’d better call up Philip and Jack to keep you straight. Jack, come up here, and bring Philip with you.”
“All right,” replied Jack, from the depths below, where they had been watching the performance with much amusement; “we are coming.”
The quartette soon made their appearance in the azotea, where Peter’s mistake was explained.
“Do it again, Peter,” entreated Philip, laughing; “you have no idea how funny you look flopping about!”
“I shan’t,” growled the doctor, ruffled. “Why can’t they talk English?”
“Doña Dolores can talk a little,” said Jack, proudly “Señorita talk to my friend in his own tongue.”
“It is a nice day,” repeated Doña Dolores, slowly; “‘ow do you do?”
“Quite well, thank you,” replied Peter, politely; whereat his friends laughed again in the most unfeeling manner.
“Oh, you can laugh,” said Peter, indignantly; “but if I was in love with a girl, I would teach her some better words than about the weather, and how do you do!”
“I have done so,” replied Jack, quietly; “but those words are for private use.”
At this moment Dolores, laughing behind her fan, was speaking to Doña Serafina, who thereupon advanced towards Peter.
“I can speak to the Americano,” she announced to the company; then, fixing Peter with her eye, said, with a tremendous effort, “Darling!”
“Oh!” said the modest Peter, taken aback, “she said, ‘darling’!”
“Darling!” repeated Serafina, who was evidently quite ignorant of the meaning.
“That’s one of the words for private use, eh, Jack?” laughed Philip, quite exhausted with merriment. “A very good word. I must teach it to Doña Eulalia.”
“It’s too bad of you, Doña Dolores,” said Jack, reproachfully; whereat Dolores laughed again at the success of her jest.
“Did the Señor have good sport with Cocom,” asked Don Miguel, somewhat bewildered at all this laughter, the cause of which, ignorant as he was of English, he could not understand.
“Did you have a good time, Peter,” translated Tim, fluently, “with the beetles.”
“Oh, splendid! tell him splendid. I captured some Papilionidae! and a beautiful little glow-worm. One of the Elateridae species, and——”
“I can’t translate all that jargon, you fat little humming-bird! He had good sport, Señor,” he added, suddenly turning to Don Miguel.
“Bueno!” replied the Spaniard, gravely, “it is well.”
It was no use trying to carry on a common conversation, as the party invariably split up into pairs. Dolores and Eulalia were already chatting confidentially to their admirers. Doña Serafina began to make more signs to Peter, with the further addition of a parrot-cry of “Darling,” and Tim found himself once more alone with Don Miguel.
“I have written out my interview with the President,” he said slowly; “and it goes to England to-morrow. Would you like to see it first, Señor?”
“If it so pleases you, Señor Correspoñsal.”
“Good! then I shall bring it with me to-morrow morning. Has that steamer gone to Acauhtzin yet?”
“This afternoon it departed, Señor. It will return in two days with the fleet.”
“I hope so, Don Miguel, but I am not very certain,” replied Tim, significantly. “His Excellency Gomez does not seem very sure of the fleet’s fidelity either.”
“There are many rumours in Tlatonac,” said Maraquando, impatiently. “All lies spread by the Opposidores—by Xuarez and his gang. I fear the people are becoming alarmed. The army, too, talk of war. Therefore, to set all these matters at rest, to-morrow evening his Excellency the President will address the Tlatonacians at the alameda.”
“Why at the alameda?”
“Because most of them will be assembled there at the twilight hour, Señor. It is to be a public speech to inspire our people with confidence in the Government, else would the meeting be held in the great hall of the Palacio Nacional.”
“I would like to hear Don Franciso Gomez speak, so I and my friends will be at the alameda.”
“You will come with me, Señor Correspoñsal,” said Miguel, politely; “my daughter, niece, and sister are also coming.”
“The more the merrier! It will be quite a party, Señor.”
“It is a serious position we are in,” said Maraquando, gravely; “and I trust the word of his Excellency will show the Tlatonacians that there is nothing to be feared from Don Hypolito.”
At this moment Doña Serafina, who had swooped down on her charges, appeared to say good night. Both Dolores and Eulalia were unwilling to retire so early, but their aunt was adamant, and they knew that nothing could change her resolution, particularly as she had grown weary of fraternising with Peter.
“Bueno noche tenga, Vm,” said Doña Serafina, politely, and her salutation was echoed by the young ladies in her wake.
“Con dios va usted, Señora,” replied Tim, kissing the old lady’s extended hand, after which they withdrew. Dolores managed to flash a tender glance at Jack as they descended into the patio, and Philip, leaning over the balustrade of the azotea caught a significant wave of Eulalia’s fan, which meant a good deal. Cassim knew all those minute but eloquent signs of love.
Shortly afterwards they also took their leave after refusing
