A dusty mist quivered in the air; the street-lamp shone opaquely in
the turbid atmosphere.... As soon as they reached the house Petra made
supper for Manuel and prepared a bed for him upon the floor, beside
her own. The youth lay down, but so violent was the contrast between
the hamlet's silence and the racket of footsteps, conversations and
cries that resounded through the house, that, despite his weariness,
Manuel could not sleep.
He heard every lodger come in; it was past midnight when the
disturbance quieted down; suddenly a squabble burst out followed by a
crash of laughter which ended in a triply blasphemous imprecation and
a slap that woke the echoes.
"What can that be, Mother?" asked Manuel from his bed.
"That's Dona Violante's daughter whom they've caught with her
sweetheart," Petra answered, half from her sleep. Then it occurred to
her that it was imprudent to tell this to her boy, and she added,
gruffly:
"Shut up and go to sleep."
The music-box in the reception-room, set going by the hand of one of
the boarders, commenced to tinkle that sentimental air from _La
Mascotte_,--the duet between Pippo and Bettina:
_Will you forget me, gentle swain?_
Then all was silent.
CHAPTER III
First Impressions of Madrid--The Boarders--Idyll--Sweet and
Delightful Lessons.
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