CHAPTER IV
THE ARRIVAL OF THE COUSIN
When Rosarito left him so abruptly the Penitentiary looked toward thegarden wall, and seeing the faces of Licurgo and his companion, said tohimself:
"So the prodigy is already here, then."
He remained thoughtful for some moments, his cloak, grasped with bothhands, folded over his abdomen, his eyes fixed on the ground, hisgold-rimmed spectacles slipping gently toward the point of his nose, hisunder-lip moist and projecting, and his iron-gray eyebrows gathered ina slight frown. He was a pious and holy man, of uncommon learning and ofirreproachable clerical habits, a little past his sixtieth year, affablein his manners, courteous and kind, and greatly addicted to givingadvice and counsel to both men and women. For many years past hehad been master of Latin and rhetoric in the Institute, which nobleprofession had supplied him with a large fund of quotations from Horaceand of florid metaphors, which he employed with wit and opportuneness.Nothing more need be said regarding this personage, but that, as soon ashe heard the trot of the animals approaching the Calle del Condestable,he arranged the folds of his cloak, straightened his hat, which was notaltogether correctly placed upon his venerable head, and, walking towardthe house, murmured:
"Let us go and see this paragon."
Meanwhile Pepe was alighting from his nag, and Dona Perfecta, her facebathed in tears and barely able to utter a few trembling words, thesincere expression of her affection, was receiving him at the gateitself in her loving arms.
"Pepe--but how tall you are! And with a beard. Why, it seems onlyyesterday that I held you in my lap. And now you are a man, a grown-upman. Well, well! How the years pass! This is my daughter Rosario."
As she said this they reached the parlor on the ground floor, whichwas generally used as a reception-room, and Dona Perfecta presented herdaughter to Pepe.
Rosario was a girl of delicate and fragile appearance, that revealeda tendency to pensive melancholy. In her delicate and pure countenancethere was something of the soft, pearly pallor which most novelistsattribute to their heroines, and without which sentimental varnish itappears that no Enriquieta or Julia can be interesting. But what chieflydistinguished Rosario was that her face expressed so much sweetness andmodesty that the absence of the perfections it lacked was not observed.This is not to say that she was plain; but, on the other hand, it istrue that it would be an exaggeration to call her beautiful in thestrictest meaning of the word. The real beauty of Dona Perfecta'sdaughter consisted in a species of transparency, different from thatof pearl, alabaster, marble, or any of the other substances used indescriptions of the human countenance; a species of transparency throughwhich the inmost depths of her soul were clearly visible; depths notcavernous and gloomy, like those of the sea, but like those of a clearand placid river. But the material was wanting there for a completepersonality. The channel was wanting, the banks were wanting. The vastwealth of her spirit overflowed, threatening to wash away the narrowborders. When her cousin saluted her she blushed crimson, and utteredonly a few unintelligible words.
"You must be fainting with hunger," said Dona Perfecta to her nephew."You shall have your breakfast at once."
"With your permission," responded the traveller, "I will first go andget rid of the dust of the journey."
"That is a sensible idea," said the senora. "Rosario, take your cousinto the room that we have prepared for him. Don't delay, nephew. I amgoing to give the necessary orders."
Rosario took her cousin to a handsome apartment situated on the groundfloor. The moment he entered it Pepe recognized in all the details ofthe room the diligent and loving hand of a woman. All was arrangedwith perfect taste, and the purity and freshness of everything in thischarming nest invited to repose. The guest observed minute details thatmade him smile.
"Here is the bell," said Rosario, taking in her hand the bell-rope, thetassel of which hung over the head of the bed. "All you have to do is tostretch out your hand. The writing-table is placed so that you will havethe light from the left. See, in this basket you can throw the wastepapers. Do you smoke?"
"Unfortunately, yes," responded Pepe Rey.
"Well, then, you can throw the ends of your cigars here," she said,touching with the tip of her shoe a utensil of gilt-brass filled withsand. "There is nothing uglier than to see the floor covered withcigar-ends. Here is the washstand. For your clothes you have a wardrobeand a bureau. I think this is a bad place for the watch-case; it wouldbe better beside the bed. If the light annoys you, all you have to do isto lower the shade with this cord; see, this way."
The engineer was enchanted.
Rosarito opened one of the windows.
"Look," she said, "this window opens into the garden. The sun comes inhere in the afternoon. Here we have hung the cage of a canary that singsas if he was crazy. If his singing disturbs you we will take it away."
She opened another window on the opposite side of the room.
"This other window," she continued, "looks out on the street. Look;from here you can see the cathedral; it is very handsome, and full ofbeautiful things. A great many English people come to see it. Don't openboth windows at the same time, because draughts are very bad."
"My dear cousin," said Pepe, his soul inundated with an inexplicablejoy; "in all that is before my eyes I see an angel's hand that can beonly yours. What a beautiful room this is! It seems to me as if I hadlived in it all my life. It invites to peace."
Rosarito made no answer to these affectionate expressions, and left theroom, smiling.
"Make no delay," she said from the door; "the dining-room too is downstairs--in the centre of this hall."
Uncle Licurgo came in with the luggage. Pepe rewarded him with aliberality to which the countryman was not accustomed, and the latter,after humbly thanking the engineer, raised his hand to his head with ahesitating movement, and in an embarrassed tone, and mumbling his words,he said hesitatingly:
"When will it be most convenient for me to speak to Senor Don Jose abouta--a little matter of business?"
"A little matter of business? At once," responded Pepe, opening one ofhis trunks.
"This is not a suitable time," said the countryman. "When Senor Don Josehas rested it will be time enough. There are more days than sausages,as the saying is; and after one day comes another. Rest now, SenorDon Jose. Whenever you want to take a ride--the nag is not bad.Well, good-day, Senor Don Jose. I am much obliged to you. Ah! I hadforgotten," he added, returning a few moments later. "If you have anymessage for the municipal judge--I am going now to speak to him aboutour little affair."
"Give him my compliments," said Pepe gayly, no better way of getting ridof the Spartan legislator occurring to him.
"Good-by, then, Senor Don Jose."
"Good-by."
The engineer had not yet taken his clothes out of the trunk when for thethird time the shrewd eyes and the crafty face of Uncle Licurgo appearedin the door-way.
"I beg your pardon, Senor Don Jose," he said, displaying his brilliantlywhite teeth in an affected smile, "but--I wanted to say that if you wishto settle the matter by means of friendly arbitrations---- Although, asthe saying is, 'Ask other people's opinion of something that concernsonly yourself, and some will say it is white and others black.'"
"Will you get away from here, man?"
"I say that, because I hate the law. I don't want to have anything todo with the law. Well, good-by, again, Senor Don Jose. God give you longlife to help the poor!"
"Good-by, man, good-by."
Pepe turned the key in the lock of the door, saying to himself:
"The people of this town appear to be very litigious."
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