replied.
“And she threw herself on a couch, roaring with laughter at her translation.
“When that girl laughed, señor, it was impossible to talk sense. Everybody laughed with her. The tall Englishman began to laugh too, like the fool that he was, and ordered something to be brought for me to drink.
“While I was drinking:
“ ‘Do you see that ring he has on his finger?’ she asked me. ‘I will give it to you if you want.’
“I replied:
“ ‘I would give a finger to have your lord on the mountains, each of us with a
maquila
in his hand.’
“ ‘
Maquila
—what does that mean?’ asked the Englishman.
“ ‘
Maquila
,’ said Carmen, still laughing, ‘is an orange. Isn’t that a curious word for orange? He says that he would like to give you some
maquila
to eat.’
“ ‘Yes?’ said the Englishman. ‘Well! bring some
maquila
to-morrow.’
“While we were talking, the servant entered and said that dinner was ready. Thereupon the Englishman rose, gave me a piastre, and offered Carmen his arm, as if she could not walk alone. Carmen, still laughing, said to me:
“ ‘I can’t invite you to dinner, my boy; but to-morrow, as soon as you hear the drums beating for the parade, come here with some oranges. You will find a room better furnished than the one on Rue de Candilejo, and you will see whether I am still your Carmencita. And then we will talk about the business of Egypt.’
“I made no reply; and after I was in the street I heard the Englishman calling after me:
“ ‘Bring some
maquila
to-morrow!’ and I heard Carmen’s shouts of laughter.
“I went out, having no idea what I should do. I slept little, and in the morning I found myself so enraged with that traitress that I had resolved to leave Gibraltar without seeing her; but at the first beat of the drum all my courage deserted me; I took my bag of oranges and hurried to Carmen. Her blinds were partly open, and I saw her great black eye watching me. The powdered servant ushered me in at once; Carmen gavehim an errand to do, and as soon as we were alone she burst out with one of her shouts of crocodile laughter and threw herself on my neck. I had never seen her so lovely. Arrayed like a Madonna, perfumed—silk-covered furniture, embroidered hangings—ah!—and I, dressed like the highwayman that I was!
“ ‘
Minchorrò!
’ said Carmen. ‘I have a mind to smash everything here, to set fire to the house, and fly to the mountains!’
“And such caresses! and such laughter! and she danced, and she tore her falbalas; never did monkey go through more antics, more deviltry, more grimacing. When she had resumed her gravity:
“ ‘Listen,’ she said, ‘let us talk of Egypt. I want him to take me to Ronda, where I have a sister who’s a nun (a fresh outburst of laughter here). We shall go by a place that I will let you know. Do you fall upon him; strip him clean! The best way would be to finish him; but,’ she added, with a diabolical smile which she assumed at certain times, and no one had any desire to imitate that smile at such times,—‘do you know what you must do? Let the One-Eyed appear first. Do you stay back a little; the lobster is brave and a good shot; he has good pistols. Do you understand?’
“She interrupted herself with a fresh burst of laughter that made me shudder.
“ ‘No,’ I said, ‘I hate Garcia, but he is my comrade. Some day, perhaps, I will rid you of him, but we will settle our accounts after the fashion of my country. I am a gypsy only by chance; and in certain things I shall always be a downright Navarrese, as the proverb says.’
“She retorted:
“ ‘You are a blockhead, a fool, a genuine
payllo
! You are like the dwarf who thinks he’s tall when he can spit a long way. You don’t love me—be off!’
“When she said ‘be off!’ I could not go. I promised to leave Gibraltar, to return to my comrades and wait for the Englishman; she, on her side, promised to be ill until
“And she threw herself on a couch, roaring with laughter at her translation.
“When that girl laughed, señor, it was impossible to talk sense. Everybody laughed with her. The tall Englishman began to laugh too, like the fool that he was, and ordered something to be brought for me to drink.
“While I was drinking:
“ ‘Do you see that ring he has on his finger?’ she asked me. ‘I will give it to you if you want.’
“I replied:
“ ‘I would give a finger to have your lord on the mountains, each of us with a
maquila
in his hand.’
“ ‘
Maquila
—what does that mean?’ asked the Englishman.
“ ‘
Maquila
,’ said Carmen, still laughing, ‘is an orange. Isn’t that a curious word for orange? He says that he would like to give you some
maquila
to eat.’
“ ‘Yes?’ said the Englishman. ‘Well! bring some
maquila
to-morrow.’
“While we were talking, the servant entered and said that dinner was ready. Thereupon the Englishman rose, gave me a piastre, and offered Carmen his arm, as if she could not walk alone. Carmen, still laughing, said to me:
“ ‘I can’t invite you to dinner, my boy; but to-morrow, as soon as you hear the drums beating for the parade, come here with some oranges. You will find a room better furnished than the one on Rue de Candilejo, and you will see whether I am still your Carmencita. And then we will talk about the business of Egypt.’
“I made no reply; and after I was in the street I heard the Englishman calling after me:
“ ‘Bring some
maquila
to-morrow!’ and I heard Carmen’s shouts of laughter.
“I went out, having no idea what I should do. I slept little, and in the morning I found myself so enraged with that traitress that I had resolved to leave Gibraltar without seeing her; but at the first beat of the drum all my courage deserted me; I took my bag of oranges and hurried to Carmen. Her blinds were partly open, and I saw her great black eye watching me. The powdered servant ushered me in at once; Carmen gavehim an errand to do, and as soon as we were alone she burst out with one of her shouts of crocodile laughter and threw herself on my neck. I had never seen her so lovely. Arrayed like a Madonna, perfumed—silk-covered furniture, embroidered hangings—ah!—and I, dressed like the highwayman that I was!
“ ‘
Minchorrò!
’ said Carmen. ‘I have a mind to smash everything here, to set fire to the house, and fly to the mountains!’
“And such caresses! and such laughter! and she danced, and she tore her falbalas; never did monkey go through more antics, more deviltry, more grimacing. When she had resumed her gravity:
“ ‘Listen,’ she said, ‘let us talk of Egypt. I want him to take me to Ronda, where I have a sister who’s a nun (a fresh outburst of laughter here). We shall go by a place that I will let you know. Do you fall upon him; strip him clean! The best way would be to finish him; but,’ she added, with a diabolical smile which she assumed at certain times, and no one had any desire to imitate that smile at such times,—‘do you know what you must do? Let the One-Eyed appear first. Do you stay back a little; the lobster is brave and a good shot; he has good pistols. Do you understand?’
“She interrupted herself with a fresh burst of laughter that made me shudder.
“ ‘No,’ I said, ‘I hate Garcia, but he is my comrade. Some day, perhaps, I will rid you of him, but we will settle our accounts after the fashion of my country. I am a gypsy only by chance; and in certain things I shall always be a downright Navarrese, as the proverb says.’
“She retorted:
“ ‘You are a blockhead, a fool, a genuine
payllo
! You are like the dwarf who thinks he’s tall when he can spit a long way. You don’t love me—be off!’
“When she said ‘be off!’ I could not go. I promised to leave Gibraltar, to return to my comrades and wait for the Englishman; she, on her side, promised to be ill until
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