Upon this she gave him so many pinches that the wretched Pablo was doubled up with pain, while powerless to utter a sound out of respect for the slumbers of the father of the vixenish girl.
"Stop, Valentina! for goodness' sake. You are indeed mistaken. I stopped a minute to ask her if she had finished hemming my handkerchief."
"It was no such thing! You stood there for a good hour together, laughing like mad! I felt inclined to strangle you with my own hands, you fool! you fool! you more than fool!"
The enraged girl, now maddened with fury, laid her hands on the neck of her adorer, as if about to strangle him.
Her heart, however, was touched at seeing such a handsome, fine young fellow with his eyes distended with terror; in fact, Valentina took pity on him and let him go, but not without giving his arms several additional pinches.
"You don't deceive me, you know; you don't deceive me! If I find that you are with her again I won't have anything more to do with you."
"All right, I promise not to speak to her any more; but don't go and believe the first story you hear about me."
"Will you promise?" asked the obdurate seamstress, looking at him in a relentless way.
"Never fear."
"Well, you will have to settle with me if you don't keep your word. Come."