Thus he chatted on, full of his subject, until they reached Francisco's home. They found Guillerma and her mother away. They had gone to celebrate mass and Elena, with the one servienta, was alone in the house.
"You entertain her, Uncle Juan, while I erect the pesebre," whispered Francisco.
So the gray haired soldier took Elena on his knee and told her the story of a little girl who was lost in a forest and of the convention of animals that met to discuss her fate. He put most eloquent speeches into the jaws and beaks of the different birds and animals, such as the deer, the puma, the ostrich, the jaguar, and many others. Elena's eyes were wide as the big bear growled out his belief that she should be cut up into half kilo bits, and divided among them; but just then Francisco entered the room and asked them to come into the dining-room where Estrella, the servant, was preparing máte.
As they entered the comedor[10] Elena spied the manger with its surrounding images in the corner, on the floor.
"Que hermosa! Que linda!"[11] she cried, clasping her hands in ecstasy. "Only yesterday did I tell Encarnación, when she came to bring me Christmas cakes full of almonds and raisins, that we should have no pesebre. She is to have one of ivory that cost a small fortune, but I had rather have this. Oh! it is so beautiful! Who could have brought it? Who could have put it here?" and she looked up inquiringly, first at her uncle and then at her brother. Uncle Juan's face pleaded "not guilty" but Francisco's was so beamingly tell-tale that she flew to him and embraced him and kissed him over and over again.
"'DID YOU EVER SEE SUCH GLORIOUS BLUE EYES!'"
When each figure had been carefully inspected and discussed Uncle Juan proposed a ride, this time behind his favourite horses. As they entered the house on their return he was pleased to see a faint colour on Elena's face and a brighter look in her eyes.
Thus the days passed, swiftly enough; New Year's with its fireworks and noisy crowds of celebrating peons, and at last came twelfth night.
Elena awoke on the sixth of January feverishly expectant. Surely, after having set up such a lovely pesebre, the Three Kings would not forget her. An excursion into the dining-room proved their faithfulness, for there they stood—three smartly covered camels, and three wee kings, bowing before the tiny babe in the manger.