"I do not know his name," said the Moor.
"What hope had she then, when she left the mountains?"
"Tell them what they want to know," said Mercedes to Mario, "but nothing of that which they must not know yet."
[14]Aurora.
[15]Jesus.
[16]The Gospel.
[17]The Holy Spirit.
[XVII]
Mario, enchanted to have an opportunity to tell his story, but without imprudence or affectation, with all the charm of his natural candor and of his limpid glance, began as follows:
"We were very happy there; there were grottoes, cascades, high peaks and tall trees; everything was much bigger than it is here, and the water made much more noise. My mother kept some very good cows, and she dyed and spun wool and made a very strong cloth. Look at my white cap and her red cape. She made the material for both of them. I worked too. I made baskets; oh! I can make very nice ones! If I come back here to be a gentleman, you shall see! I will make all the baskets for the house!