"I wish to leave you the pleasure of the surprise, my friend. Are you going out?" added he, seeing his master proceeding towards the door.
"I intend to pay my respects to the ladies."
"You will not have time for it; moreover, you could not talk freely with them; the two sisters of Don Pablo are at present with them."
"These women appear to have received orders not to lose sight of these two unhappy ladies; they pass nearly the whole day with them."
"It is probable that they have received instructions of the kind."
The young man did not answer, but he knitted his eyebrows, stamped with rage, and began to walk to and fro.
Some minutes elapsed
"Parbleu!" cried he at last, "I am a perfect ass to fret thus about things which cannot affect me, and which I cannot prevent! It is evident, in fact, that as life is a continual game of seesaw, when I shall have; reached the last step of bad fortune, I must remount, and that, according to fate, my position will improve. Bah! I will trust to Providence. He is more skilful than me, and will know well, when it pleases Him, how to enable me to escape from my embarrassment! However, it appears to me that it is time for a change; I am horribly wearied here. Upon my word, it was a splendid idea to come into this new world to seek tranquillity and patriarchal manners! Mercy on us! What patriots these Pincheyras are! And how true and copied from nature are the narratives of travel!"
And he laughed heartily.
As what precedes had been said in French, and consequently the Indian had not understood a word, he looked at the young man with a wondering air, which redoubled the hilarity of the latter; so that the Guaraní asked himself if his master had not suddenly gone mad. But a new personage at the moment appeared in the toldo, and by his presence calmed, as by enchantment, the gaiety of the Frenchman, and rendered him serious again.