"Oh! These gentlemen are perfectly at liberty to come when they please:" doña Dolores said disdainfully.
"We should be sorry to feel angry with them for such a trifle," Carmen added with the same tone.
This was the death shot for the young men, and they completely lost countenance. The teasing girls looked at them for a second, and then burst into such a frank and sudden laugh, that the count and Dominique turned pale with annoyance.
"¡Viva Dios!" the vaquero exclaimed, stamping his foot angrily, "It is too unkind to punish us thus for a fault we have not committed."
"Don Adolfo detained us against our will!" the count said.
"You have seen don Jaime?" doña María asked.
"Yes, madam, he paid us a visit at eleven o'clock last night."
The young men then took chairs, and a pleasant conversation was carried on. Doña Carmen and Dolores continued to tease them: they were happy at having made them so utterly disconcerted, though in their hearts they felt a grudge because their lovers had not comprehended the feeling that dictated their reproaches. As for the count and Dominique, they felt happy in being by the side of these lovely and simple girls, they intoxicated themselves with the fire of their glances, listened with ravishment to the sweet music of their voice, without thinking of anything but enjoying as long as possible the easy happiness which they thus procured. The entire afternoon passed in this way with the rapidity of a dream. At nine o'clock they took leave and returned home without exchanging a word.
"Do you feel inclined to sleep?" the count asked his friend, as soon as they reached their apartments.
"Really, no," the latter answered; "why?"