"Your goodness I never doubted," replied Gomez Arias; "but methinks you look rather uneasy; surely you are not indisposed?—the noble Don Alonso too! Nay, has any thing occurred during my short absence to cause your disquietude?"
"Certainly," returned Leonor coldly, "nothing has happened that ought to cause disquietude. But, surely, Don Lope," she added sarcastically, "your sudden departure, and the summons of our mutual friend Count de Ureña, might have held us in some little anxiety. Moreover, other small circumstances have contributed to cause a transient uneasiness."
"But you must not," interposed Don Lope, "suffer yourselves to be discomposed on account of our friend Ureña, for I am happy to say he was considerably better when I left him."
"Then," cried Aguilar, "it is as I suspected."
And rising from his seat with an expression of dark displeasure, without further ceremony he quitted the apartment. Gomez Arias was struck at such strange behaviour; but soon recovering his surprise,—
"What means this, Leonor?" he said in an angry tone: "Why am I treated thus?"
"Don Lope," returned Leonor, "surely the malady of your friend has somewhat affected your understanding. We can have no right to interfere with the actions of my father, particularly as I have already told you some accidents have occurred lately to ruffle his temper."
"And what accidents are those, in the name of heaven?"
"Are you really, then, so ignorant of the events which have taken place since you were imperiously summoned to attend your friend?"
"Perfectly ignorant," replied Don Lope.