"It is yours, Captain Morando."
In a moment they were one of a hundred couples on the floor. The girl's eyes sparkled and the color rose higher in her cheeks.
"A wonderful night this has been!" Morando exclaimed to his partner in the waltz. "What a pity it must end so soon!"
"You are, then, enjoying the baile? No? It will delight my father, I know, to hear that."
"Señorita Doña, may I have a few moments with you when this dance is over?"
"Certainly."
In a little while they were seated in the quiet of a reception room.
"Señorita Carmelita, I told you earlier in the evening that I love you, and I asked your love in return. Again I tell you I love you. O, doña mia! Doña mia! Will you not accept my love?"
She looked at him and moved away slightly.
"O, Doña Carmelita, will you not answer me?"