Doña Teresa didn’t wait to hear any more, but ran back home, and when the children still did not appear she walked down the road hoping to meet them.
The clouds grew blacker and blacker, and the rain began to fall. Doña Teresa called Jasmin, who had reappeared by this [p 126] time, and gave him Tonio’s shoes to smell of.
“Go find him, go find him,” she cried.
Jasmin whined and looked anxious, but just then came a flash of lightning. Jasmin was afraid of lightning, so he crept into Tonto’s stall with his tail between his legs and hid there until the storm was over.
II
At last it was time for Pancho to come home. Poor Doña Teresa kept her supper hot and waited anxiously to hear the sound of Pinto’s hoofs, but no such sound came. Pancho would go with her, and together they would find their children, she was sure, but six o’clock and seven came, without either Pancho or the children.
It was quite dark when at last she put on her rebozo and ran as fast as she could to the priest’s house. The door was opened by the priest’s fat sister, who kept house for him.
[p 127]
“Oh, where is the padrecito?” Doña Teresa said to her. “I must see him.”
“He is eating his supper,” said the fat sister.
“Tell him I am in great trouble,” sobbed Doña Teresa.