“But why should you be afraid of him?”
Carmen does not reply promptly. Clearly, she has not yet bestowed the whole of her confidence. There is something withheld.
Iñez, whose sympathies are now enlisted, presses for the explanation.
“Carmen—dear Carmen! tell me what it is. Have you ever given Don Francisco a claim to call you his novia?”
“Never! Neither that, nor anything of the kind. He has no claim, and I no compromise. The only thing I’ve reason to regret is, having listened to his flattering speeches without resenting them.”
“Pst! What does that signify? Why, Don Faustino has made flattering speeches to me—scores of them—called me all sorts of endearing names—does so whenever we two are together alone. I only laugh at him.”
“Ah! Faustino Calderon is not Francisco de Lara. They are men of very different dispositions. In the behaviour of your admirer there’s only a little of the ludicrous; in that of mine, there may be a great deal of danger. But let us cease discussing them. There’s no time for that now. The question is, are they coming to call on us?”
“I think there can be no question about it. Very likely they’ve heard that we’re soon going away, and are about to honour us with a farewell visit.”
“Supposing they should stay till our English friends arrive!”
“Let them—who cares? I don’t.”