"Oh, I'm prepared," said the lady, with a slight foreign accent, showing a revolver of small calibre.
Roberto paid, despite Leandro's protests, and they left the café.
Coming out on the Plaza del Rastro, they walked down the Ribera de
Curtidores as far as the Ronda de Toledo.
"If the lady wishes to see the house we live in, this is the one," said Leandro.
They went into the Corralón; a crowd of gamins and old women, amazed to see such a strange woman there at such an hour, surrounded them, showering Manuel and Leandro with questions. Leandro was eager for Milagros to learn that he had been there with a woman, so he accompanied Fanny through the place, pointing out all the holes of the wretched dwelling.
"Poverty's the only thing you can see here," said Leandro.
"Yes, yes indeed," answered the woman.
"Now if you wish, we'll go to La Blasa's tavern."
They left the Corralón for Embajadores lane and walked along the black fence of a laundry. It was a dark night and a drizzle had begun to fall. They stumbled along the surrounding path.
"Look-out," said Leandro. "There's a wire here."
He stepped upon the wire to hold it down. They all crossed the path and passed a group of white houses, coming to Las Injurias.