«That would be at Santarem,» said he.
«At Santarem it was.» His readiness appeared now to bewilder her. «But you were a fat, sturdy boy then, and your hair was golden.»
He laughed. «I have become lean in growing, and I favour a black periwig.»
«Which makes your eyes a startling blue. I do not remember that you had blue eyes.»
«God help us, ninny,» croaked her husband. «You never could remember anything.»
She turned to look at him, and for all that her lip quivered, her eyes steadily met his sneering glance. She seemed about to speak; checked herself, and then spoke at last, very quietly. «Oh, yes. There are some things a woman never forgets.»
«And on the subject of memory,» said Don Pedro, addressing the Governor with cold dignity, «I do not remember that there are any ninnies in our family.»
«Faith, then, you needed to come to Porto Rico to discover it,» his Excellency retorted with his loud, coarse laugh.
«Ah!» Don Pedro sighed. «That may not be the end of my discoveries.»
There was something in his tone which Don Jayme did not like. He threw back his big head, and frowned. «You mean?» he demanded.