Like the other natives of this part of the continent, the half-breed prefixed “don” to family and given names indiscriminately.
Watson was just leaving when the hangings of the reception room were pushed aside by a white hand at the base of which shone a jewelled wrist watch. The hand was beckoning, and the next instant Elena herself appeared, urging Watson with words and smiles to come in. The young man felt too constrained by her presence to dare refuse and he followed his hostess into the drawing-room, where he sat with lowered eyes in embarrassed silence.
“At last the pleasure of seeing you in my house,” she exclaimed. “You must really consider me a very disagreeable sort of person, you care so little about seeing me!”
Richard Watson proffered excuses. He had come there twice before with Robledo. It was impossible for him to come every evening like the others. He got up earlier than they did. As he was the junior partner naturally he took on some of the more unpleasant responsibilities, such as getting to the works in good time to see that everything started off properly in the morning....
But Elena was not interested in these explanations which were merely obstructing the conversation. There was something she wanted to say, that she must say at once.
“Perhaps people have spoken ill of me to you. Why deny it? It isn’t strange that it should be so. Women are always exposed to that sort of thing. Whenever we resist certain advances we run the risk of making an enemy!”
Elena’s tone was one of gentle ingenuousness as she gave voice to these complaints. One might have thought her the victim of the most unjust persecution. With a motion that brought her close to Richard she addressed him without any semblance of reserve, as though they were tried comrades. The youth meanwhile began to be uneasily aware of the fragrance and close proximity of this beautiful woman.
“I am so unfortunate, Watson,” she was saying. “I wanted the opportunity to talk to you about this, and I am so glad I can talk to you now for a moment alone ... for probably this will never happen again. You see me surrounded by men who pay court to me, and I suppose you think I flirt with them. But do you know why? To make myself dizzy and numb, so as not to be so painfully conscious of the emptiness of my life. For years I have felt that I was alone ... as though there were no other human being in the world except myself!”
Watson had forgotten his uneasiness of a few moments ago. Listening to her now with credulous interest, he accepted all that she said.
“But ... your husband?...”