She seemed fairly dazzled
by these latter, and gazed at them fixedly in a sort of ecstasy--having
evidently never seen anything like them before, and probably thinking
they must be of immense value. Occasionally her eyes wandered to the
dresses of the two ladies, and at last, unable to restrain her ardent
curiosity any longer, she put out her little brown hand and softly felt
of Isabelle's gown, apparently finding exquisite delight in the mere
contact of her finger-tips with the smooth, glossy surface of the silk.
Though her touch was so light Isabelle immediately turned towards the
child and smiled upon her encouragingly, but the poor little vagabond,
finding herself detected, in an instant had assumed a stupid, almost
idiotic look--with an instinctive amount of histrionic art that would
have done honour to a finished actress. Then dropping her eyelids and
leaning her shoulders against the hard back of the wooden settle she
seemed to fall into a deep sleep, with her head bent down upon her
breast in the old attitude.
Meanwhile Maitre Chirriguirri had been talking long and loudly about the
choice delicacies he could have set before his guests if they had
only come a day or two earlier, and enumerating all sorts of fine
dishes--which doubtless had existed only in his own very vivid
imagination--though he told a high-sounding story about the noblemen
and grandees who had supped at his house and devoured all these dainties
only yesterday.
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