Manolo,ñaltaMartayMarí choking with amusement, rejoined his companions and was received with stifled laughter and applause.
"Wait, wait awhile; we want to take 'em by surprise."
After some little time had passed, Manolo once more cautiously crept away, and, skirting the group, stationed himself at the opposite extreme. From there he set up three more howls like the first, and the same thunderous barking filled the spaces, giving back kind for kind. The multitude underwent a new excess of vexation, but accompanied by far greater tumult; everybody was speaking at once, and uttering furious ejaculations.
"Here's a concert for us given by those confounded dogs!"
"The dog that howled is the one to blame."
"Silence! silence! give us a chance to hear something!"
The dogs one after another were beginning to quiet down, according to their own good pleasure, and little by little calm was reasserting its sway. Violetta's song re-appeared, full of melancholy, sweetness, and passion. Maria's voice, in her interpretation of it, expressed such pathos that the heart was melted, and tears sprang into the eyes. One single dog, the one at the variety shop, kept on barking with a persistency that was in the highest degree exasperating, since it prevented the singer's voice from reaching the ears of the public with the clearness desired. A man with a cudgel in his hand detached himself from the throng, and braving the elements, crossed the plaza to stop his barking, but the dog immediately smelt the stick and took to flight. The man came back into the arcade. At length perfect silence reigned in the plaza, and the music lovers could enjoy to their hearts' content the concert in the house of Elorza.
What had become of Manolo? His companions waited for him for some time, so as to congratulate him on his praiseworthy conduct, but he did not put in an appearance. The smaller urchin at length timidly asked the other,--
"Say! what would they do to him if they'd caught him yelping?"
"Why, nothing; they'd treat him to a little cane syrup."[1]
He who had propounded the question trembled a little, and held his peace.
"But then," continued the other, "they haven't caught him, not a bit of it; he's too cute to let himself get caught."