Sometimes the ladies of the village stopped and made suitable remarks. One, a summer visitor, told me that she knew a very good painter--"very good indeed," she said with a gentle emphasis which revealed what she thought of my work. "Why, he painted things five times as big as these which you do."
As the sketch progressed my audiences were very eager to point out to me anything which I seemed to have forgotten. At this moment somebody always said that Uncle Pepe's or Aunt Conchas' house wasn't in the sketch. These houses were invariably out of sight or behind my back. The Spaniards had futuristic instincts. But once they knew me, my friends would not have me criticized. One passer-by made some disparaging remark about the painting.
"We won't have our Doña abused," said the nurse-maids. "She is very clever. She knows lots more than you do; and plays the piano as well."
Sometimes I accompanied Jan out into the country, in the direction of La Luz or down into the huertas.
One day we were near La Luz and my interest was captured by a lemon and vine garden which was cultivated on terraces down the side of a baking ravine. The farmer's house with a red roof topped the hill. I sat down to paint. Presently the farmer with his wife and family clambered down into the ravine and climbed up the side to where I was sitting. Each time I returned the family came back and in awed silence watched the progress of the sketch.
It happened that the water of Verdolay was not very nice for drinking purposes, being full of minerals and salts, while that of La Luz was delicious. A poor woman, who did charing jobs for the farmer above-mentioned, was delighted to be allowed to carry us heavy cantaros full of La Luz water, a mile and a half, for the pay of fivepence a cantaro. One day after the sketch was finished she came in with a look of importance on her face.
"My Señora," she said, "is enamoured of the little painting which you have done of her house and farm. She wishes to buy the sketch."
I had had some experience of Spanish prices, so I said:
"These paintings are made to exhibit in England. It is of no use to tell you the price, because English prices and Spanish prices are different."
"But, Señora," said the woman, "my masters are very rich, excessively rich. They will pay any price that you like to ask."