A MEXICAN CONVITE'. 



39 



was generally an intimate acquaintance, or a very 

 determined stranger. In each corner of the room 

 was placed a small stone table, on which stood a 

 dingy tallow-candle, the feeble glimmer of which 

 gave a dismal light to the apartment ; but, by an 

 incongruity characteristic of the country, the 

 candlestick was large and handsome, and made of 

 massy silver. Behind the light, in a glass case, 

 was displayed an image of the Virgin, dressed up 

 as Nuestra Senora de Guadaloupe, the patron 

 saint of Mexico, almost suffocated with a profusion 

 of tawdry artificial flowers. The line of ladies on 

 one side reached to the door, and, on the side 

 opposite, to a table about half-way along the room, 

 on which were placed wine and water, gentlemen's 

 hats, and ladies' shawls. Against one of the corner 

 tables rested a guitar ; and it seldom happened that 

 there was not some person present ready to play a 

 popular tune, or to accompany the ladies, many of 

 whom sung very prettily. This occasional music 

 went on without interrupting the conversation ; 

 indeed, the sound of the guitar amongst the Spa- 

 niards or their descendants is so familiar, that it 

 acts more as a stimulus or accompaniment to con- 

 versation, than as an interruption. At the further 

 end of the room was a card-table, where most of 

 the gentlemen played at a game called Monte. 

 The space in the middle of the room seemed to be 

 allotted as a play-ground for the children of the 

 house and those of many removes in consanguinity. 

 The nurses, too, and the old servants of the family, 

 used the privilege of walking in and out ; and some- 

 times they addressed themselves to such of the 

 company as happened to be seated near the door. It 

 may be remarked here, that in all those countries a 

 degree of familiarity is allowed between the serv- 

 ants and their superiors of which, in England, 

 there is no example in any rank of life. 



The entrance to the room was from a deep 

 verandah, or, more properly speaking, a passage 

 open to the court and flower-garden in the centre 

 of the quadrangle forming the house. 



It occurred to me during the evening, that if a 

 person were suddenly transported from England 

 to this part of the world, he might be much puzzled 

 to say where he had got to. On entering the 

 house, by an approach not unlike the arched gate- 

 way of an inn, he would turn into the verandah, 

 where he would in vain inquire his way from the 

 merry group of boys playing at bo-peep round the 

 columns, or scampering in the moonlight amongst 

 the shrubs in the centre of the court ; nor would he 

 gain more information from the parties of neatly- 

 dressed girls, who would draw up and become as 

 prim and starch as possible, the moment they 

 beheld a stranger ; they would pout at him, and 

 transfix him with their coal-black eyes, but would 

 not utter a single word. Mustering courage, he 

 might enter the sala or drawing room ; in an in- 

 stant, all the gentlemen would rise and stand before 

 their chairs like statues; but as neither the mistress 

 of the house, nor any other lady, ever thinks of 

 rising in those countries to receive or take leave of 

 a gentleman, however cordial to ladies our friend 

 would be apt to conceive his reception somewhat 

 cold. But he could have no time to make minute 

 remarks, and would scarcely notice the unevenly 

 paved brick floor — the bare plastered walls — the 

 naked beams of the roof, through which the tiles 

 might be counted — indeed, the feebleness of the 



light would greatly perplex his observations. The 

 elegant dresses, the handsome looks, and the lady- 

 like appearance of the female part of the company, 

 would naturally lead him to imagine he was in re- 

 spectable society ; but, when he discovered all the 

 ladies smoking cigars, and heard them laughing 

 obstreperously, and screaming out their observa- 

 tions at the top of their voices, he would relapse 

 into his former doubts, especially when he remarked 

 the gentlemen in boots and cloaks, and some with 

 their hats on. Neither would his ideas be cleared 

 up by seeing the party at the other end of the 

 room engaged in deep play, amidst a cloud of 

 tobacco smoke. And were he now as suddenly 

 transported back again to his own country,it might 

 be difficult to persuade him that he had been 

 amongst an agreeable amiable and well-bred people 

 — in the very best society — in the Grosvenor 

 Square, in short, of the city of Tepic. 



On the 12th of April, I made one of a great 

 dinner-party, a sort of feast, or, as it is called in 

 Spanish, a convite. The hour named was one 

 o'clock, but it was half past one before the company 

 were all assembled. We were first invited into a 

 side-room to take a whet, which, to say the truth, 

 looked more like a substantial luncheon than a 

 sharpener of the appetite ; for in the middle of 

 the table was placed a goodly ham, flanked by two 

 huge bowls, one filled with punch, the other with 

 sangaree — a mixture of wine, sugar, lemon-juice, 

 and spirits, and a favourite beverage of all hot cli- 

 mates. At each end of the table stood a dish of 

 cheese, ingeniously carved into the shape of ra- 

 dishes and turnips ; and at the corners a dish of 

 olives covered with slices of raw onions, floating 

 about in vinegar. I need not add, there was 

 aguardiente and wine in profusion. Such ample 

 justice was done to this whet, that the dinner, I 

 thought, stood a poor chance of being touched, but 

 in this I was much mistaken. 



Forty people sat down to one table. At the top 

 were placed the two principal ladies; on their right 

 sat the military Commander-in-chief, while I was 

 requested to sit on the other side, next to the lady 

 of the house. Then came the Alcalde, the chief 

 civil authority, and so on. The master of the 

 house would on no account sit down, but served 

 at table in the capacity of waiter, assisted most 

 good-naturedly by four or five gentlemen, for whom 

 there were no places, or who preferred making 

 themselves useful in this way to dining in another 

 apartment along with ten or a dozen young men, 

 equally shut out by want of room. 



At first a suspicious kind of calm prevailed ; but 

 the soup had scarcely been removed before there 

 appeared symptoms of an approaching storm. While 

 we were discussing the olla, the dish which always 

 succeeds the soup, a principal person in company 

 rose up and shouted out, " Copas en mano ! " handle 

 your glasses ! But such was the noise and clatter 

 of plates and tongues, that he had to repeat his 

 mandate several times, and to stretch out his 

 tumbler brim-full of wine, before the distant parts 

 of the company stood up in honour of the toast, 

 which I had expected was to have had some point, 

 but was merely one of the common-places of the 

 day, "Union y Libertad." After this signal there 

 was kept up during the whole dinner a constant 

 discharge of toasts and sentiments ; and upon an 

 average, towards the end of dinner, there could be 



