The Helmet of Mambrino 



know, senora, happened here in La 

 Mancha. This Don Horacio has 

 never seen one of our Spanish bar- 

 bers' basins, such as the good Don 

 Quixote wore for a helmet. 



" It is to find him an ancient basin 

 that we have come to La Mancha. 

 There were plenty of new ones in 

 Seville and Cordova, but they will 

 not serve. We must have an an- 

 cient one, and one from this very 

 land. Do you by chance remember 

 where there is such an one ? " 



The good woman reflected, while 

 we sipped the chocolate, and ate the 

 cakes and the olives. She threw 

 away the end of the cigarette, and 

 began rolling another. This little 

 piece of manipulation, well known as 

 provocative of thought, was hardly 

 accomplished when she exclaimed : 



" Mira / I do know the very piece. 

 Come to the door ! Do you see that 

 church in ruins? Bueno ! Just be- 



18 



