380 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



cisco and his wife ; a vacant chair was always at hand, 

 and from time to time one took a seat with us. When 

 the vesper bell struck conversation ceased, all rose from 

 their seats, made a short prayer, and when it was over 

 turned to each other with a buenos noces, reseated 

 themselves, and renewed the conversation. There was 

 always something imposing in the sound of the vesper 

 bell, presenting the idea of an immense multitude of 

 people at the same moment offering up a prayer. 



During the evening a courier arrived with despatches 

 for Don Francisco, advising him that a town which had 

 u pronounced" in favour of the Liberals had pronounced 

 back again, which seemed to give both him and his 

 wife much uneasiness. At ten o'clock an armed pa- 

 trol came for orders, and we retired to what we much 

 needed, a good night's rest. 



In the morning Don Francisco, half in jest and 

 half in earnest, told us of the uneasiness we had giv- 

 en his wife. Pawling's Spanish, and constant use 

 of idioms well known as belonging to the city of 

 Mexico, had excited her suspicions ; she said he was 

 not an American, but a Mexican from the capital, and 

 she believed him to be a spy of the Centralists. Paw- 

 ling did not like the imputation ; he was a little morti- 

 fied at this visible mark of long absence from his coun- 

 try, and not at all flattered at being taken for a Mexi- 

 can. Don Francisco laughed at it, but his wife was so 

 pertinacious, that, if it had not been for the apparent 

 propriety of my being attended by one perfectly fa- 

 miliar with the language of the country, I believe, in the 

 state of apprehension and distrust, Pawling would have 

 lost the benefit of his birthright, and been arrested as 

 a spy. 



We passed the next day in a quiet lounge and in 



