of the market and the beginning of the sale, and the servants who were
to be hired placed themselves beside the signs that indicated their
class! The men, some ten or twelve rough characters in livery, carrying
branches in their hands, took their place under the sign _domestiques_!

"Those are the domestics," explained Juanito.

"Really, they have the appearance of being only recently domesticated,"
observed Doña Victorina. "Now let's have a look at the savages."

Then the dozen girls headed by the lively and merry Serpolette, decked
out in their best clothes, each wearing a big bouquet of flowers at
the waist, laughing, smiling, fresh and attractive, placed themselves,
to Juanito's great desperation, beside the post of the _servantes_.

"How's this?" asked Paulita guilelessly. "Are those the savages that
you spoke of?"

"No," replied the imperturbable Juanito, "there's a mistake--they've
got their places mixed--those coming behind--"

"Those with the whips?"

Juanito nodded assent, but he was rather perplexed and uneasy.

"So those girls are the _cochers_?"

Here Juanito was attacked by such a violent fit of coughing that some
of the spectators became annoyed.