To which Gananciosa replied, taking up the measure as she best might--

"For the little brown lad,
With a good bright eye,
Who would not lose her name?"

Then Monipodio, making great haste to perform a symphony with his pieces
of platter, struck in--

"Two lovers dear, fall out and fight,
But soon, to make their peace, take leisure;
And all the greater was the row,
So much the greater is the pleasure."

But Cariharta had no mind to enjoy her recovered happiness in silence
and fingering another clog, she also entered the dance, joining her
voice to those of her friends, in the following words--

"Pause, angry lad! and do not beat me more,
For 'tis thine own dear flesh that thou dost baste,
If thou but well consider, and--"

"Fair and soft," exclaimed Repolido, at that moment, "give us no old
stories, there's no good in that. Let bygones be bygones! Choose another
gait, girl; we've had enough of that one."

The canticle, for a moment interrupted by these words, was about to
recommence, and would not, apparently, have soon come to an end, had not
the performers been disturbed by violent knocks at the door. Monipodio
hastened to see who was there, and found one of his sentinels, who