sitting-room, so to speak, of the family.

The two boys examined these moveables attentively while awaiting the
descent of the Señor Monipodio, but finding that he delayed his
appearance, Rincon ventured to put his head into one of two small rooms
which opened on the court. There he saw two fencing foils, and two
bucklers of cork hung upon four nails; there was also a great chest, but
without a lid or anything to cover it, with three rush mats extended on
the floor. On the wall in face of him was pasted a figure of Our
Lady--one of the coarsest of prints--and beneath it was a small basket
of straw, with a little vessel of white earthenware sunk into the wall.
The basket Rincon took to be a poor box, for receiving alms, and the
little basin he supposed to be a receptacle for holy water, as in truth
they were.

While the friends thus waited, there came into the court two young men
of some twenty years each; they were clothed as students, and were
followed soon afterwards by two of the basket boys or porters, and a
blind man. Neither spoke a word to the other, but all began to walk up
and down in the court. No long time elapsed before there also came in
two old men clothed in black serge, and with spectacles on their noses,
which gave them an air of much gravity, and made them look highly
respectable: each held in his hand a rosary, the beads of which made a
ringing sound. Behind these men came an old woman wearing a long and
ample gown, who, without uttering a word, proceeded at once to the room
wherein was the figure of Our Lady. She then took holy water with the
greatest devotion, placed herself on her knees before the Virgin, and
after remaining there a considerable time, first kissed the soil thrice,
and then rising, lifted her arms and eyes towards heaven, in which
attitude she remained a certain time longer. She then dropped her alms