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The lower part of the town had been busy enough, and the stir and hum of it rendered the quietude of the upper part of it more striking. A shovel hatted friar now suddenly accosted us. "Senor Campana ese pobre familia de Cangrejo! Lastima! Lastima!" "Cangrejo Cangrejo!" muttered I; "why, it is the very name attached to the miniature."
I may tell the gentle reader in his ear, that the worthy fellow, at the moment when I send this chapter to the press, has his flag, and that Francesca Cangrejo is no less a personage than his wife. However, let us get along. "Doctor Pavo Real," said Don Ricardo, .now since you have been good enough to spare us a day, let us get the heart of your secret out of you.
At length, in a moment of great irritation, excited on the one hand by his intense interest in the poor suffering girl, and anger at the peevish, helpless Don Picador, Don Ricardo, to our unutterable surprise, rapped out, in gude broad Scotch, as he brushed away Senor Cangrejo from the bedside with a violence that spun him out of the door "God the auld doited deevil is as fusionless as a docken."
"You must pardon me, Lieutenant; but as the proverb hath it, strange countries, strange manners; my friend here, Padre Carera, brings a message from El Senor Picador Cangrejo, one of our magnates, that he will consider it an especial favour if you will can on him, either this forenoon or tomorrow."
Next followed the women of the family, covered up with all the cloaks and spare garments that could be collected; then came Don Picador Cangrejo, with Ricardo Campana, the skipper, Aaron Bang, and myself; the procession being closed by the household negroes, with more lights, which all burned steadily and clear.
"But," said I, "I have a very peculiar cause of interest with regard to this family. You are aware, of course, of the trial and execution of the pirates in Kingston, the most conspicuous of whom was a young man called Federico Cangrejo, from whom" "Mr Cringle," said he, solemnly, "at a fitting time I will hear you regarding that matter; at present I entreat you will not press it."
The young ladies we ejected much more easily, although Francesca Cangrejo did stick a little too. The priest was next passed, then Don Picador; and so we went on, until in rotation we had all made our exit, and were perched shivering on the high bank.
"My son," said he, gravely, "the friar you saw yesterday is confessor to Don Picador Cangrejo's family; his reason for asking to obtain an interview with you was from its being known that you were active in capturing the unfortunate men with whom young Federico Cangrejo, his only son, was leagued. Oh that poor, poor boy! Had you known him, gentlemen, as I knew him, poor, poor Federico!"
I did not know the extent of your accomplishments; grown poetical ever since you saw Francesca Cangrejo, eh?" The darkness hid the gallant captain's blushes, if blush he did. "I say, Don Ricardo, who are those?" half a dozen well clad negroes had approached the house by this time "Ask them, Mr Bang; take your friend Mr Cringle for an interpreter." "Well, I will. Tom, who are they? Ask them do."
We shook hands with old Don Picador, mounted our mules, and bid a last adieu to the Valley of the Hurricane. We ambled along for some time in silence. At length the skipper dropped astern, until he got alongside of me. "I say, Tom" I was well aware that he never called me Tom unless he was fou, or his heart was full, honest man "Tom, what think you of Francesca Cangrejo?"
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