Page:Narrative of an Official Visit to Guatemala.djvu/121

CH. VII.] young lady, he flung himself into the hammock, with the greater part of his clothes on, and, by the sonorous nature of his respiration, seemed to be asleep, in the course of five minutes.

This despotic kind of love-making was really very extraordinary: it was plain the affections of the young lady were, at best, but indifferent towards him; but, then, what could she do against the "sic volo" of this Western Grand Señor! The lamentations of the poor boy and my own reflections on the scenes I had just witnessed, disturbed my rest. I began to think dubiously of my companion, and how I should measure my behaviour towards him the next day: I had not, hitherto, sufficiently estimated his self-importance; which, although something disgusting, I, now, resolved to humour, on account of its whimsicality. Scarcely had day-light dawned, when, being awake, I perceived standing in the door-way, the beautiful little girl whose future views and interests in life had