Page:Narrative of an Official Visit to Guatemala.djvu/183

CH. XI.] of their dress, and their exposure to the ungenial blast, as it rushed through the aperture, to equalize the temperature of the heated apartment, reminded me of a botanical show of Flemish flowers, in the month of March;—where few of them survive the exhibition; and it appeared to me that this innocent assemblage, who were caught by curiosity, would be indemnified by catching something in return, if it was only—a cold. I fell into conversation with Don Jose de Beteta: he was (for I regret to say he is since dead) a man of unimpeachable character for integrity; his abilities, though not of the first order, were respectable and adequate to the discharge of his official duties: he promised to draw up for me a report on the state of their revenue and finance, and I took the liberty of suggesting a few points with respect to the plan and contents of the proposed documents. My attention was occupied the rest of the evening by the dancers. All was over by eleven, and, in the course of half