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 girls together, Cecilia and I. Do you think she will come soon?"

"She is here now, Doña Carlota. I am Cecilia."

"You Cecilia? Yes, but forgive my fright; I did not know you at the first word. But now, but now!"

"No wonder you did not know me, fat, monstrous animal!"

Cecilia, standing before her visitor, bent to bring her face near. She was rude, insulting, triumphant in her belief that the day of liberty had arrived.

"But now, dear little Cecilia, but now," Doña Carlota whimpered, abasing herself in her cowardly, foolish, unsubstantial heart before this poor creature whom she had, but a moment ago, patronized a little openly, and secretly despised in her superiority.

"No, you did not know me, Doña Carlota, because work has made me old, and a hard master has made me lame; because hunger and tears have scratched my face, and sorrow has made me gray. No, you did not know me, Doña Carlota. All the years that you lived here in Don Abrahan's house you did not have a word of remembrance of the days when we played together, little girls, when I was too small to work and you were too young to be fat."

"I do remember, dear Cecilia."

"And so do I remember. You were a stingy, greedy, selfish little pig, just a little picture of the