But he was strangely lonely; the house echoed his and the servants' footfalls with an intensity that made him nervous; the pillared corridors rang with no merry girlish laughter, and the luxuriantly furnished _patio_ with its marble floors, and softly pattering fountains, seemed to mock him of his loneliness. Always before, he had left for the _estáncia_ before his family had gone to Europe or the seashore for their summer outing, and he never would have believed that he--an old soldier--could be so overcome by sentiment.
He was minded to take up his abode for the next two weeks, previous to his leaving for the country, in his widowed sister's humble home, when the splendid thought came to him;--he would bring Francisco, his nephew, there with him to the lonely house.
For some time he had been drawn towards the little fellow, partly because his heart was desolate that he had no son of his own, partly because the boy was developing so many manly traits, and reminded him frequently, when he turned his round brown eyes towards him, of his own long since fallen soldier father.
He desired to know him better, to get closer to the lad--and now this was his opportunity; he would ask Anita to let him have Francisco for the summer, and the boy would keep the empty house lively for the few days until they should both leave for his Tres Arroyas ranch. He clapped his hands sharply, and a servant appeared.
"Have Enrique bring the motor car at four, when the afternoon is cooler," he ordered, and turned to his bed-room for the _siesta_, or rest, that all tropical and semitropical climates demand of their residents.
PROMPTLY at four, the huge red machine puffed up to the front curbing. The Colonel was walking up and down in the Plaza opposite, smoking a cigarette; for when not eating or asleep, an Argentine gentleman is seldom seen without the thin, white _cigarrillo_ between his lips. He looked most distinguished in his scarlet and green uniform.
It took but a few moments to reach his sister's _casa_,[3] and the maid who answered his ring in the narrow vestibule that opened directly onto the street told him the family were having _máte_ in the _patio_, which was partly shaded in the late afternoon. He was welcomed heartily, and was kissed by each one twice, after the foreign fashion, once on either cheek.