She took pictures until in her enthusiasm she forgot herself entirely and asked Adair MacKenzie if he would please hold a little Mexican baby while she photographed it.
As soon as the question was out of her mouth, she realized that she had made a mistake.
What a torrent it brought forth! Adair MacKenzie blustered as he had never blustered before. He would see himself tied and hung before she would ever find him even touching one of those kids. Why, the idea. Did she think he was an embassador of good will, that he was down there to kiss babies and wear serapes to show that he was just one of the people. Did--d--did she think he was--why, what did she think he was? He stuttered in his surprise.
Finally, Nan and Walker and Alice and all the rest broke down in laughter, for Adair MacKenzie was certainly outdoing himself.
With this, he stopped in amazement. And they were laughing at him! "No respect any more at all," he muttered and then he laughed too.
"You, Walker, you," he took the remaining bit of his impatience out on that able young man, "you've no sense at all in that head of yours. Let the girls get out of hand all the time. Now, I'm going to take charge of the party. Had enough of your nonsense. Come on, you," he turned to Nan and the rest with this, "there'll be no more pictures today. We're going back to the hotel now."
"You'll see. Just wait. You'll see. This is my party now." So, he right-about-faced and went striding from the market with the others following him.
"A bullfight, Bess, we're going to a bullfight," Nan exclaimed as she and Bess dressed for the afternoon excursion with Adair MacKenzie.
"Why, Nancy Sherwood, I never in all the world thought you were the bloodthirsty creature that you are," Bess laughed at her pal.
"Oh, you are just the same, Elizabeth Harley," Nan returned. "When Cousin Adair told us at the luncheon table what we were going to do this afternoon, you were just as excited as the rest of us."
"I know it," Bess confessed. "But I expect to hold my ears and close my eyes through the worst parts. They do say they can be very gory spectacles with blood streaming all over everything."
"That's right," Nan admitted. "It scares me to think of that part, but I want to see it anyway." As the girls talked, they dressed, combed their hair, and then tidied up the room.