by Tere
-- Perhaps by the dresses by day -- madame suggested Pink, to the time that raised the muselina samples. Hours later, Regan was very excited yet the project. Pain was one that not goes to have those vestidos, because it had planned a wardrobe that would be envidia ele one princess. It had dressed muselina of all colors and designs, dresses of flat velvet and dance, dresses of street, a suit to mount that it caused grace to Regan then never had ridden and it did not have idea of how it became, pañoletas, long layers, shelters and jackets cortas, in addition to numerous nightgowns, camisoles and enaguas with embroider. When it finished, it was not left a single one fabric without using, and very few colors.
They took the lunch to them and Regan was glad of which the session finished, because it began to tire it.
-- But if as soon as we began -- madame Pink --. said This late the skinner with the sombrerero, the shoemaker and the ready-made clothier will come of gloves. And it will be necessary to take the measures to mademoiselle for everything.
-- Of course -- Regan --. sighed How I could forget it?
When advancing afternoon, already nothing astonished it. The peletero it showed skins of marta, ermine, chinchilla, beaver, lynx, fox and goat to him of angora, and Regan chose the linings, necks and fists for the shelters that already it had chosen. The shoemaker took samples from fabrics in order to dye a pair of soft slippers and without heel for each atuendo, and describió the boots of stroll that would do to him. The Pink sombrerero and madame coordinated hats and dresses, along with the gloves.
At dusk, they began to decay the energies of all, specially those of Regan. One felt bad when pensar that as much work it would be in anything because no American could pay all the clothes that she it had ordenado. It gave instructions madame Pink of which all sent his accounts to Travis before at least taking a pair from scissors, that before to begin they must have dinero in his hands. The seamstress smiled with courtesy and he affirmed that he would in the morning have the ready account to first hour.
When to the aim it was single, Regan collapsed on one chair, tired by the long day and its constant sentimiento of fault. Throughout the day had become aware of which it was a game; but those personas would get upset much when they found out that they would not receive some by all its work pays.
When it heard the sonorous steps of Travis in the escalera enough it was already gotten depressed... and everything because of him. As soon as it opened door, Regan threw a shoe to him that struck the shoulder to him.
-- What is this? -- Travis, smiling --. asked I thought that tonight you would be glad a little verme at least. You always complain to you which you do not have clothes.
—¡I have not requested to him who bought clothes to me! It does not have no right on me and, less still, for llevarme to its uncivilized country. No I think to go, hears to me? I am inglesa, and I will remain in England.
-- Where they are all your relatives and friends? -- it said Travis with irony --. I finish spending another day tratando to find out where there are passed your life, and there am no podido to find nothing. ¡Damn they are! -- it exclaimed going the hands by hair --.What class of people could querer to undo of one creature like you?
Perhaps it was the fatigue by not to have slept well and by the exhausting day, but the eyes of Regan filled of great tears crystalline. There were been so furious in the last days that it had not had time to think about which felt by the misfortune of Farrell before the idea of casarse with her and by the manifest hatred of its uncle. During days it had lived in a dream world, with the hope of which they went to rescue it, but, without a doubt, Travis had spoken with them. Perhaps Farrell and its uncle had to him said that they did not know it?
Before it could speak, Travis took it in his arms. Regan pushed it and tried to protest.
—-¡Déjeme peacefully -- it murmured weakly, but in spite of its efforts to separate it, Travis maintained it with force until the girl it sank the face in his chest and the sobs began to shake it.
Without wasting time, Travis raised it in its arms and one seated in a chair, rocking to Regan as if outside one
small.
-- Anda, cries, kitten -- it whispered --. I believe that if somebody it deserves to do it, you are you.
That attitude of Travis, that stranger who did to him love and took care of it while the people who had to do denied it his existence, made it cry with more intensity. The worse thing was the aim of its dreams of being rescatada by Farrell, to return to see loved his. Nunca would already have opportunity to demonstrate to him that it could be a good wife; now they would take a to it America against its will, and they not even would find out their partida.
When the aim the sobs began to calm down themselves,
Travis caressed the humid hair to him.
-- Quieres to tell me why you are so sad?
It could not speak to him of Farrell.
—¡Because it has prisoner to me! -- it responded with the greater one firmness that could demonstrate, and separated from hombro of Travis.
It continued caressing the hair to him and, when it returned a to speak, made with a full voice of patience and comprensión.
-- Creo that you were prisoner even before conocer to me. Of not to have been thus, they would not have left in the street like a a pile you of sweepings.
—¡Sweepings! -- Regan, indignant --. exclaimed How one dares to call to me thus?
Travis smiled to him, perplex.
--No I said that you were sweepings, but that is tratado to you like if you were it. What I do not understand is why quieres to return with which you it treats thus.
--Yo... I... nobody... -- it stammered, and returned to aflorar the tears. Travis had a very crude way to say the things.
--No is so bad to be orphaned -- Travis --. continued I it I am for a long time. Perhaps our destino is to be together.
Regan watched it, been strange. Without it hurts, in spite of which there was saying, Travis often raptaba kids and it had prisoners.
-- Creo that does not please to me what you are thinking him it prevented --. If you have some rare idea, I notice to you that I take care of what me it belongs.
-- Dice that I belong to him? -- Regan --. exclaimed ¡Hardly I know it!
Travis smiled before approaching its lips those of she.
It kissed it with as much tenderness, as much yearning, that almost without to realize, Regan embraced it.
--Me you know enough good -- Travis said, with voice it snores --. And métete in the head that you are mine.
—¡I am not hers! I...
It was interrupted when Travis began to kiss to him neck with tiny bites; Regan sighed and tipped the head.
-- You are a temptation -- it said, laughing -- and you are haciendo to me to lose many working hours. -- With firmness, it made it to go down itself of its knees.-- Would enchant I to have left to me with you, but I have subjects that to take care of and I fear that me they will occupy most at night. You knew that zarparemos the day after tomorrow?
With the low head, Regan did not respond to him. Sentía very idiot by to have reacted to its caresses with tanta rapidity and it gives. The day after tomorrow!, it thought. If it wanted to flee from him, would have to do it in a moment.
-- it do not give a goodbye kiss me? -- Travis joked, from door --. Nothing that helps there mantenerme in heat, single?
Regan took its other shoe and was thrown it, but this time Travis avoided it. Laughing, it threw key to the door and it lowered the stairs.
At least that Regan night was too fatigada in order to lose the dream, but every night the bed greater him parecía.
It woke up by a atronador sound that only could be Travis treating to walk of finishing nails by the room. It maintained the eyes closed and it pretended to sleep, even though he
one inclined and it kissed it on the cheek. When it seemed to him that Travis had left, already waited for the familiar sound
of the key to to close the door. When not oir it, it was gotten up in the bed like moved by means. One rubbed the eyes twice to make sure that what saw was certain: puerta was open wide.
Without losing a second plus, one rose of brinco, the velvet dress was put and took its shoes. With extreme sigilo, it squashed against the door when leaving and dirigió to the stairs. Since never it had seen of posada more than the interior of a single room, him sorprendió to verify the isolation of that quarter: single, at the end of one narrow and raised stairs on the foot of which, juzgar by the aromas, it found the kitchen. It stretched the neck until it threatened to break itself and it saw what it was, without a doubt, a leg of Travis with its high boot, near the foot of stairs. When it already began to lose the hopes, desde outside was heard bullicio of vehicles and horses and a man voice requesting aid. With great lightening, saw Travis run towards the door.
At a moment it lowered the stairs, crossed the kitchen almost empty where the few servants were engrossed in the actividad that was outside and, finally he left to the sun shining of
street.
It could not waste time to wear the shoes, then it knew that Travis would discover its flight in a moment. At the moment, it had to put time and distance between both if it wished to escape.
In spite of their good intentions, the feet comenzaron to hurt to him too much to continue ignoring them, and people began to watch it. It lessen the step and it saw callejón dark between two buildings. One went there and acurrucó between several drawers of fish of which a scent emanated nauseous. ¡I must think!, it was ordered, because it never knew that without a plan it could gain its freedom.
One seated in one of the wood drawers, wore shoes and tied cords to the ankles. Meanwhile it calmed its heart accelerated and it began to think about its possibilities. It needed to go to some part, to find
site where to hide until it could obtain work and, specially, a place where to hide until that American lunatic it left the country.
Sunk in its thoughts, it did not hear the shouts in street until practically being watching Travis, of perfil, with the legs been and the openhanded in the hips. Pasaron several minutes until it included/understood that it did not see it, that was only issuing orders to other people. fact that it issued orders to strangers renewed the decision of Regan to flee from he. It was curled up more than it could between the drawers, requesting that did not see it.
Even though Travis became and threw to run street down, Regan did not move, because it had a feeling that it never occurred by won. No, Travis Stanford was demasiado safe to be right to think about other people's opinions. If he were able to have captive to somebody, not it dejaría to escape without fighting. Immovable in that position incómoda, Regan tried to conceive a plan. First it would have to move away of the port, and the way to do was it to always have the sea to its backs. It smiled, thinking that that nonserious difficult, and problema believed to have solved half of his. The other problem was where it would go once one moved away of the port. If it managed to return to the Weston house, so time Matta, its old servant, adonde knew some site could go.
It seemed to him that they had spent hours whole, but sun continued shining and the bullicio of the port had not been apagado. Resorting to all its capacity of concentration it tried to ignore the cramps in legs and the pain in the back.
Twice it saw happen to Travis, and the second time estuvo I aim to call it. Perhaps outside by its body dolorido, but remembered very well the last time that was estado single in the environs of the port. Clear that then it wore only its nightgown and how could hope that you would trataran it like a a lady if she were dressed like a woman of the street? Now, with that elegant dress of terciopelo, all would see in her a lady and not they would dare to touch it.
It smiled with something more of confidence and tried to arrestar itself a little the hair. The previous day had noticed that the French seamstress and his assistants took to the hair corto, to the Greek, and she was asked if she also it would have to cortar to it. Perhaps that gave an air him of sophistication in his new life... it was as it was.
It spent the time with those ponderings and, when seeing that sun lowered, felt on the verge of embarking in a great adventure. It had saved of that horrible American and estaba in freedom to go where it wanted.
Slowly and painfully, it was gotten up and it shaken tired legs so that the blood returned to them. Once of foot, it was aware that it had the hurt feet and places setting of dry blood, and when giving the first step heridas returned to open itself.
It was armed of anger and it advanced more and more towards the street dark. A lady, remembered. It had to act like a lady and not to allow that one smallness as the lacerados and inflamed feet made it cojear. If it maintained the raised hombros and the high forehead, nobody would bother it. Nobody would dare to tease a lady.
The news that an elegant girl walked single by the harbor zone it ran like powder drip. The men who were too ebrios to have itself still on, somehow you were ingeniaron stops to leave its estupor and to go, swaying, towards there. Everything a cargamento from sailors who finished returning of viaje of three years took his bottles of rum and ran towards where, according to there were saying to them, waited for them dozens of women. Perplex, making an effort to disguise the fear, Regan it tried to ignore the men who crowded together themselves around to his in number every greater time. Algunos, with desdentadas smiles and stinking out fish and to worse things, they extended its dirty and temblorosas hands to touch velvet of its dress.
-- Never I have touched nothing so smooth -- they whispered.
-- I never lay down with a lady.
-- Crees that the ladies will do it just as the rameras?
Regan began to tighten the step more and more, esquivando the hands and the bodies that found in their way. No longer it thought about maintaining sea to its backs; único that it wanted was to escape.
The men of the port seemed to play with her as they did the night in which he wore only his nightgown. Nevertheless, those games relatively slight they stopped with the arrival of the young, viriles sailors and eager. Cuando these saw that there was a single woman instead of the fifty that there were saying to them, they became infuriated and they encauzaron his fury against that scared girl.
---Déjenme to me. I need something more than to touch his tino dress -- a vigorous young person said in lewd tone, to the time that extended one hand and terrified the shoulder of the dress of Regan.
The fabric withdrew until the chest, with which quedó in the open a cleared and smooth sine that caused that the men laughed with it delights.
-- Basta, please -- it requested Regan, retrocediendo to them, but then three pairs of hands raised falda to him and ascended by back part of its legs.
Slight --Es, yes, but has much where it must have it.
-- Basta to waste the time. Let us throw it.
Before Regan took conscience of which was I aim to happen and while oía in its mind the words of Travis about that those men would obligarían it to do what they had done both, one of marineros shoved strong to him that made it fall against the men who they were after her. With a vain effort to shout, it dealt to get up itself, but the men sujetaron under a sea of anxious hands. On her, sonrientes, they were the sailors.
-- Now we see that there is underneath that pretty skirt.
The man took the hand to the skirt of Regan, and this one him he gave a kick in the face that made it fall backwards. ¡It had the arms subjects behind the head, and as soon as the others offered the kick to him men held the ankles to him and they forced to open it the legs.
--A me you will not kick to me, girl -- another sailor laughed, while he grasped the edge of the skirt.
At a moment it was on her, smiling when seeing terror of Regan and enjoying its efforts to free itself
of the hands that held it. Right away following it flew by the air and
the shoulder clung, that to him was put red more and more. sound of the firing seemed to arrive after the sailor flew by air.
Two firings over cabezas resonated more of the men before these managed to react to which not outside his vicious avidity.
Regan, still subject by the men, repaired first in the silence of these. When they began to loosen it, it gave a kick and it released a leg. Right away it saw arrive at Travis, furious and violent. Before Regan could understand what it happened, Travis began to strike arms, necks, belts, which had by hand, with which the sailors and gentuza of the port began to fly by airs. Temblando of fear, Regan it remained immovable while the hands left their body one by one. Travis it was left of foot giving him the back, with a weapon in each hand.
-- Somebody more wants to prove luck with the lady? -- it defied.
Backing down, like the wild and cowardly dreg that they were, the sailors cursed to Travis by low it to ruin to them diversion, but no abiertamente was against the dangerous American.
Travis contained the pistols and it became towards Regan; it saw it jadear of fear and it noticed that most of its clothes was intact. With a fast movement, inclinó and rose it on its shoulder as if it dealed with a flour coat.
Almost out of breath, Regan struck it in the back.
—¡Bájeme! it demanded to him.
Travis gave a strong pat him in the rumps and, by fortune for Regan, the velvet cushioned the blow. Luego Travis did one sign to other two men who continued threatening the multitude pistols, and it was directed of return to the inn.
One of the sailors, to whom Regan had given kick in the eye, shouted to Travis that the Yankees yes knew to treat to women, and the others laughed, contentments of not to have had to fight with him. man to whom Travis
it had shot moved away, cojeando, towards the wharves. Regan did not return to say to a single word while Travis cargaba in that uncomfortable and shamefaced position, and alegró of which its long hair hid its face to the glance of the passers-by and, specially, the people of posada. When they arrived at the room that was compartido, Regan already she was ready to say to him what thought of its form to treat it: that it was not better than those rufianes of the street.
