Is not that so?"
"Yes, mother," said the unhappy Felipe.
He saw the meshes closing around him. He felt that there was a
flaw somewhere in his mother's reasoning, but he could not point it
out; in fact, he could hardly make it distinct to himself. His brain
was confused. Only one thing he saw clearly, and that was, that
after all had been said and done, Ramona would still marry
Alessandro. But it was evident that it would never be with his
mother's consent. "Nor with mine either, openly, the way she puts
it. I don't see how it can be; and yet I have promised Alessandro to
do all I could for him. Curse the luck, I wish he had never set foot
on the place!" said Felipe in his heart, growing unreasonable, and
tired with the perplexity.
The Senora continued: "I shall always blame myself bitterly for
having failed to see what was going on. As you say, Alessandro
has been with us a great deal since your illness, with his music,
and singing, and one thing and another; but I can truly say that I
never thought of Ramona's being in danger of looking upon him in
the light of a possible lover, any more than of her looking thus
upon Juan Canito, or Luigo, or any other of the herdsmen or
laborers.
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