If Alessandro's, theirs. She was one of them. Ramona
would have been profoundly impressed and touched, could she
have heard them speaking among themselves about her; wondering
how it had come about that she, so beautiful, and nurtured in the
Moreno house, of which they all knew, should be Alessandro's
loving wife. It must be, they thought in their simplicity, that the
saints had sent it as an omen of good to the Indian people. Toward
night they came, bringing in a hand-barrow the most aged woman
in the village to look at her. She wished to see the beautiful
stranger before the sun went down, they said, because she was now
so old she believed each night that before morning her time would
come to die. They also wished to hear the old woman's verdict on
her. When Alessandro saw them coming, he understood, and made
haste to explain it to Ramona. While he was yet speaking, the
procession arrived, and the aged woman in her strange litter was
placed silently on the ground in front of Ramona, who was sitting
under Ysidro's great fig-tree. Those who had borne her withdrew,
and seated themselves a few paces off.
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