Idolina had no friends among the girls her own age. On one occasion, Don José María Velasco’s daughter, a very devout young lady dedicated to the practice of charitable works, wanted to pay a visit to the invalid. Isabel and Leonardo received her in the parlor with a courtesy that did not quite conceal their coldness, and drew out a conversation that was difficult, languid with silences and frequently extinguished. Estela Velasco waited in vain to be invited to go to Idolina’s room. She even courted the invitation by alluding several times to the girl’s health and the contribution that the affection of someone the same age and of the same class could make to her recovery. A friend, she explained; because solitude isn’t good for anyone. But the Cifuentes couple let the allusion drop with their most hermetic smiles.

Estela left the house and went directly to the home of His Excellency, Don Alfonso Cañaveral, to recount the failure of her initiative.

But at heart Isabel was not indifferent to Estela’s reflections, which moved her to visit her daughter’s bedside three or four times. She left it feeling unhappy with conversations in which every word had a wounding edge of reproach. Isabel thought it would be best for both of them to suspend their interviews. Now she only sent things to the invalid’s room, things she thought might distract her. Among those things was a deck of cards.

Idolina and Teresa didn’t know the rules of any card game and every match was the occasion for disputes. Idolina finally took over the deck and excluded her wet-nurse altogether to embark on games of solitaire in which the cards were identified with flesh-and-blood people. The king of swords, for example, corresponded to her stepfather because both suggested cruelty, power and harm.) The wench of doubloons was her mother and the horse of clubs was the current attending physician. Idolina grouped them in strange conversations and gave them voices so they could carry! on dialogues in which she gave vent to an imagination fired by bitterness and isolation.

The Indian woman witnessed these ravings with a jealous unease. Pretending to pay no attention, she withdrew to a comer of the room where a brazier was always burning. As she watched ¡ the embers, Teresa had the idea of talking to herself in an unintelligible and continuous drone.

It didn’t take much to arouse the sick girl’s curiosity and even ; less to make her feel cheated of the devotion that was her due. Taking her eyes off the cards she cast them on the still form of the Indian woman, deep in whispering contemplation.