His nervous irritation had
subsided.
"You never know what may be of use," he pursued with his usual quietness
of tone and manner. "I spent a whole miserable Sunday in exploring this
crumb of land."
"A misanthropic sort of occupation," muttered Decoud, viciously. "You
had no money, I suppose, to gamble with, and to fling about amongst the
girls in your usual haunts, Capataz."
"_E vero!_" exclaimed the Capataz, surprised into the use of his native
tongue by so much perspicacity. "I had not! Therefore I did not want
to go amongst those beggarly people accustomed to my generosity. It is
looked for from the Capataz of the Cargadores, who are the rich men,
and, as it were, the Caballeros amongst the common people. I don't care
for cards but as a pastime; and as to those girls that boast of having
opened their doors to my knock, you know I wouldn't look at any one of
them twice except for what the people would say. They are queer, the
good people of Sulaco, and I have got much useful information simply by
listening patiently to the talk of the women that everybody believed
I was in love with.
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