Nostromo - A Tale of the Seaboard.pdf - Planet eBook

the table as if struck by a bullet. The next moment he sat up,confused, with the idea that he had heard his pencil rollon the floor. The low door of the cafe, wide open, was filledwith the glare of a torch in which was visible half of a horse,switching its tail against the leg of a rider with a long ironspur strapped to the naked heel. The two girls were gone,and Nostromo, standing in the middle of the room, lookedat him from under the round brim of the sombrero lowdown over his brow.‘I have brought that sour-faced English doctor in SenoraGould’s carriage,’ said Nostromo. ‘I doubt if, with all hiswisdom, he can save the Padrona this time. They have sentfor the children. A bad sign that.’He sat down on the end of a bench. ‘She wants to givethem her blessing, I suppose.’Dazedly Decoud observed that he must have fallen soundasleep, and Nostromo said, with a vague smile, that he hadlooked in at the window and had seen him lying still acrossthe table with his head on his arms. The English senora hadalso come in the carriage, and went upstairs at once withthe doctor. She had told him not to wake up Don Martinyet; but when they sent for the children he had come intothe cafe.The half of the horse with its half of the rider swunground outside the door; the torch of tow and resin in theiron basket which was carried on a stick at the saddle-bowflared right into the room for a moment, and Mrs. Gouldentered hastily with a very white, tired face. The hood of herdark, blue cloak had fallen back. Both men rose.