The Brigand Author:Alexandre Dumas Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: hand a plate on which was a glass of Xeres, and in the other a freshly opened bottle; behind him came Gil with a table-cloth, napkins, and a pile of plates; last... more »ly, behind Gil, was Amapola, concealed behind an armful of the brilliant-colored flowers which have no equivalent in French horticulture, but are so common in Andalusia that I have been unable even to learn their names. " Make a bouquet of the best flowers, my girl," said the cavalier, " and give me the others." Amapola selected the finest specimens, and asked when,the bouquet was completed,— " Will that do ? " "Perfectly," said the traveller; "now tie it." The young girl looked about for a piece of string or thread. But the traveller took from his pocket a gold and purple ribbon with which he had apparently provided himself for the purpose, and . cut off a piece of it with his dagger. Then he gave the ribbon to Amapola, who tied the bouquet, and, in accordance with the young man's orders, placed it on one of the two plates which Gil had placed on the principal table. He then set about scattering the other flowers on the floor with his own hands, in such way as to make a flower-strewn path from the courtyard door to the table, like the path prepared for the Blessed Sacrament on Corpus Christi Day. After which he called the host and said,— " My friend, here is a gold philip for the trouble I have caused you." The host bowed. " Now," continued the young gentleman, " if Don Inigo Velasco de Haro asks you who ordered his dinner,you will say that it was a man whose name you do not know. If Dona Flor asks you who strewed these flowers for her, who prepared this bouquet, who burned these essences, you will reply that it was her love courier, Don Ramiro d'Avila." And, leaping lightly upon his...« less