"Jacinto, Jacinto, I say!"

"I am coming. I was saluting a friend."

"Come away, come away!" cried Florentina, in alarm. "The Penitentiary is
going up to Don Nominative's room and he will give us a blessing."

"Yes, come away; let us close the door of the dining-room."

They rushed pell-mell from the terrace.

"You might have guessed that Jacinto would see you from his temple of
learning," said Tafetan to the Troyas.

"Don Nominative is our friend," responded one of the girls. "From his
temple of science he says a great many sweet things to us on the sly,
and he blows us kisses besides."

"Jacinto?" asked the engineer. "What the deuce is that name you gave
him?"

"Don Nominative."

The three girls burst out laughing.

"We call him that because he is very learned."

"No, because when we were little he was little too. But, yes, now I
remember. We used to play on the terrace, and we could hear him studying
his lessons aloud."