taken out four of each, she gently closed the door and left me wondering if it had an "open sesame" spring in the bolt; for I looked in vain for the little door, which when closed became invisible. I concluded it was a safe retreat for such articles of value in case of a revolution.
The table was spread in a bed room. We took our seats, the host at the head, but his wife did not put in an appearance, nor indeed did any other member of the family. First of all, soup was served from the kitchen in quaint, glazed pottery bowls, elaborately ornamented on the outside with vines and flowers, and on top of each bowl was a hot tortilla. Next the national puchero was brought in on plates, the tortilla in this instance, being slapped down by our plates from a fork. This removed, a kind of stew, perhaps chile guisado, which I had seen in the market—was served on plates with a narrow green rim around them, and on each was placed another hot tortilla. The next course was roast mutton, served on plates which this time had a red rim—and again a tortilla. Next came a roast of pork, filled with spices and pepper. While hot enough to make one scream, it was nevertheless, delicious. With all these courses, we were served with salsa de chili bravo (green pepper-sauce). Our host took great pains to initiate me into the merits of this sauce, but I could scarcely look at it without shedding tears copiously over its pungency. We had no vegetables, save the puchero which is described in another place; but when the last meat course was removed, we were served with a delicious quince jelly, which ended this excellent and hospitably served repast.
When dinner was over, and I was gratifying an idle curiosity by looking about the rooms, the eldest girl came in, and took her position on the floor, unrolling, as she did so, a handsome pair of slippers which she was embroidering. How strangely out of place they looked to me, in the hands of the girl seated on the earthen floor! I wondered who would be the one about those premises to wear them. But the design and the manner in which the work was executed would have been creditable in any country.
The extreme nicety and regularity with which the Mexican women,
