"I need to sell some wool," the boy told the merchant.

The shop was busy, and the man asked the shepherd to wait until the afternoon.

So the boy sat on the steps of the shop and took a book from his bag.

"I didn't know shepherds knew how to read," said a girl's voice behind him.

The girl was typical of the region of Andalusia, with flowing black hair, and eyes that vaguely recalled the Moorish conquerors.

"Well, usually I learn more from my sheep than from books," he answered.

During the two hours that they talked, she told him she was the merchant's daughter, and spoke of life in the village, where each day was like all the others.

The shepherd told her of the Andalusian countryside, and related the news from the other towns where he had stopped.

It was a pleasant change from talking to his sheep.

"How did you learn to read?" the girl asked at one point.