They came about Arturo to proffer advice.

"Bollos," or cakes, were joyfully suggested, but Arturo refused.
An older Spanish boy, Manuel, joined the company.

He was a lazy fellow, whom a good many of the younger boys admired because he could play a guitar and because he wore cheap jewelry that seemed gorgeous to inexperienced eyes.
Manuel approved of Arturo's rejection of the cake proposition.

What good was cake?
It would be soon eaten and gone! Manuel, who was ever bent on securing any money that he could obtain without work, proposed to Arturo that he should buy a certain watch-chain owned by himself.

Manuel, who knew that the showy thing was worthless, tried to picture how a fine-looking boy like Arturo would appear with so gorgeous an ornament.