Kabanata Kabanata 10 · THE JEALOUS ESTRAMADURAN

Not many years ago there issued from a town in Estramadura a hidalgo

nobly born, who, like another prodigal son, went about various parts of

Spain, Italy, and Flanders, squandering his years and his wealth. At

last, after long peregrinations, his parents being dead and his fortune

spent, he made his appearance in the great city of Seville, where he

found abundant opportunity to get rid of the little he had left. Finding

himself then so bare of money, and not better provided with friends, he

adopted the remedy to which many a spendthrift in that city has

recourse; that is, to betake themselves to the Indies, the refuge of the

despairing sons of Spain, the church of the homeless, the asylum of

homicides, the haven of gamblers and cheats, the general receptacle for

loose women, the common centre of attraction for many, but effectual

resource of very few. A fleet being about to sail for Tierrafirma, he

agreed with the admiral for a passage, got ready his sea-stores and his

shroud of Spanish grass cloth, and embarking at Cadiz, gave his

benediction to Spain, intending never to see it again. The fleet slipped

from its moorings, and, amidst the general glee of its living freight,

the sails were spread to the soft and prosperous gale, which soon wafted

them out of sight of land into the wide domains of the great father of

waters, the ocean.

Our passenger now became very thoughtful, revolving in his memory the

many and various dangers he had passed in the years of his

peregrinations, and the thriftless conduct he had pursued all his life

long. The result of the account to which he thus called himself was a

firm resolution to change his way of life, to keep a much better hold of

whatever wealth God might yet be pleased to bestow upon him, and to

behave with more reserve towards women than he had hitherto done.

The fleet was nearly becalmed whilst the mind of Felipe de Carrizales

was actuated by these reflections. The wind soon after rose and became

so boisterous that Carrizales had enough to do to keep on his legs, and

was obliged to leave off his meditations, and concern himself only with

the affairs of his voyage. It was so prosperous that they arrived

without check or accident at the port of Cartagena. To shorten the

introduction of my narrative and avoid all irrelevant matter, I content

myself with saying that Felipe was about eight-and-forty years of age

when he went to the Indies, and that in the twenty years he remained

there he succeeded, by dint of industry and thrift, in amassing more

than a hundred and fifty thousand crowns. Seeing himself once more rich

and prosperous, he was moved by the natural desire, which all men

experience, to return to his native country. Rejecting therefore great

opportunities for profit which presented themselves to him, he quitted

Peru, where he had amassed his wealth, turned all his money into ingots,

and putting it on board a registered ship, to avoid accidents, returned

to Spain, landed at San Lucar, and arrived at Seville, loaded alike with

years and riches.

Having placed his property in safety, he went in search of his friends,

and found they were all dead. He then thought of retiring to his native

place, and ending his days there, although he had ascertained that death

had not left him one survivor of his kindred; and if, when he went to

the Indies poor and needy, he had no rest from the thoughts that

distracted him in the midst of the wide ocean, he was now no less

assailed by care, but from a different cause. Formerly his poverty would

not let him sleep, and now his wealth disturbed his rest; for riches are

as heavy a burden to one who is not used to them, or knows not how to

employ them, as indigence to one who is continually under its pressure.

Money and the want of it alike bring care; but in the one case the

acquisition of a moderate quantity affords a remedy; the other case

grows worse by further acquisition. Carrizales contemplated his ingots

with anxiety, not as a miser, for, during the few years he had been a

soldier, he had learned to be liberal; but from not knowing what to do

with them; for to hoard them was unprofitable, and keeping them in his

house was offering a temptation to thieves. On the other hand, all

inclination for resuming the anxious life of traffic had died out in

him, and at his time of life his actual wealth was more than enough for

the rest of his days. He would fain have spent them in his native place,

put out his money there to interest, and passed his old age in peace and

quiet, giving what he could to God, since he had given more than he

ought to the world. He considered, however, that the penury of his

native place was great, the inhabitants very needy, and that to go and

live there would be to offer himself as a mark for all the importunities

with which the poor usually harass a rich neighbour, especially when

there is only one in the place to whom they can have recourse in their

distress.

He wanted some one to whom he might leave his property after his death,

and with that view, taking measure of the vigour of his constitution, he

concluded that he was not yet too old to bear the burthen of matrimony.

But immediately on conceiving this notion, he was seized with such a

terrible fear as scattered it like a mist before the wind. He was

naturally the most jealous man in the world, even without being married,

and the mere thought of taking a wife called up such horrible spectres

before his imagination that he resolved by all means to remain a

bachelor.

That point was settled; but it was not yet settled what he should do

with the rest of his life, when it chanced that, passing one day through

a street, he looked up and saw at a window a young girl apparently about

thirteen or fourteen, with a face so very handsome and so very pleasing

in its expression, that poor old Carrizales was vanquished at once, and

surrendered without an effort to the charms of the beautiful Leonora,

for that was the girl's name. Without more ado, he began to string

together a long train of arguments to the following effect:--"This girl

is very handsome, and to judge from the appearance of the house, her

parents cannot be rich. She is almost a child too; assuredly a wife of

her age could not give a husband any uneasiness. Let me see: say that I

marry her; I will keep her close at home, I will train her up to my own

hand, and so fashion her to my wishes that she will never have a thought

beyond them! I am not so old but that I may yet hope to have children to

inherit my wealth. Whether she brings me any dower or not is a matter of

no consideration, since Heaven has given me enough for both, and rich

people should not look for money with a wife, but for enjoyment, for

that prolongs life, whereas jarring discontent between married people

makes it wear out faster than it would do otherwise. So be it then; the

die is cast, and this is the wife whom heaven destines me to have."

Having thus soliloquised, not once but a hundred times on that day, and

the two or three following, Carrizales had an interview with Leonora's

parents, and found that, although poor, they were persons of good birth.

He made known his intention to them, acquainted them with his condition

and fortune, and begged them very earnestly to bestow their daughter

upon him in marriage. They required time to consider his proposal, and

to give him also an opportunity to satisfy himself that their birth and

quality was such as they had stated.

The parties took leave of each other, made the necessary inquiries,

found them satisfactory on both sides, and finally Leonora was betrothed

to Carrizales, who settled upon her twenty thousand ducats, so hotly

enamoured was the jealous old bridegroom. But no sooner had he

pronounced the conjugal "yes," than he was all at once assailed by a

host of rabid fancies; he began to tremble without cause and to find his

cares and anxieties come thicker and faster upon him than ever. The

first proof he gave of his jealous temper was, in resolving that no

tailor should take measure of his betrothed for any of the many wedding

garments he intended to present her. Accordingly, he went about looking

for some other woman, who might be nearly of the same height and figure

as Leonora. He found a poor woman, who seemed suitable for his purpose,

and having had a gown made to her measure, he tried it on his betrothed,

found that it fitted well, and gave orders that it should serve as a

pattern for all the other dresses, which were so many and so rich that

the bride's parents thought themselves fortunate beyond measure, in

having obtained for themselves and their daughter a son-in-law and a

husband so nobly munificent. As for Leonora, she was at her wit's end

with amazement at the sight of such gorgeous finery, for the best she

had ever worn in her life had been but a serge petticoat and a silk

jacket.

The second proof of jealousy given by Felipe was, that he would not

consummate his marriage until he had provided a house after his own

fancy, which he arranged in this singular manner. He bought one for

twelve thousand ducats, in one of the best wards of the city, with a

fountain and pond, and a garden well stocked with orange trees. He put

screens before all the windows that looked towards the street, leaving

them no other prospect than the sky, and did much the same with all the

others in the house. In the gateway next the street, he erected a stable

for a mule, and over it a straw loft, and a room for an old black

eunuch, who was to take care of the mule. He raised the parapets round

the flat roof of the house so high, that nothing could be seen above

them but the sky, and that only by turning one's face upwards. In the

inner door, opening from the gateway upon the quadrangle, he fixed a

turning box like that of a convent, by means of which articles were to

be received from without. He furnished the house in a sumptuous style,

such as would have become the mansion of a great lord; and he bought

four white slave girls, whom he branded in the face, and two negresses.

For the daily supplies of his establishment he engaged a purveyor, who

was to make all the necessary purchases, but was not to sleep in the

house or ever enter it further than to the second door, where he was to

deposit what he had brought in the turning box. Having made these

arrangements, Carrizales invested part of his money in sundry good

securities; part he placed in the bank, and the rest he kept by him to

meet any emergencies that might arise. He also had a master key made for

his whole house; and he laid up a whole year's store of all such things

as it is usual to purchase in bulk at their respective seasons; and

everything being now ready to his mind, he went to his father-in-law's

house and claimed his bride, whom her parents delivered up to him with

no few tears, for it seemed to them as if they were giving her up for

burial.

Leonora knew not, poor young creature, what was before her, but she shed

tears because she saw her parents weep, and taking leave of them with

their blessing, she went to her new home, her husband leading her by the

hand, and her slaves and servants attending her. On their arrival

Carrizales harangued all his domestics, enjoining them to keep careful

watch over Leonora, and by no means, on any pretence whatsoever, to

allow anybody to enter within the second gate, not even the black

eunuch. But the person whom above all others he charged with the safe

keeping and due entertainment of his wife was a dueña of much prudence

and gravity, whom he had taken to be Leonora's monitress, and

superintendent of the whole house, and to command the slaves and two

other maidens of Leonora's age whom he had also added to his family,

that his wife might not be without companions of her own years. He

promised them all that he would treat them so well, and take such care

for their comfort and gratification, that they should not feel their

confinement, and that on holidays they should every one of them without

exception be allowed to go to mass; but so early in the morning that

daylight itself should scarcely have a chance of seeing them. The

servant maids and the slaves promised to obey all his orders cheerfully

and with prompt alacrity and the bride, with a timid shrinking of her

shoulders, bowed her head, and said that she had no other will than that

of her lord and spouse, to whom she always owed obedience.

Having thus laid down the law for the government of his household, the

worthy Estramaduran began to enjoy, as well as he could, the fruits of

matrimony, which, to Leonora's inexperienced taste, were neither

sweet-flavoured nor insipid. Her days were spent with her dueña, her

damsels, and her slaves, who, to make the time pass more agreeably, took

to pampering their palates, and few days passed in which they did not

make lots of things in which they consumed a great deal of honey and

sugar. Their master gladly supplied them with all they could wish for in

that way without stint, for by that means he expected to keep them

occupied and amused, so that they should have no time to think of their

confinement and seclusion. Leonora lived on a footing of equality with

her domestics, amused herself as they did, and even in her simplicity

took pleasure in dressing dolls and other childish pastime. All this

afforded infinite satisfaction to the jealous husband; it seemed to him

that he had chosen the best way of life imaginable, and that it was not

within the compass of human art or malice to trouble his repose:

accordingly his whole care was devoted to anticipating his wife's wishes

by all sorts of presents, and encouraging her to ask for whatever came

into her head, for in everything it should be his pleasure to gratify

her.

On the days she went to mass, which as we have said was before daylight,

her parents attended at church and talked with their daughter in

presence of her husband, who made them such liberal gifts as mitigated

the keenness of their compassion for the secluded life led by their

daughter. Carrizales used to get up in the morning and watch for the

arrival of the purveyor, who was always made aware of what was wanted

for the day by means of a note placed over-night in the turning box.

After the purveyor had come and gone, Carrizales used to go abroad,

generally on foot, locking both entrance doors behind him--that next the

street, and that which opened on the quadrangle,--and leaving the negro

shut up between them. Having despatched his business, which was not

much, he speedily returned, shut himself up in his house, and occupied

himself in making much of his wife and her handmaids, who all liked him

for his placid and agreeable humour, and above all for his great

liberality towards them. In this way they passed a year of novitiate,

and made profession of that manner of life, resolved every one of them

to continue in it to the end of their days; and so it would have been,

if the crafty perturber of the human race had not brought their chaste

purposes to nought, as you shall presently hear.

Now, I ask the most long-headed and wary of my readers, what more could

old Felipe have done in the way of taking precautions for his security,

since he would not even allow that there should be any male animal

within his dwelling? No tom-cat ever persecuted its rats, nor was the

barking of a dog ever heard within its walls; all creatures belonging to

it were of the feminine gender. He took thought by day, and by night he

did not sleep; he was himself the patrol and sentinel of his house, and

the Argus of what he held dear. Never did a man set foot within the

quadrangle; he transacted his business with his friends in the street;

the pictures that adorned his rooms were all female figures, flowers, or

landscapes; his whole dwelling breathed an odour of propriety,

seclusion, and circumspection; the very tales which the maid servants

told by the fireside in the long winter nights, being told in his

presence, were perfectly free from the least tinge of wantonness. Her

aged spouse's silver hairs seemed in Leonora's eyes locks of pure gold;

for the first love known by maidens imprints itself on their hearts like

a seal on melted wax. His inordinate watchfulness seemed to her no more

than the due caution of an experienced and judicious man. She was fully

persuaded that the life she led was the same as that led by all married

women. Her thoughts never wandered beyond the walls of her dwelling, nor

had she a wish that was not the same as her husband's. It was only on

the days she went to mass that she set eyes on the streets, and that was

so early in the morning, that except on the way home she had not light

to look about her. Never was there seen a convent more closely barred

and bolted; never were nuns kept more recluse, or golden apples better

guarded; and yet for all his precautions poor Felipe could not help

falling into the pit he dreaded,--or at least believing that he had so

fallen.

There is in Seville an idle pleasure-seeking class of people who are

commonly called men on town,[80] a sauntering, sprucely dressed,

mellifluous race, always finding means to make, themselves welcome at

rich men's feasts. Of these people, their manners and customs, and the

laws they observe among themselves, I should have much to say, but

abstain from it for good reasons. One of these gallants, a bachelor,--or

a _virote_, as such persons are called in their jargon, the newly

married being styled _matones_,--took notice of the house of Carrizales,

and seeing it always shut close, he was curious to know who lived there.

He set about this inquiry with such ardour and ingenuity, that he failed

not to obtain all the information he desired. He learned the character

and habits of the old man, the beauty of Leonora, and the singular

method adopted by her husband in order to keep her safe. All this

inflamed him with desire to see if it would not be possible, by force or

stratagem, to effect the reduction of so well-guarded a fortress. He

imparted his thoughts to three of his friends, and they all agreed that

he should go to work, for in such an enterprise no one lacks counsellors

to aid and abet him. At first they were at a loss how to set about so

difficult an exploit; but after many consultations they agreed upon the

following plan:--Loaysa (so the virote was named) disappeared from

among his friends, giving out that he was leaving Seville for some time.

Then drawing on a pair of linen drawers and a clean shirt, he put over

them a suit of clothes so torn and patched, that the poorest beggar in

the city would have disdained to wear such rags. He shaved off the

little beard he had, covered one of his eyes with a plaster, tied up one

of his legs, and hobbling along on two crutches, appeared so completely

metamorphosed into a lame beggar, that no real cripple could have looked

less of a counterfeit than he.

[80] "Men on town," _gente de barrio_, literally, people of the ward or

quarter.

In this guise he posted himself closely at the hour of evening prayer

before the door of Carrizales' house, which was fast shut, and Luis the

negro locked up between the two doors. Having taken up his position

there, Loaysa produced a greasy guitar, wanting some of its strings, and

as he was something of a musician, he began to play a few lovely airs,

and to sing Moorish ballads in a feigned voice, with so much expression

that all who were passing through the street stopped to listen. The boys

all made a ring round him when he sang, and Luis the negro, enchanted by

the virote's music, would have given one of his hands to be able to open

the door, and listen to him more at his ease, such is the fondness for

music inherent in the negro race. When Loaysa wanted to get rid of his

audience, he had only to cease singing, put up his guitar, and hobble

away on his crutches.

Loaysa four or five times repeated this serenade to the negro, for whose

sake alone he played and sang, thinking that the way to succeed in his

sap and siege was to begin by making sure of old Luis; nor was his

expectation disappointed. One night when he had taken his place as usual

before the door, and had begun to time his guitar, perceiving that the

negro was already on the alert, he put his lips to the key-hole and

whispered, "Can you give me a drop of water, Luis? I am dying with

thirst, and can't sing."

"No," said the negro, "for I have not the key of this door, and there is

no hole through which I can give you drink."

"Who keeps the key, then?"

"My master, who is the most jealous man in the world; and if he knew

that I was now talking here with any one, it were pity of my life. But

who are you who ask me for water?"

"I am a poor cripple, who get my bread by asking alms of all good people

in God's name; besides which I teach the guitar to some moriscoes, and

other poor people. Among my pupils I have three negroes, slaves to three

aldermen, whom I have taught so well that they are fit to sing and play

at dance or in any tavern, and they have paid me for it very well

indeed."

"A deal better would I pay you to have the opportunity of taking

lessons; but it is not possible, for when my master goes out in the

morning he locks the door behind him, and he does the same when he comes

in, leaving me shut up between two doors."

"I vow to God, Luis, if you would only contrive to let me in a few

nights to give you lessons, in less than a fortnight I would make you

such a dabster at the guitar, that you need not be ashamed to play at

any street corner; for I would have you to know that I have an

extraordinary knack in teaching; moreover, I have heard tell that you

have a very promising capacity, and from what I can judge from the tone

of your voice, you must sing very well."

"I don't sing; badly; but what good is that since I don't know any

tunes, except the 'Star of Venus,' or, 'In the green meadow,' or the

tune that is now so much in vogue, 'Clinging to her grated window, with

a trembling hand?'"

"All these are moonshine to what I could teach you, for I know all the

ballads of the Moor Abendaraez, with those of his lady Xarifa, and all

those comprising the history of the grand sofi Tomunibeyo, and the

divine sarabands which enchant the souls of the Portuguese themselves,

among whom they are most in vogue; and all these I teach by such methods

and with such facility, that almost before you have swallowed three or

four bushels of salt, you will find yourself an out-and-out performer in

every kind of guitar music."

"What's the good of all that," (here the negro sighed heavily,) "since I

can't get you into the house?"

"There's a remedy for all things: contrive to take the keys from your

master, and I will give you a piece of wax, with which you may take an

impression of the wards, for I have taken such a liking to you, I will

get a locksmith, a friend of mine, to make new keys, and then I can come

in at night and teach you to play better than Prester John in the

Indies. It is a thousand pities that a voice like yours should be lost

for want of the accompaniment of the guitar; for I would have you to

know, brother Luis, that the finest voice in the world loses its

perfection when it is not accompanied by some instrument, be it guitar

or harpsichord, organ or harp; but the instrument that will suit your

voice best is the guitar, because it is the handiest and the least

costly of all."

"All that is very good; but the thing can't be done, for I never get

hold of the keys, nor does my master ever let them out of his keeping;

day and night they sleep under his pillow."

"Well, then, there's another thing you may do, if so be you have made up

a mind to be a first-rate musician; if you haven't, I need not bother

myself with advising you."

"Have a mind, do you say? Ay, and to that degree that there is nothing I

wouldn't do, if it were possible anyhow, for sake of being able to play

music."

"Well, if that's the case, you have only to scrape away a little mortar

from the gate-post near the hinge, and I will give you, through that

opening, a pair of pincers and a hammer, with which you may by night

draw out the nails of the staple, and we can easily put that to rights

again, so that no one will ever suspect that the lock was opened. Once

shut up with you in your loft, or wherever you sleep, I will go to work

in such style that you will turn out even better than I said, to my own

personal advantage, and to the increase of your accomplishments. You

need not give yourself any concern about what we shall have to eat. I

will bring enough to last us both for more than a week, for I have

pupils who will not let me be pinched."

"As for that matter we are all right; for with what my master allows me,

and the leavings brought me by the slave-girls, we should have enough

for two more besides ourselves. Only bring the hammer and pincers, and I

will make an opening close to the hinge, through which you may pass them

in, and I will stop it up again with mud. I will take the fastenings out

of the lock, and even should it be necessary to give some loud knocks,

my master sleeps so far off from this gate, that it must be either a

miracle or our extraordinary ill luck if he hears them."

"Well, then, with the blessing of God, friend Luis, in two days from

this time you shall have everything necessary for the execution of your

laudable purpose. Meanwhile, take care not to eat such things as are apt

to make phlegm, for they do the voice no good, but a deal of harm."

"Nothing makes me so hoarse so much as wine, but I would not give it up

for all the voices above ground."

"Don't think I would have you do so; God forbid! Drink, Luis my boy,

drink; and much good may it do you, for wine drunk in measure never did

any one harm."

"I always drink in measure. I have a jug here that holds exactly three

pints and a half. The girls fill this for me unknown to my master, and

the purveyor brings me on the sly a bottle holding a good gallon, which

makes up for the deficiency of the jug."

"That's the way to live, my boy, for a dry throat can neither grunt nor

sing."

"Well, go your ways now, and God be with you; but don't forget to come

and sing here every night until such time as you bring the tools for

getting you within doors. My fingers itch to be at the guitar."

"I'll come, never fear, and I'll bring some new tunes too."

"Ay, do; but before you go away now, sing me something that I may go to

sleep pleasantly; and for the matter of payment, be it known to the

_señor pobre_ that I will be more liberal than many a rich man."

"Oh, I ain't uneasy on that score. If you think I teach you well, I will

leave it to yourself to pay me accordingly. And now I'll just sing you

one song, but when I am inside you will see wonders."

Here ended this long dialogue, and Loaysa sang a sprightly ditty with

such good effect, that the negro was in ecstacies, and felt as if the

time for opening the door would never arrive.

Having finished his song, Loaysa took his departure, and set off at a

rounder pace than might have been expected of a man on crutches, to

report to his friends what a good beginning he had made. He told them

what he had concerted with the negro, and the following day they

procured tools of the right sort, fit to break any fastening as if it

was made of straw. The virote failed not to serenade the negro, nor the

latter to scrape at the gate-post till he had made a sufficiently wide

hole, which he plastered up so well, that no one could perceive it

unless he searched for it on purpose. On the second night Loaysa passed

in the tools, Luis went to work with them, whipped off the staple in a

trice, opened the door, and let in his Orpheus. Great was his surprise

to see him on his two crutches, with such a distorted leg, and in such a

tattered plight. Loaysa did not wear the patch over his eye, for it was

not necessary, and as soon as he entered he embraced his pupil, kissed

him on the cheek, and immediately put into his hand a big jar of wine, a

box of preserves, and other sweet things, with which his wallet was well

stored. Then throwing aside his crutches, he began to cut capers, as if

nothing ailed him, to the still greater amazement of the negro.

"You must know, brother Luis," said Loaysa, "that my lameness does not

come of natural infirmity, but from my own ingenious contrivance,

whereby I get my bread, asking alms for the love of God. In this way,

and with the help of my music, I lead the merriest life in the world,

where others, with less cleverness and good management, would be starved

to death. Of this you will be convinced in the course of our

friendship."

"We shall see," said the negro; "but now let us put this staple back in

its place, so that it may not appear that it has been moved."

"Very good," said Loaysa, and taking out some nails from his wallet, he

soon made the lock seem as secure as ever, to the great satisfaction of

the negro, who, taking him at once to his loft, made him as comfortable

there as he could. Luis lighted a lamp; Loaysa took up his guitar, and

began to strike the chords softly and sweetly, so that the poor negro

was transported with delight. After he had played awhile, he drew forth

a fresh supply of good things for a collation, which they partook of

together, and the pupil applied himself so earnestly to the bottle that

it took away his senses still more than the music had done. Supper over,

Loaysa proposed that Luis should take his first lesson at once; and

though the poor negro was too much fuddled to distinguish one string

from another, Loaysa made him believe that he had already learnt at

least two notes. So persuaded was the poor fellow of this, that he did

nothing all night but jangle and strum away. They had but a short sleep

that night. In the morning, just on the strike of six, Carrizales came

down, opened both entrance doors, and stood waiting for the purveyor,

who came soon afterwards; and after depositing the day's supplies in the

turning-box, called the negro down to receive his ration and oats for

the mule. After the purveyor was gone, old Carrizales went out, locking

both doors after him, without having seen what had been done to the lock

of one of them, whereat both master and pupil rejoiced not a little.

No sooner was the master of the house gone, than the negro laid hold on

the guitar, and began to scrape it in such a manner, that all the

servant maids came to the second door, and asked him, through the

turning-box, "What is this, Luis? How long have you had a guitar? Who

gave it you?"

"Who gave it me? The best musician in the world, and one who is to teach

me in six days more than six thousand tunes!"

"Where is he, this musician?" said the dueña.

"He is not far off," replied the negro; "and if it were not for fear of

my master, perhaps I would tell you where at once, and I warrant you

would be glad to see him."

"But where can he be for us to see him," returned the dueña, "since no

one but our master ever enters this house?"

"I will not tell you any more about the matter till you have heard what

I can do, and how much he has taught me in this short time."

"By my troth, unless he is a demon who has taught you, I don't know how

you can have become a musician all at once."

"Stop a bit and you shall hear him, and mayhap you will see him too some

day."

"That can't be," said another of the women, "for there are no windows on

the street through which we could hear or see anybody."

"Never mind" said the negro; "there's a remedy for everything but

death. If you only could or would keep silence--"

"Keep silence! Ay that we will, brother Luis, as if we were born dumb. I

give you my word, friend, I am dying to hear a good voice, for ever

since we have been shut up here we have not even heard the birds sing."

Loaysa listened with great inward glee to this conversation, which

showed how readily the women were taking the very bent he would have

given them. The negro was afraid lest his master should return and catch

him talking with them; but they would not go away until he had promised

that, when they least expected it, he would call them to hear a capital

voice. He then retreated to his loft, where he would gladly have resumed

his lessons, but durst not do so by day for fear of detection. His

master returned soon after and went into the house, locking both doors

behind him as usual. When Luis went that day to the turning-box for his

victuals, he told the negress, who brought them, to let her

fellow-servants know that when their master was asleep that night, they

should all of them come down to the turning-box, when he would be sure

to give them the treat he had promised. He was enabled to say so much,

having previously entreated his music-master to condescend to sing and

play that night before the inner door for the amusement of the women.

The maestro suffered himself to be pressed very hard to do the thing he

most desired, but after much seeming reluctance he at last yielded to

the solicitations of his esteemed pupil, and said he would be happy to

oblige him. The negro embraced him cordially, in testimony of his

grateful sense of the promised favour, and treated him that day to as

good cheer as he could possibly have had at home, or perhaps better.

Towards midnight Luis knew, by the signals cautiously given at the

turning-box, that the women were all there; whereupon he and Loaysa went

down from the loft with the guitar, complete in all its strings and well

tuned. The maestro asked how many were there to hear him, and was told

that all the women in the house were there, except their lady, who was

in bed with her husband. This was not what Loaysa wished for,

nevertheless, by way of making a beginning and obliging his pupil, he

touched the guitar softly, and drew from it such tones as ravished the

ears of his audience. But who could describe the delight of the women

when he sang _Pesame de ello_, and followed it up with the magic strains

of the saraband, then new in Spain? There was not one of them that did

not keep time to the music as if she were dancing like mad, but all

noiselessly and with extreme caution, keeping scouts on the watch to

warn them if the old man awoke. Loaysa finally played them several

seguidillas, and so put the climax to his success, that they all eagerly

begged the negro to tell them who was this marvellous musician. Luis

replied that he was a poor beggar, but the most gallant and genteel man

in all the back slums of Seville. They conjured the negro to contrive

some means that they might see him, and not to let him quit the house

for a fortnight, for they would take care to supply him with the best of

good cheer, and plenty of it. They were curious to know how Luis had

managed to get him into the house; but to this the negro made no reply.

For the rest he told them that if they wanted to see the maestro, they

might bore a small hole in the turning-box and afterwards stop it up

with wax; and that as for keeping him in the house, he would do his

best.

Loaysa then addressed them, and offered them his services in such

obliging and polite terms, that they were sure such fine language never

came out of the head of a poor beggar. They entreated he would come the

next night, and they would prevail on their lady to come down and hear

him, in spite of the light sleep of her lord and master--the result not

so much of his age as of his extreme jealousy. Loaysa replied that if

they wished to hear him without fear of being surprised by the old man,

he would give them a powder to put in his wine, which would make him

sleep more soundly. "Good heaven!" cried one of the damsels, "if that

were true, what a blessing would have come home to us without our

knowing or deserving it! It would not be a sleeping powder for him so

much as it would be a powder of life for all of us, and for my poor dear

lady, Leonora his wife, to whom he sticks as close as her shadow, never

losing sight of her for a moment. Ah, señor of my soul! bring that

powder, and may God reward you with all the good you can desire. Go!

don't lose a moment--bring it, señor mio; I will take it upon me to put

it in his wine and to be his cupbearer. Oh, that it might please God

that the old man should sleep three days and nights! Three glorious days

and nights they would be for us."

"Well, I'll bring it then," said Loaysa. "It is of such a nature that it

does no harm to the person who takes it; the only effect of it being to

cause a most profound sleep."

They all entreated him to bring it without delay, and then they took

their leave of him, after agreeing that on the following night they

would make a hole in the turning-box with a gimlet, and that they would

try and persuade their mistress to come down. By this time it was nearly

daylight, yet the negro wished to take a lesson. Loaysa complied with

his desire, and assured him that among all the pupils he had ever

taught, he had not known one with a finer ear; and yet the poor negro

could never, to the end of his days, have learned the gamut.

Loaysa's friends took care to come at night to Carrizales' door to see

if their friend had any instructions to give them, or wanted anything.

On the second night, when they had made him aware of their presence by a

preconcerted signal, he gave them, through the key-hole, a brief account

of the prosperous beginning he had made, and begged they would try and

get him something to be given to Carrizales to make him sleep. He had

heard, he said, that there were powders which produced that effect. They

told him they had a friend, a physician, who would give them the best

drug for that purpose if he happened to have it; and after encouraging

him to persist in the enterprise, and promising to return on the

following night, they left him.

Presently the whole flock of doves came to the lure of the guitar, and

among them was the simple Leonora, trembling for fear her husband should

awake. So great was her dread of his discovering her absence, that her

women had great difficulty in persuading her to make the hazardous

venture. But they all, especially the dueña, told her such wonderful

things of the sweetness of the music, and the engaging manners of the

poor musician, whom, without having seen him, they extolled above

Absalom and Orpheus, that they persuaded her to do what she would never

have done of her own accord. Their first act was to bore a hole in the

turning-box through which they might peep at the musician, who was no

longer clad in rags, but in wide breeches of buff silk, cut sailor

fashion, a jacket of the same material, a satin cap to match, and a

starched double-pointed ruff, all which he had brought in his wallet,

expecting that he would have to show himself on an occasion which would

require him to change his costume. Loaysa was young, good-looking, and

of pleasing deportment; and as the eyes of all the women had been so

long accustomed only to the sight of old Carrizales, they fancied as

they looked at Loaysa that they beheld an angel.

Each of them took her turn at the peephole, and that they might see him

the better, the negro stood by him with a lighted flambeau, which he

moved up and down before the maestro's body. After all the women, from

the lady of the house down to the two negresses, had thus gratified

their eyes, Loaysa took his guitar, and played and sang more

bewitchingly than ever. Leonora's women were bewildered with delight,

and all besought Luis to contrive so that the señor maestro should come

in through the inner door, so that they might hear and see him better,

instead of squinting at him through a gimlet-hole, and without the risk

they ran of being caught in the fact by their master, which would not be

so great if they had the musician concealed inside. Their lady

strenuously opposed this proposition, declaring she would not permit any

such thing. She was shocked to hear them mention it, for they could hear

and see him well enough as it was, without danger to their honour.

"Honour," exclaimed the dueña; "the king has plenty. Your ladyship may

shut yourself up with your Methusalem, if you have a mind, but leave us

to amuse ourselves as well as we can; the more so since this señor

appears to be too much the gentleman to ask anything of us but what

would be pleasing to ourselves."

"Never!" interposed Loaysa. "I came hither, ladies, with no other

intention than to offer you my humble services, with all my heart and

soul, moved by commiseration for the unparalleled rigour of your

confinement, and for the precious moments that are lost to you through

this recluse way of life. By the life of my father, I am a man so

artless, so meek, so tractable and obedient, that I will never do more

than I am bidden. If any one of you should please to say, 'Maestro, sit

down here; Maestro, step this way, step that way, go yonder,' I will do

just as you bid me, like the tamest and best trained dog that jumps for

the king of France."

"Well, if that be so," said the inexperienced Leonora, "what is to be

done, so that the señor maestro may come in?"

"Nothing can be easier," said Loaysa. "So please you, ladies, just take

the trouble to make an impression on wax with the key of this door; and

I will take care that by to-morrow night another shall be made exactly

like it, which will answer our purpose."

"With that key," one of the women remarked, "we shall have those of the

whole house, for it is a master-key."

"So much the better," said Loaysa.

"That is true," said Leonora; "but this señor must first of all swear,

that when he is inside here he will not attempt to do anything but sing

and play when he is asked, and that he will keep close and quiet

wherever we may put him."

"I swear to this," said Loaysa.

"That oath is good for nothing," replied Leonora: "the señor must swear

by the life of his father, and by the cross, which he must kiss in sight

of us all."

"I swear by the life of my father," said Loaysa, "and by this sign of

the cross, which I kiss with my unworthy mouth;" and crossing two of his

fingers, he kissed them three times.

"That will do," said one of the women; "and now, señor, be sure you

don't forget the powder, for that is the main thing of all."

Here the conversation ended for that night, and all parties retired

highly satisfied with the interview. Good luck had evidently declared in

favour of Loaysa; and just then, about two o'clock in the morning, it

brought his friends to the door. On their giving the usual signal by

blowing a French horn, he went to the door, told them what progress he

had made, and asked had they brought the powder or other drug to put

Carrizales to sleep. At the same time, he spoke to them respecting the

master-key. They told him that on the following night they would bring

the powder, or else an ointment of such virtue that one had only to rub

the patient's wrists and temples with it to throw him into such a

profound sleep, that he would not wake for two days, unless the

anointed parts were well washed with vinegar. As to the key, he had

only to give them the impression in wax, and they would have a false one

made forthwith. Having said this, the friends retired, and Loaysa and

his pupil went to rest for the short remainder of the night. The next

day hung heavily on hand, as always happens to those who are filled with

eager expectation; but the longest day must have an end, and Loaysa's

impatient desire was at last gratified.

The appointed hour having arrived, all the domestics, great and small,

black and white, repaired to the turning-box, longing to see the señor

musico fairly within their seraglio; but no Leonora was there. When

Loaysa inquired for her, they said she was in bed with her good man, who

had locked the bed-room door, and put the key under his pillow; and that

their lady had told them, that when the old man had fallen asleep she

would take the key, and they were to go to her by and by for the wax

impression she would take from it, and pass to them through a trap-hole

in the door. Loaysa was astonished at the old man's extreme wariness, in

spite of which he by no means despaired of baffling his precautions.

Just then the French horn was heard: Loaysa hastened to the door, and

received from his friends a pot containing the promised ointment.

Bidding them wait awhile, and he would bring them the mould of the key,

he went back to the turning-box, and told the dueña, who seemed the most

eager of all the women for his admission, to give the ointment to her

lady, bid her anoint her husband with it so cautiously that he should

not be aware of what she was doing, and she would soon see wonders. The

dueña took the pot, stole up to her mistress's door, and found her

waiting on the inside, stretched full length on the floor, with her face

to the trap-hole. The dueña laid herself down in the same manner, and

putting her mouth to her mistress's ear, whispered that she had brought

the ointment, telling her at the same time how to apply it. Leonora took

the ointment, but told the dueña that she could by no means get the key,

for her husband had not put it under the pillow as usual, but between

the mattresses, just under where he lay. However, she was to tell the

maestro, that if the ointment operated as he said, she could easily get

the key as often as she pleased, and so there would be no need of

copying it in wax. Having delivered this message at once, the dueña was

to come back, and see how the ointment worked, for she intended to apply

it forthwith. The dueña having reported all this to Loaysa, he sent away

his friends who were waiting without for the mould of the key.

Trembling in every limb, and scarcely daring to breathe, Leonora began

to rub the wrists of her jealous husband. Next she smeared his nostrils;

but as she did so, the old man jerked his head, and Leonora was

petrified with terror, believing that he was awake, and had caught her

in the fact. It was a false alarm, however, and she went on with her

task the best way she could, till she had completed it according to her

instructions. It was not long before its effects manifested themselves;

for presently the old man began to snore loud enough to be heard in the

street. This was music more delightful to Leonora's ears than the

maestro's voice or guitar; but still hardly trusting what she saw, she

ventured to shake him, a very little at first, to see if he would wake;

and then a wee bit more and more, till finding that he still snored on,

she made bold to turn him over from one side to the other, without his

showing any signs of waking. Seeing this, she stepped joyfully to the

door; and in a voice not so low as before, called out to the dueña, who

was waiting with her ear to the trap-hole. "Good news, sister;

Carrizales is sleeping more soundly than the dead."

"What stops you then from taking the key, señora?" said the dueña. "The

musico has been waiting for it this hour and more."

"Stay a moment, sister; I am going for it," said Leonora; and stepping

back to the bed, she put her hand between the mattresses, and drew out

the key without the old man's perceiving it. No sooner was the key in

her hands, than dancing with delight she unlocked the door, and gave it

to the exulting dueña, bidding her let in the maestro, and bring him

into the gallery; but as for herself, she durst not stir from that spot,

for fear of what might happen. But before all things she insisted that

the maestro should ratify anew the oath he had taken not to do more than

they should order him; and if he would not give this renewed pledge, he

was not to be let in on any consideration.

"Never fear," said the dueña; "not a bit shall he come in until he has

sworn, and sworn again, and kissed the cross at least six times."

"Don't bind him to any fixed number," said Leonora; "but let him kiss

the cross as many times as he pleases; but be sure that he swears by the

life of his father, and by all he holds dear; for then we shall be safe

and sure, and we may take our fill of hearing him sing and play; and

exquisitely he does so, upon my word. There now, get you gone without

more delay, and let us not waste the night in words."

The good dueña caught up her petticoats, and ran with all her speed to

the turning-box, where the whole party was impatiently awaiting her; and

no sooner had she shown them the key in her hand, than they hoisted her

upon their shoulders, and paraded up and down with her, crying "Viva!

viva!" But still greater was their joy when she told them there was no

need to have a false key made; for so soundly did the old man sleep

after being anointed, that they might have the house-key as often as

they required it.

"Quick then, good friend," said one of the troop, "open the door, and

let in this gentleman who has been waiting so long, and let us have a

jolly bout of music, for that is all we have now to do."

"Nay, but there is more to be done," replied the dueña; "for we must

exact another oath of him; the same as last night."

"He is so good," said one of the slave girls, "that he won't grudge

taking as many oaths as we like."

The dueña now unlocked the door, and holding it ajar called to Loaysa,

who had been listening at the aperture to all that had passed. He was

for springing in at a bound; but the dueña stopped him, laying her hand

on his breast, and said, "Fair and softly, señor; I would have you to

know, as God is my judge, we are all of us virgins here as truly as the

mothers that bore us, except my lady; and I am one too, the Lord forgive

me, though you would take me for forty years old; but I am not thirty

all out, wanting two months and a fortnight of my thirtieth birthday;

and if I look older, it is that cares, and troubles, and vexations tell

upon one more than years. Now this being so, it does not stand to

reason, that for the sake of hearing two or three songs we should risk

the loss of so much virginity as is here collected together. And so you

see, my sweet sir, before you enter our domain, you must first take a

very solemn oath, that you will do nothing beyond our orders. If you

think it is much we ask of you, do but consider how much more it is we

risk; and if your intentions are good and proper, you will not be loth

to swear; for a good paymaster does not mind giving security."

"Well said, Marialonso," cried one of the damsels; "spoken like a person

of sense, and who knows what's what. If the señor won't swear, then let

him not come in here."

"Tell you what," said Guiomar, the negress, in her broken jargon,

"s'ppose him no swear, let him in all the same, in devil's name; for

s'ppose him swear, once him in, him forget eberyting."

Loaysa listened very demurely to the Señora Marialonso's harangue, and

replied with great gravity, "Be assured, ladies, my charming sisters and

companions, my intention never was, is, or shall be other than to

gratify and content you to the utmost of my powers; and therefore I make

no difficulty with regard to this oath which is required of me, though I

could have wished that some confidence had been reposed in my simple

word, which, given by such a person as I am, would have been as good as

a bond signed and sealed; for I would have you to know, ladies, that

under a bad cloak there is often a good drinker. But to the end that you

may all be assured of my upright intentions, I will take the oath as a

catholic and a man of parts. I swear then by the immaculate efficacy,

wherever it abides in greatest sanctity and fulness, by all the

entrances and exits of the holy mount Libanus, and by all that is

contained in the preface to the true history of Charlemagne, with the

death of the giant Fierabras, not to swerve or depart from the oath I

have taken, or from the commands which may be laid upon me by the least

of these ladies, under penalty, should I do otherwise, or attempt to do

otherwise, that from this time forth till then, and from thenceforth

till now, the same shall be null and void and of no effect whatsoever."

When honest Loaysa had got so far in his oath, one of the young maidens,

who had listened to him with wrapt attention, cried out, "Well, if that

is not what you may call an oath! it is enough to melt the heart of a

stone. Plague take me if you shall swear any more for me; for after

such an oath as that you might enter the very cave of Cabra." So saying,

she caught hold of him by the breeches, and drew him within the door,

where the rest immediately gathered close round him. One of them ran off

with the news to her mistress, who stood watching her husband; and who,

when she heard that the musico was actually within doors, was moved

almost at the same moment by joy and fear, and hurriedly asked if he had

sworn. The girl told her he had done so, and with the most singular form

of oath she had ever heard in her life.

"Well, since he has sworn, we have him fast," said Leonora. "Oh, what a

good thought it was of mine to make him swear!"

They were now met by the whole party advancing in procession, with the

musico in the midst of them, and the negro and Guiomar lighting the way.

As soon as Loaysa saw Leonora, he threw himself at her feet to kiss her

hands; but without saying a word, she made signs to him to rise, and he

obeyed. Observing then that they all remained as mute as if they had

lost their tongues, Loaysa told them they might talk, and talk aloud

too; for there was no fear that their lord-master would wake and hear

them, such being the virtue of the ointment, that without endangering

life it made a man lie like one dead.

"That I fully believe," said Leonora; "for were it not so, he would have

been awake twenty times before this, such a light sleeper he is, in

consequence of his frequent indispositions; but ever since I anointed

him, he has been snoring like a pig."

"That being the case," said the dueña, "let us go into the saloon, where

we may hear the gentleman sing, and amuse ourselves a little."

"Let us go," said Leonora; "but let Guiomar remain here on the watch, to

warn vis if Carrizales wakes."

"Ay," said Guiomar, "black woman stay, white woman go: God pardon all."

Leaving the negress behind, the rest all went to the saloon, where they

seated themselves on a rich carpet, with Loaysa in the centre of the

group. Marialonso took a candle, and began to examine the figure of the

musician from bead to foot. Every one had something to say in his

commendation: "Oh, what a nice curly head of hair he has!" said one.

"What nice teeth!" cried another; "blanched almonds are nothing to

them." "What eyes!" exclaimed a third; "so large and full, and so green!

By the life of my mother, they look for all the world like emeralds."

Leonora alone said not a word; but as she looked at the maestro, she

could not help thinking that he was better looking than her good man.

Presently the dueña took the guitar out of the negro's hands, and

putting it into Loaysa's, begged he would sing to it a villanetta then

in high fashion at Seville. He complied; the women all jumped up, and

began to dance; whilst the dueña sang the words of the song with more

good will than good voice.

Close you watch me, mother mine,

Watch me, and immure me:

Don't you know without my help

You can not secure me?

Appetite, 'tis said with truth,

By privation groweth;

Thwarted love, like flame confined,

All the fiercer gloweth.

Better therefore 'twere, methinks,

You should not immure me:

Don't you know without my help

You can not secure me?

Close you watch me, &c.

Moths will to the taper fly,

Bees on flowers will cluster;

Keep a loving maid who can

From love's golden lustre!

Fear you lest that beacon light

From your arms should lure me?

Well I know without my help

You can not secure me.

Close you watch me, &c.

There's a way where there's a will:

Keep the will from straying.

Wayward hearts will have their fling,

Spite of all gainsaying.

If you'd have me very good,

Don't be hard on poor me;

Sure I am without, my help

You can not secure me.

Close you watch me, &c.

The song and the dance were just ended, when in rushed Guiomar in wild

affright, gesticulating as if she was in a fit, and in a voice between a

croak and a whisper, she stammered out, "Master wake, señora; señora,

master wake: him getting up, and coming." Whoever has seen a flock of

pigeons feeding tranquilly in the field, and has marked the fear and

confusion with which they take flight at the terrible sound of the gun,

may picture to himself the fluttering dismay of the dancers at the

unexpected news blurted out by Guiomar. Off they ran in all directions,

leaving the musico in the lurch, and in a pitiable state of perplexity.

Leonora wrung her beautiful hands; and the Señora Marialonso beat her

face, and tore her hair, but not with great violence. In short, all was

panic and confusion; but the dueña, who had more cunning and presence of

mind than the rest, directed that Loaysa should go into her own room,

whilst she and her mistress remained where they were, never doubting but

they should find some excuse or another to put off upon Carrizales.

Loaysa hid himself, and the dueña bent her ear to listen for her

master's footsteps; but hearing nothing, she took courage by degrees,

and stealing on tip-toe to his bed-room, she found him snoring there as

soundly as ever. Back she ran, at her best speed, to gladden her

mistress's heart with the joyful intelligence; and then discreetly

resolving not to lose so lucky an opportunity of being the first to

enjoy the good graces of the musico, she told Leonora to wait there

whilst she went and called him. Hastily entering the room where he was

concealed, she found him sorely discomfited by the untoward issue of his

adventure, cursing the inefficiency of the ointment, the credulity of

his friends, and his own want of forethought in not making an experiment

with the ointment on some other person before he tried its effect on

Carrizales. But when the dueña assured him that the old man was sleeping

as soundly as ever, there was an end to all his uneasiness, and he lent

a complacent ear to the very liquorish language in which Marialonso

addressed him. "Oho," said he to himself, "that's what you would be at,

is it? Well, you will do capitally as a bait to fish with for your

lady."

Whilst this _tête-à-tête_ was pending, the rest of the women had one by

one crept out of their several hiding-places, to see if it was true that

their master was awake; and finding all still in the house, they

returned to the saloon where they had left their mistress. Having learnt

from her that the alarm had been a false one, they asked what had become

of the musico and the dueña. Leonora told them that Marialonso had gone

to fetch the maestro, whereupon they all stole out of the room as

noiselessly as they had entered it, and set themselves to listen at the

door to what was passing between the pair. Guiomar was one of the party,

but the negro was not among them; for upon the first alarm he had run

off, hugging his guitar, and hid himself in his loft, where he lay

huddled up under the bed-clothes, sweating with terror; in spite of

which he could not forbear from tinkling the guitar from time to time,

so inordinate--may Satanas confound him!--was his love of music. The

soft speeches of the amorous dueña were distinctly heard by the group

outside the door; and there was not one of them but bestowed a blessing

upon her from the wrong side of the mouth, with the addition of sundry

epithets which I had rather not repeat. The result of the confabulation

between the pair was that Loaysa would comply with the dueña's desires,

provided that first of all she brought her mistress to consent to his.

It cost the dueña something to subscribe to these conditions; but, after

all, there was nothing she would not have done to compass the

gratification of the desires that had laid hold on her soul and body,

and were undermining her very bones and marrow. The bargain was struck;

and quitting the room to go and speak to her mistress, she found all the

rest of the women assembled round the door. Putting a bold face on the

matter, she bade them all go to bed, and next night they should be able

to enjoy themselves without any such false alarm as had spoiled their

sport for that time. The women all knew well that the old dueña only

wanted to be left alone; but they could not help obeying her, for she

had command over them all.

Having got rid of the servants, the dueña went back to the saloon, and

began to exercise her powers of persuasion upon Leonora. She made her a

long and plausible harangue, so well put together that one might have

supposed she had composed it beforehand. She extolled the good looks of

the gentle musico, the elegance of his manners, his wondrous suavity,

and his countless other good qualities; represented how infinitely more

agreeable must be the caresses of such a charming young gallant than

those of the old husband; assured her the affair would never be

discovered, and plied her with a thousand other arguments which the

devil put into her mouth, all so specious and so artfully coloured, that

they might have beguiled the firmest mind, much more that of a being so

artless and unwary as poor Leonora. O dueñas, born and used for the

perdition of thousands of modest, virtuous beings! O ye long plaited

coifs, chosen to impart an air of grave decorum to the _salas_ of noble

ladies, how do you reverse the functions of your perhaps needful office!

In fine, the dueña talked with such effect, that Leonora consented to

her own undoing, and to that of all the precautions of the wary

Carrizales, whose sleep was the death of his honour. Marialonso took her

mistress by the hand, led the weeping lady almost by force to Loaysa,

and wishing them much joy with a diabolical leer, she left them both

shut in together, and laid herself down in the saloon to sleep, or

rather to await the reward she had earned. Overcome, however, by the

loss of rest on two successive nights, she could not keep her eyes open,

but fell fast asleep on the carpet.

And now, if we did not know that Carrizales was asleep, it would not be

amiss to ask him, where now were all his jealous cares and precautions?

What now availed the lofty walls of his house, and the exclusion from it

of every male creature? What had he gained by his turning-box, his thick

walls, his stopped up windows, the enormously strict seclusion to which

he had doomed his family, the large jointure he had settled on Leonora,

the presents he was continually making her, his liberal treatment of her

attendants, and his unfailing alacrity in supplying them with everything

he imagined they could want or wish for? But as we have said, he was

asleep. Had he been awake, and disposed to reply, he could not have

given a better answer than by saying, as he shrugged his shoulders and

arched his eyebrows, that all this had been brought to nought by the

craft of an idle and vicious young man, and the wickedness of a

faithless dueña, working upon the weakness of an artless and

inexperienced girl. Heaven save us all from such enemies as these,

against whom the shield of prudence and the sword of vigilance are alike

impotent to defend us!

Such, nevertheless, was Leonora's rectitude, and so opportunely did she

manifest it, that all the villanous arts of the crafty seducer were of

no avail; till both of them, wearied by the contest, the baffled tempter

and the victorious defender of her own chastity, fell asleep almost at

the moment when it pleased Heaven that Carrizales should awake in spite

of the ointment. As usual he felt all about the bed, and not finding his

dear wife in it, he jumped up in the utmost consternation, and with

strange agility for a man of his years. He looked all over the room for

her, and when he found the door open, and the key gone from between the

mattresses, he was nearly distracted. Recovering himself a little, he

went out into the gallery, stole softly thence to the saloon, where the

dueña was asleep, and seeing no Leonora there, he went to the dueña's

own room, opened the door gently, and beheld Leonora in Loaysa's arms,

and both of them looking as if the soporific ointment was exerting its

influence over themselves instead of upon the jealous husband.

Carrizales was petrified with horror; his voice stuck in his throat; his

arms fell powerless by his sides, and his feet seemed rooted to the

ground; and though the fierce revulsion of his wrath presently aroused

his torpid senses, he yet could scarcely breathe, so intense was his

anguish. Thirsting for vengeance as terrible as his monstrous wrong, but

having no weapon at hand, he returned to his chamber as stealthily as he

had quitted it, in search of a dagger, with which he would wash out the

stain cast upon his honour in the blood of the guilty pair, and then

massacre his whole household; but he had no sooner reached his room than

his grief again overpowered him, and he fell senseless on the bed.

Day broke now, and found Leonora still in the arms of Loaysa. Marialonso

awoke, and thinking it time to receive what she counted was due to her,

she awoke Leonora, who was shocked to find it so late, and bitterly

accused her own imprudence and the dueña's negligence. With trembling

steps the two women crept up to Felipe's bedroom, praying inwardly to

Heaven that they might find him still snoring; and when they saw him

lying on the bed, apparently asleep, they made no doubt that he was

still under the effect of the opiate, and embraced each other in a

transport of joy. Leonora went up to her husband, and taking him by the

arm, turned him over on his side to see if he would wake without their

being obliged to wash him with vinegar according to the directions

given with the ointment; but the movement roused Carrizales from his

swoon, and heaving a deep sigh, he ejaculated in a faint and piteous

tone, "Miserable man that I am! to what a woeful pass I am come!"

Leonora did not distinctly hear what her husband said; but seeing with

surprise that the effect of the opiate was not so lasting as she had

been led to expect, she bent over him, put her cheek to his, and

pressing him closely in her arms, said, "What ails you, dear señor? You

seem to be complaining?"

Carrizales opened his eyes to their utmost width, and turning them full

upon her, stared at her a long while with a look of profound amazement.

At last he said, "Do me the pleasure, señora, to send instantly for your

parents in my name, and ask them to come hither, for I feel something at

my heart which distresses me exceedingly. I fear I have but a short time

to live, and I should like to see them before I die."

Leonora immediately despatched the negro with this message to her

parents. She fully believed what her husband had told her, and

attributing his danger to the violence of the opiate instead of to its

real cause, she put her arms round his neck, caressed him more fondly

than ever she had done before, and inquired how he felt, with such

tender solicitude, as if she loved him above everything in the world;

while he, on the other hand, continued to gaze upon her with the same

unvarying look of astonishment, every endearing word or caress of hers

being like a dagger to his heart. The dueña had, by this time,

acquainted Loaysa and the domestics with her master's illness, which,

she remarked, was evidently very serious, since he had forgotten to give

orders that the street door should be locked after the negro's departure

to summon her lady's parents. The message was itself a portentous

occurrence, for neither father nor mother had ever set foot within that

house since their daughter's marriage. In short, the whole household was

in anxiety, though no one divined the true cause of the old man's

illness. He lay sighing at intervals, so heavily that every sigh seemed

like the parting of soul and body. Leonora wept to see him in such a

state, whilst he beheld her feigned tears, as he deemed them, with a

bitter smile, that looked like the grin of insanity.

Leonora's parents now arrived, and were struck with no little

misgivings when they found both entrance doors open and the house all

lonely and silent. They went up to their son-in-law's room, and found

him in the posture he had all along maintained, with his eyes immovably

fixed on his wife, whom he held by the hands, whilst both were in tears;

she, because she saw his flow, and he at seeing how deceitfully she

wept. As soon as they entered the room, Carrizales begged them to be

seated, ordered all the domestics to withdraw except Marialonso, then

wiped his eyes, and with a calm voice and an air of perfect composure

addressed them thus:--

"I am sure, my respected father and mother-in-law, I need no other

witnesses than yourselves to the truth of what I have now to say to you

in the first place. You must well remember with how much love and what

tender affection I received your daughter when you bestowed her upon me

one year, one month, five days, and nine hours ago, as my lawful wife.

You know, also, with what liberality I behaved to her, for the

settlement I made upon her would have been more than enough to furnish

three young ladies of her quality with handsome marriage portions. You

must remember the pains I took to dress and adorn her with everything

she could desire or I could think of as suitable to her. It is known to

you likewise how, prompted by my natural disposition, fearful of the

evil to which I shall surely owe my death, and taught by the experience

of a long life to be on my guard against the many strange chances that

occur in life, I sought to guard this jewel which I had chosen and you

had bestowed upon me, with all possible care and caution. I raised the

walls of this house higher, blocked up all the windows that looked on

the street, doubled the locks of the doors, set up a turning-box as in a

nunnery, and perpetually banished from my dwelling every vestige of the

male sex. I gave my wife female servants and slaves to wait upon her: I

denied neither her nor them anything they chose to ask of me. I made her

my equal, communicated my most secret thoughts to her, and put my whole

property at her disposal. Having done all this, I thought I might fairly

expect to enjoy securely what had cost me so much, and that it would be

her care not to afford me cause for conceiving any kind of jealous fear

whatever. But it is not within the power of human efforts to prevent

the chastisement which Heaven is pleased to inflict on those who do not

rest their whole hopes and desires upon it alone. No wonder then if mine

have been deceived, and I have myself prepared the poison of which I am

now dying. But I see how anxiously you hang upon the words of my mouth.

I will therefore keep you no longer in suspense, but conclude this long

preamble by telling you, in one word, what no words were adequate to

describe, were I to speak for ever. This morning I found this woman,"

(here he pointed to his wife,) "who was born for the ruin of my peace

and the destruction of my life, in the arms of a young gallant, who is

now shut up in the bed-chamber of this pestilent dueña."

Carrizales had no sooner uttered these words than Leonora swooned, and

fell with her head upon his lap. Marialonso turned as white as ashes,

and Leonora's parents were so astounded that they could not utter a

word. After a short pause, Carrizales continued thus:--

"The vengeance I intend to take for this outrage shall be no common one.

As I have been singular in all my other actions, so will I be in this.

My vengeance shall fall upon myself, as the person most culpable of all,

for I ought to have considered how ill this girl's fifteen years could

assort with my threescore and ten. I have been like the silkworm, which

builds itself a house in which it must die. I do not reproach you,

misguided girl"--here he bent down and kissed his still insensible

wife--"for the persuasions of a wicked old woman, and the wheedling

tongue of an amorous youth, easily prevail over the little wit of a

green girl; but that all the world may see how strong and how true was

the love I bore you, I shall give such a proof of it here on my

death-bed, as the world has never seen or heard of;--one that shall

remain an unparalleled example, if not of goodness, at least of

singleness of heart. I desire that a notary be immediately sent for to

make my will, wherein I will double Leonora's jointure, and recommend

her, after my death, which will not be long delayed, to marry that young

man whom these gray hairs have never offended. Thus she will see that,

as in life I never departed in the slightest particular from what I

thought could please her, so I wish her to be happy when I am no more,

and to be united to him whom she must love so much. The rest of my

fortune I will bequeath to pious uses, after leaving to you both

wherewith to live honourably for the rest of your days. Let the notary

come instantly, for the anguish I am now suffering is such that, if it

continues, my time here will be very short."

Here Carrizales was seized with a terrible swoon, and sank down so close

to Leonora that their faces touched. During this scene the dueña stole

out of the room, and went to apprize Loaysa of all that had happened.

She advised him to quit the house immediately, and she would take care

to keep him informed of all that was going on, for there were no locked

doors now to hinder her from sending the negro to him whenever it was

necessary. Astounded at this news, Loaysa took her advice, put on his

beggar's rags again, and went away to make known to his friends the

strange issue of his amour.

Leonora's father, meanwhile, sent for a notary, who arrived soon after

both husband and wife had recovered their senses. Carrizales made his

will in the manner he had stated, without saying anything of his wife's

transgressions; he only declared that, for good reasons, he advised, and

begged her to marry, should he die, that young man of whom he had spoken

to her in private. When Leonora heard this, she threw herself at her

husband's feet, and cried, while her heart throbbed as if it would

burst, "Long may you live, my lord and my only joy; for though you may

not believe a word I say, indeed, indeed I have not offended you, except

in thought."

More she would have said, but when she attempted to exculpate herself by

a full statement of what had really occurred, her tongue failed her, and

she fainted away a second time. The poor old man embraced her as she

lay; so, too, did her parents--all three weeping bitterly; and even the

notary could not refrain from tears. Carrizales gave the negro and the

other slaves their liberty, and left all the servants enough to maintain

them; the perfidious Marialonso alone was to have nothing beyond the

arrears of her wages. Seven days afterwards Carrizales was laid in his

grave.

Leonora remained a mourning though wealthy widow; and whilst Loaysa

expected that she would fulfil the desire which he knew her husband had

expressed in his will, he learned that within a week she had become a

nun in one of the most austere and rigid convents in all Seville.

Mortified by this disappointment, he left the country and went to the

Indies. Leonora's father and mother were deeply grieved, but found

consolation in the wealth which their son-in-law had bequeathed them.

The two damsels likewise consoled themselves, as did the negro and the

female slaves, the former being well provided for, and the latter having

obtained their freedom; the wicked dueña alone was left to digest, in

poverty, the frustration of her base schemes. For my part I was long

possessed with the desire to complete this story, which so signally

exemplifies the little reliance that can be put in locks, turning-boxes,

and walls, whilst the will remains free; and the still less reason there

is to trust the innocence and simplicity of youth, if its ear be exposed

to the suggestions of your demure dueñas, whose virtue consists in their

long black gowns and their formal white hoods. Only I know not why it

was that Leonora did not persist in exculpating herself, and explaining

to her jealous husband how guiltless she had been in the whole of that

unhappy business. But her extreme agitation paralysed her tongue at the

moment, and the haste which her husband made to die, left her without

another opportunity to complete her justification.

Story 11.