Not long lived the baron, and none, since | "And is mine one?" said Abou.- Nay, At midnight four times in each year does The angel wrote, and vanished. The next her sprite, 46 night What writest thou?" The vision raised its WE oft by lightning read in darkest head, And, with a look made of all sweet accord, Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord." nights, THE DECEITFUL MARRIAGE. FROM THE SPANISH OF MIGUEL DE CERVANTES SAAVEDRA. T last resolving to push my "Señor Alferez Campuzano, I have inherited no fortune either from my parents or any other relation, and yet the furniture of my house is worth a good two thousand five hundred ducats, and would fetch that sum if put up to auction at any moment. With this property I look for a husband to whom I may devote myself in all obedience, whilst I apply myself with incredible solicitude to the task of delighting and serving him; for there is no master-cook who can boast of a more refined palate or can turn out more exquisite ragouts and made-dishes than I can when I choose to display my housewifery in that way. I can be the major-domo in the house, the tidy wench in the kitchen and the lady in the drawing-room; in fact, I know how to command and make myself obeyed. I squander nothing and accumulate a great deal; my coin goes all the farther for being spent under my own directions. My household linen, of which I have a large and excellent stock, did not come out of the drapers' shops or warehouses: these fingers and those of my maidservants stitched it all; and it would have been woven at home had that been possible. If I give myself these commendations, it is because I cannot incur your censure by uttering what it is absolutely necessary that you should know. In fine, I wish to say that I desire a husband to protect, command and honor me, and not a gallant to flatter and abuse If you like to accept the gift that is offered you, here I am, ready and willing to put myself wholly at your disposal." me. My wits were not in my head at that moment, but in my heels. Delighted beyond imagination, and seeing before me such a quantity of property, which I already beheld by anticipation converted into ready money, without making any other reflections than those suggested by the longing that fettered my reason, I told her that I was fortunate and blest above all men, since Heaven had given me by a sort of miracle such a companion that I might make her the lady of my affections and my fortune-a fortune which was not so small but that with that chain which I wore round my neck, and other jewels which I had at home, and by disposing of some military finery, I could muster more than two thousand ducats, which, with her two thousand five hundred, would be enough for us to retire upon to a village of which I was a native, and where I had relations and some patrimony. patrimony. Its yearly increase, helped by our money, would enable us to lead a cheerful and unembarrassed life. In fine, our union was at once agreed on; the banns were published on three successive holidays (which happened to fall together), and on the fourth day the marriage was celebrated in the presence of two friends of mine and a youth who she said was her cousin, and to whom I introduced myself as a relation with words of great urbanity. Such, indeed, were all those which hitherto I had bestowed on my bride with how crooked and treacherous an intention I would rather not say; for, though I am telling truths, they are not truths under confession which must not be kept back. My servant removed my trunk from my lodgings to my wife's house. I put by my magnificent chain in my wife's presence, showed her three or four others-not so large, but of better workmanship-with three or four other trinkets of various kinds, laid before her my best dresses and my plumes, and gave her about four hundred reals, which I had, to defray the household expenses. For six days I tasted the bread of wedlock, enjoying myself like a beggarly bridegroom in the house of a rich father-in-law. I trod on rich carpets, lay in holland sheets, had silver candlesticks to light me, breakfasted in bed, rose at eleven o'clock, dined at twelve and at two took my siesta in the drawing-room. Doña Estefania and the servant-girl danced attendance upon me; my servant, whom I had always found lazy, was suddenly become nimble as a deer. If ever Doña Estefania quitted my side, it was to go to the kitchen and devote all her care to preparing fricassees to please my palate and quicken my appetite. My shirts, collars and handkerchiefs were a very Aranjuez of flowers, so drenched they were with fragrant waters. Those days flew fast, like the years which are under the jurisdiction of time; and, seeing myself so regaled and so well treated, I began to change for the better the evil intention with which I had begun this affair. At the end of them, one morning, there was a loud knocking and calling at the street door. The servant-girl put her head out of the window, and immediately popped it in again, saying, "There she is, sure enough. She is come sooner than she mentioned in her letter the other day, but she is welcome." Who's come, girl?" said I. Who?" she replied. "Why, My Lady Doña Clementa Bueso, and with her Señor Don Lope Melendez de Almendarez, with two other servants and Hortigosa, the dueña she took with her." "Bless me! Run and open the door for them," Doña Estefania now exclaimed."And you, señor, as you love me, don't put yourself out or reply for me to anything you may hear said against me." "Why, who is to say anything to offend you, especially when I am by? Tell me, who are these people whose arrival appears to have upset you?" "I have no time to answer," said Doña Estefania; "only be assured that whatever takes place here will be all pretended and bears upon a certain design which you shall know by and by." Before I could make any reply to this in walked Doña Clementa Bueso, dressed in lustrous green satin richly laced with gold, a hat with green, white and pink feathers, a gold hat-band, and a fine veil covering half her face. With her entered Don Lope Me lendez de Almendarez in a travelling-suit no less elegant than rich. The dueña, Hortigosa, was the first who opened her lips, exclaiming, "Saints and angels, what is this? A man! Upon my faith, the Señora Doña Estefania has availed herself of My Lady's friendliness to some purpose!" "That she has, Hortigosa," replied Doña Clementa; "but I blame myself for never being on my guard against friends who can only be such when it is for their own advantage." To all this Doña Estefania replied, "Pray do not be angry, My Lady Doña Clementa. I assure you there is a mystery in what you see; and when you are made acquainted with it, you will acquit me of all blame." Doña Estefania, taking me by the hand, led me into another room. There she told me that this friend of hers wanted to play a trick on that Don Lope who was come with her, and to whom she expected to be married. The trick was to make him believe that the house and everything in it belonged to herself. Once married, it would matter little that the truth was discovered, so confident was the lady in the great love of Don Lope. The property would then be returned, and who could blame her, or any woman, for contriving to get an honorable husband, though it were by a little artifice? I replied that it was a very great stretch of friendship she thought of making, and that she ought to look well to it beforehand, for very probably she might be constrained to have recourse to justice to recover her effects. She gave me, however, so many reasons, and alleged so many obligations by which she One day, when Doña Estefania had gone out, as she said, to see how her business was going on, the woman of the house asked me what was the reason of my wrangling so much with my wife and what she had done for which I scolded her so much, saying it was an act of egregious folly rather than of perfect friendship. I told her the whole story-how I had married Doña Estefania, the dower she had brought me and the folly she had committed in leaving her house and goods to Doña Clementa, even though it was for the good purpose of catching such a capital husband as Don Lope. Thereupon the woman began to cross and bless herself at such a rate, and to cry out, “O Lord! Oh, the jade!" that she put me into a great state of uneasiness. At last, "Señor Alferez," said she, "I don't know but I am going against my conscience in making known to you what I feel would lie heavy on it if I held my tongue. Here goes, however, in the name of God; happen what may, the truth for ever, and lies to the devil! The truth is that Doña Clementa Bueso is the real owner of the house and property which you have had palmed upon you for a dower; the lies are every word that Doña Estefania has told you, for she has neither house nor goods, nor any clothes besides those on her back. What gave her an opportunity for this trick was that Doña Clementa went to visit one of her relations in the city of Plasencia, and there to perform a novenary in the church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, meanwhile leaving Doña Estefania to look after her house, for, in fact, they are great friends. And, after all, rightly considered, the poor señora is not to blame, since she has had the wit to get herself such a person as the Señor Alferez for a husband." Here she came to an end, leaving me almost desperate, and without doubt I should have become wholly so if my guardian angel had failed in the least to support me and whisper to my heart that I ought to consider I was a Christian, and that the greatest sin men can be guilty of is despair, since it is the sin of devils. This consideration, or good inspiration, comforted me a little-not so much, however, but that I took my cloak and sword and went out in search of Doña Estefania, resolved to inflict upon her an exemplary chastisement. But chance ordained-whether for my good or not I cannot tell-that she was not to be found in any of the places where I expected! to fall in with her. I went to the church of San Lorente, commended me to Our Lady, sat down on a bench, and in my affliction fell into so deep a sleep that I should not have awoke for a long time if others had not roused me. I went with a heavy heart to Doña Clementa's, and found her as much at ease as a lady should be in her own house. Not daring to say a word to her, because Señor Don Lope was present, I returned to my landlady, who told me she had informed Doña Estefania that I was acquainted with her whole roguery; that she had asked how I had seemed to take the news; that she, the landlady, said I had taken it very badly, and had gone out to look for her, appar ently with the worst intentions; whereupon Doña Estefania had gone away, taking with her all that was in my trunk. only leaving me one travelling-coat. 1 flew to my trunk and found it open like a coffin waiting for a dead body, and well might it have been my own if sense enough had been left me to comprehend the magnitude of my misfortune. "Great it was indeed," observed the licentiate Peralta; "only to think that Doña Estefania carried off your fine chain and hatband! Well, it is a true saying, 'Misfortunes never come single.' "I do not so much mind that loss," replied the Alferez, "since I may apply to myself the old saw, My father-in-law thought to cheat me to cheat me by putting off his squinting daughter upon me, and I myself am blind of an eye.' "I don't know in what respect you can say that," replied Peralta. "Why, in this respect-that all that lot |