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a I E> RARY 
 
 OF THE 
 UNIVERSITY 
 or ILLINOIS 
 
 823 
 In42n 
 1832 
 XJ 
 
THE 
 
 NEW GIL BLAS; 
 
 OR, 
 
 PEDRO OF PENAFLOR, 
 
 BY 
 
 HENRY D. INGLIS, 
 
 Author of "Spain in 1830," etc. 
 
 [N THREE VOLUMES. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR 
 LONGMAN, REES, ORME, BROWN, GREEN, & LONGMAN. 
 
 1832. 
 
PRINTED BY MANNING AND SMITHSON, 
 LONDON HOUSE YARD. 
 

 TO 
 
 ^f)t Spirit 
 
 OF 
 
 QUERUBIM DE LA RONDA, 
 
 THE INJURED, 
 AND IMMORTAL AUTHOR 
 
 OF 
 
 " GIL BLAS DE SANTILLANA, " 
 
 HUMBLE OFFERING 
 
 IS 
 
 INSCRIBED. 
 
CONTENTS TO VOL. I. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 My Birth, Parentage, and early Exploits — I leave my 
 Father's house in search of pleasure, and enter 
 into the service of a Caballero - - - 1 
 
 II. 
 
 The extraordinary nature of the Duties required of 
 me by the Caballero my Master — I resolve upon 
 quitting his service; but find this design easier 
 conceived than executed - - - - 1 7 
 
 III. 
 
 The Story of the charming Andaluz - - - 26 
 
 IV. 
 
 Fresh proofs of my Master's tyranny — I resolve to 
 be revenged, and carry my resolution into im- 
 mediate effect — I discover how the charming 
 Andaluz stands affected towards me - - 36 
 
Vlil CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I leave Seville in company with the charming Anda- 
 luz — My cogitations by the way, and their im- 
 portant consequences - - - - - 46 
 
 VI. 
 
 I am required to assist the Revenues of the Church at 
 the expense of a dutiful Niece ; but extricate my- 
 self from the difficulty — New prospects open 
 around me, but close again - - - - 56 
 
 VII. 
 
 I engage a Man of the World in my service as Tutor, 
 and study Mankind; but before my Studies are 
 completed, I am deprived of the Lessons of my 
 Preceptor, who is at the same time deprived of 
 his Head _ - _ - . - - 69 
 
 VIII. 
 
 I find a Patroness, and am promoted to an office of 
 great responsibility ------ 85 
 
 IX. 
 
 Containing the Story of Don Fernando de Rubio 
 — From Avhich it will be seen that auguries work 
 their own accomplishment - - - - 97 
 
 X. 
 
 Showing how I undertake the management of an affair 
 of the Heart; and how, after having managed 
 it exceedingly well, I have great reason to regret 
 that I did not manage it still better - - 164 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Showing the coniiexion between disappointed Love 
 and Revenge; and how Violante acquires all the 
 privileges of Senora, without losing the attractions 
 of Senorita — I make a new Acquaintance, and 
 am on the eve of enriching myself for ever - 189 
 
 XIL 
 
 By which it will be seen, how much truth there is in 
 the saying, " there 's many a slip 'twixt the cup 
 and the lip" ------- 216 
 
 XIIL 
 Containing the sequel of Isabel's Story, — and showing 
 the great advantage of a bad Reputation, — inas- 
 much as had I not been taken for the Devil, I 
 might have remained until this day in the Tower 
 of Tarifa - - 246 
 
 XIV. 
 
 Showing that small Occurrences are oftentimes the 
 hinge upon which great Events turn, — and also 
 proving, that courage and good fortune may 
 accomplish any thing - - - - - 275 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 MY BIRTH, PARENTAGE, AND EARLY EXPLOITS. 1 LEAVE MY 
 
 father's house in SEARCH OF PLEASURE, AND ENTER 
 INTO THE SERVICE OF A CABALLERO. 
 
 Whether the province of Andalusia, or the 
 kingdom of Castile, had the honour of my nati- 
 vity, is a point upon which there must ever rest 
 some doubt. All I know of the matter is, that 
 I was eating my puchero at Penafior in Anda- 
 lusia, when I was first able to distinguish one 
 place from another, — a fact, that would of itself 
 be conclusive, were it not, that I have some 
 indistinct recollection of being carried in my 
 
 VOL. I. B 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 infancy across vast mountains ; from which there 
 may, perhaps, be some reason to believe, that 
 I first drew my vital breath in the kingdom of 
 Castile, which all the world knows is separated 
 from Andalusia by the Sierra Morena. I wish 
 I were able to offer some more convincing proof 
 of my Castilian origin; for I am sensible that 
 an unfavourable prejudice will be excited against 
 me, from being the native of a province so fruit- 
 ful in rogues as Andalusia. But let my life and 
 actions determine my birth place. 
 
 Of my parentage, I can speak with scarcely 
 any greater certainty than of the place of my 
 nativity. The master of the house in which I 
 was brought up, used occasionally to address 
 me as his son ; and as he had doubtless the best 
 possible reasons for believing me to be his child, 
 I may venture to conclude that Don Pedro de 
 Segura was my father. I never took great 
 pains to ascertain how the title of Don came 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 3 
 
 into our faxnily. I knew that my father bore 
 it; and as it is not the duty of a son to allow 
 any of the family honours to drop, I continued 
 the distinction in my own person. As for the 
 maternal side of the house, I am totally in the 
 dark : but my ignorance in this matter, will not, 
 I hope, lead any one to shake his head, as if 
 a doubt were thereby cast upon the purity of 
 my lineage : rather let the candour of my con- 
 fession be applauded; when it might have been 
 so easy a matter to have laid claim to Dona this, 
 or Dona that, the noblest and most virtuous lady 
 in the province of Cordova. 
 
 During the years of my childhood, my turn 
 for mischief was only surpassed by my address 
 in screening myself from its effects ; but with 
 all my cunning, 1 was unable to secure a good 
 reputation in the neighbourhood : even when a 
 child, every one called me a little rogue ; and 
 as I grew up, the diminutive was omitted. 
 B 2 
 
4 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 Correction was bestowed upon me by my father 
 with sufficient liberality; but for my part, I 
 ne^ er could perceive that the buiFets I received 
 produced any of the fruits intended ; they only 
 taught me more cunning, and led me to set a 
 still higher value upon those indulgences for 
 w^liich so heavy a penalty was incurred. 
 
 Many a time my father reproved my incor- 
 rigible love of idleness, which he plainly foresaw 
 would bring me to ruin. " At present," said 
 he, " the produce of the land which I cultivate 
 with the sweat of my brow, fills thy mouth, idle 
 fellow as thou art ; but when I am in Paradise, 
 what dost thou think will become of thee ?" 
 Such representations, however, produced no 
 effect upon me, because I had inwardly resolved 
 that I would never cultivate the land, — feeling 
 even then, that Penaflor was too contracted a 
 fteld for my genius, — and filled with a desire 
 of seeing the world, of which I already knew 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 5 
 
 something, from two tattered maps of Spain and 
 France, which I had induced a neighbour to 
 part with, in consideration of a little ivory image 
 of some saint, w^hich I stole from my father. 
 When all the events of my life are known, it 
 may be thought that this theft was not the 
 greatest of my errors ; yet, it w^as long a heavy 
 weight upon my conscience ; and wdien on en- 
 tering a church, I saw the pictures of these holy 
 men, I never failed to remember the peccadillo 
 that deprived my father of the protection of 
 this saint. 
 
 The love of idleness, which my father attri- 
 buted to me, grew with years into a love of 
 pleasure ; my code of philosophy was early 
 formed, — and was not difficult to practise; and 
 therein, I have always thought, consisted its 
 beauty; for while I observed others bent upon 
 conforming to a system which ran counter to 
 their inclinations, mine was in constant agree- 
 
D THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 meiit with them. It was simply this, — to en- 
 joy the present moment — a resolution which, 
 through life, I have been careful never to lose 
 sight of. 
 
 I had now attained the age of eighteen ; and 
 feeling myself already a man, the time seemed 
 to have arrived for entering upon my design of 
 seeing the world. One day, accordingly, when 
 my father had concluded a lecture upon my 
 idleness, I seized the opportunity of laying- 
 open my mind to him. " Seiior," said I, "you 
 perceive that neither remonstrance nor advice 
 produces any change in my conduct ; but this 
 ought not to occasion you any surprise, because 
 my natiu-e differs from yours, as much as the 
 wild goat differs from the mule; and yet the 
 latter, which labours all its life, does not live 
 so well as the former, which never labours at 
 all. My presence is a source of constant un- 
 easiness to you ; and the life which I lead here. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. / 
 
 is not such as pleases me. Give me then the 
 portion you intend for me, and let me go in 
 quest of fortune." 
 
 My father shook his head, as if to express 
 his doubts of my finding what 1 proposed to 
 go in quest of; but believing that it was useless 
 to oppose the purpose which he saw I had 
 already formed, he told me I was at liberty to 
 go when I pleased ; but that I must go with 
 empty pockets, — "because," said he, "it will 
 come to the same thing in the end, whether 
 thou goest with them full or empty." I did not 
 perfectly see the force of this reasoning, — but 
 it was useless to reply : and judging that the 
 parting benediction of a father who would have 
 turned his son out of doors without a real in his 
 pocket, could not be of much efficacy, I stole 
 out of the house four hours after midnight ; 
 having previously contrived to secure in the 
 end of my girdle, a few pieces of eight, and 
 
8 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 a scanty handful of silver; and not forgetting 
 a crucifix, and a rosary, which I knew to be 
 highly prized by my father, and which, I con- 
 cluded, could not fail to be equally serviceable 
 to me. 
 
 Although thirty years have elapsed since this 
 time, I well recollect the eventful morning upon 
 which I left my paternal home. It was perhaps, 
 altogether, the happiest moment of my exist- 
 ence ; in it, were concentrated, a thousand 
 anticipated pleasures. All that the world had 
 to offer, seemed to be reserved for my use. At 
 a little distance from home, the road led me 
 over an eminence from which an ample prospect 
 presented itself before and behind; morning 
 was now breaking, and Penaflor lay beneath 
 me. I stopped, and looked back : 't was but 
 one sigh for Federica, the handsome Federica ; 
 one adieu, — partly to my father, and partly to 
 my native place, — and I ran down the steep that 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 9 
 
 hid Penaflor from my view, and soon reached 
 the margin of the Guadalquivir, whose glitter- 
 ing stream, flowing away from home, seemed to 
 invite me forward. 
 
 " Happy young rogue," said I to myself, as 
 I went merrily on, "money in thy pocket, — 
 activity in thy limbs, — the world before thee, 
 and nothing but kicks and stripes behind, — what 
 good fortune is thine !" and proceeding in this 
 fashion, sometimes congratulating myself aloud, 
 sometimes inwardly, and often laughing for very 
 joy, I walked down the bank of the river, while 
 my feet seemed scarcely to touch the ground ; 
 but after a few hours, feeling a little weary, and 
 hearing my money chink in the end of my 
 girdle,* — for I had not tied it up so close but 
 
 * Almost every Andalusian wears a sash or girdle, 
 generally of crimson silk, — and he carries his money tied 
 up in the end of this, 
 
 b3 
 
10 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 that I might hear so pleasant a sound — I re- 
 solved to walk no longer than was agreeable to 
 me; and seating myself by the brink of the 
 river, I amused myself with counting my money, 
 until some boat should pass down the stream 
 towards Seville, to which famous city it was my 
 design to proceed. 
 
 I had not sat a very long time, when a boat 
 came in sight, — and ha^dng hailed it, I was 
 received on board. Among the passengers, 
 were a Caballero, and a lady, who seemed to be 
 husband and wife, though no conjunction could 
 be more unnatural. The lady could not have 
 been more than twenty; dark, like all her 
 countrywomen, and like some, with a tinge of 
 Moorish blood in her cheek, her jetty ringlets, 
 and coal black eyes, were beautifully contrasted 
 with two rows of pearly teeth, just visible 
 between the most bewitching lips in the world. 
 As for her shape and gait, it is enough to say 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 11 
 
 she was Aiidalusian. The Caballero who stood 
 beside her, was tall, muscular, and shapeless; 
 his face was like a bronze statue, upon which 
 time cind the elements together, had tried their 
 powers ; only, that no statuary would have 
 placed the eyes as distant from each other, as 
 those of a Polar bear ; nor would he have for- 
 gotten the rule, by which the nose is entitled to 
 be the most prominent part of the face. Such 
 as he was, however, he was the husband of this 
 lady, — how, or by what means he obtained that 
 felicity, may perhaps be told hereafter. It was 
 easy to see, that the situation of the Seiiora was 
 not to be envied : deep dejection Wcis visible in 
 her downcast eyes, as well as in the motion of 
 her fan; and I found no difficulty in concluding, 
 that she had either left her heart at Cordova, 
 or wherever else she had come from, — or that 
 she was ready to bestow it upon anybody rather 
 than upon her husband. 
 
12 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 Meantime, the boat glided down the river; 
 I had already almost forgotten the Caballero 
 and his wife, and was again occupied with my 
 present good fortune, and pleasant anticipations, 
 when some one touched my shoulder. I turned 
 round, and saw the bronze-visaged and leaden- 
 eyed Caballero. "Young man,'' said he, "if 
 thou art inclined to enter into service, thou wilt 
 find in me a master to thy liking." 
 
 " Senor," said I, " it is only a few hours 
 since I became my own master, — and I have 
 no inclination to part so soon with my advan- 
 tage ; thanks to you, nevertheless, for your 
 offer." 
 
 " Thou hadst best consider well,'* rejoined 
 he ; " thou shalt be well fed, and well lodged, — 
 and with the exception of a very easy and trifling 
 duty which I will afterwards explain, thou shalt 
 be as much thy own master, as if thou hadst 
 nothing to do but to amuse thyself, — and more- 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 13 
 
 over," added he, " thou art at liberty to leave 
 my service when it becomes disagreeable to 
 thee." 
 
 This offer was not to be rejected : to be well 
 fed, and well lodged, and to amuse myself as 
 I pleased, promised well, — more especially since 
 I should have the privilege of changing my 
 condition when I had a mind; and besides, I 
 augured well of my master's disposition, from 
 his making choice of one as a servant, whose 
 personal qualifications could not fail to remind 
 him daily of his own deficiences. I accordingly 
 consented to enter into his service; and the 
 same evening, a little before sunset, we reached 
 Seville; and put up at the Posada de la Con- 
 cepcion, the most celebrated among the hotels of 
 that city. 
 
 My master (whose name and titles I found to 
 be, Don Jose Andrades, de Carmona) informed 
 me, that during the next two days, I might 
 
14 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 employ my time in the manner most agreeable 
 to me ; and that at the expiration of that period, 
 I should enter upon my duties in the house 
 which he had hired. I did not fail to make the 
 best use of my permission. The enjoyments of 
 Seville are not to be exhausted in a day; and 
 there are few of them that escaped me. I was 
 charmed with the cleanness of the streets, and 
 the whiteness of the houses ; I was never weary 
 of looking into the cool patios* with their 
 fountains and flower vases ; the size and magni- 
 ficence of the cathedral filled me with astonish- 
 ment; I was captivated with the beauty and 
 
 • The patio is the luxury of a hot climate : it is an 
 inner court, open to the sky, but the sun scarcely reaches 
 it ; and there is always a contrivance by which an awning 
 may be drawn over it. The floor is of marble, or of painted 
 Valencia tiles : sometimes a fountain plays in the centre ; 
 and a choice assortment of flowers — sweet-smelling and 
 beautiful, is disposed around in ornamented vases. Here, 
 the inmates escape from the noon-day heat ; and here, in 
 the evening, every family assembles, to converse, see their 
 friends, play the guitar, and sip lemonade. — Spain in 1 830. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 15 
 
 fragrance of the orange and lemon groves that 
 surround the city; and delighted with the 
 Pdseo^* where for the first time, I saw collected 
 together, every order of friar under the sun : 
 but above all, I was enchanted with the ravish- 
 ing charms of the women, who seemed to me, 
 a congregation of goddesses. " This," said I 
 to myself, " is a most charming kind of servi- 
 tude; — the world is even a more exquisite place 
 than I have ever imagined it, — happy day, when 
 I bade adieu to Penaflor ! " 
 
 At length, — and too soon, the time allowed 
 me by my master was expired ; and upon the 
 afternoon of the third day, I followed him to a 
 large gloomy house in that part of the city which 
 lies near to the bridge of boats; and there, 
 showing me a chamber, he desired me to remain 
 in it until I should be summoned. So far, I 
 had no cause to complain; the room, which I 
 * Place of promenade. 
 
16 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 concluded to be that appropriated to my use, 
 contained a tolerable bed; and in a closet, I 
 found a well-conditioned skin of red wine, — 
 bread, chocolate, melons, and other articles, — 
 which appeared to make good my master's pro- 
 mise, that I should be well fed and well lodged ; 
 and in return for this, I was told I should only 
 have to perform a trifling and easy duty. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE EXTRAORDINARY NATURE OF THE DUTIES REQUIRED 
 
 OF ME BY THE CABALLERO MY MASTER. 1 RESOLVE 
 
 UPON QUITTING HIS SERVICE; BUT FIND THIS DESIGN 
 EASIER CONCEIVED THAN EXECUTED. 
 
 It was nearly three hours after I had been left 
 to myself, before I was summoned to the pre- 
 sence of my master. This interval I had passed 
 not disagreeably, with the help of my provender; 
 and the summons roused me from a doze to 
 which some copious draughts from the wine- 
 skin had disposed me. I found the Caballero, 
 and the beautiful lady, his wife, in a large 
 saloon, fitted up with great taste, and even 
 luxury. Don Jose looked so hideous, that I 
 
18 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 almost trembled as he bade me approach him ; 
 nor could I help commiserating the unhappy 
 fate of the fair creature who was bound in so 
 dreadful a partnership. 
 
 " Young man, " said he, raising his leaden 
 eyes to mine, " you remember our agreement. 
 1 became bound to lodge and feed you to your 
 satisfaction, — and engaged that the duties re- 
 quired of you should not be heavy, or difficult 
 of performance : you, on your part, engaged 
 yourself in my service, the meaning of which is, 
 that you shall obey my orders, — are not these 
 the terms of our agreement?" I made an 
 obeisance, — and replied, that such were indeed 
 the terms upon which I had entered into his 
 service. 
 
 "It is well;" said he, "take this," putting 
 into my hand a leathern thong that lay upon 
 the table, " the only service that I shall require 
 of you is, that you lay twenty stripes upon the 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 19 
 
 shoulders of that lady, my wife : when you have 
 performed this service, you shall be your own 
 master until to-morrow at the same hour, wlien 
 the same service will be again required of you." 
 This was a most unheard-of duty : to be fed, 
 lodged, and my own master to boot, twenty- 
 three hours and three quarters out of the twenty- 
 four, I would assuredly not have strained at a 
 gnat, — but I confess, that the price demanded 
 of me for these advantages, was not at all to my 
 liking. Picaro*' as perhaps I was by nature, 
 harshness towards the gentler sex was no part 
 of my character. I would rather have run my 
 knife through twenty such fellows as Andrades, 
 than have inflicted one stripe upon the charm- 
 ing Isabel, — for such was the name of his wife. 
 
 " Senor," said I, " this service, as you name it, 
 which you require of me, I hold to be no part 
 of our bargain ; the duty of a servant extends 
 * Roguish fellow. 
 
20 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 only to the benefit of liis master ; but the duty 
 which you require of me, cannot in any way 
 advantage you." 
 
 When I raised my eyes to the Caballero, after 
 delivering this intrepid speech, 1 was surprised 
 at my own courage in having dared to question 
 his will. His countenance was more hideous 
 than ever, — a dull glimmer shone in his eyes, 
 which he fixed full upon me, — and then, without 
 saying a word, he arose, — went into an adjoining 
 room, and returning with a huge sabre, laid it 
 upon the table, telling me it was folly to abridge 
 the time I had at my own disposal, by fruitless 
 opposition to his will; for he had no doubt I 
 knew my own interest better, and valued my 
 life more, than to provoke his anger, — at the 
 same time glancing significantly towards the 
 sabre which lay glittering before him; and I, 
 for my part, already saw in imagination my 
 head rolling on the floor. Yielding, therefore. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 21 
 
 to the direction of the proverb, that says, nece- 
 sidad carece de ley* I performed my reluctant 
 task with the best grace I could, and in the 
 gentlest mariner I dared ; firmly resolved, how- 
 ever, to be revenged on the barbarous Andrades 
 at my leisure, and to leave his service with all 
 speed. 
 
 "Young man," said he, when I had finished 
 the duty prescribed, " I am satisfied with thy 
 obedience, — take this, " putting a purse into my 
 hand, "and remember never again to question 
 the will of thy master." The purse — the re- 
 ward of so ungallant a service, I ought perhaps 
 to have rejected; — but the fear of oiFending 
 my master by refusing his bounty, balanced 
 the reasons for this act of greatness of soul, — 
 and the weight of the purse (which was tempt- 
 ingly heavy), being thrown into the scale, there 
 was no alternative left. 
 
 * Necessity has no law. 
 
2*2 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 When I retired to my cliamber, I threw 
 myself upon a chair, — and revolved upon the 
 extraordinary scene in which I had been an 
 unwilling actor. What, I asked myself a thou- 
 sand times, can be the cause of so singular, and 
 so cruel a proceeding? and I resolved before 
 the next evening, to be beyond the reach of 
 my master's summons, — or in other words, to 
 have no master at all. " 'T is, however, a good 
 beginning in one sense," said I to myself, "a 
 tolerable day's work for a youth in quest of 
 fortune," emptying the purse upon the table, 
 and counting over twenty as good dollars as 
 ever issued from his Catholic majesty's mint, 
 " and who knows that there might not be a 
 repetition of this bounty?" But such selfish 
 feelings were checked by a recollection of Isabel 
 — and I again resolved that I would never more 
 be the unwilling instrument of such barbarity. 
 All that night I dreamt of Isabel, and her pity- 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 23 
 
 imploring eyes, — and the Caballero's hideous 
 face, and glittering sabre, — and awoke with a 
 more fixed determination than ever, not to re- 
 main another day in the service of so unfeeling 
 a master. 
 
 No sooner had I dressed myself, than care- 
 fully fastening my dollars in my girdle, I cau- 
 tiously made way to the entrance-door, — but 
 to my dismay, I found that it was locked, and 
 all my efforts to open it were unavailing. I 
 next attempted to find the means of escape by 
 one of the lower windows ; but these also I 
 found strongly secured with iron bars. " Here 
 is a pretty business," said I to myself; " I leave 
 home in search of freedom, and in three days 
 I find myself in a prison ; of what use are these 
 twenty dollars to me, if I am denied the oppor- 
 tunity of spending them ! " Occupied with these 
 gloomy thoughts, I stepped cautiously towards 
 the saloon where I had left the Caballero and 
 
24 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 his unhappy wife the night before, listening if 
 I could catch any sound of voices, or of footsteps : 
 but no sound was to be heard; the door stood 
 a-jar, and looking in, I saw the unfortunate lady 
 reclining upon a sofa, and alone. Her eye had 
 caught my figure, or its shadow, and she de- 
 manded quickly, who approached ? I presented 
 myself at the door, — and in the sweetest voice 
 imaginable, she desired me to enter. I imme- 
 diately threw myself upon my knees before her, 
 expressing my contrition for the part I had 
 acted yester-night ; and protesting, that nothing 
 but the dread of instant death, could have com- 
 pelled me to abuse so sweet a lady. " And yet 
 methinks," replied she, " I would have sub- 
 mitted to a thousand deaths, rather than have 
 inflicted stripes upon thee ;" but I told her, and 
 I called all the saints to witness the sincerity of 
 my words, that I too would have submitted with- 
 out a murmur to the stroke of the sabre, had it 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 25 
 
 not been, that in consenting to live, I had 
 secretly vowed to devote my life to the deliver- 
 ance of so injured and so charming a wife, from 
 the tyranny of so merciless a husband. 
 
 "Alas!" replied she, "were I to accept of 
 your kind proffers in my favour, it would be at 
 the expense of a brother's life, and a father's 
 prosperity. But you are doubtless curious to 
 learn the cause of the scene in which I am 
 willing to believe you were reluctantly an actor. 
 The Caballero will not return until evening; 
 meanwhile there is ample time to make you 
 acquainted with the circumstances that have 
 brought me into my present unhappy condition." 
 I accordingly disposed myself to listen with 
 impatience, to the narrative which shall be the 
 subject of the next chapter. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE STORY OF THE CHARMING ANDALUZ. 
 
 " It must appear to you unaccountable, that I 
 should be the wife of such a monster as Don 
 Jose de Andrades ; for although I am far from 
 vaunting my charms, as greater than those of 
 other women, yet, it would only be affectation in 
 me to deny, that they might reasonably lead me 
 to expect an alliance more agreeable to my 
 taste ; but when I shall have narrated to you 
 the circumstances that led to this union, you 
 will be inclined to pity that fate, which I should 
 richly merit, had I voluntarily become the wife 
 of Don Jose. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 27 
 
 " I am of the province of Andalusia, and of 
 the town of Valenzuela, of which Andrades 
 possesses the seiiorio. My father is an extensive 
 occupier of olive lands under my husband; and 
 until the expiration of my nineteenth year, I 
 lived in my father's house, without a care, and 
 might so have lived till this day, but for the 
 malignant design of the demon, rather than man, 
 who has made the possession of me, the price of 
 a father's bread, and a brother's life. 
 
 " I need say nothing to you, of the hideous- 
 ness of my husband's countenance, nor, after 
 what you have witnessed, is it necessary for me to 
 tell you that his heart is as deformed as his face. 
 Born, an exception to the beauty of his race, he 
 early became a hater of his species; the tyranny 
 which he has exercised from youth upwards, 
 upon all who have had the misfortune to be 
 dependent upon him, has made him to be univer- 
 sally hated ; and even if he had possessed the 
 c2 
 
28 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 countenance of an angel, his bad name would 
 liave been an eifectual barrier to his design of 
 obtaining a wife, upon whom he might at all 
 times have it in his power to wreak his malig- 
 nant spite. Many attempts were, however, 
 made by him ; and he was careful to single out 
 as the object of his pursuit, such as possessed 
 the largest share of personal charms ; not be- 
 cause he was an admirer of beauty, but because 
 he was a hater of it ; for precisely in proportion 
 to the personal gifts bestowed by nature upon 
 those who have had the misfortune to be in his 
 power, has been the barbarity with which he 
 has treated them. It was in vain however, that 
 even with his great riches, he made proposals to 
 several of the most charming young persons in 
 the province, as well as in the city of Cordova ; 
 if he spoke to their parents, they, willing to 
 escape the odium of a refusal, referred him to 
 their daughters, and from them, he met with 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 29 
 
 nothing but abhorred looks, or contemptuous 
 laughter, 
 
 " In an evil day, he cast his eyes upon me ; he 
 knew well that my father was dependent upon 
 him ; and although I could not boast the charms 
 of some of those high-bred dames who had re- 
 jected him, yet, I unfortunately presented in his 
 eyes, a sufficient contrast to his own deformity, 
 to make me an object worthy of his pursuit. 
 
 " It was a gloomy evening within my father's 
 house, when Don Jose de Andrades demanded 
 me in marriage. The old man hardly raised his 
 head, while my mother did nothing but weep 
 and lament by turns; but my brother swore 
 with a great oath, that he would snatch me from 
 the altar, and that rather than I should be the 
 wife of Andrades, he would with his own hand 
 rid the w^orld of so great a monster. As for me, 
 I said I would die before yielding my consent, 
 and it was finally determined between me and 
 
30 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 my brother, that if no other means of escape 
 could be devised, I should take refuge in the 
 convent of Santa Monica in Valenzuela, — an 
 alternative, far from agreeable to one, who then 
 only waited the expiration of a definite period, 
 to bestow her hand where she had already be- 
 stowed her affections." 
 
 Here the gentle lady began to weep, in 
 remembrance doubtless, of the fond hopes that 
 she had once cherished ; and after a short pause, 
 she again proceeded. " Before finally resolving 
 upon this step, I judged it advisable to lay open 
 my heart at the confessional. There, in reply 
 to my petition for holy counsel, I was told, that 
 self-sacrifice is a virtue in the sight of heaven ; 
 and that I should be performing a more ac- 
 ceptable service, in consenting to be the wife of 
 Andrades, than in becoming the bride of heaven : 
 * since,' said the holy man, ' the dowry you 
 would lay on the lap of God, might be the 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 31 
 
 ruin of your family, and perhaps, the curse of 
 a father/ 
 
 " I dared not oppose myself any longer to 
 what appeared to be the will of heaven ; though 
 I yet trusted, that in recompence for this submis- 
 sion, God would interpose between me and the 
 dreaded hour. I made known to my parents, 
 the resolution I had come to: they knew not 
 whether to mourn, or to rejoice; but reposing 
 on the spiritual direction I had received, they 
 said, ' it is the will of heaven.* 
 
 " The day arrived, and I stood before the altar. 
 Suddenly, and when the irrevocable vow was all 
 but said, the quick trampling of horses' feet was 
 heard without — my heart beat quick — ' hasten 
 the ceremony,* said Andrades with a command- 
 ing tone ; the priest put the question, which, to 
 have answered, would have been, to bind myself 
 to the wretch who stood by my side ; I remained 
 silent; it was repeated. I heard the sounds 
 
32 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 approach, 'never !' I said, and at the same instant 
 a tumult arose at the door, — I heard the clash of 
 swords : my brother, and he to whom I was be- 
 trothed, sprung to the altar ; the vassals of Don 
 Jose crowded into the church, and I saw both 
 of those that I loved, bound, and led away pri- 
 soners ; but not until the altar streamed with the 
 mingled blood of Andrades and his assailants. 
 
 " Alas ! this affray, intended for my rescue, 
 but sealed my fate. ' Choose now,' said the 
 barbarous arbiter of my destiny, * choose now 
 betwixt the death of those madmen, and an 
 union with me. They have violated the sanc- 
 tuary, they have spilled blood upon the altar, — 
 and attempted assassination ; I have but to speak 
 the word, and they are delivered over to the 
 hands of the executioner;* but if you will 
 instantly complete this ceremony, they are free.' 
 
 * Leaving this village, I noticed two stone pillars, and a 
 wooden pole across, indicating that the proprietor possessed 
 the power of life and death within his own domain. — Spam 
 in 1830. 
 
 t 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 33 
 
 ** Alas ! I knew the power of the monster who 
 spoke ; and I knew the malignity of his nature 
 too well, to permit me to entertain the smallest 
 hope, that he would not employ his power so as 
 amply to satisfy his vengeance. I yielded, — the 
 vow passed my lips, — and I became the wife of 
 Andrades. I never doubted of the treatment 
 which it would one day be my lot to experience. 
 I received, however, a longer respite from it 
 than I expected ; for at the castle of Valenzuela, 
 he succeeded for a week in restraining his 
 evil nature; but he has come hither, that there 
 might be no witness of the barbarities which, 
 from the first, he had resolved to exercise upon 
 me. Last night was but the commencement 
 of them. Wretched woman that I am ! there 
 is no escape from my miseries ; for even were 
 it in my power to obtain my freedom, tliat 
 would but consign my brother and my lover to 
 certain death. As for you, I have no doubt 
 c3 
 
34 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 that the same envious feeling, and diabolical 
 purpose, that induced him to seek a spouse 
 among the fairest of the province, has also 
 prompted him to engage you in his service ; and 
 that you, in your turn, will contribute towards 
 his appetite for cruelty, and be made a victim 
 to his hatred of the human race." 
 
 It was thus, that the beautiful Andaluz made 
 an end of her relation. I had inwardly deter- 
 mined while she was speaking, that if I could 
 conjoin my own safety with her deliverance, 1 
 would not be backward in making the attempt; 
 but the concluding sentence of the narrative 
 brought danger so home to myself, that my own 
 deliverance seemed to be the first object; and 
 to this, accordingly, I resolved without dela}', 
 to bend all my endeavours. Nevertheless, I 
 could not but feel some sympathy (the more, 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 35 
 
 that I might speedily require it myself) with 
 the misfortunes, and unhappy condition, of the 
 charming young creature who reclined upon the 
 sofa before me. I told her, how truly I com- 
 miserated her unfortunate situation, and tliat if 
 any plan could be devised by which we might 
 both be saved, she might command my most 
 faithful services. "At present," said she, 
 " retire ; to-morrow, God willing, I may have 
 resolved upon some project, and will then 
 speak with you further." 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 I RESII PROOFS OF MY MASTER S TYRANNY. 1 RESOLVE TO 
 
 BE REVENGED, AND CARRY MY RESOLUTION INTO IM- 
 MEDIATE EFFECT. I DISCOVER HOW THE CHARMING 
 
 ANDALUZ STANDS AFFECTED TOWARDS ME. 
 
 It was not with sensations the most enviable in 
 the world, that I returned to my chamber. I 
 was here, entirely in the power of a man, who, by 
 all accounts, diverted himself with the sufferings 
 of others, and if it afforded him pleasure to chas- 
 tise his wife, might it not give him still more 
 exquisite delight, to torture his servant. I drew 
 forth my crucifix, counted my beads, and besides 
 the repetition of innumerable aves, I invoked 
 the protection of as many saints as I knew the 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 37 
 
 names of; but I received little comfort from 
 this, and scarcely more, from my wine-skin, 
 from which I took copious draughts. My heart 
 died within me, when I heard the harsh grating 
 of the bolt, and my master's foot ascend the 
 staircase; and when a few minutes afterwards 
 I was summoned to his presence, I felt that 
 I was prepared to do his bidding, even without 
 the hope of another purse of dollars. 
 
 " Picaron" said he, as I entered the room, 
 " so thou hast thought to leave my service ; is it 
 not an understood part of our agreement, that 
 thou remainest in my service so long as I fulfil 
 my part of it ? art thou not well fed, well lodged, 
 and thy own master?" I was about to reply, 
 that shut up in a house with locked doors, one 
 could not well be called one's own master ; but 
 raising my eyes, the countenance of the Cabal- 
 lero looked so grim, and the glimmer in his 
 leaden eye, so like a spark of hell fire, that my 
 
38 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 words died in my throat : I plainly saw that the 
 prediction of his wife was about to be accom- 
 plished. 
 
 "To-night," said he, "we'll reverse the 
 pastime ; *t is but fair the lady should have her 
 revenge. Madam," said he, "return with inte- 
 rest, if you please, the twenty stripes which 
 were bestowed upon you yesternight. " 
 
 " I '11 sooner die !" replied she with spirit. 
 " Well, madam, " resumed Andrades, " so much 
 the worse for this knave ; for every stripe which 
 you refuse to bestow upon him, I will myself 
 bestow three ; " and taking the thong in his 
 hand, he raised his giant arm, which, had it 
 fallen, would doubtless have left a scar for life : 
 for my part, seeing the turn the affair was likely 
 to take, I cast an imploring look at Isabel, who, 
 at the very moment when the arm of Andrades 
 was about to fall, interposed by signifying her 
 willingness to do what was required of her. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 39 
 
 Although I disliked the idea of losing my head 
 by a sabre blow, and being huddled out of sight, 
 I was no coward, and disdained to flinch from 
 an infliction from so delicate a hand, — but in my 
 heart, 1 vowed triple vengeance upon the ruffian 
 who stood grinning approbation. "To-day," 
 said he, " thou hast had a holiday, I have re- 
 quirea no service at thy hands ; fall down upon 
 thy knees then, and thank so indulgent a master." 
 At this moment, a thought darted into my 
 mind, which it was necessary instantly to reject, 
 or to act upon : whether it was the humiliation 
 of falling upon my knees before so execrable a 
 monster that nerved me with a sudden resolu- 
 tion, — or, that the good saints to whom I had 
 recommended myself put the thought into my 
 heart, I cannot undertake to determine; but 
 secretly invoking their protection, I formed my 
 resolution. The Caballero stood before me, — 
 and upon the table, at one side, lay the un- 
 
40 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 sheathed sabre, the handle extending over the 
 table, and within my reach. I fell upon my 
 knees, in obedience to the orders of my master, 
 at the same moment seizing both his feet, with 
 a violent jerk I flung him from his balance, 
 and he fell backward: immediately I seized 
 the sabre, and sprung to my feet, and scarcely 
 had he measured his length upon the floor, ere 
 I transfixed him to it. As his blood streamed 
 over the painted porcelain,* I thought how 
 fortunate it was, that the blood was his and not 
 mine, and how easy a matter it would have 
 been for him with so excellent a weapon, to 
 have swept my head from my shoulders ! 
 
 * I was much struck with the interior, of the houses, 
 particularly with the beauty of the floors. These, through- 
 out an extensive suit of apartments opening into each other, 
 were covered with the Valencia tile, which is a kind of 
 porcelain. The pieces of which the floors are composed 
 are about nine inches square, the ground white, and each 
 having a flower, or some other device painted upon it with 
 the utmost truth and delicacy. — Spain in 1830. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 41 
 
 " The saints be praised ! " said I to the 
 charming Andaluz, as I wiped the sword upon 
 the damask, "this is a riddance." As for her, 
 she could scarcely believe that the indomitable 
 Andrades lay dead at her feet. " He 's dead, 
 sure enough, " said I, as I held a light to his face, 
 which was not only the face of Andrades dead, 
 but Andrades damned; for so fiendish an ex- 
 pression was in it, that it was clear he had 
 already entered among the fraternity of devils. 
 
 Isabel, thoroughly convinced that her hus- 
 band's tyranny in this world was at an end, 
 extended her hand to me in token of her grati- 
 tude for the essential service I had rendered 
 her; and I, recollecting that I had at the same 
 time rendered her a widow, saw no impropriety 
 in taking the hand that was offered to me, and 
 even of pressing it to my lips. This important 
 act of the drama being now concluded, and 
 having, by way of interlude, refreshed myself 
 
42 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 with a morsel of cahrito, and a few mouthfuls 
 of excellent wine, with which the Caballero had 
 been regaling himself (as for Isabel, the sight 
 of blood had taken away her appetite), it was 
 necessary to resolve next, upon what use should 
 be made of the event that had so happily termi- 
 nated our captivity. I could scarcely entertain 
 any doubt but that I should find in the Cabal- 
 lero 's repositories, some considerable supply of 
 gold, which, although perhaps legally belonging 
 to his wife, I thought I had best claim to, both 
 as her deliverer and as an indemnification for 
 the stripes I had received. 
 
 " Madam," said I, " it must doubtless afford 
 you the most lively pleasure to think, that you 
 are now at liberty to bestow yourself upon the 
 favoured person to whom you were betrothed, 
 and who risked his life to snatch you from the 
 altar." 
 
 " And yet," said she with an engaging smile. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 43 
 
 " had it not been for your intrepidity, I should 
 never have had it in my power to do this ; and 
 if," continued the charming Andaluz, casting 
 her eyes upon the ground, " I thus reward him 
 who only attempted to rescue me, how shall I 
 find means to repay the more eifectual service 
 which you have now rendered me?" 
 
 I was young, and inexperienced, — but not 
 so young, or so inexperienced, as to be unable 
 to comprehend, that I had made an impression 
 upon the heart of the beautiful Andaluz; nor 
 was I so indifferent to the charms of the fair 
 sex, as to see, without emotions I scarcely 
 wished to control, the humid softness that 
 filled those dark eyes, — the deep tinge, that 
 mounted to the cheek, and the jetty ringlets 
 that half shrouded that heaving bosom ; and yet, 
 when I cast my eyes upon the hideous wretch 
 that lay upon the ground, and glanced at my 
 own figure in the broad mirror opposite, I could 
 
44 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 not find great cause to be flattered by the sud- 
 den preference shown to me by the new-made 
 widow of such a monster. Nevertheless, such 
 moments do not occur every day, — and kissing 
 away the tear from her cheek, with an air of 
 the utmost tenderness, I inquired of her if she 
 knew where Andrades kept his gold, for without 
 gold, nothing could be resolved upon. She 
 replied, with the greatest affability, that she 
 could only suspect, but was not certain, where 
 the Caballero had kept his gold, — and taking 
 me by the hand, and stepping over Andrades, 
 who lay just in the doorway, she led me into an 
 adjoining room, where in a closet, the key of 
 which I took out of the Caballero's pocket, we 
 found four hundred gold pieces, which I trans- 
 ferred to mine. Isabel presented me also with 
 a box of valuable jewels, the gift of her husband, 
 and when to all this was added, a heavy purse 
 from the person of the Caballero, and a gold 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 45 
 
 watch set with brilliants, it will be admitted I 
 think, that even leaving out of account the 
 tenderness of the charming Andaluz, I was not 
 ill rewarded for my intrepidity. 
 
 Feeling that it might bear an uncharitable 
 construction were I to leave Isabel in her pre- 
 sent desolate condition, and in some degree 
 perhaps, attracted by her charms, and particu- 
 larly by the prettiest little foot in the world, 
 which she had inadvertently shown in stepping 
 over Andrades, I resolved that she should ac- 
 company me ; but in what capacity, I determined 
 to be guided by circumstances. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 I LEAVE SEVILLE IN COMPANY WITH THE CHARMING ANDA- 
 LUZ : MY COGITATIONS BY THE WAY, AND THEIR IM- 
 PORTANT CONSEQUENCES. 
 
 This was assuredly a very sudden, and agree- 
 able reverse of fortune. A week had scarcely 
 elapsed since I left home with a purse so scantily 
 provided, that nothing but a miracle could have 
 saved me from starvation; now, my riches 
 were so considerable, that when deposited in my 
 pockets (for my girdle was insufficient to con- 
 tain them all), Isabel declared their bulk spoiled 
 my shape. This objection however, I speedily 
 obviated, by changing my own for a handsome 
 suit of Don Jose's, which Isabel fetched me; 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 47 
 
 and although it can scarcely be supposed, that 
 my slight and youthful figure could be greatly 
 set off by the change, yet the ample dimensions 
 of my new dress, effectually removed the de- 
 formity of which Isabel had so justly complained. 
 There was now nothing farther to prevent 
 us from taking advantage of the change in our 
 circumstances: taking possession therefore of 
 the great key, extinguishing the lights, and 
 leaving Andrades lying where he fell, we made 
 our exit from the mansion ; and repaired to the 
 stable, where Isabel assured me we should find 
 excellent mules. But here a difficulty presented 
 itself; mules indeed, we found, — but Andrades 
 having meant them for his own use, a side-saddle 
 was no where to be met with. " There is a 
 remedy for this difficulty," said I, "if you will 
 consent to it: I am but little taller than you, the 
 clothes I have put off are at your service ; and 
 by their assistance we may extricate ourselves 
 
48 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 from this difficulty, and have the advantage 
 besides, of a double disguise." Isabel could 
 allege nothing against this proposal, and there- 
 fore returning together to the mansion (Isabel 
 being too timid to venture alone where An- 
 drades lay dead) she made her toilette in the best 
 manner she was able ; and this done, we again 
 left the house, and placing Isabel upon one 
 mule, and throwing myself upon another, we 
 sallied forth, just as midnight chimed from the 
 cathedral. We took the first exit from the 
 city that presented itself, for luckily, the house 
 being situated without the walls, we had no gate 
 to pass through, and we soon found ourselves 
 on the high road. 
 
 As morning dawned, I perceived, with a 
 smile, the strange and somewhat ludicrous ap- 
 pearance of my companion, who (besides that a 
 figure somewhat en hon point, scarcely suited a 
 dress which I had myself outgrown), had con- 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 49 
 
 trived to make some curious mistakes in tlie 
 adjustment of her attire. As morning advanced, 
 our appearance created considerable merriment 
 among the early husbandmen, and persons going 
 to market, — and when about breakfast time we 
 made our entrance into the small town of 
 Utrera, the ample folds of my habiliments, 
 and the scanty dimensions of those of my com- 
 panion, as well as their strange adjustment, 
 created a sensation proportioned to the singu- 
 larity of the spectacle. As for me, I rode along 
 with the greatest unconcern, and as if I were 
 at a loss to comprehend the cause of so much 
 merriment; but Isabel hung down her head, 
 and testified her embarrassment, by the haste 
 she made to escape the gaze of the smiling 
 tatterdemalions who sat wrapt up in their brown 
 cloaks under the walls. 
 
 We no sooner reached the posada, than Isabel 
 rectified the errors in her dress; but thinking 
 
 VOL. I, D 
 
50 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 that her disguise in some degree contributed 
 to my safety, I prevailed upon her still to con- 
 tinue it; but I agreed to her proposal that we 
 should no longer travel on mules, but should 
 continue our journey in a vehicle, something 
 between a coach and a waggon — which the inn- 
 keeper fortunately had to dispose of. But, when 
 we w^ere seated in the carriage, and again on 
 the road, I felt that the last few hours had 
 wrought a considerable alteration in my feelings. 
 Isabel reclining on the sofa, — her glossy ringlets, 
 her charming foot, her rounded arm, her fault- 
 less form, had created a tumult within me, and 
 filled my heart, if not with love, at least with 
 new and pleasing sensations, so that I coveted 
 Don Jose's gold, scarcely more than his widow 
 — but Isabel, upon a mule, trotting beside me in 
 my cast-off dress, greatly weakened the illusion ; 
 which was indeed almost entirely dissipated by 
 the ludicrous effect of her attire ; for in all my 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 51 
 
 experience of the world, I have found that the 
 comic is the deadliest enemy of passion. So 
 it proved in this instance ; for we had not been 
 long seated in the chariot, before I began to 
 entertain the thoughts of getting rid of my com- 
 panion, and to consider in what manner this 
 could be effected with the greatest facility. As 
 for Isabel, I could perceive, that in spite of the 
 unbecoming style of my dress, she yet retained 
 a grateful recollection of my services. 
 
 But notwithstanding the evident partiality of 
 Isabel, and that persons of a less scrupulous con- 
 science than myself would have improved their 
 good fortune in possessing the confidence of 
 so charming a woman, I fully resolved upon 
 separating from her ; — there was doubtless some 
 cruelty in this determination, though I speedily 
 succeeded in quieting my conscience by the 
 reflection, that the great service I had already 
 rendered her, exonerated me from any farther 
 d2 
 
52 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 claims upon my good nature or gallantry ; yet, 
 being of too benevolent a disposition to leave 
 her destitute and unprotected, I arranged in my 
 own mind, a plan, which should be at the same 
 time just towards myself, and generous towards 
 Isabel. As for Don Jose's gold, I looked upon 
 it as fairly earned ; and it seemed to me also, 
 that the jewels presented to me by Isabel were 
 nothing more than a just recompense for her 
 deliverance. Little did Isabel suspect what was 
 passing in my mind. 
 
 *' Harkee," said I to the muleteer, taking him 
 aside, as we were about to start from Vizcayna 
 upon the last stage towards Xeres, and as the 
 night was already beginning to fall, " perhaps 
 thou hast no idea who this chariot has the honour 
 to contain ?" 
 
 "How?" said he. 
 
 " The person who no doubt appears to thee 
 to be a young Caballero," I replied, "is in fact 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 53 
 
 the betrothed of one of the greatest lords in 
 all Andalusia, one too who will make the most 
 indulgent of husbands." 
 
 " Diablo,'* said the muleteer. 
 
 " I have been rascal enough," I continued, 
 " to carry her away ; but my conscience smites 
 me so grievously, that I am resolved to restore 
 her to the arms of her lover, and thou shalt 
 assist me in this design." 
 
 " With all my heart," said the muleteer, " if 
 I am to get any thing by it." 
 
 "Thou shalt;" said I, "this purse will pay 
 thy expenses to Valenzuela, which lies at no 
 great distance from Cordova; and when thou 
 art there, the friends and the lover of the lady 
 will doubtless make thee rich for life." 
 
 " God grant it may prove so !" said the mule- 
 teer. 
 
 " When we approach Xeres," continued I, 
 " make a circuit and return by the road thou 
 
54 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 hast come ; the senorata will no doubt be asleep, 
 and I will contrive to descend from the chariot, 
 and make my own way." 
 
 " Leave the affair to me," said the muleteer, 
 with that significant nod which sufficiently showed 
 his perfect apprehension of my meaning. 
 
 My design was executed with perfect success : 
 '' Arre Colonel,"* and away trotted the mules. 
 Worn out with the events and exertions of the 
 preceding day, Isabel soon dropped asleep, and 
 as her head sunk on my shoulder I almost re- 
 pented of my resolution ; but considering, that 
 at so early an age, and but just entering upon 
 the world, a companion could not be otherwise 
 than an inconvenience, and consoled moreover 
 by the reflection, that in inventing a story, and 
 
 * There is always a mule called Colonel, or Captain, to 
 which the muleteer addresses himself, prefixing the word 
 arre, which is used by all muleteers and waggoners, to 
 make the animals go. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 55 
 
 separating myself from Isabel, I best consulted 
 her own happiness, I gently raised her head 
 from its resting place, and waited the moment 
 of separation; at length I was sensible of a 
 retrograde movement, and that now was the 
 time. Isabel still slept : " buenas noches," said 
 I, and vaulting from behind the chariot, I stood 
 alone upon the road, while the sound of the 
 wheels gradually lessened, as I walked smartly 
 forward. 
 
 "A fig for love," said I; "have I not fifty 
 ounces in my pocket !" 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 I AM REQUIRED TO ASSIST THE REVENUES OF THE CHURCH 
 AT THE EXPENSE OF A DUTIFUL NIECE; BUT EXTRICATE 
 
 MYSELF FROM THE DIFFICULTY, NEW PROSPECTS OPEN 
 
 AROUND ME, BUT CLOSE AGAIN. 
 
 When I reflect upon my past life, I cannot 
 recall many moments more consolatory than 
 that, when as I stood alone, near the entrance 
 to the city of Xeres, I exclaimed, "a fig for love, 
 have I not fifty ounces in my pocket !" It was 
 indeed a most natural exclamation; to be my 
 own master, and master of so much money at 
 the same time, was a conjunction from which 
 I naturally drew the happiest auspices. I had 
 never before known freedom; for no one can be 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 57 
 
 called free, who lacks the means of doing as he 
 pleases, nor can one be truly his own master, 
 so long as another is by, to ask why this is 
 done, or that thing is not done. To feel perfect 
 liberty, one must be alone. 
 
 When I entered Xeres, all was darkness, 
 except the lamps that here and there burned 
 before the image of some favourite saint. The 
 shops were all closed, the streets w^ere deserted, 
 and in short every one was in bed. I was a 
 stranger to the town; and clothed in the splendid 
 habiliments from the wardrobe of Andrades, 
 with my pockets full of gold, and knowing be- 
 sides the bad reputation of the neighbourhood, 
 I wished myself fairly under shelter. Gazing 
 about in every direction, I at length espied a 
 faint glimmering from a low window ; and ap- 
 proaching, I perceived it to proceed from a 
 handsome house, in which, as I paused at the 
 door, I distinctly heard low moanings, as if 
 d3 
 
58 THE NEW GIL BLAS, 
 
 from a dying person. Heartily tired of walking 
 up and down the streets, I ventured to knock ; 
 and without any prefatory interrogations, the 
 door was immediately opened by a priest, who 
 addressed me thus, " you are welcome, and I 
 trust may yet be in time to be the instrument 
 in the hand of God, of accomplishing a pious 
 deed," and without saying more, he ushered me 
 into a chamber, where on a bed, lay a man seem- 
 ingly in the agonies of death; and standing by 
 was a female in deshabille, who had numbered 
 perhaps thirty summers, and who, instantly turn- 
 ing towards me, said, "it is a most unjust thing, 
 Mr. Notary: here have I, ever since I was a 
 child, been attending upon my sick uncle ; and 
 now, the priest who has sent for you, has pre- 
 vailed upon the dying man to make a new will, 
 leaving every real to the church." 
 
 " Father," said I, addressing the priest, " hea- 
 ven forbid that I should interfere with the claims 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 59 
 
 of the church, and if this dying man cannot be 
 admitted into heaven unless by making the 
 church his heir, I am ready to do as I am di- 
 rected." 
 
 " Seiior," said the priest, " I cannot else pro- 
 mise him an immediate entrance into Paradise/' 
 
 " But," said I, willing to discover whether 
 the piety of the priest would tolerate the claim 
 of justice, " would it not be best to divide the 
 inheritance? holy prayers as yours would speedily 
 release his soul from purgatory." 
 
 " Ah ! my son," returned the priest, " twenty 
 such inheritances are well bestowed in gaining 
 but a single day from purgatory. As for the 
 niece of this dying man, our convents are chari- 
 table, and will see to her. Pray Mr. Notary 
 delay not the execution of* this business; beware 
 how you incur the sin of letting this soul escape 
 unprepared, — for I cannot take upon me to ad- 
 minister the last rite, until this thing be done." 
 
60 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 From the first, I had determined it should 
 not be my fault, if the mistake into which the 
 priest had fallen, did not turn to the advantage 
 of the old man's niece. And now, beginning to 
 perceive the advantage I might myself reap 
 from preserving the order of inheritance, I 
 strained my wits to the uttermost, to find some 
 means of instantly settling the matter, as I every 
 moment feared the arrival of the true notary, 
 who might not perhaps prove so scrupulous. 
 There seemed in short, to be no remedy but 
 boldness and expedition. " Sir," said I, in reply 
 to the priest, " I cannot help thinking, that the 
 best service one can render to heaven, is to do 
 justice upon earth ; and to help others also, to 
 the exercise of this virtue. This good blade," said 
 I, throwing aside my cloak, and displaying the 
 sabre which had so lately stood my friend, " is a 
 marvellous ready executioner of justice ; it is but 
 a few hours ago, that to secure justice to one 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 61 
 
 woman, it made an exit for a soul far less pre- 
 pared than yours no doubt is for eternity, and 
 here seems to be another woman who stands in 
 equal need of its assistance." 
 
 " Jesm Maria,'' said the priest, " holy mother 
 of God, save us ! this is no notary, but a bri- 
 gand ;" and before the words were well out of 
 his mouth, I perceived the skirt of his cassock 
 disappear at the door, and I was left undisputed 
 master of the field, 
 
 " And are not you a notary then ?" said the 
 lady, with an expression of mingled fear and 
 surprise. 
 
 "Charming senorita," said I, "you have 
 reason to be thankful that I am no notary, for 
 had I been one of that honest fraternity, your 
 inheritance would, ere long, have been spent in 
 masses ; but neither am I a brigand ; the dress 
 I wear has the effect of making me seem older 
 than I am, but if you will look at me more nar- 
 
6'2 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 rowly, you will perceive that I am too young to 
 be suspected of having already entered upon 
 such lawless courses." 
 
 " Whatever you are," said she, " you have 
 rendered me an essential service ; and you have 
 only to tell me, in what manner I am to repay 
 it." 
 
 I had just begun to consider what reply I 
 should make to this question, upon which, as it 
 seemed to me, not a little depended, — when a 
 feeble voice from the couch of the dying man 
 said, " let the holy man approach, and administer 
 the last rite, for I am dying." 
 
 " Ah !" said his niece, in a tone of self re- 
 proach, " I would rather have lost my inheritance, 
 than that my poor uncle should die unshriven. 
 I will yet go and bring back the priest." 
 
 " 'T is of no use," said I, " he is already in 
 paradise ;" and in truth it was with the very last 
 breath he drew, that he announced liis own de- 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 63 
 
 parture. This was most seasonable, for scarcely 
 had he ceased to breathe, when the quick noise 
 of footsteps approaching the house, signified the 
 arrival of the true notary, who finding that his 
 services were not required, retraced his steps 
 with some diminution in their celerity and 
 willingness. 
 
 " 'Tis singular enough," said I, "that in the 
 short space of twenty-four hours, I should have 
 had it in my power to avenge one woman of a bad 
 husband, and to deliver another, the most charm- 
 ing of her sex, from a conspiracy to defraud her; 
 but," continued I, anxious to proceed upon sure 
 grounds, " perhaps I overrate this latter service ; 
 perhaps the inheritance bequeathed, is scarcely 
 so great, as to entitle me to feel gratified in 
 having secured it to you?" 
 
 "Pardon me," replied my companion, "'tis 
 not less than a million of reals." 
 
 " Ah," interrupted I, " would that it had 
 
64 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 been as many pieces of eight ! For my own part, 
 I am so accustomed to large sums, that you 
 must pardon me if I speak too slightingly of the 
 inheritance I have had the good fortune to secure 
 to you:" and while I thus expressed myself, I 
 could perceive that she whom I addressed, 
 glanced at my habiliments, whose rich em- 
 broidery and costly materials at once pronounced 
 me w be a Caballero of no small consideration ; 
 while I, at the same time adding in a careless 
 tone that the weight of my purse incommoded 
 me, emptied my pockets of their gold, and 
 placed it upon the table. The million of reals 
 were not unworthy of my consideration; and 
 to become possessed of so pretty a fortune, I 
 almost felt willing to make some sacrifice. I 
 had already dazzled the eyes, and perhaps the 
 imagination of the heiress, and it now only re- 
 mained to make an impression upon her heart, — 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 65 
 
 a task which seemed to me no difficult matter, 
 elated as I was with such recent success. 
 
 It was only now for the first time, whilst the 
 dutiful and attentive heiress was occupied in 
 performing some of those last offices which the 
 dead require at the hands of the living, and 
 while she prayed for the repose of the soul 
 that had so opportunely taken its flight, that I 
 had an opportunity of examining the figure and 
 countenance of her in whose behalf I had ex- 
 erted myself, and to whose reals I had begun to 
 form some pretensions. I had at first guessed 
 her to be vierging upon thirty, but I now per- 
 ceived, that five or six years might be added. 
 Her figure, unlike that of her countrywomen, 
 was tall, thin, and ill-proportioned. I missed 
 the rounded arm, the well-turned neck, and 
 charming foot of Isabel; and here, where the 
 shade of tresses was needed, tresses there were 
 
66 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 none : a small compressed mouth, that seemed 
 accustomed to silence, — eyes that had acquired 
 an expression of watchfulness, — and a sharp nose 
 that harmonized well with the contour of both 
 figure and countenance, completed the portrait 
 of this dutiful person ; and as I looked at her, 
 I could not help feeling some distrust of my 
 powers, as well as some hesitation in my pur- 
 pose. But the former were perhaps spared a 
 discomfiture, and the latter a disappointment, 
 by the circumstance immediately to be related. 
 
 It must be recollected, that it was now the 
 dead of night, or, at least, not more than one 
 hour after midnight; and that, therefore, so 
 prudent a person as this seiiorita of thirty-six 
 summers, could not but feel the impropriety of 
 being thus tite-a-tete with a Caballero, who had 
 just given so convincing a proof of the boldness 
 of his character : she therefore, in as delicate a 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 67 
 
 manner as possible, and repeating her acknow- 
 ledgments in the handsomest terms, spoke of 
 the necessity of preserving reputation from the 
 breath of scandal ; "for if, " continued she, " by 
 
 any imprudence I should give birth to " 
 
 " Ah, Sefiora ! " interrupted I, " I am inca- 
 pable of so much baseness. " But imagination 
 had erred in finishing the sentence: the lady 
 blushed, looked offended, and gravely explained; 
 it was the birth of calumny, of which she spoke ; 
 and I could perceive that she considered my 
 services partly cancelled, by my injurious inter- 
 pretation of her meaning : and at this moment 
 the frigidity of her looks, contrasted with the 
 recollection of Isabel, and assisted too by a 
 consciousness of my own merits, produced an 
 instant change of purpose; so, cramming my 
 gold again into my pockets, and saying, I should 
 have the honour of waiting upon her at a more 
 
68 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 seasonable hour, I left the heiress to her inherit- 
 ance, and the dead man to her prayers, and 
 making the best of my way through the streets 
 to the outskirts of the town, I took the first 
 road that presented itself. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 1 ENGAGE A MAN OF THE WORLD IN MY SERVICE AS 
 TUTOR, AND STUDY MANKIND; BUT BEFORE MY STU- 
 DIES ARE COMPLETED, I AM DEPRIVED OF THE LES- 
 SONS OF MY PRECEPTOR, WHO IS AT THE SAME TIME 
 DEPRIVED OF HIS HEAD. 
 
 At the first town I reached after day-break, 
 which, if I remember rightly, was San Lucar, I 
 judged it advisable to change Don Jose's habili- 
 ments for others more suitable to me ; and here, 
 learning by accident, that two travellers were 
 on the eve of setting out for Cadiz, and were 
 desirous of finding a companion, the road being 
 infested by robbers, it was agreed that we should 
 travel together in a chariot, which we hired for 
 the purpose. We were quickly upon intimate 
 
70 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 terms; and before reaching Puerto de Santa 
 Maria, every one was in possession of such a 
 history of his travelling companions as each 
 chose to communicate. 
 
 I had represented myself as a young Cabal- 
 lero from the province of Estremadura, of great 
 expectations, and on my way to Cadiz for the 
 purpose of completing my education. My father, 
 I said, had engaged a tutor to take care of me ; 
 but having quarrelled with him at Seville, I 
 had sent him about his business; and was re- 
 solved, when I arrived at Cadiz, to make choice 
 of a tutor myself; and this story was tolerably 
 well borne out by the quantity of money I 
 lavished in all directions. As for my com- 
 panions, — one was a bachelor of arts, a Spaniard 
 by birth, but who had studied at the University 
 of Paris ; middle-aged, a man of the world like 
 myself, a lover of pleasure, and who, from what 
 I could gather, lived partly upon his money. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 71 
 
 partly upon his wits. The other — the son of 
 a wine grower, on his way to Cadiz, to open 
 an establishment for tjie export of his father's 
 wines — had accidentally joined company with 
 his companion. It soon became evident, from 
 the conversation of the bachelor of arts, that he 
 aspired to the honour of holding the situation 
 I had spoken of as vacant, — that of directing 
 my studies, and perhaps of partaking my plea- 
 sures at the same time, and at my expense ; an 
 expectation in which I indirectly permitted him 
 to indulge, for reasons that will appear hereafter. 
 " This man, " said I to myself, " has lived 
 long in the world, he has doubled my years, and 
 I have no doubt is a rascal at bottom. A man 
 cannot live mainly upon his wits during twenty 
 years without learning much, and I cannot do 
 better than spend some of my pesetas in acquir- 
 ing that knowledge of the worlds which may 
 teach me the secret of elbowing my way through 
 
72 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 it. It is true, indeed, that experience might 
 teach me, as it has taught others; but some 
 hundred dollars are an easier price than, per- 
 haps, some years of disappointment: it is true 
 also, that I have hitherto been favoured by for- 
 tune, as this good purse will testify ; but then, 
 it is not every day one can hope to meet with 
 an Andrades for a master — still less expect to 
 cut short a service in so agreeable a manner. " 
 In fact, such was my confidence in my compa- 
 nion's knowledge of mankind, and in his ability 
 to direct me, that I already all but promoted 
 him to the office that was in my gift ; and such 
 was the sprightliness of his remarks, as well as 
 the extent of his information, that before we had 
 travelled together a single day, I felt that it 
 would be a real misfortune to part company. 
 "I was sent into the world," said he, one day 
 to me, " without a peseta^ and yet I have never 
 known the want of one. " And who, thought I 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 73 
 
 to myself, would not part with a thousand to 
 possess the secret of never being without one ! 
 At another time, as we journeyed along, my 
 tutor-elect observed to me, that he had served 
 as long and as difficidt an apprenticeship to 
 pleasure as to learning; " because, " continued 
 he, " I had no instructor in it ; but pleasure 
 needs no apprenticeship : to learnmg we must 
 ascend, as we climb the moimtain — step by 
 step ; but pleasure lies below, and we have only 
 to dart upon it, as the eagle pounces upon his 
 prey : the greatest, as well as the least enjoy- 
 ments, lie equally wdthin our grasp ; and all that 
 is needed, is a finger to point to them." 
 
 The same evening, having crossed the bay, 
 we arrived in Cadiz, — the emporium of plea- 
 sure, the citadel of luxury, the elysium of Spain ; 
 where the skies are always serene, and the wine 
 always abundant; and where the beauty and 
 grace of the ladies, are only equalled by their 
 
 VOL. I. E 
 
74 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 affability. I immediately hired handsome apart- 
 ments in the Plaza de San Antonio, — and having 
 installed Don Fernando, as he was pleased to 
 call himself, in his office of preceptor, I an- 
 nounced to him my intention of devoting the 
 first three months of my residence in Cadiz 
 entirely to pleasure ; — a resolution which I lost 
 no time in putting into practice. The very first 
 day of our arrival, and while transferring to 
 my plate a part of an inimitable stew, my com- 
 panion took the opportunity of illustrating the 
 advantage there is, in having a preceptor in 
 pleasure as well as in learning. "Here," said 
 he, " is a choice of twenty dishes, not one of 
 which perhaps ever crossed your lips ; in how 
 many wry faces, and nauseous morsels must 
 your apprenticeship to good eating have con- 
 sisted, before you had acquired that discriminate 
 ing knowledge which enables me at once to 
 guide you to the choicest morsels? It is the 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 75 
 
 same in all other pleasures." Scarcely, how- 
 ever, had I begun to appreciate the value of my 
 preceptor's instructions, ere I was deprived of 
 them, in a manner as tragical as it was unex- 
 pected. I had remarked that Don Fernando 
 generally made choice of the by-ways, and 
 that he also preferred the dusk to the broad 
 day; and when upon one occasion I spoke to 
 him of this peculiarity, he replied, that plea- 
 sures were more enjoyed, if come at stealthily; 
 and that seeking them by by-ways, and in dusk, 
 surrounded them with a certain secresy, that in 
 his opinion, added a considerable zest. This 
 answer seeming quite in accordance with my 
 preceptor's character, I gave him credit for his 
 excellent intention ; and satisfied with his rea- 
 sons, consented to be led by him every day, 
 through the most obscure streets, and in the 
 dusk of the evening, — convinced that he had only 
 in view my greater gratification. 
 
76 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 After having remained in the metropolis of 
 pleasure three weeks, during which period I 
 partook to excess of every enjoyment it aiFords, 
 I found that my yet tender years were incapable 
 of altogether withstanding the inroads which 
 dissipation makes upon health, — and with the 
 view of repairing the injury I had sustained, I 
 resolved upon retiring a few leagues into the 
 country, giving my preceptor the choice of ac- 
 companying me, or of remaining to take charge 
 of my establishment ; and he, having chosen the 
 latter, I had leisure to reflect alone, upon how 
 far my expectations of my preceptor had been 
 fulfilled. In the pursuit of pleasure, he had 
 indeed shown himself no novice, and on that 
 score I was his debtor; but although I had been 
 initiated into the mysteries of spending my 
 pesetas^ I could not perceive that I made any 
 progress in the art of acquiring them; — and for 
 all that I had seen of my worthy tutor, it ap- 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 77 
 
 peared to me, that if he was sent into the world 
 without a peseta, and had notwithstanding never 
 known the want of one, as he said, he must 
 assuredly be an alchemist, — so excellent was 
 his knowledge in the art of spending. But the 
 taste I had acquired for pleasure, abridged the 
 term of my self-denial, and I hastened to return 
 to my lessons. 
 
 It was on the evening of the tenth day since 
 my departure, that I again knocked at the gate 
 of the house where I had hired my apartments. 
 "What !" said the porter, when he opened the 
 gate, and saw me about to enter, " and so you 
 have the assurance to return? I promise you I'll 
 have no more rogues here ; 't is enough, I think, 
 to have one man hanged from my house. Go 
 about your business, and escape as fast as you 
 can. I take it your neck is in nearly as much 
 danger as Don Fernando *s!" 
 
 All this was an enigma. — " Rogues about your 
 e2 
 
78 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 house ! one man hanged ! — how ! what is the 
 meaning of all this?'' said I. " I have only this 
 moment returned to Cadiz, and know nothing of 
 all that you are telling me : open the gate wider, 
 I say, and let me pass to my apartment." But 
 it was instantly closed upon me; and through 
 the small opening from which the shutter was 
 slid back,* I continued to plead my privilege 
 and my ignorance. 
 
 "'Tis of no use denying it," said the porter, 
 interrupting me : " were you not his companion 
 for three weeks?" 
 
 " You have not told me," returned I, " what 
 it is I have to deny : if you have any cause of 
 complaint against Don Fernando, v/hat is that 
 to me? If he has committed any roguery, and if 
 I were concerned in it, is it likely that I would 
 come here in broad daylight ? " 
 
 * In many houses there is a small opening in the door, 
 Avith a sliding shutter, — a sort of observation hole. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. /9 
 
 This argument seemed to have some weight. 
 
 " Tell me at once," said I, " what is the 
 matter." 
 
 *' Matter enough, truly; your companion is to 
 be hanged to-morrow morning ; — why," said he, 
 perceiving by the expression of my face, that I 
 was really ignorant of the matter, " your pre- 
 ceptor, as you used to call him, is the most noted 
 felon in all Spain; he has personated half the 
 dignitaries in the kingdom, — the archbishop of 
 Seville among the rest; and some say, even the 
 king himself." 
 
 " But," said I, interrupting him, " although 
 Don Fernando is to be hanged to-morrow, that 
 does not deprive me of the right of going to 
 my own apartment, and claiming all that I left 
 in it." 
 
 " 'T is as bare," said he, " as . 
 
 " But my money — my jewels — my chest !" 
 
 " You '11 find money or jewels as scarce there 
 
80 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 as in the street; he swept all clean the same 
 night you left him." 
 
 The porter, however, satisfied my curiosity ; 
 and I found all as he described. 
 
 I now directed my steps to the prison, where, 
 if I should not succeed in recovering my gold, I 
 was at least sure of the satisfaction of upbraiding 
 my preceptor wath his villany. 
 
 " No upbraidings," said Don Fernando, as I 
 entered his cell; " I have deceived many greater 
 men than you, and robbed many poorer." 
 
 " My unhappy friend ! " said I (for just as he 
 had finished the sentence, my eye chanced to 
 rest upon his neck), " 't is truly a lamentable 
 condition in which I find you." 
 
 " x\s for that," returned he, with a shrug, " it 
 is very true that it could not have happened at a 
 more inconvenient time, having just taken pos- 
 session of your well-stored purse : 't was indeed 
 a piece of singular bad fortune ; but since the 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 81 
 
 aflfair is ended, give me the fevour of your com- 
 pany to-morrow at the last scene of the dnima, 
 and you shall see how admirably I will perform 
 my part." 
 
 From these words of my friend, lamenting 
 that he was deprived the pleasure of spending 
 my gold, I naturally enough believed that I 
 should recover it ; and I begged of him to have 
 the goodness to indulge me with its restitution. 
 
 " I have not a peseta in the world," said he ; 
 " not one of your pieces is left : my pockets 
 w^ere loaded with them: I was recognized, and 
 pursued. I reached the rampart, and sprung 
 into the sea, in hopes of gaining a vessel which 
 was then under weigh for the Levant ; but the 
 weight of your gold incommoded me, and I con- 
 trived to drop it into the sea, — and yet, as you 
 perceive, this availed me nothing. I feel grieved 
 that the gold should have perished, for as to- 
 morrow w^ll deprive me of the power of spending, 
 e3 
 
82 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 I should have had much pleasure in restoring it 
 to you, but for this unlucky accident." 
 
 I thanked my preceptor for his good inten- 
 tions, and took leave of him. 
 
 " I trust," said he, as I reached the door, " we 
 shall meet in the other world ; but stay, I had 
 nigh forgotten: this" — putting a roll of paper 
 into my hand — " is worth more to you than the 
 gold I have deprived you of; 't is a record of my 
 life :" — and I, taking possession of this equivalent, 
 and without any farther observation, left my pre- 
 ceptor to his meditations. 
 
 " Consummate rogue," said I to myself, as I 
 made my way to the street; "he has beggared 
 me :" and I walked onward in no very agreeable 
 mood, while every now and then the rich steam 
 of savoury viands, issuing from the posadas and 
 cook-shops, reminded me of what I stood in 
 need of, and of my inability to procure it : but 
 recollecting how many of my pesetas had been 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 8(J 
 
 exchanged for these delicacies, I boldly entered 
 one of the houses in which I was the best 
 known, resolved to eat a stew upon credit ; but 
 I speedily discovered how small was the know- 
 ledge of mankind I had imbibed from the lessons 
 of my preceptor. No one was willing to trust 
 a man whose friend was to be hanged next day. 
 This was the first moment since leaving Pena- 
 flor, that I might have \\dshed myself again in 
 my native town; but fortune, even in this ex- 
 tremity, was preparing a diversion in my favour. 
 Occupied with the many reflections to which my 
 present situation gave rise, I wandered as far as 
 the Alameda ; and throwing myself upon one of 
 the benches in front of the sea, 1 fell asleep. It 
 was a wild and varied vision that visited me : the 
 events of the last few weeks passed in succession 
 before me. I was in Don Jose's hall, again 
 gazing upon Isabel, and stepping over her dead 
 husband : I was riding by her side beneath tlie 
 
84 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 Star-light; laugliing, as the day dawned upon her 
 grotesque habiliments, — sitting in the chariot 
 with her, and listening to the departing sound 
 of carriage wheels. I was groping my way 
 through the streets of Xeres, — communing with 
 the priest in the dying chamber; and making 
 my bow to the dead man's niece. I was hurry- 
 ing through the obscure streets of Cadiz with 
 my preceptor, — eating of choice dishes, listening 
 to enchanting strains, and receiving the cup from 
 the hands of charming women, who seemed all to 
 resemble Isabel; — and then, I was hurried along 
 by a great and motley crowd, who thronged 
 round a platform, upon which stood a gallows- 
 tree ; and I saw my preceptor run gaily up the 
 ladder, and nod to me familiarly ; and instead of 
 being hanged, some one swept off his head with 
 a huge sabre, and his head rolled to my feet ; 
 und upon looking down, I saw that it was not my 
 preceptor's head, but Don Jose's. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 I FIND A PATRONESS, AND AM PROMOTED TO AN OFFICE OF 
 GREAT RESPONSIBILITY. 
 
 When I awoke, it was dusk, and a lady, at- 
 tended by a female servant, stood before me. 
 No sooner did I open my eyes than the former 
 addressed me in these words. " Sen or, I was 
 myself about to rouse you: passing this way 
 towards my own house, I observed you asleep, 
 and knowing it to be dangerous to fall asleep in 
 this place, when the wind is from the north, I 
 would have taken the freedom of awaking you." 
 "Alas! Madam," T replied, as the conscious- 
 ness of my desolate condition rose to my recol- 
 lection, " I can scarcely with sincerity return 
 
86 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 you thanks for your kindness : there is nothing 
 awaiting me that should lead me to covet the 
 moment of awaking ; unless indeed, that I might 
 look upon such charms as yours." 
 
 The lady, without noticing the compliment 
 except by a slight smile, said, " you do not look 
 like one who might have cause to dislike the 
 world ; but if you be an unfortunate, follow me, 
 and you shall by and by relate to me, what it is 
 you have to complain of." 
 
 The lady whom I now followed to the eastern 
 extremity of the Alameda, might be seven or 
 eight and twenty, — her features were expressive, 
 her figiu-e well turned, and graceful; and both 
 in her gait and dress, as well as in the manner 
 in which she held her mantilla, and disposed of 
 her fan, there was a certain elegance, that be- 
 spoke her a person of consideration : the fading 
 light did not then permit me to distinguish her 
 complexion, or the minuter traits of her conn- 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS« 87 
 
 tenance. " This adventure," said I to myself, 
 as I followed the lady and her maid along the 
 ramparts, "may possibly be turned to advantage." 
 I was not indeed greatly skilled in the ways of 
 woman ; but the smile that followed my com- 
 pliment to the lady's charms, had not escaped 
 me, — and by it, I resolved to shape my line of 
 conduct. 
 
 We stopped at the gate of a magnificent 
 house at the east corner of the Alameda, near 
 the palace — that quarter inhabited chiefly by 
 persons of consideration ; and the lady, desiring 
 her maid to conduct me to the sala, said, she 
 would herself follow presently. In a few minutes 
 she entered, divested of her outer habiliments, 
 and even of her mantilla ; and I then perceived, 
 by the light of the numerous wax candles which 
 illuminated the apartment, that she was unique 
 in all her charms : her complexion was of that 
 clear, transparent, though darkish hue, that can- 
 
88 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 not be emulated by the canvass or the marble, 
 but which belongs exclusively to the breathing 
 form;* her eyes were full of lustre — but of that 
 dazzling, and ever-changing lustre, that scarcely 
 permits the determination of any precise colour; 
 and her hair, of a deep glossy brown, fell in 
 seductive tresses almost to her shoulder. With- 
 out allowing me time to express my acknowledg- 
 ments for her condescension, she motioned me 
 to be seated, and requested me to inform her 
 frankly, what my present condition was, and 
 whai were the circumstances that had led me 
 into it. Upon which, believing that the prowess 
 I had shown in rendering some little services to 
 her sex, could not fail to create a favourable 
 impression upon her mind, I related to her all 
 my adventures from the day I left Penaflor, — 
 taking care, however, to make no mention of 
 
 * An exception might perhaps be made in favour of 
 Murillo. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 89 
 
 any thing that might be construed to my preju- 
 dice ; such as, that I had any personal interest 
 in ridding the world of Andrades, or that I had 
 appropriated Isabel's jewels to myself, or had 
 done otherwise than restored her at once to her 
 parents; or that, in the essential service I ren- 
 dered to the heiress of Xeres, I had been at first 
 actuated by interested motives, — and also passing 
 lightly over my intimacy with my unfortunate 
 preceptor: so that in the history which I gave 
 of myself, I appeared as the bravest, and most 
 disinterested of mortals, with only those few 
 foibles, and guilty of only those peccadillos, that 
 are inseparable from the character and conduct 
 of an ardent and high-spirited youth. When 
 I had made an end of my relation, the lady was 
 so obliging as to say, tliat for the services I had 
 rendered to some of her sex, I had a right to 
 the good offices of all; at the same time she com- 
 mended my courage, and disinterestedness, and 
 
90 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 lamented my recent misfortune. " Now," said 
 she, with the most engaging smile in the world, 
 " listen to what I have to propose. I am pleased 
 with the frankness of your character, and ha\'e 
 long been in search of a person possessing that 
 quality. Can you promise me sincerity, in the 
 performance of whatever duty you may under- 
 take?" 
 
 " Senora," I replied, " if there be any quality 
 of my mind predominating over the others, it is 
 sincerity, — for this, I have always been distin- 
 guished, and for its exercise, have sometimes 
 suffered." 
 
 " Be assured," said she, " that in my service 
 you shall meet with no such injustice : I believe 
 in your profession, so now listen to what I am 
 going to say. There is one passion, which I 
 possess in common with all my sex ; but, I be- 
 lieve, in a more exorbitant degree, — it is, love of 
 admiration." 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 91 
 
 " Ah, senora," interrupted I, " would that all 
 our desires were as reasonable, and as sure of 
 being gratified ! " 
 
 " I perceive," said she, " that you already 
 begin to administer to this passion ; let me then 
 hasten to tell you, that in the duty I design for 
 you, it must be forgotten. I know, that years 
 have already wrought some alteration in my 
 looks, and that the perfect freshness of youth 
 is gone — do not interrupt me, this I say I know, 
 but I would that no other than myself should 
 perceive it. As yet indeed, time may not 
 perhaps have wholly obKterated the traces of 
 what I have been ; but the hour \\dll infallibly 
 come, when the passion upon whose gratification 
 I live, cannot any longer be ministered to ; that 
 hour, I am determined never to survive. I could 
 not bear to see the influence I have wielded, 
 wane ; and it is accordingly this humiliation 
 I am desirous of being spared. In this city. 
 
92 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 where politeness is carried far into the dominion 
 of falsehood, a woman who has once had her 
 empire, and who still retains her rank, finds 
 nothing so hard to be come at, as truth; — will you 
 then accept the easy task of being sincere ? into 
 your hands, I am ready to confide that reputa- 
 tion which I have so long enjoyed, and which 
 I so fondly prize. Let it be your duty to warn 
 me of the approach of that day when I may find 
 that I have outlived the reputation I believe — 
 perhaps foolishly believe — I still enjoy. Your 
 service will be easy of performance : every night 
 I go into society, or have my tertulia at home; 
 and all I require of you is, that before I hazard 
 my reputation in public, you shall say, whether 
 I dare stand the test. This is what I have to 
 propose to you; tell me if you are willing to 
 enter my service upon this condition, — your time 
 shall be entirely at your own disposal, with the 
 reservation of the few moments every evening 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 93 
 
 required for the performance of your duty ; you 
 shall also have a liberal allowance, and be well 
 provided for in my house." 
 
 This was a proposal which no one in my 
 circumstances could reject. My whole duty 
 consisted in scrutinizing the figure and coun- 
 tenance of a beautiful woman ; and as to the 
 condition of sincerity, upon which my services 
 were accepted, it seemed to me, as far as I 
 could yet judge, that I might speak the truth, 
 and yet keep in favour. I therefore hastened 
 to express my willingness to enter into the 
 service of so charming a lady, and to profess my 
 entire concurrence in the condition required of 
 me. Behold me then installed in my new office 
 of censor of a lady's looks ! — a post certainly in 
 some degree derogator}^ to the dignity of one 
 who, within a few days, had figured among the 
 gayest Caballeros in Cadiz. Still, my preferment 
 had its advantages : it had ease and plenty; and 
 
94 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 when the charms, of whose reputation I was the 
 guardian, could no longer maintain their empire 
 in the world, who could tell, if their depreciated 
 value might not then be about an equivalent 
 (with other more substantial adjuncts thrown 
 into the scale) for the faithful performance of 
 my services. 
 
 The v.ery first evening upon which I was 
 installed in my office, I also entered upon its 
 duties; and I found them, as I had anticipated, 
 not only easy, but agreeable. Shortly after the 
 interview I have detailed, the Marquesa retired 
 to her toilet ; and after a reasonable time had 
 elapsed in the performance of its duties, I was 
 called to pronounce my verdict. Mine was 
 truly an occupation that thousands might have 
 coveted ; and 1 prolonged my scrutiny so long, 
 that the object of it began to manifest some 
 impatience. " Seiiora," said I, " sincerity in 
 my judgment, was the only condition you re- 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 95 
 
 quired of me; and where the admiration of all 
 mankind is due, mine is surely to be excused." 
 This was my manner of delivering my judgment, 
 and the Marquesa seemed not to be displeased 
 with it. 
 
 " Thou art indeed a lucky rogue," said I to 
 myself, as shortly after the Marquesa was gone, 
 a smoking stew, and a bottle of Paxerete, were 
 placed before me. " This is vastly better than 
 being hanged. Alas, my poor preceptor ! rascal 
 as he was, I wish he were here to enjoy a morsel 
 with me. The Marquesa is certainly a charm- 
 ing woman ; but whether she be entitled to the 
 undisputed empire of beauty, is another affair. 
 She has not the freshness of Isabel ; but her 
 charms are more seductive; as for sincerity — 
 a fig for sincerity ! — I know my own affairs. 
 Here is an excellent soup, a good stew, and 
 Paxerete fit for the Pope, and the Marquesa 
 is undeniably the most charming woman in Cadiz. 
 
96 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 Again my mind reverted to my preceptor, 
 and his misfortune ; and I now for the first time, 
 recollected the roll of paper which I had taken 
 from his hand. I drew it from my bosom, 
 where I had deposited it : and having now satis- 
 fied my appetite, and re-filled my goblet, I 
 imfolded the paper, with some curiosity to know 
 the events of a life which had terminated as I 
 imagined so little to the satisfaction of its pos- 
 sessor, and commenced reading the narrative 
 which will be found in the next chapter. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 CONTAINING THE STORY OF DON FERNANDO DE RUBIO, 
 FROM WHICH IT WILL BE SEEN THAT AUGURIES WORK 
 THEIR OWN ACCOMPLISHMENT. 
 
 " It would doubtless be a pity, that tlie know- 
 ledge which I have obtained of the world and 
 mankind, should perish with me : it will be of no 
 use to me to-morrow; and I am resolved, there- 
 fore, to let the world know that I have had full 
 value from it, for the ill-natured trick which it is 
 now about to play me. Know then, whoever 
 reads this record of Don Fernando de Rubio, that 
 I was born in the ancient and beautiful city of 
 Valencia, just forty years ago; for among other 
 
 VOL. I. F 
 
98 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 singularities which my life will be found to offer, 
 it is perhaps not the least remarkable, that the 
 day upon which I was ushered into the world 
 will be also the day upon which I shall kick 
 myself free of it. I use this expression, because 
 having seen several of my friends quit the world 
 in the same way in which I am likely to do, 
 it has always appeared to me a contemptuous, 
 and therefore an agreeable manner of parting 
 \\ith it. 
 
 " I could tell many stories of my infancy, and 
 might even go as far back as the day of my birth ; 
 but I will content myself with relating, that my 
 destinies in life were altered by the mark of a 
 ring, which appeared upon my neck; and when 
 my mother presented me to my father, and 
 pointed out this singularity, so prophetic did he 
 consider it, that, although he had destined me for 
 the church, and a rich canon had promised me 
 his protection, he resolved to breed me to some 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 99 
 
 other profession, that the sanctity of the holy 
 Catholic church, at least, should not suffer by 
 any disgrace that might overtake me. Had this 
 unlucky mark not been at all, or had it appeared 
 upon any other place than upon my neck, — had 
 my mother been less officious, — or my father 
 less a believer in augiu-ies, — I might this day 
 have been as far from the day of my death, as 
 I am from the hour of my birth : but prophecies 
 often affect their own fulfilment; and my life 
 and death, perhaps, afford some proof of this. 
 
 " * He will certainly be hanged,' said my 
 father, half a dozen times in the day : ' Ah, 
 my poor Fernando,' said my mother, upon these 
 occasions, taking me between her knees, and 
 anxiously examining my neck, to see if the ring- 
 were as visible as ever, ' what can we do to 
 save thee from the misfortune with which thou 
 art threatened?' My father would then shake 
 his head, as if to say, « God's will be done;' 
 F 2 
 
100 THE NEW GIL BLAS: 
 
 and I was left to the conviction that I must cer- 
 tainly be hanged. 
 
 " But by and by, and as I became older, the 
 rchen, became a subject of inquiry : the augury 
 said nothing upon this head. It was only the 
 manner, then, not the time of my death, that 
 was a settled affair. I was yet scarcely more 
 than a child, in years, but I w^as almost a man 
 in thought. The prediction, a belief in which 
 had at that time sunk into my mind, had pro- 
 duced a wonderful effect upon my character, 
 and habit of thinking ; and I was already indeed 
 a philosopher, in my own way. 
 
 " When I was first old enough to understand 
 the meaning of the augury that concerned me, I 
 cried like any other child who looks for a chas- 
 tisement : this fear, however, slowly wore away ; 
 and gradually my destiny became, with me, 
 rather a matter of curiosity and contemplation 
 than of dread. I eagerly perused whatever books 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 101 
 
 contained any information upon the subject that 
 interested me; particularly the lives of noted 
 pirates and robbers, and of all who had ended 
 their days upon a gallows. But these, although 
 they made me well acquainted with the actions 
 that usually terminate on a scaffold, afforded me 
 no information respecting the termination itself. 
 I grappled closer with the object of my curio- 
 sity; I particularly cultivated the acquaintance 
 of Querubim de Berbedel, the city hangman; 
 and perhaps I may say truly, that the most inte- 
 resting hours I have ever spent, were those in the 
 house of Querubim, in the Calle de los Angeles, 
 when, over a puchero, which I sent for from a 
 neighbouring cookshop, Querubim used to enter- 
 tain me with sundry stories of the last scene in the 
 lives of those who had been entrusted to his care. 
 " ' Ah, my young friend,' he would say, with 
 an odd expression of drollery and regret, in 
 which, however, the latter predominated, ' I 
 
102 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 fear you will fall at last into other hands than 
 mine.* 
 
 " ' It may be so, Querubim,' I would answer ; 
 ' but depend upon it, I shall never forget your 
 excellent lessons.* 
 
 " * The more sorry am I,' he would reply, 
 * that another than me, should reap the credit 
 of them.' 
 
 " ' At another time Querubim would say, ' Ah, 
 master Fernando, if you saw as much of death 
 as I do, you would never be sufficiently grateful 
 for the prospect before you ; I generally hasten 
 out of my house with a torch when I hear the 
 little bell, and accompany the priest to the dying 
 chamber — by which pious act I sometimes earn 
 a real, — ^and when I see the tugs one has with 
 death, and the long struggles of a death bed, I 
 never can help thinking to myself, that they are 
 best off, who receive a helping hand from me; 
 it is no sooner begun than ended, — and there is 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 103 
 
 always a good Franciscan by, just to whisper 
 a word to St. Peter.' And in good truth, the 
 discourse of the worthy Querubim received a 
 strong confirmation, and sunk the deeper into 
 my mind, from the death of my father, whose 
 illness was of that kind that often led me to bless 
 the augury, that ensured to me a less lingering, 
 and less painful end. 
 
 " I was now verging upon manhood ; and the 
 reflections that had been, up to this time, ha- 
 bitual to me, and the reading and conversation 
 in which I had indulged, had laid the founda- 
 tion of a system of action that sprung out of 
 the peculiar circumstances in which I w^as placed. 
 My principle was two-fold : first, to be before- 
 hand with my revenge upon the world — which 
 was one day to have its turn — by making the 
 most of my time in it; and, secondly, to exer- 
 cise my dexterity, in making tliat time as long 
 as possible. 
 
104 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 " When my father died, my mother retired 
 into a convent, and I was left with but a few 
 pesetas in the world, and with a code of philoso- 
 phy difficult to practise without them. All the 
 world knows that in Valencia, a dinner may 
 always be had for the asking; and until some 
 change for the better should take place in my 
 affairs, I did not fail to go every day to the 
 Convento de la Santisima Trinidad, to partake 
 of the hospitality of the friars. It so happened, 
 that in this convent there was an image of a 
 certahi saint, an object of great devotion to the 
 people of Valencia, on account of the many 
 miracles said to have been performed by it ; and 
 it was the custom, that upon one day in the year 
 this image should be exhibited to the devout of 
 that city, upon which occasion, certain miracles 
 were most commonly expected of the saint. 
 Now whether it was, that the friars found a 
 resemblance between my countenance and that 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 105 
 
 of their saint, or, what is more probable, dis- 
 covered, notwithstanding my genuflexions, and 
 other externals of devotion, that poverty, rather 
 than devotion led me to the convent, they fixed 
 upon me as the instrument of a pious fraud. 
 
 " ' Thy name I think is Fernando,' said one of 
 the friars to me one day, leading me into the 
 cloisters, as I w^as passing out from dinner. 
 
 " ' Fernando is my name,' said I, ' and my 
 name is all my inheritance.' 
 
 " ' Thou art poor, no doubt,' rejoined he; 
 ' but I design that thou shalt soon be richer, if 
 thou wilt consent to obey my instructions.' 
 
 " ' No one,' said I, ' can be readier to obey 
 instructions that are to produce so agreeable a 
 result;' and the friar then explained to me, how 
 that the finances of the convent were miserably 
 low, — that a new organ for the chapel, and many 
 ornaments for the major altar were wanted ; and 
 that on the occasion of the approaching festival, 
 F 3 
 
106 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 when it was always the custom for the devout to 
 lay some little oiFering upon the altar of the saint, 
 it was intended to warm devotion by some strik- 
 ing display of the saint's gratitude ; and, finally, 
 I was made to understand, that if I would con- 
 sent to personate the saint, by wearing his gar- 
 ments and crown — to hold a silver salver in my 
 hand, to receive the offerings; and to bow my 
 head, whenever the donation exceeded a duro, 
 I should be rew^arded with a thousand reals — 
 but upon condition that I should immediately 
 afterwards quit Valencia, and reside in some 
 other town. 
 
 " Nothing could be more agreeable to me than 
 this proposal ; my devotion did not stand in the 
 way of its acceptance, — for firmly believing in 
 the augury that ensured to me timely prepara- 
 tion, and the assistance of a holy man, in quit- 
 ting the world, I resolved that all my pecca- 
 dillos should be rubbed out at the same time; 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 107 
 
 and as for the condition imposed upon me, of 
 living elsewhere than in Valencia, I had already 
 resolved upon quitting that city, and only lacked 
 the means of carrying my design into effect ; for 
 knowing that the prediction could not be accom- 
 plished in France, where the office of my friend 
 Querubim is performed in another fashion, I had 
 determined upon leaving Spain for that country. 
 " Upon the day appointed for the celebration 
 of the festival, I was received by the Superior, 
 whom I found to be the same individual who 
 had formerly spoken with me, and who, with 
 two or three others, was alone in the secret of 
 the pious fraud in which I was to be an actor, 
 ' By this,' said he, ' we confirm the wavering, 
 and strengthen the faith of the true Catholic, 
 and thus, the end justifies the means.' The 
 habiliments of the saint were ample, and tlie 
 image having been removed, I easily slipped into 
 its place, divesting myself only of my cloak, and 
 
108 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 found room enough within the foldings of tlie 
 cloth of gold that covered my tarnished dress : 
 the crown was placed upon my head, a well- 
 contrived mask upon my face, and a massive 
 silver salver in my hand, which, somehow or 
 other, seemed to grow to my fingers. Thus 
 prepared, the chapel railing was thrown open, 
 and the matin bell began to chime. 
 
 " And now the devout Valencians poured in ; 
 and crowded into the chapel, where I stood 
 beneath a siver-gilded canopy. The wants of 
 the convent had been industriously circulated by 
 the friars : nor had less pains been taken to en- 
 courage a belief, that some visible manifestation 
 of the saint's good will and gratitude might be 
 expected. The first that entered, were some 
 beggars, with little more than their tattered 
 brown cloaks to cover them; and a few quartos 
 dropped upon the salver, — larger offerings suc- 
 ceeded, — pesetas, half and whole duros, but no 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 109 
 
 sign of gratitude or good wdll yet escaped from 
 the saint. At length, a gold piece rung upon 
 the salver, and forthwith the saint bent his head. 
 The miracle was seen by all ; a thousand thumbs 
 had in an instant performed the sign of the 
 cross; a thousand knees were bent; a loud and 
 earnest hum of prayer rose from a thousand 
 kneelers ; at the same instant, the organ pealed 
 forth its loud anthem, and ' Glory to God, 
 glory in the highest,' was the universal song of 
 of praise. But the miracle operated in a more 
 substantial form ; the prediction of an influential 
 saint w^as well worth the sacrifice of a few duros 
 — gold poured into the salver; and to such an 
 extent, that not only was the saint's neck weary 
 of acknowledgment, and his arm, of the weight 
 with which devotion burdened it; but a new 
 miracle became necessary; the salver w^as too 
 small to contain its offerings, and the gold was 
 beginning to slide oflf the heap: the saint, 
 
110 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 therefore, withdrawing the salver, deposited the 
 contents somewhere within the folds of his under 
 garments, and again extended the vessel to the 
 awe-struck devotees. 
 
 " The throng that had poured into the chapel, 
 at length began to lessen; and mass having 
 begun at the major altar, all hastened to place 
 themselves before it, so that the chapel of the 
 miraculous image was left for a time without 
 a worshipper. Now, thought I, is the moment, — 
 slipping my arms out of the wide sleeves of the 
 saint, I disentangled myself from the cumbrous 
 garments, which were stiff enough to stand erect 
 without the help either of an image or its repre- 
 sentative ; the mask, I left propped in its place, 
 and the salver also I would have left in tlie 
 hand of the saint, had this been possible ; but I 
 was compelled to dispose of it otherwise ; it fol- 
 lowed its contents within my girdle ; and having 
 stealthily descended from the canopy, I threw 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. Ill 
 
 my old cloak, wliicli I had laid behind it, over 
 my shoulders, and di'awing my hat over my 
 brows, I walked leisurely out of the chapel, and 
 through the church, and soon found myself in 
 the Calle de Alboraya, and crossing the bridge of 
 the Holy Trinity. What took place in the con- 
 vent when mass was ended — at what time the 
 discovery was made — or what steps were taken 
 to trace the flight of the mock saint, I have no 
 means of ascertaining, and never stopped to in- 
 quire; but satisfied that I had practised a less 
 fraud upon the friars, than they had practised 
 upon the people, I continued my walk at no 
 unusual pace, that I might avoid suspicion, along 
 the avenue that leads to the port — engaged, like 
 others, in leisurely cutting up a melon, and 
 eating it by the way. 
 
 " With plenty of gold in one's girdle, a help- 
 ing hand is never far distant in the kingdom of 
 Valencia. A Valencian pockets the gold, and 
 
112 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 asks no questions; and mass could hardly have 
 been concluded in the convent of the most Holy 
 Trinity, before a fine scampavia was carrying 
 me away from the city of my nativity, and 
 shaping her course for Barcellona. 
 
 " While sitting on the half deck of the 
 boat, watching the coast glide away, I could not 
 but congratulate myself upon the issue of this 
 enterprise, the first I had undertaken. I was 
 now free to practise my code of philosophy, as 
 long at least, as a piece remained in my girdle. 
 The sameness of the friars' daily puchero, had 
 become wearisome ; and the monotony which 
 moneyless pockets give to life, accorded ill with 
 my felt capacities of enjoyment. Now however, 
 1 could fairly enter upon my plan of indemni- 
 fication for the injury to be afterwards done me ; 
 and I might indeed be said to have already com- 
 menced my revenge. The coasting voyage 
 continued favourable; and after having been 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 113 
 
 obliged to put in at Oropesa, and at Venicario, 
 for provisions and wine, I found myself on the 
 fifth day, standing on the quay of Barcellona, 
 the richest and most commercial city in Spain. 
 Here, if any where, said I, as I walked up the 
 Rambla, a man may spend his pesetas to his 
 liking, and find means too, to fill his girdle-end 
 with them when it lacks weight. The first part 
 of this prophecy was easily accomplished ; here 
 I served my first apprenticeship to pleasure; 
 and notwitlistanding the devotion of the good 
 Valencians, my purse became perceptibly lighter. 
 A man cannot be a philosopher after my fashion 
 for nothing : pucheros even, are not to be had 
 wdthout quartos, until a man gains some ex- 
 perience in the world, nor even Catalunian 
 wine, without parting with a few reals ; and as 
 for the favours of the fair, their smiles are not 
 given as in Valencia, to a tight shape, sparkling 
 eyes, and crisped locks, nor their ears won by a 
 
114 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 canto amoroso : fine clothes, and fine horses, cost 
 more than a straight limb, a knowing eye, and 
 soft words, — and jewels are more expensive than 
 serenades; in short, one day I shook out my 
 purse, and the last piece dropped on the ground. 
 ' Carba de San Pedro,' said I, apostrophising 
 my purse, ' I have had some pleasure out of thee, 
 and be it now my care to see thee replenished.' 
 The silver salver indeed, that had returned so 
 pleasant a chink to the ofi*erings of the Valen- 
 cians, still remained ; but remembering the au- 
 gury, I judged it wisest to take no advantage of 
 it, so long as I remained in a country where it 
 might find an owner, and where such persons 
 as my friend Querubim find employment. 
 
 " Sauntering in this frame of mind through the 
 streets, I chanced to reach the gate of the Domi- 
 nican convent, which is always open to those 
 who desire to have their faith strengthened by 
 examining the pictorial record of all the heretics 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 115 
 
 who were burnt during the sixteenth and seven- 
 teenth centuries, or by saying an ave at the altar 
 of the saint, who sailed in the short space of 
 six hours from Majorca to Barcellona, with only 
 his cloak for a boat, — or above all, by kneeling 
 before the shrine of the Virgin of St. Pilar, the 
 most popular saint in Barcellona. It was to this 
 latter altar that I directed my steps; nor was 
 this the first time they had strayed in the same 
 direction ; and notwithstanding the earnestness 
 of my devotion on such occasions, I had not 
 failed to remark the costly robes of this miracu- 
 lous image ; and in particular the valuable rings 
 with which her fingers were covered, one of 
 which was the gift of no less considerable a per- 
 son than the Pope. A Caballero with so ill- 
 furnished a purse as mine, might well ask so 
 influential a saint as the Virgin of St. Pilar to 
 fill it, and in short, so particular were my devo- 
 tions, that the closing of the convent gates 
 
116 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 surprised me in the midst of them, I was not, as 
 will be recollected, without experience in pious 
 frauds; and the tapers that burned before the 
 altar of the saint, displaying in the most enticing 
 manner, the brilliancy of the Pope's diamond 
 ring, and recollecting at the same time, the saying 
 of the Superior of the convent of the Santisima 
 Trinidad, that ' ends justify means,' it was not 
 long before the gem sparkled upon my unsancti- 
 fied finger, in place of on the Virgin's; and 
 having concocted my plans, which, as will pre- 
 sently appear, fully answered my expectations, 
 I lay down under the altar, and was speedily 
 asleep. 
 
 " The Dominicans watch their treasures well ; 
 and scarcely had morning dawned when one of 
 their number, prowling about the convent church 
 before the doors were opened, discovered a 
 devotee asleep in the chapel of the Virgin ; nor 
 as I expected did the ring upon my finger escape 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 117 
 
 his lynx eye. I was questioned, and seized ; but 
 this being an offence of so great magnitude, 
 that it concerned the corregidor of the city, as 
 well as the superior of the convent, I was hurried 
 at an early hour to the public hall, accompanied 
 by the superior, and other friars belonging to 
 the convent of Dominicans, and followed by 
 a vast assemblage of devotees, who breathed 
 execrations against the wretch who had profaned 
 by sacrilegious theft, the altar of the Virgin 
 of St. Pilar, one of the favourite saints of 
 the catholic city Barcellona. Had my friend 
 Querubim been at my elbow, or seen me led 
 away to the hall of justice, followed by hootings 
 and chargedwith sacrilege, he would doubtless 
 have remembered his prediction, that I might 
 after all his instructions, fall into other hands 
 than his, and sorely would he have rued the ill 
 fortune that deprived him of the satisfaction of 
 performing the last offices to a friend. However, 
 
118 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 things were not gone so far ; and my wits were 
 destined then, as upon some after occasions, to 
 postpone the accomplishment of the augury. 
 
 " The charge against me was clear, and my 
 guilt, apparently, undeniable; found asleep in 
 the chapel of the Virgin, with the diamond ring 
 upon my finger, a ring identified by the supe- 
 rior, and all the friars — nay even by the devotees 
 themselves, who had so often prostrated them- 
 selves before her. Nothing else was expected 
 by all present, than that I should be declared 
 guilty of the sacrilege, and hurried off to judg- 
 ment, condemnation, and execution: and such 
 indeed was likely to be the issue, when I ex- 
 claimed, * Muy Reverende Padre, y, muyjusto Cor- 
 regidor, — Condemn not a man unheard, — for in 
 passing judgment upon my supposed sacrilege, 
 you will be guilty of the far greater impiety of 
 denying the miracle-working power of the Virgin 
 of St. Pilar. Is not this saint the boast of your 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 119 
 
 city, and the consolation of tlie afflicted? and 
 would you rashly throw discredit upon her 
 sanctity? I beseech you then, most reverend 
 fathers and just magistrates, as well as those 
 many good Catholics assembled here — some of 
 whom have doubtless cause to bless the Virgin of 
 St. Pilar — to listen to the relation I am about to 
 give, as to the manner in which this ring came 
 into my possession, and to the proof which it 
 will afford of my own innocence, and of the 
 gracious condescension of the Virgin.' 
 
 " This address, as may easily be imagined, 
 excited no small surprise in those to whom it 
 was addressed; and as my proifered narrative 
 seemed to promise some new proof of power 
 in the favourite saint of the people of Barcel- 
 lona, although no one guessed what it might be, 
 leave was given me to proceed with my excul- 
 pation; and I accordingly delivered myself as 
 follows : — 
 
120 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 "Yesternight, oppressed with the weight of 
 sin, I resolved to seek the Dominican convent of 
 your city (for I am a stranger in these parts), 
 for the purpose of humbling myself before the 
 altar of the Virgin of St. Pilar, whose miraculous 
 power, and kindness to the afflicted, has reached 
 even the remotest corners in Spain, and, to con- 
 fess the truth, it was the reputation of this saint 
 that brought me hither, from beyond the Sierra 
 Nevada, and even from the farthest corner of 
 Andalusia. It was already dusk when I entered 
 the convent ; and while I continued to rest upon 
 the railings that inclose the chapel of the Virgin 
 of St. Pilar, feeling that meditation and self- 
 examination were necessary, to prepare me for 
 setting foot within so holy a precinct, I heard 
 the convent gates close, and was left alone in the 
 church. I remained long in meditation, and it 
 was approaching midnight before 1 had found 
 sufficient resolution to throw myself below the 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 121 
 
 altar of the miraculous image. Long I conti- 
 nued in prayer; my face bent upon the ground; 
 till, feeling in my heart that I had gained the 
 favour of the Virgin of St. Pilar, I ventured to 
 raise my eyes to the object of my devotion. The 
 eyes of the Virgin were bent kindly upon me, 
 and a benignant expression beamed on her coun- 
 tenance ; but judge, most reverend fathers and 
 devout magistrate — judge of my surprise, when 
 the Virgin took from her finger the ring which 
 you now see upon my unworthy hand, and ex- 
 tending it towards me, with an encouraging- 
 bend, and a smile of ineffable sweetness, seemed 
 to say, ' accept this as a proof of my good- will 
 and miraculous power.' Awe-struck and trem- 
 bling, yet daring not to reject the gift, I rose 
 from my prostration, and advancing nearer to 
 the altar, and kneeling upon the highest step, 
 the Virgin herself placed the ring upon the 
 finger where you now see it. * Seiiores,' added 
 
 VOL. I. G 
 
122 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 I, in a bolder tone, ' it is a sacred gift — who 
 dares remove it hence, or dispute the good 
 pleasure of the Virgin? ' *' 
 
 " A confused murmur ran through the court ; 
 the crowd, which had every moment increased, 
 already looked upon me as half canonized, and 
 all good Catholics crossed themselves perse- 
 veringly; the superior of the Dominicans and 
 the friars looked bewildered, and the corregidor 
 irresolute. For my own part, I felt well assured 
 how the aifair would end. To deny the miracle, 
 before so many bigoted Catalonians,* was more 
 than either the friars or the corregidor dared to 
 do; and valuable as the ring was, the additional 
 sanctity and power of the Virgin proved in the 
 transference of it, would, when noised abroad 
 by the friars, do more for the convent than the 
 
 * Barcellona has always been celebrated for the zeal of 
 its priesthood, and for the pains taken by them to hood- 
 wink the people. — Spain in 1830. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 123 
 
 restitution of it to the saint's finger.* The con- 
 ference, therefore, between the corregidor and 
 the friars was not long : ' This' is, undoubtedly, 
 a wonderful, and well - authenticated miracle,' 
 said the superior, addressing all present; 'the 
 saints defend me from questioning the will of 
 the Virgin of St. Pilar; let us return to the 
 convent, and prostrate ourselves before her 
 altar.' 
 
 * The miracle woidd be at once credited in Barcellona. 
 "In the year 1827, there was, in one of the churches or 
 convents, a certain image of a virgin, who was represented 
 black. It was at this time, that an outcry had been raised 
 against the liberals, who v/ere called negroes, {negro is the 
 Spanish for black), and the rumour went abroad, that the 
 negroes went to this church to pay adoration to the black 
 virgin. Such being the case, the priests ventured upon 
 and concerted a miracle, which might have the double 
 effect of strengthening the faith of the people, and of 
 bringing the negroes into still greater discredit. One 
 morning it was publicly announced that the virgin had 
 changed from black to white; and the good Catholics of 
 Barcellona were invited to go and see the miracle with their 
 own eyes, and they went by thousands. Let it not be 
 forgotten, that this happened only four years ago." — Spain 
 in 1830. 
 
 g2 
 
124 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 '« « Friend,* said the corregidor, addressing me, 
 « thou may'st keep the ring with which the 
 Virgin has presented thee ; but,' added he, 
 lowering his voice to a whisper, and with a sig- 
 nificant look, * take my advice, and in future de- 
 cline to receive presents from saints or virgins.' 
 
 " I understood the caution; and with my ring 
 upon my finger, I left the hall of justice, pre- 
 senting the sacred relic to the many mouths that 
 eagerly advanced to kiss it ; and not caring to 
 remain longer in Barcellona, thinking it probable 
 that the Dominicans might attempt to recover 
 their property in their own way, I instantly hired 
 a mule, and leaving the city, proceeded at a 
 round pace towards the frontier, with only a few 
 duros, and some loose reals in my purse. 
 
 " ' My wits get sharper,' said I to myself, as 1 
 left Barcellona behind; ' I was not wrong in 
 thinking that, in such a city, a man might find 
 means both of emptying and of replenishing his 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 125 
 
 purse ; but I must not always fill it at the ex- 
 pense of one order of society — I must have value 
 from them all. And with this resolution I en- 
 tered Gerona.' 
 
 Here I found a break, a blank leaf in the 
 history of my poor preceptor ; but upon turning 
 over the leaf, I found he had continued it, 
 though he appeared to have left unnarrated his 
 journey and its events from Gerona, as far as 
 Thoulouse. I confess the history had so much 
 amused me, that the goblet of Paxarete re- 
 mained un tasted; and resolving for one night 
 to forego the pleasure of scrutinizing the bright 
 eyes in the Plaza de San Antonio, I recom- 
 menced reading the story of Don Fernando, 
 which, after the break I have mentioned, con- 
 tinued as follows. — " It has always been my 
 maxim through life, to provide timeously against 
 the evil day ; by which I would be understood 
 
126 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 as meaning, the day when a man must grope in 
 the very bottom of his purse to ferret out a 
 solitary coin. Trust me, one coin is an exceed- 
 ingly good help towards another ; and wit, with- 
 out gold to back it, is commonly unproductive 
 stock. Like health, which must not be allowed 
 to decay altogether before we attempt to build 
 it up, so is the purse: when the vis vitce gets too 
 low, medicine may be applied in vain, it finds no 
 aid within ; and thus I say it is of the purse, 
 that while it is yet round and healthy, it must be 
 strengthened. And let me add too, that as it is 
 sometimes necessary for the restoration of the 
 body's health to impoverish it for a time, and 
 even to withdraw from it a part of that which 
 is its support and a portion of itself; so it is in 
 renovating the health of the purse, which some- 
 times requires to be freely bled, in order that it 
 may be invigorated. This manner of illustrating 
 my principle is sufficiently natural in one, who. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 127 
 
 as it will afterwards appear, took his degree in 
 medicine in the university of Paris. 
 
 " Sometime before leaving BarceUona, and 
 while my purse yet showed little sign of the 
 atrophy with which it was afterwards threatened, 
 I had provided myself with a suit similar to that 
 worn on high days by the great lords of Cata- 
 lunia; and having at Narbonne secretly disposed 
 of the salver, which, by reason of the inimitable 
 workmansliip with which it was enriched, (by 
 no less a hand as was said than that of Antonio 
 Pascual), proved even more valuable than I had 
 suspected, I found myself possessed of no incon- 
 siderable stock of gold. Accompanied by my 
 servant, whom I had picked up at Figueras — a 
 countryman, as good luck would have it — and 
 although the most cunning and lying of Valen- 
 cians, the most faithful servant in the world, I 
 made my entry into Tlioulouse in the character 
 of a Spanish grandee, which I well supported by 
 
128 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 my proud air, and haughty bearing, as well as 
 by my contempt of horses, — mounted upon my 
 great Spanish mule, and followed at a respectful 
 distance by Diego upon another, both riding 
 with as much speed as the dignity of so high a 
 personage as myself would allow; and with what 
 the French call an air of empressement, I alighted 
 at the Hotel des Ambassadeurs, at that time the 
 chief inn in the city, and occupied the apart- 
 ments destined for persons of the greatest dis- 
 tinction. 
 
 " Scarcely had I arrived, when all the house 
 was in commotion ; — the great lord was taken ill 
 — the Spanish grandee was dying — the richest 
 duke in Spain could not live an hour. 
 
 " ' Ah, Dieu !* said Diego, (for the fellow 
 could jabber French), 'my master, the duke of 
 Monte- Serrate, will assuredly die, — the envoy 
 extraordinary from his Catholic majesty, will 
 never live to deliver his credentials.' 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 129 
 
 " « The physician — the priest — the notary — 
 which shall be sent for ?' said the landlord, with 
 a shrug of infinite compassion. 
 
 " « Which shall be sent for, illustrious master ?' 
 said Diego. 
 
 ** ' Not the physician,' said I, in a low tremu- 
 lous tone, 'for I feel that I am past the reach 
 of medicine ; not the priest, for a grandee of 
 Spain must not be shriven by a Cure ; but haste, 
 and quickly send for the most celebrated lawyer 
 in this city, for it will require many hours even 
 to enumerate the possessions which I must leave 
 behind me.* 
 
 " The landlord bowed to the ground, and 
 retired to execute my wishes; while I folded my 
 rich cloak round me, placed my brilliant diamond 
 ring more conspicuously upon my finger, laid 
 my well-filled purse, whose open mouth showed 
 a deep mine of louis-d*or, upon a table, and 
 reclined in the attitude of a sick person, upon 
 G 3 
 
130 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 the well -pillowed bed. Presently the lawyer 
 entered the chamber ; a grey-haired, keen-eyed 
 man, who showed by the empressement of his 
 manner, as well as by the multitude of his bows, 
 that he was well informed both of the rank of 
 his employer, and of the importance of the 
 document which he was called upon to prepare. 
 
 " * Sir,' said I, < a thousand thanks for this 
 ready acquiescence in my wishes — but time 
 presses; sit down, and I wiU dictate to you not 
 the form, but the substance of the testament 
 which I have called you to make. The lawyer 
 bowed, flung behind the periwig, which the 
 action had disarranged, and took the pen in his 
 hand. 
 
 " ' Excuse the feebleness of my voice,' said I — 
 ' draw the table nearer to my bedside,' said I — 
 ' and now listen. Imprimis, I bequeath twenty 
 thousand crowns to my faithful servant Diego.' 
 * Nay, good Diego,' said I, raising my head 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 131 
 
 from my pillow, ' do not weep ; the legacy which 
 thy merits demand, will enable thee to be thy 
 own master, which is better than being the 
 servant of even a grandee — do not weep, but go 
 and prepare a fleet horse to carry thee on thy 
 journey to Paris, with the important letters 
 which 1 bear from his Catholic, to his Christian 
 Majesty; and now, sir, I am again at your 
 service. 
 
 " ' In the second place, I bequeath two thou- 
 sand crowns to each of my thirty-seven servants 
 in my two palaces at Barcellona and Tarragona. 
 
 " ' In the third place, I appoint the sum of 
 fifty thousand crowns to be paid to Don Tomas 
 Lamo de Espinosa, my physician, as a trifling- 
 mark of my esteem and gratitude. 
 
 " ' In the fourth place, I bequeath ten thousand 
 crowns to each of the honest tradesmen who 
 have supplied my household with such provisions 
 as my estates do not grow; videlicet^ my butcher, 
 
132 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 my baker, my chocolate merchant, my water 
 server, my ice merchant. 
 
 " * These, sir, are some trifling remembrances 
 which may precede the disposal of the great 
 bulk of my property. 
 
 " « In the fifth place, I appoint fifty thousand 
 head, less or more, of Merino sheep, now grazing 
 on the Sierras of Albarracin, near my Arra- 
 gonese estates, to be — but stop, Mr. Notary, one 
 thing I had forgotten, let me consider — that lazy 
 escrivano, Morell of Barcellona, scarcely deserves 
 a remembrance ; would you believe it, sir — you 
 would not, — you, who hurried at midnight to 
 perform a kind office to a dying man ; — that 
 Morell, a notary who owed to me every real he 
 had in the world, delayed till morning answering 
 a summons I sent to him at midnight, to come, 
 with all haste, and take my instructions for my 
 last testament. God was pleased that I should 
 recover; but, sir, the indolence of that escrivano 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 133 
 
 might have deprived me of the means of doing 
 justice to my friends. ' Morell,' said I, ' I 
 intended to have remembered thee in my will, 
 and made thee rich for life; not less than a 
 hundred thousand crowns would have been thine 
 but for thy present misconduct, — but I will not 
 leave thee a peseta ! and the hundred thousand 
 crowns I had intended for thee, shall benefit 
 some more active and useful member of thy 
 profession ; one who does not, like thee, leave 
 me to die without doing justice to my friends ; 
 I swear it shall be so, Morell ! — no ! Morell 
 deserves nothing at my hands,' said I, in a 
 musing way, though aloud, while at the same 
 time I could observe the flushed countenance 
 and anxious eye of the lawyer, who, dazzled by 
 the brilliant legacies that had risen beneath his 
 pen, and catching at a faint hope from my last 
 words, almost began to entertain the idea of 
 seeing his own name in the testament of the 
 duke of Monte- Serrate. 
 
134 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 " ' Sir,' said I, ' on the verge of the grave, as 
 I am, half promises, even words scarcely un- 
 meant, assume the sacredness of vows ; you, sir, 
 hastened to me in my extremity ; but for you, 
 I might have been in the condition in which 
 Morell would have left me — burdened in my 
 last hours with the encumbrance of unalloted 
 wealth ; and I feel that you have earned, and 
 deserve the — the — lega — cy.' The lawyer held 
 the pen in his hand, while his keen, anxious 
 countenance was fixed upon me in breathless 
 attention, but I feigned to be unable to finish 
 the sentence, and sunk back exhausted on my 
 pillow. 
 
 '' Just at this critical moment, Diego, who had 
 been well instructed, and knew his time, entered 
 the chamber abruptly, and with a disconcerted 
 countenance. 
 
 " ' Diable !' said the notary, addressing Diego 
 in an under tone, and with ill-concealed vex- 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 135 
 
 ation, ' what means this ill-timed interrup- 
 tion ? ' 
 
 " 'Only this,' replied Diego, ' I have scoured 
 the whole city through, to find a strong, fleet 
 horse to carry me with the duke's despatches to 
 the capital, but being a stranger, no one will 
 trust me with his horse.' 
 
 " ' Hush, hush,' said the lawyer, writing a few 
 hurried lines, ' deliver this paper, and thou 
 may'st have a choice of horses.' 
 
 " ' But,' said Diego, ' I must approach my 
 dear master, to beg his blessing, and to receive 
 a purse to bear the expenses of my long 
 journey.' 
 
 " ' What is it I hear,' said I in a feeble voice, 
 'is it Diego? what does Diego wish? Come 
 hither, my faithful Diego, approach thy dying 
 master; but I am better now, and almost able 
 to proceed with my testament;' and notwith- 
 standing that the lawyer would gladly have 
 
136 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 prevented any delay, Diego approached, to beg 
 my blessing, and added in a low voice, yet loud 
 enough to be heard, that he required a purse to 
 defray the expenses of his journey. 
 
 " * For shame, Diego ; ' said I, with a heat 
 that seemed to threaten suffocation, and which 
 threw the notary into a fever of alarm ; ' thus, 
 in my last moments, to intrude upon me such 
 paltry concerns as these, taking from the little 
 time left for arranging my important affairs with 
 this worthy gentleman — alas ! I feel my feeble- 
 ness return.' 
 
 " ' Permit me, sir,' said the lawyer, in a gentle 
 tone, * to arrange this little matter; I pray your 
 highness will not trouble yourself farther, and 
 by unnecessary exertion endanger your valuable 
 life :' and without farther opposition on my part, 
 the expectant of a hundred thousand crowns 
 hastily wrote and delivered to Diego, an order 
 on the bank of Thoulouse for two hundred louis- 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 137 
 
 d'or; and Diego, having once more approached 
 my bed-side, left the chamber with his handker- 
 chief pressed to his eyes, and as I afterwards 
 learnt, forthwith received from the landlord of 
 the inn the sum contained in the order, as well 
 as a couple of fleet horses from another quarter; 
 and while I was still employed dictating to the 
 lawyer, was so far on his way to the metropolis. 
 
 " « Let us now proceed with business, Mr. 
 Notary,* said I; 'but my memory does not 
 serve me to remember at what part we were 
 interrupted — the testament, I think, was not 
 concluded.' 
 
 "'Your highness,' returned he, 'had just 
 spoken of an indolent notary, called Morell, to 
 whom you had purposed at one time to bequeath 
 a hundred thousand crowns.' 
 
 " ' Which,' said T, ' I now bequeath to you ; 
 't is but a trifle, scarcely worth your acceptance, 
 but will help to keep this evening in your 
 remembrance.' 
 
138 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 " I will not dwell longer upon my interview 
 with the lawyer : — a hundred thousand crowns to 
 one hospital, and fifty thousand to another; a 
 million of reals for masses; and lands, and 
 palaces, and towns, and villages, to the king, in 
 default of an heir, filled up the testament. 
 
 " The lawyer was about to take his leave, in 
 company with the landlord, who had witnessed 
 the execution of the testament, and whom I had 
 declared to be the heir of the diamond ring upon 
 my finger, when I addressed them thus : — ' My 
 worldly affairs, gentlemen, are now arranged to 
 my satisfaction; it yet wants several hours to 
 morning, these I am desirous of spending in 
 the company of some holy man, — for though 
 a grandee of Spain, I now feel it to be unbe- 
 coming pride to reject the counsel of the hum- 
 blest minister of religion.' And but a few 
 minutes had elapsed, after the notary and the 
 witnesses had retired, before a Cure made his 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 139 
 
 appearance at the door. I will refrain from 
 relating all that passed between the Cure and 
 the duke of Monte-Serrate; but after I had 
 received all the consolation I needed, or the 
 Cure could give, I said, * Now tell me, reverend 
 father, if there be any churches, altars, or 
 monasteries, in your city, by visiting which a 
 dying man may obtain the especial favour of 
 Heaven.' 
 
 " ' In the church of St. Saturnin,' replied the 
 Cure, ' there are seven altars so blessed, that 
 Urban VIII has extended to all those who visit 
 these altars, the same indulgences which have 
 been conferred upon those who visit the seven 
 altars in St. Peter's, at Rome.' 
 
 " ' Then,' said I, ' I am resolved to visit these 
 altars, feeble as I am : day almost breaks, and 
 the gate of the church will presently be open to 
 the devout; but this gorgeous mantle is no attire 
 for a dying penitent who would prostrate him- 
 
140 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 self there; lend me thy cassock, reverend father, 
 't is a soberer and more fitting dress, and in an 
 hour I will return to receive the last offices/ 
 
 " The Cure dared not well refuse this to a 
 grandee of Spain, one too from whom he, no 
 doubt, expected some considerable largess; an 
 expectation in which I encouraged him, by say- 
 ing, as I took up my purse, ' this shall pur- 
 chase masses from thee;' and so throwing the 
 Cure's cassock over my own cloak, which he had 
 fortunately refused to allow me to throw upon 
 his shoulders, I tottered with a feeble step across 
 the chamber, and descending the stair unques- 
 tioned, and with the grave step of a minister of 
 religion who had just issued from a dying cham- 
 ber, passed the court-yard, and gained the street. 
 
 " As may be supposed, Diego was not abso- 
 lutely beyond reach ; he and his two steeds were 
 waiting his master's arrival near the bridge, and 
 before the sun gilded the Garonne, — or the 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 141 
 
 lawyer woke from his golden dream, — or the 
 Cure missed his cassock, — or the landlord his 
 guests and his bill, we had left twelve leagues of 
 road behind us. ' Two such horses as these in 
 exchange for two mules, friend Diego,' said I, 
 ' and two hundred louis beside, is a good night's 
 work.' 
 
 " * 'T is even better than your grandeeship 
 imagines,' returned Diego, « for here is also 
 twice the value of the two mules from the purse 
 of the landlord, who believes they are of the king 
 of Spain's own breed.' 
 
 " ' Thou 'rt a treasure of a servant,' said I, ' a 
 chief of rogues and a prince of cheats — worthy 
 of the master thou servest ; but thou shalt serve 
 no longer ; henceforth let us join our fortunes, 
 Diego, and change characters as may be con- 
 venient. Let us be honest to each other, and 
 cheat all the world beside; let us make a 
 partnership of brains, and a community of 
 
142 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 profits;' and so we joined our fortunes. But, 
 alas ! I never think of my valued and gifted 
 Diego, without a sigh to his memory. He was 
 sent out of the world before he had obtained 
 half value from it, on suspicion of a crime of 
 which he was innocent, — ^he was worthy of a 
 better fate; and I might perhaps add, of an 
 honester colleague. 
 
 " ' It occurs to me,' said Diego, as we ap- 
 proached the next town, * that the jest might 
 be repeated ; the lawyers of Thoulouse are not 
 the only rogues who deserve to be outwitted. 
 It is but rolling up the cassock, or throwing 
 it into a ditch bottom, and letting thy grandee- 
 ship once more appear. Horses, indeed, we can 
 scarcely make it appear that we stand in need 
 of, — but if we get nothing beyond a hundred 
 louis, it is worth taking to bed for a few hours.' 
 
 " « Cvuerpo de San Jose, said I : ' well thought of, 
 and then it will be another step in my revenge.' 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 143 
 
 " * As for revenge,' rejoined Diego, « 1 should 
 think little of that, if it brought no grist to the 
 mill.' And so it was resolved accordingly. The 
 duke of Monte- Serrate was again at death's door, 
 and dictated his last testament to a lawyer (as 
 fond of crown pieces as his brother at Thou- 
 louse) ; a hundred louis were added to our stock, 
 and I acquired also another cassock, which was 
 disposed of like the former. 
 
 " At length we reached the metropolis of 
 France : — Here, I resolved to take caution for 
 my guide; and in place of trusting to those 
 random hits, which, if they cost little trouble, 
 incurred considerable risk, I resolved that my 
 wits should be a capital stock, bearing regular, 
 though usurious interest. First, I entered myself 
 of the university ; and although Diego grumbled 
 sadly at the delay which my studies threw in 
 the way of gain, I convinced him of the advan- 
 tage that would accrue from the acquisition of a 
 
144 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 character; and accordingly, after a long period 
 of self-denial, during which Diego, by his prac- 
 tice as a fortune-teller, gained just sufficient to 
 enable us to preserve our stock entire, I w^alked 
 one day out of the university, bachelor of me- 
 dicine ! 
 
 " The time draws so near for the accomplish- 
 ment of the augury, that if I were not to curtail 
 this history, I could scarcely find leisure for re- 
 hearsing beforehand, the lessons once taught me 
 by my good friend Querubim. I must there- 
 fore be brief in my narrative of the events, that 
 filled up the ten years during which my wits 
 never left me without a choice ragout. Ah ! 
 what days were these ! gone — gone : no matter 
 — although my years be few, I have lived long. 
 I have lived all my life; and few can say as 
 much. 
 
 " First, my name figured at the corner of the 
 Rue St. Jaques. ' Projects accomplished, and 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 145 
 
 wisHes realized, by the secret aid of Don Fer- 
 nando de Rubio, doctor in laws of the univer- 
 sity of Alcala, au troisieme.^ During more than 
 three years, I scarcely found leisure to enjoy 
 jnyself : — how full the world is of projects, and 
 how rife of wishes ! Love and ambition brought 
 many to my doors; but vanity and avarice 
 brought more. Love brought the half-bearded 
 boy, the budding girl ; while, urged by its spu- 
 rious relations, the hoary debauchee, and even 
 once, in disguise, the emaciated Monarch sought 
 my dwelling. Some would be canons, some 
 bishops, — one desired the favour of the king, 
 another that of his mistress, — these sought for 
 high posts and court distinctions; and ambition 
 seemed to be the spur, or avarice. But I dis- 
 covered that vanity whispered louder than love, 
 or ambition, or avarice. If the court page, or 
 the city apprentice, asked to sigh upon the lips 
 of his mistress, it was, that he might boast of it ; 
 
 VOL. I. H 
 
146 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 if the dame dlionneur desired the favour of the 
 count, or the dimpling milliner, the homage of 
 the garcon bourgeois, it was, because the heart of 
 both beat less with tenderness, than the thought 
 of triumph, — the vanity of distinction. If the 
 cure wished to be a canon, or the canon a 
 bishop, vain-gloriousness was largely mingled 
 with love of power, and love of gold; if one 
 sought to be the king's minister, and another 
 his jester, — if one sought the civic chair, and 
 another the chief role in the drama, — if a gene- 
 ral would obtain a victory, or a farmer-general 
 a contract, — it was in every case that the pre- 
 tensions of others might be humbled, and that 
 vanity might find food for indulgence : nay, the 
 very monarch, who would have given a jewel 
 from his crown to overcome the obstinacy, or 
 virtue, of a victim, was incited but by the 
 wound that had been inflicted upon his vanity. 
 My plan was a simple one. It was, to encou- 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 147 
 
 rage hope — but to repress impatience; and the 
 advice that is founded on experience of the 
 world, and knowledge of mankind, will, if any 
 thing can, lead to favourable results. But fame, 
 however deserved, and reputation, however no- 
 torious, will die away, — and so I found it. No 
 fewer projects were formed, nor fonder wishes 
 indulged, than before; but Don Fernando was 
 no longer a conjurer. 
 
 " I now changed my residence, and my name. 
 At the top of the Rue des Maturins, which is at 
 the opposite extremity of the city, I became 
 a dispenser of the elixir vitse. No man who 
 has not, like me, practised in this department, 
 could believe in the attachment which men en- 
 tertain for the life, which to others, seems to 
 have lost all attraction. But this is, perhaps, 
 natural; for we prize nothing so much, as when 
 we are in danger of losing it. My doors were 
 besieged by the infirm, the aged, the diseased, 
 h2 
 
148 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 — by wretches whose lives seemed to hang by 
 a thread, and whose palsied arms could scarcely 
 carry to their mouths the drug which they be- 
 lieved was to renew their youth. My elixir was 
 but wine of Malaga, which carried warmth to 
 the stomach, and exhilaration to the spirit ; but 
 the trade disgusted me; though at the same 
 time, the scenes I daily witnessed, familiarizing 
 me with disease and decay, more and more 
 impressed upon my mind, the truth of my friend 
 Querubim's opinion, and reconciled me to the 
 fate that awaited me. 
 
 " The last profession which I practised in the 
 metropolis of France, and that which I exercised 
 the longest, was undoubtedly die most respect- 
 able. I hired a handsome house, in the most 
 central part of the city, furnishing it in the 
 most sumptuous and luxurious manner, and an- 
 nounced myself as ' Professor of the art of 
 enjoyment.' I was here a Frenchman — for I 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 149 
 
 well knew, that although the French might be- 
 lieve in Spanish fortune-tellers, or Italian quacks, 
 they would never put confidence in any other 
 than a Frenchman in teaching the art of enjoy- 
 ment. 
 
 " My profession embraced the whole circle of 
 the world's pursuits and pleasures, and my pupils 
 were numerous as my lessons were important. 
 I lectured publicly, and gave private instruc- 
 tions; but the latter were most run upon; for 
 few care that others should know their secret 
 bents and weaknesses. Thousands were per- 
 fected by me in the art of enjoyment : thou- 
 sands were made epicures of life; how many 
 finished gourmands — how many refined de- 
 bauchees — how many intellectual voluptuaries, 
 (for my art extended over the moral as well 
 as the physical world — the intellectual, as well 
 as sensual pleasures), were indebted to my les- 
 sons, for the true zest and relish of living ! 
 
150 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 " I believe I might, until this day, have con- 
 tinued to instruct mankind, and to postpone fate, 
 had not my evil destiny, or my over zeal, or 
 both conjoined, led to an event, that drove me 
 from the scene of my pleasures, reduced me 
 to beggary, brought me within sight of the 
 gallows ; and deprived me of my dear friend, 
 and able coadjuter, Diego, who, although I have 
 been all this while silent respecting him, was 
 ever constant in his zeal, and valuable from his 
 services. 
 
 " Among my pupils, was the archbishop of 
 Paris, a voluptuary in every sense, and who had 
 made nearer approaches towards perfection in 
 the art I taught him, than any one save only 
 his master. No one knew better than he did, 
 that thousands pass out of life without having 
 reaped from it half the enjoyment which it is 
 capable of bestowing ; no one better knew, that 
 there is not one pleasure to which art is not 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 151 
 
 capable of adding an additional relish, whether 
 it be applied to the lowest of the appetites, upon 
 which it is able to throw the varnish of refine- 
 ment, or to the highest and most intellectual of 
 the enjoyments which but the few can gather 
 on the highway of life, imparting even to them 
 a more exquisite charm. 
 
 " I was justly proud of such a pupil; he did 
 credit to my doctrines, and in many substantial 
 ways, repaid the pains I had bestowed upon 
 him, and acknowledged the benefits he had 
 received. 
 
 " I wished to reward him, and to collect around 
 him, with a master's hand, all the means of en- 
 joyment which my art had taught. It was in- 
 deed the triumph of refinement over barbarism ; 
 of art, over unassisted nature; nay, art even 
 assumed there, the dignity and the perfection 
 of science. 
 
 " « Ah ! my best friend, and esteemed master,' 
 
152 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 said the archbishop, ' this is indeed life ! lay 
 aside thy professorship, and enter the church; 
 I swear thou art worthy of a bishopric/ But 
 alas ! my art fell short in one thing — it 
 enjoined, but could not secure moderation; its 
 very perfection tempted the violation of the 
 precept. My pupil died in the midst of his 
 debauch ; and in the banquet of enjoyment that 
 I served up, the pleasures of life exhausted 
 themselves in death. 
 
 " I feared the discovery of a dead archbishop 
 in my hall of pleasure, and Diego adventured 
 to convey his reverence elsewhere ; but the pro- 
 ject failed ; and the death of the surfeited arch- 
 bishop lay at my door. Diego was seized, and 
 I never heard of him more; for fearful of un- 
 pleasant consequences, I threw up my professor- 
 ship in haste, and exchanged it for banishment, 
 in place of a bishopric. 
 
 " Destiny is not to be outwitted ; a man may 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 153 
 
 delay, but he cannot avert his fate, — a strange 
 infatuation generally leads him to the scene of 
 its accomplishment. All the world was open to 
 me, and yet, I returned to my own country ; 
 partly perhaps incited by the love of it, and 
 partly anticipating the pleasure of a meeting 
 with Querubim, and a renewal of those topics 
 which had once such attractions for me, and in 
 which I again felt a rising interest. 
 
 " At Madrid, I attempted to practise the pro- 
 fessions which had proved so successful in France ; 
 but 1 found, that in my country a fortune could 
 not be made either by aiding the accomplish- 
 ment of wishes, by dispensing the elixir vitse, or 
 by teaching the art of enjoyment. 
 
 " My countrymen project little, and for aiding 
 their wishes, they have a host of auxiliaries in 
 the saints : ambition can have little scope, where 
 there is little to bestow, — and love can scarcely 
 require the aid of a conjurer, where its triumphs 
 h3 
 
154 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 are so easy. As for the elixir vitse, I found no 
 one who would have coveted it, rich enough to 
 pay me for it, besides that most persons regarded 
 it as an invention of the devil. And as for 
 teaching the art of enjoyment, there are scarcely 
 two ways of eating a puchero, or cutting up a 
 melon ; and in a country where nature, not art, 
 is the purveyor of pleasure, there is no room 
 for teaching. In short, I found my purse con- 
 tinue empty, and myself suspected of damnable 
 heresy ; and to escape the prisons of the Inqui- 
 sition, T made a hasty retreat from Madrid, and 
 began to look about me in Seville. Here I 
 attempted many things ; but pocketed few 
 pesetas, till at length, disguised like a Capuchin 
 friar, having begged a considerable sum for a 
 religious procession, I left Seville with my gains, 
 for Cadiz, and on my way fell in company with 
 Don Pedro of Penaflor, an inexperienced youth, 
 into whose good graces I insinuated myself, and 
 grew fat at his expense. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 155 
 
 " The few hours now remaining to me, will 
 not permit me to fill up my history beyond an 
 outline. I was left master of my pupil Don 
 Pedro's establishment, and I made myself master 
 of his gold. Gold, as T. have elsewhere said, 
 begets gold, and I took advantage of my oppor- 
 tunity ; but success has a limit, and wit cannot 
 strive against fate. It is enough to say, that 
 my project failed; and that the die is cast Let 
 me now remember the lessons of my kind- 
 hearted Querubim, nor let me forget to send, 
 as the duke of Monte- Serrate did, for a holy 
 man, to administer to my spiritual comfort." 
 
 " And this then is the life of my preceptor," 
 said I, laying down the paper, and finishing my 
 goblet of Paxarete. " Wit has been his only 
 alchemy; and truly he said, that he had never 
 wanted a peseta. Poor Fernando ! now he 
 
156 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 stands in need of neither." But as I glanced 
 round the well-furnished chamber, and remem- 
 bered the enviable post into which I had slid, 
 I could not but acknowledge to myself, that the 
 tragical end of so dangerous a companion might 
 prove a benefit to me, — and with this consola- 
 tion for the loss of my preceptor, I enjoyed 
 more tranquil visions in the house of the Mar- 
 quesa, than those which had visited me while 
 sleeping on the stone bench on the Alameda. 
 
 Morning came, and brought with it a renewal 
 of the agreeable thoughts with which I had 
 courted sleep; I found myself during the day, 
 as the Marquesa had promised I should be, my 
 own master ; if my stock of gold were less than 
 before my preceptor had robbed me, I had at 
 least the consolation of knowing, that the ser- 
 vices of each day were renewing it; and that I 
 had to provide for no one's pleasure but my 
 own ; and although a marquesa's domestic could 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 157 
 
 not well strut about the Alameda, or the Plaza 
 de Antonio, with the air of one who kept do- 
 mestics, and entertained even a tutor of his ow^n, 
 I found that pleasures are not confined to one 
 sphere, and that independence is not synoni- 
 mous with living upon one's own resources. In 
 short, the day passed away to my liking ; and 1 
 looked forward to the duties of the evening with 
 nothing but pleasant anticipation. After having 
 despatched an oUa, that would have done credit 
 to the genius of my preceptor, or his pupil the 
 archbishop, and a bottle of nectar, that reminded 
 me of the elixir vitse, I was again summoned by 
 the Marquesa, and found that this evening my 
 services, though of a rather more complicated 
 nature, were not the less agreeable : there was a 
 tertulia at home ; and when in the usual exer- 
 cise of my duty, I was required to pass judg- 
 ment upon the Marquesa, she informed me, that 
 some of the most celebrated beauties of Cadiz 
 
158 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 would that night be present; and requested a 
 new proof of my sincerity, in comparing her 
 claims with theirs, — and as she spoke, I could 
 remark how entire a sway the love of admira- 
 tion had obtained over her mind. When she 
 requested this favour of me, her voice faltered, 
 and it was evident that she was confiding to me, 
 the decision of a question upon which the hap- 
 piness of her life — perhaps even life itself, was 
 suspended; nor could I help fancying, from the 
 earnestness with which she spoke, and the agita- 
 tion she betrayed, that this night was meant as 
 a trial of her power, and that feeling in her 
 own mind some misgivings, she was resolved 
 to know the worst. 
 
 I promised strict obedience to her commands ; 
 and that I might execute my duties with the 
 greater freedom, the task of serving refreshments 
 was confided to me; and never, I believe, was 
 there a company more assiduously served. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 159 
 
 Many were tlie delicate hands that were ex- 
 tended to accept my proffer; many, the charming 
 little heads that bowed their thanks; many a 
 sweet ^^ gracias^'' was pronounced by sweeter 
 lips; nor could I help remarking, that the 
 direction of the eyes was more frequently 
 favourable to my scrutiny, than seemed at all 
 necessary towards a choice of the fruits and 
 cakes that were presented. Whether these 
 things could have had any effect upon my 
 judgment, I wall not undertake to say, — but 
 certain it is, that when, after the guests were 
 gone, and I was called upon for a verdict, and 
 was made to ratify my words, by invoking all 
 the s£unts to witness my faithfulness, I made a 
 mental reservation of the saint I had stolen from 
 my father; believing, that if I had spoken 
 falsely (of which I had some suspicions), he 
 would otherwise have infallibly avenged the 
 insult I had once offered to him. The Mar- 
 
160 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 quesa, however, had no misgivings of my 
 sincerity; and in this manner, nearly twelve 
 months glided away. I passed my time in the 
 most agreeable manner possible ; and had every 
 reason to be satisfied with my post, the duties of 
 which had indeed long since ceased to afford me 
 much pleasure, but which were easily discharged, 
 and never failed to give satisfaction. 
 
 Some months had however elapsed, during 
 which, my sincerity was put more and more 
 severely to the test. The empire of beauty 
 over which the Marquesa had so long presided, 
 was tottering, — new claimants to it had arisen ; 
 and i plainly perceived, that some decided mark 
 of rebellion would ere long force upon her the 
 conviction, that her reign had ended, and bring 
 that day of humiliation which she assured me 
 she could never survive. Should such an event 
 take place, my services would be no longer 
 needed, nor could I expect them to be rewarded 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 161 
 
 if they failed at the very point where they were 
 most valuable. The same night accordingly, 
 when I was called to the presence of my 
 mistress, I resolved to take to myself again, that 
 virtue, which was now my own best policy. 
 
 " Madam," I said, " you have often reminded 
 me of the condition upon which I entered into 
 your service." 
 
 " It is enough," interrupted she in a tone of 
 the deepest dejection; " I know it, — the freshness 
 of youth is gone ; my reign is over, and life is 
 no more of any value to me. Accept of this," 
 continued she, taking from her finger a diamond 
 ring of great value, " you have faithfully per- 
 formed your duty, — now, your services are no 
 longer required ; and remember, in your after 
 intercourse with the world, that the virtue which 
 by me is the most highly prized, is not that 
 which the world holds in the highest estimation." 
 With these words, she left me, and I never saw 
 
162 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 her more. Next morning she was found seated 
 before her mirror, lifeless; her fan was in one 
 hand, and a miniature of herself, taken some 
 years before, in the other. A phial, in which 
 were the dregs of a swift and deadly poison, 
 stood near; and upon a piece of scented paper 
 her hand had traced these words : " During 
 twelve years I have known only one enjoyment, 
 the consciousness of exciting admiration : in 
 the possession of this enjoyment, I have been 
 the happiest of women ; without it, I should be 
 the most miserable. I have no reason to com- 
 plain ; my reign has been long, and I have been 
 spared the humiliation of seeing my throne 
 occupied by another : I have not courage to 
 descend from it, and live neglected." 
 
 This incident did in some degree discompose 
 me; but when I reflected, that in practising the 
 virtues of sincerity and faithfulness, I could not 
 be responsible for consequences, I recovered my 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 163 
 
 serenity; and by and by, even congratulated 
 myself upon the policy of my conduct, which 
 had gained so considerable a requital of my 
 services as a ring worth at least a thousand 
 reals; and with these thoughts, I found myself 
 once more my own master, and turning the 
 corner of the Alameda. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 SHOWING HOW I UNDERTAKE THE MANAGEMENT OF AN AFFAIR 
 OF THE heart; AND HOW, AFTER HAVING MANAGED IT 
 EXCEEDINGLY WELL, I HAVE GREAT REASON TO REGRET 
 THAT I DID NOT MANAGE IT STILL BETTER. 
 
 Who should I run against but Juan Ramirez, 
 an amiable young artist, whose acquaintance I 
 had made while in my last quarters, upon oc- 
 casion of his soliciting the permission of my 
 patroness to take her likeness. " Ah, Seiior," 
 said he, " well met, have you obtained an answer 
 to my petition ? I am sure the Marquesa can 
 refuse you notliing, — she will make a charming 
 picture." 
 
 " Ramirez," replied 1, " 't is the most unlucky 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 165 
 
 thing in the world. I pleaded your cause with 
 the Marquesa with all the ability I was master 
 of, you can form no idea of the earnestness with 
 which I urged your request." 
 
 " And nevertheless she refused." 
 
 " No ; she did not refuse, she granted my 
 suit, and this very day you were to have been 
 honoured with an audience ; but — " 
 
 " Well, well," interrupted Ramirez impa- 
 tiently, " if not to-day — to-morrow — or the next 
 day. I am charmed with your success; all days 
 are alike to me." 
 
 " And so they are now to the Marquesa — but 
 come," continued I, "let us repair to the fonda 
 hard by ; T have not broken my fast to-day^ and 
 OA^er a cup of chocolate you shall know more." 
 And while we sipped our chocolate, I explained 
 to Ramirez how all days were now alike to the 
 Marquesa. 
 
 " And so," said he when I had concluded, 
 
166 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 " you are without money, and in want of a 
 place ; you know I am but an artist, and have 
 but little to offer ; at present, however, I need 
 the aid and counsel of one like you, who has 
 seen the world ; in the meanwhile come with 
 me, and remain with me till something better 
 turn up ; and you shall assist me to the best of 
 your ability in an aifair of the heart, the parti- 
 culars of which I shall lay before you." 
 
 Well contented with the proposal, and with a 
 fixed determination to act faithfully and honestly 
 towards the open-hearted artist, — if this could be 
 done without detriment to my own interest, — 1 
 accompanied Ramirez to his apartment in the 
 Calle de san Geronimo, where, after an indif- 
 ferent dinner, he gave me the following detail 
 of the affair, in which he hoped for my assist- 
 ance : — 
 
 " You must know," said he, " that I have two 
 cousins, both artists, — the one named Alonso, 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 167 
 
 the Other Felipe ; and that I have also a female 
 cousin in the second degree, named Violante. 
 Now, when the father of Violante died, he left 
 his property to her, on the sole condition of her 
 marrying one of her three cousins: she is one 
 of the most charming seiioritas in Cadiz, — but of 
 so timid and gentle a character, that although 
 two years have elapsed since the death of her 
 father, and although importuned, as you may 
 easily suppose, by each of her cousins, it has 
 been impossible during all that time, to bring 
 her to any admission of a preference of one 
 over the others. But within these few days, 
 she has been prevailed upon by her guardian, 
 to resolve upon a method by which her father's 
 desire may be fulfilled, while at the same time, 
 she is still spared the necessity of making a 
 choice: she has promised to bestow her hand 
 upon whichever of her three cousins shall paint 
 the truest likeness of her ; and one month from 
 
168 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 this time, — the morning of her twentieth birth- 
 day, — is the time fixed for the decision. Ever 
 since this determination of Violante has been 
 announced, I have been in despair. If she did 
 not possess a peseta, I would give the world to 
 make her my wife, — whereas, I am well con- 
 vinced, that neither of my cousins (both of 
 whom are much richer than I am), have any 
 true regard for her, — but are only desirous of 
 possessing the handsome fortune which was left 
 to her by her father. As for the inclinations 
 of Violante herself, she is so timid, that it is 
 difficult to be assured upon that point; but I 
 have nevertheless the vanity to believe, that I 
 possess her good wishes : but alas ! I fear they 
 are fruitless, — both of my cousins are celebrated 
 in portraits; whereas my skill, although some- 
 times exerted in the representation of the human 
 form, is chiefly exhibited in the drapery: in 
 short, my dear Diego, I am incompetent to the 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 169 
 
 task of painting a portrait of my cousin. This, 
 my rivals well know; and accordingly they look 
 upon the struggle as lying entirely between 
 themselves : their portraits are already far ad- 
 vanced, but neither of the two has seen his 
 rival's portrait; as for me, I have painted the 
 figure of my cousin, but beyond a mere outline 
 of a countenance which has little resemblance 
 to her's, I have not attempted to go. We are 
 all three on the best possible terms, although 
 rivals; and this very night, we sup with my 
 cousin and her guardian. This, my dear friend, 
 is the state of the matter ; and I pray you to set 
 your wits at work, to avert the misfortune that 
 is ready to fall upon me ; I know how to reward 
 the services of a friend." 
 
 I told Ramirez not to despair : " I have little 
 doubt," I said, " but that some plan for extri- 
 cating you from this difficulty will occur to me ; 
 meantime you must appear to your rivals, to 
 
 VOL. J I 
 
170 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 resign your claims: finish with all your skill, 
 the figure of your mistress — a form may be a 
 portrait, as well as a face — and abide my farther 
 directions; to-night, you must introduce me to 
 your rivals, and I'll warrant that before the 
 month has elapsed, the affair will not look so 
 unpromising as it does now." 
 
 The artist agreed to be obedient to my direc- 
 tions ; and when evening came, he carried me to 
 the house of his cousin, and introduced me to his 
 rivals. If I felt a disposition to assist the views 
 of Ramirez before seeing either his rivals, or the 
 lady of their emulation, it was now increased 
 tenfold; for not only were the rival cousins of 
 Ramirez in no way to be compared with my 
 friend, but Violante also was a far more tempt- 
 ing prize than I had ever been led to believe. I 
 found her mistress of the most charming figure 
 in the world; and of a countenance, in which 
 the most seductive modesty, and even bashful- 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 171 
 
 ness, were unable to conceal altogether, the 
 intelligence that occasionally flashed from be- 
 neath her eye-lids. " It shall not be my fault," 
 said I to myself, " if Ramirez do not outwit 
 these gentlemen f and I accordingly set myself, 
 as a preparatory step, to cultivate the acquaint 
 ance of those who were destined to be outwitted, 
 and to recommend myself in every possible way, 
 to their esteem and confidence. 
 
 Meanwhile, Ramirez played his part to perfec- 
 tion. He allowed his cousin to be entirely mono- 
 polized by his rivals ; spoke dejectedly of himself, 
 as an imfortunate artist, and of the art itself, as 
 if he meditated relinquishing it to those who 
 were more successful; by which manner of talk, 
 the double end was answered, of misleading his 
 rivals, and of interesting the feelings of Violante, 
 upon whose preference the claims of the cousins 
 might ultimately depend, in case of an equality in 
 their performances. Before the evening ended, 
 i2 
 
172 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 I received a pressing invitation from the guar- 
 dian of Violante, to repeat my visit; and this 
 being overheard by the two artists, I was from 
 that moment numbered among their friends. 
 
 I did not neglect to improve my opportunity ; 
 I constantly spoke to both, as if Ramirez had 
 abandoned his pretensions. And in the success 
 of each of his rivals, I professed the warmest 
 interest. To the fair object of their individual 
 pretensions, I spoke with befitting reserve of the 
 approaching crisis, — which it was evident she 
 herself did not anticipate with any very eager 
 longing. Of Ramirez, I spoke to her, as of one 
 deserving pity; and yet, by an occasional inuendo, 
 I hinted, that although his hopes were small, he 
 had not allowed himself entirely to despair. 
 
 It was understood that, previous to the deci- 
 sive morning, each of the three candidates for 
 Violante's favour, should present his present, — a 
 custom which in Cadiz has been imported from 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 173 
 
 France, and which, although usually the oiFering 
 only of a husband elect, was meant in this in- 
 stance, to be typical of the hopes of each. My 
 friend, being poor as a rat, could not vie with 
 his rivals in the costliness of his offerings : it 
 would have spent a year's revenue to have pre- 
 sented his cousin with a necklace worthy of her 
 acceptance. " Do not think of it, my friend," 
 said I, " leave the affair to me :" and accord- 
 ingly, having first ascertained upon what day the 
 two rival artists were to send their gifts, I chose 
 the day following, when the glitter of their jewels 
 might have passed from Violante's eyes; and I 
 then presented myself before her as the bearer 
 of my friend's humble offering. " 'T is all," 
 •said I, "he has to offer; — alas! poor Juan well 
 knows the advantage his rivals possess : they 
 are rich, because their skill in portraits ministers 
 to the vanity of mankind; he is poor, because 
 vanity is the universal passion: this," said I, "is 
 
174 THE NEW GIL BLAS, 
 
 his offering" — drawing from the basket one of 
 those white veils of beautiful texture, behind 
 which the women of Georgia so successfully hide 
 their charms — " he sends you this, that on the 
 bridal morning you may, in compassion, conceal 
 those charms which he dare not hope can ever 
 be his." 
 
 The eventful day approached; and now it 
 was on the morrow, at an early hour, that the 
 fate of the cousins was to be determined, and 
 along with it the condition of my purse. It was 
 towards evening, then, that I took my way to 
 the apartment of the artist Alonso. I found him 
 in his studio, contemplating, with looks of evi- 
 dent satisfaction, a picture of a female, which he 
 had just placed in the most advantageous light ; 
 the finishing touch of the painter was yet wet 
 upon the thick tresses that veiled her bosom. 
 Alonso hastily turned the picture. 
 
 " How now, my friend," said I, as I entered; 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 175 
 
 " to-morrow the birth-day of the seiiorita, — and 
 where is thy painting ? " 
 
 " The picture is ready/' replied Alonso. 
 
 " And so is your rival's/' returned I. " I 
 have but now left him; he had just thrown down 
 his brush ; it is a choice picture I assure you : — 
 but show me yours." "An excellent picture, 
 truly, — an excellent picture," said I, as Alonso 
 turned it round: " but — " 
 
 " But not equal to my rival's, you would say." 
 
 " Equal ! nay, superior to his," rejoined I ; 
 "but not so likely to please her for whom it 
 is designed : the other is the portrait of a more 
 beautiful countenance." 
 
 A pause ensued — both of us continuing to 
 look at the picture. 
 
 " I was almost so much your friend," resumed 
 I, " as to wish a few moments ago, that I had 
 your rival's picture under my brush for one 
 second ; I 'd soon spoil that angelic smile that 
 
176 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 hovers round her lips; I'd make a caricature of 
 your cousin." 
 
 " Would that you had," said Alonso, thought- 
 fully. 
 
 " Nay," returned I, " that is your business, 
 not mine ; but Felipe sups with us to night, and 
 I know that Ramirez has got some choice wine, 
 that will scarcely let him go before midnight. 
 All will be still about eleven ; and you know 
 the way to his studio. I had once hopes for my 
 friend Ramirez; but as these are ended, my 
 good wishes are with you; and I can tell you 
 in confidence, that Violante is not insensible, — 
 you understand me? when the old cathedral tolls 
 eleven, then." — 
 
 A squeeze of the hand told me that my hint 
 should not pass disregarded, and I took my leave. 
 
 " Stay," said Alonso, £is I was closing the door, 
 " my cousin told me that fortune had used you 
 hardly ;" and so saying, he slipt into my hand a 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 177 
 
 charmingly weighty purse, which I allowed my 
 fingers to close upon with much apparent reluct- 
 ance; and with many sincere self-gratulations 
 upon the success of my plan. It was not many 
 minutes after I had left the one rival, before I 
 entered the studio of the other, whom I found 
 employed nearly in the manner that I had repre- 
 sented. " Ah, Felipe," said I, " my poor friend, 
 you may burn your brushes when you please ; 
 Alonso will assuredly carry off the prize." 
 
 " Have you seen his picture ? " demanded 
 Felipe, impatiently. 
 
 " It is Violante herself," returned I, " it is 
 Violante herself: your picture," turning to Fe- 
 lipe's work, " is the portrait of a pretty wo- 
 man, but it is not the portrait of your cousin; 
 her eyes, Felipe ! it is there that your rival has 
 shown his skill. So truly am I your friend," 
 added I, taking Felipe by the hand, and throw- 
 ing into my countenance an expression of sor- 
 I 3 
 
178 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 row ; " that since I know it to be impossible for 
 my friend Ramirez to obtain the hand of his 
 cousin; — for I candidly confess, that had that 
 been possible; but, as I say, that being out of 
 the question, I would give something — though 
 God knows I have little to give — to see you 
 fairly in possession : even now, when Alonso 
 left me for a moment in his studio, I was almost 
 tempted to take up his brush, and turn his pic- 
 ture into a caricature." 
 
 " There is, then, no remedy," said Felipe. 
 
 " There is nothing without a remedy," I re- 
 plied, "so as we have but courage to attempt 
 it." 
 
 " Show me how," returned Felipe, " and you 
 shall not long have it in your power to say that 
 you have little to give; you shall find that I 
 know how to estimate a kindness." 
 
 " Alonso," said I, " sups with us to-night ; — it 
 is only vaulting over his garden wall, when the 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 179 
 
 cathedral tolls eleven; he will scarcely leave us 
 till midnight: it is full-moon to-night, and the 
 picture cannot be mistaken; and, besides, my 
 friend, I can tell you that Violante herself will 
 rejoice in the effects of this stratagem, — and as 
 she must no doubt keep her promise, 'twould 
 be a pity, truly, if her promise were to stand 
 in the way of her inclinations — for, trust me, 
 my friend, I know where they point : — nine to- 
 morrow morning is the hour ; and the discovery 
 and the hour will arrive together. At eleven, 
 then."—" At eleven," said Felipe ; « but," added 
 he, " I had almost forgotten ; Ramirez, poor fel- 
 low, I am sure entertains you but indifferently, 
 and I have heard of your misfortune, — do not, I 
 pray you be offended, if I force this into your 
 hands." And so saying, a rival to Alonso's 
 bounty found its way into my pocket. 
 
 " This," said I to myself, as I took my way 
 towards Ramirez' apartment, " turns out mar- 
 
180 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 vellously well ; if my plan prospers to the end, 
 I shall be made for life; and even if it fail, I 
 have not altogether lost my labour; for by the 
 weight of these purses, which I long to examine, 
 I judge that my afternoon's work has not been 
 badly requited." With these thoughts, I reached 
 my friend's house : " keep up your spirits," said I, 
 *' I am not without hopes that all will go well ;" 
 and over a bottle of excellent wine (for which I 
 changed one of my pieces), we drank success 
 to our hopes; and I received from Ramirez a 
 writing, by which he bound himself to transfer 
 four thousand crowns to my pocket, the day he 
 wedded his cousin. " Ah, Diego," said he as 
 he gave it to me, " would to God they were 
 yours ! " — a wish in which I fully sympathised. 
 
 As eleven tolled from the tower of the cathe- 
 dral, I was posted in a convenient place, that I 
 might ascertain the siiccess of my stratagem; 
 and, almost immediately after the last toll, I 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 181 
 
 perceived the two artists, muffled closely up in 
 their cloaks, pass each other, each stealing softly 
 towards his rival's studio. " Poor dupes," said I, 
 as I saw them shortly after return, each satisfied 
 in his own mind, that he had made a caricature 
 of his rival's performance ; and it being by this 
 time close upon midnight. The artists as I 
 afterwards learned, each secure in his own suc- 
 cess, immediately upon reaching their studios 
 threw himself upon his bed, having first neatly 
 folded up his picture by the light of the moon, 
 to be ready against morning. 
 
 The morning came ; and precisely at the ap- 
 pointed hour, I accompanied my friend to the • 
 house of his charming cousin, who was that day 
 to become a bride; but the bride of whom, no 
 one could yet tell. She wore the veil I had 
 presented to her as the gift of my friend; who, 
 being ignorant of what had been the nature of 
 the present I had made in his name, smiled with 
 
182 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 pleasure as he recollected that, he had followed 
 my advice as to the manner of finishing his pic- 
 ture. When I looked at Violante, and saw 
 the perfect symmetry of that form which her 
 bridal dress so charmingly set oiF; the beautiful 
 little foot that peeped below it; the rounded 
 shoulder, that scarcely brooked confinement, and 
 would ever be rivalling the snow of the robe 
 that embraced it; the faint carnation, that as 
 we entered suffused the neck telling, of the 
 warmer blush that then crimsoned the cheek, 
 hidden behind the folds of the veil, that also 
 shrouded a world of other charms ; — 1 say, that 
 when I looked upon this yet unclaimed bride, I 
 felt only one regret ; and that was, that I had not 
 set my wits to work for myself, in place of for my 
 friend. It was now too late, however, to think 
 of repairing this error ; and therefore, consoling 
 myself with the hope of her being my friend's 
 wife since she could not be my own, and with 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 183 
 
 the credit of having acted disinterestedly, I im- 
 patiently waited the arrival of my two dupes. 
 
 They, as sometimes happens on the eve of 
 an important event, slept until it was almost 
 time to present themselves at the house of their 
 cousin, — their heaviness being probably occa- 
 sioned by the weight of their golden dreams, — 
 and taking their ready folded-up pictures under 
 their arms, they hastened to the rendezvous. 
 
 The guardian of the fair Violante was a very 
 formal old gentleman, and would have the thing 
 done with all the ceremony and seriousness that 
 were befitting upon an affair so serious as the 
 disposal of a ward possessing two millions of 
 reals, to say nothing of her personal charms, 
 of which he was not a little proud. To him, 
 she had modestly deputed the task of deciding 
 upon the respective merits of the portraits; 
 accordingly, seating himself on his large chair 
 with all the importance of a judge, and placing 
 
184 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 his ward ^t his right hand, he desired the rival 
 candidates to make good their claims; when, 
 almost at the same moment, Alonso and Felipe 
 uncovered their pictures, each with an air of 
 triumph turning them towards the judge. 
 
 The moment I cast my eyes upon them, I 
 burst into an immoderate fit of laughter, — as 
 indeed was most natural, for Alonso's portrait 
 represented his cousin with only one eye, while 
 in that of Felipe, her mouth had received a 
 paralytic stroke : the countenance of my friend 
 Juan at this moment expressed the utmost 
 astonishment; as no doubt, that of the lovely 
 bride would also have done, had she thrown 
 back her veil, — as for the old guardian, wrath 
 kindled in his face. ' What ! rascals !' said he, 
 the moment he recovered from the first paroxysm 
 of wonder, ' are ye in a league to insult my 
 ward;' at the same time, turning round the 
 pictures to the view of the artists, who had both, 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 185 
 
 up to this moment, enjoyed the laughter and 
 surprised looks of the party, because each of 
 them thought these were directed at his rival's 
 picture, — as was also most natural, since Alonso 
 knew that he had made a caricature of Felipe's 
 picture, and Felipe was as fully persuaded that 
 he had made a caricature of Alonso's. But 
 the satisfaction and glee of the painters were 
 speedily changed to astonishment and dismay; 
 their countenances being in fact, quite as divert- 
 ing as their pictures. They looked at the por- 
 traits — then at the guardian — then at Violante — 
 then at each other, and then at me. It was 
 no difficult matter to read in my countenance, 
 the pleasure I felt in having made them dupes ; 
 but to have upbraided me with the contrivance, 
 would also have been, to proclaim their own 
 knavery, and they therefore remained silent ; 
 exchanging only looks of mortification at each 
 other, and darting ireful glances towards me : 
 
186 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 but for my part, I already all but felt the four 
 thousand crowns in my pocket; and I only 
 returned provoking looks of satisfaction, as if I 
 would have said, " poor devils ! prettily duped 
 are you." 
 
 All this takes some time to tell; but it was 
 very short in the acting. At the first pause, 
 Ramirez produced his picture, which represented 
 his cousin at full length, with a white veil thrown 
 over her head. " Sir," said I, addressing the old 
 gentleman, ' I could easily unravel the history 
 of these caricatures, but as it would reflect little 
 honour upon the painters, they will prefer I 
 have no doubt, that the mystery should remain 
 unexplained ; for they well know, that this lady 
 will not give her hand to any one who has 
 attempted to gain possession of it by dishonest 
 means. As for the three pictures, there is no 
 doubt to which of them the preference is due. 
 This is not the portrait of Doiia Violante, for 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 187 
 
 there is here but one eye — nor is that, for there 
 the mouth is the mouth of one palsied, — but in 
 this picture, what is there that does not belong to 
 that lady ? the form is her's, the air, the grace ; 
 and although the charms of her countenance 
 be veiled, this is but typical of the bashfulness 
 that is her distinction and her ornament: and 
 moreover, what painter is there who could hope 
 to portray the changing expression, the mantling 
 blush, that might be expected in the counte- 
 nance of a youthful bride at such a scene as this, 
 and on her bridal morning? Ramirez has judged 
 well, in veiling the charms of his cousin; for he 
 has thus represented her mind as well as her 
 form, and you perceive by the thick veil she 
 now wears, how accurate has been his judgment, 
 and consequently, how expressive his portrait." 
 
 " You are in the right," said the old man ; 
 " and if Violante confirm my opinion, let it be 
 so determined:" and her guardian having put 
 
188 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 the question to her, she replied, that having left 
 the decision to him, she was ready to abide by 
 his judgment. Upon this, the two dupes find- 
 ing their hopes at an end, left the apartment; 
 and Violante then throwing back her veil, 
 allowed her guardian to place her hand in that 
 of her cousin, — the charming blush, and averted 
 looks, testifying how well satisfied she was with 
 the issue of the competition ; and I for my part, 
 received a thousand thanks from her guardian, 
 as well as from Ramirez, for my disinterested 
 services. From Violante herself, I w^as repaid 
 by a smile, that again sent to my heart a pang 
 of deep regret that there were not three dupes 
 in place of two. Alonso's and Felipe's heavy 
 purses however, and still more, the four thou- 
 sand crowTis in prospect, were some consolation 
 for the consequences of my disinterestedness 
 in having served my friend. " I am yet but 
 beginning the world," I said to myself; " I shall 
 learn wisdom by and by." 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 SHOWING THE CONNEXION BETWEEN DISAPPOINTED LOVE AND 
 REVENGE ; AND HOW VIOLANTE ACQUIRES ALL THE PRI- 
 VILEGES OF SENORA, WITHOUT LOSING THE ATTRACTIONS 
 
 OF SENORITA. 1 MAKE A NEW ACQUAINTANCE, AND AM 
 
 ON THE EVE OF ENRICHING MYSELF FOR EVER. 
 
 Owing to the successful issue of this affair, I 
 began to look upon myself as a person of some 
 capacity ; and to conceive higher hopes of my 
 advancement in the world. Not many days after 
 the triumph of Ramirez, the nuptials were cele- 
 brated; and it had previously been arranged, 
 that upon the same day, the bride's guardian and 
 the two disappointed artists, should partake of a 
 bridal feast at the house of the new-married 
 
190 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 couple. Ever since the decision wliich had 
 crushed the hopes of Alonso and Felipe, they 
 had appeared to take their disappointment in 
 good part; they spoke of the affair jestingly, 
 admitting that they had been outwitted; and 
 they even went so far as to say, that they de- 
 served their fate ; while Violante, with her usual 
 kindness of disposition, was charmed to think 
 that in selecting one of the cousins for her hus- 
 band, she might expect to retain the other two 
 as friends. Ramirez was of a different opinion. 
 " You do not know them," said he to Violante 
 in my presence, the day before the bridal. 
 " Depend upon it they will never forgive any of 
 us ; and that hatred and jealousy rankle in their 
 minds. I would rather they were our avowed 
 enemies, than our seeming friends ; and who 
 knows what means they may take to revenge 
 themselves upon us." 
 
 " Oh, Juan," said Violante, " do not speak so 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 191 
 
 harshly of our cousins ; I trust they are deserving 
 of our better opinions." 
 
 " Well, well, mi querida,^ replied Ramirez, 
 " may you be in the right ! only this I know, 
 that I would rather be where I am, than alone 
 with them on the ramparts on a dark night." 
 
 The two unsuccessful artists were present at 
 the bridal. That their countenances should have 
 expressed the workings of jealousy and disap- 
 pointment, could have surprised no one ; but I 
 was at a loss to understand the expression of 
 malicious triumph that shone through every 
 other. When a few hours later, however, they 
 entered the bridal house, this expression was no 
 longer visible : in the countenances and manner 
 of both of them, there was the utmost good 
 humour and amenity; but this change did not 
 remove from my mind, the impression I had 
 received from the conversation of Ramirez, 
 strengthened as it had been, by the glances I 
 had seen exchanged beside the altar. 
 
192 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 It is a custom, peculiar I believe to Cadiz, 
 that upon an occasion of tliis kind, each guest 
 shows his good will by sending one dish to the 
 feast — and that he who sends it, also presides 
 over its distribution at table. This custom was 
 not neglected at the bridal feast of Juan Ramirez 
 and his cousin. Don Sancho (for such was the 
 name of the guardian), presented a magnificent 
 dish of quails — and Senor Alonso sent a tureen 
 full of sopa de tomates — a dish, of which his 
 cousin Violante never partook, from some natural 
 dislike of the flavour of tomata. This, to say 
 the least of it, was a strange choice upon his 
 part, and to my mind, there appeared something 
 suspicious in it. 
 
 The bride of course declined the soup, which 
 led to a thousand apologies on the part of Alonso, 
 for having forgotten that his cousin never ate of 
 sopa de tomates. Ramirez was helped first, and 
 it being my turn next, I cautiously sipped, until 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 193 
 
 I might ascertain by its effect upon Ramirez, 
 whether my suspicion had any foundation. 
 Scarcely had he swallowed three spoonsful, 
 when I perceived a sudden and dreadful altera- 
 tion in his countenance ; my suspicions being 
 thus confirmed, I sprung across the table, and 
 seizing Alonso, and holding back his head (for 
 I was greatly the stronger), I poured down his 
 throat, notwithstanding his struggles, double the 
 quantity of his own soup that Ramirez had 
 swallowed ; and at the same instant I perceived 
 that both the one and the other lay senseless in 
 their chairs. Meantime Sefior Felipe had got 
 his sword out of its scabbard, and it was within 
 an inch of my throat before I knew of its exist- 
 ence ; but being in these days inferior to few in 
 activity, I sprung back, and was soon upon the 
 defensive, and in another moment was the as- 
 sailant; for not being without my suspicions, I 
 had taken care to buckle on the good sabre of 
 
 VOL. I. K 
 
194 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 Andrades, which I already knew how to wield 
 with advantage. Never were tragedy and comedy 
 more strangely blended, than in the scene now 
 exhibited ; while the swords of Felipe and myself 
 continued to clash, exclamations of " my poor 
 Juan, — oh, Dios ! oh, Dios !" were heard from 
 Violante, as she bent over her husband; the 
 old guardian stood wringing his hands, now lift- 
 ing them up, — now letting them fall, — and mut- 
 tering lamentations, sometimes over Ramirez 
 and his bride, — sometimes over the perils that 
 were thickening around himself, — and some- 
 times, directed towards the overturned dishes ; 
 the rich sauces, that were straying over the 
 table, and the excellent quails that were rolling 
 on the floor. Meanwhile, I was proving myself 
 an overmatch for Felipe, who, beginning to per- 
 ceive a probability that he also might speedily 
 form part of the wreck of the feast, abandoned 
 the field, and made his escape through the 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 195 
 
 window, and I was left in the banquet room 
 with the widowed bride and her guardian, and 
 the two poisoned gentlemen. 
 
 When I had leisure to breathe and look round 
 me, I found the old guardian, Don Sancho, 
 engaged in the laudable design of comforting 
 his ward. "It might have been worse," said 
 he, " the rascal meant to have poisoned us all ; 
 I might have been poisoned — you, if you had 
 chanced to like sopa de tomates, might have 
 been poisoned — the Caballero there, might have 
 been poisoned : your husband may possibly re- 
 vive ; but if not, it is better that it should have 
 happened now than at any other time ; for you 
 have obtained the rank of a married woman, 
 without any of its drawbacks: believe me, my 
 dear Violante, it is not every woman who obtains 
 the title and privileges which marriage confers, 
 without losing any of the attractions of a seiiorita. 
 
 But notwithstanding this consolatory language, 
 k2 
 
196 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 Violante continued to bewail her misfortune, and 
 made no answer, save tears, to the well-meant, 
 though as I confess it seemed to me, some- 
 what ill-timed discourse of her guardian. " Leave 
 me to my grief, " said she, as I approached ; a 
 request which I thought it most prudent to 
 obey, for just then casting my eyes towards the 
 window, which still remained open, I perceived 
 Felipe, followed close at the heels by three 
 or four officers of justice ; and although con- 
 scious that I had done no more than rightfully 
 reward Alonso for his villany, yet being sensible 
 that I had taken the law into my own hands, 
 and that Felipe could better afford to bribe 
 justice than I could, and might therefore hang 
 me if he had a mind, I resolved to make my 
 exit by the door, and avoid all explanations. 
 Leaving Violante, therefore, still inconsolable, 
 and the two cousins — the poisoner and the poi- 
 soned, sitting stiff in their chairs, I made a hasty 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 197 
 
 retreat, reflecting with no small pleasure upon 
 my good fortune, in having already received 
 from my friend the handsome perquisite for 
 which I had stipulated. The sum had been 
 paid to me in five hundred pieces of eight,* and 
 these I had safely deposited in a leathern purse. 
 I made what haste I could to leave the city, 
 and passing quickly along the ramparts and 
 through the eastern gate, I found myself safe 
 from present danger ; and as I proceeded rapidly 
 along the causeway that connects Cadiz with 
 the main land, I could not forbear moralizing 
 upon the events of which I had just been a 
 witness, — the sudden reverse of fortune that had 
 overtaken Ramirez, and the just punishment of 
 the secret assassin ; but I bitterly regretted that 
 I had been concerned in them, not because I 
 accused myself of a crime, but because if I had 
 acted with greater prudence, T might have re- 
 
 * A gold coin worth eight dollars. 
 
198 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 mained to point out in due season, a remedy to 
 the charming Violante for the loss of her hus- 
 band; this it was that weighed upon my spirits, 
 as I walked towards Isla. 
 
 1 had not left Cadiz more than a league and 
 a half beliind, when I perceived on the road 
 before me two persons, of whose business there, 
 or condition in life, I could augur nothing from 
 their dress and deportment. It was apparently 
 an old man and a young woman — such as might 
 be father and daughter. The tattered and 
 patched crown cloak, ragged and shapeless hat, 
 and almost shoeless feet of the former, would 
 at once have proclaimed him a mendicant ; while 
 the respectable silk mantilla, and high comb, 
 the fresh silk of the attire, the well-turned 
 shoes, gloved hand, and graceful gait of the 
 latter, rather indicated a person not greatly 
 below the middle rank of life. As my step was 
 quicker than theirs, I speedily came up with 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 199 
 
 them, — when both made a halt and turned 
 round; but a closer view did not enable me to 
 solve any better the enigma of this strange com- 
 panionship. Their ages corresponded with the 
 impression I had received in following them: 
 the man might be fifty ; the young woman cer- 
 tainly not twenty. In looking in his face, one 
 might have said, sharp penury has worn him to 
 the bone, — while the dark, roguish eyes, and 
 pouting mouth of his companion, were full of 
 health, smiles, and light-heartedness. When 
 the old man first cast eyes upon me, he took 
 oiF his hat, not as a salutation, but as a sign 
 of alms-asking, at the same time beginning, — 
 " For the love of God, sir," — but the yomig 
 girl immediately checked him by a surprised 
 look, and a quick " Padre" 
 
 " Young people, sir," said he, addressing me 
 with a new salutation, " expect impossibilities ; 
 but old habits are not easily laid aside. Mara- 
 
200 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 quita is ashamed of me asking alms; but does 
 not this cloak," exposing its ragged skirt, " pro- 
 claim my poverty even " 
 
 " Now, father, interrupted his daughter, did 
 you not promise to me, that between Cadiz and 
 Malaga " 
 
 " I did, I did, my child — pardon me ; — as to 
 that gentleman, he will scarcely believe you to 
 be the daughter of a beggar by necessity ; but 
 habit, I say, is soon a tyrant; — is it not, sir?" 
 
 " It is, friend," said I ; " but I almost think 
 such a daughter as yours might prove an over- 
 match for it." 
 
 " Oh, sir," interrupted Maraquita, " I do 
 not wish to dictate to my father, — only he pro- 
 mised that if I would be his companion in this 
 journey (for he loves me tenderly), he would 
 not affront me on the road ; but when we arrive 
 at Malaga, he is welcome to resume his profes- 
 sion if it give him pleasure." 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 201 
 
 *« Now, sir," said the old man, *' that Mara- 
 quita has given you some notion of where the 
 truth lies, we will not trespass upon your time : 
 you walk faster than we do, — and, besides, you 
 would not like to be seen in the company of 
 a man, who, whatever may be his real circum- 
 stances, at any rate looks like a beggar: so, 
 good day, — and the Virgin go with you." But I 
 had no inclination to part company so soon : who 
 could tell what might arise out of the acquaint- 
 ance? and, at all events, the road would seem 
 shorter, when chatting with this sprightly little 
 seiiorita. I therefore replied, that our way 
 seemed to lie together; and that, if it was not 
 unpleasant to him and his daughter, I should be 
 glad to make the journey in company, as far as 
 our roads were the same. To this proposal, the 
 old man, again saluting me with an obliging air, 
 assured me that nothing could give him greater 
 pleasure, — and Maraquita replied to the bow I 
 K 3 
 
202 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 made lier, with a courtesy and smile, and some 
 quick flirtings of her fan. 
 
 In this manner we reached Isla; the old man 
 insisted upon passing through it by the narrow 
 street that leads by the back of the town, which, 
 in my present circumstances, I was not sorry 
 for; and soon after turning to the right, along 
 the road that leads to Chiclana, my companion 
 pointed to a house by the way side, which he 
 said was the venta where he and his daughter 
 proposed spending the night. " I am every 
 where well known," said he ; " you will not be 
 worse accommodated because you arrive as my 
 fellow-traveller." I at once assented to pass 
 the night at the venta, and in another hour we 
 were all three employed upon a respectable 
 puchero, — and after making some inroads upon 
 a skin of the best wine the house aiforded, 
 (which, in Andalusia, is the same as to say that 
 the wine was excellent), my companion pro- 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 203 
 
 posed to retire to rest : " but to-morrow," said 
 he, " if our way should still be together, I will 
 relate to you a little history, for I doubt not you 
 have some curiosity to know something more of 
 those with whom you have condescended to join 
 company." 
 
 Maraquita, at the conclusion of this speech, 
 glanced on the small mirror which she carried 
 along with her,* as if she would have said, that 
 there was no such extraordinary condescension 
 in being the galan of so charming a seiiorita as 
 herself, — and mutually saluting each other, we 
 separated for the night. 
 
 Next morning, betimes, we were again on the 
 road, with the expectation of reaching Chiclana 
 by breakfast time, where our path would sepa- 
 rate, — mine being towards Tarifa, with the in- 
 
 • It is not unusual in Andalusia, for the ladies to carry 
 a small mirror in travelling, such luxuries being unknown 
 in the posadas and ventas. 
 
'204 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 teiition of taking shipping from thence; and 
 that of my companions' being, as I have already 
 sjiid, directed to Malaga. When we had pro- 
 ceeded a little way, talking of the pleasant 
 morning, the fragrant shrubs that grew by the 
 way-side, and of the attractions of Cadiz, that 
 we had left, I reminded my companion of the 
 kind promise he had made the night before. 
 " My history will not occupy much time in 
 telling," said he; " there is scarcely any one 
 who knows it, — and if, at any future time, chance 
 should bring us again together, I depend upon 
 your keeping my secret, even if it be at the 
 expense of dropping a quarto into the hat that 
 you may then know might be filled with gold." 
 I promised obedience to his request, and as we 
 walked leisurely on, he spoke as follows : — 
 
 " 1 w£is the youngest of six children, all boys, 
 and our original patrimony was small. My own 
 was soon spent in dissipation ; and as my parents 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 205 
 
 were then dead, and my brothers scattered over 
 the world, I was thrown upon my own resources. 
 My two elder brothers were killed in the wars ; 
 and the three others, who had each embraced the 
 mercantile profession, established themselves in 
 BilbaOj Barcellona, and Lisbon. When my own 
 patrimony was wasted, I set out in quest of 
 fortune, with little other principle than that 
 which urged me to obtain a livelihood as I best 
 could. Many and sore were the privations I 
 suflfered: hunger became as familiar to me as 
 to the houseless dog; from one stratagem I 
 was driven to another, to obtain bread; and at 
 length I became a common beggar. This child 
 was then, as she is at this moment, my com- 
 panion; her mother, w^hom I married before 
 poverty was even felt, died ere it overtook me ; 
 and msmy a real was given to the smiling face of 
 the child, that was refused to the haggard looks 
 of the father." Here the old man paused a 
 
206 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 moment in his narrative, and, albeit we were 
 on the highway, caught his daughter in his 
 arms, and kissed her with the utmost fervour. 
 " This life," continued he, " precarious as it 
 was — disreputable, perhaps, as it is — had grow- 
 ing charms for me ; if but my child had enough 
 to eat, and I, wherewithal to satisfy the cravings 
 of hunger, which you know, sir, in Andalusia, is 
 not difficult to obtain, I was contented. In my 
 early days my passion had been gambling ; and 
 the trade of the mendicant, when the first feel- 
 ings of humiliation are overcome, has in it a 
 certain excitement produced by its very preca- 
 riousness, that in some degree assimilates it to 
 the trade of the gambler. 
 
 " Having wandered all over Castile, as well as 
 the southern parts of Spain, I passed into Biscay, 
 and soon arrived at Bilbao. I was totally igno- 
 rant of the residence of any of my brethren ; I 
 knew, indeed, that one of them had been sent 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 207 
 
 to a mercantile house in that city, when not 
 more than fourteen years old, — but where he 
 had subsequently established himself, I had 
 never learned. One day, soon after my arrival 
 in Bilbao, I entered a shop, to buy, with one of 
 the last two coins I possessed in the world, a 
 little tobacco, which had often served me in 
 place of bread ; it was wrapped up in a scrap of 
 printed paper, — and, casting my eyes over it 
 accidentally, I was attracted by observing my 
 own name : it was an advertisement, torn from 
 the Gaceta de Bayona, addressed to the heirs of 
 my brother, who had died a year before. You, 
 who have probably never been placed in my cir- 
 cumstances (it was natural in the beggar so to 
 presume, for, dressed as I was in the new and 
 handsome suit purchased for Violante's bridal, 
 I certainly did not look like one who had ever 
 stood in need of a peseta), cannot enter into my 
 feelings of that moment. 1 was, at all events, 
 
208 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 entitled to some part of his inheritance; and I 
 repaired, in my tattered garments, to the place 
 to which applicants were addressed. They at 
 first laughed at me, and then imprisoned me as 
 an imposter ; but at length they were induced to 
 listen to me; and finally, I was admitted, after 
 a long delay in obtaining evidence, to be the 
 only heir of my brother — it having been ascer- 
 tained that the other two had paid the debt 
 of nature. I now found myself in possession of 
 more than three millions of reals — a fortune that 
 might enable me to live in affluence, even in the 
 metropolis ; and thither I accordingly repaired. 
 
 " At first I lived, as my fortune entitled me 
 to live. I hired a house in the Calle de Alcala, 
 the most distinguished street in Madrid : I par- 
 took unreservedly in all the amusements of the 
 city; and, for a time, thought that I had reached 
 the summit of all that man could desire; but 
 habit was too strong — too confirmed to permit 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 209 
 
 a change in my mode of life : rich, surrounded 
 by all the luxuries that are usually the aim of 
 mankind, I yet sighed to be a beggar, — 1 was 
 idle, and I longed for occupation. At length, 
 after a succession of struggles, habit obtained 
 the victory. I retired to an obscure part of the 
 city, disguised myself in rags, and went about 
 the streets asking charity. This is still my daily 
 occupation, — it is a pleasure that I would not 
 forego, for all the luxuries my wealth could 
 purchase; and I have more satisfaction in count- 
 ing over the few pesetas I gain in my daily 
 peregrinations, than in looking at my securities 
 for thousands. Six months in the year I live in 
 Madrid; and the other six months, are spent 
 making the tour of some part of Spain. This 
 dutiful and loving child has no reason to com- 
 plain of her father, mendicant though he be, — 
 hast thou Maraquita?" an affectionate look con- 
 
210 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 firmed the appeal, and the old man continued: 
 " she is her own mistress; she has money at 
 command; she dresses as she pleases; when I 
 return from my rounds, I sometimes throw off 
 my ragged apparel, and take her to the bull 
 fight, or the prado, where she enjoys herself 
 like other young persons; and I, for my part, 
 never grudge the sums expended upon her. 
 Maraquita has had more than one good offer 
 of marriage; but she prefers living with her old 
 father, to marrying the gayest Caballero in all 
 Spain, — dost thou not, Maraquita?" Another 
 kind look answered this second appeal, and the 
 old man then concluded his narrative in these 
 words : " For my own part, I would gladly see 
 Maraquita respectably settled before I die. I 
 cannot now have many years to live, and she 
 shall have half of my fortune upon her wedding 
 day; and though I be her father, I cannot but 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 211 
 
 say, that whoever gets her, will have fallen upon 
 his feet; for a better- hearted — ay, or better- 
 looking girl does not exist in all Spain." 
 
 When I found that my companion had made 
 an end of his narrative, I expressed the strong 
 interest it had excited in me; but it had sunk 
 deeper into my mind than I cared at that mo- 
 ment to avow. This, of all the adventures that 
 had taken place since leaving my native village, 
 seemed the most likely to be turned to account. 
 Half of this old man's fortune was as good as 
 a senorio; and as for Maraquita, though my 
 acquaintance with Isabel, the Marquesa, and 
 Violante, had rendered my taste in female beauty 
 somewhat fastidious, she was a lively and good- 
 looking damsel — fresh, young, and marvellously 
 well made. She had not, indeed, the charming 
 languor, and bewitching air of Isabel; nor the 
 mature, and almost faultless beauty of the Mar- 
 quesa ; nor the simple, and seductive graces of 
 
212 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 Violante; she was in fact nothing beyond una 
 muchacha bonita; but such as she was, I resolved 
 to forget the charms of all others for hers. 
 
 Most fortunately it so happened, that at the 
 very same time that 1 had come to this determi- 
 nation, Maraquita had also seen cause to w^ver 
 in the resolution for which her father had lately 
 given her credit; and had in fact almost per- 
 suaded herself, that it was not impossible to 
 marry, and yet to be a dutiful daughter. Ac- 
 cordingly, when, taking advantage of a siesta 
 which the old man was enjoying, after we had 
 partaken of a noon-day refreshment under a 
 spreading cork tree, I seated myself beside Ma- 
 raquita, and ventured to declare the passion with 
 which she had inspired me, I found her not 
 indisposed to listen; and when I told her I was 
 in despair at the resolution which she had taken 
 not to bestow her hand upon any suitor, she at 
 first made no reply; but when I expostulated 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 213 
 
 upon the cruelty of such a resolution, and more 
 warmly pleaded my own passion, she at length 
 confessed, that if she was not forced to leave 
 her father, she was not otherwise averse from 
 matrimony ; a confession which I found no diffi- 
 culty in crediting. In short, we made good use 
 of our time : before the old man's siesta was over, 
 there was so little left to settle, that when he 
 awoke, he found his daughter ready, if a priest 
 had been present, to change the guardianship of 
 a father for that of a husband. 
 
 When I had related to the father of my be- 
 trothed, as much of what had passed during 
 the last half-hour, as was convenient, and had 
 implored his blessing upon the engagements 
 we had entered into, he offered no opposition. 
 " Ah ! senor," said he, " I might easily have 
 guessed that Maraquita would not prove an ex- 
 ception to the rest of her sex — it was selfish in 
 me to desire it: you appear to be a discreet 
 
214 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 young gentleman; and since Maraquita has made 
 her election, though it seems somewhat sudden, 
 why should I stand in the way of it ? God bless 
 you both, my children : 't will indeed be a hard 
 struggle to part from her ; but — " 
 
 " We shall never part," said Maraquita, throw- 
 ing her arms round her father's neck; " why 
 should we part? The Caballero would not de- 
 sire to part us." 
 
 I was about to confirm this appeal with all 
 the willingness in the world, when the old man 
 interrupted me. " Tliere is time enough, my 
 children," said he, " to settle all these things ; 
 let us at present hasten to reach Malaga, where 
 the nuptials may take place." But as I was 
 anxious to journey to Tarifa, rather than to 
 Malaga; having resolved, the moment I ob- 
 tained possession of my fortune, to retire for a 
 time to the English settlement of Gibraltar in 
 case of accidents, our route was changed for the 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 215 
 
 latter town, towards whicli we journeyed, in the 
 greatest possible spirits, — Maraquita anticipating 
 the honours and joys of matrimony, and I anti- 
 cipating a successful conclusion to my search 
 after fortune : on the afternoon of the next day, 
 we approached Tarifa. Alas, who in such cir- 
 cumstances could have guessed the calamities 
 that were brewing! But these must be the 
 subject of a new chapter. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 lY WHICH IT WILL BE SEEN, HOW MUCH TRUTH THERE IS 
 IN THE SAYING, THAT " THERE 's MANY A SLIP 'tWIXT 
 THE CUP AND THE LIP." 
 
 It so happened, that the captain of a trading 
 vessel from the Levant, whose ship had come 
 into port a few days before, had that morning 
 received for his cargo the sum of four thousand 
 crowns, which were paid him in five hundred 
 pieces of eight, and which he put into a leathern 
 purse by themselves, and taking horse, had set 
 out that afternoon for Cadiz, in the intention of 
 there spending his leisure time, and his spare 
 crowns. Now as bad luck would have it, both 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 217 
 
 as it concerns the traveller and me, this worthy- 
 man had proceeded but a very little way out of 
 Tarifa, when he was set upon by some villains, 
 who no doubt had known of the prize ; and who, 
 after stripping him of his purse, and all his other 
 valuables, tied him, and laid him among the 
 bushes by the way-side; but he speedily con- 
 triving to unloose his bonds, made the best of 
 his way back to Tarifa, and having obtained 
 assistance, set out in search of the robbers. 
 
 The day having been extremely sultry, and 
 being now the cool of the evening, Maraquita 
 proposed that we should rest for a short space 
 in a neighbouring thicket of algarrobos ; pro- 
 bably that it might be dusk before we made our 
 entry into Tarifa, — for with all her affection for 
 her father, his patched cloak and ragged hat, 
 as well as some dread of old habits, generally 
 occasioned some little stratagem on her part, by 
 which our appearance in the towns and villages 
 
 VOL. I. L 
 
•218 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 that lay in our way, might be delayed until 
 night-fall. 
 
 Meantime, the unfortunate merchant who 
 had been robbed, and his companions, were in 
 full pursuit from Tarifa, — and with the impa- 
 tience natural to a man who had been deprived 
 of so considerable a sum, he had a long way 
 headed his friends, and arrived opposite to the 
 thicket, not long after we had seated ourselves 
 in itj — and when the fine still evening, and the 
 approaching termination of our journey, had 
 begun to fill me with the gayest anticipations. 
 The old man too, had just fallen into a doze, — 
 and as I sat beside Maraquita, who had thrown 
 aside her mantilla, and whose unloosened hair 
 fell thickly over her neck and shoulders, I 
 almost thought, that with even less than one- 
 half of the old man's fortune, I might be 
 persuaded to stand beside her at the altar. But 
 this pleasant reverie was most disagreeably in- 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 219 
 
 terrupted. The anxious eye of the trading 
 captain, rolling here and there, and piercing 
 on every side, speedily discovered persons seated 
 in the thicket, — and not doubting for a moment 
 the merit of his discovery, he instantly advanced 
 sword in hand, vociferating in the most furious 
 manner, " Surrender yourselves, villains ! pro- 
 duce the purse, I say, with the five hundred 
 pieces of eight." 
 
 Hearing mention made of a purse, and five 
 hundred pieces of eight, — and knowing that I 
 possessed such a purse, and seeing the deter- 
 mined air of the person who had advanced with 
 a sword of formidable length, I could not doubt 
 his intention of depriving me of my own, — but 
 whether as a common robber who had somehow 
 become informed of the state of my finances, 
 — or as one who supposed himself to have some 
 claim upon the perquisite I had received from my 
 poor friend Ramirez, I could not tell. I de- 
 l2 
 
220 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 termined, however, to resist the attempt; and 
 perceiving that it was a matter of life and death, 
 I quickly exchanged the hand of Maraquita 
 which I held, for the hilt of my sword, — and 
 started to my feet. 
 
 It seems to me, upon reflection, unaccount- 
 able, that the unfortunate man should not, in 
 approaching me, have perceived that I was not 
 the person who had robbed him; wliich I can 
 only account for from his having thoroughly 
 made up his mind upon the subject the moment 
 he saw persons in the thicket, — the conviction 
 assisted perhaps, by the deep shade of the trees,* 
 which spread a dim twilight within. There was 
 no time for deliberation, — my assailant, I soon 
 found to be no stranger to the use of his 
 weapon ; and although I at first acted entirely 
 upon the defensive, yet the fierceness of my 
 
 • The algarrobo, besides its utility, is one of the most 
 beautiful of trees, full in its foliage, and rich in colour. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 221 
 
 assailant, and - his evident, and eager desire, 
 to find the way to my vitals, naturally exaspe- 
 rated me ; and thinking it no great matter after 
 all, that so bloodthirsty and sordid a villain 
 should meet with his deserts, I made a deadly 
 thrust, and run him through the body. During 
 the combat, the old man had stood as one stu- 
 pified, keeping aloof from the fray ; while Ma- 
 raquita had poured out loud lamentations, and 
 attempted more than once to separate the com- 
 batants ; and now that my assailant lay stone 
 dead among the rosemary bushes, I was just 
 beginning to explain to her how totally inexpli- 
 cable was the whole affair, when the quick tread 
 of footsteps was heard upon the road, — and in 
 another moment, at least half-a-dozen persons 
 were rushing towards the thicket. Seeing the 
 affair begin to grow serious, I judged it best to 
 put up my sword, and accept of an escort to 
 Tarifa. 
 
222 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 " The bloody-minded assassin," said one of 
 the men, " not contented with having robbed 
 the poor merchant, he has killed him because he 
 tried to get back his own." 
 
 " The monster ! " said another. 
 
 " Barbaro ! " said they all. 
 
 " Gentlemen," said I, " there is some mistake 
 here." 
 
 " Mistake, indeed ! " said one. 
 
 " Is n't he there, dead?" said another. 
 
 " Have you not the bloody sword in your 
 hand?" said a third. 
 
 " Ay, and the poor man's purse and his gold 
 in your pocket, no doubt," said a fourth. 
 
 " That I killed him, is true," I replied ; " but 
 he tried to rob me, and would have killed me^ 
 
 " Rob you, indeed, — rob you of his own ! " 
 said one. 
 
 " Pity but he had killed you," said another. 
 
 "OiF with him," said they all; "'tis better 
 he has had time to confess." 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 223 
 
 During this parley, Maraquita had several 
 times tried to make herself heard : " he is no 
 robber," she vociferated ; '^ he is all but my 
 husband." 
 
 "Joy of your choice, senorita," said they; — 
 and I soon found myself on the road to Tarifa 
 with my hands tied, — the dead merchant carried 
 behind me, — and the old man and Maraquita 
 also prisoners by my side. 
 
 As we entered Tarifa (under somewhat dif- 
 ferent circumstances from those pictured to our 
 minds an hour before), the people crowded 
 around us, — the dead man at once testifying 
 that I was an assassin ; but for the imprecations 
 that were vented against me, I was somewhat 
 consoled by the expressions of regret, that so 
 comely a youth should be so near the gallows. 
 Maraquita's smiles were all turned to tears; 
 but I told her she had no cause to weep, or be 
 sorrowful, because the whole affair was a mis- 
 take ; and that so soon as we should be examined 
 
224 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 by the alcalde, we should be set at liberty : and 
 in this belief, I found myself standing in the 
 magistrate's presence. 
 
 The robbery of the captain-trader was already 
 well known throughout Tarifa, and especially to 
 the administrators of justice; so that the alcalde at 
 once comprehended who it was they had brought 
 before him: it was only necessary to explain 
 farther, that this robber was also a murderer. 
 " We found the poor man dead at his feet," 
 said they ; " and the sword in his hand, covered 
 with blood, — the murdered man lies in the ante- 
 room, run through and through." 
 
 I begged to be heard, — and then stated the 
 facts precisely as they had happened ; admitting 
 that I had killed the man, to prevent him killing 
 me, and taking my property, — and calling upon 
 Maraquita and her father to corroborate my 
 statement. 
 
 " This is all very well," said the alcalde, 
 '« a guilty man must say something for himself 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 225 
 
 — but the affair may be cut short in a moment ; 
 no doubt he is in possession of the purse of the 
 unfortunate man he first robbed, and then mur- 
 dered, — search him, — if it be found either upon 
 him or his accomplices, there is evidence enough 
 to hang a score." 
 
 I told the mao^istrate I would save the trouble 
 of a search, — at the same time throwing upon 
 the table, the leathern purse containing my five 
 hundred pieces of eight, which I averred to be 
 my own. 
 
 " The case is clear," said the alcalde ; " but 
 empty the purse, and count the money." 
 
 This was immediately done, and it was found 
 to contain precisely five hundred pieces of eight. 
 "Hardened wretch!" said the alcalde, "I 
 might now send you to prison ; but that your 
 guilt may be made still more manifest, and that 
 not a shadow of doubt may remain, I have sent 
 for one who is able to certify that this is the 
 l3 
 
226 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 purse of the murdered man." And it was now 
 for the first time when this witness spoke, that I 
 comprehended the danger of the situation in 
 which I stood ; and that I learned how that the 
 unfortunate man who had come by his death 
 in the manner above related, had been robbed 
 of five hundred pieces of eight contained in a 
 leathern purse. 
 
 " Is it probable," said I, " that if this robbery 
 had been committed by me, I would have re- 
 mained almost upon the spot, fooling away the 
 precious time that might have carried me from 
 pursuit." 
 
 "Is it likely," asked the alcalde, in return, 
 " that two men should at the same time and in 
 the neighbourhood of Tarifa, have possessed 
 leathern purses, each containing precisely five 
 hundred pieces of eight.'' — and besides, there 
 would be sufficient evidence against you, even 
 if no purse had been found ; for this unfortunate 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 2*27 
 
 man would never have attempted to regain his 
 property by attacking a man whom he had not 
 the very best reason to believe to be the thief." 
 " If the murdered man could speak," said I, 
 " he would testify, that the purse which lies 
 there, is not his purse." 
 
 " If you have none but dead men for wit- 
 nesses," said the alcalde, " I suspect you will 
 soon have an opportimity of chiding them for 
 their indifference ; but men don't receive purses 
 with five hundred pieces of eight in them every 
 day: perhaps he from whom you received yours, 
 and who might have helped you out of your 
 difficulty, is also dead." 
 
 And such was indeed the truth — Ramirez was 
 in no condition to assist me. " Such," replied I, 
 " is the fact, strange as it may appear ; he from 
 whom I received this purse, is indeed no more." 
 
 " Murdered too, perhaps," said the magistrate. 
 *' Away with him ; away with him to prison," 
 
228 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 While this examination was going on, Mara- 
 quita and her father, who were also prisoners, 
 stood by. The latter, who no doubt began by 
 this time to dislike the connexion, assured the 
 alcalde, that his acquaintance with me was 
 entirely accidental, and begged that it might 
 now be allowed to terminate ; but Maraquita, 
 whose mind had been occupied with the con- 
 templation of the beginning, rather than tlie 
 end, of a connexion, expostulated with the 
 magistrate upon the injustice of his conclusions; 
 warmly asserted my innocence; and declared, that 
 if I must go to prison, she would follow me 
 thither. But to this, neither the alcalde nor 
 the father of my betrothed would consent by 
 any means, and I was accordingly marched off 
 to confinement, without learning whether my 
 companions were released or not. As I was 
 leaving the court, an escrivano whispered in 
 my ear, that for a thousand reals, he would 
 save me from being hanged; but I was not 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 229 
 
 rich enough to bribe the rogue.* In this 
 manner did I lose the handsome perquisite 
 which my address in securing the prize for 
 Ramirez had gained for me, as well as the 
 golden prospect that was opening before me. 
 But to all appearance, these misfortunes were 
 not worth naming, in comparison with the 
 greater calamity that awaited me ; for how could 
 I hope that my story unsupported by witnesses, 
 except by those who were looked upon as my 
 accomplices, could gain credence against the 
 chain of circumstances that seemed to bring the 
 crimes home to me. Occupied with the most 
 gloomy anticipations, I remained in prison until 
 
 * Nothing is so diflBcult as to bring a man to trial, who 
 has any thing in his pursa, — except to bring him to execu- 
 tion ; for money will always buy indemnity. Every thing 
 in Spain connected with the following out of the laws, is in 
 the hands of the esaivanos ; these are the friends of all bad 
 men : for whatever be the action a man may commit, or 
 meditate, he has only to confide in the escrivano, and pay 
 for his protection. — Spain in 1830. 
 
230 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 the next day, when I was carried before the 
 tribunal whose business it was to judge finally 
 of my case. Here, as I had anticipated, I found 
 my story of no avail against the testimony of the 
 man who had paid the murdered trader five 
 hundred pieces of eight, and had seen him put 
 them into a leathern purse, — corroborated as this 
 was by the facts, that he had singled out me as 
 the robber, and had come to his death by my 
 hand, — and I was accordingly sentenced to soli- 
 tary imprisonment for life ; a punishment, that, 
 if the object of law be vengeance, has more to 
 recommend it than death itself. 
 
 The unfortunate persons whose crimes have 
 subjected them to this dreadful punishment, in 
 any of the southern parts of Spain, are most 
 generally sent to Tarifa.* Along both sides of 
 the port, there is a mole nearly half a mile in 
 
 * A town in the straits of Gibraltar, the most southern 
 point of the continent of Europe. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 231 
 
 length; at the extremity of which on either 
 side, and at the entrance of the harbour, stands 
 a huge and ancient moorish tower, about a hun- 
 dred and sixty feet in height above the sea. In 
 this tower, which contains six chambers, one 
 above another, prisoners for life are confined; 
 and thither I was accordingly conveyed. It is 
 the policy of the Spanish laws, to render the 
 punishment of criminals subservient to public 
 utility ; and this is in some degree effected even 
 by solitary confinement. The prisoners confined 
 in these towers are employed in turns, night by 
 night, in trimming the lamps — which are a beacon 
 to the vessels at sea. From each chamber, there 
 is a separate ascent to the summit of the tower ; 
 so that the prisoners never see each other, and 
 each in his turn is obliged to remain from night 
 until day-break upon the summit, — part of his 
 punishment for the destruction of human life, 
 being thus made subservient to its preservation. 
 
232 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 From these towers there are no visible means of 
 escape : in the chambers, the windows are merely- 
 circular holes in walls at least six feet in thick- 
 ness ; and the outside walls being entirely smooth, 
 there are no means of descent from the summit 
 unless by a fearful leap of a hundred and sixty 
 feet into the sea; for on the side towards the 
 town, a wall of twenty feet high shuts out the 
 prospect of land ; serving at the same time as 
 a hindrance to any communication, and as an 
 aggravation of punishment, by shutting out from 
 the eye of the prisoner, the cheerful lights of 
 himian habitations, or perhaps even, it might be, 
 the dim view of human forms. It only requires 
 to be added to this description, that a ponderous 
 iron chain stretches from one tower to the other, 
 across the mouth of the port, depending from 
 fastenings situated about two feet below the 
 summit of each, but forming a curve by its own 
 weight; and in the centre, reaching to within 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 233 
 
 twenty or thirty feet of the surface of the water, 
 from which point, other chains are attached, 
 reaching horizontally to the towers on either 
 side. It is needless to say, that during the day 
 this great chain is lowered into the water when 
 vessels desire to enter ; but at night, it is again 
 raised ; and there being rumours of war at this 
 period, no ships were admitted during the night, 
 — the chain being a security against an enemy 
 entering, and cutting out vessels under favour of 
 the darkness. 
 
 I will not attempt a description of my feelings 
 when left alone in the small stone chamber, from 
 which a speck only of the blue sky was visible 
 through the little aperture, and where not a 
 murmur of human life could penetrate the mas- 
 sive walls. " Here,*' said I to myself, " I must 
 remain for ever ;" — the thought was enough to 
 turn the merriest mind to sadness. I was not 
 apt to be cast down with trifles ; but turn the 
 
234 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 thing which way I would in my mind, I could 
 neither reconcile myself to my misfortune, nor 
 perceive any obvious deliverance from it : yet, I 
 could not thoroughly persuade myself, that there 
 was for ever an end of scheming; and that I 
 must live and die in the tower at the entrance 
 to the port of Tarifa. 
 
 When it came to my turn to watch on the 
 summit, of which the only intimation was, the 
 opening of the door by invisible hands, I felt the 
 full luxury of the change. In tlie winter season 
 it might be indeed a comfortless post; but as 
 yet, the open air was milder than that in the 
 chambers below. When I reached the summit, 
 it was deep twilight; the lamps were already 
 lighted, — and it was my business to watch, and 
 trim them. The sea, and the opposite tower were 
 alone visible ; but the prospect, gloomy as it 
 was, I felt to be life, compared with the limited 
 horizon of the chamber below. At first, some 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 235 
 
 vessels were dimly seen through the dusk, at 
 anchorage off the port ; but the scene was soon 
 wrapt in darkness : it was a moonless night, and 
 nothing was visible but the lights on the opposite 
 tower, and occasionally the gleam of a wave, as 
 its white crest was touched with the reflection of 
 the watch lights. 
 
 This, thought I in my own mind, as I leaned 
 upon the wall, is a pretty way of spending the 
 night, for a man who knows how to turn dark- 
 iiess as well as light to account ; and I bethought 
 me of all the pleasures of Cadiz, which I had 
 enjoyed with my unlucky preceptor who was 
 hanged ; as well as when in the service of the 
 Marquesa, who poisoned herself; and of the 
 charming suppers of which I had partaken with 
 Violante and her guardian, and Ramirez, whose 
 unfortunate exit was more than all to be re- 
 gretted; since, had he been allowed to live, I 
 might never have been perched upon a watch 
 
236 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 tower from night till morning : and this brought 
 Maraquita to my recollection, — why, this very 
 night might have been my wedding night ! ! ! 
 
 When one object only is visible, the eyes 
 naturally wander towards it ; I accordingly often 
 found myself looking vaguely at the opposite 
 tower; but my attention was arrested by per- 
 ceiving a dark shadow at times pass to and fro, 
 among the lights. I might have easily guessed 
 indeed, that I had a fellow-labourer; but still, 
 this seemed a discovery, and an agreeable one, 
 because it diminished the feeling of loneliness. 
 I now kept my eyes intently fixed upon the 
 lights ; and as again the form was more revealed 
 by the full blaze of the lamps, it suddenly oc- 
 curred to me, that I might use the telescope 
 which stood by me (probably for the use of the 
 day watch), as a means of making me better ac- 
 quainted with the figure at least, of my unfortu- 
 nate fellow-suflPerer. I accordingly, with some 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 237 
 
 difficulty directed it towards the opposite tower; 
 it was a glass of the finest construction, and as 
 the distance was but inconsiderable, I found it 
 completely answer my expectations. I could at 
 once perceive, that my fellow- labourer was a 
 female ; the form indeed, much shrouded by the 
 habiliments suited to the performance of such a 
 duty — but still, sufficiently revealed to leave no 
 doubt upon this score. The head and face were 
 hidden in the hands, and supported by the elboM^s 
 resting on the knee ; so that at first, the features 
 of the countenance were unseen ; but judge of 
 my astonishment, when upon raising her head, 
 the blaze of light fell upon, and revealed the well- 
 known features of Isabel. Never before were 
 surprise, pleasure, and pain so strangely mingled 
 — but the last predominated. I had never alto- 
 gether forgotten Isabel, — and with this discovery, 
 I felt for the first time a sting of reproach, since 
 doubtless mv desertion of her had led to lier 
 
238 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 apprehension, and to her punishment as the 
 supposed murderer of her husband Andrades. I 
 looked long and earnestly, — it was indeed Isabel 
 — greatly altered ; but still to be recognized as 
 her who reclined upon the sofa in Don Jose's 
 saloon, and who rode by my side from Seville, 
 and whose head lay upon my shoulder as we 
 journeyed to Xeres. Alas, poor Isabel ! I might 
 well say, to be thus employed. I would have 
 given worlds to speak to her, and hear from her 
 the history of her misfortune; — but this was 
 impossible — and I was forced to be contented 
 during the remainder of the night, with keeping 
 my eye at the telescope, and watching her 
 movements. At times, I almost felt, that I 
 would have risked my life for her deliverance ; 
 but how alas, could I scheme the deliverance of 
 another, when my own seemed hopeless! The 
 day had scarcely begun to break, when the door 
 by which I reached the summit of the tower fell 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 239 
 
 back, — announcing to me that the time had 
 arrived, when I must betake myself to my 
 chamber. 
 
 The next night upon which it was again my 
 turn to watch the lights, I mounted to the summit 
 wdth alacrity; and scarcely had I reached it 
 when I eagerly turned the telescope towards the 
 opposite tower — but alas ! how great was my 
 disappointment to find, that this night my fellow- 
 sufferer was not Isabel. This was easily enough 
 explained, on the supposition that each of the 
 towers had not the same number of inmates ; 
 and it was therefore impossible for me to discover 
 when the turn of Isabel migfht next chance to be 
 upon the same night as my own. This night, I 
 was thus forced to spend in melancholy reflection, 
 and in listening to the waves breaking upon the 
 mole. Another night returned, and brought 
 with it another disappointment ; but upon the 
 fourth, no sooner had I applied my eye to the 
 
240 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 telescope, than it rested upon the form of Isabel. 
 I watched her movements — her countenance, — 
 and she seemed so near to me, that when I 
 whispered, — " Ah ! my poor Isabel," I fancied 
 she could hear me pity her ; — but when I with- 
 drew my eye from the glass, this delusion fled, 
 for I saw the dark gulf that yawned between the 
 towers. When, after a few moments, I again 
 applied my eye to the telescope, I was not at 
 first able to perceive any one, — but upon a more 
 attentive scrutiny, I discovered that Isabel was 
 employed in the same manner, and had turned 
 her telescope towards my tower, and was kneel- 
 ing behind it. I immediately discontinued my 
 scrutiny, and placed myself in the full blaze of 
 the lights, — making at the same time, signals of 
 recognition ; and when, after a little interval, I 
 again sought Isabel, I had the satisfaction of 
 seeing her instantly return the signals. 
 
 It would have been no difficult matter for the 
 
' THE NEW GIL BLAS. 241 
 
 human voice to be heard from tower to tower 
 on a still night; a slight elevation of tone would 
 have been sufficient for this; for the distance 
 could not greatly have exceeded three hundred 
 yards ; but the same sounds that would have 
 reached the opposite tower, must also have been 
 heard within the port, and even on the mole. 
 This sort of communication was, tlierefore, out 
 of the question; but anxious as I was to attain 
 the object in some way, I still continued to 
 ruminate upon the possibility of eifecting it. 
 
 While leaning over the tower, my eyes rested 
 upon the iron chain, dimly seen suspended from 
 tower to tower; and I almost instantly began 
 to consider the possibility of attempting by 
 its means to pass the gulf, and thus reach the 
 opposite tower. My arms were sinewy, — my 
 strength and agility great, — and courage, I had 
 never yet found wanting. 
 
 Scarcely was the scheme suggested to the 
 
 VOL. I. M 
 
242 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 mind, before it was resolved upon; and it was 
 no sooner resolved upon, than adopted. As I 
 raised myself upon the wall, and the next in- 
 stant dropped upon the chain, I distinctly heard 
 from the opposite tower a faint cry, which I 
 made no doubt was the expression of Isabel's 
 fears, as she watched my motions. 
 
 And now I was suspended over the gulf, — 
 pitchy darkness around, — and the black sea 
 beneath; but I felt my arms strong, and my 
 grasp secure, and I worked my way rapidly 
 forward. At first, my progress was speedy and 
 easy, for I was descending the curve, and soon 
 reached the lower point of it, and was enabled 
 where the smaller chains were attached to rest 
 awhile,— -standing upon one of these, and lean- 
 ing upon the great chain. Here, I seemed to 
 ])e ^^^thin but a short distance of the water, 
 whose surface gleamed faintly and tremblingly 
 beneath: I could have dropped into it without 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 243 
 
 danger, but to what purpose ? I now began to 
 enter upon the more difficult and perilous part 
 of my task, — ascending the chain to the opposite 
 tower ; and as I found the labour of this attempt 
 every moment increase, I could not help feeling, 
 that I was guilty of an act of folly, in risking 
 life to reach one from whom I had once before 
 voluntarily separated myself : but there was now 
 no room for repentance ; and besides, I could not 
 but feel some interest in her who I had every 
 reason to believe had been brought into misfor- 
 tune by me ; and if this conjecture should prove 
 correct, my doom would be rendered no w^orse, 
 by declaring myself the murderer, or at least 
 the slayer of Andrades, as my punishment was 
 already fixed, — and thus Isabel might be restored 
 to liberty. 
 
 Occupied with such thoughts, I at length 
 reached the top of the chain; and in another 
 moment had sprung upon the summit of the 
 m2 
 
244 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 tower, and stood beside the long-lost, the unfor- 
 tunate, — the altered, but still lovely, — and as it 
 appeared, the yet affectionate Isabel. " Ah I 
 barbaro," said she, as I elapsed her in my arms : 
 but notwithstanding this salutation, I could per- 
 ceiv^e that ill-treatment had noways diminished 
 her predilection for me (an enigma by the by, 
 in the character of a woman) ; and as her tear* 
 fell abundantly upon my cheek, I could not do 
 less than accuse myself, in terms of the bitterest 
 self-reproach, for my cruelty in having ever 
 abandoned so charming a creature. 
 
 "Alas!" said she, "what has brought this 
 misfortune upon you? Has the death of that 
 monster Andrades brought you hither also?" 
 
 " It is then," said I, " as I suspected, that 
 act of justice is the origin of your calamity : 
 mine has not arisen from the same source — but 
 from a cause for which I as innocently suffer." 
 And I then briefly narrated to Isabel my adven- 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 245 
 
 tures since parting from her, and particularly, 
 the circumstances that had led to my imprison- 
 ment ; taking care, however, to avoid all mention 
 of my late engagements with Maraquita; and 
 concluding by solemnly repeating, that when I 
 deserted her near Xeres, it was solely from 
 the desire of saving her from those misfortunes 
 which I foresaw would reach her, if she had 
 joined her lot watli mine. " And now," said I, 
 " indulge me with the narrative of your misfor- 
 tunes ! " Seating ourselves therefore on the 
 stone, underneath the wall, and throwing around 
 her the cloak which was wide enough for us both, 
 she gave me the following brief narrative of the 
 events subsequent to our parting on the road to 
 Xeres. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 CONTAINING THE SEQUEL OF ISABEl's STORY, AND SHOW- 
 ING THE GREAT ADVANTAGE OF A BAD REPUTATION, 
 
 INASMUCH AS HAD I NOT BEEN TAKEN FOR THE DEVIL, 
 I MIGHT HAVE REMAINED UNTIL THIS DAY IN THE 
 TOWER OF TARIFA. 
 
 "Alas!" said Isabel, "when I recall to my 
 memory, the moment when I first discovered 
 that 1 was abandoned by you, my tears ever 
 flow as abundantly as they did then. The last 
 moment I am able to recollect, previous to that 
 dreadful discovery was, when between sleeping 
 and waking, I dropped my head upon your 
 breast : how long after this it might have been 
 when I awoke, I cannot tell; my head lay back 
 in the chariot, which was moving rapidly, — and 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. '247 
 
 for some time I did not know that I was alone. 
 I thought you were asleep, and I was unwilling- 
 to break your slumber ; but at length I spoke, — 
 and hearing no answer, I listened more atten- 
 tively, — and was soon convinced I was alone. 
 The moment the dreadful suspicion that I was 
 deserted flashed upon my mind, I became 
 almost frantic ; and when, after much difficult}^, 
 I succeeded in making the muleteer hear my 
 cries, and when from him my w^orst suspicions 
 were confirmed, I immediately swooned away. 
 It was doubtless some, consolation w^ien I reco- 
 vered, to learn, that although abandoned by you, 
 my welfare had not been altogether forgotten 
 by you ; and that I was about to be restored to 
 my friends; yet, to my shame, perhaps, I con- 
 fess, that my heart was occupied with your 
 image, almost to the exclusion of my kindred. 
 
 " It was on the evening of the fourth day, 
 when I alighted at my father's gate, — but, in 
 
•248 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 place of being welcon'ied by kind looks and 
 happy faces, the countenances of all bespoke 
 doubt and fear, and I had scarcely entered the 
 house, when I was told that the whole affair 
 was well known : — that I, in conjunction with a 
 gallant, had murdered my husband, and had 
 then fled, in company with my accomplice. ' I 
 scarcely know,' said my father, ' whether I dare 
 give you shelter, — for it is not many days since 
 the officers of justice were here in search of 
 you, and there is little doubt but that a second 
 visit may be expected, so soon as it is whispered 
 that you have returned; and who,' continued 
 he, ' is this gallant who has led you to forget 
 your duty to God and to your husband?' and, 
 then wiping away the tears which my father's 
 insinuation had called into my eyes, I gave him 
 an exact detail of every thing that had happened 
 — of the cruelties of the monster Andrades, and 
 of the manner in which you delivered me from 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 249 
 
 them — and how we afterwards fled — and liow 
 you cruelly deserted m^ and when I had 
 finished my relation, he complimented you upon 
 your valour in having so adroitly rid the world 
 of Andrades — called me indiscreet in running 
 away wdth you — and highly extolled your con- 
 duct in sending me back. < For a while,' said 
 he, ' you shall be kept concealed, until the thing 
 be forgotten ; you know that you were betrothed 
 to another at the time Don Jose forced you to 
 the altar, — and I see no reason why you should 
 remain a widow longer than inclination prompts 
 you;' but I vowed, in my own mind, that after 
 having been deserted by you, nothing should 
 tempt me to become the wife of another; but 
 that I would rather become an inmate of the 
 convent of Santa Monica, 
 
 " For more than a month I remained true to 
 this resolution ; but at lengthy the importunities 
 of him to whom I had been first betrothed, pre- 
 M 3 
 
•250 THE NEW GlE BLAS. 
 
 vailed. Do not imagine, that in going to the 
 altar ^nth another, I had forgotten you ; but you 
 must allow that there was something equivocal 
 in my situation ; and this — marriage alone could 
 remove : and, besides, there was no reason to 
 hope that I should ever cast my eyes upon you 
 again ; for I had little doubt but that you would 
 think it safest to leave Spain, which I only 
 wish the good God had put into your head, — 
 although it would have been the cause of de- 
 priving me of this interview, 
 
 " We now began to think that Andrades had 
 been forgotten, as he deserved to be; and that 
 the notoriety of my nuptials would scarcely re- 
 vive the story. But alas ! in this hope we were 
 cruelly deceived. The priest — the same w^ho 
 had advised me to marry Andrades, and to whom 
 the death of that odious monster proved a de- 
 privation of many advantages, present and pro- 
 spective, determined to avenge the death of his 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 251 
 
 patron, from whose lieir he could expect no 
 favour, as he had made himself obnoxious to 
 him during Andrade's life, by many acts of 
 tyranny. Accordingly, I had been a wife only 
 one week, when, in the middle of the night, I 
 was torn from the arms of my husband, and 
 carried to Seville. I did not greatly love my 
 husband, for your image was still uppermost in 
 my mind; but he was kind, and passionately 
 fond of me; and when I tell you that he first 
 made an impression upon my heart before I was 
 fifteen, I need scarcely say, that in personal 
 appearance he was more the opposite of An- 
 drades, than any one I have ever seen excepting 
 yourself. 
 
 " I now approach the conclusion of my nar- 
 rative. I was found guilty of assisting to murder 
 my husband, and condemned to solitary impri- 
 sonment for life, in the tower of Tarifa, Here 
 I have been confined for more than a year ; but 
 
252 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 in place of becoming accustomed to solitude, 
 and reconciled to it, my doom becomes every- 
 day more intolerable. Many times I liave been 
 on the point of throwing myself into the sea, — 
 but my womanish fears have always proved 
 stronger than my wretchedness : it would be a 
 fearful leap ; yet I believe I may some time find 
 courage, — and I hardly think God will punish 
 me for delivering myself from a state of misery 
 that can end only with life. And yet, even this 
 place might be endurable, if you were to remain 
 with me, — surely you will not leave me, to cross 
 that frightful gulf to-night." — And as Isabel thus 
 finished her narrative, and pressed closer to me, 
 I felt, that, although far from agreeable to so- 
 journ in such a place, even with Isabel, this 
 would yet be greatly preferable to solitude. But 
 to such a project, many serious difficulties pre- 
 sented themselves : I represented to Isabel, that 
 if I did not reach the opposite tower that night. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 253 
 
 it would be discovered, when the food put into 
 my cell remained untasted, that I was gone; 
 and as the conclusion would necessarily be, that 
 I had leaped into the sea, no more food would 
 be put into my cell, and consequently, when I 
 did return, I should die of hunger. " But," said 
 Isabel, " why return ever? Providence seems 
 to delight in throwing us together, — and if, as 
 unhappily seems too true, the doom of both of us 
 be to live and die in these towers, why should 
 
 " Live and die together, you would say ; " 
 and, in truth, there was reason in this proposal 
 of Isabel. " Why, indeed, should we not?" 
 said I; but in yielding so readily to this sug- 
 gestion, I looked farther than Isabel did. Isabel 
 had doubtless many charms, — and here, I should 
 at least have nothing to fear from rivals; but 
 that which weighed with me fully as much as 
 the prospect of a honey-moon, was this, — that a 
 
254 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 man who is supposed to be dead, has greater 
 facilities of escape, — and so, without at that 
 time saying any thing upon this subject to 
 Isabel, I acquiesced in the proposal of changing 
 my quarters, and being her guest for the pre- 
 sent. An affectionate squeeze of the hand was 
 the prompt reward of my compliance; and the 
 remainder of the night, which was calm and 
 balmy, was spent as much to our mutual satis- 
 faction as was compatible with the circum- 
 stances in which our re-union took place. 
 
 " There cannot be a doubt," said Isabel, 
 " that the Pope has long ago been applied to 
 by my husband to dissolve our marriage." 
 
 " And that his holiness has granted the peti- 
 tion, too," said I. " And although ours be a 
 new case, as it probably never happened before 
 that the idea of marrying was entertained by 
 persons in solitary imprisonment, — yet as there 
 is here neither church nor priest. Heaven will, 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 255 
 
 without doubt, accept our vows, and bless us :" 
 and thus did I become all but the husband of 
 Isabel. 
 
 Several days elapsed before it was again the 
 turn of Isabel to watch on the summit; mean- 
 time the food that was intended for one, was 
 made to suffice for two ; we conversed in whis- 
 pers, lest my embryo plan of escape should be 
 frustrated by a premature discovery of my dwell- 
 ing place ; and even if I had looked to no ulte- 
 rior advantages, from my change of quarters, 
 the society of Isabel would have been a suffi- 
 cient reward for the peril of my journey. But 
 I had now concocted in my mind, a plan of 
 escape, which I hastened to put in execution, 
 after having first communicated it to Isabel, 
 whose co-operation was necessary to ensure its 
 success. 
 
 It may have been already gathered, that the 
 characteristic of the punishment of solitary con- 
 
256 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 finement in tlie towers of Tarifa, consisted in 
 the rigidness with which it was enforced : once 
 admitted there, and no human eye ever more 
 rested upon the living form of the prisoner. 
 The food necessary for the preservation of life, 
 and therefore, for the continuance of punish- 
 ment, was placed, and removed, by unseen 
 hands ; nor was the sound of a human voice 
 ever heard within these stone chambers. But 
 to this, one exception was provided: although 
 it was the policy of the law, to punish the living 
 culprit thus severely, the church did not resign 
 her claims to the care of his soul; once accord- 
 ingly, in every month, a holy tread was heard 
 along the secret passages, and an iron screen 
 being thrown back, the confessor, a Franciscan 
 friar, took his seat at a thick grating; behind 
 which nothing could be seen, though the con- 
 fession of the prisoner might pass to the ear of 
 the holy man, and his counsel in return reach 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 257 
 
 the ear, or it mig-lit be, the heart, of the solitary 
 criminah The door by which the prisoner first 
 entered w^as never unbarred, until the hour 
 when his cofBn was carried in and out. 
 
 The day now approached, when the visit of 
 the confessor might be expected, and I laid 
 my plans accordingly, and executed them in 
 the following manner: — 
 
 "Isabel," said I, as the slow tread announced 
 the approach of the confessor, " you must feign 
 to be dead; spread the pallet opposite to the 
 grating-, and lay yourself upon it." 
 
 I found some difficulty in prevailing upon 
 Isabel to mock the king of terrors ; but, at 
 length, I succeeded in persuading her, — by re- 
 presenting that it was easier to counterfeit death 
 than to meet it ; and that to do the one, afforded 
 the only chance of avoiding the other ; and 
 scarcely w^as Isabel extended upon the floor, 
 when the screen w^as heard to open upon its 
 
258 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 harsh hinges, and the confessor to say, " erring 
 daughter, approach." 
 
 " Father," said I, in a low sepulchral tone, at 
 the same time advancing noiselessly towards the 
 grating. 
 
 " Holy St. Francis," said the confessor, in a 
 voice of terror, and making at the same time a 
 retrograde movement from the grating, " 't is 
 a man ! " 
 
 " Father," said I, in the same unearthly tone, 
 " fear nothing, it is no man that addresses thee ; 
 well thou knowest that no fleshly form can gain 
 entrance here ; it is not a man, but a spirit, with 
 w^hom thou art communing." As I spoke thus, 
 I could hear the Friar rapidly commending 
 himself to the protection of the Holy Mother of 
 God, and of all the Saints; and I continued, 
 " She w4iom thou camest to confess, is now 
 beyond the reach of thy counsel: her soul has 
 gone to its heavy account, and her body lieth 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 259 
 
 there;" said I, gliding aside, and knowing well, 
 that although nothing could be seen from the 
 cell through the grating, j^et all within w^as 
 visible from the other side. " I am the ghost of 
 the murdered Jose Andrades;" and at the same 
 time that I made this announcement, I threw 
 back a part of the hood that covered my face, 
 and the dim light from the circular hole falling 
 upon the upper part of the countenance, showed 
 a visage which fasting and confinement had 
 already made more like the face of a dead than 
 of a living man, and which I had taken care to 
 besmear with blood. 
 
 A new exclamation of horror, and still more 
 rapid prayers, followed this revelation. 
 
 " Here," continued I, again drawing the 
 hood over my face, and approaching the grate — 
 from which I could hear the Friar retreating; 
 " here will I remain, in dread communion with 
 the body of my murderer, until it be taken 
 
260 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 hence : delay not to let this be done, else I will 
 speak with thee nearer anon.'' 
 
 The Friar being already as near to the ghost of 
 a murdered man as he probably desired to be, 
 and willing to prevent the execution of this threat 
 of a nearer colloquy, swung the screen forward, 
 which closed with a tremendous clank, and the 
 rapid footsteps of the terrified confessor speedily 
 died away. 
 
 " Ah, Dios ! " said Isabel, " I had scarcely 
 courage to go through my part : when you 
 spoke of my soul having gone to its account, 
 I was on the point of rising, to convince myself 
 that I was yet lii-ing." 
 
 "Surely," returned I, "you may find cou- 
 rage to personate a dead woman, when I have 
 no hesitation in personating the ghost of a 
 murdered man; the stratagem succeeds: you 
 will have but once more to play your part ; and 
 I am much mistaken if we be not both outside 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 261 
 
 of this tower before another day shall pass over 
 our heads;" and animated by this hope, Isabel 
 promised to obey my directions. 
 
 Now, it will easily be believed, that the con- 
 fessor, upon leaving the tower, would imme- 
 diately communicate to the civil and spiritual 
 authorities, the particulars of the extraordinary 
 interview that had taken place ; and that although 
 doubts might at first be entertained of the sanity 
 of the narrator, yet, that his positive asseve- 
 rations would at length so far weigh with the 
 alcalde, and the bishop of Ronda, who then 
 chanced to be making his yearly visitation to 
 Tarifa, as to induce them to judge with their 
 own eyes, of the truth of what had been told 
 to them. I was prepared for this ; and when 
 in less than three hours, the iron screen was 
 heard to fall back, Isabel was again stretched 
 upon the gromid, while I stood motionless by 
 her side. Who were the persons that peered 
 
262 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 through the grate, I am unable to tell, but 
 whoever they might be, they were quickly 
 satisfied with their scrutiny ; for when I glided 
 towards the grate, at the same time allowing 
 the hood to fall partially back, the screen w^as 
 suddenly closed, and quick retiring footsteps an- 
 nounced the further success of the stratagem. 
 
 However extraordinary the thing might seem, 
 and however hard of belief, no doubt could 
 any longer rest upon the minds of those whom 
 first duty, and then incredulity, had led to the 
 tower, that something supernatural inhabited 
 the chamber where lay the dead Isabel. Her, 
 they had seen extended on the floor ; and they 
 had seen another being, which could not be a 
 mortal, because well they were convinced no 
 mortal could gain entrance there. That it was 
 the ghost of him who had been murdered by 
 the inmate of the cell, no one could doubt ; and 
 the sooner therefore the body of the wretched 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 263 
 
 prisoner could be carried out, the sooner would 
 this spirit cease to haunt the tower of Tarifa. 
 It was in this manner therefore, that the affair 
 w^as argued by the confessor, the bishop, and 
 the alcalde, among whom the following colloquy 
 took place. 
 
 " I suppose, gentlemen," said the confessor, 
 " you are now sufficiently convinced that I have 
 told you no tale." 
 
 " Sufficiently convinced," said the alcalde ; 
 yet breathless with fear. 
 
 " There is no doubt of it," said the bishop ; 
 panting from the rapidity of his descent from 
 the tower. 
 
 " Why," rejoined the confessor, " I was as 
 near to it as I am to you ! " shuffling up close to 
 the alcalde's nose. 
 
 " Ah, Dios ! " said the alcalde, drawing invo- 
 luntarily back. 
 
 " 'T is certainly," said the bishop, " a stain 
 
264 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 upon the sanctity of this catholic town, that 
 a thing of this kind should have taken place ; 
 the quieter the affair is kept, the better; no 
 doubt, sen or alcalde, a coffin can be prepared 
 to-night, to carry away the body; those who 
 carry it, must know nothing of what we have 
 seen ; and you, as chief magistrate, will super- 
 intend the removal." 
 
 " Truly," said the alcalde, «' 't is a duty I 
 would rather avoid : I am a poor sinful man, ill 
 fitted to grapple with the powers of darkness ; 
 whereas holy men, like my lord bishop and the 
 good friar, can have nothing to fear." 
 
 " I fear nothing," said the confessor. 
 
 " Oh, we fear nothing," said the bishop ; 
 " and it does seem to me, that the reverend 
 father cannot well be excused taking a part in 
 this duty, as he is in some sort under an engage- 
 ment to the evil spirit (crossing himself) to see 
 it executed." 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 265 
 
 " But," rejoined the friar, " would it not be 
 felt by us all to be a great security, were we in 
 this emergency to make use of the relics which 
 are deposited in the church of San Salvador, — 
 and which no one, save the bishop, is worthy to 
 handle?" 
 
 " 'T is an excellent suggestion," said the 
 alcalde. 
 
 Now the bishop, desirous no doubt of paying 
 a compliment to the alcalde and the friar by 
 intrusting these sacred relics to their care, in 
 place of taking upon himself the honourable 
 office of being their bearer, said : — " The relics 
 are indeed efficacious in cases of this nature; 
 and while handling them, the greatest sinner 
 upon earth has nothing to fear from an interview 
 with any spirit. I possess the power of dele- 
 gating to whom I will, the high honour of 
 bearing these relics, — and into your hands, gen- 
 tlemen, I will jointly commit them; and while 
 
 VOL. I. N 
 
266 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 you are engaged in the performance of your 
 duty, I will invoke for you the protection of our 
 tutelary saint." 
 
 Such, I say, was the colloquy that took place 
 between the bishop, the alcalde, and the friar, — 
 and when this proposal was made by the bishop, 
 there can be no question that the fears of the 
 alcalde were greatly allayed ; and that the 
 qualms even of the friar were in some degree 
 quieted — so great was the confidence placed in 
 the virtues of the relics. 
 
 Meanwhile, the hours passed away, and night 
 came, I entertained little doubt, that this very 
 night the coffin would be sent for Isabel; trust- 
 ing to the efficacy of the threat held out to the 
 confessor ; and I prepared accordingly. " You 
 will have nothing to do, Isabel," said I, " but to 
 follow close at my heels." In thus providing for 
 the escape of Isabel, I confess it was chiefly a 
 regard for my own safety that prompted me to 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 267 
 
 this. A sojourn of between one and two weeks 
 in the tower, upon half the miserable pittance of 
 a prisoner, had ^eatly cooled the fever of my 
 love ; and I foresaw that a companion would, in 
 no small degree, interfere mth my projects of 
 independence, and might even perhaps lessen the 
 chances of my ultimate escape, — but then, if 
 Isabel were left behind, or could be prevailed 
 upon to allow herself to be put into her coffin, it 
 was too much to expect of her, that she would 
 permit it to be consigned to the earth without 
 giving some audible demonstration of being alive; 
 and if one part of the trick were detected, threats 
 or punishment would soon discover all the other 
 parts of it; and my recapture would no doubt 
 be the consequence. Besides — for why should I 
 conceal the virtuous movements of my mind — I 
 felt a repugnance in leaving Isabel to perpetual 
 imprisonment, or to the chance of being buried 
 alive ; but feeling at the same time, that if suc- 
 N 2 
 
268 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 cessful in delivering her from confinement, I 
 should in that case have sufficiently acquitted 
 myself of obligations, and satisfied my scruples, 
 I resolved that upon the first favourable oppor- 
 tunity I would dispose of Isabel, and recover my 
 independence. 
 
 And no^A', the crisis was at hand. Slow, heavy 
 steps, as of persons carrying a burden, were 
 heard approaching : other, and more hesitating 
 steps, mingled with these. At length they 
 reached the massive iron door, and the burden 
 was put down. The tliickness of the door was 
 too great, to permit the words spoken without 
 to be heard within ; but for some time the 
 monotonous sound of a voice continued — doubt- 
 less, a prayer of length and efficacy by the 
 Franciscan. The voice ceased; the chains and 
 bolts were one by one withdrawn; the door 
 slowly swung back, and a glare of flambeaux 
 flashed into the cell. Isabel lay on the pallet, 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 269 
 
 while I stood motionless in the middle of the 
 floor — my face turned towards the door, and my 
 hood partly thrown back. No sooner did the 
 light reveal my figure, than the coffin-bearers, 
 uttering an affrighted scream, made but one step 
 from the top to the bottom of the stair-case : for 
 a moment the alcalde and the friar, who partly 
 expected what they saw, and who partly trusted 
 to the protection of the relics which they held in 
 their hands, stood their ground ; crossing them- 
 selves with great rapidity, and muttering prayers 
 the while ; but upon the first movement I made 
 towards them, they followed the coffin-bearers 
 with so much precipitancy, that in their eager- 
 ness which should be the first, both rolled down 
 the stairs, and the flambeaux falling from their 
 trembling hands, were extinguished. 
 
 " Now is the time," said I in a whisper; and 
 I quickly descended the stair-case, followed by 
 Isabel. By the light of a smothered flambeaux, 
 
270 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 I could perceive that tlie alcalde and the friar 
 lay senseless, whether from fear or from wounds, 
 I could not tell. The friar's habit had somehow 
 slipped off his shoulders; and thinking it might 
 be useful as a disguise, I picked it up, and 
 stumbling also upon one of the boxes of relics, I 
 hid it in my bosom : there was no obstacle to 
 our escape — the doors all stood open; and in a 
 few moments we found ourselves outside of the 
 tower, while the retreating steps of the coffin- 
 bearers were heard dying away in the distance. 
 We lost not a moment's time, but immediately 
 proceeded quickly along the mole, which we had 
 all to ourselves; the terrified coffin-bearers had 
 no doubt spread the alarm, for as we approached 
 every post was in its turn abandoned; the 
 alarmed sentinels throwing down their weapons, 
 and flying before us ; and I took care not to 
 neglect the opportunity of arming myself against 
 need, with a good sabre. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 271 
 
 When we reached the end of the mole next 
 to the town, we scrambled down upon the sea- 
 beach; the moon, which was on the wane, had 
 then risen, and just tipped the curling waves 
 with a long line of silver, as they broke with a 
 low plash upon the smooth sand: and as we 
 walked onward, leaving Tarifa behind us, the 
 following conversation took place. 
 
 " Isabel," said I, " we are now fairly out of 
 that cursed tower, and our endeavour must be 
 to keep out of it." 
 
 " Well," replied Isabel, " we are taking the 
 best means to do this, — for we are walking from 
 it as fast as we can." 
 
 " True," rejoined I ; " but it is so short a time 
 since I was convicted at Tarifa, that if I am not, 
 before day-break, at a great distance from it, it 
 is more than likely that I may be recognised ; as 
 for you, you are in no sort of danger, — for the 
 general belief must doubtless be, that the devil 
 
'2r2 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 carried you away. — and what the devil gets, he 
 generally keeps. Now my ad^-ice is this, — as we 
 cannot hope to escape in company, let us sepa- 
 rate for the present; — you know you have a 
 husband : and now that you are restored to the 
 world, his rights must be respected. God forbid 
 that I should interfere with them ; though it will 
 indeed be a sad thing to part from you — " 
 
 " But," interrupted Isabel, " I understood 
 that—" 
 
 " Yes, }es, I know what you would say ; but 
 now that we are at liberty, the sanction of the 
 church is required, and the church could not 
 sanction our marriage, since you have a husband 
 already : take my advice, and this purse of gold 
 along with it (it was one of those received from 
 the duped artists) : seek Valenzuela — your hus- 
 band, if he loves you, mil readily forgive 
 whatever has contributed to restore you to his 
 anns : in a year, T will visit you there, — and if 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 273 
 
 in the meantime you should have the misfortune 
 to be made a widow, I pledge myself to renew 
 at the altar, the vows I pronounced in the tower 
 of Tarifa." 
 
 Whether it was that Isabel, thankful to God 
 for her deliverance, felt that a return to her hus- 
 band was a religious duty; or, that the same 
 causes which had abated the fervour of my love, 
 had also influenced her's ; or that looking around 
 her, while the dull moonlight fell upon the soli- 
 tary shore, she felt an insecurity in the protection 
 of one who owed his present freedom to his 
 impiety in counterfeiting a spirit, I cannot 
 pretend to determine, — but certain it is, my 
 proposal was not received with so much aver- 
 sion as I expected. 
 
 " I will not diminish your chances of escape," 
 
 said she, " by remaining with you ;" — a motive 
 
 of disinterestedness to which it was impossible I 
 
 could give credit, though I nevertheless affected 
 
 N 3 
 
274 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 to believe it; and after walking about two leagues 
 farther, we sat down under a lofty rock, to wait 
 the break of day, which was also to be the hour 
 of separation. In little more than two hours, 
 the stars began to turn pale, — the corner of the 
 moon dipped into the sea, — and the opposite 
 mountains of Barbary began to rise out of the 
 gloom. I parted from Isabel, promising again 
 and again to visit Valenzuela, — she, dropping 
 one or two tears, — and both, murmuring many 
 adieus. I saw her disappear above the cliiF, and 
 I was left alone. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 SHOWING THAT SMALL OCCURRENCES ARE OFTENTIMES THE 
 
 HINGE UPON WHICH GREAT EVENTS TURN, AND ALSO 
 
 PROVING, THAT COURAGE AND GOOD FORTUNE MAY AC- 
 COMPLISH ANY THING. 
 
 I HAD not as yet determined upon any plan for 
 the future; but I felt little anxiety respecting 
 it. I was again free, and my own master; and 
 although my four thousand crowns were now in 
 the pockets of the unfortunate merchant's heirs; 
 and although I had given one purse to Isabel, 
 I still possessed another, the gift of one of the 
 rival painters, containing fifty pieces; I yet 
 retained the jewels which Isabel had presented 
 to me at Seville ; as well as the diamond ring. 
 
•276 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 the gift of the Marquesa; and besides these, I 
 had just made myself master of a box of relics, 
 the value of which, in a proper market, might 
 possibly be a fortune of itself. Recapture seemed 
 the most unlikely thing in the world ; for he who 
 had been imprisoned as the murderer of the 
 trader, was believed to have perished in the 
 sea; and the ghost of Andrades was no subject 
 for pursuit : and this reminded me, that having 
 no farther occasion for my present disguise, the 
 blood stains might as well be washed away, and 
 so making shift with salt water, I stooped down, 
 and restored my complexion to its natural hue ; 
 and putting on the habit of the Franciscan, con- 
 tinued my journey along the sea-beach. 
 
 I had not proceeded very far, before I per- 
 ceived in the grey of the morning, two men in 
 the act of shoving off from shore a little boat, 
 which had been drawn up into a narrow creek 
 into which I had just turned; and two other 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 277 
 
 men were visible at a little distance hurrying 
 away from the beach, all of whom I at once 
 concluded to be smugglers. I immediately hal- 
 looed to the boatmen; who, upon perceiving me, 
 suspended their labours, and waited my approach. 
 " Gentlemen," said I, making a polite obeisance, 
 but taking care not to lift my hat from my head, 
 that the want of a tonsure might not be dis- 
 covered, and at the same time drawing my habit 
 closely round me, " you see before you a poor 
 friar of Velez Malaga, who has made the pil- 
 grimage of the world, and who is now returning 
 to his native place with a box of relics which he 
 has had the good fortune to pick up, and which 
 are designed for an offering to the church of the 
 Holy Sepulchre." 
 
 At the mention of relics, and again at this 
 pause, the smugglers crossed themselves de- 
 voutly ; as it was natural to suppose they 
 would. 
 
278 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 " I have travelled all nig-lit/' continued I, 
 "and am weary of my journey; and although 
 God knows I have been more accustomed to 
 receive than to give; yet I have one or two 
 pieces to bestow upon honest men who will 
 assist one of God's servants to speed upon his 
 way." 
 
 I plainly perceived, that my safety among 
 these men depended upon my disguise ; and 
 that my assumption of poverty, and a saintly 
 character, could alone preserve me from out- 
 rage, by lulling cupidity, and exciting super- 
 stition. 
 
 " Why, as for that," said the elder of the 
 two men, "your reverence is welcome; your 
 reverence, and the holy relics you speak of, will 
 doubtless bring us safe to a port ; we 're bound 
 for Malaga, in that mystico you see yonder; 
 and from Malaga you will have but four leagues 
 to Velez Malaga;" and the next moment, we 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 279 
 
 were pulling oif shore towards the mystico, 
 which lay about half a league from land. 
 
 " This is the first time," said the younger of 
 the men, as we pushed off, "we have ever had 
 God's blessing upon our cargo." 
 
 " Peace," said the other, " or I '11 make it all 
 the lighter by the weight of your carcass." 
 
 We then continued to row in silence, until 
 we neared the mystico; where, upon deck, 
 another man stood waiting our approach; the 
 harsh and ruffian-like cast of his countenance 
 being strangely mingled with wonder, at seeing 
 his companions accompanied by a friar. As 
 we stepped on board, the elder of the rowers 
 spoke a few words in a low key, and in the 
 Andalusian dialect, to his wondering shipmate, 
 who immediately crossed himself, — no doubt at 
 mention of the relics. 
 
 The conversation among the smugglers con- 
 tinued in an under tone ; but I could perceive 
 
•280 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 well enough, that I was frequently the subject 
 of it. At length, the man \dio had been left 
 in the mystico, turning to me, said, " Perhaps 
 your reverence would indulge us seafaring men 
 wdth a sight of these blessed relics, which my 
 comrade tells me you have the good fortune 
 to possess ; 't is not every day that we have an 
 opportunity of seeing such things." 
 
 This request was not difficult to grant: I 
 was not then aware of the reason why it was 
 made, but put it down to mere curiosity ; and 
 although I knew just as little as my companions 
 did what the box contained, having only seen 
 that it was marked " reliquias," I produced it 
 without hesitation ; aware, however, that I must 
 show a perfect acquaintance with the history of 
 the articles contained in it. Drawing the box 
 accordingly from under my habit, while the three 
 smugglers stood round me, I took off the lid, 
 and drew forth a bit of stone — the first of the 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 281 
 
 relics I laid my hands upon. " This, gentlemen," 
 said I, " is a chip ofif the stone that was rolled 
 back from the mouth of the Holy Sepulchre." 
 
 " Jesus, Maria ! " said all three, devoutly 
 crossing themselves. " And this," said I, next 
 laying my hand upon a small piece of rotten 
 wood, "is a fragment of the rudder which 
 belonged to the ship in which Jesus taught, on 
 the sea of Tiberias." 
 
 " And this," drawing forth another piece of 
 wood, "is part of the stake at which Saint — 
 Saint Penaflor suffered martyrdom ;" for having 
 forgotten the names of the saints who had been 
 thus honoured, and being afraid to fix upon 
 any of the well-known saints, I canonized the 
 name of my native village, which happened 
 just then to come to my recollection. 
 
 " Saint Penaflor," said one of the listeners, 
 " I never heard of that saint." 
 
 " He is not in my calendar," said another. 
 
•282 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 "Oh, but," said I, "he is a most distin- 
 guished saint for all that, and well worthy of 
 our devotion;" at the same time kissing the 
 relic, and handing it to my companions, who 
 also kissed it. 
 
 There was now but one relic remaining ; and 
 whatever it was, it was neatly folded in several 
 pieces of paper, — but when I opened the inner- 
 most of them, nothing was to be seen : this was 
 a difficulty ; but determined not to fail in the 
 latter end, I said, " In this paper, gentlemen, 
 are two of the hairs of her, who, after anointing 
 the feet of our Saviour with a costly ointment, 
 wiped them dry with the hair of her head." 
 
 Many were the signs of devotion that fol- 
 lowed this announcement ; and the noses of the 
 smugglers almost touched the paper, in their 
 anxiety to see so precious a relic. 
 
 " Gentlemen," said I, "it is possible you may 
 be unable to see these hairs; they are so fine 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 283 
 
 as to be descried only by the eye of faith ; for 
 my own part, I am sometimes unable to distin- 
 guish them, so frail and wavering is faith, — but 
 now, the sight of these holy relics has so warmed 
 my devotion, that they seem to me almost as 
 thick as ropes." 
 
 " Que milagro ! !'* said they all three, looking 
 yet more closely ; " truly a precious relic." 
 
 But while I had thus been sustaining my 
 character as a friar, and increasing, as I ima- 
 gined, the reverence of my companions for my 
 sacred character, which I thought essential to 
 the safety of both my person and my property, I 
 had been unconsciously inflaming their cupidity. 
 In their eyes, the sacredness of my person was 
 lost in the greater sacredness of the relics ; and 
 that, which by my own account it had cost me 
 a pilgrimage round the world to collect, was 
 naturally conjectured to be a prize worth the 
 capture. But the conclusions come to upon 
 
284 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 this subject by the two elder of the smugglers, 
 and their consequent determination, will be best 
 understood if given in their own words. 
 
 During all the day, the mystico had kept on 
 its course through the straits of Gibraltar, — 
 carried forward not by the wind, for it was 
 almost a calm, but by the current that always 
 sets into the Mediterranean. The smugglers 
 had continued to talk to each other, sometimes 
 in good Castilian, — and sometimes in low Anda- 
 lusian; and it appeared that the youngest of 
 the three understood but imperfectly the latter 
 dialect. I could easily perceive that I was fre- 
 quently the subject of their discourse; and that 
 the youngest of the smugglers did not agree in 
 opinion with his companions, — and as the night 
 began to close in, I could not help feeling 
 some suspicions of my safety, and considerable 
 anxiety for our arrival at port. The mystico, 
 although small, is a decked vessel ; containing 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 285 
 
 a hold, used for stowing away smuggled goods, 
 and a small cabin, in which are generally several 
 beds. When it grew dark, I lay down upon 
 deck, asking permission to draw an old sail over 
 me, which was accorded, after having offered 
 me a berth below, — but this being declined by 
 me on the score of conscience, (having, as I said, 
 made a vow never to sleep under cover), the 
 smugglers did not press it ; probably fearful of 
 exciting my suspicions. I soon pretended to 
 fall asleep, — and after a little while, the follow- 
 ing conversation took place between the two 
 elder smugglers, who carried it on in an under 
 tone, and in low Andalusian, with the design, 
 as I afterwards learned, of excluding their com- 
 panion from any share in it. 
 
 "Well, Bernardo," said one of the smug- 
 glers, — he who had carried me from shore, — 
 " what is my share to be ?" 
 
 " Why, Lopez," replied his companion, " 'tis 
 time enough to settle that when the box is filled 
 
286 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 with doubloons in place of relics ; liow can we 
 divide four relics among three?" 
 
 "Easily," returned the first speaker; "my 
 advice is, not to part with the piece of the 
 rudder; 'twill help us no doubt in many a 
 rough sea, — and speedy voyages will make up to 
 us more than twenty times its price in doubloons ; 
 and as it is owing to me, that the prize is 
 secured, I have a good right to choose first; 
 Santa Maria, 't was a lucky hit ! " 
 
 " There's no denying," said Bernardo, "that 
 you've the best right to choose, — which then is 
 your choice?" 
 
 " You yield me the choice then," said Lopez. 
 
 " Why not," replied the other, " you 've the 
 best right to choose ; and, for my part, I should 
 not know which to set the highest value upon." 
 
 " 'T is a bargain, then," said Lopez. " I 
 choose the two hairs ;" — and a half-smothered 
 laugh announced the advantage he thought he 
 had gained over his companion. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 287 
 
 "Hush with your foolery," returned Ber- 
 nardo, " you '11 awake the friar — what is there 
 to laugh at; if your'e pleased with your choice, 
 so am I.'' 
 
 " Handsomely duped are you," said Lopez ; 
 " do you think the bishop of Malaga will 
 believe you, if you tell him that the chip of 
 stone is a part of the stone that was rolled back 
 from the Holy Sepulchre ; or that piece of wood, 
 a part of the stake at which the saint suffered 
 martyrdom? though no doubt they both are; 
 I don't doubt it, — holy Mary preserve me from 
 such sin ! but how, I say, do you suppose the 
 bishop of Malaga will believe such as you?" 
 
 " By all the saints," said Bernardo angrily, 
 " I '11 teach j^ou to make a distinction between 
 your word and mine;" at the same time thrust- 
 ing his hand into his girdle. 
 
 "It is my turn now to say hush," said Lopez. 
 " I make no distinction between your word 
 
288 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 and mine ; but between your word and the 
 bishop's eye-sight." 
 
 " How so," said Bernardo, " can the bishop 
 see hairs better than wood and stone ? " 
 
 " No," returned his companion ; "but all the 
 smugglers in Andalusia can see stone and wood 
 as well as his lordship ; whereas, the hairs are 
 to be discerned only by the eye of faith ; and, 
 while to the bishop they will appear like ropes, 
 his highness' servants will not be able to see 
 them any more than you or I, and so my word 
 need never be asked upon the subject; because 
 the truth of what I shall tell the bishop will be 
 at once proved by a miracle ! — what think you 
 now of my choice ?" 
 
 " I think so well of it," said Bernardo, " that, 
 with your leave, I 'm ojff with the bargain." 
 
 "I might dispute that," said Lopez, — "but 
 we had best not quarrel about the spoil till it 
 be ours; Paulo will not assist us; nay, I am 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 289 
 
 not sure that he will not take part with the friar, 
 who, if he be as active as he is strong limbed, 
 is a match for one of us ; and who can tell but 
 an attempt to take — " 
 
 "I tell you," interrupted Bernardo, "'tis a 
 pious act to take the relics to Malaga; and as 
 for the means, — why the bishop will be so glad 
 to get them, that you may rest assured of abso- 
 lution, — 't is not the first time you Ve stood so 
 much in need of it. Let us say nothing more to 
 Paulo; but agree to do it at the third watch: 
 his is the first watch, — your's the second, — mine 
 the last; and when you call me, then will be 
 the time, for we shall be together; and Paulo 
 asleep below, — 'tis but securing the box, and 
 tossing him overboard." 
 
 " And, I '11 warrant," added Lopez, " that his 
 purse is not so light as he pretends; he has 
 not shown these relics round the world for 
 nothing." 
 
 VOL. I. o 
 
290 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 " 'T is time," said Bernardo, " to set the first 
 watch; let 's to our vespers." 
 
 And so the two smugglers, having sung a 
 hymn to the Virgin, — in which Paulo joined, 
 and said their evening prayers, retired to their 
 cabin, — leaving Paulo to watch on deck. 
 
 It may well be believed, that during the fore- 
 going conversation, my feelings were not the 
 most enviable; escape from the vessel was im- 
 possible ; and escape from the doom preparing 
 for me, seemed nearly, if not altogether as hope- 
 less. The two smugglers were in the prime of 
 life ; as iron limbed as they were iron hearted ; 
 both well armed, — and two to one besides. 
 There was reason to believe, indeed, from what 
 had passed between the smugglers, that Paulo 
 was of a different character; and, although he 
 could not understand much of the conversation, 
 there could be no doubt that he was aware of 
 the wicked intentions of his comrades ; but then 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 291 
 
 the attempt was not to be made until Paulo 
 should be asleep; and, besides, however well- 
 disposed he might be, it was evident that his 
 authority was less than that of his companions, 
 and his personal strength was also greatly in- 
 ferior to theirs. 
 
 Meanwhile, Paulo had taken his station upon 
 deck, and paced slowly to and fro; sometimes 
 pausing for a moment as he reached the spot 
 where I lay. I still pretended to sleep; but 
 after a considerable time had elapsed, I gave 
 some slightly audible indications of being awake : 
 the next time Paulo reached me, he made a full 
 stop ; I raised my head, and could perceive by the 
 star-light, — for the moon had not then risen, — 
 that he made some sign to me ; and upon rising 
 to my feet, he pointed first below, — and then 
 imitated the action of throwing a burden into 
 the sea. The sign would have been sufficiently 
 significant even if I had not already been too 
 
292 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 well informed of the intention of the smugglers ; 
 and now, having no reason to doubt the friendly- 
 disposition of Paulo, however small might be his 
 power of serving me, I undid the girdle that 
 bound my habit, and throwing it aside, showed 
 him the sabre, which I partly unsheathed. He 
 again pointed below, — touched his ear, — and 
 made a sign for me to conceal the weapon, — 
 and then continued his walk upon deck, while 
 I seated myself at the stern, and began to con- 
 sider in what manner I might resist the attempt 
 that was to be made upon me, with the greatest 
 probability of success. 
 
 " This is but a poor exchange for the tower 
 of Tarifa," I said to myself mentally : "a pretty 
 conclusion truly to all my excellent contrivances, 
 to be thrown overboard like a piece of lumber." 
 So small did my chances of escape seem to be, 
 that I at one time entertained the idea of offering 
 to give up the relics, bargaining to be put on 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 293 
 
 shore any where the smugglers might choose ; 
 but this I again considered, might give rise to 
 new suspicions ; and after being stript of what I 
 possessed, might I not after all be dropped un- 
 derneath. I then cast my eyes upon the little 
 boat, which I saw through the gloom, dancing 
 behind the mystico ; but if my escape in it were 
 discovered, this would be certain destruction, 
 because the mystico could be worked by oars 
 as well as by sail, and if overtaken I could ex- 
 pect no mercy; but upon looking more closely 
 at the boat, I missed the oars, and immediately 
 recollected that these had been taken into the 
 vessel. This idea was therefore necessarily aban- 
 doned. " After all," said I to myself, " 't is but 
 two to one ; and the darkness is in my favour, 
 since I am prepared for the attempt." . 
 
 It may be supposed that, occupied with these 
 thoughts, I did not dispose myself for sleep ; but 
 wearied with thinking, and with the exertions of 
 o 3 
 
•294 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 the preceding" night, I at length fell into a slum- 
 ber. How long it continued, I cannot tell ; but I 
 was awoke by some one gently pushing me : it 
 was Paulo, who was about to resign the watch to 
 Lopez ; and who thus kindly roused me from a 
 sleep that must have been fatal. He descended to 
 the cabin, and his place was immediately taken 
 by Lopez ; who, when he first came upon deck, 
 stood for a while motionless, evidently listening, 
 that he might ascertain whether I slept; which 
 I need scarcely say, t feigned to do. Mean- 
 while, the wind began to rise, — the moon which 
 had been sometime risen, was almost obscured 
 by the clouds that sped swiftly across the sky, — 
 the broad-backed waves began to put on their 
 cowls, and the little vessel went swiftly through 
 the water. Lopez, after reefing the sails and 
 making fast the helm, drew his cloak closer 
 round him, — pulled his cap over his ears, and 
 leaned over the vessel's side upon his crossed 
 arms. 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 295 
 
 While Lopez stood thus, a sudden thought 
 darted into my mind; " why wait the expira- 
 tion of this watch ! — why wait the assault of two 
 men, when here is only one to contend with ! — 
 why not be the assailant?" Lopez stood not 
 many paces distant from me, — still leaning over 
 the vessel; he evidently believed that I was 
 asleep ; one spring would place me by his side ; 
 but still it would be man to man, — and the 
 smallest struggle would bring Bernardo to his 
 assistance. Why even risk the event of a 
 struggle ? a deadly struggle for life upon equal 
 terms, with a man who was leagued with a con- 
 federate to throw me overboard ! his back was 
 turned towards me; the noise of the wind and 
 waves would effectually prevent any trifling sound 
 from being heard ; in another moment he might 
 change his position, and my opportunity would 
 be lost for ever ! I hesitated no longer : trust- 
 ing to the welcome gust that had just risen, — 
 
296 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 to my caution, — to my quickness, and to my 
 physical strength to peril the event on a struggle, 
 if necessary, I crept from my place, — slid noise- 
 lessly along the deck, — and at the moment that 
 a rack of clouds drove against the moon, and a 
 huge wave swept with a deafening rush along 
 the side of the vessel, I rose silently behind 
 Lopez; and at the same instant, seizing him 
 round the lower part of the body, pitched him 
 headlong into the sea: — there was no struggle, 
 the act was momentary; one hoarse imprecation, 
 as I flung him from me; and a cry of " Bernardo" 
 faintly heard through the roar of wind and wave, 
 w^ere all : the vessel bounded forward from the 
 summit of a huge billow; and if any other cries 
 were uttered by Lopez, they reached no human 
 ear. One enemy was thus disposed of: I stepped 
 softly to the head of the ladder, and listened at- 
 tentively, but all was still below ; the appeal, or 
 imprecation of Lopez had not reached the ear of 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 297 
 
 Bernardo. I was now upon equal terms with 
 my enemy, and had therefore little to fear. 
 
 It was now a question with me, whether I 
 should wait the attack of Bernardo, or be myself 
 the assailant: it was doubtful whether I might 
 be able to reach him asleep ; he might awake at 
 the sound of a footstep, and could doubtless dis- 
 tinguish between the step of Lopez, and that of 
 a stranger ; and I was unwilling to peril my life 
 upon a struggle below, and in darkness. I re- 
 solved therefore to w^ait Bernardo's appearance 
 upon deck; and closing with him, to call upon 
 Paulo for assistance. More than an hour passed 
 without any sound being heard from below. At 
 length my ear caught the sound of a slight move- 
 ment; and the next moment, " Lopez" was twice 
 pronounced in an under tone by Bernardo ; it was 
 repeated a third time, — and hearing no answer, 
 Bernardo muttering something to himself, began 
 to ascend. I had placed myself in such a posi- 
 
298 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 tion, that Bernardo's back would be presented 
 to me when he ascended from below. No sooner 
 had he reached the deck, than I threw myself 
 upon him, pinioning his arms, and at the same 
 time called loudly upon Paulo ; but I had either 
 overrated my own strength, or underrated that 
 of my adversary: with a sudden and powerful 
 jerk, he freed himself from my grasp, calling 
 loudly upon Lopez, and venting horrible impre- 
 cations ; and at the same instant drawing a pistol 
 from his girdle, he sent a ball into Paulo's side, 
 who had just appeared above deck; and who, 
 uttering a groan, fell back into the cabin. 
 
 It was now man to man ; — in another moment 
 a ball would have been through my heart; there 
 was no time to draw my sabre ; and springing 
 forward, I closed upon my enemy. It was a 
 death wrestle : man to man, on the deck of the 
 little vessel on the wide ocean; close folded in 
 each other's gripe, we struggled for life ; not a 
 
THE NEW GIL BLAS. 299 
 
 word was spoken — ^we tugged in silence and 
 darkness — gradually we neared the side of the 
 vessel; and now it was the object of each, to lift 
 his adversary from the deck, and precipitate him 
 into the sea, — we reeled to and fro, — and I felt 
 strength beginning to fail me ; at length, b}^ a 
 terrific effort, Bernardo lifted me from my foot- 
 ing, but being unable to unloose my gripe, 
 which would have dragged him after me, he 
 flung himself forward upon the deck, while I fell 
 beneath him; but scarcely had I touched the 
 planks, when Bernardo uttered a deep groan — 
 his grasp relaxed, and he rolled over me upon 
 the deck; the knife which he carried in his 
 girdle* had turned in the struggle, and falling 
 upon the haft, the point had entered his heart ! 
 
 " Now God be praised," said I, as I felt the 
 deck slippery with my enemy's blood, and could 
 
 * All over the southern provinces of Spain, a knife is 
 carried in the girdle. 
 
300 THE NEW GIL BLAS. 
 
 see beneath the feeble moonlight, that had now 
 for a moment found its way through the clouds, 
 the ruffian face of Bernardo distorted with the 
 death struggle ; " now God be praised, and our 
 Lady, for the events of this night !" for I confess 
 that while struggling with Bernardo, the recol- 
 lection of the saint I had stolen in my youth, 
 flashed upon my mind ; nor did I feel altogether 
 at ease as to the false history of the relics, which 
 necessity had forced me to give ; but I now 
 plainly perceived, that my errors had been for- 
 given, or overlooked ; and from that moment, 
 neither of these circumstances ever gave me 
 the smallest uneasiness. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
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