OF THE DELECTABLE DISCOURSE WHICH THE DUCHESS AND HER
DAMSELS HELD WITH SANCHO PANZA, WELL WORTH READING AND
NOTING
As soon as Sancho had eaten his dinner, he decided to have no sleep
that afternoon, but to hasten to the Duchess' chambers that he might
talk to her the whole afternoon. The Duchess asked him innumerable
questions about his master and the Lady Dulcinea, and about Teresa
Panza and every one concerned in the book about Don Quixote; and
Sancho managed to keep the Duchess and her duennas in an uncommonly
good humor for the rest of the day. They soon drifted to Sancho's
government, and the squire expressed the belief that perhaps after a
fortnight he would be as well versed in the affairs of government as
he was in the farm labor he had been doing all his life.
"Let them only put me into this government and they will see wonders,"
he said; "for one who has been a good squire will be a good governor."
And then he took leave of the high lady, who suggested that he go home
and sleep for the rest of the afternoon. He promised that he would,
and entreated her to see to it that good care was taken of his Dapple.
When he had explained to the Duchess that Dapple was his faithful
donkey, and told her of the incident with Dona Rodriguez, she assured
him that Dapple would want for nothing in her stable. She suggested
that when he had his government in hand, he ought to pension Dapple
off and let him quit working; and Sancho thought that was by no means
a bad idea, for, he said, he would not be the first ass to be so
pensioned.
The Duchess, when he had left, hastened to tell the Duke of her
amusing conversation with Sancho; and again they put their heads
together, trying to invent new ways and plots whereby they might
derive amusement from the presence of Don Quixote and his squire.