OF AN UNEXPECTED VISIT WHICH XIMENA RECEIVED IN HER RETREAT
For some time the king, Don Fernando, had been thinking of changing his
court to Burgos, partly in order to be nearer to the frontiers which the
Moors of Aragon were continually devastating, and thus be able to keep
them in check; and partly in order that the Castilians might not think
that he gave undue preference to the kingdom of Leon. He determined to
carry out this project as soon as the question regarding Calahorra was
decided by the single combat between Rodrigo Diaz and Martin Gonzalez.
The desire to extinguish at its very commencement the enmity between the
partisans of the houses of Gormaz and Vivar, which he believed was about
to spring up in Castile, also induced him to hasten this change. Don
Fernando considered that the best way to cut short the existence of
those two bodies of partisans was to unite Ximena with Rodrigo, but this
presented serious difficulties on the side of the maiden; he, however,
proposed to himself to overcome them, not alone actuated by the desire
of seeing his states in a condition of tranquillity, but also by that of
making Rodrigo happy, for he knew he could never be so without Ximena.
We shall leave that wise and prudent monarch on his way to Castile, and
learn something concerning the solitaries of the lake of San Vicente.
Ximena had believed that in solitude, in prayer, in penitence, and in
the service of her afflicted fellow-creatures, she could forget Rodrigo,
and find tranquillity and resignation, of which she was so much in need;
she had, however, completely deceived herself, for when love has struck
deep roots in a heart, it resists all violence, it resists all waves, it
resists all storms. Can such a love die, unless those who experience it
also die?--a love which had its birth in the cradles of two children,
which grew up with their growth in their paternal homes, amid the
flowers and the butterflies of the meadows, beneath the trees which
shaded the avenues of their native place, and under the eyes of devoted
mothers? How could this paradise, which loving souls dream of, be
renounced?
In vain had Ximena striven against her love for Rodrigo; in vain had she
invoked the terrible memory of her father in order to give it the place
in her soul which the remembrance of Rodrigo occupied; in vain had she
asked their assistance from the holy maiden and from the affectionate
and faithful old woman who had accompanied her into that solitude, in
order to tear from her heart that enduring, deep, immense love. On all
sides she found incentives to that love, everything seemed to conspire
to strengthen in her the remembrance of it. One day there arrived on the
shores of the lake a young invalid, accompanied by a youth who called
her by the sweet name of wife, who lavished loving cares on her, who
became sad when he saw her sad, and joyful when she was joyful; who
surrounded her with an atmosphere of affection, emanating from his
words, from his looks, from his every action, and Ximena remembered that
such was the love she had dreamed of, that such a husband she had seen
in Rodrigo. Ah! then she could realise how miserable is a woman who has
no husband to protect her weakness or to sustain her when she is cast
down by physical or mental pain! Another day she was wandering through
the shady groves that bordered the lake, and this brought to her mind
the time when she and Rodrigo wandered through the woods which
surrounded the castle of Gormaz; and every fountain, brook, or
flower-covered meadow which she saw, reminded her of some other
fountain, brook, or meadow, with which were connected memories of
Rodrigo.
In this struggle between love and the blood-stained shade of her father,
the former was gaining the mastery more and more as time went on. But if
Rodrigo still loved her, as once he did, how could he refrain from
seeing her? how was it that, in order to do so, he did not travel the
short distance which separated Vivar from the lake of San Vicente, as in
former days he had journeyed the long distance between Vivar and San
Estéban of Gormaz? All the projects of hatred, of revenge, of oblivion;
all the endeavours of Ximena to forget him who had slain her father, had
resulted in the girl becoming wearied by her struggles against love.
After a night during which she was tortured by horrible dreams and
nightmares, she arose from her humble bed,--the bed in which she had
shed so many tears and abandoned herself to so many sad
reflections,--and knelt down before an image of the Virgin of the
Dolours, to address to heaven her morning prayer, as the birds were
doing, that sang in the trees which, with their aged trunks and leafy
boughs, protected the rustic hermitage.
"Mother of the unfortunate, consolation of afflicted souls!" she cried,
raising to the holy image her hands and her eyes wet with tears,
"console and sustain me, that I may not succumb to the weight of my
tribulations! Have pity on my tortures, apply the balsam of thy grace to
the wounds of my heart! Pray to thy Son to have mercy on me!"
Ximena had scarcely finished her short prayer when Lambra--who had gone
to the door of the hermitage to see if Casilda, who had set out at
daybreak to console and succour the family of a poor and infirm
shepherd, was returning--came hastily to her mistress, and said to her--
"Look, my lady, see those cavaliers who are coming in this direction."
Ximena allowed herself to be led mechanically by Lambra, who took her
hand and conducted her to the door of their dwelling-place. As she had
said, about twenty well-accoutred cavaliers were riding along the shore
of the lake, on a path that led to the hermitage, which was erected on
the summit of a hill and overlooked the country for some distance.
These cavaliers were not accompanying a lady. Who were they, then? Why
were they coming to the hermitage? Ximena asked herself those questions,
and her heart beat quickly, although she did not know what caused it to
do so. The cavaliers were advancing nearer and nearer, and, with
unspeakable surprise, she recognised the king, Don Fernando, who rode in
front. He appeared astonished, in his turn, on recognising Ximena, when
he arrived at the hermitage.
"Ximena!" he exclaimed; "you here?"
And he hastened to dismount.
"You here?" he repeated; "when I believed that you were in your castle
at Gormaz."
"Sire," said the young girl, "I came here, desirous of finding the
tranquillity which was denied me at the court. Shall I offend you by
asking to what circumstance I owe the happiness of seeing you in these
solitudes."
"To my desire of seeing Casilda, for you already know, Ximena, that
since she lost the affection of her father in order to merit the love of
God, she has no protection amongst men but mine. I bless the moment in
which I thought of undertaking this journey, for at the end of it,
instead of meeting one, I meet two persons whom I love very much."
Those who accompanied the king, as well as Lambra, had moved away
respectfully to some distance from the speakers.
"How is it that I do not find Casilda with you?" asked Don Fernando.
"You will soon see her, sire," replied the maiden, "for she has gone to
exercise her mission of mercy not far from here."
"I am not alone delighted to see you on account of the pleasure which
your presence always causes me, but also for the reason that I bring
news which I feel sure will be agreeable to you," said the king, fixing
his eyes on her at the same time, in order to see the effect which his
words might produce. "You remember that you demanded justice from me on
him who killed your father?"
"I have not forgotten it, sire."
"I have done justice already, Ximena!"
"O my God!" exclaimed the young girl, full of anxiety and fear. "Sire,
explain."
"Rodrigo has been punished as he deserved."
A deadly pallor overspread the face of Ximena, and she would have fallen
on the ground if the king had not supported her and made her sit down on
a rustic bench which stood near them.
"I engaged him in a single combat with Martin Gonzalez, certain that it
would be one to the death, and I was not mistaken. The sword of Martin
Gonzalez was stained with the blood of him who shed that of your
father."
Ximena uttered a cry of agony, and fell back senseless against the wall
which served as a support for the bench.
"Dueña, dueña!" cried Don Fernando, "bring water quickly. Your mistress
has fainted on being reminded of her father."
"O my God! may the Mother of Dolours and all the saints aid me!" cried
Lambra, running to fetch what the king had asked for. "He might have
spoken of the living instead of the dead, when he ought to have seen
that it is only a chance whether she is going to the angels or not."
The dueña brought, in great haste, a vessel of water from a spring which
was very near the hermitage, and bathed the face of Ximena, who was
slowly regaining her senses, whilst Lambra was saying to the king--
"By the glorious Saint Isidore, sire, you should be cautious as to what
you say to my mistress, for in one of those faints she might fly from
our hands like a bird. Do you not know, sire, what ravages the death of
her father has made in her health? and at night she dreams of nothing
else, and never ceases calling out the name of that mad Rodrigo who
killed him."
"Retire, honoured dueña, for she has returned to herself," said Don
Fernando to Lambra, and she hastened to obey him.
"He is dead! Rodrigo is dead!" murmured Ximena, before opening her eyes
and becoming aware that the king stood at her side.
"Ximena," said Don Fernando, "Rodrigo is not dead. It was he who killed
Martin Gonzalez with the point of his sword."
Ximena could not repress a sudden rush of joy, and did not even try to
conceal her feelings from the king.
"Sire, have compassion on me!" she cried. "Tell me the truth! Is it
certain that Rodrigo is alive, or is it that you fear to tell me again
that he is dead, lest I might fall into another swoon, such as that
which your former words caused?"
"Ximena, I swear to you that Rodrigo lives, to love you ever. Are you
not glad that he is alive? Are you not glad that he loves you?"
"Sire, lay the blame of being an unnatural, ungrateful daughter on me,
of being a woman unworthy of the noble blood that flows in my veins; but
I cannot help it. His life is my life, and without his love I am without
hope in this world. I demanded justice of you against Rodrigo, and I was
not deceiving you, for then it appeared to me that in obtaining it my
entire happiness consisted; but I soon knew that I was only deceiving
myself, that his punishment, which I asked from you, would be the cause
of the deepest misery to me. My father demanded vengeance from the
depths of his sepulchre, but my love for Rodrigo asked pardon for him
from the bottom of my heart. Ah, sire! God alone and myself know the
terrible combat I have had to sustain, and the anguish I have had to
suffer."
"Well, then, Ximena, that combat and that agony must now cease. Rodrigo
killed your father, but your father had tarnished the honour of his;
Rodrigo desired to fight loyally and honourably with the Count of
Gormaz, but the count insulted him; then Rodrigo did not kill your
father in any unfair way, but whilst fighting with him, arm to arm and
face to face, as a good knight. This should be sufficient, Ximena, to
remove your scruples and quiet your conscience, so that you may be the
bride of Rodrigo."
"It is impossible, sire, for ordinary people do not reason thus; and it
would be always said that I married the murderer of my father."
"Ximena, to the eyes of the world you will be the victim of a tyrannical
order--you will have given your hand to Rodrigo in obedience to my
command; and only you, Rodrigo, and I shall know that you gave it to him
in accordance with the impulses of your heart."
"Ah, sire! how shall he and I be ever able to pay you for the happiness
that we shall owe to you?"
"By choosing the queen and me as bride's-lady and groom's-man at your
wedding," replied Don Fernando, with a pleasant smile.
Ximena knew not how to express her gratitude to the king; she threw
herself on her knees before him and exclaimed--
"Sire, let me kiss your feet! let me even kiss the ground where you have
stood!"
"Arise, Ximena, for she who, like you, is worthy of Rodrigo, should
kneel only before God."
Just as the king was raising Ximena affectionately from the ground,
Casilda approached, coming from beneath the trees which grew nearest to
the hermitage. Don Fernando, who loved her as a daughter, and whose
kindly feelings were then much aroused, hastened forward to meet her.
Casilda uttered a cry of joy on seeing him.
"Casilda," said Don Fernando to her, when both he and the holy maiden
had remained silent a short time, as those who love and respect each
other often do, when they meet after a long absence, "Casilda, I bring
you tidings of your father."
"Of my father?" exclaimed the girl in a joyful tone; and at the same
time a few tears trickled down from her beautiful and calm eyes.
"Yes; your father has confided to me the hidden feelings of his heart,
in order that I may make them known to you. Read this, and his words
will tell you more than mine."
"To you, who have children, whom you love as I do mine," wrote Almenon,
having prefaced his letter with the usual ceremonious phrases and
salutations, "to you an unhappy father appeals, certain that you will
understand his feelings and carry out his wishes. I have been informed
that my daughter did not embrace the religion of the Christians for the
purpose of enjoying the luxury and magnificence of your court, but in
order to live in solitude and poverty, and to consecrate her life to the
service of the poor and afflicted. If I formerly cursed her, I now bless
her from the bottom of my heart; if I hated her before, I now love her:
tell her this, and tell her, moreover, not to abhor her father,
believing that he is cruel towards the poor captives, for he only is so
because the creed of the nation over which he reigns, and the desire to
preserve a crown for his son, compel him to act thus. A maiden reared
in the shadow of a throne must suffer much and run grave risks in a
desert in a foreign land, amid pain and poverty. Act as a father to
Casilda, protect and watch over her, and I swear that I shall act in a
similar way to your children, should fate bring them some day into the
dominions of--ALMENON."
Sobs almost smothered Casilda when she finished the reading of the
letter; but her heart rejoiced because her father still loved her, still
blessed her, and no longer wept on her account.
"Casilda," said Don Fernando to her, "it is not in vain that your father
appeals to my heart to satisfy the desires of his. From this day forward
you shall have a father in me; and as it is your ambition to possess
means wherewith to aid misfortune, my treasury is open to you--avail
yourself of it, and let no one, who is really in want, apply in vain at
your door."
* * * * *
Some days after the visit of the king to the solitaries of the lake,
Ximena entered Burgos, accompanied by a brilliant escort of cavaliers,
belonging to the court of Don Fernando, who had himself come to meet
her, riding a considerable distance on the road of Briviesca.
Some peasants, who were journeying at the same time to the city, stopped
to gaze on the young girl and her richly-dressed companions, and as they
were ignorant of the news of the court, on account of the distance they
lived from it, and did not know Ximena, one of them went up to a workman
who was standing at the door of a house, and asked him--
"Do you know who that splendid girl is? On my soul, she looks like a
queen."
"What? you don't know her? She is Doña Ximena, daughter of the Count of
Gormaz, who is going to be married to the son of the grandee of Vivar,"
replied the man who had been questioned.
"Nonsense! Is it not said that the youth killed the count?"
"Certainly."
"And he is going to be married to the daughter of the dead man! Well,
queer things happen now-a-days. One must be badly off for a husband."
"Be silent, you bumpkin, and don't speak badly of a lady who is more
honourable than you and your whole clan."
"Keep quiet yourself, you Burgos ruffian, for I swear I have fists, and
won't listen to insults."
"And do you imagine, you clown, that I haven't got fists also? I swear
I'll break every bone in your body."
Saying this, the workman rushed on the peasant; the spectators, however,
got between them, and the man of Burgos had to return to his post when
only a few blows had been exchanged.
"Do the rustics imagine that the townspeople are made of sugar paste?"
he said.
"And why do the townspeople insult us?"
"Why do you judge of things without understanding them?"
"Explain them, and I'll understand them."
"Then know that Doña Ximena, instead of being found fault with, should
be pitied, for they are marrying her to Don Rodrigo much against her
wish. She certainly was in love with him one time, but she took a
dislike to him when he killed her father, and if she now marries him, it
is in obedience to the command of the king, who so arranges matters, for
he considers that the union of the houses of Vivar and of Gormaz will
prevent the formation of bodies of partisans who would flood the kingdom
with blood, and he says that public good must be thought more of than
private sentiment."
"And the king is right."
"Of course he is; and the more so, because Don Rodrigo did not kill the
father of Doña Ximena unfairly. Yes! Don Fernando knows well what he is
about, and does not fear being accused of doing wrong. I hold, for my
part, that there's not a better king in the world."
"Do you know that the maiden is worth half Castile?"
"And the young cavalier knows it, too, and he is certainly worthy of
her."