who had been listening at the aperture to all that had passed. He was
for springing in at a bound; but the dueña stopped him, laying her hand
on his breast, and said, "Fair and softly, señor; I would have you to
know, as God is my judge, we are all of us virgins here as truly as the
mothers that bore us, except my lady; and I am one too, the Lord forgive
me, though you would take me for forty years old; but I am not thirty
all out, wanting two months and a fortnight of my thirtieth birthday;
and if I look older, it is that cares, and troubles, and vexations tell
upon one more than years. Now this being so, it does not stand to
reason, that for the sake of hearing two or three songs we should risk
the loss of so much virginity as is here collected together. And so you
see, my sweet sir, before you enter our domain, you must first take a
very solemn oath, that you will do nothing beyond our orders. If you
think it is much we ask of you, do but consider how much more it is we
risk; and if your intentions are good and proper, you will not be loth
to swear; for a good paymaster does not mind giving security."
"Well said, Marialonso," cried one of the damsels; "spoken like a person
of sense, and who knows what's what. If the señor won't swear, then let
him not come in here."
"Tell you what," said Guiomar, the negress, in her broken jargon,
"s'ppose him no swear, let him in all the same, in devil's name; for
s'ppose him swear, once him in, him forget eberyting."
Loaysa listened very demurely to the Señora Marialonso's harangue, and
replied with great gravity, "Be assured, ladies, my charming sisters and
companions, my intention never was, is, or shall be other than to
gratify and content you to the utmost of my powers; and therefore I make
no difficulty with regard to this oath which is required of me, though I
could have wished that some confidence had been reposed in my simple
word, which, given by such a person as I am, would have been as good as
a bond signed and sealed; for I would have you to know, ladies, that
under a bad cloak there is often a good drinker. But to the end that you
may all be assured of my upright intentions, I will take the oath as a
catholic and a man of parts. I swear then by the immaculate efficacy,
wherever it abides in greatest sanctity and fulness, by all the
entrances and exits of the holy mount Libanus, and by all that is
contained in the preface to the true history of Charlemagne, with the
death of the giant Fierabras, not to swerve or depart from the oath I
have taken, or from the commands which may be laid upon me by the least
of these ladies, under penalty, should I do otherwise, or attempt to do
otherwise, that from this time forth till then, and from thenceforth
till now, the same shall be null and void and of no effect whatsoever."
When honest Loaysa had got so far in his oath, one of the young maidens,
who had listened to him with wrapt attention, cried out, "Well, if that
is not what you may call an oath! it is enough to melt the heart of a
stone. Plague take me if you shall swear any more for me; for after
such an oath as that you might enter the very cave of Cabra." So saying,
she caught hold of him by the breeches, and drew him within the door,
where the rest immediately gathered close round him. One of them ran off
with the news to her mistress, who stood watching her husband; and who,
when she heard that the musico was actually within doors, was moved
almost at the same moment by joy and fear, and hurriedly asked if he had
sworn. The girl told her he had done so, and with the most singular form
of oath she had ever heard in her life.
"Well, since he has sworn, we have him fast," said Leonora. "Oh, what a
good thought it was of mine to make him swear!"
They were now met by the whole party advancing in procession, with the
musico in the midst of them, and the negro and Guiomar lighting the way.
As soon as Loaysa saw Leonora, he threw himself at her feet to kiss her
hands; but without saying a word, she made signs to him to rise, and he
obeyed. Observing then that they all remained as mute as if they had
lost their tongues, Loaysa told them they might talk, and talk aloud
too; for there was no fear that their lord-master would wake and hear
them, such being the virtue of the ointment, that without endangering
life it made a man lie like one dead.
"That I fully believe," said Leonora; "for were it not so, he would have
been awake twenty times before this, such a light sleeper he is, in
consequence of his frequent indispositions; but ever since I anointed
him, he has been snoring like a pig."
"That being the case," said the dueña, "let us go into the saloon, where
we may hear the gentleman sing, and amuse ourselves a little."
"Let us go," said Leonora; "but let Guiomar remain here on the watch, to
warn vis if Carrizales wakes."
"Ay," said Guiomar, "black woman stay, white woman go: God pardon all."
Leaving the negress behind, the rest all went to the saloon, where they
seated themselves on a rich carpet, with Loaysa in the centre of the
group. Marialonso took a candle, and began to examine the figure of the
musician from bead to foot. Every one had something to say in his
commendation: "Oh, what a nice curly head of hair he has!" said one.
"What nice teeth!" cried another; "blanched almonds are nothing to
them." "What eyes!" exclaimed a third; "so large and full, and so green!
By the life of my mother, they look for all the world like emeralds."
Leonora alone said not a word; but as she looked at the maestro, she
could not help thinking that he was better looking than her good man.
Presently the dueña took the guitar out of the negro's hands, and
putting it into Loaysa's, begged he would sing to it a villanetta then
in high fashion at Seville. He complied; the women all jumped up, and
began to dance; whilst the dueña sang the words of the song with more
good will than good voice.
Close you watch me, mother mine,
Watch me, and immure me:
Don't you know without my help
You can not secure me?
Appetite, 'tis said with truth,
By privation groweth;
Thwarted love, like flame confined,
All the fiercer gloweth.
Better therefore 'twere, methinks,
You should not immure me:
Don't you know without my help
You can not secure me?
Close you watch me, &c.
Moths will to the taper fly,
Bees on flowers will cluster;
Keep a loving maid who can
From love's golden lustre!
Fear you lest that beacon light
From your arms should lure me?
Well I know without my help
You can not secure me.
Close you watch me, &c.
There's a way where there's a will:
Keep the will from straying.
Wayward hearts will have their fling,
Spite of all gainsaying.
If you'd have me very good,
Don't be hard on poor me;
Sure I am without, my help
You can not secure me.
Close you watch me, &c.
The song and the dance were just ended, when in rushed Guiomar in wild
affright, gesticulating as if she was in a fit, and in a voice between a
croak and a whisper, she stammered out, "Master wake, señora; señora,
master wake: him getting up, and coming." Whoever has seen a flock of
pigeons feeding tranquilly in the field, and has marked the fear and
confusion with which they take flight at the terrible sound of the gun,
may picture to himself the fluttering dismay of the dancers at the
unexpected news blurted out by Guiomar. Off they ran in all directions,
leaving the musico in the lurch, and in a pitiable state of perplexity.
Leonora wrung her beautiful hands; and the Señora Marialonso beat her
face, and tore her hair, but not with great violence. In short, all was
panic and confusion; but the dueña, who had more cunning and presence of
mind than the rest, directed that Loaysa should go into her own room,
whilst she and her mistress remained where they were, never doubting but
they should find some excuse or another to put off upon Carrizales.
Loaysa hid himself, and the dueña bent her ear to listen for her
master's footsteps; but hearing nothing, she took courage by degrees,
and stealing on tip-toe to his bed-room, she found him snoring there as
soundly as ever. Back she ran, at her best speed, to gladden her
mistress's heart with the joyful intelligence; and then discreetly
resolving not to lose so lucky an opportunity of being the first to
enjoy the good graces of the musico, she told Leonora to wait there
whilst she went and called him. Hastily entering the room where he was
concealed, she found him sorely discomfited by the untoward issue of his
adventure, cursing the inefficiency of the ointment, the credulity of
his friends, and his own want of forethought in not making an experiment
with the ointment on some other person before he tried its effect on
Carrizales. But when the dueña assured him that the old man was sleeping
as soundly as ever, there was an end to all his uneasiness, and he lent
a complacent ear to the very liquorish language in which Marialonso
addressed him. "Oho," said he to himself, "that's what you would be at,
is it? Well, you will do capitally as a bait to fish with for your
lady."
Whilst this _tête-à-tête_ was pending, the rest of the women had one by
one crept out of their several hiding-places, to see if it was true that
their master was awake; and finding all still in the house, they
returned to the saloon where they had left their mistress. Having learnt
from her that the alarm had been a false one, they asked what had become
of the musico and the dueña. Leonora told them that Marialonso had gone
to fetch the maestro, whereupon they all stole out of the room as
noiselessly as they had entered it, and set themselves to listen at the
door to what was passing between the pair. Guiomar was one of the party,
but the negro was not among them; for upon the first alarm he had run
off, hugging his guitar, and hid himself in his loft, where he lay
huddled up under the bed-clothes, sweating with terror; in spite of
which he could not forbear from tinkling the guitar from time to time,
so inordinate--may Satanas confound him!--was his love of music. The
soft speeches of the amorous dueña were distinctly heard by the group
outside the door; and there was not one of them but bestowed a blessing
upon her from the wrong side of the mouth, with the addition of sundry
epithets which I had rather not repeat. The result of the confabulation
between the pair was that Loaysa would comply with the dueña's desires,
provided that first of all she brought her mistress to consent to his.
It cost the dueña something to subscribe to these conditions; but, after
all, there was nothing she would not have done to compass the
gratification of the desires that had laid hold on her soul and body,
and were undermining her very bones and marrow. The bargain was struck;
and quitting the room to go and speak to her mistress, she found all the
rest of the women assembled round the door. Putting a bold face on the
matter, she bade them all go to bed, and next night they should be able
to enjoy themselves without any such false alarm as had spoiled their
sport for that time. The women all knew well that the old dueña only
wanted to be left alone; but they could not help obeying her, for she
had command over them all.
Having got rid of the servants, the dueña went back to the saloon, and
began to exercise her powers of persuasion upon Leonora. She made her a
long and plausible harangue, so well put together that one might have
supposed she had composed it beforehand. She extolled the good looks of
the gentle musico, the elegance of his manners, his wondrous suavity,
and his countless other good qualities; represented how infinitely more
agreeable must be the caresses of such a charming young gallant than
those of the old husband; assured her the affair would never be
discovered, and plied her with a thousand other arguments which the
devil put into her mouth, all so specious and so artfully coloured, that
they might have beguiled the firmest mind, much more that of a being so
artless and unwary as poor Leonora. O dueñas, born and used for the
perdition of thousands of modest, virtuous beings! O ye long plaited
coifs, chosen to impart an air of grave decorum to the _salas_ of noble
ladies, how do you reverse the functions of your perhaps needful office!
In fine, the dueña talked with such effect, that Leonora consented to
her own undoing, and to that of all the precautions of the wary
Carrizales, whose sleep was the death of his honour. Marialonso took her
mistress by the hand, led the weeping lady almost by force to Loaysa,
and wishing them much joy with a diabolical leer, she left them both
shut in together, and laid herself down in the saloon to sleep, or
rather to await the reward she had earned. Overcome, however, by the
loss of rest on two successive nights, she could not keep her eyes open,
but fell fast asleep on the carpet.
And now, if we did not know that Carrizales was asleep, it would not be
amiss to ask him, where now were all his jealous cares and precautions?
What now availed the lofty walls of his house, and the exclusion from it
of every male creature? What had he gained by his turning-box, his thick
walls, his stopped up windows, the enormously strict seclusion to which
he had doomed his family, the large jointure he had settled on Leonora,
the presents he was continually making her, his liberal treatment of her
attendants, and his unfailing alacrity in supplying them with everything
he imagined they could want or wish for? But as we have said, he was
asleep. Had he been awake, and disposed to reply, he could not have
given a better answer than by saying, as he shrugged his shoulders and
arched his eyebrows, that all this had been brought to nought by the
craft of an idle and vicious young man, and the wickedness of a
faithless dueña, working upon the weakness of an artless and
inexperienced girl. Heaven save us all from such enemies as these,
against whom the shield of prudence and the sword of vigilance are alike
impotent to defend us!
Such, nevertheless, was Leonora's rectitude, and so opportunely did she
manifest it, that all the villanous arts of the crafty seducer were of
no avail; till both of them, wearied by the contest, the baffled tempter
and the victorious defender of her own chastity, fell asleep almost at
the moment when it pleased Heaven that Carrizales should awake in spite
of the ointment. As usual he felt all about the bed, and not finding his
dear wife in it, he jumped up in the utmost consternation, and with
strange agility for a man of his years. He looked all over the room for
her, and when he found the door open, and the key gone from between the
mattresses, he was nearly distracted. Recovering himself a little, he
went out into the gallery, stole softly thence to the saloon, where the
dueña was asleep, and seeing no Leonora there, he went to the dueña's
own room, opened the door gently, and beheld Leonora in Loaysa's arms,
and both of them looking as if the soporific ointment was exerting its
influence over themselves instead of upon the jealous husband.
Carrizales was petrified with horror; his voice stuck in his throat; his
arms fell powerless by his sides, and his feet seemed rooted to the
ground; and though the fierce revulsion of his wrath presently aroused
his torpid senses, he yet could scarcely breathe, so intense was his
anguish. Thirsting for vengeance as terrible as his monstrous wrong, but
having no weapon at hand, he returned to his chamber as stealthily as he
had quitted it, in search of a dagger, with which he would wash out the
stain cast upon his honour in the blood of the guilty pair, and then
massacre his whole household; but he had no sooner reached his room than
his grief again overpowered him, and he fell senseless on the bed.
Day broke now, and found Leonora still in the arms of Loaysa. Marialonso
awoke, and thinking it time to receive what she counted was due to her,
she awoke Leonora, who was shocked to find it so late, and bitterly
accused her own imprudence and the dueña's negligence. With trembling
steps the two women crept up to Felipe's bedroom, praying inwardly to
Heaven that they might find him still snoring; and when they saw him
lying on the bed, apparently asleep, they made no doubt that he was
still under the effect of the opiate, and embraced each other in a
transport of joy. Leonora went up to her husband, and taking him by the
arm, turned him over on his side to see if he would wake without their
being obliged to wash him with vinegar according to the directions
given with the ointment; but the movement roused Carrizales from his
swoon, and heaving a deep sigh, he ejaculated in a faint and piteous
tone, "Miserable man that I am! to what a woeful pass I am come!"
Leonora did not distinctly hear what her husband said; but seeing with
surprise that the effect of the opiate was not so lasting as she had
been led to expect, she bent over him, put her cheek to his, and
pressing him closely in her arms, said, "What ails you, dear señor? You
seem to be complaining?"
Carrizales opened his eyes to their utmost width, and turning them full
upon her, stared at her a long while with a look of profound amazement.
At last he said, "Do me the pleasure, señora, to send instantly for your
parents in my name, and ask them to come hither, for I feel something at
my heart which distresses me exceedingly. I fear I have but a short time
to live, and I should like to see them before I die."
Leonora immediately despatched the negro with this message to her
parents. She fully believed what her husband had told her, and
attributing his danger to the violence of the opiate instead of to its
real cause, she put her arms round his neck, caressed him more fondly
than ever she had done before, and inquired how he felt, with such
tender solicitude, as if she loved him above everything in the world;
while he, on the other hand, continued to gaze upon her with the same
unvarying look of astonishment, every endearing word or caress of hers
being like a dagger to his heart. The dueña had, by this time,
acquainted Loaysa and the domestics with her master's illness, which,
she remarked, was evidently very serious, since he had forgotten to give
orders that the street door should be locked after the negro's departure
to summon her lady's parents. The message was itself a portentous
occurrence, for neither father nor mother had ever set foot within that
house since their daughter's marriage. In short, the whole household was
in anxiety, though no one divined the true cause of the old man's
illness. He lay sighing at intervals, so heavily that every sigh seemed
like the parting of soul and body. Leonora wept to see him in such a
state, whilst he beheld her feigned tears, as he deemed them, with a
bitter smile, that looked like the grin of insanity.
Leonora's parents now arrived, and were struck with no little
misgivings when they found both entrance doors open and the house all
lonely and silent. They went up to their son-in-law's room, and found
him in the posture he had all along maintained, with his eyes immovably
fixed on his wife, whom he held by the hands, whilst both were in tears;
she, because she saw his flow, and he at seeing how deceitfully she
wept. As soon as they entered the room, Carrizales begged them to be
seated, ordered all the domestics to withdraw except Marialonso, then
wiped his eyes, and with a calm voice and an air of perfect composure
addressed them thus:--
"I am sure, my respected father and mother-in-law, I need no other
witnesses than yourselves to the truth of what I have now to say to you
in the first place. You must well remember with how much love and what
tender affection I received your daughter when you bestowed her upon me
one year, one month, five days, and nine hours ago, as my lawful wife.
You know, also, with what liberality I behaved to her, for the
settlement I made upon her would have been more than enough to furnish
three young ladies of her quality with handsome marriage portions. You
must remember the pains I took to dress and adorn her with everything
she could desire or I could think of as suitable to her. It is known to
you likewise how, prompted by my natural disposition, fearful of the
evil to which I shall surely owe my death, and taught by the experience
of a long life to be on my guard against the many strange chances that
occur in life, I sought to guard this jewel which I had chosen and you
had bestowed upon me, with all possible care and caution. I raised the
walls of this house higher, blocked up all the windows that looked on
the street, doubled the locks of the doors, set up a turning-box as in a
nunnery, and perpetually banished from my dwelling every vestige of the
male sex. I gave my wife female servants and slaves to wait upon her: I
denied neither her nor them anything they chose to ask of me. I made her
my equal, communicated my most secret thoughts to her, and put my whole
property at her disposal. Having done all this, I thought I might fairly
expect to enjoy securely what had cost me so much, and that it would be
her care not to afford me cause for conceiving any kind of jealous fear
whatever. But it is not within the power of human efforts to prevent
the chastisement which Heaven is pleased to inflict on those who do not
rest their whole hopes and desires upon it alone. No wonder then if mine
have been deceived, and I have myself prepared the poison of which I am
now dying. But I see how anxiously you hang upon the words of my mouth.
I will therefore keep you no longer in suspense, but conclude this long
preamble by telling you, in one word, what no words were adequate to
describe, were I to speak for ever. This morning I found this woman,"
(here he pointed to his wife,) "who was born for the ruin of my peace
and the destruction of my life, in the arms of a young gallant, who is
now shut up in the bed-chamber of this pestilent dueña."
Carrizales had no sooner uttered these words than Leonora swooned, and
fell with her head upon his lap. Marialonso turned as white as ashes,
and Leonora's parents were so astounded that they could not utter a
word. After a short pause, Carrizales continued thus:--
"The vengeance I intend to take for this outrage shall be no common one.
As I have been singular in all my other actions, so will I be in this.
My vengeance shall fall upon myself, as the person most culpable of all,
for I ought to have considered how ill this girl's fifteen years could
assort with my threescore and ten. I have been like the silkworm, which
builds itself a house in which it must die. I do not reproach you,
misguided girl"--here he bent down and kissed his still insensible
wife--"for the persuasions of a wicked old woman, and the wheedling
tongue of an amorous youth, easily prevail over the little wit of a
green girl; but that all the world may see how strong and how true was
the love I bore you, I shall give such a proof of it here on my
death-bed, as the world has never seen or heard of;--one that shall
remain an unparalleled example, if not of goodness, at least of
singleness of heart. I desire that a notary be immediately sent for to
make my will, wherein I will double Leonora's jointure, and recommend
her, after my death, which will not be long delayed, to marry that young
man whom these gray hairs have never offended. Thus she will see that,
as in life I never departed in the slightest particular from what I
thought could please her, so I wish her to be happy when I am no more,
and to be united to him whom she must love so much. The rest of my
fortune I will bequeath to pious uses, after leaving to you both
wherewith to live honourably for the rest of your days. Let the notary
come instantly, for the anguish I am now suffering is such that, if it
continues, my time here will be very short."
Here Carrizales was seized with a terrible swoon, and sank down so close
to Leonora that their faces touched. During this scene the dueña stole
out of the room, and went to apprize Loaysa of all that had happened.
She advised him to quit the house immediately, and she would take care
to keep him informed of all that was going on, for there were no locked
doors now to hinder her from sending the negro to him whenever it was
necessary. Astounded at this news, Loaysa took her advice, put on his
beggar's rags again, and went away to make known to his friends the
strange issue of his amour.
Leonora's father, meanwhile, sent for a notary, who arrived soon after
both husband and wife had recovered their senses. Carrizales made his
will in the manner he had stated, without saying anything of his wife's
transgressions; he only declared that, for good reasons, he advised, and
begged her to marry, should he die, that young man of whom he had spoken
to her in private. When Leonora heard this, she threw herself at her
husband's feet, and cried, while her heart throbbed as if it would
burst, "Long may you live, my lord and my only joy; for though you may
not believe a word I say, indeed, indeed I have not offended you, except
in thought."