it was impossible for her to rest, so racked was she by jealous fears.
Oh, how she exaggerated the beauty of Leocadia, and the disloyalty of
Marco Antonio! How often she read with the eyes of her imagination his
written promise to her rival! What words and phrases she added to it, to
make it more sure and binding! How often she refused to believe that it
was lost! And how many a time she repeated to herself, that even though
it were lost, Marco Antonio would not the less fulfil his promise to
Leocadia, without thinking of that by which he was bound to herself! In
such thoughts as these she passed the night without a wink of sleep; nor
was her brother Don Rafael less wakeful; for no sooner had he heard who
Leocadia was, than his heart was on fire for her. He beheld her in
imagination, not tied to a tree, or in tattered male garments, but in
her own rich apparel in her wealthy father's house. He would not suffer
his mind to dwell on that which was the primary cause of his having
become acquainted with her; and he longed for day that he might continue
his journey and find out Marco Antonio, not so much that he might make
him his brother-in-law, as that he might hinder him from becoming the
husband of Leocadia. In fact, he was so possessed by love and jealousy,
that he could have borne to see his sister comfortless, and Marco
Antonio fairly buried, rather than be himself without hope of obtaining
Leocadia.
Thus with different thoughts, they all quitted their beds at break of
day, and Don Rafael sent for the host, and asked him if he could
purchase a suit of clothes in that place for a page who had been
stripped by robbers. The host said he happened to have one for sale
which he would dispose of at a reasonable price. He produced it,
Leocadia found that it fitted her very well, she put it on, and girt
herself with sword and dagger with such sprightly grace that she
enchanted Don Rafael, and redoubled Teodosia's jealousy. Calvete saddled
the mules, and about eight in the morning, they started for Barcelona,
not intending to take the famous monastery of Monserrate on their way,
but to visit it on a future occasion, whenever it might please God to
send them home again with hearts more at ease.
Words are not adequate to describe the feelings of the two brothers, or
with what different eyes they severally regarded Leocadia; Teodosia
wishing for her death, and Don Rafael for her life; Teodosia striving to
find faults in her, in order that she might not despair of her own
hopes; and Don Rafael finding out new perfections, that more and more
obliged him to love her. All these thoughts, however, did not hinder
their speed, for they reached Barcelona before sunset. They admired the
magnificent situation of the city, and esteemed it to be the flower of
the world, the honour of Spain, the terror of all enemies near and far,
the delight of its inhabitants, the refuge of strangers, the school of
chivalry, the model of loyalty, in a word, a union of all that a
judicious curiosity could desire in a grand, famous, wealthy, and
well-built city. Upon their entering it they heard a great uproar, and
saw a multitude of people running with loud cries. They inquired the
cause, and were told that the people of the galleys in the port had
fallen upon those of the town. Don Rafael desired to see what was going
on, though Calvete would have dissuaded him; for, as the muleteer said,
he knew well what mischief came of interfering in such frays as this,
which usually occurred in Barcelona when galleys put in there.
In spite of this good advice, Don Rafael and his fellow-travellers went
down at once towards the beach, where they saw many swords drawn, and
numbers of people slashing at each other without mercy, and they
approached so near the scene without dismounting, that they could
distinctly see the faces of the combatants, for the sun was still above
the horizon. The number of townspeople engaged was immense, and great
crowds issued from the galleys, although their commander, Don Pedro
Vique, a gentleman of Valencia, stood on the prow of the flag-ship,
threatening all who entered the boats to succour their comrades. Finding
his commands disregarded, he ordered a gun to be fired without ball, as
a warning that if the combatants did not separate, the next gun he fired
would be shotted. Meanwhile, Don Rafael, who narrowly watched the fray,
observed among those who took part with the seamen a young man of about
two-and-twenty, dressed in green, with a hat of the same colour, adorned
with a rich loop and buttons apparently of diamonds. The skill and
courage with which he fought, and the elegance of his dress, drew upon
him the attention of all the spectators, and Teodosia and Leocadia both
cried out, as if with one voice, "Good heavens! either my eyes deceive
me, or he in green is Marco Antonio." Then, with great nimbleness, they
dismounted, drew their swords and daggers, cleared their way through the
crowd, and placed themselves one on each side of Marco Antonio. "Fear
nothing, Señor Marco Antonio," cried Leocadia, "for there is one by your
side who will defend your life at the cost of his own." "Who doubts it,"
ejaculated Teodosia, on the other side, "since I am here?" Don Rafael,
who had seen and heard all this, followed his two companions, and took
sides as they did.
Marco Antonio was too busy smiting and defending himself to heed what
his two seconds had said; he could think of nothing but fighting, and no
man ever fought more bravely; but as the party of the town was every
moment increasing in numbers, the people of the galleys were forced to
retreat and take to the water. Marco Antonio retreated with the rest,
much against his will, still attended on either side by his two valiant
Amazons. By this time a Catalonian knight of the renowned House of
Cardonas, made his appearance on a noble charger, and, throwing himself
between the two parties, ordered the townspeople to retire. The majority
obeyed, but some still continued to fling stones, one of which unluckily
struck Marco Antonio on the breast with such force that he fell
senseless into the water, in which he was wading up to his knees.
Leocadia instantly raised and supported him in her arms, and Teodosia
aided her.
Don Rafael, who had turned aside a little to avoid a shower of stones,
saw the accident which had befallen Marco Antonio, and was hastening
forward to his aid, when the Catalonian knight stopped him, saying,
"Stay, señor, and do me the favour to put yourself by my side. I will
secure you from the insolence of this unruly rabble."
"Ah, señor!" replied Rafael, "let me pass, for I see that in great
danger which I most love in this world."
The knight let him pass, but before he could reach the spot, the crew of
the flagship's boat had already taken on board Marco Antonio and
Leocadia, who never let him out of her arms. As for Teodosia, whether it
was that she was weary, or overcome with grief to see her lover wounded,
or enraged with jealousy to see her rival with him, she had not strength
to get into the boat, and would certainly have fallen in a fainting fit
into the water, if her brother had not opportunely come to her aid,
while he himself felt no less torment than his sister at seeing Leocadia
go away with Marco Antonio.
The Catalonian knight being very much taken with the goodly presence of
Don Rafael and his sister (whom he supposed to be a man), called them
from the shore, and requested them to go with him, and they were
constrained to accept his friendly offer, lest they should suffer some
injury from the people, who were not yet pacified. Thereupon, the knight
dismounted, and with his drawn sword in his hand, led them through the
tumultuous throng, who made way at his command. Don Rafael looked round
to see if he could discover Calvete with the mules; but he was not to be
seen, for the moment his employers dismounted, he had gone off to an inn
where he had lodged on previous occasions. On their arrival at the
knight's abode, which was one of the principal houses in the city, he
asked them in which of the galleys they had arrived. Don Rafael replied
that they had not come in any, for they had arrived in the city just as
the fray began; and it was because they had recognised the gentleman who
was wounded with a stone that they had involved themselves in danger.
Moreover, he entreated the knight would have the gentleman brought on
shore, as he was one on whom his own dearest interests depended. "I will
do so with great pleasure," replied the knight, "and I am sure the
general will allow it, for he is a worthy gentleman and a relation of
mine." Thereupon he went at once to the galley, where he found Marco
Antonio under the hands of the surgeon, who pronounced his wound
dangerous, being near the heart. With the general's consent he had him
brought on shore with great care, accompanied by Leocadia, and carried
to his own house in a litter, where he entertained the whole party with
great hospitality.
A famous surgeon of the city was now sent for, but he would not touch
the patient's wound until the following day, alleging that it had no
doubt been properly treated already, army and navy surgeons being always
men of skill, in consequence of their continual experience in cases of
wounds. He only desired that the patient should be placed in a quiet
room and left to rest. Presently the surgeon of the galley arrived, and
had a conference with his colleague, who approved of what he had done,
and agreed with him in thinking the case highly dangerous. Leocadia and
Teodosia heard this with as much anguish of heart as if it had been a
sentence of death upon themselves; but not wishing to betray their
grief, they strove to conceal it in silence. Leocadia, however,
determined to do what she thought requisite for her honour, and as soon
as the surgeons were gone, she entered Marco Antonio's room, where,
going up to his bed side, and taking his hand in presence of the master
of the house, Don Rafael, Teodosia, and others, "Señor Marco Antonio
Adorno," she said, "it is now no seasonable time, considering your
condition, to utter many words; and therefore I shall only entreat you
to lend your ear to some few which concern, if not the safety of your
body, at least that of your soul. But I must have your permission to
speak; for it would ill become me, who have striven never to disoblige
you from the first moment I knew you, to disturb you now in what seems
almost your last."
At these words Marco Antonio opened his eyes, looked steadfastly at
Leocadia, and recognising her rather by the tone of her voice than by
her face, said with a feeble voice, like one in pain, "Say on, señor,
what you please, for I am not so far gone but that I can listen to you;
nor is that voice of yours so harsh and unpleasing that I should dislike
to hear it."
Teodosia hearkened most attentively, and every word that Leocadia spoke
pierced her heart like an arrow, and at the same time harrowed the soul
of Don Rafael. "If the blow you have received," continued Leocadia, "or
rather that which has struck my heart, has not effaced from your memory,
señor Marco Antonio, the image of her whom not long ago you called your
glory and your heaven, you must surely call to mind who Leocadia was,
and what was the promise you gave her in writing under your own hand;
nor can you have forgotten the worth of her parents, her own modesty and
virtue, and the obligation you are under to her for having always
gratified you in everything you desired. If you have not forgotten all
this, you may readily know, in spite of this disguise, that I am
Leocadia. As soon as I heard of your departure from home, dreading lest
new chances and opportunities should deprive me of what is so justly
mine, I resolved, in defiance of the worst miseries, to follow you in
this garb, and to search the wide world over till I found you. Nor need
you wonder at this, if you have ever felt what the strength of true love
is capable of, or know the frenzy of a deceived woman. I have suffered
some hardships in my quest, all of which I regard as pastime since they
have resulted in my seeing you; for, though you are in this condition,
if it be God's will to remove you to a better world, I shall esteem
myself more than happy if before your departure you do what becomes you,
in which case I promise you to live in such a manner after your death
that I shall soon follow you on that last inevitable journey. I beseech
you then, for the love of heaven, for your own honour, and for my sake,
to whom you owe more than to all the world, receive me at once as your
lawful wife, not leaving it to the law to do what you have so many
righteous motives for doing of your own accord."
Here Leocadia ceased speaking. All present had listened to her in
profound silence, and in the same way they awaited the reply of Marco
Antonio. "I cannot deny, señora," he said, "that I know you; your voice
and your face will not suffer me to do that. Nor yet can I deny how much
I owe to you, nor the great worth of your parents and your own
incomparable modesty and virtue. I do not, and never shall, think
lightly of you for what you have done in coming to seek me in such a
disguise; on the contrary, I shall always esteem you for it in the
highest degree. But since, as you say, I am so near my end, I desire to
make known to you a truth, the knowledge of which, if it be unpleasant
to you now, may hereafter be useful to you.
"I confess, fair Leocadia, that I loved you, and you loved me; and yet I
confess also that my written promise was given more in compliance with
your desire than my own; for before I had long signed it my heart was
captivated by a lady named Teodosia, whom you know, and whose parentage
is as noble as your own. If I gave you a promise signed with my hand, to
her I gave that hand itself in so unequivocal a manner that it is
impossible for me to bestow it on any other person in the world. My
amour with you was but a pastime from which I culled only some flowers,
leaving you nothing the worse; from her I obtained the consummate fruit
of love upon my plighted faith to be her husband. That I afterwards
deserted you both was the inconsiderate act of a young man who thought
that all such things were of little importance, and might be done
without scruple. My intention was to go to Italy, and after spending
some of the years of my youth there, to return and see what had become
of you and my real wife; but Heaven in its mercy, as I truly believe,
has permitted me to be brought to the state in which you see me, in
order that in thus confessing my great faults, I may fulfil my last duty
in this world, by leaving you disabused and free, and ratifying on my
deathbed the pledge I gave to Teodosia. If there is anything, señora
Leocadia, in which I can serve you during the short time that remains to
me, let me know it; so it be not to receive you as my wife, for that I
cannot, there is nothing else which I will not do, if it be in my power,
to please you."
Marco Antonio, who had raised himself on one arm while he spoke, now
fell back senseless. Don Rafael then came forward. "Recover yourself,
dear señor," he said, embracing him affectionately, "and embrace your
friend and your brother, since such you desire him to be."
Marco Antonio opened his eyes, and recognising Don Rafael, embraced him
with great warmth. "Dear brother and señor," he said, "the extreme joy I
feel in seeing you must needs be followed by a proportionate affliction,
since, as they say, after gladness comes sorrow; but whatever befals me
now I will receive with pleasure in exchange for the happiness of
beholding you."
"To make your happiness more complete," replied Don Rafael, "I present
to you this jewel as your own." Then, turning to look for his sister, he
found her behind the rest of the people in the room, bathed in tears,
and divided between joy and grief at what she saw and what she had
heard. Taking her by the hand, her brother led her passively to the
bed-side, and presented her to Marco Antonio, who embraced her with
loving tears.
The rest of those present stared in each others' faces in speechless
amazement at these extraordinary occurrences; but the hapless Leocadia,
seeing her whom she had mistaken for Don Rafael's brother locked in the
arms of him she looked on as her own husband, and all her hopes mocked
and ruined, stole out of the room unperceived by the others, whose
attention was engrossed by the scene about the bed. She rushed wildly
into the street, intending to wander over the world, no matter whither;
but she was hardly out of doors before Don Rafael missed her, and, as if
he had lost his soul, began to inquire anxiously after her; but nobody
could tell what had become of her. He hastened in dismay to the inn
where he was told Calvete lodged, thinking she might have gone thither
to procure a mule; but, not finding her there, he ran like a madman
through the streets, seeking her in every quarter, till the thought
struck him that she might have made for the galleys, and he turned in
that direction. As he approached the shore he heard some one calling
from the land for the boat belonging to the general's galley, and soon
recognised the voice as that of the beautiful Leocadia. Hearing his
footsteps as he hastened towards her, she drew her sword and stood upon
her guard; but perceiving it was Don Rafael, she was vexed and confused
at his having found her, especially in so lonely a place; for she was
aware, from many indications, that he was far from regarding her with
indifference; on the contrary, she would have been delighted to know
that Marco Antonio loved her as well. How shall I relate all that Don
Rafael now said to Leocadia? I can give but a faint idea of the glowing
language in which he poured out his soul.
"Were it my fate, beautiful Leocadia," he said, "along with the favours
of fortune to lack also at this moment the courage to disclose to you
the secret of my soul, then would there be doomed to perpetual oblivion
the most ardent and genuine affection that ever was harboured in a
lover's breast. But not to do it that wrong, I will make bold, señora,
come of it what may, to beg you will observe, if your wounded feelings
allow you, that in nothing has Marco Antonio the advantage of me, except
the happiness of being loved by you. My lineage is as good as his, and
in fortune he is not much superior to me. As for the gifts of nature, it
becomes me not to laud myself, especially if in your eyes those which
have fallen to my share are of no esteem. All this I say, adored señora,
that you may seize the remedy for your disasters which fortune offers to
your hand. You see that Marco Antonio cannot be yours, since Heaven has
already made him my sister's; and the same Heaven which has taken him
from you is now willing to compensate you with me, who desire no higher
bliss in this life than that of being your husband. See how good fortune
stands knocking at the door of the evil fortune you have hitherto known.
And do not suppose that I shall ever think the worse of you for the
boldness you have shown in seeking after Marco Antonio; for from the
moment I determine to match myself with you, I am bound to forget all
that is past. Well I know that the same power which has constrained me
so irresistibly to adore you, has brought you also to your present pass,
and therefore there will be no need to seek an excuse where there has
been no fault."
Leocadia listened in silence to all Don Rafael said, only from time to
time heaving a sigh from the bottom of her heart. Don Rafael ventured to
take her hand; she did not withdraw it; and kissing it again and again,
he said, "Tell me, lady of my soul, that you will be so wholly, in
presence of these starry heavens, this calm listening sea, and these
watery sands. Say that _yes_, which surely behoves your honour as well
as my happiness. I repeat to you that I am a gentleman, as you know, and
wealthy; that I love you, which you ought to esteem above every other
consideration; and that whereas I find you alone, in a garb that
derogates much from your honour, far from the home of your parents and
your kindred, without any one to aid you at your need, and without the
hope of obtaining what you were in quest of, you may return home in your
own proper and seemly garb, accompanied by as good a husband as you had
chosen for yourself, and be wealthy, happy, esteemed, and even applauded
by all who may become acquainted with the events of your story. All
this being so, I know not why you hesitate. Say the one word that shall
raise me from the depth of wretchedness to the heaven of bliss, and in
so doing, you will do what is best for yourself; you will comply with
the demands of courtesy and good sense, and show yourself at once
grateful and discreet."
"Well," said the doubting Leocadia, at last, "since Heaven has so
ordained, and neither I nor any one living can oppose its will, be it as
Heaven and you desire, señor. I take the same power to witness with what
bashfulness I consent to your wishes, not because I am unconscious of
what I gain by complying with them, but because I fear that when I am
yours you will regard me with other eyes than those with which hitherto
perhaps you have mistakingly beheld me. But be it as it may, to be the
lawful wife of Don Rafael de Villavicencio is an honour I cannot lose,
and with that alone I shall live contented. But if my conduct after I am
your wife give me any claim to your esteem, I will thank Heaven for
having brought me through such strange circumstances and such great
misfortunes to the happiness of being yours. Give me your hand, Don
Rafael, and take mine in exchange; and, as you say, let the witnesses of
our mutual engagement be the sky, the sea, the sands, and this silence,
interrupted only by my sighs and your entreaties."
So saying, she permitted Don Rafael to embrace her, and taking each
other's hand they solemnised their betrothal with a few tears drawn from
their eyes by the excess of joy succeeding to their past sorrows. They
immediately returned to the knight's house, where their absence had
occasioned great anxiety, and where the nuptials of Marco Antonio and
Teodosia had already been celebrated by a priest, at the instance of
Teodosia, who dreaded lest any untoward chance should rob her of her
new-found hopes. The appearance of Don Rafael and Leocadia, and the
account given by the former of what had passed between them, augmented
the general joy, and the master of the house rejoiced as if they were
his own near relations; for it is an innate characteristic of the
Catalonian gentry to feel and act as friends towards such strangers as
have any need of their services.
The priest, who was still present, desired that Leocadia should change
her dress for one appropriate to her sex, and the knight at once
supplied both the ladies with handsome apparel from the wardrobe of his
wife, who was a lady of the ancient house of the Granolliques, famous in
that kingdom. The surgeon was moved by charity to complain that the
wounded man talked so much and was not left alone; but it pleased God
that Marco Antonio's joy, and the little silence he observed, were the
very means of his amendment, so that when they came to dress his wound
next day, they found him out of danger, and in a fortnight more he was
fit to travel. During the time he kept his bed he had made a vow that if
he recovered he would go on a pilgrimage on foot to Santiago de Galicia,
and in the fulfilment of that vow he was accompanied by Don Rafael,
Leocadia, Teodosia, and even by the muleteer Calvete, unusual as such
pious practices are with men of his calling; but he had found Don Rafael
so liberal and good-humoured that he would not quit him till he had
returned home. The party having to travel on foot as pilgrims, the mules
were sent on to Salamanca.