"That's ridiculous," said the young man; "the fact is, all the menon earth will not make me sleep in prison."

"Tell me, you devil," said Sancho, "have you got any angel that willdeliver you, and take off the irons I am going to order them to putupon you?"

"Now, senor governor," said the young man in a sprightly manner,"let us be reasonable and come to the point. Granted your worshipmay order me to be taken to prison, and to have irons and chains puton me, and to be shut up in a cell, and may lay heavy penalties on thegaoler if he lets me out, and that he obeys your orders; still, if Idon't choose to sleep, and choose to remain awake all night withoutclosing an eye, will your worship with all your power be able tomake me sleep if I don't choose?"

"No, truly," said the secretary, "and the fellow has made hispoint."

"So then," said Sancho, "it would be entirely of your own choice youwould keep from sleeping; not in opposition to my will?"

"No, senor," said the youth, "certainly not."

"Well then, go, and God be with you," said Sancho; "be off home tosleep, and God give you sound sleep, for I don't want to rob you ofit; but for the future, let me advise you don't joke with theauthorities, because you may come across some one who will bringdown the joke on your own skull."

The young man went his way, and the governor continued his round,and shortly afterwards two tipstaffs came up with a man in custody,and said, "Senor governor, this person, who seems to be a man, isnot so, but a woman, and not an ill-favoured one, in man's clothes."They raised two or three lanterns to her face, and by their light theydistinguished the features of a woman to all appearance of the ageof sixteen or a little more, with her hair gathered into a gold andgreen silk net, and fair as a thousand pearls. They scanned her fromhead to foot, and observed that she had on red silk stockings withgarters of white taffety bordered with gold and pearl; her breecheswere of green and gold stuff, and under an open jacket or jerkin ofthe same she wore a doublet of the finest white and gold cloth; hershoes were white and such as men wear; she carried no sword at herbelt, but only a richly ornamented dagger, and on her fingers shehad several handsome rings. In short, the girl seemed fair to lookat in the eyes of all, and none of those who beheld her knew her,the people of the town said they could not imagine who she was, andthose who were in the secret of the jokes that were to be practisedupon Sancho were the ones who were most surprised, for this incidentor discovery had not been arranged by them; and they watched anxiouslyto see how the affair would end.

Sancho was fascinated by the girl's beauty, and he asked her who shewas, where she was going, and what had induced her to dress herself inthat garb. She with her eyes fixed on the ground answered in modestconfusion, "I cannot tell you, senor, before so many people what it isof such consequence to me to have kept secret; one thing I wish tobe known, that I am no thief or evildoer, but only an unhappy maidenwhom the power of jealousy has led to break through the respect thatis due to modesty."

Hearing this the majordomo said to Sancho, "Make the people standback, senor governor, that this lady may say what she wishes with lessembarrassment."

Sancho gave the order, and all except the majordomo, thehead-carver, and the secretary fell back. Finding herself then inthe presence of no more, the damsel went on to say, "I am thedaughter, sirs, of Pedro Perez Mazorca, the wool-farmer of thistown, who is in the habit of coming very often to my father's house."

"That won't do, senora," said the majordomo; "for I know Pedro Perezvery well, and I know he has no child at all, either son ordaughter; and besides, though you say he is your father, you addthen that he comes very often to your father's house."

"I had already noticed that," said Sancho.

"I am confused just now, sirs," said the damsel, "and I don't knowwhat I am saying; but the truth is that I am the daughter of Diegode la Llana, whom you must all know."

"Ay, that will do," said the majordomo; "for I know Diego de laLlana, and know that he is a gentleman of position and a rich man, andthat he has a son and a daughter, and that since he was left a widowernobody in all this town can speak of having seen his daughter'sface; for he keeps her so closely shut up that he does not give eventhe sun a chance of seeing her; and for all that report says she isextremely beautiful."

"It is true," said the damsel, "and I am that daughter; whetherreport lies or not as to my beauty, you, sirs, will have decided bythis time, as you have seen me;" and with this she began to weepbitterly.

On seeing this the secretary leant over to the head-carver's ear,and said to him in a low voice, "Something serious has no doubthappened this poor maiden, that she goes wandering from home in such adress and at such an hour, and one of her rank too." "There can beno doubt about it," returned the carver, "and moreover her tearsconfirm your suspicion." Sancho gave her the best comfort he could,and entreated her to tell them without any fear what had happened her,as they would all earnestly and by every means in their powerendeavour to relieve her.

"The fact is, sirs," said she, "that my father has kept me shut upthese ten years, for so long is it since the earth received my mother.Mass is said at home in a sumptuous chapel, and all this time I haveseen but the sun in the heaven by day, and the moon and the stars bynight; nor do I know what streets are like, or plazas, or churches, oreven men, except my father and a brother I have, and Pedro Perez thewool-farmer; whom, because he came frequently to our house, I tookit into my head to call my father, to avoid naming my own. Thisseclusion and the restrictions laid upon my going out, were it only tochurch, have been keeping me unhappy for many a day and month past;I longed to see the world, or at least the town where I was born,and it did not seem to me that this wish was inconsistent with therespect maidens of good quality should have for themselves. When Iheard them talking of bull-fights taking place, and of javelingames, and of acting plays, I asked my brother, who is a yearyounger than myself, to tell me what sort of things these were, andmany more that I had never seen; he explained them to me as well as hecould, but the only effect was to kindle in me a still stronger desireto see them. At last, to cut short the story of my ruin, I beggedand entreated my brother- O that I had never made such an entreaty-"And once more she gave way to a burst of weeping.

"Proceed, senora," said the majordomo, "and finish your story ofwhat has happened to you, for your words and tears are keeping usall in suspense."

"I have but little more to say, though many a tear to shed," saidthe damsel; "for ill-placed desires can only be paid for in somesuch way."

The maiden's beauty had made a deep impression on thehead-carver's heart, and he again raised his lantern for anotherlook at her, and thought they were not tears she was shedding, butseed-pearl or dew of the meadow, nay, he exalted them still higher,and made Oriental pearls of them, and fervently hoped her misfortunemight not be so great a one as her tears and sobs seemed toindicate. The governor was losing patience at the length of time thegirl was taking to tell her story, and told her not to keep themwaiting any longer; for it was late, and there still remained a gooddeal of the town to be gone over.

She, with broken sobs and half-suppressed sighs, went on to say, "Mymisfortune, my misadventure, is simply this, that I entreated mybrother to dress me up as a man in a suit of his clothes, and takeme some night, when our father was asleep, to see the whole town;he, overcome by my entreaties, consented, and dressing me in this suitand himself in clothes of mine that fitted him as if made for him (forhe has not a hair on his chin, and might pass for a very beautifulyoung girl), to-night, about an hour ago, more or less, we left thehouse, and guided by our youthful and foolish impulse we made thecircuit of the whole town, and then, as we were about to returnhome, we saw a great troop of people coming, and my brother said tome, 'Sister, this must be the round, stir your feet and put wings tothem, and follow me as fast as you can, lest they recognise us, forthat would be a bad business for us;' and so saying he turned aboutand began, I cannot say to run but to fly; in less than six paces Ifell from fright, and then the officer of justice came up andcarried me before your worships, where I find myself put to shamebefore all these people as whimsical and vicious."

"So then, senora," said Sancho, "no other mishap has befallen you,nor was it jealousy that made you leave home, as you said at thebeginning of your story?"

"Nothing has happened me," said she, "nor was it jealousy thatbrought me out, but merely a longing to see the world, which did notgo beyond seeing the streets of this town."

The appearance of the tipstaffs with her brother in custody, whomone of them had overtaken as he ran away from his sister, now fullyconfirmed the truth of what the damsel said. He had nothing on but arich petticoat and a short blue damask cloak with fine gold lace,and his head was uncovered and adorned only with its own hair, whichlooked like rings of gold, so bright and curly was it. The governor,the majordomo, and the carver went aside with him, and, unheard by hissister, asked him how he came to be in that dress, and he with no lessshame and embarrassment told exactly the same story as his sister,to the great delight of the enamoured carver; the governor, however,said to them, "In truth, young lady and gentleman, this has been avery childish affair, and to explain your folly and rashness there wasno necessity for all this delay and all these tears and sighs; forif you had said we are so-and-so, and we escaped from our father'shouse in this way in order to ramble about, out of mere curiosityand with no other object, there would have been an end of thematter, and none of these little sobs and tears and all the rest ofit."

"That is true," said the damsel, "but you see the confusion I was inwas so great it did not let me behave as I ought."

"No harm has been done," said Sancho; "come, we will leave you atyour father's house; perhaps they will not have missed you; andanother time don't be so childish or eager to see the world; for arespectable damsel should have a broken leg and keep at home; andthe woman and the hen by gadding about are soon lost; and she who iseager to see is also eager to be seen; I say no more."

The youth thanked the governor for his kind offer to take them home,and they directed their steps towards the house, which was not faroff. On reaching it the youth threw a pebble up at a grating, andimmediately a woman-servant who was waiting for them came down andopened the door to them, and they went in, leaving the partymarvelling as much at their grace and beauty as at the fancy theyhad for seeing the world by night and without quitting the village;which, however, they set down to their youth.

The head-carver was left with a heart pierced through and through,and he made up his mind on the spot to demand the damsel in marriageof her father on the morrow, making sure she would not be refusedhim as he was a servant of the duke's; and even to Sancho ideas andschemes of marrying the youth to his daughter Sanchica suggestedthemselves, and he resolved to open the negotiation at the properseason, persuading himself that no husband could be refused to agovernor's daughter. And so the night's round came to an end, and acouple of days later the government, whereby all his plans wereoverthrown and swept away, as will be seen farther on.

CHAPTER L

WHEREIN IS SET FORTH WHO THE ENCHANTERS AND EXECUTIONERS WERE WHOFLOGGED THE DUENNA AND PINCHED DON QUIXOTE, AND ALSO WHAT BEFELL THEPAGE WHO CARRIED THE LETTER TO TERESA PANZA, SANCHO PANZA'S WIFE

Cide Hamete, the painstaking investigator of the minute points ofthis veracious history, says that when Dona Rodriguez left her ownroom to go to Don Quixote's, another duenna who slept with herobserved her, and as all duennas are fond of prying, listening, andsniffing, she followed her so silently that the good Rodriguez neverperceived it; and as soon as the duenna saw her enter Don Quixote'sroom, not to fail in a duenna's invariable practice of tattling, shehurried off that instant to report to the duchess how Dona Rodriguezwas closeted with Don Quixote. The duchess told the duke, and askedhim to let her and Altisidora go and see what the said duenna wantedwith Don Quixote. The duke gave them leave, and the pair cautiouslyand quietly crept to the door of the room and posted themselves soclose to it that they could hear all that was said inside. But whenthe duchess heard how the Rodriguez had made public the Aranjuez ofher issues she could not restrain herself, nor Altisidora either;and so, filled with rage and thirsting for vengeance, they burstinto the room and tormented Don Quixote and flogged the duenna inthe manner already described; for indignities offered to theircharms and self-esteem mightily provoke the anger of women and makethem eager for revenge. The duchess told the duke what had happened,and he was much amused by it; and she, in pursuance of her design ofmaking merry and diverting herself with Don Quixote, despatched thepage who had played the part of Dulcinea in the negotiations for herdisenchantment (which Sancho Panza in the cares of government hadforgotten all about) to Teresa Panza his wife with her husband'sletter and another from herself, and also a great string of fine coralbeads as a present.

Now the history says this page was very sharp and quick-witted;and eager to serve his lord and lady he set off very willingly forSancho's village. Before he entered it he observed a number of womenwashing in a brook, and asked them if they could tell him whetherthere lived there a woman of the name of Teresa Panza, wife of oneSancho Panza, squire to a knight called Don Quixote of La Mancha. Atthe question a young girl who was washing stood up and said, "TeresaPanza is my mother, and that Sancho is my father, and that knight isour master."

Title: Don Quixote
Author: Miqeul de Cervantes
Viewed 440105 times

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