DOMESTIC MANNERS OF THIJ SPANISH. 119 



countenance was gay and serene, his forehead high, his small "eyes glittered 

 like diamonds, and there was a haughtiness in his air, notwithstanding a visible 

 effort of constrained humility. Beside him was the Padrona, or mistress of the 

 house, a woman rather advanced in years, but still alert, and exhibiting in her 

 manner an energy quite masculine. She was occupied with preparing, with 

 pious care, the supper of the holy father, and condescended, from time to time, 

 to receive the assistance of the ventero, or innkeeper, who, like his worthy 

 spouse, was too much occupied with the holy man, to pay the least attention to, 

 the new comers. 



"At length one of the travellers, invited, no doubt, by the odour of the 

 cookery, hazarded breaking the general silence. He was a tall man, thin and 

 dry, about forty, but wearing his years remarkably well. His lofty forehead 

 was shaded by curls of handsome black hair, and his open countenance was at 

 times darkened by disquietude. He was dressed in a long, dark, travelling cloak, 

 and wore a round hat, after the French fashion. His careless deportment indi- 

 cated as well a lassitude of mind as of body ; but when he drew his tall and well- 

 proportioned figure to its full height, when his eye became animated, a sublime 

 expression of energy suddenly succeeded those indications of depression. 



" ' Can we have supper soon ?' said he to the hostess, in a gentle voice, some- 

 what marked by the sharp accent of Andalusia. ' Your supper, cavallero ? 

 What matter's it to me/ replied the inflexible matron, 'you may eat what you 

 have brought with you : here there is nothing for you.' ' But the fowl you are 

 roasting/ ' The fowl O it is for the reverend father Francisco/ interrupted the 

 host ; ' would it not be unbecoming, I ask you, if lay travellers should be served 

 before a holy servant of the church ?' 



" This argument was unanswerable, and the poor traveller resumed his seat 

 among his companions. 



"'Ha, ha! Don Antonio!' laughed out one of the latter, ' you have again 

 forgotten that you are no longer in your much-boasted France. But cheer up ; 

 I, who, like you, have not had time to forget among strangers the customs of 

 my country, I have taken care of both of us, and you will have no reason to 

 complain of my precaution / at the same time, he drew forth in triumph from 

 his bag two superb wild ducks. 



' The new speaker was a young man, from twenty to twenty-five years of 

 age, whose entire manner expressed a frank gaiety, and a sort of happy confi- 

 dence in the future. His black hair escaped in confused ringlets from beneath a 

 military cap, called a cachucha ; the light bluish down of his beard corrected 

 the rather feminine delicacy of his features, and his mouth, which seemed formed 

 for smiles, was surmounted by a pair of little black mustachios. He wore a 

 plain, but elegant travelling dress, and a light fowling-piece was suspended 

 from his left shoulder. ' Ho, there !' resumed he, in a burlesque tone of com- 

 mand, ' is there no charitable person here, to put these ducks to the fire for 

 me ?' at the same time, as if he had despaired of meeting with the desired as- 

 sistance, he proceeded himself to fill the office of cook. But his culinary efforts 

 were interrupted by a little soft voice exclaiming behind him, ' Jesus ! cavalle- 

 rito, how awkward you are, in spite of your white hands. Come, let it alone ; 

 I shall manage it for you/ 



" ' May God bless your large black eyes !' replied the youth, as, turning round, 

 he beheld, by the flickering light of the embers, a young and pretty girl, in all 

 the simplicity of costume of the shepherdesses of the Sierra Morena. ' Come, 

 then, queen of my heart, be the protecting divinity of my pretty white hands, 

 and in recompence, I swear, as a Preux chevalier, to consecrate them to your 

 service/ Saying this, he had advanced a step towards the young girl, but she 

 had disappeared with the lightness of a sylph. 



" When supper had been finished by the customary plate of olives, the com- 

 pany remained at table for some time longer, discussing the goatskin vessel of 

 wine. Rojas took his guitar, that classical vade mecum of every young Spaniard; 

 and, under a pretence of. teaching the pretty daughter of mine host some new 

 airs, made her sit down beside him, and guided her delicate fingers along the 



