122 DOMESTIC MANNERS OF THE SPANISH. 



which, under the circumstances of great natural excitement, break from 

 the countrywomen of the maid of Saragossa. After describing the fes- 

 tivities of the young of both sexes, who had assembled to celebrate the 

 birth-day of the Luciente (or the brilliant), our author proceeds thus : 



" But at this moment a young girl rushed into the midst of the assembly, pale 

 and dishevelled, and uttering cries of despair. Her original costume, and her 

 graceful deportment, partaking of a kind of masculine forwardness, bespoke her 

 at once to be a perfect specimen of the Andalusian maija. ' Where is he," 

 cried she ; ' where is the man who brought this news :' and approaching Jose, 

 she demanded, with a trembling voice, but with looks of fire, ' Pitiful wretch ! 

 is it true that my Pedro has been slain ?' ' It is but too true,' replied the bri- 

 gand, lowering his head. She then gave way to the most violent grief, tearing 

 her hair, disfiguring her face and breast, invoking the saints, and blaspheming 

 them in the next breath, and calling upon death. 



" ' The devil has taken possession of La Luciente/ exclaimed the terrified by- 

 standers ; and each hurried to take refuge as near as possible to the crucifix 

 placed above the door of the old smuggler, while they accompanied each blas- 

 phemy of the unfortunate mistress of Pedro with signs of the cross, and sprink- 

 lings of holy water. At length, pushing with impetuosity through the terrified 

 crowd, she again confronted Jose, and said, ' Tell me, wretch, how did my 

 Pedro meet his end ?' ' In the name of the Holy Virgin of Fuensanta, do you 

 think, young woman, that I had time to examine ? I was but too lucky in 

 escaping myself, thank God for it !' ' Thank God ! and you thank God, base 

 coward that you are !' replied La Luciente, approaching still nearer to the un- 

 happy fugitive, while her eyes flashed fury and contempt. ' You thank God for 

 being enabled to run away. But did Pedro Gomez fly when you were in the 

 chapel at Ecija, when the priests had already begun to sing the prayers of the 

 dead for you, did he then spare his life to effect your deliverance ? and is it you 

 that thank God for having had time to fly while they were slaughtering him ?' She 

 advanced a step nearer to Jose, and raising her clenched fist to his face, conti- 

 nued, ' If you were a man, would you have abandoned my Pedro in the hour of 

 danger ? if you were a man, you would know how he perished ; if you were a 



man, would you be sitting there in the corner like an old cripple? but why 



waste breath on such a being !' 



" Jose had, by an involuntary movement, grasped his dagger ; but he sud- 

 denly restrained himself, and putting aside the menacing arm of the young girl, 

 said with a forced laugh, ' White hands wound not ; but thank the Holy Virgin, 

 muchacha (young girl), that Pedro was thy cortejo, otherwise ' 



" Two new comers here entered the court ; one of them recognized Jose 

 ' There he is,' cried he ; ' the poor girl knows all.' ' Estaban Lara and Chris- 

 toval Moreno,' exclaimed at the same time several voices. 



" ' Christoval Moreno ! Christoval, the partner of the flight of Jose !' imme- 

 diately resumed the frantic girl, quitting Jose to approach Christoval. 'And 

 you too, doubtless, you had not time to mark how my Pedro perished ! and you, 

 too, could abandon him ! You should have hid yourself in a convent, yes, in a 

 convent of nuns, effeminate as you are!' At the same time she pushed him from 

 her with force. The astonished Christoval gazed in pity on the unhappy girl, 

 then disengaging her right hand from his ample cloak, he held it out to her : 

 ' Young girl, mark you that blood ? it is the blood of the murderer of Pedro 

 Gomez !' The energetic motion of Christoval quelled the fury of the despairing 

 Luciente. She drew back, and was silent." 



The murder of the Marquis of Penaflores takes place at the fair of 

 Mairena, which is celebrated in Spain. It is a little village, four leagues 

 distant from Seville, which for three or four days attracts crowds of 

 people, intent on business or pleasure, from all quarters of the kingdom. 

 The diversity of costumes and idioms, the magnificence of the rich mer- 

 chants, the simple and picturesque manners of the inhabitants of some 

 of the more remote provinces, the numbers of the young and beautiful 



