Affectionate Reception 



Seville, of a sort I have never seen elsewhere ; so I bought 

 them to adorn my waistcoat. Then losing my way I came 

 to a fruit-market, where eating a very large orange, I was 

 saluted by some boy, whom I shortly recognised to be the 

 servant of a Frenchman we met at Olvera. I don't know if 

 I told you about him, or that we had made acquaintance 

 with his wife at the Christobal Posada, in Ronda. 



She lived in the room opposite, and fell heir to the 

 remains of our tough mutton, when we went away. How- 

 ever, the boy would have me come with him to pay a visit 

 to his master. The Frenchman received me in a large bare 

 room of an out-of-the-way but vast old posada^ with much 

 cordiality. He said his wife had told him she met us at the 

 Christobal. He sent for her, and when she came she fairly 

 rushed into my arms. 



I was a little embarrassed by so affectionate a reception, 

 for I thought her husband might be jealous. However, he 

 took it as a matter of course, and they fell to questioning 

 me, with much interest in my prosperity, as to how I was 

 getting on in my profession. 



I opened my eyes, forgetting at the moment what my 

 profession precisely was, but he proceeded to ask if we had 

 done any portraits. I said, we were only arrived to-day, 

 and told him the name of our posada^ and we should be most 

 thankful if he could recommend us to any customers. 

 " Ma fo'i^'' said he, ^^ je ferai mon possible ! " so I went home to 

 dinner. 



After dinner we wandered about the town, and came to a 

 motley and gilt obelisk, set up, I believe, to Espartero's 

 friends who were shot. Here we sat together on a stone 

 bench in the p/aza, where I had sat alone as I loitered about 

 Malaga, a forlorn and solitary wanderer, on my way out. 

 This is the first place in which our present journey has 



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