A Recovery 



breath, and said some workmen had found the cloak, and had 

 wanted to keep it ; but he, being — as he left us to infer — an 

 honest man, had run to overtake us, if possible. I returned 

 with him, and found, sure enough, that there was an indis- 

 position on the part of the workmen to give up their booty. 

 The spokesman made difficulties about believing me to be 

 the real owner ; but I gave him a specification of the cloak, 

 — that it had vueltas rojas (red facings) and silver clasps, 

 and moreover that it had been ensanchado atras^ por no ser 

 antes capa redonda ; that is to say, a broad gusset or goar 

 had been let in to make it wider. These specifications, 

 properly seasoned with imprecational expletives, obtained 

 me the capa^ and having given my informant a peseta^ I 

 cantered back. 



Harry was waiting for me at the door of a venta^ where I 

 had turned back. He had found a companion, who, on my 

 return, saluted me with congratulations on the recovery of 

 my cloak. This man walked along with us some way. His 

 name was Jose Vigil — a blacksmith and farrier in some 

 village at the other side of Granada, — travelling on foot as 

 far as Jaen, where he was going to pass the Holy Week 

 with some relations. He hoped to see " El rostro del 

 Senor'^ before his return. We did not know exactly what 

 he meant at first, till we recollected that there is one of the 

 numerous duplicates of the '■'■ santa rostro'''' (holy face) im- 

 pressed in the napkin of, I believe, St^. Veronica in the 

 reliquary of Jaen. 



" And of what nation may you be, cahalleros ? " 



" You shall guess. What do you think ? " 



" Perchance Italians ? " 



" No ; I am an Englishman, and my friend here is a 

 Frenchman. It is a custom in our countries, which are 

 neighbouring, as it were La Mancha and Andalusia, for the 



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