A " Troughy " 



" Nothing is forbidden to Englishmen," I remarked, in a 

 confident manner, as if I was delivering a well-known axiom ; 

 " besides, it is specified in the papers that we are personas de 

 toda conjianza " (persons of all confidence). This clenched 

 our defence. So we went and ate a very dirty potato- 

 omelette. Afterwards we found the well : but it did not 

 come up to our expectations, having been new-plastered. 

 However, there was the old trough, cracked through the 

 middle. I chipped a little bit off for a relic, or rather a 

 trophy. Harry sketched the well. I sat before the venta 

 door on a stool, writing at my journal, while the ventero^ a 

 bad-looking young man, with round idiotic eyes, played at 

 cards with his wife, who was older and still more disagree- 

 able in appearance than himself. 



We thought no more about the Orden del Pozo ; but rode 

 away as soon as the ponies had eaten their corn. Near the 

 point where we had lately emerged upon the camino real^ 

 there was a great new venta^ outwardly fair to view ; but 

 when we came to inquire for beds, it proved to be un- 

 finished, and full of bricks and mortar of emptiness. The 

 people here had seen us go by before, and now asked what 

 we had been to see at the Venta Quesada. We told them 

 it was because the famous Don Quixote had been there. 

 "Ah," said the landlord, "I myself have the fourth volume 

 of his history, and know all about the beautiful Dulcinea del 

 Toboso." 



A little after sun-down we reached Villarta. Lent ended 

 yesterday, I believe ; and we certainly saw more meat con- 

 sumed at this venta than we have yet seen on our way 

 altogether. We got some excellent fried ham, the first 

 unreesty sample we have met with since Seville, except, of 

 course, in the great towns. 



As we sat in our apartment, before going to bed, a con- 



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