The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane - Alain René le Sage (best fiction books of all time .txt) 📗
- Author: Alain René le Sage
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landlord’s hearing, pinned his faith upon my veracity. Probably
my unfledged youth might lead him to take me for some graceless
little truant who had robbed his parents and run away. But that
was no concern of his: he took the thing just as I gave it him,
for fear lest his curiosity should clash with my continuance at
his house. For six reals a day one could live like a gentleman at
this inn, where there was generally a considerable concourse of
company. About a dozen people sat down at supper. It was
whimsical enough; but the whole party plied their knives and
forks without speaking a word, except one man, who talked
incessantly, right or wrong, and made up for the silence of the
rest by his eternal babble. He affected to be a wit, to tell a
good story, and took great pains to make the good folks merry by
his puns; and accordingly they did laugh most inextinguishably;
but it was at him, not with him.
For my part, I paid so little attention to the talk of this
rattle, that I should have got up from table without knowing what
it was all about, if he had not brought it home to my business
and my bosom. Gentlemen, cried he, just as supper was over, I
have kept my best story for the last; a very droll thing happened
within these few days at the archbishop of Seville’s palace. I
had it from a young fellow of my acquaintance, who assures me
that he was present at the time. These words made my heart jump
up into my throat, for I had no doubt of this being my exploit —
and so it turned out This pleasant gentle man related the facts
as they actually happened, and even carried the adventure to its
conclusion, of which I was as yet ignorant: but now you shall be
made as wise as myself.
No sooner had I absconded, than the Moors, who were, according to
the progress of the fable and the rising of the interest, to lay
violent hands on me, appeared upon the stage, for the fell
purpose of surprising me on my bed of turf, where the author had
given them reason to expect me fast asleep; but when they thought
they were just going to capot the King of Leon, they found, to
their surprise, that both the king and the knave made a trick
against them. Here was a hole in the ballad! The actors all lost
their cue; some of them called me by name, others ran to look for
me; here is a fellow bawling as though his bellows would burst,
there stands another, muttering to himself about the devil, just
as if that reptile could stand upright in such a presence! The
archbishop, perceiving trouble and confusion to lord it behind
the scenes, asked what was the matter. At the sound of the
prelate’s voice, a page, who was the fiddle of the piece, came to
the front and spoke thus: My lord archbishop, ladies, and
gentlemen! We are extremely sorry to inform you, as players, but
extremely glad, as men and Christians, that the King of Leon is
at present in no danger whatever of being taken prisoner by the
Moors: he has adopted effectual measures for the security of his
royal person; and to the royal person, as liberty avails little
without property, he has irrevocably attached the crown,
insignia, and robes. And a happy deliverance for himself and
Christendom! exclaimed the archbishop. He has done perfectly
right to escape from the enemies of our religion, and to burst
from the bonds in which their malice would have laid him. By this
time, probably, he has reached the confines of his kingdom, or
may have entered the capital. May no unlucky accident have
retarded him on his journey! And that the sin of none such may
lie heavy on my conscience, I beg leave very positively to make
my pleasure known, that he may proceed unmolested by any
interruption from this quarter; I should be highly mortified
indeed, if his majesty’s pious endeavours were to be frustrated
by the slightest indignity from the ministers of that religion in
whose cause he labours and suffers. The prelate, having thus
declared his acquiescence in the motives of my flight, ordered my
part to be read, and the play to be resumed.
CH. XI. — Continuation of Scipio’s story.
As long as I had money in my purse, my landlord was cap in hand;
but the moment he began to suspect that the funds were low, he
became high and mighty, picked a German quarrel with me, and one
morning, before breakfast, begged it as a favour of me to march
out of his house. I followed his counsel as proudly as you
please, and betook me to a church belonging to the fathers of St
Dominic, where, while mass was performing, an old beggar accosted
me on the usual topic of alms. I dropped some small change into
his hat, which was truly the orphan’s mite, saying at the same
time: My friend, remember in your prayers to mention a situation
for me; if your petition is heard with favour, it shall be all
the better for you; hearty thanks, and a handsome poundage!
At these words, the beggar surveyed me up and down from head to
foot, and answered in a grave tone: What place would you wish to
have? I should like, replied I, to be footman in some family
where I should do well. He inquired whether the matter pressed.
With all possible importunity, said I, for unless I have the good
luck to get settled very soon, the alternative will be horrible;
death by the gripe of absolute famine, or a livelihood in the
ranks of your fraternity. If the latter were, after all, to be
your lot, resumed he, it certainly would be rather hard upon you,
who have not been brought up to our habits of life; but, with a
little use and practice, you would prefer our condition to
service, which, partiality apart, is far less respectable than
the beggar’s vocation. Nevertheless, since you like a menial
occupation better than leading a free and independent life like
me, you shall have a berth without more ado. Mean as my
appearance, is, you must not measure my power by it. Meet me here
at the same hour to-morrow.
I took care to keep the appointment. Though at the spot before
the time, I had not long to wait before the beggar joined me, and
told me to follow him. I did so. He led me to a cellar not far
from the church where he resided. We went in together; and
sitting down on a long bench, at least a hundred years the worse
for wear, the conversation took this turn on his part: A good
action, as the proverb says, always meets with its reward: you
gave me alms yesterday, and that has determined me to get you a
place, which shall be soon done, with a blessing on my
endeavours. I know an old Dominican, by name Father Alexis, a
holy monk, a ghostly confessor. I have the honour to do all his
little odd jobs, performing my task with so much discretion and
good faith, that he always lends his interest to me and my
friends. I have spoken to him about you, and in such terms as to
prepossess him in your favour. You may be introduced to his
reverence whenever you please.
There is not a moment to be lost, said I to the old beggar; let
us go to the good monk immediately. The mendicant agreed, and led
me by the arm to Father Alexis, whom we found in his room, hard
at work, writing spiritual letters. He broke off to talk with me.
As it was the wish of the mendicant, he would do all in his power
to serve me. Having learnt, pursued be, that Signor Balthasar
Velasquez is in want of a footboy, I wrote to him this morning on
your behalf; and he just sent me for answer, that he would take
you without further inquiry on my recommendation. This very day
you may call on him from me; he is one of my flock, and my very
good friend. Thereupon the monk preached to me for three quarters
of an hour on my moral and religious duties, and how to fulfil
them in conscience and honour. He enlarged principally on the
obligation of serving Velasquez with diligence and devotion; and
then assured me that he would take care and keep me in my place,
provided my master had no very material fault to find with me.
After having thanked the holy person for his goodness towards me,
I left the convent with the beggar, who told me that Signor
Balthasar Velasquez was an old woollen-draper, but with much
simplicity and good nature in his character. I doubt not, added
he, but you will be perfectly comfortable in his house. I begged
to know his place of residence, and repaired thither immediately,
after promising to make my gratitude manifest, as soon as I had
taken root in my new soil. I went into a large shop, where two
fashionable young apprentices were walking up and down,
practising new grimaces against the entrance of the next
customer. I inquired whether their master was at home, saying
that I wanted to speak with him from Father Alexis. At that
venerable name they shewed me into the countinghouse, where
their principal was turning over the ledger. I made a low bow,
and coming up to him, Sir, said I, Father Alexis ordered me to
call here and offer myself as a servant to your honour. Ah! my
smart lad, answered he, you are heartily welcome. It is enough
that the holy man sent you; and I shall take you in preference to
three or four others who have been recommended. It is a clear
case; your wages begin from this day.
A very short time in the family convinced me that the head of it
was just such a man as he had been described, In point of
simplicity, be was everything that could be wished; so exquisite
a subject for imposition, that it seemed next to an impossibility
not to exercise my craft upon such a handle. He had been a
widower four years, and had two children, a son five-and-twenty,
and a daughter in her eleventh year. The girl, brought up by a
severe duenna, under the spiritual conduct of Father Alexis,
walked in the high road of virtue; but her brother, Gaspard
Velasquez, though no pains had been spared to make a good man of
him, picked out for himself all the vices of a young profligate.
Sometimes he stayed away from home two or three days together;
and if, on his return, his father ventured to remonstrate in the
least against his proceedings, Gaspard shut his mouth at once,
with a haughty toss of the head, and an impertinent answer.
Scipio, said the old man one day, my son is the plague of my
life. He is over head and ears in all kinds of debauchery: and
yet there is no accounting for it, since his education was by no
means neglected. I have given him the very best masters; and my
friend Father Alexis has done his utmost to train him up in the
way he should go; but there was no breaking him in; Master
Gaspard ran restive, and bolted into downright libertinism. You
may perhaps tell me, that I spared the rod and spoiled the child.
Quite otherwise! he was punished whenever the occasion seemed to
demand it; for, though
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