The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane - Alain René le Sage (best fiction books of all time .txt) 📗

of poverty with which I was threatened, and

Fabricio’s apparent good case, having more weight with me than

his arguments, I determined to wear a livery. On which we sallied

forth from the tavern, and my townsman said: I am going to

introduce you to a man, to whom most of the servants resort when

they are on the ramble; he has eaves-droppers about him to pick

up all that passes in families. He knows at once where the

servants are going away, and keeps a correct register, not only

of vacant places, but of vacant masters, with their good and bad

properties. The fellow has been a friar in some convent or other.

In short, he it was who got me my place.

 

While we were conversing about so singular an office of

intelligence, the son of Nunez the barber took me into a street

which had no thoroughfare. We went into a mean house, where we

found a man about fifty writing at a table. We wished him good

day, with quite as much humility as became us: but, whether it

was from natural pride, or that, from a habit of seeing none but

lacqueys and coachmen, he had got a trick of receiving his

company with an easy freedom, without rising from his seat, he

just gave a slight nod. He seemed surprised that a young man in

embroidered velvet should want a place; he had rather expected me

to have wanted a servant. However, he was not kept long in doubt,

since Fabricio said at once: Signor Arias de Londona, give me

leave to introduce one of my best friends. He is a youth of good

connections, whom adverse circumstances have reduced to the

necessity of going to service. Have the goodness to provide for

him handsomely, and you may trust to his gratitude. Gentlemen,

replied Arias coolly, this is the way with you all; before you

are settled, you make the finest promises in the world: but

afterwards, Lord help us! your memories are very short. The

deuce! replied Fabricio, why you do not complain of me? Have not

I done the thing genteelly? You ought to have done it much

better, rejoined Arias: your place is better than a clerk in a

public office, and you paid me as if I had quartered you upon a

poor author. Here I interfered, and told Master Arias, that to

convince him I was not a shabby fellow, I would make my

acknowledgments beforehand; at the same time taking out two

ducats, with an assurance of not stopping there if he got me into

a good berth.

 

He seemed to like my mode of dealing. There are, said he, some

very good places vacant. I will give you a list of them, and you

shall take your choice. With these words, he put on his

spectacles, opened a register on the table, turned over a few of

the leaves, and began reading to this effect: Captain Torbellino

wants a footman; a hasty, hair-brained, humoursome chap; scolds

incessantly, swears, kicks his servants, and very often cripples

them. Go on to the next, cried I, at this picture; such a captain

will never do for me. My sprightliness made Arias smile, and he

went on with his catalogue thus: Donna Manuela de Sandoval, a

superannuated dowager, peevish and fantastical, is in want at

this very time; she keeps but one, and him never for four-and-twenty hours. There has been a livery in the house for these ten

years, which fits every new-corner, whether tall or short. They

only just try it on; so that it is as good as new though it has

had two thousand owners. Doctor Alvar Fanez wants a journeyman;

an eminent member of the faculty! He boards his family very

handsomely, has everything comfortable about him, and gives very

high wages; but he is a little too fond of experiments. When he

gets a parcel of bad drugs, which happens very often, there is a

pretty quick succession of new servants.

 

Oh! I do not in the least doubt it, interrupted Fabricio with a

horse-laugh. Upon my word, you give me a fine character of your

customers. Patience, said Arias de Londona; we have not yet got

to the end: there is variety enough. Thereupon he continued to

read on: Donna Alfonsa de Solis, an old devotee, who lives two-thirds of her time at church, and always keeps her servant at her

apron string, has been in want for these three weeks. The

Licentiate S�dillo, an old prebendary of the chapter here, turned

away his servant yesterday evening Halt there, Signor Arias

de Londona, cried Fabricio at that passage; we will stick to the

church. The Licentiate S�dillo is one of my master’s friends, and

I am very well acquainted with him. I know he has for his

housekeeper an old hypocrite, called Dame Jacintha, who is

complete mistress of the family. It is one of the best houses in

Valladolid. A very idle life, and plenty of excellent meat and

drink. Besides, his reverence is an old, gouty, infirm man,

likely soon to make his will: there is a legacy to be looked

after. That is a delightful prospect for one of our cloth! Gil

Blas, added he, turning round to me, let us lose no time, my

friend, but go immediately to the licentiate’s house. I will

introduce you myself, and give you a character. At these words,

for fear of missing such an opportunity, we took a hasty leave of

Signor Arias, who assured me, for my money, that if I failed

here, he would do something as good for me elsewhere.

 

BOOK THE SECOND.

 

CH. I. — Fabricio introduces Gil Blas to the Licentiate S�dillo,

and procures him a reception. The domestic economy of that

clergyman. Picture of his housekeeper.

 

WE were so dreadfully afraid of offending against the regular

hours of the old licentiate, that we made but a hop, skip, and

jump, from the street with one outlet, to the prebendal

residence. The gates were barred: but we ventured to announce our

arrival. A girl of ten years old, the housekeeper’s professed

niece, and slander could not gainsay the relationship, opened the

door to us. As we asked to speak with his reverence, Dame

Jacintha made her appearance. She was a lady of ripe person and

parts, but by no means past her prime; and I was particularly

attracted by the clearness of her complexion. She wore a long

woollen gown of the most ordinary quality, with a large leathern

girdle, whence hung suspended a bunch of keys on one side, and on

the other a tremendous string of beads. As soon as we got a

glimpse of her, we made our obeisances with all possible

reverence. She returned our salutation with similar good

breeding, but with an air of modesty, and eyes communing with the

ground.

 

I have been told, said my fellow servant, that the reverend the

Licentiate S�dillo wants an honest lad, and I have one at his

service with whom he will be well satisfied. The superintendent

of the household turned up her eyes at these words with a

significant side glance at me; and, finding it difficult to

reconcile my laced jacket with Fabricio’s exordium, asked if it

was this fine gentleman who was come after the place. Yes, said

the son of Nunez, it is this interesting and engaging youth. Just

as you see him, the ups and downs of this transitory life have

compelled him to wear an epaulette: but fate will have made him

ample amends, added he with an affected languish, if he is so

happy as to be an inmate here, and to profit by the society of

the virtuous Jacintha. The patriarch of the Indies might have

sighed for the virtuous Jacintha at the head of his

establishment. At these words, this withered branch of piety

withdrew her penetrating regards from me, to contemplate this

courteous spokesman. Struck with certain lines which were not new

to her, in his face, I have some floating idea of having seen you

before, said she; but my memory wants a lift. Holy Jacintha,

replied Fabricio, it is enough for me to have been blessed with

your pious notice. Twice have I been under this venerable roof

with my master, Signor Manuel Ordonnez, governor of the hospital.

Ah! just so, answered the lady chamberlain, I recollect! You are

an old acquaintance. Well-a-day now! Your very belonging to

Signor Ordonnez is enough to prove you a youth of merit and

strict propriety. A servant is known by his place, and this lad

could not have had a better sponsor. Come along with me; I will

introduce you to Signor S�dillo. I am sure he will be glad to

engage a lad at your recommendation.

 

We followed Dame Jacintha. The canon lived in the lower part of

the house, in a comfortable suite of wainscotted apartments. She

begged us to wait a moment in the anti-chamber, while she went

into the licentiate’s room. After some private parley with him,

merely that he might know what he was about, she came to tell us

we might walk in. We kenned the old cripple, immersed in an elbow

chair, with a pillow under his head, cushions under his arms, and

his legs supported on a large stool, stuffed with down. We were

no niggards of our bows as we advanced; and Fabricio, still

taking the lead, not only repeated over again what he had said to

the housekeeper, but set about extolling my merit, and expatiated

in an especial manner on the honours I had gained in the schools

under Doctor Godinez on all metaphysical questions: as if it was

necessary for a prebendary’s footman to be as learned as his

master. However that might be, it served as a tub to the whale.

Besides, Dame Jacintha did not look forbidding, and my surety

received the following answer: Friend, I receive into my service

the lad you recommend. I like him well enough; and as for his

morals, they cannot be much amiss, since he presents himself

under the wing of a domestic belonging to Signor Ordonnez.

 

As soon as Fabricio saw me safe landed, he made a low bow to the

prebendary, a still lower to the lady, and withdrew in high good

humour, whispering in my ear that we should meet again, and that

I had only to make good my footing. As soon as he had left the

room, the licentiate inquired my name, why I had left my native

place; and drew me on by his questions to relate my adventures

before Dame Jacintha. They were both highly amused, above all by

my last rencounter. Camilla and Don Raphael gave such play to

their risible muscles, that I thought old chalkstone would have

burst: for, as he laughed with all his might, so violent a cough

laid hold of him, as went very near to have carried him off. His

will was not made. What an alarm for the housekeeper! Trembling,

distracted, off she flew to the good man’s succour, and just like

a nurse with a puking child, paddled about his forehead and

tapped him on the back. Luckily it was a false alarm; the old

gentleman left off coughing, and the housekeeper tormenting him.

When it was over, I was for going on with my narrative; but Dame

Jacintha, in awe of a second fit, set herself against it. She

therefore took me with her out of the room to a ward robe, where,

among several suits, was that of my predecessor. This I was to

take, and leave my own in its room, which I was not sorry to see

laid up safe, in the hope it might be of further use. After this,

we went together to get dinner