The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane, Alain René le Sage [most read books .txt] 📗
- Author: Alain René le Sage
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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
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