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

of a surprise. How the hours lagged from this moment

till supper-time, though we supped very early! Then again, from

supper to my master’s bed-time! It should seem as if the march of

the whole family was timed to a largo movement. By way of helping

forward the fidgets, when Don Vincent withdrew to his chamber,

the army was put on the war establishment, and we were obliged to

fight the campaigns in Portugal over again, though my ears had

not recovered from the din of the last cannonade. But a favour,

from which I had hitherto made my escape, was reserved for this

eventful evening. He repeated the army list from beginning to

end, with copious digressions on the exploits of those officers

who had distinguished themselves in his time. Oh my poor

tympanum! It was almost cracked before we got to the end. Time,

however, will wear out even an old man’s story, and he went to

bed. I immediately went to my own little chamber, whence there

was a way into the garden by a private staircase. I depended on

my purchase of perfumery for overcoming the effluvia of the day’s

drudgery, and put on a clean shirt highly scented. When every

invention had been pressed into the service to render my person

worthy of its destiny, and cherish the fondness of my mistress, I

went to the appointment.

 

Ortiz was not there. I concluded that, tired of waiting for me,

she had gone back to her chamber, and that the happy moment of

philandering was over. I laid all the blame on Don Vincent; but

just as I was singing Te Deum backwards for his campaigns, I

heard the clock strike ten. To be sure it must be wrong! It could

not be less than one o’clock. Yet I was so egregiously out in my

reckoning, that full a quarter of an hour afterwards, I counted

ten upon my fingers by the clock at next door. Vastly well,

thought I to myself; I have only two complete hours to ventilate

my passion here alfresco. At least they shall not complain of me

for want of punctuality. What shall I do with myself till twelve?

Suppose we take a turn about this garden and settle our cues in

the delicious drama just going to be brought on the stage; it is

my first appearance in so principal a character. I am not yet

sufficiently well read in the crotchets of your quality dames. I

know how to tickle a girl in a stuff gown, or an actress: You

swagger up to them with an easy, impudent assurance, and pop the

question without making any bones of it. But one must take a

female of condition on a very different tack. It seems to me,

that in this case the happy swain must be well bred, attentive,

tender, respectful, without degenerating into bashfulness.

Instead of taking his happiness by storm, he must plant his

amorous desires in ambuscade, and wait till the garrison is

asleep, and the outworks defenceless.

 

Thus it was that I argued, and such were the preconcerted plans

of my campaign with Aurora. After a few tedious minutes,

according to my calculation, I was to experience the ecstasy of

finding myself at the feet of that lovely creature, and pouring

forth a torrent of impassioned nonsense. I scraped together in my

memory all the clap-traps in our stock-plays, which were most

successful with the audience, and might best set off my

pretensions to spirit and gallantry. I trusted to my own

adroitness for the application, and hoped, after the example of

some players in the list of my acquaintance, bringing only a

stock of memory into the trade, to deal upon credit for my wit.

While my imagination was engrossed by these thoughts, which kept

my impatience at bay much more successfully than the commentaries

of my modern Caesar, I heard the clock strike .eleven. This was

some encouragement, and I fell back to my meditations, sometimes

sauntering carelessly about, and sometimes throwing myself at my

length on the turf, in a bower at the bottom of the garden. At

length it struck twelve, the long-expected hour, big with my high

destiny. Some seconds after, Ortiz, as punctual as myself though

less impatient, made her appearance. Signor Gil Blas, said she,

accosting me, how long have you been here? Two hours, answered I.

Indeed! Truly, replied she, laughing, you are very exact; there

is a pleasure in making nocturnal assignations with you.

Yet you may assure yourself; continued she more gravely, that you

cannot pay too dear for such good fortune as that of which I am

the messenger. My mistress wants to have some private talk with

you. I shall not anticipate what may be the subject, that is a

secret which you must learn from no lips but her own. Follow me;

I will show you into her chamber. With these words the duenna

took me by the hand, and led me mysteriously into her lady’s

apartment through a little door, of which she had the key.

 

CH. II. — Aurora’s reception of Gil Blas. Their conversation.

 

I FOUND Aurora in an undress. I saluted her in the most

respectful manner, and threw as much elegance into my attitude as

I had to throw. She received me with the most winning affability,

made me sit down by her against all my remonstrances, and told

her ambassadress to go into another room. After this opening,

which seemed highly encouraging to my cause, she entered upon the

business. Gil Blas, said she, you must have perceived how

favourably I have regarded and distinguished you from all the

rest of my father’s servants; and though my looks had not

betrayed my partial dispositions towards you, my proceeding of

this night would leave you no room to doubt them.

 

I did not give her time to say a word more. It struck me, that as

a man of feeling, I ought to spare her trembling diffidence the

cruel necessity of explaining her sentiments in more direct

terms. I rose from my chair in a transport, and, throwing myself

at Aurora’s feet, like a tragedy hero of the Grecian stage when

he supplicates the heroine “by her knees,” exclaimed in a

declamatory tone — Ah! Madam, could it be possible that Gil

Blas, hitherto the whirligig of fortune and football of embattled

nature, should have called down upon his head the exquisite

felicity of inspiring sentiments Do not speak so loud,

interrupted my mistress with a laugh of mingled apprehension and

ridicule, you will wake my women who sleep in the adjoining

chamber. Get up, take your seat, and hear me out without putting

in a word. Yes, Gil Blas, pursued she, resuming her gravity, you

have my best wishes; and to shew you how deep you are in my good

graces, I will confide to you a secret on which depends the

repose of my life. I am in love with a young gentleman,

possessing every charm of person and face, and noble by birth.

His name is Don Lewis Pacheco. I have seen him occasionally in

the public walks and at the theatre, but I have never conversed

with him. I do not even know what his private character may be,

or what bad qualities he may have. It is on this subject that I

wish to be informed. I stand in need of a person to inquire

diligently into his morals, and give me a true and particular

account. I make choice of you. Surely I run no risk in entrusting

you with this commission. I hope that you will acquit yourself

with dexterity and prudence, and that I shall never repent of

giving you my confidence.

 

My mistress concluded thus, and waited for my answer to her

proposal. I had been disconcerted in the first instance at so

disagreeable a mistake; but I soon recovered my scattered senses,

and surmounting the confusion which rashness always occasions

when it is unlucky, I exposed to sale such a cargo of zeal. For

the lady’s interests, I devoted myself with so martyr-like an

enthusiasm to her service, that if she did not absolutely forget

my silly vanity in the thought of having pleased her, at least

she had reason to believe that I knew how to make amends for a

piece of folly. I asked only two days to bring her a satisfactory

account of Don Lewis. After which Dame Ortiz, answering the bell,

shewed me the way back into the garden, and said, on taking

leave, Good-night, Gil Blas. I need not caution you to be in time

at the next appointment. I have sufficient experience of your

punctuality on these occasions.

 

I returned to my chamber, not without some little mortification

at finding my voluptuous anticipations all divested of even their

ideal sweetness. I was nevertheless sufficiently in my senses to

reflect soberly that it was more in my element to be the trusty

scout of my mistress than her lover. I even thought that this

adventure might lead to something further; that the middle men in

the trade of love usually pocket a tolerable percentage; and went

to bed with the resolution of doing whatever Aurora required of

me. For this purpose I went abroad the next morning. The

residence of so distinguished a personage as Don Lewis was not

difficult to find out. I made my enquiries about him in the

neighbourhood, but the people who came in my way could not

satisfy my curiosity to the full, so that it was necessary to

resume my search diligently on the following day. I was in better

luck. I met a lad of my acquaintance by chance in the street, we

stopped for a little gossip. There passed by in the very nick one

of his friends, who came up and told him that he was just turned

away from the family of Don Joseph Pacheco, Don Lewis’s father,

about a paltry remnant of wine, which he had been accused of

drinking. I would not lose so fair an occasion of learning all I

wanted to know, and plied my questions so successfully as to go

home with much self-complacency, at my punctual performance of my

engagements with my mistress. It was on the coming night that I

was to see her again at the same hour and in the same manner as

the first time. I was not in such a confounded hurry this

evening. Far from writhing with impatience under the prolixity of

my old commander, I led him on to the charge. I waited for

midnight with the greatest indifference in the world, and it was

not till all the clocks within ear-shot had struck that I crept

down into the garden, without any nonsense of pomatum and

perfumery. That foppery was completely cured.

 

At the place of meeting I found the very faithful duenna, who

sneeringly reproached me with a defalcation in my zeal. I made

her no answer, but suffered myself to be conducted into Aurora’s

chamber. She asked me, as soon as I made my appearance, whether I

had gained any intelligence of Don Lewis. Yes, madam, said I, and

you shall have the sum total in two words. I must first tell you,

that he will soon set out for Salamanca, to finish his studies.

The young gentleman is brim full of honour and probity. As for

valour, he cannot be deficient there, since he is a man of birth

and a Castilian. Besides this, he has an infinite deal of wit,

and is very agreeable in his manners; but there is one thing

which can scarcely be to your liking. He is pretty much in the

fashion of our young nobility here at court — exemplarily

catholic in his devotions to the fair. Have you not heard that