Gil Blas, Alain-René Lesage [best romance ebooks .txt] 📗

me of their own accord, and slabbered me over with inexpressible fondness. It is marvellous to think with what facility a tender connection is formed between persons in the same line of trade, but of opposite sexes. It might have been suspected by an eyewitness of my departure, in all the plenitude of warm and repeated salutation, that my visit had been more successful than it was.

The Count de Lemos was highly delighted when I announced the long-expected discovery. I spoke of Catalina in terms which made him long to see her. The following night I took him to her house, and he owned that I had beat the bush to some purpose. He told the ladies he had no doubt but the Prince of Spain would be fully satisfied with my choice of a mistress, who, on her part, would have reason to be well pleased with such a lover; that the young prince was generous, good-tempered, and amiable; in short, he promised in a few days to bring him in the mode they enjoined, without retinue or publicity. That nobleman then took leave of them, and I withdrew with him. We got into his carriage, in which we had both driven thither, and which was waiting at the end of the street. He set me down at my own door, with a special charge to inform his uncle next day of the new game started, not forgetting to impress strongly how conducive a good bag of pistoles would be to the successful accomplishment of the adventure.

I did not fail on the following morning to go and give the Duke of Lerma an exact account of all that had passed. There was but one thing kept back. I did not mention Scipio’s name, but took credit to myself for the discovery of Catalina. One makes a merit of any dirty work in the service of the great.

Abundant were the compliments paid me on this occasion. “My good friend Gil Blas,” said the minister with a bantering air, “I am delighted that, with all your talents, you have that besides of discovering kindhearted beauties; whenever I have occasion for such an article, you will have the goodness to supply me.”

“My lord,” answered I with mock gravity like his own, “you are very obliging to give me the preference; but it may not be unseasonable to observe that there would be an indelicacy in my administering to your excellency’s pleasures of this description. Señor don Rodrigo has been so long in possession of that post about your person, that it would be manifest injustice to rob him of it.”

The duke smiled at my answer, and then changing the subject, asked whether his nephew did not want money for this new speculation.

“Excuse my negligence!” said I; “he will thank you to send him a thousand pistoles.”

“Well and good!” replied the minister; “you will furnish him accordingly, with my strict injunction not to be niggardly, but to encourage the prince in whatever pleasurable expenses his heart may prompt him to indulge.”

XI

The Prince of Spain’s secret visit, and presents to Catalina.

I went to the Count de Lemos on the spur of the occasion, with five hundred double pistoles in my hand. “You could not have come at a better time,” said that nobleman. “I have been talking with the prince; he has taken the bait, and burns with impatience to see Catalina. This very night he intends to slip privately out of the palace, and pay her a visit; it is a measure determined on, and our arrangements are already made. Give notice to the ladies, through the medium of the cash you have just brought; it is proper to let them know they have no ordinary lover to receive, and a matter of course that generosity in princes should be the herald of their partialities. As you will be of our party, take care to be in the way at bedtime; and as your carriage will be wanted, let it wait near the palace about midnight.”

I immediately repaired to the ladies. Catalina was not visible, having just gone to lie down. I could only speak with Señora Mencía. “Madam,” said I, “forgive my appearance here in the daytime, but there was no avoiding it; you must know that the Prince of Spain will be with you tonight; and here,” added I, putting my pecuniary credentials into her hand, “here is an offering which he lays on the Cytherean shrine, to propitiate the divinities of the temple. You may perceive, I have not entangled you in a sleeveless concern.”

“You have been excessively kind indeed,” answered she; “but tell me, Señor de Santillane, does the prince love music?”

“To distraction,” replied I. “There is nothing he so much delights in as a fine voice, with a delicate lute accompaniment.”

“So much the better,” exclaimed she in a transport of joy; “you give me great pleasure by saying so, for my niece has the pipe of a nightingale, and plays exquisitely on the lute: then her dancing is in the finest style!”

“Heavens and earth!” exclaimed I in my turn, “here are accomplishments by wholesale, aunt; more than enough to make any girl’s fortune! Any one of those talents would have been a sufficient dowry.”

Having thus smoothed his reception, I waited for the prince’s bedtime. When it was near at hand, I gave my coachman his orders, and went to the Count de Lemos, who told me that the prince, the sooner to get rid of the people about him, meant to feign a slight indisposition, and even to go to bed, the better to cajole his attendants; but that he would get up an hour afterwards, and go through a private door to a back staircase leading into the courtyard.

Conformably with their previous arrangements, he fixed my station. There had I to beat the hoof so long, that I began to suspect our forward sprig of royalty had gone another way, or else