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

“In very learned company,” answered he. “I lived some time with a walking dictionary at Salamanca, a fellow up to the elbows in quotation and commentary. He could put a large volume together like a house of cards. His library furnished him with a hodgepodge of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin commonplaces, which he translated into buckram Castilian. As I was his transcriber, some tags of verses, stings of epigrams, and sage truisms stuck by the way.”

“With such an apparatus,” replied I, “your memory must be most philosophically stocked. But, not to lose sight of our future prospects, whereabouts in Spain had we best fix our Socratic abode?”

“My voice is for Aragón,” resumed my counsellor. “We shall there enjoy all the beauties of nature, and lead the life of Paradise.”

“Well, then, for Aragón,” said I. “May it teem with all the dear delights that youthful poets fancy when they dream!”

Their doings at Madrid⁠—The rencounter of Gil Blas in the street, and its consequences.

On our arrival in Madrid, we alighted at a little public house where Scipio had been accustomed to put up, whence our first visit was to my banker, Salero. He received us very cordially, and expressed the highest satisfaction at my release. “Indeed,” added he, “your untoward fate touched me so nearly as to change my views of a political alliance. The fortunes of courtiers are like castles in the air; so I have married my daughter Gabriela to a wealthy trader.”

“You have acted very wisely,” answered I; “for besides that a bird in the hand is worth two in a bush, when a plodding citizen aspires to the honor of bringing a man of fashion into his family, he very often has an impertinent puppy for his son-in-law.”

Then changing the topic, and coming to the point, “Señor Gabriel, pursued I, we came to talk a little about the two thousand pistoles which⁠ ⁠…”

“Your money is all ready,” said the goldsmith, interrupting me. He then took us into his closet, and delivered the two bags, carefully labelled with my name on them.

I thanked Salero for his exactness, and heaven in my sleeve for my escape from his daughter. At our inn, we counted over the money, and found it right, deducting fifty doubloons for the expenses of my enlargement. Our thoughts were now wholly bent upon Aragón. My secretary undertook to buy a carriage and two mules. It was my office to provide household and body linen. During my peregrinations for that purpose, I met Baron Steinbach, the officer in the German Guards with whom Don Alphonso had been brought up.

I touched my hat to him; he knew me again, and returned my greeting warmly. “My joy is extreme,” said I, “at seeing your lordship in such fine health, to say nothing of my wish to inquire after Don Caesar and Don Alphonso de Leyva.”

“They are both in Madrid,” answered he, “and staying at my house. They came to town about three months ago, to be presented on occasion of Don Alphonso’s promotion. He has been appointed Governor of Valencia, on the score of old family claims, without having in any shape pushed his interest at court. Nothing could be more grateful to his feelings, or prove more strongly our royal master’s goodness, who delights to recognize the merits of ancestry in the persons of their descendants.”

Though I knew more of this matter than Steinbach, I kept my knowledge in the background. Yet so lively was my impatience to hail my old masters, that he would not damp my ardor by delay. I had a mind to try Don Alphonso, whether he still retained his regard for me. He was playing at chess with Baroness Steinbach. On my entrance, he started up from his game, ran towards me, and squeezing me tight in his embrace, “Santillane,” said he, “with demonstrations of the sincerest joy, at length, then, you are restored to my heart. I am delighted at it! It was not my fault that we ever parted. You may remember how strongly I urged you not to withdraw from the Castle of Leyva. You were deaf to my entreaties. But I must not chide your obstinacy, because its motive was the peace of the family. Yet you ought to have let me hear from you, and to have spared my fruitless inquiries at Grenada, where my brother-in-law, Don Ferdinand, sent me word that you were.

“And now tell me what you are doing at Madrid. Of course you have some situation here. Be assured that I shall always take a lively interest in your concerns.”

“Sir,” answered I, “it is but four months since I occupied a considerable post at court. I had the honor of being the Duke of Lerma’s confidential secretary.”

“Can it be possible?” exclaimed Don Alphonso, as if he could scarcely believe his ears. “What, were you so near the person of the prime minister?” I then related how I had gained and lost his favor, and ended with avowing my determination to buy a cottage and garden with the wreck of my shattered fortunes.

The son of Don Caesar heard me attentively, and made this answer: “My dear Gil Blas, you know how I have always loved you; nor shall you longer be fortune’s puppet. I will set you above her vagaries, by securing you an independence. Since you declare for a country life, a little estate of ours near Lirias, about four leagues from Valencia, shall be settled on you. You are acquainted with the spot. Such a present we can make without putting ourselves to the least inconvenience. I can answer for my father’s joining in the act, and for Seraphina’s entire approbation.”

I threw myself at Don Alphonso’s feet, who raised me immediately. More penetrated by his affection than by his bounty, I pressed his hand and said, “Sir, your conduct charms me.