Gil Blas by Alain-René Lesage (best romance books of all time TXT) 📕

me. By the honor of a swindler, you are one of the wonders of our world. I always thought myself the first man in the line; but in good truth I doff my bonnet before you, whose genius seems to supersede the lessons of experience.’

“ ‘Then you are no longer uneasy about the result,’ said I to my colleague in iniquity.

“ ‘O! as to that, not in the least,’ answered he. ‘I no longer care a fig for Master Pedro; let him come as soon as he pleases, we are a match for him.’

“Here we are, then, Moralez and myself, safe seated on the saddle, and rising in our stirrups. We even went so far as to begin settling the course we should pursue with the fortune, on which we reckoned so securely, that if it had already been in our pockets, we could not have chuckled more triumphantly over the proverb of ‘a bird in the hand.’ Yet we were not in actual possession, which is more than legal right; and the sequel of the adventure proved to us, that many things fall out between the cup and the lip.

“We very soon saw the young man of Calatrava returning. He was accompanied by two citizens and by an alguazil, whose dignity was as much supported by his whiskers, and by the lowering overcast of his swarthy aspect, as by the weight of his official character. Florence’s father was of the party. ‘Señor de Moyadas,’ said Pedro to him, ‘here are three honest people come to answer for me; they are acquainted with my person, and can tell you who I am.’

“ ‘Yes, undoubtedly,’ exclaimed the alguazil, ‘I can depose to the fact. I certify to all those whom it may concern, that you are known to me; your name is Pedro, and you are the only son of Juan Valez de la Membrilla: whosoever dares to maintain the contrary is an impostor.’

“ ‘I believe you implicitly, master alguazil,’ said the good creature Jerome de Moyadas, rather dryly. ‘Your evidence is gospel to me, as well as that of these fair and honest tradesmen you have brought with you. I am fully satisfied that the young gentleman on whose behalf you come is the only son of my brother’s correspondent. But what is that to me? I am no longer in the humor to give him my daughter; so there is an end of that.’

“ ‘O! then it is quite another matter,’ said the alguazil. ‘I only come to your house for the purpose of assuring you that this young man is no impostor. You have the authority of a parent over your child, and no one has any right to dictate to you how you are to marry her, and whether you will or no.’

“ ‘Neither do I on my part,’ interrupted Pedro, ‘pretend to lay any force on the inclinations of Señor de Moyadas; but he will perhaps allow me to ask him why he has so suddenly changed his resolution. Has he any reason to be dissatisfied with me? Alas! let me at least understand, that in losing the sweet hope of becoming his son-in-law, my promised bliss has not been wrested from me by any misconduct of my own.’

“ ‘I have no complaint to make of you,’ answered the old man; ‘nay, I will even tell you more; it is with sincere sorrow that I find myself under the necessity of breaking my word with you, and I heartily beseech you to forgive me for having done so. I am persuaded that you are too generous to bear me any ill-will for having thrown the balance into the scale of a rival, who has saved my life. You see him here, pursued he, introducing my noble self; this is the illustrious personage who threw round me the shield of his protection in my great peril; and, the better still to apologize for my seemingly harsh treatment of yourself, you are to know that he is an Italian prince.’

“At these last words, Pedro was dumbfounded, and looked as if he could not help it. The two tradesmen opened their eyes as wide as they could stare, with surprise at finding themselves for the first time in princely society. But the alguazil, in the habit of looking at things with the cross eye of suspicion, divined most perspicuously that this marvellous adventure must be a complete humbug; and the verification of the prophecy was calculated to put money into the pocket of the prophet. He therefore conned over my countenance with a very inquisitive regard; but as my features, which were new to justice, threw him out most cruelly from hunting down the game he was in chase of, he had no alternative but to try his luck on my companion. Unfortunately for my highness of the inaccessible valleys, he knew again the hangdog features of Moralez; and recollecting to have seen him within the purlieus of a jail, ‘Ay, ay!’ exclaimed he, ‘this is one of my established customers. This gentleman is a particular acquaintance of mine, and you may take his character from me for one of the rankest rascals within the kingdoms and principalities of Spain.’

“ ‘Softly! look before you leap, most adventurous alguazil,’ said Jerome de Moyadas; ‘this lad, of whom you draw so unfavorable a picture, is in the travelling retinue of a prince.’

“ ‘So much the better,’ retorted the alguazil; ‘a man would not desire clearer evidence on which to bring in his verdict. If we can but hang the servant, we shall soon send the master to the devil. The case is as undeniable as a feed counsel’s plea; these pleasant sparks are a couple of fortune-hunters, who have laid their heads together to take you in. I am an old hound upon this scent; so that, by way of proof presumptive that these merry vagabonds are within the contemplation of the law in that case provided, I shall lodge them where they will be well taken care of. They