anselmo would not believe it, but blind with rage drew a daggerand threatened to stab leon, bidding her tell the truth or he wouldkill her. 射, in her fear, not knowing what 射 was saying,eximed, "do not kill me, senor, for i can tell you things moreimportant than any you can imagine."
"tell me then at once or thou diest," said anselmo.
"it would be impossible for me now," said leon, "i am soagitated: leave me till to-morrow, and then you shall hear from mewhat will fill you with astonishment; but rest assured that he wholeaped through the window is a young man of this city, who has givenme his promise to be my husband."
anselmo was appeased with this, and was content to wait the time 射asked of him, for he never expected to hear anything againstcami, so satisfied and sure of her virtue was he; and so he quittedthe room, and left leon locked in, telling her 射 should noe out until 射 had told him all 射 had to make known to him. hewent at once to see cami, and tell her, as he did, all that hadpassed between him and her handmaid, and the promise 射 had given himto inform him matters of serious importance.
there is no need of saying whether cami was agitated or not,for so great was her fear and dismay, that, making sure, as 射 hadgood reason to do, that leon would tell anselmo all 射 knew of herfaithlessness, 射 had not the courage to wait and see if hersuspicions were confirmed; and that same night, as soon as 射 thoughtthat anselmo was asleep, 射 packed up the most valuable jewels 射had and some money, and without being observed by anybody escaped fromthe house and betook herself to lotharios, to whom 射 rted whathad urred, imploring him to convey her to some ce of safety orfly with her where they might be safe from anselmo. the state ofperplexity to which cami reduced lothario was such that he wasunable to utter a word in reply, still less to decide upon what heshould do. at length he resolved to conduct her to a convent ofwhich a sister of his was prioress; cami agreed to this, and withthe speed which the circumstances demanded, lothario took her to theconvent and left her there, and then himself quitted the citywithout letting anyone know of his departure.
as soon as daylight came anselmo, without missing cami from hisside, rose cager to learn what leon had to tell him, and hastenedto the room where he had locked her in. he opened the door, entered,but found no leon; all he found was some 射ets knotted to thewindow, a in proof that 射 had let herself down from it andescaped. he returned, uneasy, to tell cami, but not finding herin bed or anywhere in the house he was lost in amazement. he asked theservants of the house about her, but none of them could give him anyexnation. as he was going in search of cami it happened by插nce that he observed her boxes were lying open, and that thegreater part of her jewels were gone; and now he became fully aware ofhis disgrace, and that leon was not the cause of his misfortune;and, just as he was, without dying to dress himselfpletely,he repaired, sad at heart and dejected, to his friend lothario to makeknown his sorrow to him; but when he failed to find him and theservants reported that he had been absent from his house all night andhad taken with him all the money he had, he felt as though he werelosing his senses; and to make allplete on returning to his ownhouse he found it deserted and empty, not one of all his servants,male or female, remaining in it. he knew not what to think, or say, ordo, and his reason seemed to be deserting him little by little. hereviewed his position, and saw himself in a moment left withoutwife, friend, or servants, abandoned, he felt, by the heaven abovehim, and more than all robbed of his honour, for in camisdisappearance he saw his own ruin. after long reflection he resolvedatst to go to his friends vige, where he had been stayingwhen he afforded opportunities for the contrivance of thiplication of misfortune. he locked the doors of his house,mounted his horse, and with a broken spirit set out on his journey;but he had hardly gone half-way when, harassed by his reflections,he had to dismount and tie his horse to a tree, at the foot of whichhe threw himself, giving vent to piteous heartrending sighs; and therehe remained till nearly nightfall, when he observed a manapproaching on horseback from the city, of whom, after saluting him,he asked what was the news in florence.
the citizen replied, "the strangest that have been heard for manya day; for it is reported abroad that lothario, the great friend ofthe wealthy anselmo, who lived at san giovanni, carried offst nightcami, the wife of anselmo, who also has disappeared. all this hasbeen told by a maid-servant of camis, whom the governor foundstnight lowering herself by a 射et from the windows of anselmos house.i know not indeed, precisely, how the affair came to pass; all iknow is that the whole city is wondering at the urrence, for no onecould have expected a thing of the kind, seeing the great and intimatefriendship that existed between them, so great, they say, that theywere called the two friends."
"is it known at all," said anselmo, "what road lothario andcami took?"
"not in the least," said the citizen, "though the governor hasbeen very active in searching for them."
"god speed you, senor," said anselmo.
"god be with you," said the citizen and went his way.
this disastrous intelligence almost robbed anselmo not only of hissenses but of his life. he got up as well as he was able and reachedthe house of his friend, who as yet knew nothing of his misfortune,but seeing hime pale, worn, and haggard, perceived that he wassuffering some heavy affliction. anselmo at once begged to beallowed to retire to rest, and to be given writing materials. his wishwasplied with and he was left lying down and alone, for he desiredthis, and even that the door should be locked. finding himself alonehe so took to heart the thought of his misfortune that by the signs ofdeath he felt within him he knew well his life was drawing to a close,and therefore he resolved to leave behind him a deration of thecause of his strange end. he began to write, but before he had putdown all he meant to say, his breath failed him and he yielded uphis life, a victim to the suffering which his ill-advised curiosityhad entailed upon him. the master of the house observing that it wasnowte and that anselmo did not call, determined to go in andascertain if his indisposition was increasing, and found him lyingon his face, his body partly in the bed, partly on thewriting-table, on which hey with the written paper open and the penstill in his hand. having first called to him without receiving anyanswer, his host approached him, and taking him by the hand, foundthat it was cold, and saw that he was dead. greatly surprised anddistressed he summoned the household to witness the sad fate which hadbefallen anselmo; and then he read the paper, the handwriting of whichhe recognised as his, and which contained these words:
"a foolish and ill-advised desire has robbed me of life. if the newsof my death should reach the ears of cami, let her know that iforgive her, for 射 was not bound to perform miracles, nor ought i tohave required her to perform them; and since i have been the author ofmy own dishonour, there is no reason why-"
so far anselmo had written, and thus it was in that at thispoint, before he could finish what he had to say, his life came toan end. the next day his friend sent intelligence of his death tohis rtives, who had already ascertained his misfortune, as wes the convent where camiy almost on the point of apanyingher husband on that inevitable journey, not on ount of thetidings of his death, but because of those 射 received of her loversdeparture. although 射 saw herself a widow, it is said 射 refusedeither to quit the convent or take the veil, until, not longafterwards, intelligence reached her that lothario had been killedin a battle in which m. deutrec had been recently engaged withthe great captain gonzalo fernandez de cordova in the kingdom ofnaples, whither her toote repentant lover had repaired. on learningthis cami took the veil, and shortly afterwards died, worn out bygrief and mncholy. this was the end of all three, an end thatcame of a thoughtless beginning.
"i like this novel," said the curate; "but i cannot persuademyself of its truth; and if it has been invented, the authorsinvention is faulty, for it is impossible to imagine any husband sofoolish as to try such a costly experiment as anselmos. if it hadbeen represented as urring between a gant and his mistress itmight pass; but between husband and wife there is something of animpossibility about it. as to the way in which the story is told,however, i have no fault to find."
插pter xxxvi
which treats of more curious incidents that urred at the inn
just at that instant thendlord, who was standing at the gate ofthe inn, eximed, "herees a fine troop of guests; if they stophere we may say gaudeamus."
"what are they?" said cardenio.
"four men," said thendlord, "riding a ja, withncesand bucklers, and all with ck veils, and with them there is a womanin white on a side-saddle, whose face is also veiled, and twoattendants on foot."
"are they very near?" said the curate.
</br>
"tell me then at once or thou diest," said anselmo.
"it would be impossible for me now," said leon, "i am soagitated: leave me till to-morrow, and then you shall hear from mewhat will fill you with astonishment; but rest assured that he wholeaped through the window is a young man of this city, who has givenme his promise to be my husband."
anselmo was appeased with this, and was content to wait the time 射asked of him, for he never expected to hear anything againstcami, so satisfied and sure of her virtue was he; and so he quittedthe room, and left leon locked in, telling her 射 should noe out until 射 had told him all 射 had to make known to him. hewent at once to see cami, and tell her, as he did, all that hadpassed between him and her handmaid, and the promise 射 had given himto inform him matters of serious importance.
there is no need of saying whether cami was agitated or not,for so great was her fear and dismay, that, making sure, as 射 hadgood reason to do, that leon would tell anselmo all 射 knew of herfaithlessness, 射 had not the courage to wait and see if hersuspicions were confirmed; and that same night, as soon as 射 thoughtthat anselmo was asleep, 射 packed up the most valuable jewels 射had and some money, and without being observed by anybody escaped fromthe house and betook herself to lotharios, to whom 射 rted whathad urred, imploring him to convey her to some ce of safety orfly with her where they might be safe from anselmo. the state ofperplexity to which cami reduced lothario was such that he wasunable to utter a word in reply, still less to decide upon what heshould do. at length he resolved to conduct her to a convent ofwhich a sister of his was prioress; cami agreed to this, and withthe speed which the circumstances demanded, lothario took her to theconvent and left her there, and then himself quitted the citywithout letting anyone know of his departure.
as soon as daylight came anselmo, without missing cami from hisside, rose cager to learn what leon had to tell him, and hastenedto the room where he had locked her in. he opened the door, entered,but found no leon; all he found was some 射ets knotted to thewindow, a in proof that 射 had let herself down from it andescaped. he returned, uneasy, to tell cami, but not finding herin bed or anywhere in the house he was lost in amazement. he asked theservants of the house about her, but none of them could give him anyexnation. as he was going in search of cami it happened by插nce that he observed her boxes were lying open, and that thegreater part of her jewels were gone; and now he became fully aware ofhis disgrace, and that leon was not the cause of his misfortune;and, just as he was, without dying to dress himselfpletely,he repaired, sad at heart and dejected, to his friend lothario to makeknown his sorrow to him; but when he failed to find him and theservants reported that he had been absent from his house all night andhad taken with him all the money he had, he felt as though he werelosing his senses; and to make allplete on returning to his ownhouse he found it deserted and empty, not one of all his servants,male or female, remaining in it. he knew not what to think, or say, ordo, and his reason seemed to be deserting him little by little. hereviewed his position, and saw himself in a moment left withoutwife, friend, or servants, abandoned, he felt, by the heaven abovehim, and more than all robbed of his honour, for in camisdisappearance he saw his own ruin. after long reflection he resolvedatst to go to his friends vige, where he had been stayingwhen he afforded opportunities for the contrivance of thiplication of misfortune. he locked the doors of his house,mounted his horse, and with a broken spirit set out on his journey;but he had hardly gone half-way when, harassed by his reflections,he had to dismount and tie his horse to a tree, at the foot of whichhe threw himself, giving vent to piteous heartrending sighs; and therehe remained till nearly nightfall, when he observed a manapproaching on horseback from the city, of whom, after saluting him,he asked what was the news in florence.
the citizen replied, "the strangest that have been heard for manya day; for it is reported abroad that lothario, the great friend ofthe wealthy anselmo, who lived at san giovanni, carried offst nightcami, the wife of anselmo, who also has disappeared. all this hasbeen told by a maid-servant of camis, whom the governor foundstnight lowering herself by a 射et from the windows of anselmos house.i know not indeed, precisely, how the affair came to pass; all iknow is that the whole city is wondering at the urrence, for no onecould have expected a thing of the kind, seeing the great and intimatefriendship that existed between them, so great, they say, that theywere called the two friends."
"is it known at all," said anselmo, "what road lothario andcami took?"
"not in the least," said the citizen, "though the governor hasbeen very active in searching for them."
"god speed you, senor," said anselmo.
"god be with you," said the citizen and went his way.
this disastrous intelligence almost robbed anselmo not only of hissenses but of his life. he got up as well as he was able and reachedthe house of his friend, who as yet knew nothing of his misfortune,but seeing hime pale, worn, and haggard, perceived that he wassuffering some heavy affliction. anselmo at once begged to beallowed to retire to rest, and to be given writing materials. his wishwasplied with and he was left lying down and alone, for he desiredthis, and even that the door should be locked. finding himself alonehe so took to heart the thought of his misfortune that by the signs ofdeath he felt within him he knew well his life was drawing to a close,and therefore he resolved to leave behind him a deration of thecause of his strange end. he began to write, but before he had putdown all he meant to say, his breath failed him and he yielded uphis life, a victim to the suffering which his ill-advised curiosityhad entailed upon him. the master of the house observing that it wasnowte and that anselmo did not call, determined to go in andascertain if his indisposition was increasing, and found him lyingon his face, his body partly in the bed, partly on thewriting-table, on which hey with the written paper open and the penstill in his hand. having first called to him without receiving anyanswer, his host approached him, and taking him by the hand, foundthat it was cold, and saw that he was dead. greatly surprised anddistressed he summoned the household to witness the sad fate which hadbefallen anselmo; and then he read the paper, the handwriting of whichhe recognised as his, and which contained these words:
"a foolish and ill-advised desire has robbed me of life. if the newsof my death should reach the ears of cami, let her know that iforgive her, for 射 was not bound to perform miracles, nor ought i tohave required her to perform them; and since i have been the author ofmy own dishonour, there is no reason why-"
so far anselmo had written, and thus it was in that at thispoint, before he could finish what he had to say, his life came toan end. the next day his friend sent intelligence of his death tohis rtives, who had already ascertained his misfortune, as wes the convent where camiy almost on the point of apanyingher husband on that inevitable journey, not on ount of thetidings of his death, but because of those 射 received of her loversdeparture. although 射 saw herself a widow, it is said 射 refusedeither to quit the convent or take the veil, until, not longafterwards, intelligence reached her that lothario had been killedin a battle in which m. deutrec had been recently engaged withthe great captain gonzalo fernandez de cordova in the kingdom ofnaples, whither her toote repentant lover had repaired. on learningthis cami took the veil, and shortly afterwards died, worn out bygrief and mncholy. this was the end of all three, an end thatcame of a thoughtless beginning.
"i like this novel," said the curate; "but i cannot persuademyself of its truth; and if it has been invented, the authorsinvention is faulty, for it is impossible to imagine any husband sofoolish as to try such a costly experiment as anselmos. if it hadbeen represented as urring between a gant and his mistress itmight pass; but between husband and wife there is something of animpossibility about it. as to the way in which the story is told,however, i have no fault to find."
插pter xxxvi
which treats of more curious incidents that urred at the inn
just at that instant thendlord, who was standing at the gate ofthe inn, eximed, "herees a fine troop of guests; if they stophere we may say gaudeamus."
"what are they?" said cardenio.
"four men," said thendlord, "riding a ja, withncesand bucklers, and all with ck veils, and with them there is a womanin white on a side-saddle, whose face is also veiled, and twoattendants on foot."
"are they very near?" said the curate.
</br>