The Beautiful Marchioness here held her peace; and I return’d her all due Thanks for the Favour she did me, in informing me of these Curiosities; and of which, perhaps without her, I might have been Ignorant all my Life. ‘I do not think, Madam,’ said she to me, ‘you owe me such Thanks; I rather fear the having deserved Reproaches for so long and tiresome a Conversation.’
I would not let her leave me to eat elsewhere; and I obliged her to lye with me, she having no Bed. So Civil and Courteous a Proceeding made her much my Friend: She assured me of this in such Affectionate Terms, that I could not doubt of it; for I must tell you, the Spanish Women are more Caressing than we, and are far more Kind and Tender to those they profess Friendship. In fine, I could not forbear telling her, ‘That if she had all the Kindness for me she made profession, she must be so complaisant, to inform me, What made her seem so melancholly? That I had heard her fetch deep Sighs in the Night, and appear’d very Restless and Disconsolate; That if she could find any Comfort in sharing her Grief with me, I offered my Service to her, as a most faithful Friend.’ She embraced me with great Affection, and told me without delay, she would immediately satisfie my Curiosity; which she did in these Terms:
‘Seeing you are desirous to know me, I must without disguising to you any thing, acknowledge my Weaknesses to you; and by my Sincerity and Open-heartedness, deserve a Curiosity as obliging as yours:
‘I come not of such a Family as may claim Nobility; my Father’s Name was Davila; he was only a Banker, but he was in good Credit, and was moderately Wealthy: We are of Seville, Capital of Andalousia, and we have ever dwelt there. My Mother knew the World, she saw many People of Quality, and having no Children but me, she took great care of my Education: It did not appear ill-bestowed on me; for I had the good Fortune to get the good Will of most that saw me.
‘We had two Neighbours who came often to our House, who were very welcome both to my Father and Mother: Their Condition and Age were in no sort alike; One was the Marquess de Los Rios, a Person Wealthy and Noble; he was a Widower, and well advanced in years: the other was the Son of a great Merchant, who traded to the Indies; he was Young and Handsome, he had Wit, and a very graceful Behaviour; his Name was Mendez: He was not long before he fell passionately in Love with me; so that he omitted nothing which might please me, and gain my Affections.
‘He was in all places where he knew I was to pass; he spent whole Nights under my Windows, to sing Verses which he had composed and set to my Praise, which he had very well accompany’d with his Harp.
‘But seeing his Attendancies had not all the Effect he expected, and having past some time in this manner, without daring to mention his Affection to me, he at length resolv’d to make use of the first occasion to acquaint me with it. I avoided him ever since I had a Conversation with one of my Friends, who had more Experience and Knowledge of the World than I: I had felt, that Mendez’s Company gave me Joy, and that my Heart had an Emotion for him, which it had not for others: That when his Affairs, or our Visits hindred him from seeing me, I grew restless; and loving this young Woman, above others, and being as dear to her, she observ’d I was not so free and gay as I was wont, and that my Eyes were sometimes attentively fixed on Mendez. One Day when she rally’d with me about it, I said to her very innocently, “My dear Henrietta, define to me the Sentiments I have for Mendez: I know not whether I ought to be afraid of them, and whether I ought not to defend my self from them. I feel I know not what sort of Trouble and Pleasure arising in my Breast.” She began to laugh, she embraced me, and said to me, “My dear Heart, you are in Love.” “Who, I in Love?” reply’d I, in amaze: “You joke with me; I neither am, nor will be in Love.” “This depends not always on us,” continued she, with a more serious Air, “our Stars decide this before our Hearts. But in earnest, what is it so much startles you? Mendez is in a Condition equal to yours; he deserves well, a good comely Man; and if his Affairs go on with the same Success as they have done hitherto, you may live very happily with him.” “And whence should I learn,” reply’d I, interrupting her, “that he will be happy with me, and that he so much as thinks this?” “O, take my Word for it,” answer’d she, “whatever he has done has its Designs; for Men are not wont to pass Nights under Windows, and the Days in following a Person for whom they have nothing but Indifferency.”
‘After some other Discourse of this Nature, she left me, and I resolv’d, maugre the Repugnance I felt in me, to give Mendez no opportunity of speaking to me in particular.
‘But one Night as I was walking in the Garden, he came towards me: I was perplext to see my self alone with him; and he had the opportunity of observing it on my Countenance, and in the manner after which I receiv’d him. This could not divert him from the design he had of entertaining me: “How Happy am I Madam,” said he, “to find you alone? But do I call my self Happy! Perhaps I know not what I say: for it may be you will not receive a Secret with which I would entrust you.” “I am as yet so young,” said I to him, blushing, “that I would advise you to say nothing to me, unless you would have me impart it to my Companions.” “Alas,” continued he, “should I tell you, I Adore you; that all my Happiness depends on the Inclinations you have towards me: That I cannot live without some Certainty, that I may one day please you; will you tell this to your Companions?” “No,” said I to him, in great perplexity, “I would look on this Confidence as a Railery; and not believing it my self, I would not hazard its being left to be believ’d by others.”
‘We were interrupted as I ended these words; and he appear’d to me not over-content with the Answer I made him; and a while after he found an opportunity to reproach me with it.