This discourse did not escape Daraxa, who doubted not that the new gardener was Ozmin, and hoped that she should by this means have more frequent opportunities of speaking and writing to him. After dinner, she led Elvira into her apartment, where they both stood at the window that looked towards the garden. Ambrosio was at this time in the middle of the parterre opposite to them. The beautiful Moor having recognized him, and wishing to amuse herself, pointed him out to her friend; “Look at the gardener of whose skill your father has been boasting to us just now; observe him attentively; does not your heart whisper something in his favour? do you not feel some unusual emotions?”
Elvira laughed aloud at these words which she thought were meant only in joke; but after having looked for sometime she began to suspect the truth. But the fear of being mistaken, and then laughed at, prevented her from saying what she thought, till Daraxa pressing her to answer and calling her insensible confirmed her suspicions. She then broke forth into an excess of joy and passionate expressions which but too well betrayed her excessive love for Don Jaymé. The prudent Moor rejoiced exceedingly that she had no longer concealed the metamorphosis of that cavalier. “My dear Elvira,” said she, “it is well that I have been the first to make this discovery. Alas! if Don Jaymé had presented himself before you in the presence of Don Lewis or Don Rodrigo, your surprise would have ruined us; but as you are now prepared to see him, I trust you will so restrain your feelings, as not to create any suspicions.” Elvira promised that she would do her best: after which the two ladies amused themselves by discoursing of the pretended Ambrosio.
Don Lewis’s daughter could not conceive how he had managed to deceive her father, the most mistrustful of men; and felt well pleased that Don Jaymé had subjected himself to so mean an employment for her sake. Had she known as much as her friend upon that score, her grateful sentiments would doubtless have abated.
From this time there was nothing but pleasures and intrigues from morning till night between the two ladies and the happy gardener. Claricia and Laida their confidants were expert girls, who served them with as much address as zeal. Ambrosio on his side acquitted himself so skilfully towards both his mistresses, that they were both well satisfied. Never was any affair better conducted. Elvira disclosed all the feelings of her heart to her friend, and Daraxa was prudent enough not to communicate what she felt in return. These rivals had each their particular hiding place in the garden; love letters flew to and fro; there was a perfect post of gallantry established; and if their communication had gone no further, ought they not to have been well satisfied with so agreeable a life? But if love be sufficiently gratified when ’tis only in fair way of succeeding, it immediately ceases to be love. That passion soon grows tired of the same pleasures too often repeated; it looks for variety. The impatient Elvira longed for an interview, and in her next letter desired Don Jaymé to meet them that night at the window of the lower gallery, of which Claricia would get the key. Although Daraxa did not altogether approve of this nocturnal meeting, she had not sufficient resolution to object to it.
Ambrosio lodged in the gardener’s house at the bottom of the garden, the door of which was always closed at midnight by order of Don Lewis, and remained shut until the hour for returning to work the next morning: this, however, was but a trifling impediment to our lover, who soon made a ladder of small cords, by means of which he could descend from his chamber into the garden, and re-ascend at his pleasure. In his answer therefore, he assured the ladies that he would not fail to be at the appointed spot the next night. With what impatience did they await that moment; and when it arrived, how delighted were they to be able to converse with their dear Ambrosio. Elvira gave way to the impetuosity of her feelings, without restraint; and Daraxa’s, though more restrained, were not in reality less violent. The windows of the gallery were very low, and the iron bars were at a sufficient distance apart to admit an arm between them. The amorous Elvira, emboldened by the darkness of the night, put her hands through the bars for Ozmin to kiss, to the heart’s regret of Daraxa. Ozmin, who well knew the delicate feelings of his country-woman on this point, took every opportunity of mitigating the pain that he knew she must feel on the occasion, by every endearment he could bestow on her unperceived by her friend; this interview, therefore, was the cause of more anxiety than gratification to Daraxa, who, though she possessed her lover’s heart, thought herself much to be pitied; when, on the contrary, her friend, though not loved by Ozmin as she imagined, felt herself truly happy. The one, ignorant of her happiness, was unhappy; while the other, who knew not how unfortunate she really was, felt elated with joy.
After two hours’ conversation they at last parted: Ambrosio regained his chamber, and the ladies withdrew, very differently affected by this interview. If Don Lewis’s daughter felt desirous for a second meeting, Daraxa’s wishes were much the reverse. Elvira had shewn so little modesty in this first interview, that she had good reason to fear she would become still less reserved, and more violent in her love; she could not, therefore, any longer refrain from writing a letter to Ozmin on the subject, wherein she told him that she never wished to converse with him again in this clandestine manner by night, the pleasure of which cost her too dear. The faithful Moor, who would rather have died than have given any real cause for his mistress’ suspicions, carefully avoided, under various pretences, every proposition that was made to him by Elvira for another interview, whose personal attractions were, in reality, too alluring to be long trifled with with impunity.
In the mean time the masons had made an end of their work, and there being now no longer any thing to apprehend from that quarter, Don Lewis allowed the ladies the full liberty of walking in the garden when they pleased. One day, as they were sitting with Don Rodrigo in an arbor, his sister, who did not much mind him, and wished to accustom him to her talking with Ambrosio, called that gardener as he was passing by, and desired him to gather them some flowers. Donna Elvira wishing to detain him, began to question him about his sufferings while a prisoner at Granada; upon which Don Rodrigo requested Daraxa to converse for a short time with him in the Moorish language, to see if he was well acquainted with it. The beautiful Moor willingly consented to oblige Don Rodrigo in this respect, and told him, that for a Spaniard he spoke it tolerably well.
Don Rodrigo, who frequently amused himself by conversing with Ambrosio, was so much pleased with his good sense and wit, which Ozmin could not entirely conceal, that he thought he might make use of him to assist his pretensions to Daraxa, and for this purpose admitted him more into his confidence. He was now, therefore, the first to call him, without even asking the ladies’ permission, allowed him to take a part in the conversation, and was pleased to hear him talk in the Moorish language with Daraxa. The happy Ambrosio, having become thus familiar with his young master, never saw him enter the garden with the ladies but he ran and joined them without ceremony; or if by chance he failed of doing it, Donna Elvira went herself to look for him, and never returned without him. Don Rodrigo, who was fully occupied with his own affairs, never took any notice of these little inconsistencies, not in the least imagining that his sister could fall in love with a servant. If, however, Elvira only beheld Don Jaymé in Ambrosio, Daraxa beheld Ozmin in Don Jaymé; every fresh proof, therefore, of her friend’s violent passion for him, increased the uneasiness of this jealous Moor.
While all these things were going on at Don Lewis’s, the young Don Alonso de Zuniga, more enamoured than ever, and being recovered of his wound, began to get abroad again. He had heard that his mistress had been entrusted by the Queen to Don Lewis’s care, with the greatest regret, as well from his natural aversion for Don Rodrigo, as from a jealousy of long standing between their families. Notwithstanding all this, he felt that it was necessary for his peace of mind to obtain some tidings, and even see her, if it were any way possible. For this purpose, he employed some very able assistants, who won over one of Donna Elvira’s women by means of a certain sum of money paid in advance. This obliging damsel was no other than Claricia whom I have before mentioned to you; who was born for the sole purpose of conducting love intrigues, and was as likely as any one to succeed in cases that she undertook. Don Alonso asked but one piece of service of her for his money, which was, to procure him the pleasure of speaking to Daraxa. Claricia promised wonders; and in the course of conversation she related to him the full particulars of Elvira’s amour with Don Jaymé, who from a nobleman of the city of Arragon had transformed himself into a gardener to shew his excessive love for her.
This story, to which Don Alonso listened with the greatest attention, much surprised him, and he was curious to know the most minute circumstances of it. Of these Claricia was well able to inform him, and she told him every thing that she herself knew on the subject. Thus she was not able to tell him of the share that the beautiful Daraxa had in this adventure. Alonso could not possibly conceive who this Don Jaymé Vivez could be, of whom he had never heard, either at court or in the army. He would willingly have made acquaintance and acted in conjunction with him, to make a party of four, the mistresses of both, as he conceived, being in the same house. This thought gave rise to many others. He reproached himself that he had not been as courageous as Don Jaymé, and also gained admission at Don Lewis’s under some disguise or other, which would have procured him the opportunity of speaking with Daraxa. His imagination grew upon this point, and he amused his mind by forming a thousand designs on the subject.