I thanked my uncle for his obliging anxiety; and pretending that I had no fear of being robbed, I told him, that when I set out for Rome, I had taken the precaution of leaving my most valuable effects in the hands of our Ambassador, and that in respect to the plate, although it was troublesome to a traveller, I was not sorry that I had brought it with me, as in case of necessity I could sell it much more easily than jewels. All the family seemed to acquiesce in this reason; and as I mentioned the Ambassador, my cousins began to speak of that minister. They said that they had seen him as he passed through Genoa on his road to Rome. Upon which, to convince them that I stood well with his Excellence, I shewed them the portrait he had presented me with. This was quite sufficient to persuade them of the Ambassador’s great esteem and friendship for me.
Don Bertrand, still harping upon the danger of keeping my plate at an inn, returned once more to the charge, and I was obliged to quiet his apprehensions by promising that I would have it all packed in the two trunks in which I told him I usually locked it up, and send it to his house immediately after dinner. We changed the subject, and began to converse on my intended marriage. My uncle, addressing himself to me, said, that I ought to think seriously of marrying in my youth, and not to defer it to a more advanced age, to have the agonies of leaving orphan children behind me. He then represented to me all the disagreeables of an ecclesiastical life, and concluded his harangue by enlarging on the perfections of the young lady whom he wished me to marry. She is my niece by the mother’s side, added he; of noble blood, and of ample beauty to make up for the deficiency of her fortune; besides which, she has a mother who will cherish as the apple of her eye, both you and your children.
As the old buck seemed so determined on this marriage, I thought it more prudent not to profess myself averse to his wishes. “You are so persuasive,” said I, “my dear uncle, that you have already destroyed my taste for an ecclesiastical life; and I feel convinced that I shall be perfectly happy in receiving a wife from your hands. Permit me, however, to represent to you, that I already enjoy a benefice of ten thousand crowns a year, and am in daily expectation of fifteen thousand, which some relations of my mother, who have great influence at court, have given me hopes of. It will be most gratifying for me, should I attain my wishes, to have those two handsome presentations to bestow on the children of my cousins.” They all approved highly of my resolution, and gave me a thousand thanks in anticipation of the honour I intended them. Towards the end of the repast, Don Bertrand asked Captain Favello if he had received any orders for his departure. “Yes,” answered he, “and we must set sail in three days for Barcelona. We are already very busy in shipping our goods.” I was overjoyed at this news, which informed me that I had no time to lose. As soon as dinner was over, I ordered my major-domo aloud, to lock up my plate and casket, and carry them himself to my uncle’s house. The room was cleared in less than an hour, and in the presence of my relations, whilst I kept up the conversation with them. I insisted on accompanying my uncle, where I had the satisfaction of seeing, not the two trunks full of my plate, but two similar ones that we had filled the evening before with bags of sand of nearly the same weight, and which Sayavedra had very dexterously exchanged.
It was not possible to have made a better beginning: I continued as successfully. Captain Favello returned at night to the inn; he told me that he regretted the precipitate departure of the galleys, which would so soon deprive him of my agreeable society. “It is by no means certain,” said I, “that we shall so soon separate. We may possibly be longer together than you imagine.” He reflected a moment on what I said, and then asked me if I had really any idea of returning to Spain. “Yes,” answered I; “for know, that it was not so much the pleasure of seeing my relations that brought me to Genoa as the desire to be revenged for an affront offered me by a Genoese who was my rival at Rome. This I tell you,” added I, “having found you to be a man of prudence and discretion, in whom I may confide.” Nothing further was necessary to engage Favello in my service. “Tell me the name,” said he, with enthusiasm, “of the rascal who has insulted you, and I ask but four and twenty hours to fully satisfy your vengeance.” “Captain,” replied I, “I am much indebted to you for taking up my cause so warmly; and were I in want of an avenger I could not have a better champion than yourself. But you judge ill of me if you think that I want either strength or courage to avenge myself. I know where my gentleman lodges, and my blow is sure. All that I have to request of you is, to allow my baggage to be conveyed privately on board your galley, on the eve previous to her sailing. I have more reasons than one for wishing that even my relations may be ignorant of my departure, and entreat you therefore to keep it secret.”
“As to that,” replied the officer, “depend upon me.” Then alluding again to my affair of honour, “you cannot imagine,” continued he, “how mortified I feel, that my services should be refused in the only opportunity that I may have of testifying my zeal for you!” He said this with such apparent concern, that I embraced and endeavoured to console him by saying, “that he would have many opportunities in the course of our voyage of manifesting his friendship towards me.” With similar mutual expressions of friendship towards each other, we parted. The first thing I did the next morning was, to send back all the plate to the goldsmiths by my men, who brought me in return my pistoles which were there in pledge. Scarcely had I deposited them in safety again, when one of my cousins called upon me to say that my uncle Don Bertrand expected me to dine with him the next day. I did not fail to accept of this invitation, and found the whole family assembled when I arrived at his house. We sat down to table in good spirits, and our conversation was lively. Before dinner was over, my major-domo, as I had previously desired him, entered the parlour, and coming up to me with a note in his hand, “Colonel Don Antonio,” said he, “has just been to inquire for you at the inn, and not finding you there, has charged me to deliver this letter.” I opened it without ceremony, and took great pains to read it so loud that my uncle, who sat very near me, might hear every word. It ran thus:
“I am to be married the day after to-morrow, and I shall fully expect the pleasure of your company on the occasion. I shall never forgive you if you refuse to join us. In addition to this, I have another favour to beg of you: you have often shown me some excellent jewels of your mother’s; I beseech you to lend them to me. My mistress has not dared to bring her own to this country with her. We request them for two days only, and promise to take great care of them. I flatter myself that you will confer this obligation on your friend,
Don Antonio de Mendoza.”
After having read this letter, I assumed a troubled and mortified air; and having reflected for some time, I said to Sayavedra: “You do not, of course, know the purport of this epistle. Don Antonio requests the loan of my jewels, to decorate his intended wife on the day of their marriage. You well know,” continued I, “that I left all my diamonds at the Ambassador’s at Rome. Lose no time then in informing the Colonel, that I am much vexed that it is not in my power to oblige him.” “I fear, Sir,” replied the major-domo, “he will think it a mere evasion, and that you refuse him.” “He will do me great injustice by such a thought,” replied I; “sooner, therefore, than risk the possibility of such an idea, I would hire some jewels. I should imagine that if I place good security in the hands of some jeweller, he would be glad for a very trifling consideration to lend me what I want for two or three days.” “Who can doubt that,” said my uncle? “But why,” continued he, “need you be at the expence of hiring what you may have for nothing? Do you suppose that we have not as fine jewels as you can procure elsewhere; and are we not disposed to oblige you in any way? Your relations will take pleasure in obliging this or any friend of yours.” “Mendoza is certainly one of my best friends,” cried I; “he is a man of quality, who was very serviceable to me at Rome, and to whom I am indebted for my introduction to the Spanish Ambassador. The Colonel, whose regiment is at Milan, has won the heart of a rich widow in that city, who, in opposition to the wishes of some of her relations, has consented to espouse him. They are come hither, therefore, to solemnize their marriage. He is a man of the nicest honour, to whom I should not be under the slightest apprehensions in lending jewels to the value of 100,000 franks.” “Be he what he may,” interrupted Don Bertrand, “since he has expressed a wish to see his wife decorated with diamonds, he shall have that satisfaction.”
Overjoyed that he bit the hook so greedily, I told him with transport: “Really, my dear uncle, you are too generous, and I ought to be apprehensive of intruding too much upon your goodness.” “No compliments, my dear nephew,” replied he, with precipitation; “I will lend you my diamonds with all my heart. To convince you, I will this moment go and choose some of the finest for your use.” Thus saying, he rose from table and went to his closet, whence he returned, and put into my hands a case containing jewels to the amount of from 7 to 8,000 franks. My three cousins seeing the old gentleman treat me in this kind manner did not wish to be thought less generous than he. They all promised to lend me some, and sure enough they brought me the next morning jewels to nearly the same amount. The most avaricious of the three came last, and in the course of a very long chat contrived to turn the conversation upon my benefice. He gave me to understand that if I was so well off as to wish to dispose of it, and would be inclined to resign it in favour of one of his own children, in preference to either of his cousins, a present of a hundred pistoles should accompany his thanks. I made answer, “that his eldest son having the advantage over all the other children in respect to age, certainly appeared to me the most proper to succeed to my benefice; but that having obtained it for nothing, I should resign it on the same terms, not being a man to make such sort of bargains.” I perceived plainly that this answer did not by any means displease him.
Just at this moment Sayavedra entered the room, having under his arm a small casket containing my gold chain: “Do you still wish,” said he, “that I should go where you desired me?” “You ought to have been there and back again ere this,” replied I. “Recollect only, before you apply to a goldsmith, to make inquiry in the neighbourhood as to his respectability. You will then get my chain weighed, and return to tell me its exact weight.” Though my cousin had already seen this chain, he requested to look at it again, and admired extremely both the workmanship and the fineness of the gold. Then, turning to Sayavedra, “My friend,” said he, “tell my servant, whom you will find below, to accompany you to a goldsmith’s who lives hard by, and who will tell you conscientiously the value of the chain.” “My squire was soon back.” I inquired “how much the goldsmith valued it at.” “Six hundred and fifty-five crowns,” answered Sayavedra. “Well then,” said I, “just return and request the loan of six hundred upon it, which I will repay him in three days, with whatever he may demand for interest.” “Honest man as he is,” said my cousin, “he will make no scruple of taking three per cent, for three days as well as for six months, saying that it makes no difference to him. I regret much,” continued he, “that I do not happen at this moment to have sufficient ready money at hand myself; but I know a man of probity who will be satisfied with only two per cent.”