“It is not in good taste to translate the name of a street; but it means ‘the street of the serpents.’ But I think you had better wait till you have seen the sights, before you attempt to describe them in your letter.”
“I will look them up in the guide-book, when I write.”
“This is the Calle de las Sierpes,” continued the doctor, as they entered a narrow street leading from the Plaza de la Constitucion—nearly every Spanish city has one with this name—in the rear of the City Hall. “This is the business street of the town, and it is generally crowded with people. Here are the retail stores, the cafés, the post-office, and the principal theatre.”
The students were interested in this street, it was so full of life. The ends of it were barred so that no carriages could enter it; and the whole pavement was a sidewalk, as O’Hara would have expressed it. Passing the theatre, they followed a continuation of the same street.
“Do you notice the name of this street?” said the doctor, as he pointed to the sign on a corner. “It is the Calle del Amor de Dios. It is so near like the Latin that you can tell what it means.”
“But it seems hardly possible that a street should have such a name,—the ‘Street of the Love of God,’” added Sheridan.
“That is just what it is; and it was given by reverent men. There is also in this city the Calle de Gesu, or Jesus Street; and the names of the Virgin and the saints are applied in the same way.”
Passing through this street, the party came to the Alameda de Hercules.
“The city has about the same history as most others in the South of Spain,—Romans, Goths, Vandals, Moors, Christians,” said the doctor. “But some of the romancists ascribe its origin to Hercules; and this alameda is named after him. Now we will take a closer view of one of the houses. You observe that they differ from those of our cities. They are built on the Moorish plan. What we call the front door is left open all day. It leads into a vestibule; and on the right and left are the entrances to the apartments. Let us go in.”
“Is this a private house?” asked Sheridan, who seemed to have some doubts about proceeding any farther; but then the doctor astonished him by ringing the bell, which was promptly answered by a voice inquiring who was there.