“Then, sir, don’t let me have to guess.”
“You say your knaves here are handsome?”
“They have adorable almond-shaped eyes, red lips, white teeth, and complexions of a delightful olive, covered with black down.”
“You only speak of their heads.”
“I have a reason for doing so, for it is the only good thing they possess; for which reason our girls are accustomed to say, ‘The heart of Castile, the soul of Catalonia, the form of Leon, the limbs of Navarre, and the head of Arragon make a perfect man.’”
“By my faith! the idea is a jolly one, and I must give you all credit for having been the first to think of it.”
“Your honour is too good. You accredit me with more spirit than I possess.”
“Since you originated the notion, you must assist me to put it into execution. Well, then, how can you get me the head of an Arragonese?”
“What! you wish to take away a real head—a living head?”
“Living is scarcely the word—but a head that has been alive.”