'So I say, too,' said the Curate; 'and to-morrow they shall feed the flames, so that they may do no further harm.'
By this time the labourer and Don Quixote had come to the house, and all the household hearing them arrive, ran to embrace him. And Don Quixote—who had not yet dismounted from the ass, for he was not able—said: 'Stand still and touch me not, for I return very sore wounded and hurt through the fault of my steed. Carry me to bed, and summon, if it be possible, the wise Urganda, that she may examine and cure my wounds.'
'Come, my dear Master,' said his Housekeeper, 'and welcome, for, without sending for that Urganda, we shall know how to cure thee well enough. Accursed, say I once again, and a hundred times accursed, may those books of Knighthood be which have brought you to such a pass.'
With that they bore him up to his bed, and searching for his wounds could not find any. Then he said he was all one bruise, through having a grievous fall with his horse Rozinante, in a fight with ten Giants, the most enormous and the boldest that could be found on earth.
'So ho!' said the Curate, 'there are Giants about, are there? By mine honesty I will burn them all before to-morrow night.'
The next day, while the Knight was asleep, the Curate asked the Niece for the keys of the library, which she gave him with a very good will. Then they all went in, the Housekeeper with them, and found more than a hundred very large volumes well bound, besides other smaller ones.
The Curate asked the Barber to hand him down the books from their shelves one by one, that he might see whether any deserved to escape the fire.
'No, no!' cried the Niece, 'you ought not to pardon any of them, seeing they have all been offenders. Better fling them all out of the window into the yard and make a heap of them, and then make a bonfire of them where the smoke will offend nobody.'
With that the Housekeeper caught hold of some of the largest and flung them out of the window. But the Curate took down several from the shelves and began to examine them carefully, whilst the women cried out for their destruction.