dona perecta-第49章

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see　you。〃



CHAPTER　XXX

BEATING　UP　THE　GAME

A　man　and　a　woman　entered　the　hotel　of　the　widow　De　Cuzco　a　little　after　ten　o'clock；　and　left　it　at　half…past　eleven。

〃Now；　Senora　Dona　Maria；〃　said　the　man；　〃I　will　take　you　to　your　house；　for　I　have　something　to　do。〃

〃Wait；　Senor　Ramos；　for　the　love　of　God！〃　she　answered。　〃Why　don't　we　go　to　the　Casino　to　see　if　he　comes　out？　You　heard　just　now　that　Estebanillo；　the　boy　that　works　in　the　garden；　was　talking　with　him　this　afternoon。〃

〃But　are　you　looking　for　Don　Jose？〃　asked　the　Centaur；　with　ill…humor。　〃What　have　we　to　do　with　him？　The　courtship　with　Dona　Rosario　ended　as　it　was　bound　to　end；　and　now　there　is　nothing　for　it　but　for　my　mother　to　marry　them。　That　is　my　opinion。〃

〃You　are　a　fool！〃　said　Remedios　angrily。

〃Senora；　I　am　going。〃

〃Why；　you　rude　man；　are　you　going　to　leave　me　alone　in　the　street？〃

〃Yes；　senora；　unless　you　go　home　at　once。〃

〃That's　rightleave　me　alone；　exposed　to　be　insulted！　Listen　to　me；　Senor　Ramos。　Don　Jose　will　come　out　of　the　Casino　in　a　moment；　as　usual。　I　want　to　see　whether　he　goes　into　his　hotel　or　goes　past　it。　It　is　a　fancy　of　mine；　only　a　fancy。〃

〃What　I　know　is　that　I　have　something　to　do；　and　that　it　is　near　twelve　o'clock。〃

〃Silence！〃　said　Remedios。　〃Let　us　hide　ourselves　around　the　corner。　A　man　is　coming　down　the　Calle　de　la　Triperia　Alta。　It　is　he！〃

〃Don　Jose！　I　know　him　by　his　walk。〃

〃Let　us　follow　him；〃　said　Maria　Remedios　with　anxiety。　〃Let　us　follow　him　at　a　little　distance；　Ramos。〃

〃Senora〃

〃Only　a　minute；　then；　Dona　Remedios。　After　that　I　must　go。〃

They　walked　on　about　thirty　paces；　keeping　at　a　moderate　distance　behind　the　man　they　were　watching。　The　Penitentiary's　niece　stopped　then　and　said：

〃He　is　not　going　into　his　hotel。〃

〃He　may　be　going　to　the　brigadier's。〃

〃The　brigadier　lives　up　the　street；　and　Don　Pepe　is　going　down　in　the　direction　of　the　senora's　house。〃

〃Of　the　senora's　house！〃　exclaimed　Caballuco；　quickening　his　steps。

But　they　were　mistaken。　The　man　whom　they　were　watching　passed　the　house　of　Polentinos　and　walked　on。

〃Do　you　see　that　you　were　wrong？〃

〃Senor　Ramos；　let　us　follow　him！〃　said　Remedios；　pressing　the　Centaur's　hand　convulsively。　〃I　have　a　foreboding。〃

〃We　shall　soon　know；　for　we　are　near　the　end　of　the　town。〃

〃Don't　go　so　fasthe　may　see　us。　It　is　as　I　thought；　Senor　Ramos；　he　is　going　into　the　garden　by　the　condemned　door。〃

〃Senora；　you　have　lost　your　senses！〃

〃Come　on；　and　we　shall　see。〃

The　night　was　dark；　and　the　watchers　could　not　tell　precisely　at　what　point　Senor　de　Rey　had　entered；　but　a　grating　of　rusty　hinges　which　they　heard；　and　the　circumstance　of　not　meeting　the　young　man　in　the　whole　length　of　the　garden　wall；　convinced　them　that　he　had　entered　the　garden。　Caballuco　looked　at　his　companion　with　stupefaction。　He　seemed　bewildered。

〃What　are　you　thinking　about？　Do　you　still　doubt？〃

〃What　ought　I　to　do？〃　asked　the　bravo；　covered　with　confusion。　〃Shall　we　give　him　a　fright？　I　don't　know　what　the　senora　would　think　about　it。　I　say　that　because　I　was　at　her　house　this　evening；　and　it　seemed　to　me　that　the　mother　and　daughter　had　become　reconciled。〃

〃Don't　be　a　fool！　Why　don't　you　go　in？〃

〃Now　I　remember　that　the　armed　men　are　not　there；　I　told　them　to　leave　this　evening。〃

〃And　this　block　of　marble　still　doubts　what　he　ought　to　do！　Ramos；　go　into　the　garden　and　don't　be　a　coward。〃

〃How　can　I　go　in　if　the　door　is　closed？〃

〃Get　over　the　wall。　What　a　snail！　If　I　were　a　man〃

〃Well；　then；　up！　There　are　some　broken　bricks　here　where　the　boys　climb　over　the　wall　to　steal　the　fruit。〃

〃Up　quickly！　I　will　go　and　knock　at　the　front　door　to　waken　the　senora；　if　she　should　be　asleep。〃

The　Centaur　climbed　up；　not　without　difficulty。　He　sat　astride　on　the　wall　for　an　instant；　and　then　disappeared　among　the　dark　foliage　of　the　trees。　Maria　Remedios　ran　desperately　toward　the　Calle　del　Condestable；　and；　seizing　the　knocker　of　the　front　door；　knockedknocked　three　times　with　all　her　heart　and　soul。



CHAPTER　XXXI

DONA　PERFECTA

See　with　what　tranquillity　Senora　Dona　Perfecta　pursues　her　occupation　of　writing。　Enter　her　room；　and；　notwithstanding　the　lateness　of　the　hour；　you　will　surprise　her　busily　engaged；　her　mind　divided　between　meditation　and　the　writing　of　several　long　and　carefully　worded　epistles　traced　with　a　firm　hand；　every　hair…stroke　of　every　letter　in　which　is　correctly　formed。　The　light　of　the　lamp　falls　full　upon　her　face　and　bust　and　hands；　its　shade　leaving　the　rest　of　her　person　and　almost　the　whole　of　the　room　in　a　soft　shadow。　She　seems　like　a　luminous　figure　evoked　by　the　imagination　from　amid　the　vague　shadows　of　fear。

It　is　strange　that　we　should　not　have　made　before　this　a　very　important　statement；　which　is　that　Dona　Perfecta　was　handsome；　or　rather　that　she　was　still　handsome；　her　face　preserving　the　remains　of　former　beauty。　The　life　of　the　country；　her　total　lack　of　vanity；　her　disregard　for　dress　and　personal　adornment；　her　hatred　of　fashion；　her　contempt　for　the　vanities　of　the　capital；　were　all　causes　why　her　native　beauty　did　not　shine　or　shone　very　little。　The　intense　shallowness　of　her　complexion；　indicating　a　very　bilious　constitution；　still　further　impaired　her　beauty。

Her　eyes　black　and　well…opened；　her　nose　finely　and　delicately　shaped；　her　forehead　broad　and　smooth；　she　was　considered　by　all　who　saw　her　as　a　finished　type　of　the　human　figure；　but　there　rested　on　those　features　a　certain　hard　and　proud　expression　which　excited　a　feeling　of　antipathy。　As　some　persons；　although　ugly；　attract；　Dona　Perfecta　repelled。　Her　glance；　even　when　accompanied　by　amiable　words；　placed　between　herself　and　those　who　were　strangers　to　her　the　impassable　distance　of　a　mistrustful　respect；　but　for　those　of　her　housethat　is　to　say；　for　her　relations；　admirers；　and　alliesshe　possessed　a　singular　attraction。　She　was　a　mistress　in　governing；　and　no　one　could　equal　her　in　the　art　of　adapting　her　language　to　the　person　whom　she　was　addressing。

Her　bilious　temperament　and　an　excessive　association　with　devout　persons　and　things；　which　excited　her　imagination　without　object　or　result；　had　aged　her　prematurely；　and　although　she　was　still　young　she　did　not　seem　so。　It　might　be　said　of　her　that　with　her　habits　and　manner　of　life　she　had　wrought　a　sort　of　rind；　a　stony；　insensible　covering　within　which　she　shut　herself；　like　the　snail　within　his　portable　house。　Dona　Perfecta　rarely　came　out　of　her　shell。

Her　irreproachable　habits；　and　that　outward　amiability　which　we　have　observed　in　her　from　the　moment　of　her　appearance　in　our　story；　were　the　causes　of　the　great　prestige　which　she　enjoyed　in　Orbajosa。　She　kept　up　relations；　besides；　with　some　excellent　ladies　in　Madrid；　and　it　was　through　their　means　that　she　obtained　the　dismissal　of　her　nephew。　At　the　moment　which　we　have　now　arrived　in　our　story；　we　find　her　seated　at　her　desk；　which　is　the　sole　confidant　of　her　plans　and　the　depository　of　her　numerical　accounts　with　the　peasants；　and　of　her　moral　accounts　with　God　and　with　society。　There　she　wrote　the　letters　which　her　brother　received　every　three　months；　there　she　composed　the　notes　that　incited　the　judge　and　the　notary　to　embroil　Pepe　Rey　in　lawsuits；　there　she　prepared　the　plot　through　which　the　latter　lost　the　confidence　of　the　Government；　there　she　held　long　conferences　with　Don　Inocencio。　To　become　acquainted　with　the　scene　of　others　of　her　actions　whose　effects　we　have　observed；　it　would　be　necessary　to　follow　her　to　the　episcopal　palace　and　to　the　houses　of　various　of　her　friends。

We　do　not　know　what　Dona　Perfecta　would　have　been；　loving。　Hating；　she　had　the　fiery　vehemence　of　an　angel　of　hatred　and　discord　among　men。　Such　is　the　effect　produced　on　a　character　naturally　hard；　and　without　inborn　goodness；　by　religious　exaltation；　when　this；　instead　of　drawing　its　nourishment　from　conscience　and　from　truth　revealed　in　principles　as　simple　as　they　are　beautiful；　seeks　its　sap　in　narrow　formulas　dictated　solely　by　ecclesiastical　interests。　In　order　that　religious　fanaticism　should　be　inoffensive；　the　heart　in　which　it　exists　must　be　very　pure。　It　is　true　that　even