Adventure stories; Spain -- History -- Ferdinand and Isabella, 1479-1516 -- Fiction
“Nothing—as yet nothing. These walls are high, guards watch them day
and night, and outside is the great city of Granada where Morella has
much power, and whence no Christian may escape. But he would marry her.
And there is that handsome fool-woman, her servant, who is in love with
him—oh! she told me all about it in the worst Spanish I ever heard, but
the story is too long to repeat; and the priest, Father Henriques—he
who wished that you might be killed at the inn, and who loves money so
much. Ah! now I think I see some light. But we have no more time to
talk, and I must have time to think. Friend Pedro, make ready your
kisses, we must go on with our game, and, in truth, you play but badly.
Come now, your arm. There is a seat prepared for us yonder. Smile and
look loving. I have not art enough for both. Come!—come!” And together
they walked out of the dense shadow of the trees and past the marble
bath of the sultanas to a certain seat beneath a bower on which were
cushions, and lying among them a lute.
“Seat yourself at my feet,” she said, as she sank on to the bench. “Can
you sing?”
“No more than a crow,” he answered.
“Then I must sing to you. Well, it will be better than the
love-making.” Then in a very sweet voice she began to warble amorous
Moorish ditties that she accompanied upon the lute, whilst Peter, who
was weary in body and disturbed in mind, played a lover’s part to the
best of his ability, and by degrees the darkness gathered.
At length, when they could no longer see across the garden, Inez ceased
singing and rose with a sigh.
“The play is finished and the curtain down,” she said; “also it is time
that you went in out of this damp. Señor Pedro, you are a very bad
actor; but let us pray that the audience was compassionate, and took
the will for the deed.”
“I did not see any audience,” answered Peter.
“But it saw you, as I dare say you will find out by-and-by. Follow me
now back to your room, for I must be going about your business—and my
own. Have you any message for the Señor Castell?”
“None, save my love and duty. Tell him that, thanks to you, although
still somewhat feeble, I am recovered of my hurt upon the ship and the
fever which I took from the sun, and that if he can make any plan to
get us all out of this accursed city and the grip of Morella I will
bless his name and yours.”
“Good, I will not forget. Now be silent. Tomorrow we will walk here
again; but be not afraid, then there will be no more need for
love-making.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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