will wait on you at table." "God forbid," answered Don Diego; "pray,
gentlemen, sit down if you please." The bullies, though he did not speak
to them, readily answered, "Presently, good Sir; all is not ready yet."
When I saw some invited and the others invite themselves, my heart was
in my mouth, and I dreaded what came to pass; for the scholars laying
hold of the salad, which was a good dishful, and looking upon my master,
said, "It would be unreasonable that these ladies should be left
supperless, where a gentleman of such quality is; pray, Sir, give them
leave to take a bit." My master, like a true cully, invited them to
partake. They sat down, and between the scholars and them, in a trice,
there was but one single lettuce of all the salad left, which last bit
Don Diego had; and as the accursed students gave it him, he said, "Sir,
you had a grandfather, who was my father's uncle, that swooned at the
sight of a lettuce; he was a man of such an odd disposition." This said,
he fetched himself down a brick of bread, and his companion did the
like. The damsels had made a great hole in a good loaf; but yet the poor
curate ate more than all of them with his eyes and wishes. The bullies
bringing in a whole side of kid roasted, and a dish of pigeons and bacon
boiled, took their places at the table, saying to the priest, "Why,
father, what makes you stand there? Draw near and reach a bit, for Don
Diego treats us all." No sooner were the words spoken but he sat down.
When my master perceived that they had all intruded upon him he began to
be much concerned. They divided the spoil, giving Don Diego some few
bones to pick; the rest the curate and the others devoured. The bullies
said, "Pray, Sir, do not eat too much supper, lest it does you harm";
and the devil of a scholar answered, "Besides, Sir, you must begin to
practice to be abstemious considering the life you are to lead at
Alcalá." I and the other servant prayed heartily that God would put it
into their hearts to leave something; and when they had devoured every
bit, and the curate was picking the bones over again, one of the bullies
turned about, and said, "God bless us, we have left nothing for the
servants; come hither, gentlemen. Here, landlord, give them all the
house affords; take this pistole to pay for it." Up started immediately
my master's confounded imaginary kinsman, I mean the scholar, saying,
"With your leave, good Sir, I must tell you, I fear your breeding is not
much; it is a sign you are not acquainted with my cousin; he will
provide for his own servants and for ours too, if we had any, as he has
done for us." "Be not in a passion, Sir," replied the other, "we did not
know so much before." When I saw all this sly dissimulation, I began to
curse them and thought I should never have done. The cloth was taken
away, and they all desired Don Diego to go to bed. He would have paid
for the supper, but they answered that in the morning would be time
enough.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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