dressed, who all, one after another, came to embrace me, and to wish me joy. My senses were in a perfect suspension, and I could not speak a word, nor answer to their kind compliments. But one of them, seeing me so silent, said to me, ‘Madam, the solitude of this place will affect you in the beginning; but when you are sometime in our company, and feel the pleasures of our amusements and recreations, you will quit your pensive thoughts. Now we beg of you the honour to come and dine with us to-day, and henceforth three days in a week.’ I thanked them, and we went to dinner. That day we had all sorts of exquisite meats, and were served with delicate fruits and sweetmeats. The room was very long, with two tables on each side, and another at the front of it, and I reckoned in it, on that day, _fifty-two_ young ladies, the oldest of them not exceeding _twenty-four_ years of age. Six maids did serve the whole number of us; but my Mary waited on me alone that day. After dinner, we went up stairs into a long gallery, all round about with lattice windows, where some of us playing on instruments of music, others playing at cards, and some walking about, we spent three hours together. At last, Mary came up ringing a small bell, which was the signal to retire into our rooms, as they told me: but Mary said to the whole company,--‘Ladies, this is a day of recreation; so you may go into what room you please till eight of the clock, and then you are to go into your own chambers.’ So they all desired leave to go with me to my apartment to spend the time there; and I was very glad that they preferred my chamber to another. All going down together, we met in my anti-chamber, where we found a large table with all sorts of sweetmeats upon it, iced cinnamon-water, almond-milk, and the like. Every one did eat and drink, but nobody spoke a word touching the sumptuousness of the table, nor mentioned anything concerning the inquisition of the holy fathers. So we spent our time in merry, indifferent conversation till eight of the clock. Then every one retired to her own room, and Mary told me that Don Francisco did wait for me; so we went to his apartment, and supper being ready, we both alone sat to table, attended by my maid only.