protectors.” I understood his meaning perfectly, and promised the old man that my wife should be more guarded in her future conduct; after which, I went home, well assured that my wife would tell the story in quite a different way; as in fact she did: for no sooner had I mentioned his name, than she began to declaim against him as an avaricious old curmudgeon, who had made her none but the most insignificant presents ever since my departure. I entered into her resentment, and permitted more young men than ever to frequent our house; which the old magistrate having remarked, he reproached me for having broken my word with him, and, as though he had made my fortune, he accused me of making him an ungrateful return for all the benefits he had conferred on me. At length we lost all patience, and, to get rid at once of so troublesome a visitor, I ordered the servants to say we were not at home whenever he called. No sooner did he perceive that we were determined to release ourselves from his tyranny than his love was converted into hatred, and in his passion he caused us to be condemned to leave Madrid in three days, under pain of imprisonment for the remainder of our lives. He thought that by this he would undoubtedly have reduced us to implore his mercy, and do just as he pleased; but he was much mistaken, for no sooner was this unjust sentence made known to us than we guessed from whence it came, and resolved to obey it, my wife choosing rather to travel all over the world than have any thing more to do with this old rascal, and I beginning to be apprehensive that my creditors would shortly be calling upon me for the remainder of my composition money. CHAP. LI. _Guzman and his wife, having been obliged to leave Madrid for their exemplary and moral mode of life, proceed to Seville, where Guzman finds his Mother._ The first day we were fully employed in converting all our effects into ready money. On the second we hired four mules to carry us and our baggage, and departed from Madrid on the morning of the third, according to the sentence.