"You are right, Senhor Joze, there is no use quarrelling with one's lot. What would be the advantage to him of being a duke, if he might not do what pleases him?" said the Cobbler, plying his awl as if he thought much more of mending the old shoe on his lap, than of the words he was speaking. "He appears to be fonder of taking carriage exercise than he was?" "Oh! he is driving about all day," said Joze, "first to one place, then to another; now to pay his respects to his majesty, then to some fidalgo he never before thought of visiting. It is said that this change has been worked by the influence of the pious saint, the holy Father Malagrida, who tells him, that to be at enmity with his fellow-men is sinful and wicked, and that he must reform his life, and be in charity with all. To prove his sincerity, the last time it was my turn to go out, we drove to the palace of the Marquis of Tavora, to whom he has not spoken for years; but he craved forgiveness for some insult he had committed towards him, and when they parted, they embraced in the most affectionate way, the duke kissing the hand of the marchioness most lovingly. Oh, it was quite pathetic to see them!" "Oh, it must have been," returned Antonio; "and you say he has renewed his friendship with several other nobles?" "Oh yes, there was the Count d'Atouquia, who had never spoken to him since he ran his brother through the body one night in a street brawl, and now they are hand and glove: then he has written to the Count d'Almeida, before whom he used to carry himself so haughtily, though the count thought himself just as great a man as our lord. Then he paid a visit of ceremony to the Senhor Silva, whom he has constantly passed in the streets as if he was some commoner or plebeian; and he dined yesterday with the Marquis d'Alorna, with whom he was on bad terms formerly. We do not know what to make of it; and I should not think of speaking on the subject to any one but a friend like you; but, to tell you the truth, our opinion is, that there is some marriage about to take place between the young viscount, our lord's nephew, and some lady of one of these noble families, or perhaps his son is to be betrothed to one of them." "I have no doubt you have exactly hit off the truth," said the Cobbler, nodding his head sagaciously; "but I would advise you not to talk about your lord's affairs to people in general: to a friend like me it is different; for you know the less said the soonest mended; but I am as close as cobbler's wax," and he kneaded a lump of that composition in his fingers. "Ah! I know you are, or I should not be so great a fool as to talk to you as I do," said Joze, sagaciously. "By-the-bye, have you heard of the marriage about to take place between the young Marquis of Tavora, who is a great friend of our young viscount, and the daughter of the Count d'Alorna?"