I had never seen so fine a face, such perfection of features, and such a
clear, dark, smooth skin. It was a finer face than Lord Byron’s, whom I
had seen more than once, and wanted that hellish curl of the lip; and,
as to figure, he could, to look at him, at any time have eaten up his
lordship stoop and roop to his breakfast. It was the countenance, in a
word, of a most beautiful youth, melancholy, indeed, and anxious
evidently anxious; for the large pearls that coursed each other down his
forehead and cheek, and the slight quivering of the under-lip, every
now and then evinced the powerful struggle that was going on within.
His figure was, if possible, superior to his face. It was not quite
filled up, set, as we call it, but the arch of his chest was
magnificent, his shoulders square, arms well put on; but his neck--“Have
you seen the Apollo, neighbour?”--“No, but the cast of it at Somerset
House.”--“Well, that will do--so you know the sort of neck he had.”
His waist was fine, hips beautifully moulded; and although his under
limbs were shrouded in his wide trowsers, they were evidently of a piece
with what was seen and developed; and this was vouched for by the turn
of his ankle and well-shaped foot on which he wore a small Spanish
grass slipper, fitted with great nicety. He was at least six feet two
in height, and such as I have described him; there he stood, with his
hands grasping the rail before him and looking intently at a wigless
lawyer who was opening the accusation, while he had one ear turned a
little towards the sworn interpreter of the court, whose province it
was, at every pause, to explain to the prisoners what the learned
gentleman was stating. From time to time he said a word or two to a
square-built, dark, ferocious-looking man standing next him,
apparently about forty years of age, who, as well as his fellow
prisoners, appeared to pay him great respect; and I could notice the
expression of their countenances change as his rose or fell.
The indictment had been read before I came in, and, as already
mentioned, the lawyer was proceeding with his accusatory speech, and, as
it appeared to me, the young Spaniard had some difficulty in
understanding the interpreter’s explanation. Whenever he saw me, he
exclaimed, “Ah! aqui viene, el Senor Teniente--ahora sabremos ahora,
ahora;” and he beckoned to me to draw near. I did so.
“I beg pardon, Mr Cringle,” he said in Spanish, with the ease and grace
of a nobleman “but I believe the interpreter to be incapable, and I am
certain that what I say is not fittingly explained to the judges;
neither do I believe he can give me a sound notion of what the advocate
(avocado) is alleging against us. May I entreat you to solicit the
bench for permission to take his place? I know you will expect no
apology for the trouble from a man in my situation.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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