wo
chairs and a bedstead, with a straw mattress on it.

"Put the youngsters in there," he said gruffly to his assistants. "It
is a room fit for an hidalgo of the first order. They may see and be
seen if they choose to put their noses through the gratings."

On this the gaolers very unceremoniously thrust us in, and Sancho,
without saying a word more, closed the door upon us. It appeared such
an age since we had beheld the blue sky and the smiling face of nature,
that we eagerly rushed to the window to discover what view could be
obtained from it. We found, to our no small satisfaction, that it was
not more than twelve or fifteen feet from the ground, and that it looked
out on the great square I have before described. I have never forgotten
the sensations of delight with which I inhaled the fresh air as it came
through the open bars, and gazed once more on the bright sky, and the
clear water of the river, the fields, and the trees beyond, and the
human beings who were thronging the open space below us. They all
appeared so full of life and activity, and the murmur of their voices
seemed like music to my ears, so long accustomed to the silence of the
dungeon. The bars of the window were very strong, and placed very close
together, so that, as Sancho had observed, we could only just get our
noses through them. We were, however, glad to get them out as far as we
could, and every moment I found the breeze restoring to my limbs their
accustomed strength. My first impulse was to shake the bars to try and
find whether any of them could be moved; but I restrained myself, lest
some one from below should observe us and suspect that we were thinking
of escaping. As we stood there, we heard several voices in piteous
tones asking for alms; and by pressing our faces close to the bars, we
discovered that some of the prisoners in the neighbouring rooms were
letting down hats and baskets by lines at the ends of poles, like
fishing rods, to collect food and money from the passers-by. We were
still eagerly watching the scene, when I felt a hand laid on my
shoulder. I started back, and saw Sancho. We had been so interested
that we had not heard him enter. He placed his finger on his lips to
impose silence.

"I have been so occupied that I could not come before," he whispered.
"I have brought you some white bread, and some meat, and fruit, and
fresh water, and a little brandy to mix with it, which have been ordered
by the fr