, but no sooner was
the house all still, than Lope heard some one calling very softly at his
bed-room door. "Who's there?" said he. "It is we," whispered a voice,
"Argueello and the Gallegan. Open the door and let us in, for we are
dying of cold."

"Dying of cold indeed," said Lope, "and we are in the middle of the dog
days."

"Oh, leave off now, friend Lope," said the Gallegan; "get up and open
the door; for here we are as fine as archduchesses."

"Archduchesses, and at this hour? I don't believe a word of it, but
rather think you must be witches or something worse. Get out of that
this moment, or, by all that's damnable, if you make me get up I'll
leather you with my belt till your hinder parts are as red as poppies."

Finding that he answered them so roughly, and in a manner so contrary to
their expectations, the two disappointed damsels returned sadly to their
beds; but before they left the door, Argueello put her lips to the
key-hole, and hissed through it, "Honey was not made for the mouth of
the ass;" and with that, as if she had said something very bitter
indeed, and taken adequate revenge on the scorner, she went off to her
cheerless bed.

"Look you, Tomas," said Lope to his companion, as soon as they were
gone, "set me to fight two giants, or to break the jaws of half a dozen,
or a whole dozen of lions, if it be requisite for your service, and I
shall do it as readily as I would drink a glass of wine; but that you
should put me under the necessity of encountering Argueello, this is what
I would never submit to, no, not if I were to be flayed alive. Only
think, what damsels of Denmark[81] fate has thrown upon us this night.
Well, patience! To-morrow will come, thank God, and then we shall see."

[81] See the romance of Amadis of Gaul.

"I have already told you, friend," replied Tomas, "that you may do as
you please--either go on your pilgrimage, or buy an ass and turn
water-carrier as you proposed."

"I stick to the water-carrying business," said Lope. "My mind is made up
not to quit you at present."

They then went to sleep till daylight, when they rose; Tomas Pedro went
to give out oats, and Lope set off to the cattle-market to buy an ass.
Now it happened that Tomas had spent his leisure on holidays in
composing some amorous verses, and had jotted them down in the book in
which he kept the account of the oats, intending to copy them out
fairly, and then blot them out of the book, or tear out the pa