ndano. Inquire
of his servants if he has a son, Don Tomas de Avendano by name, and that
is myself. Thence you may go on to make such other inquiries as will
satisfy you that I have told you the truth respecting my quality, and
that I will keep my word with regard to every offer I have made you. And
now farewell, for I will not return to this house until they have left
it."

Costanza made him no reply, nor did he wait for any, but hurrying out,
with his face concealed as he had come in, he went to acquaint Carriazo
that their fathers had arrived at the Sevillano. The landlord called for
Tomas to give out oats, but no Tomas appearing, he had to do it himself.

Meanwhile, one of the two cavaliers called one of the Gallegan wenches
aside, and asked her what was the name of the beautiful girl he had
seen, and was she a relation of the landlord or the landlady. "The
girl's name is Costanza," replied the Gallegan; "she is no relation
either to the landlord or the landlady, nor do I know what she is. All I
can say is, I wish the murrain had her, for I don't know what there is
about her, that she does not leave one of us girls in the house a single
chance, for all we have our own features too, such as God made them.
Nobody enters these doors but the first thing he does is to ask, Who is
that beautiful girl? and the next is to say all sorts of flattering
things of her, while nobody condescends to say a word to the rest of us,
not so much as 'What are you doing here, devils, or women, or whatever
you are?'"

"From your account, then," said the gentleman, "I suppose she has a fine
time of it with the strangers who put up at this house."

"You think so. Well, just you hold her foot for the shoeing, and see how
you'll like the job. By the Lord, senor, if she would only give her
admirers leave to look at her, she might roll in gold; but she's more
touch-me-not than a hedgehog; she's a devourer of Ave Marias, and spends
the whole day at her needle and her prayers. I wish I was as sure of a
good legacy as she is of working miracles some day. Bless you, she's a
downright saint; my mistress says she wears hair-cloth next her skin."

Highly delighted with what he had heard from the Gallegan, the gentleman
did not wait till they had taken off his spurs, but called for the
landlord, and withdrew with him into a private room. "Senor host," said
he, "I am come to redeem a pledge of mine which has been in your hands
for some years, and I b