to dare the night
adventure. On the way the _arriero_ tells them the legend, how,
centuries before, Ghismondo de las Sierras, ruined by debauchery,
established himself in this his last possession, with one squire, one
page (both of the worst characters), his beautiful niece Ines, whom he
has seduced, and a few desperate followers, who help him to live by
brigandage. Every night the three chiefs drank themselves senseless, and
were regularly dragged to bed by their men. But one Christmas Eve at
midnight, Ines, struck with remorse, entered the hall of orgies, and
implored them to repent, actually kneeling before Ghismondo, and placing
her hand on his heart. To which the ruffian replied by stabbing her, and
leaving her for the men-at-arms to find, a corpse, among the drunken but
live bodies. For a whole twelvemonth the three see, in dreams, their
victim come and lay a burning hand on their hearts; and at its end, on
the same day and at the same hour, the dream comes true--the phantom
appears, speaks _once_, "Here am I!" sits with them, eats and drinks,
even sings and dances, but finally lays the flaming hand of the dream on
each heart; and they die in torture--the men-at-arms entering as usual,
only to find _four_ corpses. (Now it is actually Christmas Eve--the
Spanish _Noche Buena_--at "_temp._ of tale.")

So far the story, though admirably told, in a fashion which mere summary
cannot convey, is, it may be said, not more than "as per usual." Not so
what follows.

The four travellers--the unnamed captain who tells the story; his two
lieutenants, Boutraix, a bluff Voltairian, with an immense capacity for
food and drink, and Sergy, a young and romantic Celadon, _plus_ the
actor-manager Bascara, who is orthodox--with the _arriero_, arrive at
last at the castle, which is Udolphish enough, and with some difficulty
reach, over broken staircases and through ruined corridors, the great
banqueting-hall.[87]

Here--for it is less ruinous that the rest of the building and actually
contains furniture and mouldering pictures--they make themselves
tolerably comfortable with their torches, a huge fire made up from
broken stairs and panels, abundance of provisions, and two dozen of
wine, less a supply for the _arriero_, who prudently remains in the
stables, alleging that the demons that haunt those places are fairly
familiar to him and not very mischievous. As the baggage has got very
wet during the day, the dresses and properties of B