e Duchess and
the Duke.

But as soon as Sancho had left, Don Quixote felt a great loneliness in
his heart; and that night, after having supped with the ducal pair, he
begged to be excused early and retired to his room, saying he wanted
no servant to wait on him.

He undressed at once, and went to bed, leaving the window overlooking
the garden open. Soon he heard the voices of two young maidens, and he
was surprised to hear that they were speaking of him. One of them he
recognized as the fair Altisidora, and, persuaded by the other voice,
she commenced to serenade the knight, to whom in her song she bared
her aching heart, and the passion that burned there for him.

But the knight could not be moved. His was a love for no one but his
Dulcinea. To indicate to the young maiden that he was aware of her
intentions and could not be swayed, he rose from his bed, and went to
the window and feigned a sneeze. When that was of no avail and neither
produced reticence in the maidens nor drove them away from his window,
he sighed: "O what an unlucky knight I am that no damsel can set eyes
on me but falls in love with me!" And he went on to bewail his fate,
crying out in the night that all the empresses in the world were
jealous of the love he bore in his heart for the sweet Dulcinea, and
saying that he must and would remain hers, pure, courteous, and
chaste, in spite of all the magic-working powers on earth.

Then the worthy knight shut his window with a bang, and thrust himself
on his bed, entirely out of patience with the enticing and sinful
young maidens.

CHAPTER XLV

OF HOW THE GREAT SANCHO PANZA TOOK POSSESSION OF HIS ISLAND;
AND OF HOW HE MADE A BEGINNING IN GOVERNING

When Sancho arrived in his village he learned that his island was
called Barataria. He was greeted with great demonstrations: the whole
community had turned out to meet him, and all the churchbells were
ringing. He was first taken to the church, where he gave thanks to
God; then he was presented with the keys of the town. From the church
he was taken to the judgment seat outside, and there he was told to
answer numerous questions which the majordomo put to him, saying that
that was an ancient custom on taking office.

The questions were cases of quarrels between the villagers, and Sancho
answered each one of them so sagely that every one gaped in wonder,
for, judging by his appearance and the way he talked, they had thought
their governor a fo