ast he subdued
him somewhat, and by that time the duennas had reached the spot where
Don Quixote and Sancho were seated, and one of them came up,
curtsied, and gave the poor squire a smack on the face that nearly
unseated him, and that made him exclaim: "Less politeness and less
paint, Senora Duenna. By God, your hands smell of vinegar-wash!"

No sooner had Sancho uttered these words than he was smacked and
pinched by nearly all the rest of them, until at last he lost his
temper and seized a lighted torch, with which he pursued the flying
duennas in an uncontrollable rage, crying: "Begone, ye ministers of
Hell! I am not made of brass not to feel such out-of-the-way
tortures."

But just then Altisidora--who probably was tired of lying on her back
such a long time--moved, and in the next moment exclamations were
heard from all in the court: "Altisidora is alive! Altisidora lives!"

Now that the great miracle had been attained, Rhadamanthus turned to
Sancho and bade him still his anger; and Don Quixote again entreated
Sancho, since he so nobly had proven that virtue now was ripe in him,
to go to work and disenchant his Dulcinea in the same breath. To this
Sancho replied:

"That is trick upon trick, I think, and not honey upon pancakes. A
nice thing it would be for a whipping to come now, on the top of
pinches, smacks, and pin-proddings! You had better take a big stone
and tie it round my neck, and pitch me into a well; I should not mind
it much, if I am to be always made the cow of the wedding for the cure
of other people's ailments. Leave me alone; or else by the Lord I
shall fling the whole thing to the dogs, come what may!"

By this time Altisidora had entirely recovered from her death and was
now sitting up on the catafalque. The music was again heard, the
voices sang, and all came forward to help the young maiden down from
her elevated position.

Altisidora acted as if she were just coming out of a long, long sleep;
and when she saw the Kings and the Duke and the Duchess she bowed her
head to them in respect. Then she asked the Lord to forgive Don
Quixote for his cruelty, while she praised and thanked Sancho Panza
for his sacrifice, and offered to give him six smocks of hers to make
into shirts for himself, adding that if they were not quite whole,
they were at least all clean. On hearing this, Sancho fell on his
knees and kissed her hands; and then one of the attendants approached
him, at the order of the Duk