The Manuscript Found in Saragossa (30 page)

As for me, I remained frozen like a statue, holding the letter in one hand and the wallet in the other. I had still not recovered from my surprise when the
alcalde
came to tell me that he had escorted the
corregidor
to the frontier of the territory of Villaca and that he was at my service to obtain mules, muleteers, guides, saddles and provisions; in other words, everything needed for me to undertake the journey.

I let the good
alcalde
make the arrangements. Thanks to his assiduous help we were ready to leave the following day. We passed last night at Villa Verde and here we now are. Tomorrow we will reach Villa Real, where the respectful viceroy will be waiting for us. But what shall I say to him? What will he himself say when he sees the tears of Elvira? I did not dare leave my son at home for fear of raising suspicions, and if the truth be told I was unable to resist his pleading to be allowed to come. So I have disguised him as a muleteer. Heaven alone knows what will happen. I fear and wish at the same time that all will be revealed. I shall of course have to meet the viceroy. I must find out from him what he has done to recover Elvira's property. If she is no longer worthy to become his wife I want him to take sufficient interest in her to take her under his protection. But how shall I at my age dare to confess my negligence to him? In truth, if I were not a Christian, I would prefer death to such a moment.

‘Speak quietly!' said a voice. ‘It's Lonzeto. Elvira and I have thought of a way out of our predicament, at least for a few days. Here are my cousin's clothes. Put them on and Elvira will take yours. My mother is so kind-hearted that she will forgive us. And as for the muleteers and servants who accompanied us from Villaca, they will not be able to betray us because they have just been replaced by others sent by the viceroy. The maid is in league with us. Get dressed quickly and you can go to sleep in Elvira's bed. And she will sleep in yours.'

I saw no reason to object to Lonzeto's plan so I dressed as quickly as I could. I was twelve and tall for my age, so that the clothes of a fourteen-year-old Castilian girl fitted me perfectly, for, as you know, Castilian women are generally shorter than those from Andalusia.

When I had dressed I lay down in Elvira's bed. Soon after, I heard her aunt being told that the major-domo of the viceroy was waiting for her in the kitchen of the inn, which served as the common-room.

A moment later Elvira was summoned, and I went down in her place. Her aunt raised her hands to heaven and fell back on a chair behind her, but the major-domo did not notice her. He knelt, assured me of his master's respect for me and presented me with a casket. I accepted it graciously and commanded him to stand up. At that moment many of the viceroy's retinue came in to greet me and shouted three times, ‘Viva la nuestra virreina!'

My own aunt then came in, followed by Elvira, dressed as a boy. She made signs to Maria de Torres to show that she knew what was going on and felt sympathy with her, meaning that there was nothing else to do than to let us go on with our plan.

The major-domo asked me who the lady was. I told him that she was from Madrid and was on her way to Burgos to enter her nephew in the Theatine College. The major-domo invited her to travel in the viceroy's litters. My aunt asked for one for her nephew, who was very delicate and worn out by travelling. The major-domo arranged
for this to be done. He then offered me his gloved hand and handed me up into the litter. I was in front. The whole procession then set off.

So now I was a future virreina with a diamond-studded casket in my hand, being transported in a gilded litter drawn by two white mules, with an escort of two equerries parading on either side of my carriage. In this situation, very singular for a boy of my age, I started to think about marriage, a bond whose nature was not altogether known to me. Yet I knew enough to be sure that the viceroy could not marry me and that the best thing I could do would be to keep him in ignorance of the truth for as long as possible, giving my friend Lonzeto time to think up some way of extricating himself from his predicament. To be of service to a friend seemed to me to be a very fine thing. In short, I decided to act the part of a young girl, and I practised by lying back in my litter, simpering and giving myself airs. I remembered also that I had to avoid taking long strides when I walked and generally stop myself from making any expansive movements.

I had reached that point in my thoughts when a great whirlwind of dust heralded the arrival of the viceroy. The major-domo had me step down from the litter and told me to take his arm. The viceroy dismounted, knelt down and said, ‘Señora, be so gracious as to accept these tokens of a love which began when you were born and will not end until I die.' He then kissed my hand and, without waiting for a reply, installed me again in my litter, remounted and ordered us on our way.

As he was prancing alongside my litter, scarcely looking at me, I had the leisure to examine him closely. He was no longer the young man who had looked so handsome to Maria de Torres when he killed the bull or when he returned with his cart to the village of Villaca. The viceroy could still pass for handsome, but his complexion had been burnt by the equatorial sun and it was closer to black than white in colour. His eyebrows, which hung low over his eyes, gave his face so fearsome an expression that all the efforts he took to soften it merely produced a grimace which had nothing friendly about it. When he addressed men, his voice was like thunder, when he spoke to women, it was a falsetto you couldn't hear without laughing. When he addressed his servants, he seemed to be commanding an
army, when he spoke to me, he seemed to be taking orders from me for a military expedition.

The more I observed the viceroy, the less comfortable I felt. The thought came to me that the moment he discovered that I was a boy would herald a beating the very idea of which made me quake. I did not therefore need to pretend to be shy. I was trembling in all my limbs and did not dare to raise my eyes to anyone.

We reached Valladolid. The major-domo gave me his hand and led me to the apartment which had been prepared for me. I was followed by my two aunts. Elvira wanted to come in but she was sent off as if she was an over-inquisitive boy. As for Lonzeto, he was with the ostlers.

As soon as I saw that I was alone with my aunts I threw myself at their feet, begging them not to betray me. I described to them the punishments to which the slightest indiscretion would expose me. The idea of my being whipped drove my aunt to despair. She also pleaded on my behalf, but her entreaties were unnecessary. Maria de Torres was as frightened as we were and sought only to delay the climax of the story for as long as possible.

At last dinner was announced. The viceroy received me at the door of the dining room, led me to my place and sat me on his left. ‘Señora,' he said, ‘the anonymity which I am presently keeping merely suspends the dignity of viceroy: it does not annul it. For this reason I venture to place myself on your right, just as the august master whom I represent sits on the right of the queen.'

Then the major-domo disposed the other guests according to rank, giving the highest place to Maria de Torres.

We ate for a long time in silence. Then the viceroy spoke to Maria de Torres. ‘Señora,' he said, ‘it gave me great distress to note that in the letter which you wrote to me in America you seemed to doubt that I would fulfil the promise that I made to you thirteen years and a few months ago.'

‘Your Highness,' said Maria, ‘my niece would seem, and would indeed be, more worthy of your high office if I had thought that you were more serious about it.'

‘It is obvious that you are from Europe,' said the viceroy. ‘In the New World everyone knows that I do not speak in jest.'

Then the conversation died and did not revive. When we rose from table the viceroy escorted me to the door of my apartment. The two aunts went to fetch the real Elvira, who had eaten at the major-domo's table, and I stayed with the maid, who was now mine. She knew I was a boy but was no less assiduous in my service, yet she too was petrified by the viceroy. We bolstered each other's courage and ended up by laughing heartily.

My aunts came back. As the viceroy had let it be known that he would not see us again that day, they secretly brought Elvira and Lonzeto to join us. My joy was then complete. We laughed like madmen and our aunts, delighted to have some respite from their sorrows, almost shared our merriment.

Quite late in that evening we heard a guitar and saw the amorous viceroy wrapped in a dark cloak, half-hidden behind a neighbouring house. His was no longer a young man's voice but it was still quite beautiful. He sang in tune and it was obvious that he had devoted a lot of time to music.

Little Elvira, who knew how to behave gallantly, took off one of my gloves and threw it into the street. The viceroy picked it up, kissed it and placed it in his bosom. But no sooner had I accorded him this favour than the thought struck me that I would receive an extra hundred strokes of the cane for it once the viceroy found out what sort of Elvira I was. This made me so sad that all I wanted to do was to go to bed. Elvira and Lonzeto wept a little as they took leave of me.

‘Till tomorrow,' I said.

‘Perhaps,' said Lonzeto.

Then I slept in the same room as my new aunt. I undressed as modestly as I could, and she did the same.

Next day, we were woken by my Aunt Dalanosa who informed us that Elvira and Lonzeto had run away during the night and that no one knew what had become of them. This news struck Maria de Torres like a thunderbolt. As for me, I realized at once that the only course of action I could follow was to become virreina in Elvira's place.