The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 395: what you’re looking at

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384 THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. into one of the tents, where bedding was stretched everything as comfortable as, considering the upon the ground; and there the two women who | limited and rude nature of the arrangements, I spoke French, desired me to repose myself. This | could have expected. When I had given a suitable invitation I gratefully accepted. Hot coffee, eggs, ; response, declaring my gratitude for the treatment biscugts, and butter, together with some cold meat, | I had received, he intimated that if I thought fit to was speedily served up; and I made a copious meal. | give any explanation relative to the circumstances Tle women then bade me rest myself as long as I | which had brought me into those wilds, he was pre- thought fit,—promising that I should not be dis- | pared to listen: but he at the same time, with much turbed, for that the encampment would remain in / mingled frankness and delicacy, assured me that if that spot for some days. I thanked them for their | I preferred remaining silent upon the subject, he kindness; and they left me, closing the canvass of | would not press me, nor should my treatment the tent over the entrance. | undergo any change so long as I might choose to “I slept soundly for several hours. Indeed, it | remain with the band. I did not think fit to enter was not till late in the afternoon that I awoke; and . into full particulars relative to the jewels; but I then I was completely refreshed. Presently the ' gave him to understand that I had fled precipitately handsome countenance of one of the women peeped from Barcelona in order to escape a cruel persecu- into the tent; and perceiving that I was awake, she | tion at the hands of the son of a lady in whose pointed to certain arrangements which she had family I had occupied the position of a made for my comfort while I had been steeped in ' Don Diego was perfectly satisfied with this expla- slumber. On a rudely constructed table all the nation; and he asked what he could do to serve necessary materials for ablutions and the toilet; me? I replied that my object was to return to were spread; and as these details are not without | France. He said that it was his intention to re- their interest, I may add that I found a hair- | main for a few days in the present neighbourhood, brush, a comb, nail and tooth brushes, all completely | but that afterwards he and his band would be push- new, together with fragrant Barcelonese soap, and | ing their way towards the Pyrenees; and that if I perfumed oi] for the hair. There was likewise a | thought fit to remain with them during this short change of linen; and, in short, every care had been | interval, he would himself conduct me acroes the taken to minister to my wants aud comforts. All! Pyrenean boundary into France. I accepted this this was cheoring enough; and I could not help | offer at once, and for several reasons. In the first feeling rejoiced at having fallen into such comfort- | place, I had not sufficient money to travel by any able quarters. The young woman, whose name was | public conveyance; and I did not like to expose my Isabella, assisted me in my toilet ; and when it was | necessitous position to Don Diego, or receive pecu- completed, she invited me to join the rest in partak- | niary assistance from him. In the second place, even ing of the afternoon meal. On issuing forth from | if I had possessed ample funds, I should not have liked the tent, I found a complete banquet spread upon ; ¢o trust myself toa public conveyance : for I knew not the grass—the whole arrangements having the air | to what extent James Knight's malignity might have of an English pic-nic. There were roast capons, | reached, and I thought it quite probable that he would masses of amoked ham, piles of sausages, huge | give such publicity to the incident of the jewels that pieces of cheese, vegetables, bread, biscuits, and | should lead to my arrest, if from a personal descrip- quantities of grapes and other fruite. The cauldron | tion I chanced to be recognised. Moreover, it Was aguin simmering over the fire; and this huge | would be impossible to travel without a passport ; irun vessel contained the favourite Spanish comes- | and mine would betray me to the authorities as the tible, called pockero—a sort of soup with quantities | fugitive governess from Barcelona, supposing that of various kinds of meat, poultry, and game. | James Knight had really made the matter public. Plates, dishes, and all the requisite articles of | In the third place, I was sufficiently interested in crockery and cutlery were likewise at hand; and | my new companions to entertain the wish of be. there was no deficiency of wine and spirits. The | holding somewhat more of their mode of life, in men and women of the band were already seated which there was a certain romantic charm for such at the banquet, which they had not however com- a disposition as mine. These were the principal menced, courteously waiting for my appearance. | motives that at once prompted me to accept Chris- Don Diego Christoval, rising up from the grass, | toval’s proposal that I should remain for a few doffed his cap in graceful salutation; and taking | days with his band. me by the hand, invited me to place myself next | “A week thus passed. Every morning at day- to him. We accordingly eat down—and the fes- | break the men of the band, headed by Don Diego, tival commenced. But little conversation took | set out from the encampment, and did not return place during the repast, every one having an appe- | uatil late in the afternoon,—when they found the tite so keen as to cause ample justice to be done {| banquet ready prepared for them by the women. to the good things above enumerated. When it | These women were the wives, or perhaps the mis- was over, the men lighted their pipes, and lounging | tresses, of certain members of the band : but neither upon the grass, smoked and drank at their ease; | of them pertained to Don Diego. Their conduct but Don Diego, who, it appeared, was not addicted | was unexceptionably correct; and if they were not to the use of tobacco, proposed to me, if I were not | really wives, they at all events behaved with the still too much fatigued, to walk with him along the | discretion and decency of married women. When bank of the streamlet. Supposing that he wished | the men returned of a day, they were invariably to speak to me relative to my circumstances, I ac- | laden with provisions of all kinds; and I noticed cepted the invitation, and we rambled away from | that of an evening, they all assembled in Don the encampment. Diego's own tent, where they r mained for about “ At first he expressed a hope that I was satisfied | half-an-hour, either in consultation or else in with the attention shown me, and that I had found | dividing other things which ther had obtained COMIC LOO