The Argosy — page 134: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

122 - Letters from Majorca. I should like you to see us starting on one of these expeditions, Our seat is so perched up that in getting in and out of the carriage it is quite unnecessary to open the door. We step gracefully over it, and thereby save time and trouble. H. C., it is true, now and then forgets his long legs, catches his foot in the woodwork, and the next moment lies sprawling in the dust. But we like these little diver- sions: at least, I find them amusing—when they happen to H. C. He bears them with the calmness of a great mind, and rising from these falls with a blank and serene expression, gives vent to his emotions in the sublimity of blank verse. We started for Soller one fine morning. The barouche came round, decked out with clean brown holland covers in our special honour. Of course a small crowd collected, also in our honour. From every window in the fonda a head looked out; from some windows two or three heads. We had been carefully packed up by Francisco. Paolo, our coachman, sat on his box, immovable as a marble i image, impenetrable as a sphinx. His features might have been carved in wood. To-day he had nothing to do but to drive us. Fish, flesh, fowl and fruit, forty-eight eggs, or a hundred and. -forty- eight if necessary —everything would be found in abundance at the Soller fonda. A. and’B. came down to see us off, and wish us bon voyage. I have already referred to them. You will perhaps remember that they crossed over with us from Barcelona. I have also mentioned that it was A.’s second visit to Mallorca, though I have never been indiscreet enough to ask him what mesmeric influence brought him once more to these sunny shores. They intended to follow us to Soller in a cotiple of days. T think,” said A., looking at me with a very straightforward and innocent gaze, “we had better arrange not all four to stay at the same fonda. Their resources are limited, don’t you know. There are two fondas in Soller. There is the Fonda del Pastor, and there is the other fonda. I always stay at the Fonda del Pastor. The other is the better. I advise you to stay at the other. It gives me much pleasure to think that you will be more comfortable than ourselves.” This was very charming. Here was the true spirit of philanthropy and self-sacrifice—found in the world about as often as the blossom of the flowering aloe, which comes out once in a hundred years, and dies in a night. “You have a beautiful spirit,” I replied, “and deserve canonising. I feel greatly refreshed and upheld by this exhibition of disinterested- ness. Can you tell me who waits upon us at the other fonda?” “Qh yes,” replied A., looking at me more frankly than ever. “A very charming old woman. Quite a beautiful picture of an old woman. She cannot be more than eighty, but she is very brisk, and you will have the benefit of her long experience. Capital cook, too.” comicbooks.com t