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Volume One: I.3 17 the money, that the sarcastic knave remembered my adventure. After having paid sauce for a supper, which I had so ill digested, I went to the muleteer with my bags, wishing the parasite, the inn-keeper, and his inn at the devil. chapter iii. Of the carrier’s temptation on the road, and its consequence—How Gil Blas, in attempting to get out of the frying-pan, fell into the fire.1 Iwas not the only person who travelled with the carrier, there being in company two children belonging to a gentleman at Pennaflor, a little stroling ballad-singer2 of Mondonedo, and a young tradesman of Astorga, who was bringing home a girl whom he had married at Verco. We became acquainted with one another presently, and every one, in a very short time, told whence he came, and wither he was going.— The new-married lady was so stupid and tawny, that I had no great pleasure in looking at her; but her youth and plumpness had a different effect upon the carrier, who resolved to make an attempt upon her inclinations: He spent the whole day in projecting this noble design, the execution of which he deferr’d until we should arrive at our last stage,3 which happened to be at Cacabelos. He accordingly made us alight at the first inn we came to, a house situated rather in the country than in the town, the landlord of which he knew to be a complaisant and discreet person.—He took care to have us conducted into a remote apartment, where he allowed us to sup in tranquility ; but when our meal was ended, he entered with a furious look, crying, “Blood and oons! I am robbed of one hundred pistoles, which I had in a leathern bag, and I must find them immediately, otherwise I will apply to the magistrate of the place, who is no joker in these matters, and have you all put to the rack,4 ’till such time as you confess the crime and restore the money.”5 Having pronounced these dreadful words with a very natural air, he went out, leaving us all in the utmost consternation. As we were strangers to one another, none of us had the least suspicion of the finesse ; for my own part I suspected that the poor ballad-singer had done the deed; and perhaps he had the same opinion of me. Besides, we were all raw fools, utterly ignorant of the formalities used in such cases, and believed in good earnest, that the process would be begun by putting us all to the torture.—Giving way therefore to our fear, we evacuated the room in a great hurry, some running into the street, others flying into the garden, and every one betaking himself to his heels for safety. Among the rest the young tradesman of Astorga, as much scared as any of us at the thoughts of the torture, made his escape, like another AEneas, without incommoding himself with his wife.— It was then that the carrier, (as I have since learned) more incontinent than his mules, and overjoyed to see his stratagem succeed according to his expectation, went to the bride, boasted of his own ingenuity, and endeavoured to profit by the occasion:— 18 The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane but this Lucrece6 of the Asturies, to whom the villainous aspect of her tempter lent new strength, made a vigorous resistance, and screamed most powerfully. The patrole, which happened at that instant to pass by the house, that they knew deserved their attention , went in and demanded the reason of those cries: upon which the landlord, who sat singing in the kitchen, and pretended to know nothing of the matter, was obliged to conduct the officer and his guard into the chamber of the person who made the noise.—They arrived very seasonably, the chaste Asturian being quite exhausted; and the commander (who was none of the most delicate people in the world) perceiving what was the matter, gave the amorous muleteer a wooden salutation with the handle of his halbert,7 addressing him at the same time in terms as inconsistent with modesty as the action that suggested them.—This was not all: he apprehended the criminal, and carried him before the judge, together with his accuser; who notwithstanding her disorder, would have gone of herself to crave justice for the outrage that was...

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