"Well," said the page, "I am bringing her such good news that shewill have reason to thank God."
And then, skipping, running, and capering, the girl reached thetown, but before going into the house she called out at the door,"Come out, mother Teresa, come out, come out; here's a gentlemanwith letters and other things from my good father." At these words hermother Teresa Panza came out spinning a bundle of flax, in a greypetticoat （so short was it one would have fancied "they to her shamehad cut it short"）， a grey bodice of the same stuff, and a smock.She was not very old, though plainly past forty, strong, healthy,vigorous, and sun-dried; and seeing her daughter and the page onhorseback, she exclaimed, "What's this, child? What gentleman isthis?"
"A servant of my lady, Dona Teresa Panza," replied the page; andsuiting the action to the word he flung himself off his horse, andwith great humility advanced to kneel before the lady Teresa,saying, "Let me kiss your hand, Senora Dona Teresa, as the lawfuland only wife of Senor Don Sancho Panza, rightful governor of theisland of Barataria."
"Ah, senor, get up, do that," said Teresa; "for I'm not a bit of acourt lady, but only a poor country woman, the daughter of aclodcrusher, and the wife of a squire-errant and not of any governorat all."
"You are," said the page, "the most worthy wife of a mostarch-worthy governor; and as a proof of what I say accept thisletter and this present;" and at the same time he took out of hispocket a string of coral beads with gold clasps, and placed it onher neck, and said, "This letter is from his lordship the governor,and the other as well as these coral beads from my lady the duchess,who sends me to your worship."
Teresa stood lost in astonishment, and her daughter just as much,and the girl said, "May I die but our master Don Quixote's at thebottom of this; he must have given father the government or countyhe so often promised him."
"That is the truth," said the page; "for it is through Senor DonQuixote that Senor Sancho is now governor of the island ofBarataria, as will be seen by this letter."
"Will your worship read it to me, noble sir?" said Teresa; "forthough I can spin I can't read, not a scrap."
"Nor I either," said Sanchica; "but wait a bit, and I'll go andfetch some one who can read it, either the curate himself or thebachelor Samson Carrasco, and they'll come gladly to hear any newsof my father."
"There is no need to fetch anybody," said the page; "for though Ican't spin I can read, and I'll read it;" and so he read it through,but as it has been already given it is not inserted here; and thenhe took out the other one from the duchess, which ran as follows:
Friend Teresa,- Your husband Sancho's good qualities, of heart aswell as of head, induced and compelled me to request my husband theduke to give him the government of one of his many islands. I amtold he governs like a gerfalcon, of which I am very glad, and my lordthe duke, of course, also; and I am very thankful to heaven that Ihave not made a mistake in choosing him for that same government;for I would have Senora Teresa know that a good governor is hard tofind in this world and may God make me as good as Sancho's way ofgoverning. Herewith I send you, my dear, a string of coral beadswith gold clasps; I wish they were Oriental pearls; but "he whogives thee a bone does not wish to see thee dead;" a time will comewhen we shall become acquainted and meet one another, but God knowsthe future. Commend me to your daughter Sanchica, and tell her from meto hold herself in readiness, for I mean to make a high match forher when she least expects it. They tell me there are big acorns inyour village; send me a couple of dozen or so, and I shall valuethem greatly as coming from your hand; and write to me at length toassure me of your health and well-being; and if there be anythingyou stand in need of, it is but to open your mouth, and that shallbe the measure; and so God keep you.
From this place.
Your loving friend,
THE DUCHESS.
"Ah, what a good, plain, lowly lady!" said Teresa when she heard theletter; "that I may be buried with ladies of that sort, and not thegentlewomen we have in this town, that fancy because they aregentlewomen the wind must not touch them, and go to church with asmuch airs as if they were queens, no less, and seem to think theyare disgraced if they look at a farmer's wife! And see here how thisgood lady, for all she's a duchess, calls me 'friend,' and treats meas if I was her equal- and equal may I see her with the tallestchurch-tower in La Mancha! And as for the acorns, senor, I'll send herladyship a peck and such big ones that one might come to see them as ashow and a wonder. And now, Sanchica, see that the gentleman iscomfortable; put up his horse, and get some eggs out of the stable,and cut plenty of bacon, and let's give him his dinner like aprince; for the good news he has brought, and his own bonny facedeserve it all; and meanwhile I'll run out and give the neighbours thenews of our good luck, and father curate, and Master Nicholas thebarber, who are and always have been such friends of thy father's."
"That I will, mother," said Sanchica; "but mind, you must give mehalf of that string; for I don't think my lady the duchess couldhave been so stupid as to send it all to you."
"It is all for thee, my child," said Teresa; "but let me wear itround my neck for a few days; for verily it seems to make my heartglad."
"You will be glad too," said the page, "when you see the bundlethere is in this portmanteau, for it is a suit of the finest cloth,that the governor only wore one day out hunting and now sends, all forSenora Sanchica."
"May he live a thousand years," said Sanchica, "and the bearer asmany, nay two thousand, if needful."
With this Teresa hurried out of the house with the letters, and withthe string of beads round her neck, and went along thrumming theletters as if they were a tambourine, and by chance coming acrossthe curate and Samson Carrasco she began capering and saying, "None ofus poor now, faith! We've got a little government! Ay, let thefinest fine lady tackle me, and I'll give her a setting down!"
"What's all this, Teresa Panza," said they; "what madness is this,and what papers are those?"
"The madness is only this," said she, "that these are the letters ofduchesses and governors, and these I have on my neck are fine coralbeads, with ave-marias and paternosters of beaten gold, and I am agoverness."
"God help us," said the curate, "we don't understand you, Teresa, orknow what you are talking about."
"There, you may see it yourselves," said Teresa, and she handed themthe letters.
The curate read them out for Samson Carrasco to hear, and Samson andhe regarded one another with looks of astonishment at what they hadread, and the bachelor asked who had brought the letters. Teresa inreply bade them come with her to her house and they would see themessenger, a most elegant youth, who had brought another present whichwas worth as much more. The curate took the coral beads from herneck and examined them again and again, and having satisfied himselfas to their fineness he fell to wondering afresh, and said, "By thegown I wear I don't know what to say or think of these letters andpresents; on the one hand I can see and feel the fineness of thesecoral beads, and on the other I read how a duchess sends to beg fora couple of dozen of acorns."
"Square that if you can," said Carrasco; "well, let's go and see themessenger, and from him we'll learn something about this mysterythat has turned up."
They did so, and Teresa returned with them. They found the pagesifting a little barley for his horse, and Sanchica cutting a rasherof bacon to be paved with eggs for his dinner. His looks and hishandsome apparel pleased them both greatly; and after they had salutedhim courteously, and he them, Samson begged him to give them his news,as well of Don Quixote as of Sancho Panza, for, he said, though theyhad read the letters from Sancho and her ladyship the duchess, theywere still puzzled and could not make out what was meant by Sancho'sgovernment, and above all of an island, when all or most of those inthe Mediterranean belonged to his Majesty.
To this the page replied, "As to Senor Sancho Panza's being agovernor there is no doubt whatever; but whether it is an island ornot that he governs, with that I have nothing to do; suffice it thatit is a town of more than a thousand inhabitants; with regard to theacorns I may tell you my lady the duchess is so unpretending andunassuming that, not to speak of sending to beg for acorns from apeasant woman, she has been known to send to ask for the loan of acomb from one of her neighbours; for I would have your worships knowthat the ladies of Aragon, though they are just as illustrious, arenot so punctilious and haughty as the Castilian ladies; they treatpeople with greater familiarity."
In the middle of this conversation Sanchica came in with her skirtfull of eggs, and said she to the page, "Tell me, senor, does myfather wear trunk-hose since he has been governor?"