The Resources Of Quinola Part 10

Quinola What a bird of prey he looks!

Monipodio And he is as difficult to kill. He is the real governor of Barcelona.

Lothundiaz My respects to you, honorable secretary! (To Fontanares) Farewell, my friend, your arrival is an excellent reason why I should hurry on the wedding. (To Marie) Come, my daughter, let us go in. (To the duenna) And you, old hag, you'll have to pay for this.

Sarpi (to Lothundiaz) This hidalgo seems to have pretensions--

Fontanares (to Sarpi) Nay, I have a right!

(Exeunt Marie, the duenna and Lothundiaz.)

SCENE FOURTEENTH

Monipodio, Sarpi, Fontanares and Quinola.

Sarpi A right? Do you know that the nephew of Fra Paolo Sarpi, kinsman of the Brancadori, count in the Kingdom of Naples, secretary to the viceroy of Catalonia, makes pretension to the hand of Marie Lothundiaz? When another man claims a right in the matter he insults both her and me.

Fontanares Do you know that I for five years, I, Alfonso Fontanares, to whom the king our master has promised the t.i.tle of Duke of Neptunado and Grandee, as well as the Golden Fleece, have loved Marie Lothundiaz, and that your pretensions, made in spite of the oath which she has sworn to me, will be considered, unless you renounce them, an insult both by her and by me?

Sarpi I did not know, my lord, that I had so great a personage for a rival.

In any case, future Duke of Neptunado, future Grandee, future Knight of the Golden Fleece, we love the same woman; and if you have the promise of Marie, I have that of her father; you are expecting honors, while I possess them.

Fontanares Now, listen; let us remain just where we are; let us not utter another word; do not insult me even by a look. Had I a hundred quarrels, I would fight with no one until I had completed my enterprise and answered successfully the expectation of my king. When that moment comes, I will fight singled-handed against all. And, when I have ended the conflict, you will find me--close to the king.

Sarpi Oh! we are not going to lose sight of each other.

SCENE FIFTEENTH

The same persons, Faustine, Don Fregose and Paquita.

Faustine (on the balcony) Tell me what is going on, my lord, between that young man and your secretary? Let us go down.

Quinola (to Monipodio) Don't you think that my master has pre-eminently the gift of drawing down the lightning on his own head?

Monipodio He carries his head so high!

Sarpi (to Don Fregose) My lord, there has arrived in Catalonia a man upon whom the king our master has heaped future honors. According to my humble opinion, he should be welcomed by your excellency in accordance with his merits.

Don Fregose (to Fontanares) Of what house are you?

Fontanares (aside) How many sneers, such as this, have I not been forced to endure!

(Aloud) The king, your excellency, never asked me that question. But here is his letter and that of his ministers. (He hands him a package.)

Faustine (to Paquita) That man has the air of a king.

Paquita Of a king who will prove a conqueror.

Faustine (recognizing Monipodio) Monipodio! Do you know who that man is?

Monipodio He is a man who, according to rumor, is going to turn the world upside down.

Faustine Ah! I see; it is that famous inventor of whom I have heard so much.

Monipodio And here is his servant.

Don Fregose Sarpi, you may file these ministerial doc.u.ments; I will keep that of the king. (To Fontanares) Well, my fine fellow, the letter of the king seems to me to be positive. You are undertaking, I see, to achieve the impossible! However great you may be, perhaps it would be well for you to take the advice, in this affair, of Don Ramon, a philosopher of Catalonia who, on this subject, has written some famous treatises--

Fontanares In a matter of this kind, your excellency, the finest dissertations in the world are not worth so much as a practical achievement.

Don Fregose That sounds presumptuous. (To Sarpi) Sarpi, you must place at the disposal of this gentleman whatever vessel in the harbor he may choose.

Sarpi (to the viceroy) Are you quite sure that such is the king's wish?

Don Fregose We shall see. In Spain it is best to say a _paternoster_ between every two steps we take.

Sarpi Other letters on the same subject have reached us from Valladolid.

Faustine (to the viceroy) What are you talking about?

Don Fregose Oh, it is nothing but a chimera.

Faustine But don't you know that I am rather fond of chimeras?

Don Fregose This is the chimera of some philosopher which the king has taken seriously on account of the disaster of the Armada. If this gentleman succeeds, we shall have the court at Barcelona.

Faustine We shall be much indebted to him for that.

Don Fregose He has staked his life on a commission to propel a vessel, swift as the wind, yet straight in the wind's eye, without the employment of either oars or sails.

Faustine Staked his life? He must be a child to do so.

Sarpi Alfonso Fontanares reckons that the performance of this miracle will win for him the hand of Marie Lothundiaz.

Faustine Ah! He loves her then--

Quinola (whispering to Faustine) No, senora, he adores her.

Faustine The daughter of Lothundiaz!

Don Fregose You seem suddenly to feel a great interest in him.

Faustine I hope the gentleman may succeed, if it were only for the purpose of bringing the court here.

Don Fregose Senora, will you not come and take luncheon at the villa of Avaloros?