Page:The History of the Valorous and Wity Knight-Errant, Don-Quixote of the Mancha. Volume two.djvu/20

14 other Day a Hunting, an Exercise to which he was much addicted.

Those Days were, I know, unfortunate and accursed to me, and those Hours sorrowful; for in them I began to doubt, nay, rather wholly to discredit Don Ferdinando' Faith; and my Maid did then hear loudly the Checks I gave unto her for her Presumption, ever until then dissembled: And I was moreover constrain'd to watch and keep good Guard on my Tears and Countenance, left I should give Occasion to my Parents to demand of me the Cause of my Discontents, and thereby engage me to use Ambages and Untruths to cover 'em: But all this ended in an Instant, one Moment arriving whereon all these Respects stumbled, all honourable Discourses ended, Patience was lost, and my most hidden Secrets issued in publick; which was, when there was spread a certain Rumour throughout the Town, within a few Days after, that Don Ferdinando had married, in a City near adjoining, a Damsel of surpassing Beauty, and of very noble Birth, altho' not so rich as could deserve, by her Preferment or Dowry, so worthy a Husband. 'Twas also said, that she was named Luscinda, with many other Things that happened at their Spousals, worthy of Admiration. Cardenio hearing Luscinda named, did nothing else but lift up his Shoulders, bite his Lip, bend his Brows, and after a little while shed from his Eyes two Floods of Tears; But yet, for all that, Dorotea did not interrupt the File of her History, saying, This doleful News came to my hearing, and my Heart, instead of freezing thereat, was so enflam'd with Choler and Rage, as I had well nigh run out to the Streets, and with Outcries publish'd the Deceit and Treason that was done to me; but my Fury was presently asswaged by the Resolutbn which I made, to do what I put in execution the very same Night; and then I put on this Habit which you see, being given unto me by one of those, who among us Country-folk are called Swains, who was my Father's Servant, to whom I disclosed all my Misfortunes, and requested him to accompany me to the City, where I understood mine Enemy sojourn'd