Shortly after her arrival she received a polite message from Do?a Leonor Mascare?es, lady to Princess Juana, announcing that at half-past three in the afternoon she would visit her in the name of H.H. the Very Serene2 Princess Governess, and would have the honour of kissing hands in her name. Do?a Magdalena replied with the pompous3 courtesy of those times, that all hours would be good to receive so signal a favour, and that she, Do?a Leonor's humble4 servant, returned the honour, kissing her hands on her knees.
At the hour fixed5, and with courtly punctuality, Do?a Leonor arrived with her ladies, pages and squires6. She came on foot, as sedan-chairs were forbidden by the proclamation, and in mourning, as the circumstances demanded, with a cloth skirt in Castillian fashion, a crape shawl, gloves and very high black clogs8. Do?a Leonor was already past sixty, of a great Portuguese9 family, and for her virtues10, merits and talents was rightly one of the most respected ladies of the Court. She had come to Spain as one of the ladies of the Empress Isabel, wife of the defunct11 Emperor Charles V, then was governess to Philip II, and afterwards to Prince Carlos, who was committed to her care by the same Philip II with these notable words, "This child has no mother; be his as you were mine."
Photo Casa Thomas, Barcelona
DO?A LEONOR DE MASCARE?AS
From her portrait by Sir Antonio More
Do?a Magdalena descended12 to receive her with all the household at the foot of the staircase, and here the ladies exchanged the first courtesies. Do?a Magdalena conducted her to the parlour, and then wished to give her a high seat, while she sat on the carpet; but Do?a Leonor would not consent to this, and tried also to sit on the floor. Each went on insisting that the other should have the high seat and the other kept on refusing it, until, after this battle of politeness, both ladies remained seated on great cushions of equal height.
Then Do?a Magdalena caused a collation13 of sweetmeats, fruits and drinks to be brought, and offered half a dozen pairs of gloves scented14 with ambergris to Do?a Leonor in a little box.
The first compliments and courtesies over, Do?a Leonor spread out her fan so as to exclude the duennas who were at the end of the room beyond the dais, and said in Do?a Magdalena's ear, as naturally as possible, that H.H. the Serene Princess would be pleased if she would kindly15 arrange an opportunity the next day for her to make the acquaintance of her brother.
Do?a Magdalena had expected this from the moment of her arrival, and with ingenuous16 but well-calculated simplicity17 she told the truth, point by point. That she did not know what H.H. meant. That the child Jeromín, to whom no doubt she alluded19, was certainly given into the care of her lord and husband Luis Quijada five years before, as the son of a great friend whose name he could not reveal to her. As was natural (and with noble dignity Do?a Magdalena accentuated20 these words) she had never tried to talk to her husband about the origin of this child, or to allude18 by a single word to what he had first written to her from Brussels. That various suspicions had at times come into her mind, but that she had been able to stifle21 them as a Christian22, for fear of forming a judgment23 without any proof, which would doubtless be rash; and as to the rumours24 which went about during the child's stay at Yuste, she had never listened to them, and certainly had never confirmed them. Here Do?a Magdalena ceased speaking, and, as if by mutual25 consent, the two ladies fanned themselves in silence for some time. The Portuguese was as good as she was clever, and she needed no more to understand that her exploring expedition was at an end. Her noble nature could appreciate this simple account of Do?a Magdalena's, the wife's dignity, the lady's delicacy26, and the Christian's absolute rectitude, and her native perspicacity27, sharpened by years at Court, made her understand that Do?a Magdalena knew no more about Jeromín, nor would it be possible to extract another word beyond what Luis Quijada had told everyone.
However, Do?a Leonor wished to fulfil all her mistress's commission, and asked with much delicacy if it would be possible to see the child, because H.H. wished to be prepared, in some degree, for the meeting which was to take place the next day, that surprise or fear should not make her do something imprudent.
Do?a Magdalena answered that she was sincerely sorry, but she could not gratify H.H., because the child Jeromín had gone out with a squire7 to see the procession of the Green Cross, and she did not expect that he would be back in time; but if it would be of service to H.H. she would be careful to let her know as much as was prudent28.
It seemed most prudent to Do?a Magdalena not to say a word to Jeromín about the occurrence, or prematurely29 to arouse fantastic or ambitious ideas in his mind which was sleeping peacefully, but to let it rest in quiet and allow the boy's innocence30 and natural vivacity31 to inspire them, or as the Divine Majesty32 should ordain33.
All the stars in the sky were shining when Do?a Magdalena and her niece left her house, she holding Jeromín by the hand, dressed as a peasant, as the Princess had arranged. The two ladies were covered by ample black shawls which almost hid their faces, and were dressed underneath34 in mourning, but also with jewels, as was the custom of ladies at Court. Accompanied by very trustworthy servants, and following the same railed-off way as the prisoners, they arrived without much difficulty at the Plaza36 Mayor, in spite of the great crowds.
It was not yet half-past four in the morning, and already among the seething37 mass of humanity there was not an empty spot, except in the centre of the platform, where the prisoners were to be placed, and the passage, or wide balcony, of the Casas Consistoriales, which was reserved for the royalties38 and their numerous suite39. At the extreme end of this passage the Princess had ordered that a good seat should be kept for Do?a Magdalena, calculating that, as she must naturally pass by there to get to the throne, she could stop and speak to Do?a Magdalena and see the child without attracting too much attention. Do?a Magdalena had also made her plans: she made Jeromín sit on the ground between her chair and that of Do?a Mariana, and covered his little person completely in the lady's shawl, so that no one passing would notice the presence of the child. Jeromín, very much amused, put out his little head from among the folds of the shawl, and looked between the ironwork of the balcony, asking a thousand questions about what he saw and what he hoped to see. In the centre of the balcony of the Consistory, which ran all along the front, there were two rich canopies41 of maroon42 velvet43 and lace of frosted silver and gold, with two large thrones under them for the Princess Governess and D. Carlos. Right and left the balcony was divided into stands destined44 for the Councillors, the Chancellory, the University, the Grandees45, the ladies of the Palace and the servants of the Princes. In the first of these stands, on the entrance side, was where Jeromín and the two ladies were seated.
In front of the Consistory, and back to back with the convent of San Francisco, the magnificent, high scaffold was raised, enclosed by balustrades and railings. It consisted of two stories, an upper and a lower one, in the form of a triangle. In the centre of the front was the altar, on which the Green Cross had been placed the night before between two tapers46 of white wax whose light paled before that of the dawn. The four Dominicans and the company of halberdiers were still guarding it. Right and left of the altar there were steps for the condemned47 and a pulpit for the preacher. The platform underneath was destined for the ministers of the Holy Office, and at each end had two tribunes for the reading of the trials and sentences, and another in the middle, but much taller, from which each prisoner heard his sentence read.
From the scaffold ran a sort of enclosure of wood, very similar to those that are used to bring bulls into towns with safety, which stretched to the prisons of the Inquisition, to keep the way clear for the prisoners. The rest of the square was covered with more than two hundred small stands, let to the curious, which at five in the morning already could not hold another person. At this hour the royal guard arrived on foot, opening a path among the packed crowd for the royal suite. First came slowly and solemnly the Council of Castille, then the Grandees, the Constable48 and Admiral among them, the Marquéses de Astorga and Denia, the Condes de Miranda, Osorno, Nieva, Módica, Sada?a, Monteagudo, Lerma, Ribadeo, and Andrade. D. García de Toledo, tutor to the Prince, the Archbishops of Santiago and Seville, and the Bishops49 of Palencia and Ciudad Rodrigo, which last was the famous and worthy35 D. Pedro de la Gasca.
The Princess's ladies followed in two rows, all in mourning, but richly adorned50 with jewels, and behind them, as if presiding over them, the Marqués de Sarria, Lord Steward51 to the Princess, and Do?a Leonor Mascare?es, who was, or was then acting40 as, Camarera Mayor.
Then came two mace-bearers with golden maces on their shoulders, four kings-at-arms with dalmatics of crimson52 velvet embroidered53, front and back, with the royal arms. The Conde de Buendía with a naked sword, and, immediately behind him, Princess Juana and Prince Carlos; she dressed in a skirt of mourning stripe, shawl and head-dress of black crape, a bodice of satin, white gloves and a black and gold fan in her hand; he with cloak and jacket also striped, woollen stockings, velvet breeches, a cloth cap, sword and gloves. The procession was closed by the royal guard on horseback with drums and fifes.
Photo Anderson
INFANTA JUANA OF SPAIN
By Sir Antonio More. Prado Gallery, Madrid
In this order the suite entered the Consistory and filed past Do?a Magdalena in the passage, each to go to their respective places. The lady stood up to let them pass, hiding her niece with her person. Do?a Mariana was sitting with Jeromín on her knees, covered entirely54 by the shawl. She had told him, to cover this man?uvre, that children were not allowed in this place, and that as soon as the Court had passed she would put him where he would see everything. Jeromín obeyed without any outward sign of suspicion, but remembering, perhaps, his adventures in the convent of Descalzos, where such care had been taken not to let a certain great person see him.
When the Princess passed Do?a Magdalena in the narrow passage, she stopped for a moment and held out her hand; the lady kissed it kneeling, then the Princess said quickly and softly, "Where is the wrapped-up one?"
Then Do?a Magdalena opened the shawl and Jeromín appeared, cap in hand, the fair hair all untidy from the shawl, and with an attractive look of annoyance55 on the pretty face which added to his natural charm. A ray of tenderness illuminated56 the Princess's beautiful face, and, without remembering who she was or where she was, she embraced him, kissing him several times on both cheeks.
Prince Carlos had also stopped, and looked with astonishment at the little peasant his aunt was kissing, but when he saw the Princess make as if she would take the child with her to the throne, he reproved her harshly and angrily, according to his usual bad habit.
Jeromín, on hearing him, abruptly57 left the Princess, and clinging on to Do?a Magdalena's skirt said, much ruffled58, "I prefer to stay with my aunt."
The Princess insisted; D. Carlos began again to chide59 her, and Jeromín, looking him up and down from head to foot, said again with greater firmness, "I prefer to stay with my aunt."
All this took less time to happen than it takes to tell, but it was long enough for many people to understand, and for the gossips to guess the riddle60. From one end to the other of the balcony, and then into the square, the news spread that a son of the dead Emperor was there in the Consistory, in one of the Court seats.
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1
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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2
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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3
pompous
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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5
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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6
squires
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| n.地主，乡绅( squire的名词复数 ) | |
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squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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clogs
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| 木屐； 木底鞋，木屐( clog的名词复数 ) | |
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9
Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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10
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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11
defunct
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| adj.死亡的；已倒闭的 | |
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12
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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13
collation
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| n.便餐；整理 | |
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14
scented
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| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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15
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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16
ingenuous
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| adj.纯朴的，单纯的；天真的；坦率的 | |
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17
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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18
allude
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| v.提及，暗指 | |
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19
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
accentuated
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| v.重读( accentuate的过去式和过去分词 )；使突出；使恶化；加重音符号于 | |
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21
stifle
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| vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止 | |
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22
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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23
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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24
rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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25
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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26
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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27
perspicacity
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| n. 敏锐, 聪明, 洞察力 | |
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28
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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29
prematurely
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| adv.过早地，贸然地 | |
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30
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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31
vivacity
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| n.快活，活泼，精神充沛 | |
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32
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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33
ordain
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| vi.颁发命令；vt.命令，授以圣职，注定，任命 | |
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34
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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35
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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36
plaza
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| n.广场，市场 | |
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37
seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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38
royalties
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| 特许权使用费 | |
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39
suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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40
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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41
canopies
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| （宝座或床等上面的）华盖( canopy的名词复数 )； （飞行器上的）座舱罩； 任何悬于上空的覆盖物； 森林中天棚似的树荫 | |
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42
maroon
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| v.困住，使（人）处于孤独无助之境；n.逃亡黑奴；孤立的人；酱紫色，褐红色；adj.酱紫色的，褐红色的 | |
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43
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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44
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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45
grandees
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| n.贵族，大公，显贵者( grandee的名词复数 ) | |
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46
tapers
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| （长形物体的）逐渐变窄( taper的名词复数 )； 微弱的光； 极细的蜡烛 | |
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47
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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48
constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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49
bishops
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| （基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象 | |
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50
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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51
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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52
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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53
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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54
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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55
annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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56
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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57
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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58
ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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59
chide
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| v.叱责；谴责 | |
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60
riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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