“Why, who is to say anything to offend you, especially when I am by?  Tell me, who are these people, whose arrival appears to have upset you?”

“I have no time to answer,” said Dona Estefania; “only be assured that whatever takes place here will be all pretended, and bears upon a certain design which you shall know by and by.”

Before I could make any reply to this, in walked Dona Clementa Bueso, dressed in lustrous green satin, richly laced with gold, a hat with green, white, and pink feathers, a gold hat-band, and a fine veil covering half her face.  With her entered Don Lope Melendez de Almendarez in a travelling suit, no less elegant than rich.  The duena Hortigosa was the first who opened her lips, exclaiming, “Saints and angels, what is this!  My lady Dona Clementa’s bed occupied, and by a man too!  Upon my faith, the senora Dona Estefania has availed herself of my lady’s friendliness to some purpose!”

“That she has, Hortigosa,” replied Dona Clementa; “but I blame myself for never being on my guard against friends who can only be such when it is for their own advantage.”

To all this Dona Estefania replied:  “Pray do not be angry, my lady Dona Clementa.  I assure you there is a mystery in what you see; and when you are made acquainted with it you will acquit me of all blame.”

During this time I had put on my hose and doublet, and Dona Estefania, taking me by the hand, led me into another room.  There she told me that this friend of hers wanted to play a trick on that Don Lope who was come with her, and to whom she expected to be married.  The trick was to make him believe that the house and everything in it belonged to herself.  Once married, it would matter little that the truth was discovered, so confident was the lady in the great love of Don Lope; the property would then be returned; and who could blame her, or any woman, for contriving to get an honourable husband, though it were by a little artifice?  I replied that it was a very great stretch of friendship she thought of making, and that she ought to look well to it beforehand, for very probably she might be constrained to have recourse to justice to recover her effects.  She gave me, however, so many reasons, and alleged so many obligations by which she was bound to serve Dona Clementa even in matters of more importance, that much against my will, and with sore misgivings, I complied with Dona Estefania’s wishes, on the assurance that the affair would not last more than eight days, during which we were to lodge with another friend of hers.

We finished dressing; she went to take her leave of the senora Dona Clementa Bueso and the senor Lope Melendez Almendarez, ordered my servant to follow her with my luggage, and I too followed without taking leave of any one.  Dona Estefania stopped at a friend’s house, and stayed talking with her a good while, leaving us in the street, till at last a girl came out and told me and my servant to come