he had served was General Cordova, who he said was a bad paymaster, and was in the habit of maltreating his domestics.  “But he found his match in me,” said Antonio, “for I was prepared for him; and once, when he drew his sword against me, I pulled out a pistol and pointed it in his face.  He grew pale as death, and from that hour treated me with all kinds of condescension.  It was only pretence, however, for the affair rankled in his mind; he had determined upon revenge, and on being appointed to the command of the army, he was particularly anxious that I should attend him to the camp.  Mais je lui ris au nez, made the sign of the cortamanga—­asked for my wages, and left him; and well it was that I did so, for the very domestic whom he took with him he caused to be shot upon a charge of mutiny.”

“I am afraid,” said I, “that you are of a turbulent disposition, and that the disputes to which you have alluded are solely to be attributed to the badness of your temper.”

“What would you have, Monsieur?  Moi je suis Grec, je suis fier et j’ai des principes d’honneur.  I expect to be treated with a certain consideration, though I confess that my temper is none of the best, and that at times I am tempted to quarrel with the pots and pans in the kitchen.  I think, upon the whole, that it will be for your advantage to engage me, and I promise you to be on my guard.  There is one thing that pleases me relating to you, you are unmarried.  Now, I would rather serve a young unmarried man for love and friendship, than a Benedict for fifty dollars per month.  Madame is sure to hate me, and so is her waiting woman; and more particularly the latter, because I am a married man.  I see that mi Lor is willing to engage me.”

“But you say you are a married man,” I replied; “how can you desert your wife, for I am about to leave Madrid, and to travel into the remote and mountainous parts of Spain.”

“My wife will receive the moiety of my wages, while I am absent, mi Lor, and therefore will have no reason to complain of being deserted.  Complain! did I say; my wife is at present too well instructed to complain.  She never speaks nor sits in my presence unless I give her permission.  Am I not a Greek, and do I not know how to govern my own house?  Engage me, mi Lor, I am a man of many capacities:  a discreet valet, an excellent cook, a good groom and light rider; in a word, I am [Greek text].  What would you more?”

I asked him his terms, which were extravagant, notwithstanding his principes d’honneur.  I found, however, that he was willing to take one half.

I had no sooner engaged him, than seizing the tureen of soup, which had by this time become quite cold, he placed it on the top of his forefinger, or rather on the nail thereof, causing it to make various circumvolutions over his head, to my great astonishment, without spilling a drop, then springing with it to the door, he vanished, and in another moment made his appearance with the puchera, which, after a similar bound and flourish, he deposited on the table; then suffering his hands to sink before him, he put one over the other and stood at his ease with half-shut eyes, for all the world as if he had been in my service twenty years.