I became dissatisfied with the other servants or with the dog or the cat.  The last time I left was on account of the quail which was hung out of the window of madame, and which waked me in the morning with its call.  Eh bien, mon maitre, things went on in this way during the three years that I continued in the family, out and in; at the end of which time it was determined that the young gentleman should travel, and it was proposed that I should attend him as valet; this I wished very much to do.  However, par malheur, I was at this time very much dissatisfied with madame his mother about the quail, and I insisted that before I accompanied him the bird should be slaughtered for the kitchen.  To this madame would by no means consent; and even the young gentleman, who had always taken my part on other occasions, said that I was unreasonable:  so I left the house in a huff, and never entered it again.

“Eh bien, mon maitre, the young gentleman went upon his travels, and continued abroad several years; and from the time of his departure until we met him at Colunga, I have not set eyes upon, nor indeed heard of him.  I have heard enough, however, of his family; of monsieur the father, of madame, and of the brother, who was an officer of cavalry.  A short time before the troubles, I mean before the death of Ferdinand, monsieur the father was appointed captain-general of Coruna.  Now monsieur, though a good master, was rather a proud man, and fond of discipline and all that kind of thing, and of obedience.  He was, moreover, no friend to the populace, to the canaille, and he had a particular aversion to the nationals.  So when Ferdinand died, it was whispered about at Coruna, that the general was no liberal, and that he was a better friend to Carlos than to Christina.  Eh bien, it chanced that there was a grand fete, or festival at Coruna, on the water; and the nationals were there, and the soldiers.  And I know not how it befell, but there was an emeute, and the nationals laid hands on monsieur the general, and tying a rope round his neck, flung him overboard from the barge in which he was, and then dragged him astern about the harbour until he was drowned.  They then went to his house and pillaged it, and so ill-treated madame, who at that time happened to be enceinte, that in a few hours she expired.

“I tell you what, mon maitre, when I heard of the misfortune of madame and the general, you would scarcely believe it, but I actually shed tears, and was sorry that I had parted with them in unkindness on account of that pernicious quail.

“Eh bien, mon maitre, nous poursuivrons notre histoire.  The eldest son, as I told you before, was a cavalry officer and a man of resolution, and when he heard of the death of his father and mother, he vowed revenge.  Poor fellow! but what does he do but desert, with two or three discontented spirits of his troop, and going to the frontier of Galicia, he raised a small faction, and proclaimed Don Carlos.  For some little time he did considerable damage to the liberals, burning and destroying their possessions, and putting to death several nationals that fell into his hands.  However, this did not last long, his faction was soon dispersed, and he himself taken and hanged, and his head stuck on a pole.