the fair isabella made haste to assume the part of a possessed one again, and her four new friends to support her by confirming the idea of her illness, and that she was verily possessed by an evil spirit; and truly love was such, since it could make a woman seem a demoniac.
things were in this state, and evening coming on, when the physician returned to pay a second visit, and by chance he brought with him juan baptista marulo, father of andrew, the lover. as they entered the sick room, he said, "look at this young lady, señor juan baptista; is it not a pity that a demon should have possession of so fair a body, but we console ourselves with one hope, and that is, that the evil spirit said he would go away when your son andrew should arrive, and we are expecting him every instant."
"so i have heard," said the señor juan baptista, "and i should rejoice if anything of mine were to be the harbinger of such good news."
"thanks to me and my diligence," cried isabella, "but for that he might be still at salamanca doing the lord knows what. the señor juan baptista, who is here present, may believe me when i tell him he has a son who is more handsome than holy, and not so studious as he is gallant. evil betide the fine ornaments and gay attire of those youths who commit such havoc in the republic; and ill betide the spurs that are not sharp, and the mules that do not bestir themselves."
thus she ran on, stringing together all kinds of dubious words, such as might convey two meanings to those who were in the secret, and the bystanders in general. these interpreted them as they were meant. those considered them as incoherent nonsense.
"where did you see my son andrew, lady?" asked marulo; "was it at madrid, or salamanca?"
"it was at illescas," said isabella: "he was gathering cherries on the morning of st. john at day-break; but if i must speak the truth, and it is a marvel if i do so, i see him everywhere, and carry him ever in my heart."
"better to be gathering cherries than catching fleas," replied marulo, "for that is the common occupation of the students."
"those creatures," she replied, "are bold, and will enter the stocking of a prince as freely as the blanket of a? hospital."
"you know everything, evil one," said the doctor; "it seems clear that you are an old hand." he spoke this to the devil, who, as he imagined, was inhabiting isabella's body.
and now, just as if satan had ordained it, the old uncle of isabella entered with every mark of the greatest joy, crying out, "a reward! my niece, my beloved child; a reward for the news i bring. the señor andrew marulo, son of this gentleman, señor juan baptista, is just arrived; and now heaven grant that we may see the promise accomplished, which you gave of being freed from the evil spirit at the sight of him."
accursed demon, vade retro, exi foras, and never think of returning to this dwelling, which thou shalt see purged and purified.
"let him come," said isabella. "let this reputed ganymede, this counterfeit adonis, come, and give me his hand as a husband, free and unrestrained, for here am i expecting him, firm as a rock whereon the sea waves break, but cannot move."
andrew marulo entered: he had already heard in his father's house of the stranger lady's illness, and of her expecting him to give the sign and expel the demon. the young man was discreet, and already prepared by the letters isabella had written to him at salamanca, for the part he was to play when he arrived at lucca. so without changing his travelling dress he hurried to the inn where isabella was, and entering her apartment, like one half mad or crazed, he cried, "avaunt, avaunt, avaunt; begone, begone, begone, for here cometh the valorous andrew, the great commander, and lord of hell." those who knew the state of the case were greatly amused by all this tumult and outcry; but the physician, and even his own father, said, "why this man is as much possessed as isabella herself;" and the uncle said, "we expected this young man would come to help us, and do good, and i think he is come to do more harm."
"my son," cried his father, "be composed, calm yourself; you are like a madman."
"he will not be mad long," said isabella, "if he will come to me. am not i the centre where all his wishes and thoughts rest? am not i the goal he desires to reach?"
"assuredly thou art," said andrew; "thou art the mistress of my heart, my life, and my soul. give me thy hand, and be my wife, o lady mine, and release me from the thraldom under which i labour, to chain me in thy fetters, and make me submissive to thy yoke; once more i say give me thy hand, beloved one, and exalt the humble andrew marulo to the high rank of isabella castrucho's husband. may every evil demon who would hinder this sweet union, fly hence for ever, and let not man divide those whom god has joined together."
"you speak well, señor andrew," said isabella, "and that no plans, machinations, or treachery may intervene, give me your hand as my husband, and receive mine as your wife." andrew put forth his hand to take hers, and auristella raised her voice and said, "it is good, it should be so given that they may be made one."
astonished and stupified, isabella's uncle seized the hand of andrew, and said, "sir, what means this? is it the custom in this country for one devil to marry another?"
"no, truly," said the physician, "this must needs be a joke to make the devil go; it is impossible that this case now happening could be foreseen by human understanding."
"nevertheless," said isabella's uncle, "i desire to know from their own lips, what this marriage means, a jest, or a truth."
"a truth," said isabella, "for neither is andrew mad, nor i possessed. i have chosen him, and prefer him as my husband, if he loves, and chooses me as a wife."
"neither mad nor possessed, but in my perfect senses, such as god has been pleased to give me;" so saying, andrew took isabella's hand, and she gave him hers, and they were thus affianced.
"what is this?" cried castrucho; "can it be that you will thus dishonour the old man's white hairs?"
"an alliance with my family can dishonour no one," said andrew's father. "i am noble, and if not rich, yet not poor enough to ask for anything from anybody. i have never engaged in any mercantile concerns: these young people have made this marriage without my knowledge, for in young heads wisdom is not measured by years, and if young heads do foolish things sometimes, yet they often make good hits, and when they do so, although by chance, they frequently succeed better than the most prudent."
two priests who were present said that the marriage was valid, since, if it had begun under the guise of madness, it had been confirmed in sober truth.
"and again i will confirm it," said andrew; and so said isabella. on hearing all this, the uncle, heart-broken, let his head fall upon his breast, and heaving a deep sigh, turned up his eyes, and seemed to have received his death-blow. he was carried to bed by his servants. isabella rose from hers. andrew took her home to his father's house, as his wife. two days after this there came into the church a child (the young brother of andrew) to be christened; isabella and andrew to be married, and the body of her uncle to be buried. such and so strange are the events of human life. at the same moment some are christened, others married, and others buried.
isabella was obliged to wear mourning for that which is called death, and thus closely met together the grave and the bridal bed, mourning and mirth.
four days more did our pilgrims remain in lucca, and they were hospitably entertained by the newly-married pair, and the noble juan baptista marulo. and here the author ends the third book of his history.
