during the winter months, when gallardo was not at la rinconada, a party of his friends gathered every evening in his dining-room after supper.
the first to arrive were always the saddler and his wife, two of whose children lived in the espada's house. carmen, as though she wished to forget her own sterility, and felt the silence of the big house oppress her, kept her sister-in-law's two youngest children with her. these children, from natural affection and also probably by their parents' express orders, were perpetually petting their beautiful aunt and their generous and popular uncle, kissing them and purring on their knees like kittens.
encarnacion, now almost as stout and heavy as her mother, her figure deformed by the birth of her numerous children, while advancing years were bringing a slight moustache to her upper lip, smiled cringingly at her sister-in-law, apologizing for the trouble her children gave.
but before carmen could reply the saddler broke in:
"leave them alone, wife! they are so fond of their uncle and aunt! the little girl especially, she cannot live without her 'titita'[67] carmen."
so the two children lived there as if it were their own house, guessing, with their infantile cunning, what was expected of them by their parents, exaggerating their caresses and pettings of those rich relations, of whom they heard everyone speak with respect.
as soon as supper was ended, they kissed the hands of[pg 103] se?ora angustias and of their father and mother, threw their arms round the necks of gallardo and his wife, and then left the room to go to bed.
the grandmother occupied an armchair at the head of the table. but when the espada had guests—and they were all people of a certain social position—she refused to take the place of honour, but gallardo insisted.
"no," protested gallardo, "the little mother must preside. sit you down there, mother, or we won't have any supper."
offering her his arm, he would conduct her to her chair, lavishing on her the most affectionate caresses, as if he wished to make up for the torments his vagabond youth had caused her.
when el nacional looked in during the evening for an hour, rather with the feeling of fulfilling a duty towards his chief, the party became more lively. gallardo, wearing a rich zamorra,[68] like a wealthy landowner, his head bare, and the pig-tail smoothed forward almost to his forehead, welcomed his banderillero with loquacious amiability. what were the amateurs of "the sport" saying? what lies were they spreading? how were the affairs of the republic getting on?
"garabato, give sebastian a glass of wine."
but el nacional refused the preferred civility. no wine, thanks, he never drank. wine was the cause of all the working classes being so hopelessly behindhand. all the assembly burst out laughing, as if something amusing had been said which they were expecting, and the banderillero began at once to air his opinions.
the only one who remained silent, with hostile eyes, was the saddler. he hated el nacional, seeing in him an enemy. he also, like a good and faithful husband, was prolific, and a swarm of brats tumbled about the[pg 104] tavern, hanging on to their mother's skirts. the two youngest were godchildren of gallardo and his wife, so that in this way there was a sort of connection between the two. hypocrite! every sunday he brought the two children, dressed in their best to kiss the hands of their godparents, and the saddler grew pale with anger whenever el nacional's children received any present. "he came to rob their own children. possibly the banderillero even dreamed that part of gallardo's fortune might come to those godchildren. thief! a man who did not even belong to the family!"...
when the saddler did not receive el nacional's discourses in sulky silence or with looks of hatred, he endeavoured to mortify him by saying that in his opinion every one who propagated revolutionary ideas among the people was a danger to honest people and ought to be shot at once.
el nacional was ten years older than his chief. when the latter was beginning to bait at the capeas, sebastian was already banderillero in recognized cuadrillas,[69] and had lately returned from america, where he had killed bulls in the plaza at lima. at the commencement of his career he had enjoyed a certain amount of popularity because he was young and agile. he also for some little time had figured as "the torero of the future," and the amateurs of seville, fixing their eyes on him, hoped that he would have eclipsed the matadors from other towns. but this lasted only a short time. on his return from his american journey with the prestige of distant and possibly nebulous feats, all the populace of seville rushed to the plaza to see him kill. thousands of people could not obtain admittance. but at this moment of decisive proof "his heart failed him," as the amateurs said. he planted the banderillas steadily as a serious[pg 105] and conscientious worker fulfilling his duty, but when it was a case of killing, the instinct of self-preservation, stronger than his will, kept him at a distance from the bull, and he was unable to take advantage of his great stature and his strong arm.
el nacional therefore renounced the higher glories of tauromachia, he would be a banderillero and nothing more. he must resign himself to being, as it were, a day labourer of his art, serving others younger than himself, in order to earn the poor wages of peon, with which to maintain his family, and save sufficient to start some small business. his kindness and his honourable habits were proverbial among his colleagues of the pig-tail, consequently his chief's wife was much attached to him, seeing in him a kind of guardian angel of her husband's fidelity. when in summer gallardo, with all his men, went to a café chantant in some provincial town, anxious to enjoy himself and have a fling, el nacional would stand silent and grave among the singers in diaphanous dresses, with painted mouths, like some ancient father of the desert amid the alexandrian courtezans.
it was not that he felt shocked, but he thought of his wife and little ones down in seville. according to him all the defects and vices in the world were the result of want of education, and most certainly those poor women knew neither how to read nor write. it was also the case with himself, and as he attributed his own insignificance and poverty of brain to this deficiency, he attributed to the same cause all the misery and degradation which exists in the world.
in his early youth he had worked as a founder, and had been an active member of the "international of workmen." he had been an assiduous listener to those of his fellow workmen, who, happier than himself, could read aloud what was said in the papers devoted to the[pg 106] welfare of the people. during the time of the national militia, he had played at being a soldier, figuring in those battalions who wore a red cap in sign of their federal "intransigeance." he had spent whole days in front of those platforms erected in public places, or in those clubs which had declared themselves in permanent sitting, where the orators succeeded each other day and night, ranting with andalusian facility on the divinity of jesus, or the rise in price of articles of the first necessity, till the time for repression came, when a strike left him in the trying position of being a workman marked for his revolutionary opinions, and excluded from every workshop.
then as he was fond of bull-runs, he became torero at twenty-four, just as he might have chosen any other line of life. besides, he knew a great deal and spoke with contempt of the absurdities of existing society. he had not spent many years listening to papers being read in vain. however bad a torero he might be, he would earn more, and would lead an easier life than ever so skilled a workman. his friends, remembering the days when he shouldered the musket of the national militia, nicknamed him el nacional.
he always spoke of the taurine profession with a kind of remorse, apologising for belonging to it in spite of his many years' service. the committee of his district who had decreed the expulsion from the party of all their co-religionists who attended corridas, as being barbarous and retrograde, had made an exception in his favour, keeping him on the list of voters.
"i am well aware," he would say in gallardo's dining-room, "that bull-fights are reactionary ... something akin to the days of the inquisition.... i do not know if i am explaining myself clearly. but to read and write is quite as necessary to the people as to have bread, and[pg 107] it is wrong that money should be spent on us, while schools are so sadly wanted. that is what the papers that come from madrid say. but my co-religionists esteem me, and the committee after a lecture from don joselito, kept me on the register of the party."
his great gravity, that not even the jokes or the comic exaggerations of fury on the part of the espada and his friends could shake, expressed an honourable pride in this exceptional favour with which his co-religionists had honoured him.
don joselito, master of a primary school, verbose and enthusiastic, who presided over the district committee, was a young man of jewish origin, who brought into political strife all the ardour of the maccabees, and was proud of his swarthy ugliness, pitted with smallpox, because he thought it made him resemble danton; el nacional always listened to him open-mouthed.
when don josé and the maestro's other friends, after dinner, ironically attacked el national's doctrines with all sorts of extravagant arguments, the poor man would look confused, and scratching his head would say:
"you are gentlemen, and you have been educated, i know neither how to read nor write, and that is why we of the lower orders are such simpletons. oh! if only don joselito were here!... by the life of the blue dove! if only you could hear him when he starts speaking like an angel!"...
and in order to strengthen his faith, perhaps a little shaken by these attacks of ridicule, he would go next day to see his idol, who seemed to take a bitter pleasure, as a descendant of the great persecuted nation, in showing him what he called his museum of horrors. this jew, returned to the natal country of his ancestors, had collected in a room attached to the school souvenirs of the inquisition, and with the meticulous vindictiveness of[pg 108] a fugitive prisoner endeavoured to reconstruct hour by hour the skeleton of his jailor. there on the shelves of a cupboard were rows of books and parchments, accounts of autos da fe and lists of questions wherewith to interrogate the criminals during their torture. on one wall was hung a white banner with the dreaded green cross, and in the corner were piles of torturing irons, fearful scourges, every instrument that don joselito could pick up on the hucksters' stalls that had been used to split, to tear with pincers, or to shred, which was catalogued immediately as an ancient possession of the holy office.
el nacional's good-heartedness, and his simple soul, quick to feel indignation, rose up against those rusty irons and those green crosses.
"good heavens!... and there are people who say.... by the life of the dove!... i wish i had some of them here."
the desire of proselytism made him air his convictions on every occasion, regardless of his companion's jests, but even in this he showed himself kind-hearted, as he was never personally bitter. according to him, those who remained indifferent to the fate of the country and did not figure on the party register, were "poor victims of the national ignorance." the salvation of the people depended on their learning to read and write. for his own part he was obliged modestly to renounce this regeneration, as he felt himself too thick skulled; but he made the whole world responsible for his ignorance.
very often in summer, when the cuadrilla was travelling from one province to another, and gallardo changed into the second-class carriage where "his lads" were travelling, the door would open and some country priest or a couple of friars would enter.
[pg 109]
the banderilleros would nudge each others' elbows and wink as they looked at el nacional, become even more grave and solemn than usual in presence of the enemy. the picadors, potaje and tragabuches, rough and aggressive fellows, fond of quarrels and practical jokes, who besides had an instinctive dislike to the cassocks, egged him on in a low voice.
"now you have got him!... go in at him straight!... give him one in the eye in your own fashion."...
but the maestro, with his authority as chief of the cuadrilla, which no one dare to contest or discuss, rolled his eyes fiercely as he looked at el nacional, who was obliged to observe a silent obedience. but the zeal of proselytism was stronger in this simple soul than his subordination, and one insignificant word was sufficient to start him on a discussion with his fellow travellers, trying to convince them of the truth. but indeed the truth, according to him, seemed an inextricable and tangled skein of ranting that he had gathered from don joselito.
his companions looked on with astonishment, delighted that one of their own set could make head against educated men, and even put them in a corner, which by the way might not be very difficult, as the spanish clergy, as a rule, are not highly educated.
the priests, bewildered by el nacional's fiery arguments and the laughter of the other toreros, ended by appealing to their final argument. how could men who exposed their lives so frequently not think of god, and believe such things! did they not think that at that very time their wives and their mothers were most probably praying for them?
the cuadrilla became suddenly silent, a silence of fear, as they thought of the holy medals and scapularies[pg 110] that their women's hands had sewn into their fighting clothes before they left seville. the espada, wounded in his slumbering superstitions, was furious with el nacional, as if the banderillero's impiety would place his own life in danger.
"shut up, and stop your blasphemies!... your pardon, sirs, i pray you. he is a good fellow, but his head has been turned by all these lies.... shut up, and don't answer me! curse you!... i will fill your mouth with...."
and gallardo, to appease those gentlemen whom he considered as depositaries of the future, overwhelmed the banderillero with threats and curses.
el nacional took refuge in a contemptuous silence. "it was all ignorance and superstition, all from not knowing how to read and write." and strong in his faith, with the obstinacy of a simple man who only possesses two or three ideas and clutches hold of them in the face of the roughest shocks, he would shortly afterwards renew the discussion regardless of the matador's anger.
his anti-clericalism did not leave him even in the circus among those peons and picadors, who having said their prayer in the chapel, entered the arena, in the hope that the sacred scapularies sewn into their clothes would guard them from danger.
when an enormous bull, "of many pounds,"[70] as it is called, with a powerful neck and a black coat arrived at the "turn" of the banderilleros, el nacional, with his arms open and the darts in his hand, would stand a short distance from the animal, shouting insultingly,—
"come along, priest!"
the "priest" threw himself furiously on el nacional, who fixed the darts firmly in his neck as he rushed past, shouting loudly as if he were proclaiming a victory.
[pg 111]
one for the clergy!
gallardo ended by laughing at el nacional's extravagances.
"you are making me ridiculous. people will notice my cuadrilla, and say we are nothing but a band of heretics. you know there are some audiences whom this might not please. a torero ought to be nothing but a torero."
all the same he was greatly attached to his banderillero, remembering his devotion, which more than once had reached the point of self-sacrifice. it signified nothing to el nacional that he should be hissed, when he stuck the banderillos into a dangerous bull anyhow, so as to end the matter more quickly. he did not care for glory, and he only fought to earn his livelihood. but once gallardo advanced rapier in hand towards a savage animal, his banderillero remained close by his side, ready to assist him with his heavy cloak and his strong arm which obliged the brute to lower his poll. on two occasions, when gallardo had been rolled over in the arena, and was in danger of being gored by the horns, el nacional had thrown himself on the beast, forgetful of his children, his wife, the tavern, everything, intending to die himself in order to save his master.
on his entry into gallardo's dining-room in the evenings he was received like a member of the family. the se?ora angustias felt that affection for him so often existing between people of a lower class, when they find themselves in a higher atmosphere, and which draws them together.
"come and sit by me, sebastian. won't you really take anything? ... tell me how the establishment is getting on. teresa and the children well, i hope?"
then el nacional would enumerate the sales of the previous day; so many glasses of wine over the counter,[pg 112] so many bottles of country wine delivered at houses, and the old woman listened with the attention of one used to poverty and who knows the value of money to the very last farthing.
sebastian spoke of the possibility of increasing his trade. a "bureau de tabac"[71] in his tavern would suit him down to the ground. the espada could get him this, through his friendship with great people, but sebastian felt scruples at asking such a favour.
"you see, se?a angustias, the bureau is a thing that depends on the government, and i have my principles. i figure on the register of my party and am also on the committee. what would my co-religionists say?"
the old woman was indignant at these scruples. what he had to do was to bring as much bread into the family as he could. that poor teresa! with such a lot of children!
"don't be foolish, sebastian, get all these cobwebs out of your brain.... now don't answer me. don't start telling me all sorts of impieties like the other night; remember i am going to hear mass at la macarena to-morrow morning."
but gallardo and don josé, who were smoking the other side of the table, with a glass of cognac within reach of their hands, and who delighted in making el nacional talk so that they could laugh at his ideas, egged him on by depreciating don joselito: an imposter who upset ignorant men like him.
the banderillero received his master's jokes meekly enough. to doubt don joselito! such a patent absurdity could not make him angry. it was as though some one was hitting at his other idol gallardo, by saying he did not know how to kill a bull.
but when he heard the saddler, who inspired him with[pg 113] an unconquerable aversion, take part in these jests, he lost his calm. who was that scamp, living by hanging on to his master, that he should dare to argue with him? with him!... and then losing all restraint, taking no notice of the espada's wife and mother, or of encarnacion, who, imitating her husband, pursed up her mustachioed lip, looking contemptuously at the banderillero, the latter launched himself full sail on the exposition of his ideas, with the same ardour as when he discussed in committee.
for want of better arguments he overwhelmed the beliefs of others with insults.
"the bible?... rubbish![72] the creation of the world in six days.... rubbish!... the story of adam and eve? rubbish!... the whole of it lies and superstition."
and this word rubbish, that he employed, in order not to use one even more disrespectful, and that he applied to everything which seemed to him false and ridiculous, took on his lips an astonishing intensity of contempt.
the history of adam and eve was for him the subject of never-ending sarcasm; he had reflected much on this point during the hours of quiet drowsiness, when he was travelling with the cuadrilla, during which time he had discovered an irrefutable argument, drawn entirely from his own inner consciousness. "how could it be thought that all human beings were descended from one only pair?"
"i call myself sebastian venegas, and so it is; and you, juaniyo, you call yourself gallardo; and you, don josé, have also your own name; every one has his own, and when the names are the same people must be relations. if then we were all grandchildren of adam, and adam's name was—we will suppose—perez, we should[pg 114] all be named perez. that is quite clear?... well then if we all have our family names, there must have been a great many adams, and so what the priests tell us is all ... rubbish—retrograde superstition! it is education we want, and the clergy take advantage of our ignorance.... i think i am explaining myself!"
gallardo, throwing himself back in his chair, screaming with laughter, greeted the orator with a hurrah, which imitated the bellowing of a bull—while the manager, with andalusian gravity, stretched out his hand congratulating him,—
"here, shake it! you have been very good! as good as castelar!"
the se?ora angustias was extremely angry at hearing such things in her house, feeling that as an old woman she must be drawing near to the end of her life.
"shut up, sebastian. shut up your infernal mouth, cursed one! or i shall turn you out of doors. if i did not know that you are an honest man!"
however, she soon forgave the banderillero, when she thought of his affection for juan, and remembered how he had acted in moments of danger. besides, it was a great comfort to her and to carmen, that so serious and right-minded a man should belong to the cuadrilla with the other "lads," for the espada, left to himself, was extremely light of character, and easily drawn away by his desire for admiration from women.
the enemy of adam and eve held a secret of his master's, which made him reserved and grave, when he saw him in his own house, between his mother and carmen. if those women only knew what he knew!
in spite of the respect that every banderillero ought to pay his master, el nacional had one day ventured to speak to gallardo, taking advantage of his seniority in years, and of their very old friendship.
[pg 115]
"listen to me, juaniyo. all seville knows about it! nothing else is spoken of, and the news will get to your house and cause a ruction that will singe the good god's hair!... just think—the se?ora angustias will put on a face like the mater dolorosa, and poor carmen will get in a rage. remember the row about that singer, and that was nothing to this.... this bicho[73] is far more dangerous, so beware."
gallardo pretended not to understand, feeling annoyed but flattered at the same time that all seville should be aware of the secret of his amours.
"but who is this 'bicho?' what are these rows you speak of?"
"who should it be! do?a sol; that great lady who gives every one so much cause for gossip. the niece of the marquis de moraima, the breeder."
and as the espada remained silent but smiling, delighted to find el nacional so well informed, the latter went on like a preacher, disillusioned of the vanities of life.
"a married man ought to seek, before everything else, the peace of his household.... all women are just the same.... rubbish. one is worth just as much as the other, and it is a folly to embitter your life by flying from one to another.... your servant, for the twenty-five years he has lived with his teresa, has never deceived her once even in thought, and yet i, too, am a torero, and have had my good times and many a girl has cast sheep's eyes at me."
gallardo laughed outright at the banderillero's lecture. he really spoke like the prior of a convent. and yet it was he who wished to gobble up all the friars alive!... "nacional, don't be an idiot! every one is[pg 116] as he is, and if the women come to us, well then, let them come. one lives so short a time! and possibly some day i may be carried out of the circus feet foremost.... besides, you do not know what a great lady is! if only you could see that woman!"...
presently he added ingenuously as though he wished to disperse the sad and shocked look on el nacional's face:
"i love carmen dearly, you know it; i love her as much as ever. but i love the other one too. it is quite another thing.... i cannot explain it. it is quite another thing, and that is all."
and the banderillero could get no more out of his interview with gallardo.
months before, as the end of the bull-fighting season was approaching with the autumn, gallardo had had an accidental encounter in the church of san lorenzo.
he rested a few days in seville before going to la rinconada with his family. when this quiet time came round, nothing pleased him better than to live quietly in his own house, free from those perpetual journeys in the train. killing more than a hundred bulls a year, with all the dangers and exertions of the fight, did not fatigue him half so much as those journeys lasting so many months from one plaza to another all over spain.
those long journeys in full summer, under a burning sun, over scorched plains, in old carriages of which the roofs seemed on fire were most exhausting. the large water jar belonging to the cuadrilla which was filled at every station, utterly failed to quench their thirst. besides, the trains were crowded with passengers, country people going to the towns to enjoy the fairs and see the corridas. many a time gallardo, after killing his last bull in a plaza, fearing to lose his train, and still dressed in his gala costume, had rushed down to the station like[pg 117] a flash of gold and colours, through the crowds of travellers and piles of luggage. often he had changed his clothes in the carriage under the eyes of his fellow passengers, pleased at travelling with such a celebrity, and had spent a restless night on the cushions, while the others squeezed themselves together to give him as much room as possible. these people respected his fatigue, thinking that on the morrow this man would give them the pleasure of a perhaps tragic emotion, without the slightest danger to themselves.
when he arrived wearied out at a town en fête, the streets decorated with flags and triumphal arches, he had to endure all the torment of enthusiastic admiration. the amateurs, bewitched by his name, met him at the station and accompanied him to the hotel. these light-hearted people who had slept well, and who mobbed him, expected to find him expansive and loquacious, as if the very fact alone of seeing them, must cause him the greatest of pleasures.
many times there was not only one bull-run. he had to fight on three or four successive days, and the espada, when night came, exhausted by fatigue, by want of sleep, and recent emotions, would throw conventionalities overboard, and sit in his shirt sleeves in front of his hotel, to enjoy the cool. the "lads" of the cuadrilla who were lodged in the same hotel remained near their master like schoolboys in durance vile. sometimes the boldest spirit would beg leave to take a turn through the illuminated streets and the fair.
"to-morrow there are muira bulls," said the espada. "i know what these turns mean. you will come back at dawn to-morrow, having taken a few glasses too much, or done something else which will impair your vigour. no, no one goes out; you shall have your fill when we have done."
[pg 118]
when their work was ended, if they had a free day before going on to the next corrida in another town, the cuadrilla would postpone their journey, then they would indulge in dissolute merriment away from their families, in company of the enthusiastic amateurs who imagined that this was the usual way of life of their idols.
the ill-arranged dates of the corridas obliged the espada to take ridiculous journeys. he would go from one town to fight at the other end of spain, three or four days afterwards he would retrace his steps to fight in a town close to the first, so that as the summer months were most abundant in corridas, he virtually spent the whole of them in the train, travelling in zigzags over every railway in the peninsula, killing bulls by day and sleeping in the trains.
"if all my journeys in the summer were set in a straight line," said gallardo, "they would assuredly reach to the north pole."
at the beginning of the season he undertook those journeys gaily enough, thinking of the audiences who had talked of him the whole year, and who were impatiently expecting his arrival. he thought of the unexpected acquaintances he might make, of the adventures that feminine curiosity might bring him, of the life in different hotels, in which the disturbances, the annoyances, and the diversity of meals made such a contrast to his placid existence in seville, or the mountainous solitude of la rinconada.
but after a few weeks of this dizzy life, during which he earned five thousand pesetas for each afternoon's work, gallardo began to fret, like a child away from his family.
"ay! for my house in seville, so cool, and kept like a[pg 119] silver cup by poor carmen! ay! for the mother's good stews! so delicious."...
on his return home, to rest for the remainder of the year, gallardo experienced the satisfaction of a celebrated man, who, forgetful of his honours, can give himself over to the enjoyment of everyday life.
he would sleep late, free from the worry of railway time-tables, and the anxiety of thinking about bulls. nothing to do that day, nor the next, nor the next! none of his journeys need be further than the calle de las sierpes or the plaza de san fernando. the family, too, seemed quite different, gayer and in better health, now they knew he was safe at home for several months. he would go out with his felt hat well back, swinging his gold-headed cane, and admiring the big diamonds on his fingers.
in the vestibule several men would be standing waiting for him close to the wicket, through the ironwork of which could be seen the white and luminous patio, so beautifully clean. many of them were sun-burnt men, reeking of perspiration, in dirty blouses and wide sombreros with ragged edges. some were agricultural labourers, moving or on a journey, who on passing through seville thought it the most natural thing to come and ask for help from the famous matador, whom they called don juan. some were fellow townsmen who addressed him as "thou," and called him juaniyo.
gallardo, with his wonderful memory for faces, gained by constantly mixing with crowds, would recognise them; they were school-fellows, or companions of his vagabond childhood.
"so, affairs are not going on well, eh? times are hard for every one."
and before this familiarity could tempt them to [pg 120]further intimacies, he would turn to garabato, who held the wicket open.
"go and tell the se?ora to give each of them a couple of pesetas."
and he went out into the street, pleased with his own generosity and the beauty of life.
at the tavern close by monta?e's children and his customers would come to the door smiling with their eyes full of curiosity.
"good-day, gentlemen!... i thank you for your civility, but i do not drink."
and freeing himself from the enthusiast who came towards him glass in hand, he walked on, being stopped in the next street by two old women, friends of his mother's. they begged him to stand godfather to the grandchild of one of them; her poor daughter might be confined at any moment; but her son-in-law, a furious gallardist, who had often come to blows to defend his idol as he came out of the plaza, had not dared to ask him.
"but, confound you! do you take me for a child's nurse? i have already more godchildren than there are foundlings in the hospital!"
in order to get rid of the good ladies he advised them to go and talk it over with his mother, "hear what she had to say about it"; and he walked on, never stopping till he got to the calle de las sierpes, saluting some, and allowing others to enjoy the honour of walking by his side, in proud friendship, under the eyes of the passers-by.
he looked in for a moment at the club of the "forty-five," to see if his manager were there; this was a very aristocratic club, and, as its name indicated, limited as to numbers, in which nothing was talked of save horses and bulls. it was composed of rich amateurs and [pg 121]breeders, among whom figured as an oracle in the first rank, the marquis de moraima.
during one of these walks on a friday afternoon, gallardo, who was going towards the calle de las sierpes, felt a wish to enter the church of san lorenzo.
in the little square were drawn up several sumptuous carriages. all the best people in the town were going on that day to pray to the miraculous image of our father jesus of great power. the ladies descended from their carriages dressed in black, with rich mantillas, and several men also went into the church, attracted by the feminine concourse.
gallardo also entered. for a torero ought to take advantage of every opportunity to rub shoulders with people of high position. the son of se?ora angustias felt a triumphant pride when wealthy men saluted him, and elegant ladies murmured his name, indicating him with their eyes.
besides, he was a devotee of the lord of great power. if he tolerated el nacional's opinions about god or nature without being very much shocked, it was because for him divinity was something vague and undecided, something like the existence of a great lord against whom one may hear every sort of evil-speaking calmly, because one only knows of him by hearsay. but it was quite another affair with the "virgin of hope" and "jesus of great power"—he had known them since his childhood, and these, no one should touch.
his feelings as a rough fellow were touched by the theatrical agony of christ, with his cross on his back; the perspiring, agonized and livid face, reminded him of some of his comrades whom he had seen lying in the bull-ring infirmary. one must stand well with that powerful lord; and he recited fervently several paternosters, as he stood before the image, the lights of whose wax[pg 122] tapers were reflected like stars on the whites of his moorish eyes.
a rustle among the women kneeling before him, distracted his attention, greedy of supernatural interventions in his dangerous life.
a lady was passing through the kneeling devotees and attracting their attention; she was tall, slight, and of startling beauty, dressed in light colours, with a dark hat covered with feathers, beneath which flamed the shining gold of her hair.
gallardo recognized her. it was do?a sol, the niece of the marquis de moraima, the ambassadress, as she was called in seville. she passed through the women, taking no notice of their curiosity, but pleased at their glances and their murmured words, as if these were a natural homage due to her wherever she appeared. the foreign elegance of her dress and the enormous hat, stood out from among the dark mass of mantillas. she knelt and bent her head for an instant in prayer, and then her clear eyes of a greenish blue with golden lights wandered tranquilly through the church as though she were in a theatre seeking for friends among the audience. her eyes seemed to smile when they lighted on a friend, and pursuing their wanderings, they at last met those of gallardo fixed on her.
the espada was not modest. accustomed to see himself the object of contemplation by thousands and thousands of eyes on the afternoon of a corrida, he thought frankly that wherever he was all looks must necessarily be directed towards himself. many women, in confidential hours, had told him of the emotion, the curiosity, and the desire, that had seized them the first time they had seen him in the circus. do?a sol's eyes did not fall as they met those of the torero; on the contrary, she continued to stare at him with the coldness of a great[pg 123] lady, and it was the matador, always respectful to the rich, who at last turned his eyes away.
what a woman! thought he, with his vanity as a popular idol. will that gachi[74] be for me?
outside the church, he felt it impossible to go away, and so as to see her again he waited by the door. his heart told him something was happening, as on the afternoons of his greatest successes. it was the same mysterious heart-throb which made him disregard the protests of the public, throwing himself daringly into the greatest risks, and always with splendid results.
when she in her turn came out, she looked at him again without surprise, as if she had guessed he would be waiting for her at the door. she mounted into her carriage, accompanied by two friends, and as the coachman started the horses, she again turned her head to look at him, and a slight smile passed over her lips.
gallardo felt preoccupied all the afternoon. he thought of his previous amours, of the triumphs his proud bearing as a torero had given him, conquests that had filled him with pride, making him think himself invincible, but that now inspired him with shame. but a woman like this, a great lady, who after travelling throughout europe, now lived in seville like a queen! that would indeed be a conquest!... to his wonder at do?a sol's beauty, he added the instinctive respect of the former vagabond, who in a country where birth and wealth have such great prestige, had learned to worship the great from his cradle. if only he could succeed in attracting the attention of such a woman! what greater triumph could he have!
his manager, a great friend of the marquis de [pg 124]moraima and well in with all the best sets in seville, had sometimes spoken to him of do?a sol.
after an absence of some years, she had returned to seville a few months previously. after her long stay abroad she was enamoured of all the habits and popular customs of the country, pronouncing them all very interesting and very ... artistic. she went to the bull-fights in the ancient maja costume, imitating the manners and dress of the graceful ladies painted by goya. she was a strong woman accustomed to all sports and a great rider, and the people saw her galloping in the outskirts of seville in a dark riding habit, a red cravat, and a white felt hat poised on the golden glory of her hair. often too she carried the garrocha[75] across her saddle, and with a party of friends as picadors, would ride out to the pastures to spear and overthrow bulls, delighting in this rough sport, so full of danger.
she was not a girl. gallardo remembered dimly having seen her in her childhood, in the gardens of las delicias, seated by the side of her mother, a mass of white frills, while he, poor little wretch, ran underneath the carriage wheels to pick up cigar ends. no doubt she was the same age as himself, nearing the thirties; but how magnificent! how different from all other women!
don josé was well acquainted with her history.... a little off her head that do?a sol!... and her romantic name agreed well with the originality of her character and the independence of her habits.
on the death of her mother, she became possessed of a very good fortune. she had married in madrid a personage much older than herself who had as ambassador, represented spain at the principal courts of europe, a prospect which could not fail to be attractive to a woman anxious for splendour and novelty.
[pg 125]
"how that woman has amused herself, juan!" said the manager. "how many heads she has turned during the ten years she has travelled about europe. she must be really a book on geography, with secret notes on every page. certainly she must have a fine crop of memories about every capital in europe.... and the poor ambassador! he died, no doubt, from vexation, as there was nowhere left for him to go to. she flew very high, too. the good gentleman would be sent to represent us at some court or other, and before the year was out, the queen or the empress would be writing home to beg for the removal of the ambassador and his seductive wife.... oh! the crowned heads that gachi has turned!... queens trembled at her arrival. finally, the poor ambassador, finding no place open to him except the american republics—and as he was of good principles and a friend of kings—died. and don't imagine for a moment that she contented herself only with people living in royal palaces! if all that is told of her be true!... everything she does is most extreme, everything or nothing. sometimes fixing on the highest, sometimes on the lowest in the land. i have been told that in russia she ran after one of those shaggy-haired fellows who throw bombs, who did not care much for her because she disturbed his plots, because she followed him everywhere, till at last his secret society strangled him. afterwards she appears to have taken up with a painter in paris, but possibly these may be exaggerations. however, it seems quite certain that she was great friends with some musician in germany who writes operas. if you could only hear her play the piano! and when she sings! it is like one of the sopranos who come to san fernando's theatre at eastertide. and she not only sings in italian, but in french, german, and english. her uncle, the marquis de moraima, who, between [pg 126]ourselves, is just a little rough, says he even suspects she knows latin!... what a woman, eh, juanillo? what an interesting woman!"
don josé spoke of do?a sol with admiration, thinking every act of her life extraordinary and original, those that were certain as well as those that were hazy.
"in seville," continued he, "she leads an exemplary life, for which reason i think a great deal that has been said about her is untrue—the calumnies of certain people who found the grapes were sour. she appears to have fallen in love with sevillian life, as though she had never seen it before! with our warm sunny climate, with our picturesque customs.... she has been made a member of the charitable brotherhood of the cristo de triana and spends a fortune on manzanilla for the brothers. some nights she fills her house with singers and dancers, who bring their families and even their most distant relations; they all fill themselves with olives, sausages and wine, and do?a sol, seated in an arm-chair like a queen, spends hours asking for dance after dance. her servants who have come with her, dressed in their liveries and as stiff and grave as lords, hand round trays of wine and sweets to these dancers, who pull their whiskers and throw the olive stones in their faces!... a most proper and amusing diversion!... now, do?a sol receives every morning an old gipsy called lechuzo, who gives her lessons on the guitar...." and so don josé rambled on, explaining to the matador all do?a sol's originalities.
four days after gallardo had seen her in the church of san lorenzo, the manager came up to him in a café in the calle de las sierpes and said mysteriously:
"gacho, you are the spoiled child of fortune! who do you think has been talking to me about you?"
and putting his mouth close to the torero's ear, he murmured: "do?a sol!"
[pg 127]
she had been questioning him about "his matador" and had expressed a wish that he should be presented to her. he was such an original type! so thoroughly spanish!
"she says she has several times seen you kill, once in madrid, and in other places which i forget. she has applauded you, and she knows that you are very brave. now see, if she took a fancy to you! what an honour! you would be brother-in-law or something of the sort to all the kings in europe."
gallardo smiled modestly, dropping his eyes, but at the same time he drew up his fine figure, as if he did not consider his manager's hypothesis at all extraordinary or out of the way.
"but all the same you must have no delusions, juanillo," continued don josé. "do?a sol wants to see a torero close, just as she takes lessons from old lechuzo.... local colour, and nothing more."
"bring him with you to tablada the day after to-morrow," she said. "you know what that is; a derribo[76] of cattle at the moraima breeding farm, that the marquis has arranged for his niece's amusement; we will go together, for i also am invited."
two days afterwards, the maestro and his manager rode out in the afternoon through the suburb de la feria, dressed as "garrochistas," amid the expectant crowd who had assembled at the gate or were loitering in the streets.
"they are going to tablada," they said, "there is a 'derribo' of cattle."
don josé riding a bony white mare was in country dress; a rough coat, cloth breeches with yellow gaiters, and over the breeches those leather leggings called [pg 128]"zajones." the espada had put on for this festivity the bizarre costume that the ancient toreros used to wear, before modern habits had made them dress like every one else. on his head he wore a small round hat with turned up edges, made of rough velvet, fastened under the chin by a strap. the collar of his shirt, which had no cravat, was fastened by two diamonds, and two other larger ones flashed on his goffered shirt frills. the jacket and waistcoat were of wine coloured velvet with black tags and braidings. the sash was of crimson silk, the tight-fitting breeches with dark embroideries showed off to advantage the torero's muscular thighs, and were tied at the knees by black garters with large ribbon bows. the gaiters were amber coloured, with leather fringes hanging the whole length of the opening; his boots of the same colour were almost hidden in the large moorish stirrups, leaving only the large silver spurs visible. on his saddle bow, above the rich jerez blanket whose coloured tassels danced right and left on the horse's back was strapped a grey overcoat with black trimmings and a scarlet lining.
the two riders galloped along, carrying the "garrocha" of fine strong wood, over their shoulders like a lance with a ball at the end to protect the iron point. they received quite an ovation as they rode through the suburb. olé the brave men! and the women waved their hands.
"may god go with you, fine fellow! enjoy yourself se?or juan!"
they spurred their horses to leave behind the swarm of children running after them. and the little streets with their blueish pavement and white walls rang with the rhythm of the horses' hoofs.
in the quiet street where do?a sol lived, a street of aristocratic houses, with curved ironwork gratings and[pg 129] large glazed balconies, they found the other "garrochistas" who were waiting at the door, motionless in their saddles and leaning on their lances. they were mostly young men, relations or friends of do?a sol's, who saluted the torero with courteous amiability, pleased that he should be of the party. at last the marquis de moraima came out of the house, and mounted his horse immediately.
"my niece will be down directly. women, you know! ... they are never ready."
he said this with the sententious gravity with which he always spoke, as if his words were oracles. he was a tall spare man, with large white whiskers, but his eyes and mouth preserved an almost childlike ingenuousness. courteous and measured in his language, quick in his gestures, seldom smiling, he was quite a great nobleman of the olden days: clad almost always in riding dress he hated town life, bored by the social obligations that his rank imposed on him when he was in seville, longing to range the country with his farmers and herdsmen whom he treated familiarly as comrades. he had almost forgotten how to write from want of practice, but when anyone spoke to him of fighting bulls, of the rearing of horses and bulls, or of agricultural work, his eyes sparkled with determination, and you recognised at once the great connoisseur.
some clouds passed over the sun, and the golden light faded from the white walls of the street; some looked up at the sky, to the narrow strip of blue visible between the two lines of roofs.
"do not be uneasy," said the marquis gravely.... "as i came out of the house i saw the wind blowing a piece of paper in a direction i know. it will not rain."
every one seemed reassured. it could not rain, as the marquis had said it would not. he knew the weather[pg 130] just as well as an old shepherd, and there was no danger of his being mistaken.
then he came up to gallardo.
"this year i shall provide you with magnificent corridas. what bulls! we shall see if you will kill them like good christians. last year, you know, i was not at all pleased, the poor brutes deserved better."
do?a sol now appeared, raising with one hand her dark riding habit, beneath which appeared her high grey leather riding boots. she wore a man's shirt with a red cravat, a jacket and waistcoat of violet velvet, and her small velvet andalusian hat rested gracefully on her curling hair.
she mounted lightly, taking her garrocha from a servant. while she saluted her friends, apologizing for having kept them waiting, her eyes were watching gallardo. don josé pricked on his horse to make the presentation, but do?a sol was beforehand with him, going up to the torero.
gallardo felt perturbed by the lady's presence. what a woman! what would she say to him?...
he saw that she held out a delicate, scented hand, and in his bewilderment he only knew that he seized and pressed it in the strong grasp used to overthrowing bulls. but the hand, so white and pink, was not crushed in the rough involuntary grip, which would have made another cry out with pain, but after a strong clasp it disengaged itself easily.
"i thank you much for having come. delighted to know you."
and gallardo, in his flurry, feeling that he must answer something, stammered as if he were speaking to an amateur:
"thanks; and the family, quite well?"
a little ripple of laughter from do?a sol was lost in[pg 131] the clatter of the hoofs, in the noise of their first start. the lady put her horse to a trot, and the cavalcade of riders followed her, gallardo, unable to get over his stupefaction, bringing up the rear, feeling dimly that he had made a fool of himself.
they galloped through the outskirts of seville alongside the river leaving the torre del oro[77] behind them and then on through the shady gardens strewn with yellow sand, till they reached a road bordered on either side by small taverns and eating-houses.
when they arrived at tablada, they saw on the green plain a large concourse of people and carriages drawn up close to the palisades which separated the meadow from the animals' enclosure.
the broad stream of the guadalquivir rolled along the edge of the pasture; on the opposite side rose the hill of san juan de aznalfarache, crowned by its ruined castle, and many white country houses peeped out from among the silver grey of the olive trees. on the opposite side of the wide horizon, on which a few woolly clouds were floating, lay seville, the line of its houses dominated by the imposing mass of the cathedral, and the marvellous giralda, dyed a tender pink in the evening light.
the riders advanced with no little trouble among the moving crowd. the curiosity inspired by do?a sol's originalities had attracted all the ladies of seville. her friends saluted her as she passed their carriages, thinking she looked very beautiful in her manly dress. her relations, the marquis's daughters, some unmarried, others accompanied by their husbands, recommended prudence.
"for god's sake, sol! do not risk anything"....
[pg 132]
the "derribadores" entered into the enclosure, being greeted as they went through the palings by the shouts of the populace, who had come to see the sport.
the horses, seeing their enemies and sniffing them from afar, began to prance, neighing and kicking beneath the firm hands of their riders.
the bulls were in the centre in a group, some were quietly grazing, while others lay sleepily ruminating on the grass which was a little rusted by the winter; others, wilder, trotted towards the river, the old oxen, the prudent "cabestros"[78] immediately starting in pursuit, the big bells round their necks ringing, while the cowherds assisted them in collecting the stragglers by slinging stones which struck the tips of the fugitives' horns.
the riders remained a long time motionless, holding a council under the impatient eyes of the crowd who were longing for something exciting.
the first to ride out was the marquis accompanied by one of his friends; the two galloped towards the group of bulls, and when within a short distance stopped their horses, standing up in their stirrups, waving their "garrochas" and shouting loudly to frighten them. a black bull with powerful thighs detached himself from the rest, trotting to the further end of the enclosure.
the marquis had every right to be proud of his herd, composed entirely of fine animals, carefully selected from judicious crossing. they were not animals destined only for the production of meat, with rough and dirty coats, big hoofs, hanging heads, and large and ill-placed horns. they were animals of nervous vivacity, strong and robust, making the ground shake as they went along raising clouds of dust under their hoofs. their coats were fine and shining like well-groomed horses, their eyes fiery, the neck broad and proudly carried, their legs[pg 133] short, their tails long and fine, their horns well shaped, sharp and polished as if by hand, and their hoofs short, small and round, but hard enough to cut the grass like a steel.
the two riders galloped after the animal, attacking him from either side, barring his way as he tried to make for the river, till the marquis, spurring his horse, gained on him, and, nearing the bull with his garrocha in front of him, drove the iron on to his croup, the combined impetus of the horse and the rider's arm causing him to lose his balance, and roll over on the ground belly upwards, his horns stuck in the ground and his four legs in the air.
the rapidity and ease with which the breeder had accomplished this feat, raised shouts of delight from the other side of the paling. olé for the old men!... no one understood bulls like the marquis. he managed them as if they were his own children, tending them from the day they were born, till the day they entered the plazas to die like heroes worthy of a better fate.
immediately other riders wished to go out, and gain the applause of the crowd, but the marquis stopped them, giving the preference to his niece. if she wished to accomplish a "derribo" she had better go out at once, before the herd got infuriated with the constant attacks.
do?a sol spurred her horse, which did not cease rearing, frightened by the bulls. the marquis wished to accompany her, but she refused his escort. no, she preferred having gallardo, who was a torero. where was gallardo? the matador, still ashamed of his awkwardness, rode up to the lady's side in silence.
the two galloped towards the herd, do?a sol's horse reared up frequently, refusing to go on, but the strength of the rider forced him to advance; gallardo waved his garrocha, giving shouts that were really bellowings, just[pg 134] as he did in the plazas when he wished to excite the animal to attack him.
it was not difficult to make one animal come out from the rest; a huge white bull with red spots, an enormous neck and hanging brisket, with horns of the finest point, soon detached himself. he trotted to the further end of the enclosure as if he had there his "querencia,"[79] which irresistibly attracted him; do?a sol galloped after him, followed by the espada.
"take care, se?ora!" shouted gallardo. "this is an old and malicious bull, he is drawing you on ... take care he does not turn short."
and so it was. when do?a sol prepared to make the same stroke as her uncle, turning her horse obliquely to the bull so as to plant the garrocha well on his tail and overthrow him, the brute suddenly turned as if realizing his danger, planting himself menacingly in front of his attackers. the horse rushed in front of the bull, do?a sol being unable to stop him from the impetus of his wild career, and the bull pursued, the chaser becoming the chased.
the lady had no thought of flight. thousands of people were watching her from afar, she dreaded the laughter of her friends and the pity of the men, and succeeded at last in checking her horse, and fronting the bull. she held her garrocha under her arm like a picador, and drove it into the bull's neck as it rushed forward bellowing with lowered head. its enormous poll was covered with a stream of blood, but it rushed on with an overwhelming impetus, not seeming to care for the wound, till it drove its horns under the horse's belly, shaking it, and lifting it off the ground.
the rider was thrown out of her saddle, while a wild cry of horror went up from the palisades; the horse,[pg 135] freed from the horns, rushed on madly, its belly stained with blood, the girths broken and the saddle flapping on its loins.
the bull turned to follow it, but at the same moment something nearer attracted its attention. it was do?a sol who, instead of remaining motionless on the grass, stood up, picking up her garrocha, and putting it bravely in rest under her arm to confront the brute afresh. it was a mad display of courage, but she thought of those who were watching her; a challenge to death certainly, but far better than compounding with fear and incurring ridicule.
no one shouted from the palisade. the crowd were motionless in terrified silence. the groups of cavaliers were approaching at a mad gallop, but their help would come too late, the bull was already pawing the ground with its forefeet, and lowering his head, to attack that slight figure threatening him with her lance. one simple blow of those horns and all would be over. but at that instant a ferocious bellowing drew the bull's attention and something red passed before his eyes like a flame of fire.
it was gallardo, who had thrown himself off his horse, dropping his lance, to seize the overcoat strapped on to his saddle bow.
"eeee! entra!"[80].
and the bull attacked, running after the red lining of the jacket, attracted by this adversary so worthy of him, turning his hind quarters to the figure in the black riding skirt and violet jacket, who still stood stupefied by the danger, with her lance under her arm.
"do not be afraid, do?a sol, he is mine," said the[pg 136] torero, pale with emotion, but smiling, sure of his dexterity.
with no other defence but his jacket, he baited the brute, drawing it away from the lady, and avoiding its furious attacks by graceful bendings.
the crowd, forgetting their previous fright, began to applaud tremendously. what a joy! to have come to see a simple "derribo" and to see gratuitously an almost regular corrida, with gallardo fighting!
the torero, warmed by the impetuosity of the bull's attack, forgot do?a sol and everything else, intent only on slipping away from his attacks. the bull turned again and again, furious at seeing this invulnerable man slipping away from between his horns, and constantly meeting the red lining of the coat instead.
at last he was wearied out, and stood motionless with his head low, and his muzzle covered with foam; then gallardo, taking advantage of the brute's bewilderment, took off his hat and laid it between the horns. an immense howl of delight arose from the palisade, greeting this exploit.
then shouts and bells rang out behind gallardo, and a crowd of herdsmen and bell oxen surrounded the brute, and slowly enticed him towards the main body of the herd.
gallardo went in search of his horse, who, accustomed to being near bulls, had not moved, picked up his garrocha, mounted and then cantered slowly towards the palisade; prolonging in this way the noisy rounds of applause from the populace.
the riders who had escorted do?a sol greeted the espada with the greatest display of enthusiasm, his manager winked at him and then whispered mysteriously:
"gacho, you have not been behindhand. very good: extremely good! now i tell you she is yours."
[pg 137]
outside the palisade, do?a sol was sitting in a landau, with the marquis's daughters. her terrified cousins felt her all over, determined to find something put out of joint by her fall. they offered her glasses of manzanilla to get over her fright, but she, smiling vaguely, received these evidences of feminine concern with contemptuous indifference.
as she saw gallardo pushing his horse through the ranks of people, between waving hats and outstretched hands, she smiled cordially.
"come here to me, cid campeador![81] give me your hand."
and once again their right hands met, in a long, vigorous clasp.
that evening the affair of which all seville was talking, was also much canvassed in the matador's house. the se?ora angustias was beaming as after a great corrida. her son saving one of those great ladies, whom she, accustomed to years of servitude, had always looked upon with such deference and admiration! but carmen remained silent, not knowing quite what to think of the occurrence.
many days passed without gallardo having any news of do?a sol. his manager was out of town, at a hunting party with some of his friends of the "forty-five." but one evening don josé went to seek his matador at a café in the calle de las sierpes, where many amateurs of "the sport" gathered. he had only returned a couple of hours previously from the hunting party, and had gone at once to do?a sol's house, in consequence of a note which he had found waiting for him.
"god bless me, man! you are worse than a wolf!" said the manager, marching his man out of the café. "the lady expected you at her house. she has stayed[pg 138] at home evening after evening thinking you might come at any moment. such things are not done. after being presented, and after what happened you owed her a visit, were it only to enquire after her health."
the espada stopped, scratching his head under his felt hat.
"it is," he murmured uneasily ... "it is ... well i must say it out.... it frightens me.... now, se?or, it is said.... yes, it frightens me. you know well enough i am no laggard, that i can carry on with most women, and say a few words to a 'gachi' as well as anyone else. but this one—no. she is a lady who knows more than lepe,[82] and when i see her i feel i am an ignorant brute, and keep my mouth shut, as i cannot speak without putting my foot in it. no, don josé.... i am not going. i ought not to go!"
but don josé ended by over persuading him, and finally carried him off to do?a sol's house, talking as he went of his interview with that lady. she seemed rather offended at gallardo's neglect. all the best people in seville had been to see her after her accident, except himself.
"you know that a torero ought to stand well with people of good position. it is only a matter of having a little education and showing that you are not a cowherd brought up in a stable. just think. a great lady like that to distinguish you and expect you!... stuff and nonsense, i shall go with you."
"ah! if you go with me!"
and gallardo breathed again, as if freed from the weight of a great fear.
the "patio" of do?a sol's house was in moorish style, the delicate work of its coloured arches making one think of the alhambra. the ripple of a fountain, in[pg 139] whose basin gold fish were swimming, murmured gently in the evening silence. in the four galleries with ceilings of inlaid moorish work,[83] which were divided from the patio by marble pillars, he saw ancient carved panels, dark pictures of saints with livid faces, ancient furniture with rusty iron mountings, so riddled with worm holes, that they looked as if they had had a charge of shot.
a servant shewed them up the wide marble staircase, and there again the torero was surprised to see retablos with dark figures on gold grounds, massive virgins, who looked as if they had been cut out with a hatchet, painted in faded colours and dull gilding; tapestries of soft dead leaf colour, framed in borders of fruit and flowers, of which one represented scenes of calvary, while the other represented hairy, horned, and cloven-footed satyrs, whom lightly-clad nymphs seemed to be fighting like bulls.
"see what ignorance is!" said the matador to don josé. "i thought that sort of thing was only good for convents! but it seems that these people also value them."...
upstairs, the electric lamps were lighted as they passed, while the sunset splendours still shone through the windows.
gallardo experienced fresh surprises. he, so proud of his furniture bought in madrid, all quilted with bright silks, heavily and richly carved, which seemed to cry out the amount they had cost, could not get over seeing light and fragile chairs, white or green; tables and cupboards of simple outline, walls of one colour, with only a few pictures wide apart hanging by thick cords—a luxury of which the beautiful polish seemed due only to the finish of the carpenters' work. he was ashamed of[pg 140] his own surprise, and at what he had admired in his own house as supreme luxury. "see what ignorance is!" and he sat down with fear, dreading that the chair would break under his weight.
the entrance of do?a sol disturbed his reflections. he saw her, as he had never seen her before, without either hat or mantilla, her head crowned by that shimmering hair which seemed to justify her romantic name. her beautiful white arms showed through the hanging silk sleeves of a japanese tunic, which also left uncovered the curve of her beautiful neck, marked by the two lines called venus' necklace. as she moved her hands, stones of all colours, set in curiously shaped rings which covered her fingers, flashed brilliantly. on her delicate wrists gold bracelets tinkled, one of oriental filigree worked with some mysterious inscription, the others heavy and massive to which were hung various small charms and amulets, souvenirs of foreign travel. when she sat down to talk she crossed her legs with masculine freedom, balancing on her toe a small red golden-heeled papouche, like an embroidered toy.
gallardo's ears were buzzing, his eyes were dim, he could scarcely distinguish the two clear eyes fixed on him with an expression at once caressing and ironical. to conceal his emotion he smiled, showing his teeth—the stiff stereotyped smile of a child who wishes to be amiable.
"no indeed, se?ora!... many thanks.... it is not worth the trouble," was all he could stammer to do?a sol's grateful acknowledgment of his exploit the other evening.
little by little gallardo recovered his calm, and as the lady and his manager began to speak of bulls he at last gained confidence. she had seen him kill several times, and remembered the principal incidents with[pg 141] great exactitude. he felt proud to think this woman watched him at such moments, and had kept the remembrance fresh in her memory.
she had opened a lacquered box decorated with strange flowers and offered the two men gold-tipped cigarettes which exhaled a strange and pungent scent.
"they have opium in them," she said, "they are very nice."
she lighted one herself, and with her greenish eyes which in the light seemed like liquid gold, she followed the waving spirals of smoke.
the torero, accustomed to strong havanas, inhaled the smoke of this cigarette with curiosity. nothing but straw—a thing to please ladies. but the strange perfume spread by the smoke seemed slowly to dissipate his timidity.
do?a sol, fixing her eyes on him, questioned him about his life. she wanted to be behind the scenes of glory, to know the inner lining of celebrity, the miserable and wandering life of a torero who has not yet succeeded in gaining the good will of the public, and gallardo talked and talked with sudden confidence, telling her of his early days, dwelling, with proud insistence, on the humbleness of his origin, although he omitted anything he considered shameful in the story of his adventurous youth.
"how very interesting.... how very original" ... said the beautiful woman.
turning her eyes from the torero she seemed lost in the contemplation of something invisible.
"the first man in the world!" exclaimed don josé, with rough enthusiasm. "believe me, sol, there are not two men like him. and how impervious to wounds!"
as proud of gallardo's strength as though he were his father, he enumerated the different wounds that gallardo[pg 142] had received, describing them as if he saw them through his clothes. the lady's eyes followed this anatomical journey with sincere admiration. a real hero, simple, embarrassed, retiring, like all strong men.
the manager spoke of going away; it was seven o'clock and he would be expected at home. but do?a sol remonstrated with smiling insistence; they really must both of them stay to dinner; it was an unceremonious invitation, but that evening she was not expecting anyone, she would be alone as the marquis and his family had gone into the country.
"i shall be quite alone.... not another word, i command it; you must do penance with me."
and as if her commands admitted of no reply, she left the room.
the manager demurred; he really could not stay; he had already come out that afternoon and so his family had hardly seen him; besides he had invited two friends. as far as concerned his matador, it seemed quite correct and natural that he should stay, for really the invitation was for him.
"but you really must stay," said the espada in agony. "curse it!... you are never going to leave me alone. i should not know what to do, nor what to say."
a quarter of an hour afterwards do?a sol returned to the room, wearing now one of those creations of paquin, which were at once the despair and the wonder of her friends and relations.
don josé persisted; he really must go, it was unavoidable, but his matador would remain, and he undertook to let them know at his house that they were not to expect him.
gallardo made an agonized gesture, but was a little quieted by a look from his manager.
"don't be uneasy," he whispered as he went towards[pg 143] the door. "do you think i am a child? i shall say you are dining with some amateurs from madrid."
what torments the torero suffered the first few moments at dinner!... the grave and seigniorial luxury of the room intimidated him; he and his hostess seemed lost in it, sitting opposite to each other in the middle of that big table with its enormous silver candelabra fitted with electric light and pink shades.
the imposing servants, stiff and ceremonious, who looked as if nothing could upset their gravity, inspired him with respect. he was ashamed of his clothes and of his manners, feeling the great contrast between the surrounding atmosphere and his own appearance.
but this first feeling of shyness and timidity soon vanished, and do?a sol laughed at his abstemiousness and the dread with which he touched the plates and glasses. gallardo looked at her admiringly, certainly the golden-haired lady had a fine appetite! accustomed as he was to the prudery and abstentions of ladies he had known, who thought it bad form to eat anything, he was astonished at do?a sol's appetite.
gallardo, encouraged by her example, ate, and above all drank, drank deeply, seeking in the many fine wines a remedy for that nervousness which had made him so shamefaced, and unable to do anything but smile as he constantly repeated, "many thanks."
the conversation became more lively. the espada began to be talkative and told her many amusing incidents of bull-fighting life, ending by telling her of el nacional's original ideas, of the feats of his picador potaje, who swallowed hard-boiled eggs whole, who was half an ear short, because a companion had bitten it off, who, when he was taken wounded to the infirmary of a plaza, fell on the bed with such a weight of iron armour and muscles that his big spurs pierced the mattress and[pg 144] he had subsequently to be disentangled with extreme difficulty.
"how very interesting! how very original!"
do?a sol smiled as she listened to the anecdotes of these rough men, always face to face with death, whom she had hitherto only admired from a distance.
the champagne ended by bewildering gallardo, and when they rose from the table he offered his arm to his hostess, amazed at his own audacity. did they not do this in the great world? ... decidedly he was not quite so ignorant as he had appeared at first sight.
coffee was served in the drawing-room, where in a corner gallardo spied a guitar, no doubt the one on which lechuzo gave do?a sol her lessons. she offered it to him, asking him to play something.
"i do not know how!... i am the most ignorant man in the world, except about killing bulls!"... he much regretted that the puntillero[84] of his cuadrilla was not there, a lad who drove the women wild with his beautiful playing.
there was a long silence, gallardo sat on a sofa smoking a splendid havana, while do?a sol smoked one of those cigarettes whose perfume seemed to induce a vague drowsiness. the torero felt sleepy after his dinner, and scarcely opened his mouth to answer except by a fixed smile.
doubtless this silence bored do?a sol, for she rose and went to the grand piano, which soon rang under her vigorous touch with the rhythm of a malague?a.
"olé! that is fine!" said the torero, shaking off his drowsiness! "capital.... very good!"
after the malague?as she played some sevillanas, and[pg 145] then some andalusian popular songs, all melancholy, with an oriental ring.
gallardo interrupted the singing with his exclamations just as he would have done before the stage of a café chantant.
"well done, the golden hands! now for another!"
"are you fond of music?" enquired the lady.
"oh, very," replied gallardo, who up to now had never asked himself the question.
do?a sol passed slowly from these lively measures to something slow and more solemn, which gallardo with his philharmonic learning recognised as "church music."
there were no exclamations now. he felt himself overcome by a delicious sleepiness; his eyes were closing, and he felt certain that if this concert went on much longer he should be fast asleep.
to prevent this catastrophe gallardo gazed at the beautiful woman who had turned her back to him. mother of god! what a beautiful figure, and he fixed his african eyes on the round white neck, crowned with the waving curls of golden hair. an absurd idea floated before his confused mind, keeping him awake with the itching of its temptation.
"what would that gachi do if i went up softly on tip-toe and kissed that beautiful neck?"...
but his thoughts went no further. the woman inspired him with irresistible respect. he remembered what his manager had said, and how she managed men as if they were playthings. still, he looked at that neck, though the mist of sleep was spreading before his eyes. he knew he would fall asleep! and he feared that soon a loud snore would interrupt that music, which although quite incomprehensible to him must be magnificent. he pinched his thighs and stretched his arms to keep himself awake, smothering his yawns with his hand.
[pg 146]
a long time passed. gallardo was not quite sure he had not been asleep. suddenly the sound of do?a sol's voice woke him from his drowsiness; she was singing in a low voice that trembled with passion.
the torero pricked up his ears to listen. he could not understand a word. it was something foreign. curse it!... why could she not sing a tango or something of the sort?... and she expected a christian to keep awake!...
she was singing, as in a waking dream, elsa's prayer, the lament for the strong man, the great warrior, so invincible to men, so tender to women. that tender and strong man! ... that warrior.... was it possibly the man behind her.... why not?...
he certainly had not the legendary aspect of that other warrior. he was rough and heavy. still she remembered clearly the gallantry with which he had come to her aid the other day, the smiling confidence with which he had fought the bellowing brute, just as the other heroes fought with terrifying dragons; yes; he was her warrior!
she shook from head to foot with voluptuous dread, acknowledging herself beforehand as conquered. she thought she could feel the sweet danger which was approaching her from behind. she could see her hero, her paladin, rise from the sofa, with his moorish eyes fixed on her; she could hear his cautious footsteps, she could feel his hands on her shoulders, and a kiss of fire on her neck, a sign of passion which would seal her for ever as his slave.... but the romance ended without anything happening, without her feeling anything on her spine, beyond the thrill of her own trembling desire.
deceived by his respect, she ceased playing and turned round on her music stool. the warrior was opposite to her, buried in the sofa cushions, trying for the twentieth[pg 147] time to light his cigar, opening his eyes wide to overcome his drowsiness.
when he saw her eyes fixed on him, gallardo rose. ay! the supreme moment was coming! her hero was coming towards her to clasp her in his passionate and manly embrace, to conquer her and make her his own.
"good-night, do?a sol.... it is getting late and i am going. you will wish to rest."
between surprise and pique she also stood up, and scarcely knowing what she did held out her hand.... tender and strong as a hero!
thoughts of feminine conventionality rushed wildly through her mind, all those restraints which a woman never forgets even in her moments of greatest self-abandonment. her longing was not possible. the first time he had ever entered her house!... and without the slightest show of resistance!...
but as she clasped the espada's hand, and saw his eyes, eyes that could only look at her with passionate intensity, trusting to the mute expression of his timid desires.
"do not go!... come! come!!"
and nothing more was said.
footnotes:
[67] little aunt
[68] sleeveless coat, generally of sheep or goat skin.
[69] cuadrillas de cartel.
[70] toro de libras.
[71] tobacco is a government monopoly.
[72] liquido.
[73] a not very complimentary term to the lady—a stinging insect, a dangerous beast.
[74] gachi—uncomplimentary gipsy word, applied to male or female, generally to a christian.
[75] iron-tipped lance, used in overthrowing young bulls.
[76] overthrowing—baiting of bulls by overthrowing them with a spear.
[77] an old moorish tower on the banks of the guadalquivir close to the gardens las delicias.
[78] heads of the herds—trained to act as leaders and decoys.
[79] pet lair or lurking place.
[80] the cry used to incite a bull to attack—lit. enter, come along, and attack.
[81] it is recorded that the cid tilted at bulls with his lance.
[82] a proverbially learned bishop.
[83] artesonada.
[84] man who gives the coup de grace to a bull with a dagger, if the matador has failed to kill it with his sword thrust.
