Prec. Thou hast a stout heart and strong hands.Thou canst supply thy wants; what wouldst thou more? Cruz. The gold of the Busne! give me his gold!
Prec. Beltran Cruzado! hear me once for all. I speak the truth. So long as I had gold,
I gave it to thee freely, at all times, Never denied thee; never had a wish
But to fulfil thine own. Now go in peace!
Be merciful, be patient, and ere long
55
Thou shalt have more.
Cruz. And if I have it not,
Thou shalt no longer dwell here in rich chambers, Wear silken dresses, feed on dainty food,
And live in idleness; but go with me, Dance the Romalis in the public streets, And wander wild again o'er field and fell; For here we stay not long.
Prec. What! march again?
Cruz. Ay, with all speed. I hate the crowded town! I cannot breathe shut up within its gates
Air,--I want air, and sunshine, and blue sky, The feeling of the breeze upon my face,
The feeling of the turf beneath my feet,
And no walls but the far-off mountain-tops. Then I am free and strong,--once more myself, Beltran Cruzado, Count of the Cales!
Prec. God speed thee on thy march!--I cannot go.
Cruz. Remember who I am, and who thou art Be silent and obey! Yet one thing more. Bartolome Roman--
Prec. (with emotion). O, I beseech thee
If my obedience and blameless life,
If my humility and meek submission
In all things hitherto, can move in thee One feeling of compassion; if thou art Indeed my father, and canst trace in me One look of her who bore me, or one tone That doth remind thee of her, let it plead
In my behalf, who am a feeble girl,
Too feeble to resist, and do not force me
To wed that man! I am afraid of him!
I do not love him! On my knees I beg thee
To use no violence, nor do in haste
What cannot be undone! Cruz. O child, child, child!
Thou hast betrayed thy secret, as a bird Betrays her nest, by striving to conceal it. I will not leave thee here in the great city
To be a grandee's mistress. Make thee ready
To go with us; and until then remember
A watchful eye is on thee. [Exit. Prec. Woe is me!
I have a strange misgiving in my heart! But that one deed of charity I'll do,
Befall what may; they cannot take that from me.
SCENE II -- A room in the ARCHBISHOP'S Palace. The ARCHBISHOP and a CARDINAL seated.
Arch. Knowing how near it touched the public morals, And that our age is grown corrupt and rotten
By such excesses, we have sent to Rome, Beseeching that his Holiness would aid In curing the gross surfeit of the time, By seasonable stop put here in Spain
To bull-fights and lewd dances on the stage.
All this you know.
56
Card. Know and approve.
Arch. And further,
That, by a mandate from his Holiness,
The first have been suppressed.
Card. I trust forever. It was a cruel sport.
Arch. A barbarous pastime, Disgraceful to the land that calls itself Most Catholic and Christian.
Card. Yet the people
Murmur at this; and, if the public dances
Should be condemned upon too slight occasion, Worse ills might follow than the ills we cure.
As Panem et Circenses was the cry Among the Roman populace of old, So Pan y Toros is the cry in Spain. Hence I would act advisedly herein;
And therefore have induced your Grace to see These national dances, ere we interdict them. (Enter a Servant)
Serv. The dancing-girl, and with her the musicians
Your Grace was pleased to order, wait without.
Arch. Bid them come in. Now shall your eyes behold
In what angelic, yet voluptuous shape
The Devil came to tempt Saint Anthony.
(Enter PRECIOSA, with a mantle thrown over her head. She advances slowly, in modest, half-timid attitude.)
Card. (aside). O, what a fair and ministering angel Was lost to heaven when this sweet woman fell! Prec. (kneeling before the ARCHBISHOP).
I have obeyed the order of your Grace. If I intrude upon your better hours,
I proffer this excuse, and here beseech
Your holy benediction. Arch. May God bless thee,
And lead thee to a better life. Arise.
Card. (aside). Her acts are modest, and her words discreet!
I did not look for this! Come hither, child. Is thy name Preciosa?
Prec. Thus I am called.
Card. That is a Gypsy name. Who is thy father? Prec. Beltran Cruzado, Count of the Cales.
Arch. I have a dim remembrance of that man: He was a bold and reckless character,
A sun-burnt Ishmael!
Card. Dost thou remember
Thy earlier days?
Prec. Yes; by the Darro's side
My childhood passed. I can remember still
The river, and the mountains capped with snow
The village, where, yet a little child,
I told the traveller's fortune in the street;
The smuggler's horse, the brigand and the shepherd;
57
The march across the moor; the halt at noon; The red fire of the evening camp, that lighted The forest where we slept; and, further back, As in a dream or in some former life,
