GIL BLAS. 13

favour which my good fortune had procured for me, I began to take more care of my perfon than I had ever done before: I fpent all the money I had in linen, cffenccs and pomatums : the firft thing I did of a morning was to drefs and perfume myfelf, that I might not appear in dilhabille before mv miftrefs; and with this attention to my exteriors, ana other airs I alfumcd, in order to pleafe, I flattered myfelf that my happinefs was not far off.

Among Aurora’s women there was one called Or­tiz, an old gentlewoman who had lived more than twenty years in the family, and nurfed Don Vincent’s daughter, whom Ihe Hill fevved in quality of duenna, though fhe no longer performed the difagreeable part of that funftion : but on the contrary, inilcad of dif- covering as formerly, the a£Hons of Aurora, her foie bufinefs now was to conceal them. One evening, Dame Ortiz, having found an opportunity of fpeaking to me without being overheard, told me foftly, that if 1 was wife and difeteet, I would be in the garden at midnight, where I fhould be informed of things which I would not be lorry to hear. I anfwered, fqueezing the duenna’s band, that [ would not fail to be there; and wc parted immediately for learof'being furprized. Heavens! how did the time hang on my hands, from that inltant to fupper (which in our family was always over in good time) and from thence to my mafter’s going to bed! Every thing feemed to drag on with extraordinary flownefs ; and to crown my chagrin, when Don Vincent retired to his bed chamber, inlb ad of going to rdt, he began to fight over again all his campaigns in Portugal, with which he had fo often . ftunned me before. Hut one thing which he had never done hitherto, and jef rved for this cvenrng, was to tell me the names of all the officers who had diilin- guifhed themlelvcs in his time, and even to recount their exploit*. What did I 1'ufFer in hearing him to an end ! he left off fpeaking, however, a lafl. and got into bed. Upon which, i went into the little clofet

where