Part 1 (2/2)

He spoke, he walked by, he looked,rash, unguarded words resound,once spoken, too late, in a tricethe meadow is a dueling ground.

Only three days before, right in the middle of Rua Prado, the Marques de Novoa's coachman had knifed his master six times because he had called him a lout, and fights over a ”Move out of my way” were commonplace. So for an instant, I thought that the two of them might go at each other there in the street. But they did not. For if it is true that the constable was entirely capable-and he had proved it before-of putting a friend in prison, even blow off his head in the exercise of his authority, it is no less true that he had never raised the specter of the law against Diego Alatriste over personal differences. That twisted ethic was very typical of the era among belligerent men, and I myself, who lived in that world in my youth, as well as the rest of my life, can testify that in the most soulless scoundrels, rogues, soldiers, and hired swords, I had found more respect for certain codes and unwritten rules than in people of supposedly honorable condition. Martin Saldana was such a man, and his quarrels and squabbles were settled with a sword, man to man, without hiding behind the authority of the king or any of his underlings.

But thanks to G.o.d, their exchange had been in quiet voices, without making a public stir or doing irreparable damage to the old, tough, and contentious friends.h.i.+p between the two veterans. At any rate, Calle Mayor after a fiesta de toros, fiesta de toros, with all Madrid packed into the streets, was no place for hot words, or steel, or anything else. So in the end, Saldana let the air out of his lungs with a hoa.r.s.e sigh. All of a sudden he seemed relaxed, and in his dark eyes, still directed at Captain Alatriste, I thought I glimpsed the spark of a smile. with all Madrid packed into the streets, was no place for hot words, or steel, or anything else. So in the end, Saldana let the air out of his lungs with a hoa.r.s.e sigh. All of a sudden he seemed relaxed, and in his dark eyes, still directed at Captain Alatriste, I thought I glimpsed the spark of a smile.

”One day, Diego, you are going to end up murdered.”

”Perhaps. If so, no one better to do it than you.”

Now it was Alatriste who was smiling beneath his thick soldier's mustache. I saw Saldana wag his head with comic distress.

”We would do well,” he said, ”to change the subject.”

He had reached out with a quick, almost clumsy, gesture-at once rough and friendly-and jabbed the captain's shoulder.

”Come, then. Buy me a drink.”

And that was that. A few steps farther on, we stopped at the Herradores tavern, which was filled, as always, with lackeys, squires, porters, and old women willing to be hired out as duennas, mothers, or aunts. A serving girl set two jugs of Valdemoro on the wine-stained table, which Alatriste and the head constable tossed down in a nonce, for their verbal sparring had quickened their thirst. I, not yet fourteen, had to settle for a gla.s.s of water from the large jug, since the captain never allowed me a taste of wine except what we dipped our bread into at breakfast-there was not always money for chocolate-or, when I was not well, to restore my color. Although Caridad la Lebrijana, on the sly, would sometimes give me slices of bread sprinkled with wine and sugar, a treat to which I, a boy without two coins to rub together to buy sweets, was greatly addicted.

In regard to wine, the captain told me that I would have plenty of time in my life to drink till I burst, if I wished; that it was never too late for a man to do that, adding that he had known too many good men who ended up lost in the fumes of Bacchus's grapes.

He told me these things little by little, for as I've said, Alatriste was a man of few words, and his silences often said more than when he spoke aloud. The fact is that later, when I, too, was a soldier-among many other things-I sometimes did tip my jug too much. But I was always civil when I was tippling, and in me it never became a vice-I had others that were worse-but only an occasional stimulus and diversion. And I believe that I owe my moderation to Captain Alatriste, although he never preached that homily by example. On the contrary, I well remember his long, silent drinking bouts. Unlike other men, he did not often have his wine in company, nor did his bottles make him jolly. His way of drinking was calm, deliberate, and melancholy. And when the wine began to take effect, he would close up like a clam and avoid his friends.

In truth, every time I remember him drunk, it was alone in our lodgings on Calle del Arcabuz, on the courtyard that opened to the back of the Tavern of the Turk. He would sit motionless before his gla.s.s, jug, or bottle, his eyes fixed on the wall where he hung his sword, dagger, and hat, as if contemplating images that only he and his obstinate silence could evoke. And by the way his mouth tightened beneath his veteran's mustache, I would take an oath that the images were not those a man contemplates, or relives, gladly. If it is true that each of us carries his specters within him, those of Diego Alatriste y Tenorio were not servile or friendly or good company. But, as I heard him say once, shrugging his shoulders in the way that was so typical of him-half resignation and half indifference-an honorable man can choose the way and the place he dies, but no one can choose the things he remembers.

Activity at the mentidero mentidero of San Felipe was at its peak. The steps and terrace of the church facing Calle Mayor were an anthill: people chattering in groups, strolling around greeting acquaintances, elbowing their way to a place at the railing from which they could watch the coaches and crowds filling the street below in the stylized promenade they called the of San Felipe was at its peak. The steps and terrace of the church facing Calle Mayor were an anthill: people chattering in groups, strolling around greeting acquaintances, elbowing their way to a place at the railing from which they could watch the coaches and crowds filling the street below in the stylized promenade they called the rua. rua. That was where Martin Saldana bid us farewell. We were not, however, alone for long, for shortly thereafter we ran into El Tuerto Fadrique, the one-eyed apothecary at Puerta Cerrada, and Domine Perez; they, too had just come from the spectacle of the bulls, and were still praising them. In fact, it had been the That was where Martin Saldana bid us farewell. We were not, however, alone for long, for shortly thereafter we ran into El Tuerto Fadrique, the one-eyed apothecary at Puerta Cerrada, and Domine Perez; they, too had just come from the spectacle of the bulls, and were still praising them. In fact, it had been the domine domine who had administered the sacraments to the German guard whose traveling papers had just been signed by the Jarama bull. The Jesuit was recounting all the details, telling how the queen, being young, and French, had turned pale and nearly swooned in the royal box, and how our lord and king had gallantly taken her hand to comfort her. However, instead of retiring, as many expected she would do, she had stayed on at the Casa de la Panaderia. Her gesture was so appreciated by the public that when she and the king rose, signaling the end of the spectacle, they were favored with a warm ovation, to which Philip the Fourth, young and refined as he was, responded by doffing his hat. who had administered the sacraments to the German guard whose traveling papers had just been signed by the Jarama bull. The Jesuit was recounting all the details, telling how the queen, being young, and French, had turned pale and nearly swooned in the royal box, and how our lord and king had gallantly taken her hand to comfort her. However, instead of retiring, as many expected she would do, she had stayed on at the Casa de la Panaderia. Her gesture was so appreciated by the public that when she and the king rose, signaling the end of the spectacle, they were favored with a warm ovation, to which Philip the Fourth, young and refined as he was, responded by doffing his hat.

I have already told Your Mercies, on a different occasion, that in the first third of the century, the people of Madrid, despite their natural fondness for mischief and malice, still harbored a certain naivete in regard to such royal gestures. It was an ingenuousness that time and disasters would replace with disillusion, rancor, and shame. But at the time of this tale, our monarch was still a young man, and Spain, although already corrupt, and with mortal ulcers eating her heart, maintained her appearance, all her dazzle and politesse. We were still a force to be reckoned with, and would continue to be for some time, until we bled the last soldier and the last maravedi maravedi dry. Holland despised us; England feared us; the Turk was ever hovering 'round; the France of Richelieu was gritting its teeth; the Holy Father received our grave, black-clad amba.s.sadors with caution; and all Europe trembled at the sight of our dry. Holland despised us; England feared us; the Turk was ever hovering 'round; the France of Richelieu was gritting its teeth; the Holy Father received our grave, black-clad amba.s.sadors with caution; and all Europe trembled at the sight of our tercios tercios-still the best infantry in the world-as if the rat-a-tat-tat rat-a-tat-tat of the drums came from the Devil's own drumsticks. And I, who lived through those years, and those that came later, I swear to Your Mercies that in that century we were still what no country had ever been before. of the drums came from the Devil's own drumsticks. And I, who lived through those years, and those that came later, I swear to Your Mercies that in that century we were still what no country had ever been before.

And when the sun that had shed its light on Tenocht.i.tlan, Pavia, San Quintin, Lepanto, and Breda finally set, the horizon glowed red with our blood-but also that of our enemies. As it had that day in Rocroi when I left the dagger Captain Alatriste had given me in the body of a Frenchman. Your Mercies will agree that we Spanish should have devoted all that effort and courage to building a decent nation, instead of squandering it on absurd wars, roguery, corruption, chimeras, and holy water. And that is very true. But I am reporting how it was. And furthermore, not all peoples are equally rational in choosing their opportunities or their destinies, nor equally cynical in later justifying to History or to themselves what they have done. As for us, we were men of our century. We did not choose to be born and to live in that often miserable but sometimes magnificent Spain, it was our fate. But it was our Spain. And that is the unhappy patria patria-or whatever word they use nowadays-that like it or not I carry under my skin, in my weary eyes, and in my memory.

It is in that memory that I see, as if it were yesterday, don Francisco de Quevedo at the foot of the San Felipe steps. He was, as always, wearing strict black, except for the starched white collar and red cross of Santiago on the left side of his doublet. And although the afternoon was sunny, he had flung over his shoulders the long cape he wore to disguise his lameness, a dark cloak whose tail was lifted by the sheath of the sword upon which his hand rested so casually. He was talking with some acquaintances, hat in hand, when a lady's greyhound roaming nearby nosed close enough to brush his gloved right hand. The lady was standing by the footboard of her coach, conversing with two caballeros-and she was pretty. As the hound meandered by, don Francisco patted its head, at the same time sending a quick and courtly glance toward its mistress. The greyhound trotted back to her as if it were a messenger of the caress, and the lady rewarded the poet's tribute with a smile and a flutter of her fan, both received by don Francisco with a slight nod as he twisted his luxuriant mustache between thumb and forefinger.

Poet, swordsman, and highly celebrated wit at court, don Francisco was also a gallant man who enjoyed a reputation among the ladies. Stoic, lucid, caustic, courageous, elegant even with his limp, he was a man of goodwill despite his hot temper, generous with his friends and unyielding to his enemies. He could dispatch an adversary as easily with two quatrains as with a duel on de la Vega hill, enchant a lady with genteel courtesy and a sonnet, or surround himself with the philosophers, academicians, and learned men who treasured his entertaining witticisms and his company. The good don Miguel de Cervantes-the greatest genius of all time, no matter how those English heretics chirp on about their Shakespeare-had been seated at G.o.d's right hand seven years ago when he had put his foot in the stirrup and given up his soul to the one who gave it to him. But before he died, even Cervantes had called don Francisco an excellent poet and a compleat caballero in these famous verses: The scourge of mindless poets, he willat dagger point drive from Parna.s.susall the evils we fear will o'ertake us.

That afternoon, Senor Quevedo was, as he was wont, pa.s.sing time on the steps of San Felipe while le tout le tout Madrid ambled along Calle Mayor after their afternoon of watching the bulls-an entertainment the poet did not greatly enjoy. When he saw Captain Alatriste, who was strolling with Domine Perez, El Tuerto Fadrique, and me, he politely excused himself to his companions. I had no inkling of how profoundly that chance meeting was going to affect us, putting all our lives in danger-particularly mine-nor how fate delights in sketching bizarre designs with men's fortunes. If, as don Francisco came toward us with his usual affable expression that afternoon, someone had told us that the mystery of the dead woman was going to involve us in some way, the smile with which Captain Alatriste greeted the poet would have frozen on his lips. But one never knows how the dice will fall, and they are always cast before anyone even notices. Madrid ambled along Calle Mayor after their afternoon of watching the bulls-an entertainment the poet did not greatly enjoy. When he saw Captain Alatriste, who was strolling with Domine Perez, El Tuerto Fadrique, and me, he politely excused himself to his companions. I had no inkling of how profoundly that chance meeting was going to affect us, putting all our lives in danger-particularly mine-nor how fate delights in sketching bizarre designs with men's fortunes. If, as don Francisco came toward us with his usual affable expression that afternoon, someone had told us that the mystery of the dead woman was going to involve us in some way, the smile with which Captain Alatriste greeted the poet would have frozen on his lips. But one never knows how the dice will fall, and they are always cast before anyone even notices.

”I have a favor to ask of you,” said don Francisco.

Between Senor Quevedo and Captain Alatriste, those words were a pure formality. That was obvious in the look, almost a reproach, the captain gave Quevedo in response. We had taken our leave of the Jesuit and the apothecary, and were now in the Puerta del Sol, walking past the awnings of the stalls around the fountain at the Buen Suceso church. The idle liked to sit on its rim and listen to the water playing, or gaze toward the facade of the church and the royal hospital. The captain and his friend were walking ahead of me, side by side, and I remember how they blended into and then emerged from the crowd in the fading light of dusk, the poet in his usual dark clothing, with his cape folded over his arm, and by his side, the captain in a brown doublet, modest square collar, and nicely fitting hose, his sword and dagger, as always, at his waist.

”I am greatly obliged, don Francisco, that you are sugarcoating the pill I am to swallow,” said Alatriste. ”But please go directly to the second act.”

At the reference to a second act, I heard the poet's quiet laugh. We were all remembering what had happened only a few steps from here during the time of the adventure of the two Englishmen. How don Francisco had come to the captain's aid in the course of an ugly scuffle in which steel had flashed like lightning.

”I have some friends, people I am fond of,” said don Francisco. ”And they want to talk with you.”

He had turned around to see whether I was listening to the conversation, and seemed relieved when it appeared that I was taking in the sights of the plaza. I was, however, listening to every word. In that Madrid and that Spain, an alert youth matures quickly, and despite my youth I already suspected that it did no harm to keep my ears open. Just the opposite. In life, danger lies not in not knowing, but in revealing that you do: It is always good to have a sense of the music before the dance begins.

”That has the sound of a potential employ,” the captain was saying.

It was a euphemism, of course. Diego Alatriste's line of ”employ” tended to take place in dark alleyways, at so much per swordthrust. A slash across the face, slicing off the ear of a creditor or of a b.a.s.t.a.r.d dallying with one's wife, a pistol shot at point-blank range, or a handspan of steel in a man's throat-all that was cla.s.sified and the pay set by scale. In that very plaza, at any given time, there were at least a dozen professionals who were available for such arrangements.

”Yes.” The poet nodded, adjusting his eyegla.s.ses. ”And well-paid employ, of course.”

Diego Alatriste looked long and hard at his companion. I studied the captain's aquiline profile beneath the broad brim of the hat on which the one note of color was a frowsy red plume.

”It is clear that today you are making an effort to annoy me, don Francisco,” he said finally. ”Do you imply that I would charge for a service done Your Mercy?”

”It is not for me. It is for a father and his two young sons. They have a problem and have sought my advice.”

From high atop the lapis lazuli and alabaster fountain, a sculpture of Diana the locals had dubbed Mariblanca, White Mary, looked down upon us as water sang out of the pipes at her feet. The last light was languis.h.i.+ng. Rough-looking soldiers and a.s.sa.s.sins with huge mustaches, broad swords, and a way of standing with their feet planted solidly apart, very ”I am dangerous,” were clumped in groups in front of the closed doors of the silk and woolen and book shops, or drinking wine at one of the wretched street stalls. The plaza swarmed with blind men, beggars, and wh.o.r.es whose short mantles separated them from decent ladies in full-length cloaks. Some of the soldiers were known to Alatriste. They greeted him from a distance, and he responded distractedly, touching the brim of his hat.

”Are you involved in the matter?” Alatriste asked.

Don Francisco gave an ambiguous shrug. ”Only partly. But for reasons you will soon understand, I must see it through to the end.”

We kept pa.s.sing hard-looking men with s.h.i.+fty eyes who sauntered along the iron rails that set off the atrium of the Buen Suceso church. That atrium, and the nearby Calle Montera, were frequented by men with big talk and large swords. Altercations were common, and entry to the church had been blocked so that after a dispute fugitives could not run into the church for sanctuary. There not even the Law could touch them. They called such escape ”safe harboring,” or used the euphemisms ”going to ma.s.s” or ”taking a quiet moment of prayer.”

”Dangerous?” asked Alatriste.

”Very.”

”It will involve swordplay, I imagine.”

”I hope not. But there are greater risks than being wounded.”

The captain walked on a bit, contemplating in silence the chapel of La Victoria convent that rose behind the houses at the end of the plaza, there at the top of San Jeronimo road. It was not possible to walk around a corner in that city without coming across a church.

”And why me?” he asked finally.

Don Francisco laughed again, quietly, as before.

”'Sblood,” he said. ”Because you are my friend. And also because try as they may-executioner, court recorder, scribe-you never sing when you are fated to swing, turning lengths of cords into chords.”

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