File:The land of the Dons (1902) (14597421360).jpg

Identifier: landofdons00willuoft (find matches)
Title: The land of the Dons
Year: 1902 (1900s)
Authors: Williams, Leonard, b. 1871
Subjects: Civilization, Spanish Spain -- Social life and customs
Publisher: London, Cassell
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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h sexes, and in the highest tertulias ;and the Countess DAulnoy naively relates howthe lady in waiting who was dressing the Queenshair spat unctuously into her hand in order tomoisten the royal locks. Nor can it have been a secret to the menialsthat the position of their masters was seldom whatit seemed externally ; that the presence of a scoreof horses in the stable could not be taken to implythe presence of a wisp of fodder in the mangers.Some of the nobility, it is true, were handier thanothers at mending their shattered fortunes, even iftheir shifts were scarcely calculated to exalt themin the eyes of their underlings. For instance, thefollowing ingenious ruse was put in practice by thepotent Marquis of Palacios. * He spends large sums of money, being oneof the professed gallants of the palace ladies—adignity which only falls to the talented, themunificent, and the lucky. The aspirants mustneeds be of singular refinement, as well as oflofty ideals and the choicest behavior. They
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(To face p. 29s HFrom a photograph by Laurent, Madrid, fromJlie portrait htt Tejazqne:^MARIANA OF AUSTRIA. THE PAST OF THE PRESENT. 299 must write both prose and verse with distinction,and their bearing amid the pohte court circlesmust not be as if it were merely in a town saloon.One day, then, the Marquis of Palacios saw him-self obliged by order of the King to play anactive part in a Court festival, albeit he could notmuster at the moment so much as a poor handfulof reales; but being a great landlord and possessingmany sehorios it occurred to him to visit hisproperties and direct such of his vassals as wereambitious of securing a title of nobility to comeand treat with him. Not a judge, nor labourer,nor tradesman that was well to do, but was takenby this bait; with each and all the Marquis dis-cussed the matter, extracting from them severallywhatever money he was able, bidding them puttheir hats on, just as the King does when henames a noble* ; and finally giving them patentsto duly

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