Three Major Plays (17 page)

INÉS. Who is this woman?

ANA. She trades in rouge and face-creams, madam.

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INÉS. So should we see her, Leonor?

LEONOR. This is a respectable house.
How dare she call! A woman of
Her reputation! But still, I am
Quite curious.

INÉS. Ana, call her.

ANA. Fabia,

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My mistress wishes to see you.

Enter
FABIA
with a basket.

FABIA. It never crossed my mind you'd ask
Me in! Oh, may God spare for years
To come such grace and charm as yours,

Such beauty and perfection! Why, every day

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I see you dressed so handsomely,
Such pride in every step you take,
I bless the two of you. I am
Reminded, when I look at you,

Of your mother, in every way

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So perfect, the Phoenix of Medina.
^*
She was such a loyal person,
So generous and pious too,
Never to be forgotten. Oh, how

We grieve her loss, and all of us

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The poorer! I doubt there's anyone
She did not try to help and succour.

INÉS. What is it you want, woman?

FABIA. Oh,
Her death at such an early age

Has left us all abandoned! She was

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As pure as Saint Catalina,
^*
And all my neighbours mourn her still.
Such memories! As for myself,

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I can't describe the things she did

For me! Oh, cruel death has taken her

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Before her time, when she was in
The prime of life and scarcely fifty!

INÉS. Good mother, please, come dry your tears.

FABIA. I can't, I can't! I can't console

Myself when death deprives us of

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Such good and virtuous souls, and I
Am spared! Your father, bless him, is
He at home?

LEONOR. He went to the country
This afternoon.

FABIA. Then he'll be late

Returning, I suppose. To tell

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The truth -- you are young and I'm
Experienced in these things -- Don Pedro, more
Than once, entrusted me with secrets of
His youth. I never breathed a word,

Respecting her who now lies in

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Her grave, and knowing where my duty lay.
But out of every ten young women, five
Were never enough for him!

INÉS. Virtuous father!

FABIA. To be quite frank, he was insatiable.

He longed for every girl he set

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His eyes on. So if, in that respect,
You, as his daughters, share his disposition,
I'd be surprised if both of you
Are not in love. My dears, don't
You pray for marriage?

INÉS. No, Fabia, not

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At our age. That will come soon
Enough.

FABIA. A father who delays
In this does no one any favours.

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Ripe fruit, my dears, tastes so good;

The thing is not to wait too long

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Until its skin becomes too wrinkled.
Of all the things we know, just two
Are any use when they are old.

LEONOR. So what are they?

FABIA. A friend, my dear,

And well-matured wine. Just take

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A look at me. I promise you
There was a time when I was young
And beautiful, the object of
Young men's desires. Who didn't praise

My youthful spirits, who didn't think

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Himself most fortunate to catch
My eye? You should have seen the silks
I wore, the pots of money I
Went through, the carriages I rode in,

The compliments I revelled in.

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And as for well-off students, most
Of them would shower me with presents by
The dozen! But now the springtime of
My youth has gone, time marches on.

It puts an end to female beauty;

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There's no man now will look at me.

INÉS. So what are you selling?

FABIA. Oh, odds
And ends to make a living. It keeps
Me on the straight and narrow.

LEONOR. God
Will guide you, mother.

FABIA. Child, my rosary

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And missal. Which reminds me, I
Must go.

INÉS. No, wait! What's that?

FABIA. Oh, just

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Concoctions of camphor and mercury.
^*
This is for our common sickness.
^*

LEONOR. And that?

FABIA. That's not for your eyes,

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My dear, even though you die
Of curiosity.

LEONOR. Oh, please, do tell me!

FABIA. Well, there's this girl. She's desperate
To marry, but now has been deceived

By a gentleman from Saragossa.

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She's put the matter in my hands,
And being such a goodly soul
I plan to help her,
^*
to see if they
Can't live in peace.

INÉS. What's this?

FABIA. Tooth-powder,

Hand-soap, pills, unusual and useful things.

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INÉS. And this?

FABIA. Just prayers. The souls in heaven
Owe much to me.

INÉS. And here's a letter!

FABIA. You seized on that as if it was
Addressed to you! I want it back!

It doesn't do to be so curious!

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INÉS. I want to read it!

FABIA. A certain gentleman
Lives here. He's handsome and intelligent
And madly loves a certain lady.
He's promised me a chain if I

Deliver this, bearing in mind

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Her honour and her modesty.
The trouble is that, though he wants
To marry her, I dare not do it.

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I wonder if you, most beautiful Inés --

The thought has just occurred to me --

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Could write me a reply, and I'll
Pretend it comes from her.

INÉS. No doubt
It will guarantee the chain. Alright,
I'll do it.

FABIA. God bless you, miss, and may

Your life be long and happy. Read

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The letter.

INÉS. I'll go inside and bring
You the reply.

[
Exit
INÉS

LEONOR. A cunning scheme indeed!

FABIA. Come fires of hell, satanic flames!
^*
Consume the heart of this young maiden!

Enter
DON RODRIGO
and
DON FERNANDO.

RODRIGO. Until I marry her, must I

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Endure all these inconveniences?

FERNANDO. A man who is in love is bound
To suffer.
^*

RODRIGO. Your lady is at home.

FABIA. These fools and nuisances! What brings
Them here?

RODRIGO. Instead of mine, this hag!

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FABIA. The payment would be very welcome.
I'm so very poor!

LEONOR. I'll see to it
My sister pays you.

FERNANDO. My dearest
Leonor, if there is something here

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You'd like to have, despite the fact

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That this old lady only seems
To have mere odds and ends, and not
The jewels you deserve, please let
Me pay.

LEONOR. But we've bought nothing. The lady

Attends to the household laundry.

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RODRIGO. Is not Don Pedro here?

LEONOR. He'll be back
From the country soon.

RODRIGO. And Doña Inés?

LEONOR. Attending to the laundry woman.

RODRIGO. She saw me coming and decided to

Escape! So is my constancy

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Rewarded by her scant regard!

Enter
DOÑA INÉS.

LEONOR. She's coming. Inés, Fabia wants
The laundry list.

INÉS. I have it here.
The boy you spoke of. Make sure that he
Receives it.

FABIA. Oh, Doña Inés, happy

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The water that washes linen fine
As this, that not long since has touched
Such perfect skin! Ten towels, six
Chemises, four cloths, two cushion covers,

Six gentleman's shirts, eight bed-sheets . . .

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I'll get them back to you whiter than
The whites of your eyes.

RODRIGO. Dear lady, be
So good as to sell me the paper.
I'll pay you well, so I can hold

In these two hands something at least

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From those ungrateful hands of hers.

FABIA. If I agreed to sell you this,
We'd do some business, sir, for sure!
Goodbye to you, my precious girls.

[
Exit
FABIA

RODRIGO. That paper should have stayed here, not

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Been taken.

LEONOR. Retrieve it if you wish.
Perhaps you'd like to check that it's
In order.

INÉS. Father's arrived. It's best
You leave, or pay him your respects.

He never says a word but, truth

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To tell, doesn't like you seeing us
Alone.

RODRIGO. I pray that either Love
Or Death provide me with a remedy
For your disdain: Love, by granting me

A favour to reduce the pain

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Of your harshness; Death, by ending
My life forever. But neither will,
I know, assist me. Caught between
The two of them, I cannot see

The path ahead, for love will not

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Allow me to enjoy your favour;
And since I am obliged to love,
It forces me to ask that you
Become the agent of my death.
^*

Ungrateful woman, kill the man

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Who worships you. If you'll not be
My life, then be my death! All things
That live are born of love, sustained
By love until they die according to

That cruel law which ends all lives.

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If all my suffering is not
Enough to satisfy love's harsh

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Demands, nor great enough to put
An end to me, then I am surely more

Than mortal, for neither life nor death

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Can do me good or ill.

[
Exit
DON RODRIGO
and
DON FERNANDO

INÉS. Whoever saw such foolishness?

LEONOR. I'd say that yours was just as great.

INÉS. You mean the letter, obviously.

Since when does love behave discreetly?

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LEONOR. Since when does love oblige you to reply
To someone you don't even know?

INÉS. I think it's just a ruse, devised
By our handsome stranger, to see

If I am interested or not.

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LEONOR. My thoughts exactly.

INÉS. Then you'll agree
He's been discreet. I'll read his poem.

[
Reads

'At Medina's fair
^*
my eyes have seen
The loveliest peasant-girl the sun

Has gazed upon in journeying

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From rosy dawn to where it sets.
A brightly coloured shoe adorned
The base of such a beautiful
And slender pillar,
^*
and drew to it

The eyes and souls of each admirer.

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That any shoe should prove victorious,
When eyes, as we all know, can be
The death of love, is quite miraculous.
And so, surrendering to her, I say:

"Oh, sweet Inés, if I am now

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Destroyed by your feet, what fate
Awaits me in your lovely eyes?"'
^*

LEONOR. It seems this suitor wants to dance

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With you, Inés.

INÉS. My feet are just

His starting-point; he'll end by asking for

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My hand.

LEONOR. So what was your reply?

INÉS. I told him he should come tonight . . .
To the garden gate.

LEONOR. Have you gone mad?

INÉS. I don't intend to speak to him.

LEONOR. Then what?

INÉS. Just come with me and you'll

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Find out.

LEONOR. You are a fool and rash
With it.

INÉS. But when was love not so?

LEONOR. A girl should turn her back on love
As soon as she's aware of it.

INÉS. First love is irresistible.

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When Nature rules,
_*
how can a girl
Be sensible?

Exit both. Enter
DON ALONSO, TELLO,
and
FABIA.

FABIA. It must have been
At least four thousand vicious blows!

TELLO. Which goes to show how well you must
Have done the business!

FABIA. I suppose

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You think you can do better.

ALONSO. Such madness to
Aspire to heaven itself!

TELLO. And Fabia

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