"I would gladly eat a bit of something," said Don Quixote, "for I feel it would come very seasonably." The day happened to be a Friday, and in the whole inn there was nothing but some pieces of the fish they call in Castile "abadejo," in Andalusia "bacallao," and in some places "curadillo," and in others "troutlet;" so they asked him if he thought he could eat troutlet, for there was no other fish to give him.
While this was going on there came up to the inn a sowgelder, who, as he approached, sounded his reed pipe four or five times, and thereby completely convinced Don Quixote that he was in some famous castle, and that they were regaling him with music, and that the stockfish was trout, the bread the whitest, the wenches ladies, and the landlord the castellan of the castle; and consequently he held that his enterprise and sally had been to some purpose.
No doubt I was already the laughing-stock of the whole inn. What folly!
I stayed some days at this charming old inn, for Amaryllis--oh, yes, you may be sure her name was Amaryllis--had not betrayed me; and indeed she may have some share in my retrospect of the inn as one of the most delightful which I encountered anywhere in my journeying.
The first house you come to after that is the inn. You understand!"
"Decent, respectable Scotchwomen who keep inns," interposed Geoffrey, "don't cotton to young ladies who are traveling alone.
I saw at once that the Donjon
Inn was at least two centuries old --perhaps older.
"Good-by!" he said and turned with his groom toward the
inn.
Now the little trembling hare, which the dread of all her numerous enemies, and chiefly of that cunning, cruel, carnivorous animal, man, had confined all the day to her lurking-place, sports wantonly o'er the lawns; now on some hollow tree the owl, shrill chorister of the night, hoots forth notes which might charm the ears of some modern connoisseurs in music; now, in the imagination of the half-drunk clown, as he staggers through the churchyard, or rather charnelyard, to his home, fear paints the bloody hobgoblin; now thieves and ruffians are awake, and honest watchmen fast asleep; in plain English, it was now midnight; and the company at the
inn, as well those who have been already mentioned in this history, as some others who arrived in the evening, were all in bed.
"And in speaking of the murder at the village
inn, you told me that the crime was committed--I have forgotten how long ago?"
Away I went, therefore, leaving the two men sitting down to a bottle and a great mass of papers; and crossing the road in front of the
inn, walked down upon the beach.
"Thou villain inn-keeper," he shouted, "did I not ask you when I brought my lady here whether your
inn was clean?"
