Languages & literature > Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane > Volume 1

GIL BLAS. J4S
t ovrn child. He ferved in quality of udier to
i hyfician’s wife, who lived within thirty paces
spur houfe, whither 1 ufed to go in the twilight,
i. en we had left ff working; and litting toge-
:r, on the t.hrefhoid of the door, we ufed to
:.lce a little concert, not at all difagreeable to
: i i neighbours; not that our voices were exqui-
;, but while we thrummed upon the inftru-v
.:i>nt, each of us, in our turn, accompanied it
: th finging, and that was fufficient to pleafe
::ie f audience. In particular, we diverted Donna
lergellina, the phyfician’s wife, who ufed to
: me into the paflage to hear us, and fometimes
aide us repeat the airs that were mod; to her li¬
ra ug; her hulband not being offended at her en¬
ding this diverfion ; for though he was a Spa-
.ird, and already well ftricken in years, he was
I jealous: his profeffion engroffed him wholly,
iid as he returned fatigued from his patients in
; e evening, he went to bed betimes, without
. r ung alarmed at his wife’s attention to our con-
3 ;rts. ’Tis probable, indeed, that he did not
- : ink them capable of making dangerous im-
rbffions: and we muft obferve, that he imagi-
id he had little or no caufe to fear, Mergellina
rising young and handfome, ’tis true, but withal
yifavagely virtuous, that die could not fo much
r, > endure the look of a man. He did not, there-
t re, begrudge her a paftime tha*: feemed O mno-
ynt and honourable, but let us fmg as much as
e pleated. One evening when 1 came to the
hyfician’s door with an intention to p’ay as
...jifual, 1 found the old fquire expecting n.e, who,
"iking me by the hand laid he wanted to take
turn with me before we thould begin our con*
?rt; then leading me into a by-ikcet, where
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