Languages & literature > Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane > Volume 3

' C I L B L A S. 97
appearance, thou wilt be in this family like a filh
in the water : but we multfwear to nothing ; and
thou ought’ft to diftruft thy fate, the malignity of
^hich thou haft but too often experienced, Be-
iiaes, thou doft not know for what employment
thou art retained : he has already two fecretaries
and a fteward ; what fervice then dods he expefl
from thee > It looks as if he intended to make thee
his Mercury. In good time ! One ca'Unp’t .he on a
better footing with a nobleman, in, order'to'make
his way to a good port. He who limits himfelf to
honourable fervices only, moves llowly, ftep by
ftep, and feldom gains his' point at laft.
* While I was engrafted by thefe fine reflexions,
a lacquey came to tell me, that all the company
Vvho had dined at our houfe were gone home, and
that the count wanted to fpeak with me. I flew
inftantly to his apartment, where I found him lying
on his couche, ready to take his afternoon's nap with
his baboon, which always bore him company.
' “ Come hither, Gil Biis, (faid he) take a chait^
and liften to what I am going to. fay.” I obeyefl
his orders, and he fpoke to me' lri tliefe terms't
“ Don Fabricio has told me, that among othet
good qualities, you poflefs that of attaching your--
felf to your mafters ; and that you are a young man
of incorruptible integrity. Thefe two qualifica¬
tions determined me to take you into my fervice :
for I have great cccafion for an affeflionate do'-
meftic, who will efpoufe my Intereft, and em¬
ploy his whole attention in hufbanding my eftate,
1 am rich, ’tis true, but my yearly expence greatly
exceeds my income. The reafon is plain ; J am
plundered by my fervants, and live in my own
houfe as if I was in a foreft among roblers. I
fufpedl my butler and fteward of having a feilow-
K 3 feeling