第3章

"’Maquila，’saidCarmen，stilllaughing，’meansanorange。Isn’titaqueerwordforanorange？Hesayshe’dlikeyoutoeat/maquila/。’

"’Doeshe？’saidtheEnglishman。’Verywell，bringmore/maquila/

to—morrow。’

"Whileweweretalkingaservantcameinandsaiddinnerwasready。

ThentheEnglishmanstoodup，gavemeapiastre，andofferedhisarmtoCarmen，asifshecouldn’thavewalkedalone。Carmen，whowasstilllaughing，saidtome：

"’Myboy，Ican’taskyoutodinner。Butto—morrow，assoonasyouhearthedrumsbeatforparade，comeherewithyouroranges。You’llfindabetterfurnishedroomthantheoneinthe/CalledelCandilejo/，andyou’llseewhetherIamstillyour/Carmencita/。Thenafterwardswe’lltalkaboutgipsybusiness。’

"Igavehernoanswer——evenwhenIwasinthestreetIcouldheartheEnglishmanshouting，’Bringmore/maquila/to—morrow，’andCarmen’spealsoflaughter。

"Iwentout，notknowingwhatIshoulddo；Ihardlyslept，andnextmorningIwassoenragedwiththetreacherouscreaturethatImadeupmymindtoleaveGibraltarwithoutseeingheragain。Butthemomentthedrumsbegantoroll，mycouragefailedme。Itookupmynetfulloforanges，andhurriedofftoCarmen’shouse。Herwindow—shuttershadbeenpulledapartalittle，andIsawhergreatdarkeyeswatchingforme。Thepowderedservantshowedmeinatonce。Carmensenthimoutwithamessage，andassoonaswewerealonesheburstintooneofherfitsofcrocodilelaughterandthrewherarmsaroundmyneck。NeverhadIseenherlooksobeautiful。Shewasdressedoutlikeaqueen，andscented；shehadsilkenfurniture，embroideredcurtains——andI

toggedoutlikethethiefIwas!

"’/Minchorro/，’saidCarmen，’I’veagoodmindtosmashupeverythinghere，setfiretothehouse，andtakemyselfofftothemountains。’

Andthenshewouldfondleme，andthenshewouldlaugh，andshedancedaboutandtoreupherfripperies。Neverdidmonkeygambolnormakesuchfaces，norplaysuchwildtricks，asshedidthatday。Whenshehadrecoveredhergravity——

"’Hark!’shesaid，’thisisgipsybusiness。ImeanhimtotakemetoRonda，whereIhaveasisterwhoisanun’（heresheshriekedwithlaughteragain）。’WeshallpassbyaparticularspotwhichIshallmakeknowntoyou。Thenyoumustfalluponhimandstriphimtotheskin。Yourbestplanwouldbetodoforhim，but，’sheadded，withacertainfiendishsmileofhers，whichnoonewhosawiteverhadanydesiretoimitate，’doyouknowwhatyouhadbetterdo？Let/ElTuerto/comeupinfrontofyou。Youkeepalittlebehind。Thecrayfishisbrave，andskilfultoo，andhehasgoodpistols。Doyouunderstand？’

"Andshebrokeoffwithanotherfitoflaughterthatmademeshiver。

"’No，’saidI，’IhateGarcia，buthe’smycomrade。Someday，maybe，I’llridyouofhim，butwe’llsettleouraccountafterthefashionofmycountry。It’sonlychancethathasmademeagipsy，andincertainthingsIshallalwaysbeathoroughNavarrese，*astheproverbsays。

*/Navarrofino/。

"’You’reafool，’sherejoined，’asimpleton，aregular/payllo/。

You’rejustlikethedwarfwhothinkshimselftallbecausehecanspitalongway。*Youdon’tloveme!Beoffwithyou!’

*/Oresorjledeormarsichisle，sinchisnarlachinguel/。"Thepromiseofadwarfisthathewillspitalongway。"——Agipsyproverb。

"Whenevershesaidtome’Beoffwithyou，"Icouldn’tgoaway。I

promisedIwouldstartbacktomycomradesandwaitthearrivaloftheEnglishman。She，onherside，promisedshewouldbeilluntilsheleftGibraltarforRonda。

"IremainedatGibraltartwodayslonger。Shehadtheboldnesstodisguiseherselfandcomeandseemeattheinn。Ideparted，Ihadaplanofmyown。Iwentbacktoourmeeting—placewiththeinformationastothespotandthehouratwhichtheEnglishmanandCarmenweretopassby。Ifound/ElDancaire/andGarciawaitingforme。Wespentthenightinawood，besideafiremadeofpine—conesthatblazedsplendidly。IsuggestedtoGarciathatweshouldplaycards，andheagreed。InthesecondgameItoldhimhewascheating；hebegantolaugh；Ithrewthecardsinhisface。Hetriedtogetathisblunderbuss。Isetmyfootonit，andsaid，’TheysayyoucanuseaknifeaswellasthebestruffianinMalaga；willyoutryitwithme？’

/ElDancaire/triedtopartus。IhadgivenGarciaoneortwocuffs，hisragehadgivenhimcourage，hedrewhisknife，andIdrewmine。Webothofustold/ElDancaire/hemustleaveusalone，andletusfightitout。Hesawtherewasnomeansofstoppingus，sohestoodononeside。Garciawasalreadybentdouble，likeacatreadytospringuponamouse。Heheldhishatinhislefthandtoparrywith，andhisknifeinfrontofhim——that’stheirAndalusianguard。IstoodupintheNavarresefashion，withmyleftarmraised，myleftlegforward，andmyknifeheldstraightalongmyrightthigh。IfeltIwasstrongerthananygiant。Heflewatmelikeanarrow。Iturnedroundonmyleftfoot，sothathefoundnothinginfrontofhim。ButIthrusthiminthethroat，andtheknifewentinsofarthatmyhandwasunderhischin。Igavethebladesuchatwistthatitbroke。Thatwastheend。

Thebladewascarriedoutofthewoundbyagushofbloodasthickasmyarm，andhefellfulllengthonhisface。

"’Whathaveyoudone？’said/ElDancaire/tome。

"’Harkye，’saidI，’wecouldn’tliveontogether。IloveCarmenandImeantobetheonlyone。Andbesides，Garciawasavillain。I

rememberwhathedidtothatpoor/Remendado/。Thereareonlytwoofusleftnow，butwearebothgoodfellows。Come，willyouhavemeforyourfriend，forlifeordeath？’

"/ElDancaire/stretchedouthishand。Hewasamanoffifty。

"’Deviltaketheselovestories!’hecried。’Ifyou’daskedhimforCarmenhe’dhavesoldhertoyouforapiastre!Thereareonlytwoofusnow——howshallwemanageforto—morrow？’

"’I’llmanageitallalone，’Ianswered。’Icansnapmyfingersatthewholeworldnow。’

"WeburiedGarcia，andwemovedourcamptwohundredpacesfartheron。

ThenextmorningCarmenandherEnglishmancamealongwithtwomuleteersandaservant。Isaidto/ElDancaire/：

"’I’lllookaftertheEnglishman，youfrightentheothers——they’renotarmed!’

"TheEnglishmanwasapluckyfellow。He’dhavekilledmeifCarmenhadn’tjoggedhiselbow。

"Toputitshortly，IwonCarmenbackthatday，andmyfirstwordsweretotellhershewasawidow。

"Whensheknewhowithadallhappened——

"’You’llalwaysbea/lillipendi/，’shesaid。’Garciaoughttohavekilledyou。YourNavarreseguardisapackofnonsense，andhehassentfarmoreskilfulmenthanyouintothedarkness。Itwasjustthathistimehadcome——andyourswillcometoo。’

"’Ay，andyourstoo!——ifyou’renotafaithful/romi/tome。’

"’Sobeit，’saidshe。’I’vereadinthecoffeegrounds，morethanonce，thatyouandIweretoendourlivestogether。Pshaw!whatmustbe，willbe!’andsherattledhercastanets，aswasherwaywhenshewantedtodriveawaysomeworryingthought。

"Onerunsonwhenoneistalkingaboutone’sself。Idaresayallthesedetailsboreyou，butIshallsoonbeattheendofmystory。

Ournewlifelastedforsomeconsiderabletime。/ElDancaire/andI

gatheredafewcomradesaboutus，whoweremoretrustworthythanourearlierones，andweturnedourattentiontosmuggling。Occasionally，indeed，Imustconfesswestoppedtravellersonthehighways，butneverunlesswewereatthelastextremity，andcouldnotavoiddoingso；andbesides，weneverill—treatedthetravellers，andconfinedourselvestotakingtheirmoneyfromthem。

"ForsomemonthsIwasverywellsatisfiedwithCarmen。Shestillservedusinoursmugglingoperations，bygivingusnoticeofanyopportunityofmakingagoodhaul。SheremainedeitheratMalaga，atCordova，oratGranada，butatawordfrommeshewouldleaveeverything，andcometomeetmeatsome/venta/oreveninourlonelycamp。Onlyonce——itwasatMalaga——shecausedmesomeuneasiness。I

heardshehadfixedherfancyuponaveryrichmerchant，withwhomsheprobablyproposedtoplayherGibraltartrickoveragain。Inspiteofeverything/ElDancaire/saidtostopme，Istartedoff，walkedintoMalagainbroaddaylight，soughtforCarmenandcarriedheroffinstantly。Wehadasharpaltercation。

"’Doyouknow，’saidshe，’nowthatyou’remy/rom/forgoodandall，Idon’tcareforyousomuchaswhenyouweremy/minchorro/!Iwon’tbeworried，andaboveall，Iwon’tbeorderedabout。IchoosetobefreetodoasIlike。Takecareyoudon’tdrivemetoofar；ifyoutiremeout，I’llfindsomegoodfellowwho’llserveyoujustasyouserved/ElTuerto/。’

"/ElDancaire/patcheditupbetweenus；butwehadsaidthingstoeachotherthatrankledinourhearts，andwewerenotaswehadbeenbefore。Shortlyafterthatwehadamisfortune：thesoldierscaughtus，/ElDancaire/andtwoofmycomradeswerekilled；twoothersweretaken。Iwassorelywounded，and，butformygoodhorse，Ishouldhavefallenintothesoldiers’hands。Halfdeadwithfatigue，andwithabulletinmybody，Isoughtshelterinawood，withmyonlyremainingcomrade。WhenIgotoffmyhorseIfaintedaway，andIthoughtIwasgoingtodiethereinthebrushwood，likeashothare。Mycomradecarriedmetoacaveheknewof，andthenhesenttofetchCarmen。

"ShewasatGranada，andshehurriedtomeatonce。Forawholefortnightsheneverleftmeforasingleinstant。Sheneverclosedhereyes；shenursedmewithaskillandcaresuchasnowomanevershowedtothemanshelovedmosttenderly。AssoonasIcouldstandonmyfeet，sheconveyedmewiththeutmostsecrecytoGranada。Thesegipsywomenfindsafesheltereverywhere，andIspentmorethansixweeksinahouseonlytwodoorsfromthatofthe/Corregidor/whowastryingtoarrestme。MorethanonceIsawhimpassby，frombehindtheshutter。

AtlastIrecovered，butIhadthoughtagreatdeal，onmybedofpain，andIhadplannedtochangemywayoflife。IsuggestedtoCarmenthatweshouldleaveSpain，andseekanhonestlivelihoodintheNewWorld。Shelaughedinmyface。

"’Wewerenotborntoplantcabbages，’shecried。’Ourfateistolive/payllos/!Listen：I’vearrangedabusinesswithNathanBen—

JosephatGibraltar。Hehascottonstuffsthathecannotgetthroughtillyoucometofetchthem。Heknowsyou’realive，andreckonsuponyou。WhatwouldourGibraltarcorrespondentssayifyoufailedthem？’

"Iletmyselfbypersuaded，andtookupmyviletradeoncemore。

"WhileIwashidingatGranadatherewerebull—fightsthere，towhichCarmenwent。Whenshecamebackshetalkedagreatdealaboutaskilful/picador/ofthenameofLucas。Sheknewthenameofhishorse，andhowmuchhisembroideredjackethadcosthim。Ipaidnoattentiontothis；butafewdayslater，Juanito，theonlyoneofmycomradeswhowasleft，toldmehehadseenCarmenwithLucasinashopintheZacatin。ThenIbegantofeelalarmed。IaskedCarmenhowandwhyshehadmadethe/picador’s/acquaintance。

"’He’samanoutofwhomwemaybeabletogetsomething，’saidshe。

’Anoisystreamhaseitherwaterinitorpebbles。Hehasearnedtwelvehundredrealsatthebull—fights。Itmustbeoneoftwothings：

wemusteitherhavehismoney，orelse，asheisagoodriderandapluckyfellow，wecanenrollhiminourgang。Wehavelostsuchanoneansuchanone；you’llhavetoreplacethem。Takethismanwithyou!’

"’Iwantneitherhismoneynorhimself，’Ireplied，’andIforbidyoutospeaktohim。’

"’Beware!’sheretorted。’Ifanyonedefiesmetodoathing，it’sveryquicklydone。’

"Luckilythe/picador/departedtoMalaga，andIsetaboutpassingintheJew’scottonstuffs。Thisexpeditiongavemeagreatdealtodo，andCarmenaswell。IforgotLucas，andperhapssheforgothimtoo——

forthemoment，atallevents。Itwasjustaboutthattime，sir，thatImetyou，firstatMontilla，andthenafterwardatCordova。Iwon’ttalkaboutthatlastinterview。Youknowmoreaboutit，perhaps，thanIdo。Carmenstoleyourwatchfromyou，shewantedtohaveyourmoneybesides，andespeciallythatringIseeonyourfinger，andwhichshedeclaredtobeamagicring，thepossessionofwhichwasveryimportanttoher。Wehadaviolentquarrel，andIstruckher。Sheturnedpaleandbegantocry。ItwasthefirsttimeIhadeverseenhercry，anditaffectedmeinthemostpainfulmanner。Ibeggedhertoforgiveme，butshesulkedwithmeforawholeday，andwhenI

startedbacktoMontillashewouldn’tkissme。Myheartwasstillverysore，when，threedayslater，shejoinedmewithasmilingfaceandasmerryasalark。Everythingwasforgotten，andwewerelikeapairofhoneymoonlovers。Justaswewerepartingshesaid，’There’sa/fete/

atCordova；Ishallgoandseeit，andthenIshallknowwhatpeoplewillbecomingawaywithmoney，andIcanwarnyou。’

"Ilethergo。WhenIwasaloneIthoughtaboutthe/fete/，andaboutthechangeinCarmen’stemper。’Shemusthaveavengedherselfalready，’saidItomyself，’sinceshewasthefirsttomakeourquarrelup。’Apeasanttoldmetherewastobebull—fightingatCordova。Thenmybloodbegantoboil，andIwentofflikeamadmanstraighttothebull—ring。IhadLucaspointedouttome，andonthebench，justbesidethebarrier，IrecognisedCarmen。Oneglanceatherwasenoughtoturnmysuspicionintocertainty。WhenthefirstbullappearedLucasbegan，asIhadexpectedtoplaytheagreeable；hesnatchedthecockadeoffthebullandpresentedittoCarmen，whoputitinherhairatonce。*

*/Ladivisa/。Aknotofribbon，thecolourofwhichindicatesthepasturagefromwhicheachbullcomes。Thisknotofribbonisfastenedintothebull’shidewithasortofhook，anditisconsideredtheveryheightofgallantrytosnatchitoffthelivingbeastandpresentittoawoman。

"Thebullavengedme。Lucaswasknockeddown，withhishorseonhischest，andthebullontopofbothofthem。IlookedforCarmen，shehaddisappearedfromherplacealready。Icouldn’tgetoutofmine，andIwasobligedtowaituntilthebull—fightwasover。ThenIwentofftothathouseyoualreadyknow，andwaitedtherequietlyallthateveningandpartofthenight。Towardtwoo’clockinthemorningCarmencameback，andwasrathersurprisedtoseeme。

"’Comewithme，’saidI。

"’Verywell，’saidshe，’let’sbeoff。’

"Iwentandgotmyhorse，andtookherupbehindme，andwetravelledalltherestofthenightwithoutsayingawordtoeachother。Whendaylightcamewestoppedatalonelyinn，notfarfromahermitage。

ThereIsaidtoCarmen：

"’Listen——Iforgeteverything，Iwon’tmentionanythingtoyou。Butswearonethingtome——thatyou’llcomewithmetoAmerica，andlivetherequietly!’

"’No，’saidshe，inasulkyvoice，’Iwon’tgotoAmerica——Iamverywellhere。’

"’That’sbecauseyou’renearLucas。Butbeverysurethatevenifhegetswellnow，hewon’tmakeoldbones。And，indeed，whyshouldI

quarrelwithhim？I’mtiredofkillingallyourlovers；I’llkillyouthistime。’

"Shelookedatmesteadilywithherwildeyes，andthenshesaid：

"’I’vealwaysthoughtyouwouldkillme。TheveryfirsttimeIsawyouIhadjustmetapriestatthedoorofmyhouse。Andto—night，asweweregoingoutofCordova，didn’tyouseeanything？Ahareranacrosstheroadbetweenyourhorse’sfeet。Itisfate。’

"’Carmencita，’Iasked，’don’tyoulovemeanymore？’

"Shegavemenoanswer，shewassittingcross—leggedonamat，makingmarksonthegroundwithherfinger。

"’Letuschangeourlife，Carmen，’saidIimploringly。’Letusgoawayandlivesomewhereweshallneverbeparted。Youknowwehaveahundredandtwentygoldouncesburiedunderanoaknotfarfromhere，andthenwehavemoremoneywithBen—JosephtheJew。’

"Shebegantosmile，andthenshesaid，’Mefirst，andthenyou。I

knowitwillhappenlikethat。’

"’Thinkaboutit，’saidI。’I’vecometotheendofmypatienceandmycourage。Makeupyourmind——orelseImustmakeupmine。’

"Ileftheraloneandwalkedtowardthehermitage。Ifoundthehermitpraying。Iwaitedtillhisprayerwasfinished。Ilongedtopraymyself，butIcouldn’t。WhenheroseupfromhiskneesIwenttohim。

"’Father，’Isaid，’willyouprayforsomeonewhoisingreatdanger？’

"’Iprayforeveryonewhoisafflicted，’hereplied。

"’CanyousayamassforasoulwhichisperhapsabouttogointothepresenceofitsMaker？’

"’Yes，’heanswered，lookinghardatme。

"Andastherewassomethingstrangeaboutme，hetriedtomakemetalk。

"’ItseemstomethatIhaveseenyousomewhere，’saidhe。

"Ilaidapiastreonhisbench。

"’Whenshallyousaythemass？’saidI。

"’Inhalfanhour。Thesonoftheinnkeeperyonderiscomingtoserveit。Tellme，youngman，haven’tyousomethingonyourconsciencethatistormentingyou？WillyoulistentoaChristian’scounsel？’

"Icouldhardlyrestrainmytears。ItoldhimIwouldcomeback，andhurriedaway。IwentandlaydownonthegrassuntilIheardthebell。

ThenIwentbacktothechapel，butIstayedoutsideit。Whenhehadsaidthemass，Iwentbacktothe/venta/。IwashopingCarmenwouldhavefled。Shecouldhavetakenmyhorseandriddenaway。ButIfoundhertherestill。ShedidnotchoosethatanyoneshouldsayIhadfrightenedher。WhileIhadbeenawayshehadunfastenedthehemofhergownandtakenouttheleadthatweightedit；andnowshewassittingbeforeatable，lookingintoabowlofwaterintowhichshehadjustthrowntheleadshehadmelted。Shewassobusywithherspellsthatatfirstshedidn’tnoticemyreturn。Sometimesshewouldtakeoutabitofleadandturnitroundeverywaywithamelancholylook。Sometimesshewouldsingoneofthosemagicsongs，whichinvokethehelpofMariaPadella，DonPedro’smistress，whoissaidtohavebeenthe/BariCrallisa/——thegreatgipsyqueen。*

*MariaPadellawasaccusedofhavingbewitchedDonPedro。AccordingtoonepopulartraditionshepresentedQueenBlancheofBourbonwithagoldengirdlewhich，intheeyesofthebewitchedking，tookontheappearanceofalivingsnake。Hencetherepugnancehealwaysshowedtowardtheunhappyprincess。

"’Carmen，’Isaidtoher，’willyoucomewithme？’Sherose，threwawayherwoodenbowl，andputhermantillaoverherheadreadytostart。Myhorsewasledup，shemountedbehindme，andwerodeaway。

"AfterwehadgonealittledistanceIsaidtoher，’So，myCarmen，youarequitereadytofollowme，isn’tthatso？’

"Sheanswered，’Yes，I’llfollowyou，eventodeath——butIwon’tlivewithyouanymore。’

"Wehadreachedalonelygorge。Istoppedmyhorse。

"’Isthistheplace？’shesaid。

"Andwithaspringshereachedtheground。Shetookoffhermantillaandthrewitatherfeet，andstoodmotionless，withonehandonherhip，lookingatmesteadily。

"’Youmeantokillme，Iseethatwell，’saidshe。’Itisfate。Butyou’llnevermakemegivein。’

"Isaidtoher：’Berational，Iimploreyou；listentome。Allthepastisforgotten。Yetyouknowitisyouwhohavebeenmyruin——itisbecauseofyouthatIamarobberandamurderer。Carmen，myCarmen，letmesaveyou，andsavemyselfwithyou。’

"’Jose，’sheanswered，’whatyouaskisimpossible。Idon’tloveyouanymore。Youlovemestill，andthatiswhyyouwanttokillme。IfI

liked，Imighttellyousomeotherlie，butIdon’tchoosetogivemyselfthetrouble。Everythingisoverbetweenustwo。Youaremy/rom/，andyouhavetherighttokillyour/romi/，butCarmenwillalwaysbefree。A/calli/shewasborn，anda/calli/she’lldie。’

"’Then，youloveLucas？’Iasked。

"’Yes，Ihavelovedhim——asIlovedyou——foraninstant——lessthanI

lovedyou，perhaps。ButnowIdon’tloveanything，andIhatemyselfforeverhavinglovedyou。’

"Icastmyselfatherfeet，Iseizedherhands，Iwateredthemwithmytears，Iremindedherofallthehappymomentswehadspenttogether，Iofferedtocontinuemybrigand’slife，ifthatwouldpleaseher。

Everything，sir，everything——Iofferedhereverythingifshewouldonlylovemeagain。

"Shesaid：

"’Loveyouagain？That’snotpossible!Livewithyou？Iwillnotdoit!’

"Iwaswildwithfury。Idrewmyknife，Iwouldhavehadherlookfrightened，andsueformercy——butthatwomanwasademon。

"Icried，’ForthelasttimeIaskyou。Willyoustaywithme？’

"’No!no!no!’shesaid，andshestampedherfoot。

"ThenshepulledaringIhadgivenheroffherfinger，andcastitintothebrushwood。

"Istruckhertwiceover——IhadtakenGarcia’sknife，becauseIhadbrokenmyown。Atthesecondthrustshefellwithoutasound。ItseemstomethatIcanstillseehergreatblackeyesstaringatme。Thentheygrewdimandthelidsclosed。

"ForagoodhourIlaythereprostratebesidehercorpse。ThenI

recollectedthatCarmenhadoftentoldmethatshewouldliketolieburiedinawood。Idugagraveforherwithmyknifeandlaidherinit。Ihuntedaboutalongtimeforherring，andIfounditatlast。I

putitintothegravebesideher，withalittlecross——perhapsIdidwrong。ThenIgotuponmyhorse，gallopedtoCordova，andgavemyselfupatthenearestguard—room。ItoldthemIhadkilledCarmen，butI

wouldnottellthemwhereherbodywas。Thathermitwasaholyman!Heprayedforher——hesaidamassforhersoul。Poorchild!It’sthe/calle/whoaretoblameforhavingbroughtherupastheydid。"

CHAPTERIV

Spainisoneofthecountriesinwhichthosenomads，scatteredalloverEurope，andknownasBohemians，Gitanas，Gipsies，Ziegeuner，andsoforth，arenowtobefoundinthegreatestnumbers。Mostofthesepeoplelive，orratherwanderhitherandthither，inthesouthernandeasternprovincesofSpain，inAndalusia，andEstramadura，inthekingdomofMurcia。ThereareagreatmanyoftheminCatalonia。TheselastfrequentlycrossoverintoFranceandaretobeseenatalloursouthernfairs。Themengenerallycallthemselvesgrooms，horsedoctors，mule—clippers；tothesetradestheyaddthemendingofsaucepansandbrassutensils，nottomentionsmugglingandotherillicitpractices。Thewomentellfortunes，beg，andsellallsortsofdrugs，someofwhichareinnocent，whilesomearenot。Thephysicalcharacteristicsofthegipsiesaremoreeasilydistinguishedthendescribed，andwhenyouhaveknownone，youshouldbeabletorecogniseamemberoftheraceamongathousandothermen。Itisbytheirphysiognomyandexpression，especially，thattheydifferfromtheotherinhabitantsofthesamecountry。Theircomplexionisexceedinglyswarthy，alwaysdarkerthanthatoftheraceamongwhomtheylive。Hencethenameof/cale/（blacks）whichtheyfrequentlyapplytothemselves。*Theireyes，setwithadecidedslant，arelarge，veryblack，andshadedbylongandheavylashes。Theirglancecanonlybecomparedtothatofawildcreature。Itisfullatonceofboldnessandshyness，andinthisrespecttheireyesareafairindicationoftheirnationalcharacter，whichiscunning，bold，butwith"thenaturalfearofblows，"likePanurge。Mostofthemenarestrappingfellows，slightandactive。Idon’tthinkIeversawagipsywhohadgrownfat。InGermanythegipsywomenareoftenverypretty；butbeautyisveryuncommonamongtheSpanishgitanas。Whenveryyoung，theymaypassasbeingattractiveintheirugliness，butoncetheyhavereachedmotherhood，theybecomeabsolutelyrepulsive。Thefilthinessofbothsexesisincredible，andnoonewhohasnotseenagipsymatron’shaircanformanyconceptionofwhatitis，notevenifheconjuresuptheroughest，thegreasiest，andthedustiestheadsimaginable。InsomeofthelargeAndalusiantownscertainofthegipsygirls，somewhatbetterlookingthantheirfellows，willtakemorecareoftheirpersonalappearance。Thesegooutandearnmoneybyperformingdancesstronglyresemblingthoseforbiddenatourpublicballsincarnivaltime。AnEnglishmissionary，Mr。Borrow，theauthoroftwoveryinterestingworksontheSpanishgipsies，whomheundertooktoconvertonbehalfoftheBibleSociety，declaresthereisnoinstanceofanygitanashowingthesmallestweaknessforamannotbelongingtoherownrace。Thepraisehebestowsupontheirchastitystrikesmeasbeingexceedinglyexaggerated。Inthefirstplace，thegreatmajorityareinthepositionoftheuglywomandescribedbyOvid，"/Castaquamnemorogavit/。"Asfortheprettyones，theyare，likeallSpanishwomen，veryfastidiousinchoosingtheirlovers。

Theirfancymustbetaken，andtheirfavourmustbeearned。Mr。Borrowquotes，inproofoftheirvirtue，onetraitwhichdoeshonourtohisown，andespeciallytohissimplicity：hedeclaresthatanimmoralmanofhisacquaintanceofferedseveralgoldouncestoaprettygitana，andofferedtheminvain。AnAndalusian，towhomIretailedthisanecdote，assertedthattheimmoralmaninquestionwouldhavebeenfarmoresuccessfulifhehadshownthegirltwoorthreepiastres，andthattooffergoldouncestoagipsywasaspooramethodofpersuasionastopromiseacoupleofmillionstoatavernwench。

Howeverthatmaybe，itiscertainthatthegitanashowsthemostextraordinarydevotiontoherhusband。Thereisnodangerandnosufferingshewillnotbrave，tohelphiminhisneed。Oneofthenameswhichthegipsiesapplytothemselves，/Rome/，or"themarriedcouple，"seemstomeaproofoftheirracialrespectforthemarriedstate。Speakinggenerally，itmaybeassertedthattheirchiefvirtueistheirpatriotism——ifwemaythusdescribethefidelitytheyobserveinalltheirrelationswithpersonsofthesameoriginastheirown，theirreadinesstohelponeanother，andtheinviolablesecrecywhichtheykeepforeachother’sbenefit，inallcompromisingmatters。Andindeedsomethingofthesamesortmaybenoticedinallmysteriousassociationswhicharebeyondthepaleofthelaw。

*IthasstruckmethattheGermangipsies，thoughtheythoroughlyunderstandtheword/cale/，donotcaretobecalledbythatname。

Amongthemselvestheyalwaysusethedesignation/Romanetchave/。

Somemonthsago，IpaidavisittoagipsytribeintheVosgescountry。Inthehutofanoldwoman，theoldestmemberofthetribe，I

foundagipsy，innowayrelatedtothefamily，whowassickofamortaldisease。Themanhadleftahospital，wherehewaswellcaredfor，sothathemightdieamonghisownpeople。Forthirteenweekshehadbeenlyinginbedintheirencampment，andreceivingfarbettertreatmentthananyofthesonsandsons—in—lawwhosharedhisshelter。

Hehadagoodbedmadeofstrawandmoss，andsheetsthatweretolerablywhite，whereasalltherestofthefamily，whichnumberedelevenpersons，sleptonplanksthreefeetlong。Somuchfortheirhospitality。Thisverysamewoman，humaneaswashertreatmentofherguestsaidtomeconstantlybeforethesickman："/Singo，singo，homtehimulo/。""Soon，soonhemustdie!"Afterall，thesepeoplelivesuchmiserablelives，thatareferencetotheapproachofdeathcanhavenoterrorsforthem。

Oneremarkablefeatureinthegipsycharacteristheirindifferenceaboutreligion。Notthattheyarestrong—mindedorsceptical。Theyhavenevermadeanyprofessionofatheism。Farfromthat，indeed，thereligionofthecountrywhichtheyinhabitisalwaystheirs；buttheychangetheirreligionwhentheychangethecountryoftheirresidence。

Theyareequallyfreefromthesuperstitionswhichreplacereligiousfeelinginthemindsofthevulgar。How，indeed，cansuperstitionexistamongaracewhich，asarule，makesitslivelihoodoutofthecredulityofothers？Nevertheless，IhaveremarkedaparticularhorroroftouchingacorpseamongtheSpanishgipsies。Veryfewofthesecouldbeinducedtocarryadeadmantohisgrave，eveniftheywerepaidforit。

Ihavesaidthatmostgipsywomenundertaketotellfortunes。Theydothisverysuccessfully。Buttheyfindamuchgreatersourceofprofitinthesaleofcharmsandlove—philters。Notonlydotheysupplytoads’clawstoholdficklehearts，andpowderedloadstonetokindleloveincoldones，butifnecessityarises，theycanusemightyincantations，whichforcethedeviltolendthemhisaid。LastyearthefollowingstorywasrelatedtomebyaSpanishlady。Shewaswalkingonedayalongthe/Called’Alcala/，feelingverysadandanxious。Agipsywomanwhowassquattingonthepavementcalledouttoher，"Myprettylady，yourloverhasplayedyoufalse!"（Itwasquitetrue。）"ShallIgethimbackforyou？"Myreaderswillimaginewithwhatjoytheproposalwasaccepted，andhowcompletewastheconfidenceinspiredbyapersonwhocouldthusguesstheinmostsecretsoftheheart。AsitwouldhavebeenimpossibletoproceedtoperformtheoperationsofmagicinthemostcrowdedstreetinMadrid，ameetingwasarrangedforthenextday。"Nothingwillbeeasierthantobringbackthefaithlessonetoyourfeet!"saidthegitana。"Doyouhappentohaveahandkerchief，ascarf，oramantilla，thathegaveyou？"Asilkenscarfwashandedher。"Nowsewapiastreintoonecornerofthescarfwithcrimsonsilk——sewhalfapiastreintoanothercorner——sewapesetahere——andatwo—realpiecethere；then，inthemiddleyoumustsewagoldcoin——adoubloonwouldbebest。"Thedoubloonandalltheothercoinsweredulysewnin。"Nowgivemethescarf，andI’lltakeittotheCampoSantowhenmidnightstrikes。Youcomealongwithme，ifyouwanttoseeafinepieceofwitchcraft。I

promiseyoushallseethemanyouloveto—morrow!"ThegipsydepartedalonefortheCampoSanto，sincemySpanishfriendwastoomuchafraidofwitchcrafttogotherewithher。Ileavemyreaderstoguesswhethermypoorforsakenladyeversawherlover，orherscarf，again。

Inspiteoftheirpovertyandthesortofaversiontheyinspire，thegipsiesaretreatedwithacertainamountofconsiderationbythemoreignorantfolk，andtheyareveryproudofit。Theyfeelthemselvestobeasuperiorraceasregardsintelligence，andtheyheartilydespisethepeoplewhosehospitalitytheyenjoy。"TheseGentilesaresostupid，"saidoneoftheVosgesgipsiestome，"thatthereisnocreditintakingthemin。Theotherdayapeasantwomancalledouttomeinthestreet。Iwentintoherhouse。Herstovesmokedandsheaskedmetogiveheracharmtocureit。FirstofallImadehergivemeagoodbitofbacon，andthenIbegantomumbleafewwordsin/Romany/。’You’reafool，’Isaid，’youwerebornafool，andyou’lldieafool!’WhenIhadgotnearthedoorIsaidtoher，ingoodGerman，’Themostcertainwayofkeepingyourstovefromsmokingisnottolightanyfireinit!’andthenItooktomyheels。"

Thehistoryofthegipsiesisstillaproblem。Weknow，indeed，thattheirfirstbands，whichwerefewandfarbetween，appearedinEasternEuropetowardsthebeginningofthefifteenthcentury。Butnobodycantellwhencetheystarted，orwhytheycametoEurope，and，whatisstillmoreextraordinary，nooneknowshowtheymultiplied，withinashorttime，andinsoprodigiousafashion，andinseveralcountries，allveryremotefromeachother。Thegipsiesthemselveshavepreservednotraditionwhatsoeverastotheirorigin，andthoughmostofthemdospeakofEgyptastheiroriginalfatherland，thatisonlybecausetheyhaveadoptedaveryancientfablerespectingtheirrace。

MostoftheOrientalistswhohavestudiedthegipsylanguagebelievethatthecradleoftheracewasinIndia。Itappears，infact，thatmanyoftherootsandgrammaticalformsofthe/Romany/tonguearetobefoundinidiomsderivedfromtheSanskrit。Asmaybeimagined，thegipsies，duringtheirlongwanderings，haveadoptedmanyforeignwords。Inevery/Romany/dialectanumberofGreekwordsappear。

Atthepresentdaythegipsieshavealmostasmanydialectsasthereareseparatehordesoftheirrace。Everywhere，theyspeakthelanguageofthecountrytheyinhabitmoreeasilythantheirownidiom，whichtheyseldomuse，exceptwiththeobjectofconversingfreelybeforestrangers。AcomparisonofthedialectoftheGermangipsieswiththatusedbytheSpanishgipsies，whohaveheldnocommunicationwitheachotherforseveralcenturies，revealstheexistenceofagreatnumberofwordscommontoboth。Buteverywheretheoriginallanguageisnotablyaffected，thoughindifferentdegrees，byitscontactwiththemorecultivatedlanguagesintotheuseofwhichthenomadshavebeenforced。GermaninonecaseandSpanishintheotherhavesomodifiedthe/Romany/groundworkthatitwouldnotbepossibleforagipsyfromtheBlackForesttoconversewithoneofhisAndalusianbrothers，althoughafewsentencesoneachsidewouldsufficetoconvincethemthateachwasspeakingadialectofthesamelanguage。Certainwordsinveryfrequentuseare，Ibelieve，commontoeverydialect。Thus，ineveryvocabularywhichIhavebeenabletoconsult，/pani/meanswater，/manro/meansbread，/mas/standsformeat，and/lon/forsalt。

Thenounsofnumberarealmostthesameineverycase。TheGermandialectseemstomemuchpurerthantheSpanish，forithaspreservednumbersoftheprimitivegrammaticalforms，whereastheGitanoshaveadoptedthoseoftheCastiliantongue。Nevertheless，somewordsareanexception，asthoughtoprovethatthelanguagewasoriginallycommontoall。ThepreteriteoftheGermandialectisformedbyadding/ium/

totheimperative，whichisalwaystherootoftheverb。IntheSpanish/Romany/theverbsareallconjugatedonthemodelofthefirstconjugationoftheCastilianverbs。From/jamar/，theinfinitiveof"toeat，"theregularconjugationshouldbe/jame/，"Ihaveeaten。"

From/lillar/，"totake，"/lille/，"Ihavetaken。"Yet，someoldgipsiessay，asanexception，/jayon/and/lillon/。Iamnotacquaintedwithanyotherverbswhichhavepreservedthisancientform。

WhileIamthusshowingoffmysmallacquaintancewiththe/Romany/

language，ImustnoticeafewwordsofFrenchslangwhichourthieveshaveborrowedfromthegipsies。From/LesMysteresdeParis/honestfolkhavelearnedthattheword/chourin/means"aknife。"Thisispure/Romany/——/tchouri/isoneofthewordswhichiscommontoeverydialect。MonsieurVidocqcallsahorse/gres/——thisagainisagipsyword——/gras/，/gre/，/graste/，and/gris/。Addtothistheword/romanichel/，bywhichthegipsiesaredescribedinParisianslang。

Thisisacorruptionof/romanetchave/——"gipsylads。"ButapieceofetymologyofwhichIamreallyproudisthatoftheword/frimousse/，"face，""countenance"——awordwhicheveryschoolboyuses，ordiduse，inmytime。Note，inthefirstplace，theOudin，inhiscuriousdictionary，publishedin1640，wrotetheword/firlimouse/。Nowin/Romany/，/firla/，or/fila/，standsfor"face，"andhasthesamemeaning——itisexactlythe/os/oftheLatins。Thecombinationof/firlamui/wasinstantlyunderstoodbyagenuinegipsy，andIbelieveittobetruetothespiritofthegipsylanguage。

IhavesurelysaidenoughtogivethereadersofCarmenafavourableideaofmy/Romany/studies。Iwillconcludewiththefollowingproverb，whichcomesinveryappropriately：/Enretudipandanastiabelamacha/。"Betweenclosedlipsnoflycanpass。"