a dressing-table, a small round table by
my bedside, and two massive carved chairs upholstered in stamped leather
which showed signs of having seen many years of service. It was night,
apparently, for the only illumination came from a large handsome lamp
that had the appearance of being wrought out of silver. One of the two
chairs in the room stood by the side of my bed, and was occupied by a
very respectable-looking negress of some forty years of age, or
thereabout, sound asleep. Two jugs, one of porcelain and one of cut
glass, stood on the table, in company with a large tumbler and a cup
with a spoon in it. The glass jug was three-parts full of lemonade, if
my eyes did not deceive me, and the sight of it suddenly caused me to
become acutely conscious of the fact that I was athirst. Had the
negress been awake I would have asked her to give me a drink, but seeing
that she was sleeping the sleep of the just I decided to help myself,
and with that intent essayed to raise myself in bed. But I might as
well have attempted to lift the house itself, for when I came to move I
discerned, to my consternation, that I was so weak I could scarcely stir
hand or foot, much less raise my entire body. In my alarm and distress
I unwittingly gave vent to a feeble groan, which, faint as it was,
proved sufficient to arouse my attendant, who stirred in her chair,
adjusted her turban, and then, rising to her feet, leaned over the bed
and peered down into my face. For some seconds she stood thus, when--
her eyes having adjusted themselves to the rather dim light of the
lamp--she perceived that I was awake.

"Ah!" she murmured, in a half whisper, in Spanish, "the Senor is at
length himself again, thanks be to all the blessed saints! And how are
you feeling, Senor?"

"Very thirsty," I replied, in the same language, which I spoke fairly
well, and to my amazement, though I had intended to speak out loud, my
voice was no more than a scarcely audible whisper, which the negress had
to bend her head to catch.

"_Bueno_!" she ejaculated, with every evidence of keen satisfaction;
"the Senor is thirsty--and he has the Spanish. He shall drink, and
then,"--she laid her hand upon my forehead, and I now discovered, to my
further astonishment, that my head was swathed in bandages--"yes, then
the medicine, and more sleep."

So saying, she filled the big tumbler with lemonade--how delicious it
looked with the thin shreds of lemon and the leaves