on every point, the chins
of the duennas are now smooth and clean, and when the squirely
flagellation shall have been completed, the white dove shall find
herself delivered from the pestiferous hawks that persecute her,[476-6]
and in the arms of her beloved mate; for such is the decree of the sage
Merlin, arch-enchanter of enchanters."

[Illustration: THE HORSE BLEW UP, WITH A PRODIGIOUS NOISE]

As soon as Don Quixote had read the inscription on the parchment he
perceived clearly that it referred to the disenchantment of Dulcinea,
and returning hearty thanks to Heaven that he had, with so little
danger, achieved so grand an exploit as to restore to their former
complexion the countenances of those venerable duennas, now no longer
visible, he advanced towards the duke and duchess, who had not yet come
to themselves, and taking the duke by the hand he said, "Be of good
cheer, worthy sir, be of good cheer; it's nothing at all; the adventure
is now over and without any harm done, as the inscription fixed on this
post shows plainly."

The duke came to himself slowly and like one recovering consciousness
after a heavy sleep, and the duchess and all who had fallen prostrate
about the garden did the same, with such demonstrations of wonder and
amazement that they would have almost persuaded one that what they
pretended so adroitly in jest had happened to them in reality. The duke
read the placard with half-shut eyes, and then ran to embrace Don
Quixote with open arms, declaring him to be the best knight that had
ever been seen in any age. Sancho kept looking about for the Distressed
One, to see what her face was like without the beard, and if she was as
fair as her elegant person promised; but they told him that, the instant
Clavileno descended flaming through the air and came to the ground, the
whole band of duennas with the Trifaldi vanished, and that they were
already shaved and without a stump left.

The duchess asked Sancho how he had fared on that long journey, to which
Sancho replied, "I felt, senora, that we were flying through the region
of fire, as my master told me, and I wanted to uncover my eyes for a
bit; but my master, when I asked leave to uncover myself, would not let
me; but as I have a little bit of curiosity about me, and a desire to
know what is forbidden and kept from me, quietly and without any one
seeing me I drew aside the handkerchief covering my eyes ever so little,
close to my nose, and from und