ad given it to the Lady Belerma, who was
now also enchanted in this cave.

Don Quixote continued his tale. The enchanter, the sage Merlin, so
Montesinos had said, had prophesied that he, Don Quixote, reviver of
knight-errantry, was to be the one to disenchant them all. He and
Montesinos had almost come to blows, however, when the latter had
inferred that during her enchantment the Lady Belerma had developed
large circles under her eyes, and that if it had not been for these
her beauty would have surpassed even that of the famous Lady Dulcinea
of El Toboso. But Montesinos was courteous enough to apologize and
acknowledge the truth of the proverb which says that comparisons are
odious.

Sancho and the young author of books had some difficulty in persuading
themselves that all these things had happened in so short a time, for
Don Quixote had only been gone about an hour; but Don Quixote, hearing
this, insisted that he had been absent three days and three nights.
Then he proceeded to tell how he had felt no hunger whatever, that
none down there ever ate, and that the enchanted never slept; he
admitted, however, that their nails, hair, and beards grew.

When Sancho heard all this he asked to be forgiven by God for saying
he thought his master was lying, but the next moment he had retracted
it, and when his master asked what he really meant, he said he did not
know.

There was one thing that had happened to our knight in the cave,
which caused him infinite pain; he had met one of the enchanted
ladies-in-waiting to his Lady Dulcinea, and she had told him in
confidence that his beloved one wanted to borrow six reals on a
petticoat which she had bought. He gave her all that he had,
which amounted to only four reals, and she gave him in exchange
her lady's blessing, saying that with it went many kisses. As
she left him, he said, she had cut a caper and had sprung fully
two yards into the air.

"O blessed God," cried Sancho, "is it possible that enchantments can
have such power as to have changed my master's right senses into a
craze so full of absurdity? O Senor, Senor, consider yourself! Have a
care for your honor, and give no credit to this silly stuff that has
left you scant and short of wits."

"Thou talkest in this way because thou lovest me, Sancho," said Don
Quixote; and he ascribed his squire's incredulity to a lack of
knowledge of the world and assured him that when the time came he
would tell him even more that