"Who doubts that?" said the niece; "but, uncle, who mixes you up in these

quarrels? Would it not be better to remain at peace in your own house

instead of roaming the world looking for better bread than ever came of

wheat, never reflecting that many go for wool and come back shorn?"

"Oh, niece of mine," replied Don Quixote, "how much astray art thou in

thy reckoning: ere they shear me I shall have plucked away and stripped

off the beards of all who dare to touch only the tip of a hair of mine."

The two were unwilling to make any further answer, as they saw that his

anger was kindling.

In short, then, he remained at home fifteen days very quietly without

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showing any signs of a desire to take up with his former delusions, and

during this time he held lively discussions with his two gossips, the

curate and the barber, on the point he maintained, that knights-errant

were what the world stood most in need of, and that in him was to be

accomplished the revival of knight-errantry. The curate sometimes

contradicted him, sometimes agreed with him, for if he had not observed

this precaution he would have been unable to bring him to reason.

Meanwhile Don Quixote worked upon a farm labourer, a neighbour of his, an

honest man (if indeed that title can be given to him who is poor), but

with very little wit in his pate. In a word, he so talked him over, and

with such persuasions and promises, that the poor clown made up his mind

to sally forth with him and serve him as esquire. Don Quixote, among

other things, told him he ought to be ready to go with him gladly,

because any moment an adventure might occur that might win an island in

the twinkling of an eye and leave him governor of it. On these and the

like promises Sancho Panza (for so the labourer was called) left wife and

children, and engaged himself as esquire to his neighbour.

Don Quixote next set about getting some money; and selling one thing and

pawning another, and making a bad bargain in every case, he got together

a fair sum. He provided himself with a buckler, which he begged as a loan

from a friend, and, restoring his battered helmet as best he could, he

warned his squire Sancho of the day and hour he meant to set out, that he

might provide himself with what he thought most needful. Above all, he

charged him to take alforjas with him. The other said he would, and that

he meant to take also a very good ass he had, as he was not much given to

going on foot. About the ass, Don Quixote hesitated a little, trying

whether he could call to mind any knight-errant taking with him an

esquire mounted on ass-back, but no instance occurred to his memory. For

all that, however, he determined to take him, intending to furnish him

with a more honourable mount when a chance of it presented itself, by

appropriating the horse of the first discourteous knight he encountered.

Himself he provided with shirts and such other things as he could,

according to the advice the host had given him; all which being done,

without taking leave, Sancho Panza of his wife and children, or Don

Quixote of his housekeeper and niece, they sallied forth unseen by

anybody from the village one night, and made such good way in the course

of it that by daylight they held themselves safe from discovery, even

should search be made for them.




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