I.

ONE of the loveliest girls in Madrid was Carmen, niece to the cura of Santa Cruz. Her father had been a poor government employé, with only eight thousand reals of a salary, but notwithstanding this, Carmen had been brought up with as much luxury and indulgence as the daughter of a grandee, for she was an only child, and both parents idolized her.

"My daughter," her mother was wont to say, in the fulness of her pride and maternal affection, "shall marry a prince."

But the poor lady died before her daughter had attained the subordinate rank of excellenza, and her husband followed her in a few months, leaving Carmen an orphan at the age of twelve. The cura of Santa Cruz was the child's uncle, and pitying her destitute condition, he took her to his house and lavished upon her, if not the doting fondness of her parents, at least that affectionate care which her misfortune and her beauty, both of soul and body, entitled her to demand.

Vanity, and the ambition to be

come, if not a princess as her mother had prophesied, at least something far more exalted than simple niece to the parish priest, were Carmen's only besetting sins.

One lovely morning in June she was breakfasting with her uncle and his housekeeper, an excellent woman named Donna Ciriaca. The breakfast had reached the dessert,* which consisted that morning of a plate of cherries, of which the cura was about to partake, when Donna Ciriaca prevented him, hastily drawing the plate towards herself, and exclaiming

"Pardon me, I wish to count how many cherries we have here."

"I wager," said the cura, smiling, "this is the lottery again." "There are three hundred and sixty-five," replied the donna at length, calmly finishing her computation; "when I can get hold of a lottery ticket with this number my fortune is made."

"Holy woman! how can you be so foolish?"

"Nay, senor cura, in this matter your opinion is not mine. Yes, you may laugh, but it will be my turn to laugh when I draw a terno

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'Well, well, a wilful woman must have her way," answered the cura finally, and left the room.

"I believe uncle is right," said Carmen then to Donna Ciriaca.

"What do you know of it, you little goose?" replied the other, in a low tone. "If I can make a calculation, the secret of which I learned this morning, the queen's treasurer may begin preparing the dollars for me. And, blessed be the purest Mary! it is not so difficult; only to count the number of steps in the staircase of the tower of Santa Cruz."

"And what then?"

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What then! the lucky number will secure me at least two ternos. There can be no deception in the matter, for I was told of it by a gipsy who knows more than Merlin."

"Then why does not she count the steps and try herself?"

"Buen Dios! can I tell? I suppose the sacristan will not allow her into the church. And listen, Carmencita, your uncle will know the number of the steps, but we will not trust him or any one, for if but one step be omitted, farewell to the dollars. We shall count ourselves."

"You may go, I won't have uncle laughing at me."

"We shall take care he knows nothing of our plan. You must ask him to allow you to ascend the tower with me, that you may enjoy the view from the top; such curiosity will sit better on your shoulders than on mine."

"Good! I shall ask him."

When the cura returned to the breakfast room

"Uncle," said Carmen, "have you ever been to the top of the tower of Santa Cruz?"

"Often."

"Maria! what a splendid view you will have from it. May I go up with Donna Ciriaca?"

"The villages of three provinces are visible from the top of Santa Cruz, and if the donna's legs will carry her so high, you may go when you please."

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'Blessings of all the saints!" exclaimed the donna, throwing up her hands in affected dismay, "what a fancy for the girl to take into her head! But she shall not have to say I thwarted her."

One hour afterwards the two ladies were climbing the staircase, counting the steps with the greatest care, the donna jotting down the calculation, in twenties, upon a piece of paper. On reaching the platform where the bells were hung, they approached one of the round openings in the wall to look out, but shrank back in terror at sight of the tremendous abyss that yawned bcneath them. Only after three or four approaches did they find courage to contemplate with calmness the glorious panorama which un

CARMEN, who until fifteen had been a sweet rosebud, began on reaching that age so to unfold her petals that in a few years she became one of the loveliest girls in Madrid.

One summer a lad of unpretending exterior, but comely and attractive, seemed to have taken a violent fancy for the Street de la Montera, and especially for that portion of it opposite the cura's house. Carmen

was sufficiently flattered by this silent adoration, and was rarely absent from the balcony at the hour of her gallant's appearance, to reward and encourage him with a smile. This did not escape the notice of the cura, and he summoned Carmen one day to the room called in courtesy his study, probably from the utter absence of books.

"Querida mia," he began, "you know I love you as a father, and my dearest wish is your happiness. Who is that young man who so persistently smokes his cigarette in front of our windows every after

noon."

Carmen's face was covered with a hot blush, and in her confusion an

answer did not come readily to the cura's question.

"Nay, my dear," he said at length, to relieve her embarrassment, "there is nothing shameful in a pure and honourable love. Does this young

man please you?" "Yes, senor."

"And what do you know about him his name, his family, his position ?"

"Nothing, senor."

"Good! then I shall see to those matters. And if he loves you and is worthy of you, you shall marry him; for you are poor, Carmencita, and the day which removes me from your side will leave you but slenderly provided for."

On the following day the cura informed his niece, her silent lover was a very respectable journey man shoemaker, and, from the brief conversation he had had with him, evidently a sensible intelligent lad. Carmen did not reply, and a shade of vexation darkened her sunny face.

"Why, what is the matter now? Did not you say the youth pleased you?

"Yes, senor; but then, a shoemaker!"

"Daughter, you will never become a marchioness. What you need is a man of good moral and physical qualities, who loves you and can sup port you honourably. This wooer of yours has those qualities, and you will do very ill to reject him simply because he is not a fine gentleman."

"I feel you are right, uncle."

"Be ready with a kindly answer for him then to-morrow, when he comes to sue in person for your hand."

On the afternoon of the same day Donna Ciriaca and Carmen went out to endeavour to obtain, in a lottery office, a four maravedis ticket, bearing the number of the firkins of water which were daily used in the taverns of Madrid. This calcula

tion had been made for the domua by an eminent publicist, who was hunting up data for a memorial to be laid before the authorities, in which he undertook to prove that the great scarcity of water always felt in the city arose from the undue number of drinking shops. They obtained the ticket in an office situated near the hospital, and taking advantage of their proximity to the Bilbaoan gate, they resolved to walk a little in Chamberi.

Donna Ciriaca was busy counting the brayings of a donkey, to utilize the number in her next drawing; when an old ragged gitana woman approached Carinen and addressed her in the usual gibberish of her class:

"Rosebud! rosier than the rising dawn, sweeter than the honey of Alcala, yours must be a good fortune. Will you allow the poor gitana, searcher of hearts and of future things, to tell it you?"

When Carmen turned aside with a disdainful gesture, the gipsy drew back a step or two as if to withdraw; but, on perceiving Donna Ciriaca, she turned to her, exclaiming with joy

"Noble senora, mother of the poor wanderer, God has sent me here to-day to tell your fortune and that of this sweet child."

"A likely thing indeed!" replied the lady addressed, in a reproachful tone. "How could you be so deceitful as to tell me to try my luck in the lottery with the number of the steps in the staircase of Santa Cruz."

"What! did the noble senora count the steps and try without drawing the terno?"

"Not so much as the ambo."

"Then I swear by the starry heaven, the highest thing I know, you must have miscounted."

"No such thing. I counted them from first to last most carefully." "Ah! but the excellenza ought

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Yes, yes, you may," answered the donna.

"Oh! we have really had enough of this folly," exclaimed Carmen, withdrawing her hand, which the gitana had already caught hold of.

"Folly call you the science of palmistry, cherub of heaven! For fifty years I have allotted good or bad fortunes to those who wished to know, and never has my science erred."

Carmen looked to her companion as if to ask advice, and the donna counselled her to allow her fortune to be told, since the skill of the gipsy in this direction was known all over the city.

The gitana took the hand of the laughing girl and said, following with her brown skinny fingers the lines upon it,

"This line which divides the centre, with the small projecting lines at either end, is an E, and signifies empleo (occupation). Those two little lines which meet each other at one extremity like those who love, and draw apart at the other like those who hate, is an A, and signifies alto (high). My golden cherub, your fortune is a splendid one. You will marry the man with the highest occupation at the Spanish Court."

The eyes of Carmen sparkled with pride, and those of the donna were filled with the tears of gratified affection.

"See now, cara mia, she ex

claimed, embracing Carmen; "how truly said your mother, now in glory, you would marry a prince. The highest occupation at Court! Your bridegroom will be nothing less than a prime minister!"

The two ladies returned home highly elated, and Carmen's first occupation was to seek her uncle in his room, and inform him she had resolved to reject the offer of the shoemaker; to fling herself away upon so humble a person being quite out of the question. A short while afterwards she went to the balcony to indulge in sweet dreams of her coming greatness, when there appeared upon the opposite trottoir her admirer, who greeted her with his usual smile. But instead of responding, Carmen's countenance became more sober than that of a poor relation at a funeral; and with a scornful flirt of her fan she reentered the room.

III.

YEARS passed away, and every summer left Carmen more beautiful. In the promenade, the theatre, the ball-room-wherever she chose to make her appearanceshe was surrounded by crowds of butterfly adorers. Frequently she was obliged to listen to declarations of love, which, however, she gave little heed to, partly because she looked for better things, relying on the gipsy's prediction, ever present to her mind; partly because none were made with that

formality which every prudent damsel must require.

In a concert at which she was present with Donna Ciriaca, a young gentleman, elegantly dressed and handsome, paid her marked attentions, which were followed up next day by a letter, in which he formally sued for her hand, introducing himself, at the same time,

as the young principal of one of the best known commercial houses in Madrid. Carmen and the donna resolved to discuss this grave matter in a solemn Junta, from which they took care to exclude the cura. This good gentleman had not been told of the gipsy's prophecy, his opinions about such gentry and their professed powers being well known. He was, moreover, full of sound sense, and the ladies shrewdly suspected would have come forward as the merchant's zealous and uncompromising advocate, and have insisted on his niece at once accepting so brilliant an offer.

They sat down together in the breakfast-parlour, and after reading the letter Carmen addressed the donna :

66 'Well, what should I do?"
"Do you love him?"

"Oh, he is very handsome, and all that. He has a fine house, too, in the Puerta del Sol. I think I could like him very much."

"Nevertheless, you would do wrong to marry him. You deserve something far better than a mer

chant."

"But if no better bridegroom offers ?"

"Nay, amiga, how can be but come some day? Are you not to marry the man with the highest occupation at the Spanish Court? Don't you believe this?"

"Yes, senora."

"You do not seem to, else you would speedily show the door to any bridegroom who is not the promised one.'

"Perhaps, mia madre; but tell me, have you not the least bit of doubt the gitana's prophecy will come true?"

"I believe it as I believe I shall some day take my last sacrament. When I was a girl if I had believed in fortune-tellers as I do now, I would not have been left in my old