Lope Sanchez waited, however, until the night was far advanced
before he ventured with his little daughter to the hall of the two
nymphs. He found them looking as knowingly and mysteriously as ever at
the secret place of deposit. "By your leaves, gentle ladies,"
thought Lope Sanchez, as he passed between them, "I will relieve you
from this charge that must have set so heavy in your minds for the
last two or three centuries." He accordingly went to work at the
part of the wall which he had marked, and in a little while laid
open a concealed recess, in which stood two great jars of porcelain.
He attempted to draw them forth, but they were immovable, until
touched by the innocent hand of his little daughter. With her aid he
dislodged them from their niche, and found, to his great joy, that
they were filled with pieces of Moorish gold, mingled with jewels
and precious stones. Before daylight he managed to convey them to
his chamber, and left the two guardian statues with their eyes still
fixed on the vacant wall.
Lope Sanchez had thus on a sudden become a rich man; but riches,
as usual, brought a world of cares to which he had hitherto been a
stranger. How was he to convey away his wealth with safety? How was he
even to enter upon the enjoyment of it without awakening suspicion?
Now, too, for the first time in his life the dread of robbers
entered into his mind. He looked with terror at the insecurity of
his habitation, and went to work to barricade the doors and windows;
yet after all his precautions he could not sleep soundly.
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