As to those who will not be at the
pains of such investigation, let them substitute faith for
incredulity, and receive with honest credence the foregoing legend.
The Author's Farewell to Granada.
MY SERENE and happy reign in the Alhambra was suddenly brought to
a close by letters which reached me, while indulging in Oriental
luxury in the cool hall of the baths, summoning me away from my Moslem
elysium to mingle once more in the bustle and business of the dusty
world. How was I to encounter its toils and turmoils, after such a
life of repose and reverie! How was I to endure its common-place,
after the poetry of the Alhambra!
But little preparation was necessary for my departure. A two-wheeled
vehicle, called a tartana, very much resembling a covered cart, was to
be the travelling equipage of a young Englishman and myself through
Murcia, to Alicante and Valencia, on our way to France; and a
long-limbed varlet, who had been a contrabandista, and, for aught I
knew, a robber, was to be our guide and guard. The preparations were
soon made, but the departure was the difficulty. Day after day was
it postponed; day after day was spent in lingering about my favorite
haunts, and day after day they appeared more delightful in my eyes.
The social and domestic little world also, in which I had been
moving, had become singularly endeared to me; and the concern
evinced by them at my intended departure convinced me that my kind
feelings were reciprocated.
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