\"’Maquila，’saidCarmen，stilllaughing，’meansanorange。Isn’titaqueerwordforanorange？Hesayshe’dlikeyoutoeat/maquila/。’
\"’Doeshe？’saidtheEnglishman。’Verywell，bringmore/maquila/
to—morrow。’
\"Whileweweretalkingaservantcameinandsaiddinnerwasready。
ThentheEnglishmanstoodup，gavemeapiastre，andofferedhisarmtoCarmen，asifshecouldn’thavewalkedalone。Carmen，whowasstilllaughing，saidtome：
\"’Myboy，Ican’taskyoutodinner。Butto—morrow，assoonasyouhearthedrumsbeatforparade，comeherewithyouroranges。You’llfindabetterfurnishedroomthantheoneinthe/CalledelCandilejo/，andyou’llseewhetherIamstillyour/Carmencita/。Thenafterwardswe’lltalkaboutgipsybusiness。’
\"Igavehernoanswer——evenwhenIwasinthestreetIcouldheartheEnglishmanshouting，’Bringmore/maquila/to—morrow，’andCarmen’spealsoflaughter。
\"Iwentout，notknowingwhatIshoulddo；Ihardlyslept，andnextmorningIwassoenragedwiththetreacherouscreaturethatImadeupmymindtoleaveGibraltarwithoutseeingheragain。Butthemomentthedrumsbegantoroll，mycouragefailedme。Itookupmynetfulloforanges，andhurriedofftoCarmen’shouse。Herwindow—shuttershadbeenpulledapartalittle，andIsawhergreatdarkeyeswatchingforme。Thepowderedservantshowedmeinatonce。Carmensenthimoutwithamessage，andassoonaswewerealonesheburstintooneofherfitsofcrocodilelaughterandthrewherarmsaroundmyneck。NeverhadIseenherlooksobeautiful。Shewasdressedoutlikeaqueen，andscented；shehadsilkenfurniture，embroideredcurtains——andI
toggedoutlikethethiefIwas!
\"’/Minchorro/，’saidCarmen，’I’veagoodmindtosmashupeverythinghere，setfiretothehouse，andtakemyselfofftothemountains。’
Andthenshewouldfondleme，andthenshewouldlaugh，andshedancedaboutandtoreupherfripperies。Neverdidmonkeygambolnormakesuchfaces，norplaysuchwildtricks，asshedidthatday。Whenshehadrecoveredhergravity——
\"’Hark!’shesaid，’thisisgipsybusiness。ImeanhimtotakemetoRonda，whereIhaveasisterwhoisanun’（heresheshriekedwithlaughteragain）。’WeshallpassbyaparticularspotwhichIshallmakeknowntoyou。Thenyoumustfalluponhimandstriphimtotheskin。Yourbestplanwouldbetodoforhim，but，’sheadded，withacertainfiendishsmileofhers，whichnoonewhosawiteverhadanydesiretoimitate，’doyouknowwhatyouhadbetterdo？Let/ElTuerto/comeupinfrontofyou。Youkeepalittlebehind。Thecrayfishisbrave，andskilfultoo，andhehasgoodpistols。Doyouunderstand？’
\"Andshebrokeoffwithanotherfitoflaughterthatmademeshiver。
\"’No，’saidI，’IhateGarcia，buthe’smycomrade。Someday，maybe，I’llridyouofhim，butwe’llsettleouraccountafterthefashionofmycountry。It’sonlychancethathasmademeagipsy，andincertainthingsIshallalwaysbeathoroughNavarrese，*astheproverbsays。
*/Navarrofino/。
\"’You’reafool，’sherejoined，’asimpleton，aregular/payllo/。
You’rejustlikethedwarfwhothinkshimselftallbecausehecanspitalongway。*Youdon’tloveme!Beoffwithyou!’
*/Oresorjledeormarsichisle，sinchisnarlachinguel/。\"Thepromiseofadwarfisthathewillspitalongway。\"——Agipsyproverb。
\"Whenevershesaidtome’Beoffwithyou，\"Icouldn’tgoaway。I
promisedIwouldstartbacktomycomradesandwaitthearrivaloftheEnglishman。She，onherside，promisedshewouldbeilluntilsheleftGibraltarforRonda。
\"IremainedatGibraltartwodayslonger。Shehadtheboldnesstodisguiseherselfandcomeandseemeattheinn。Ideparted，Ihadaplanofmyown。Iwentbacktoourmeeting—placewiththeinformationastothespotandthehouratwhichtheEnglishmanandCarmenweretopassby。Ifound/ElDancaire/andGarciawaitingforme。Wespentthenightinawood，besideafiremadeofpine—conesthatblazedsplendidly。IsuggestedtoGarciathatweshouldplaycards，andheagreed。InthesecondgameItoldhimhewascheating；hebegantolaugh；Ithrewthecardsinhisface。Hetriedtogetathisblunderbuss。Isetmyfootonit，andsaid，’TheysayyoucanuseaknifeaswellasthebestruffianinMalaga；willyoutryitwithme？’
/ElDancaire/triedtopartus。IhadgivenGarciaoneortwocuffs，hisragehadgivenhimcourage，hedrewhisknife，andIdrewmine。Webothofustold/ElDancaire/hemustleaveusalone，andletusfightitout。Hesawtherewasnomeansofstoppingus，sohestoodononeside。Garciawasalreadybentdouble，likeacatreadytospringuponamouse。Heheldhishatinhislefthandtoparrywith，andhisknifeinfrontofhim——that’stheirAndalusianguard。IstoodupintheNavarresefashion，withmyleftarmraised，myleftlegforward，andmyknifeheldstraightalongmyrightthigh。IfeltIwasstrongerthananygiant。Heflewatmelikeanarrow。Iturnedroundonmyleftfoot，sothathefoundnothinginfrontofhim。ButIthrusthiminthethroat，andtheknifewentinsofarthatmyhandwasunderhischin。Igavethebladesuchatwistthatitbroke。Thatwastheend。
Thebladewascarriedoutofthewoundbyagushofbloodasthickasmyarm，andhefellfulllengthonhisface。
\"’Whathaveyoudone？’said/ElDancaire/tome。
\"’Harkye，’saidI，’wecouldn’tliveontogether。IloveCarmenandImeantobetheonlyone。Andbesides，Garciawasavillain。I
rememberwhathedidtothatpoor/Remendado/。Thereareonlytwoofusleftnow，butwearebothgoodfellows。Come，willyouhavemeforyourfriend，forlifeordeath？’
\"/ElDancaire/stretchedouthishand。Hewasamanoffifty。
\"’Deviltaketheselovestories!’hecried。’Ifyou’daskedhimforCarmenhe’dhavesoldhertoyouforapiastre!Thereareonlytwoofusnow——howshallwemanageforto—morrow？’
\"’I’llmanageitallalone，’Ianswered。’Icansnapmyfingersatthewholeworldnow。’
\"WeburiedGarcia，andwemovedourcamptwohundredpacesfartheron。
ThenextmorningCarmenandherEnglishmancamealongwithtwomuleteersandaservant。Isaidto/ElDancaire/：
\"’I’lllookaftertheEnglishman，youfrightentheothers——they’renotarmed!’
\"TheEnglishmanwasapluckyfellow。He’dhavekilledmeifCarmenhadn’tjoggedhiselbow。
\"Toputitshortly，IwonCarmenbackthatday，andmyfirstwordsweretotellhershewasawidow。
\"Whensheknewhowithadallhappened——
\"’You’llalwaysbea/lillipendi/，’shesaid。’Garciaoughttohavekilledyou。YourNavarreseguardisapackofnonsense，andhehassentfarmoreskilfulmenthanyouintothedarkness。Itwasjustthathistimehadcome——andyourswillcometoo。’
\"’Ay，andyourstoo!——ifyou’renotafaithful/romi/tome。’
\"’Sobeit，’saidshe。’I’vereadinthecoffeegrounds，morethanonce，thatyouandIweretoendourlivestogether。Pshaw!whatmustbe，willbe!’andsherattledhercastanets，aswasherwaywhenshewantedtodriveawaysomeworryingthought。
\"Onerunsonwhenoneistalkingaboutone’sself。Idaresayallthesedetailsboreyou，butIshallsoonbeattheendofmystory。
Ournewlifelastedforsomeconsiderabletime。/ElDancaire/andI
gatheredafewcomradesaboutus，whoweremoretrustworthythanourearlierones，andweturnedourattentiontosmuggling。Occasionally，indeed，Imustconfesswestoppedtravellersonthehighways，butneverunlesswewereatthelastextremity，andcouldnotavoiddoingso；andbesides，weneverill—treatedthetravellers，andconfinedourselvestotakingtheirmoneyfromthem。
\"ForsomemonthsIwasverywellsatisfiedwithCarmen。Shestillservedusinoursmugglingoperations，bygivingusnoticeofanyopportunityofmakingagoodhaul。SheremainedeitheratMalaga，atCordova，oratGranada，butatawordfrommeshewouldleaveeverything，andcometomeetmeatsome/venta/oreveninourlonelycamp。Onlyonce——itwasatMalaga——shecausedmesomeuneasiness。I
heardshehadfixedherfancyuponaveryrichmerchant，withwhomsheprobablyproposedtoplayherGibraltartrickoveragain。Inspiteofeverything/ElDancaire/saidtostopme，Istartedoff，walkedintoMalagainbroaddaylight，soughtforCarmenandcarriedheroffinstantly。Wehadasharpaltercation。
\"’Doyouknow，’saidshe，’nowthatyou’remy/rom/forgoodandall，Idon’tcareforyousomuchaswhenyouweremy/minchorro/!Iwon’tbeworried，andaboveall，Iwon’tbeorderedabout。IchoosetobefreetodoasIlike。Takecareyoudon’tdrivemetoofar；ifyoutiremeout，I’llfindsomegoodfellowwho’llserveyoujustasyouserved/ElTuerto/。’
\"/ElDancaire/patcheditupbetweenus；butwehadsaidthingstoeachotherthatrankledinourhearts，andwewerenotaswehadbeenbefore。Shortlyafterthatwehadamisfortune：thesoldierscaughtus，/ElDancaire/andtwoofmycomradeswerekilled；twoothersweretaken。Iwassorelywounded，and，butformygoodhorse，Ishouldhavefallenintothesoldiers’hands。Halfdeadwithfatigue，andwithabulletinmybody，Isoughtshelterinawood，withmyonlyremainingcomrade。WhenIgotoffmyhorseIfaintedaway，andIthoughtIwasgoingtodiethereinthebrushwood，likeashothare。Mycomradecarriedmetoacaveheknewof，andthenhesenttofetchCarmen。
\"ShewasatGranada，andshehurriedtomeatonce。Forawholefortnightsheneverleftmeforasingleinstant。Sheneverclosedhereyes；shenursedmewithaskillandcaresuchasnowomanevershowedtothemanshelovedmosttenderly。AssoonasIcouldstandonmyfeet，sheconveyedmewiththeutmostsecrecytoGranada。Thesegipsywomenfindsafesheltereverywhere，andIspentmorethansixweeksinahouseonlytwodoorsfromthatofthe/Corregidor/whowastryingtoarrestme。MorethanonceIsawhimpassby，frombehindtheshutter。
AtlastIrecovered，butIhadthoughtagreatdeal，onmybedofpain，andIhadplannedtochangemywayoflife。IsuggestedtoCarmenthatweshouldleaveSpain，andseekanhonestlivelihoodintheNewWorld。Shelaughedinmyface。
\"’Wewerenotborntoplantcabbages，’shecried。’Ourfateistolive/payllos/!Listen：I’vearrangedabusinesswithNathanBen—
JosephatGibraltar。Hehascottonstuffsthathecannotgetthroughtillyoucometofetchthem。Heknowsyou’realive，andreckonsuponyou。WhatwouldourGibraltarcorrespondentssayifyoufailedthem？’
\"Iletmyselfbypersuaded，andtookupmyviletradeoncemore。
\"WhileIwashidingatGranadatherewerebull—fightsthere，towhichCarmenwent。Whenshecamebackshetalkedagreatdealaboutaskilful/picador/ofthenameofLucas。Sheknewthenameofhishorse，andhowmuchhisembroideredjackethadcosthim。Ipaidnoattentiontothis；butafewdayslater，Juanito，theonlyoneofmycomradeswhowasleft，toldmehehadseenCarmenwithLucasinashopintheZacatin。ThenIbegantofeelalarmed。IaskedCarmenhowandwhyshehadmadethe/picador’s/acquaintance。
\"’He’samanoutofwhomwemaybeabletogetsomething，’saidshe。
’Anoisystreamhaseitherwaterinitorpebbles。Hehasearnedtwelvehundredrealsatthebull—fights。Itmustbeoneoftwothings：
wemusteitherhavehismoney，orelse，asheisagoodriderandapluckyfellow，wecanenrollhiminourgang。Wehavelostsuchanoneansuchanone；you’llhavetoreplacethem。Takethismanwithyou!’
\"’Iwantneitherhismoneynorhimself，’Ireplied，’andIforbidyoutospeaktohim。’
\"’Beware!’sheretorted。’Ifanyonedefiesmetodoathing，it’sveryquicklydone。’
\"Luckilythe/picador/departedtoMalaga，andIsetaboutpassingintheJew’scottonstuffs。Thisexpeditiongavemeagreatdealtodo，andCarmenaswell。IforgotLucas，andperhapssheforgothimtoo——
forthemoment，atallevents。Itwasjustaboutthattime，sir，thatImetyou，firstatMontilla，andthenafterwardatCordova。Iwon’ttalkaboutthatlastinterview。Youknowmoreaboutit，perhaps，thanIdo。Carmenstoleyourwatchfromyou，shewantedtohaveyourmoneybesides，andespeciallythatringIseeonyourfinger，andwhichshedeclaredtobeamagicring，thepossessionofwhichwasveryimportanttoher。Wehadaviolentquarrel，andIstruckher。Sheturnedpaleandbegantocry。ItwasthefirsttimeIhadeverseenhercry，anditaffectedmeinthemostpainfulmanner。Ibeggedhertoforgiveme，butshesulkedwithmeforawholeday，andwhenI
startedbacktoMontillashewouldn’tkissme。Myheartwasstillverysore，when，threedayslater，shejoinedmewithasmilingfaceandasmerryasalark。Everythingwasforgotten，andwewerelikeapairofhoneymoonlovers。Justaswewerepartingshesaid，’There’sa/fete/
atCordova；Ishallgoandseeit，andthenIshallknowwhatpeoplewillbecomingawaywithmoney，andIcanwarnyou。’
\"Ilethergo。WhenIwasaloneIthoughtaboutthe/fete/，andaboutthechangeinCarmen’stemper。’Shemusthaveavengedherselfalready，’saidItomyself，’sinceshewasthefirsttomakeourquarrelup。’Apeasanttoldmetherewastobebull—fightingatCordova。Thenmybloodbegantoboil，andIwentofflikeamadmanstraighttothebull—ring。IhadLucaspointedouttome，andonthebench，justbesidethebarrier，IrecognisedCarmen。Oneglanceatherwasenoughtoturnmysuspicionintocertainty。WhenthefirstbullappearedLucasbegan，asIhadexpectedtoplaytheagreeable；hesnatchedthecockadeoffthebullandpresentedittoCarmen，whoputitinherhairatonce。*
*/Ladivisa/。Aknotofribbon，thecolourofwhichindicatesthepasturagefromwhicheachbullcomes。Thisknotofribbonisfastenedintothebull’shidewithasortofhook，anditisconsideredtheveryheightofgallantrytosnatchitoffthelivingbeastandpresentittoawoman。
\"Thebullavengedme。Lucaswasknockeddown，withhishorseonhischest，andthebullontopofbothofthem。IlookedforCarmen，shehaddisappearedfromherplacealready。Icouldn’tgetoutofmine，andIwasobligedtowaituntilthebull—fightwasover。ThenIwentofftothathouseyoualreadyknow，andwaitedtherequietlyallthateveningandpartofthenight。Towardtwoo’clockinthemorningCarmencameback，andwasrathersurprisedtoseeme。
\"’Comewithme，’saidI。
\"’Verywell，’saidshe，’let’sbeoff。’
\"Iwentandgotmyhorse，andtookherupbehindme，andwetravelledalltherestofthenightwithoutsayingawordtoeachother。Whendaylightcamewestoppedatalonelyinn，notfarfromahermitage。
ThereIsaidtoCarmen：
\"’Listen——Iforgeteverything，Iwon’tmentionanythingtoyou。Butswearonethingtome——thatyou’llcomewithmetoAmerica，andlivetherequietly!’
\"’No，’saidshe，inasulkyvoice，’Iwon’tgotoAmerica——Iamverywellhere。’
\"’That’sbecauseyou’renearLucas。Butbeverysurethatevenifhegetswellnow，hewon’tmakeoldbones。And，indeed，whyshouldI
quarrelwithhim？I’mtiredofkillingallyourlovers；I’llkillyouthistime。’
\"Shelookedatmesteadilywithherwildeyes，andthenshesaid：
\"’I’vealwaysthoughtyouwouldkillme。TheveryfirsttimeIsawyouIhadjustmetapriestatthedoorofmyhouse。Andto—night，asweweregoingoutofCordova，didn’tyouseeanything？Ahareranacrosstheroadbetweenyourhorse’sfeet。Itisfate。’
\"’Carmencita，’Iasked，’don’tyoulovemeanymore？’
\"Shegavemenoanswer，shewassittingcross—leggedonamat，makingmarksonthegroundwithherfinger。
\"’Letuschangeourlife，Carmen，’saidIimploringly。’Letusgoawayandlivesomewhereweshallneverbeparted。Youknowwehaveahundredandtwentygoldouncesburiedunderanoaknotfarfromhere，andthenwehavemoremoneywithBen—JosephtheJew。’
\"Shebegantosmile，andthenshesaid，’Mefirst，andthenyou。I
knowitwillhappenlikethat。’
\"’Thinkaboutit，’saidI。’I’vecometotheendofmypatienceandmycourage。Makeupyourmind——orelseImustmakeupmine。’
\"Ileftheraloneandwalkedtowardthehermitage。Ifoundthehermitpraying。Iwaitedtillhisprayerwasfinished。Ilongedtopraymyself，butIcouldn’t。WhenheroseupfromhiskneesIwenttohim。
\"’Father，’Isaid，’willyouprayforsomeonewhoisingreatdanger？’
\"’Iprayforeveryonewhoisafflicted，’hereplied。
\"’CanyousayamassforasoulwhichisperhapsabouttogointothepresenceofitsMaker？’
\"’Yes，’heanswered，lookinghardatme。
\"Andastherewassomethingstrangeaboutme，hetriedtomakemetalk。
\"’ItseemstomethatIhaveseenyousomewhere，’saidhe。
\"Ilaidapiastreonhisbench。
\"’Whenshallyousaythemass？’saidI。
\"’Inhalfanhour。Thesonoftheinnkeeperyonderiscomingtoserveit。Tellme，youngman，haven’tyousomethingonyourconsciencethatistormentingyou？WillyoulistentoaChristian’scounsel？’
\"Icouldhardlyrestrainmytears。ItoldhimIwouldcomeback，andhurriedaway。IwentandlaydownonthegrassuntilIheardthebell。
ThenIwentbacktothechapel，butIstayedoutsideit。Whenhehadsaidthemass，Iwentbacktothe/venta/。IwashopingCarmenwouldhavefled。Shecouldhavetakenmyhorseandriddenaway。ButIfoundhertherestill。ShedidnotchoosethatanyoneshouldsayIhadfrightenedher。WhileIhadbeenawayshehadunfastenedthehemofhergownandtakenouttheleadthatweightedit；andnowshewassittingbeforeatable，lookingintoabowlofwaterintowhichshehadjustthrowntheleadshehadmelted。Shewassobusywithherspellsthatatfirstshedidn’tnoticemyreturn。Sometimesshewouldtakeoutabitofleadandturnitroundeverywaywithamelancholylook。Sometimesshewouldsingoneofthosemagicsongs，whichinvokethehelpofMariaPadella，DonPedro’smistress，whoissaidtohavebeenthe/BariCrallisa/——thegreatgipsyqueen。*
*MariaPadellawasaccusedofhavingbewitchedDonPedro。AccordingtoonepopulartraditionshepresentedQueenBlancheofBourbonwithagoldengirdlewhich，intheeyesofthebewitchedking，tookontheappearanceofalivingsnake。Hencetherepugnancehealwaysshowedtowardtheunhappyprincess。
\"’Carmen，’Isaidtoher，’willyoucomewithme？’Sherose，threwawayherwoodenbowl，andputhermantillaoverherheadreadytostart。Myhorsewasledup，shemountedbehindme，andwerodeaway。
\"AfterwehadgonealittledistanceIsaidtoher，’So，myCarmen，youarequitereadytofollowme，isn’tthatso？’
\"Sheanswered，’Yes，I’llfollowyou，eventodeath——butIwon’tlivewithyouanymore。’
\"Wehadreachedalonelygorge。Istoppedmyhorse。
\"’Isthistheplace？’shesaid。
\"Andwithaspringshereachedtheground。Shetookoffhermantillaandthrewitatherfeet，andstoodmotionless，withonehandonherhip，lookingatmesteadily。
\"’Youmeantokillme，Iseethatwell，’saidshe。’Itisfate。Butyou’llnevermakemegivein。’
\"Isaidtoher：’Berational，Iimploreyou；listentome。Allthepastisforgotten。Yetyouknowitisyouwhohavebeenmyruin——itisbecauseofyouthatIamarobberandamurderer。Carmen，myCarmen，letmesaveyou，andsavemyselfwithyou。’
\"’Jose，’sheanswered，’whatyouaskisimpossible。Idon’tloveyouanymore。Youlovemestill，andthatiswhyyouwanttokillme。IfI
liked，Imighttellyousomeotherlie，butIdon’tchoosetogivemyselfthetrouble。Everythingisoverbetweenustwo。Youaremy/rom/，andyouhavetherighttokillyour/romi/，butCarmenwillalwaysbefree。A/calli/shewasborn，anda/calli/she’lldie。’
\"’Then，youloveLucas？’Iasked。
\"’Yes，Ihavelovedhim——asIlovedyou——foraninstant——lessthanI
lovedyou，perhaps。ButnowIdon’tloveanything，andIhatemyselfforeverhavinglovedyou。’
\"Icastmyselfatherfeet，Iseizedherhands，Iwateredthemwithmytears，Iremindedherofallthehappymomentswehadspenttogether，Iofferedtocontinuemybrigand’slife，ifthatwouldpleaseher。
Everything，sir，everything——Iofferedhereverythingifshewouldonlylovemeagain。
\"Shesaid：
\"’Loveyouagain？That’snotpossible!Livewithyou？Iwillnotdoit!’
\"Iwaswildwithfury。Idrewmyknife，Iwouldhavehadherlookfrightened，andsueformercy——butthatwomanwasademon。
\"Icried，’ForthelasttimeIaskyou。Willyoustaywithme？’
\"’No!no!no!’shesaid，andshestampedherfoot。
\"ThenshepulledaringIhadgivenheroffherfinger，andcastitintothebrushwood。
\"Istruckhertwiceover——IhadtakenGarcia’sknife，becauseIhadbrokenmyown。Atthesecondthrustshefellwithoutasound。ItseemstomethatIcanstillseehergreatblackeyesstaringatme。Thentheygrewdimandthelidsclosed。
\"ForagoodhourIlaythereprostratebesidehercorpse。ThenI
recollectedthatCarmenhadoftentoldmethatshewouldliketolieburiedinawood。Idugagraveforherwithmyknifeandlaidherinit。Ihuntedaboutalongtimeforherring，andIfounditatlast。I
putitintothegravebesideher，withalittlecross——perhapsIdidwrong。ThenIgotuponmyhorse，gallopedtoCordova，andgavemyselfupatthenearestguard—room。ItoldthemIhadkilledCarmen，butI
wouldnottellthemwhereherbodywas。Thathermitwasaholyman!Heprayedforher——hesaidamassforhersoul。Poorchild!It’sthe/calle/whoaretoblameforhavingbroughtherupastheydid。\"
CHAPTERIV
Spainisoneofthecountriesinwhichthosenomads，scatteredalloverEurope，andknownasBohemians，Gitanas，Gipsies，Ziegeuner，andsoforth，arenowtobefoundinthegreatestnumbers。Mostofthesepeoplelive，orratherwanderhitherandthither，inthesouthernandeasternprovincesofSpain，inAndalusia，andEstramadura，inthekingdomofMurcia。ThereareagreatmanyoftheminCatalonia。TheselastfrequentlycrossoverintoFranceandaretobeseenatalloursouthernfairs。Themengenerallycallthemselvesgrooms，horsedoctors，mule—clippers；tothesetradestheyaddthemendingofsaucepansandbrassutensils，nottomentionsmugglingandotherillicitpractices。Thewomentellfortunes，beg，andsellallsortsofdrugs，someofwhichareinnocent，whilesomearenot。Thephysicalcharacteristicsofthegipsiesaremoreeasilydistinguishedthendescribed，andwhenyouhaveknownone，youshouldbeabletorecogniseamemberoftheraceamongathousandothermen。Itisbytheirphysiognomyandexpression，especially，thattheydifferfromtheotherinhabitantsofthesamecountry。Theircomplexionisexceedinglyswarthy，alwaysdarkerthanthatoftheraceamongwhomtheylive。Hencethenameof/cale/（blacks）whichtheyfrequentlyapplytothemselves。*Theireyes，setwithadecidedslant，arelarge，veryblack，andshadedbylongandheavylashes。Theirglancecanonlybecomparedtothatofawildcreature。Itisfullatonceofboldnessandshyness，andinthisrespecttheireyesareafairindicationoftheirnationalcharacter，whichiscunning，bold，butwith\"thenaturalfearofblows，\"likePanurge。Mostofthemenarestrappingfellows，slightandactive。Idon’tthinkIeversawagipsywhohadgrownfat。InGermanythegipsywomenareoftenverypretty；butbeautyisveryuncommonamongtheSpanishgitanas。Whenveryyoung，theymaypassasbeingattractiveintheirugliness，butoncetheyhavereachedmotherhood，theybecomeabsolutelyrepulsive。Thefilthinessofbothsexesisincredible，andnoonewhohasnotseenagipsymatron’shaircanformanyconceptionofwhatitis，notevenifheconjuresuptheroughest，thegreasiest，andthedustiestheadsimaginable。InsomeofthelargeAndalusiantownscertainofthegipsygirls，somewhatbetterlookingthantheirfellows，willtakemorecareoftheirpersonalappearance。Thesegooutandearnmoneybyperformingdancesstronglyresemblingthoseforbiddenatourpublicballsincarnivaltime。AnEnglishmissionary，Mr。Borrow，theauthoroftwoveryinterestingworksontheSpanishgipsies，whomheundertooktoconvertonbehalfoftheBibleSociety，declaresthereisnoinstanceofanygitanashowingthesmallestweaknessforamannotbelongingtoherownrace。Thepraisehebestowsupontheirchastitystrikesmeasbeingexceedinglyexaggerated。Inthefirstplace，thegreatmajorityareinthepositionoftheuglywomandescribedbyOvid，\"/Castaquamnemorogavit/。\"Asfortheprettyones，theyare，likeallSpanishwomen，veryfastidiousinchoosingtheirlovers。
Theirfancymustbetaken，andtheirfavourmustbeearned。Mr。Borrowquotes，inproofoftheirvirtue，onetraitwhichdoeshonourtohisown，andespeciallytohissimplicity：hedeclaresthatanimmoralmanofhisacquaintanceofferedseveralgoldouncestoaprettygitana，andofferedtheminvain。AnAndalusian，towhomIretailedthisanecdote，assertedthattheimmoralmaninquestionwouldhavebeenfarmoresuccessfulifhehadshownthegirltwoorthreepiastres，andthattooffergoldouncestoagipsywasaspooramethodofpersuasionastopromiseacoupleofmillionstoatavernwench。
Howeverthatmaybe，itiscertainthatthegitanashowsthemostextraordinarydevotiontoherhusband。Thereisnodangerandnosufferingshewillnotbrave，tohelphiminhisneed。Oneofthenameswhichthegipsiesapplytothemselves，/Rome/，or\"themarriedcouple，\"seemstomeaproofoftheirracialrespectforthemarriedstate。Speakinggenerally，itmaybeassertedthattheirchiefvirtueistheirpatriotism——ifwemaythusdescribethefidelitytheyobserveinalltheirrelationswithpersonsofthesameoriginastheirown，theirreadinesstohelponeanother，andtheinviolablesecrecywhichtheykeepforeachother’sbenefit，inallcompromisingmatters。Andindeedsomethingofthesamesortmaybenoticedinallmysteriousassociationswhicharebeyondthepaleofthelaw。
*IthasstruckmethattheGermangipsies，thoughtheythoroughlyunderstandtheword/cale/，donotcaretobecalledbythatname。
Amongthemselvestheyalwaysusethedesignation/Romanetchave/。
Somemonthsago，IpaidavisittoagipsytribeintheVosgescountry。Inthehutofanoldwoman，theoldestmemberofthetribe，I
foundagipsy，innowayrelatedtothefamily，whowassickofamortaldisease。Themanhadleftahospital，wherehewaswellcaredfor，sothathemightdieamonghisownpeople。Forthirteenweekshehadbeenlyinginbedintheirencampment，andreceivingfarbettertreatmentthananyofthesonsandsons—in—lawwhosharedhisshelter。
Hehadagoodbedmadeofstrawandmoss，andsheetsthatweretolerablywhite，whereasalltherestofthefamily，whichnumberedelevenpersons，sleptonplanksthreefeetlong。Somuchfortheirhospitality。Thisverysamewoman，humaneaswashertreatmentofherguestsaidtomeconstantlybeforethesickman：\"/Singo，singo，homtehimulo/。\"\"Soon，soonhemustdie!\"Afterall，thesepeoplelivesuchmiserablelives，thatareferencetotheapproachofdeathcanhavenoterrorsforthem。
Oneremarkablefeatureinthegipsycharacteristheirindifferenceaboutreligion。Notthattheyarestrong—mindedorsceptical。Theyhavenevermadeanyprofessionofatheism。Farfromthat，indeed，thereligionofthecountrywhichtheyinhabitisalwaystheirs；buttheychangetheirreligionwhentheychangethecountryoftheirresidence。
Theyareequallyfreefromthesuperstitionswhichreplacereligiousfeelinginthemindsofthevulgar。How，indeed，cansuperstitionexistamongaracewhich，asarule，makesitslivelihoodoutofthecredulityofothers？Nevertheless，IhaveremarkedaparticularhorroroftouchingacorpseamongtheSpanishgipsies。Veryfewofthesecouldbeinducedtocarryadeadmantohisgrave，eveniftheywerepaidforit。
Ihavesaidthatmostgipsywomenundertaketotellfortunes。Theydothisverysuccessfully。Buttheyfindamuchgreatersourceofprofitinthesaleofcharmsandlove—philters。Notonlydotheysupplytoads’clawstoholdficklehearts，andpowderedloadstonetokindleloveincoldones，butifnecessityarises，theycanusemightyincantations，whichforcethedeviltolendthemhisaid。LastyearthefollowingstorywasrelatedtomebyaSpanishlady。Shewaswalkingonedayalongthe/Called’Alcala/，feelingverysadandanxious。Agipsywomanwhowassquattingonthepavementcalledouttoher，\"Myprettylady，yourloverhasplayedyoufalse!\"（Itwasquitetrue。）\"ShallIgethimbackforyou？\"Myreaderswillimaginewithwhatjoytheproposalwasaccepted，andhowcompletewastheconfidenceinspiredbyapersonwhocouldthusguesstheinmostsecretsoftheheart。AsitwouldhavebeenimpossibletoproceedtoperformtheoperationsofmagicinthemostcrowdedstreetinMadrid，ameetingwasarrangedforthenextday。\"Nothingwillbeeasierthantobringbackthefaithlessonetoyourfeet!\"saidthegitana。\"Doyouhappentohaveahandkerchief，ascarf，oramantilla，thathegaveyou？\"Asilkenscarfwashandedher。\"Nowsewapiastreintoonecornerofthescarfwithcrimsonsilk——sewhalfapiastreintoanothercorner——sewapesetahere——andatwo—realpiecethere；then，inthemiddleyoumustsewagoldcoin——adoubloonwouldbebest。\"Thedoubloonandalltheothercoinsweredulysewnin。\"Nowgivemethescarf，andI’lltakeittotheCampoSantowhenmidnightstrikes。Youcomealongwithme，ifyouwanttoseeafinepieceofwitchcraft。I
promiseyoushallseethemanyouloveto—morrow!\"ThegipsydepartedalonefortheCampoSanto，sincemySpanishfriendwastoomuchafraidofwitchcrafttogotherewithher。Ileavemyreaderstoguesswhethermypoorforsakenladyeversawherlover，orherscarf，again。
Inspiteoftheirpovertyandthesortofaversiontheyinspire，thegipsiesaretreatedwithacertainamountofconsiderationbythemoreignorantfolk，andtheyareveryproudofit。Theyfeelthemselvestobeasuperiorraceasregardsintelligence，andtheyheartilydespisethepeoplewhosehospitalitytheyenjoy。\"TheseGentilesaresostupid，\"saidoneoftheVosgesgipsiestome，\"thatthereisnocreditintakingthemin。Theotherdayapeasantwomancalledouttomeinthestreet。Iwentintoherhouse。Herstovesmokedandsheaskedmetogiveheracharmtocureit。FirstofallImadehergivemeagoodbitofbacon，andthenIbegantomumbleafewwordsin/Romany/。’You’reafool，’Isaid，’youwerebornafool，andyou’lldieafool!’WhenIhadgotnearthedoorIsaidtoher，ingoodGerman，’Themostcertainwayofkeepingyourstovefromsmokingisnottolightanyfireinit!’andthenItooktomyheels。\"
Thehistoryofthegipsiesisstillaproblem。Weknow，indeed，thattheirfirstbands，whichwerefewandfarbetween，appearedinEasternEuropetowardsthebeginningofthefifteenthcentury。Butnobodycantellwhencetheystarted，orwhytheycametoEurope，and，whatisstillmoreextraordinary，nooneknowshowtheymultiplied，withinashorttime，andinsoprodigiousafashion，andinseveralcountries，allveryremotefromeachother。Thegipsiesthemselveshavepreservednotraditionwhatsoeverastotheirorigin，andthoughmostofthemdospeakofEgyptastheiroriginalfatherland，thatisonlybecausetheyhaveadoptedaveryancientfablerespectingtheirrace。
MostoftheOrientalistswhohavestudiedthegipsylanguagebelievethatthecradleoftheracewasinIndia。Itappears，infact，thatmanyoftherootsandgrammaticalformsofthe/Romany/tonguearetobefoundinidiomsderivedfromtheSanskrit。Asmaybeimagined，thegipsies，duringtheirlongwanderings，haveadoptedmanyforeignwords。Inevery/Romany/dialectanumberofGreekwordsappear。
Atthepresentdaythegipsieshavealmostasmanydialectsasthereareseparatehordesoftheirrace。Everywhere，theyspeakthelanguageofthecountrytheyinhabitmoreeasilythantheirownidiom，whichtheyseldomuse，exceptwiththeobjectofconversingfreelybeforestrangers。AcomparisonofthedialectoftheGermangipsieswiththatusedbytheSpanishgipsies，whohaveheldnocommunicationwitheachotherforseveralcenturies，revealstheexistenceofagreatnumberofwordscommontoboth。Buteverywheretheoriginallanguageisnotablyaffected，thoughindifferentdegrees，byitscontactwiththemorecultivatedlanguagesintotheuseofwhichthenomadshavebeenforced。GermaninonecaseandSpanishintheotherhavesomodifiedthe/Romany/groundworkthatitwouldnotbepossibleforagipsyfromtheBlackForesttoconversewithoneofhisAndalusianbrothers，althoughafewsentencesoneachsidewouldsufficetoconvincethemthateachwasspeakingadialectofthesamelanguage。Certainwordsinveryfrequentuseare，Ibelieve，commontoeverydialect。Thus，ineveryvocabularywhichIhavebeenabletoconsult，/pani/meanswater，/manro/meansbread，/mas/standsformeat，and/lon/forsalt。
Thenounsofnumberarealmostthesameineverycase。TheGermandialectseemstomemuchpurerthantheSpanish，forithaspreservednumbersoftheprimitivegrammaticalforms，whereastheGitanoshaveadoptedthoseoftheCastiliantongue。Nevertheless，somewordsareanexception，asthoughtoprovethatthelanguagewasoriginallycommontoall。ThepreteriteoftheGermandialectisformedbyadding/ium/
totheimperative，whichisalwaystherootoftheverb。IntheSpanish/Romany/theverbsareallconjugatedonthemodelofthefirstconjugationoftheCastilianverbs。From/jamar/，theinfinitiveof\"toeat，\"theregularconjugationshouldbe/jame/，\"Ihaveeaten。\"
From/lillar/，\"totake，\"/lille/，\"Ihavetaken。\"Yet，someoldgipsiessay，asanexception，/jayon/and/lillon/。Iamnotacquaintedwithanyotherverbswhichhavepreservedthisancientform。
WhileIamthusshowingoffmysmallacquaintancewiththe/Romany/
language，ImustnoticeafewwordsofFrenchslangwhichourthieveshaveborrowedfromthegipsies。From/LesMysteresdeParis/honestfolkhavelearnedthattheword/chourin/means\"aknife。\"Thisispure/Romany/——/tchouri/isoneofthewordswhichiscommontoeverydialect。MonsieurVidocqcallsahorse/gres/——thisagainisagipsyword——/gras/，/gre/，/graste/，and/gris/。Addtothistheword/romanichel/，bywhichthegipsiesaredescribedinParisianslang。
Thisisacorruptionof/romanetchave/——\"gipsylads。\"ButapieceofetymologyofwhichIamreallyproudisthatoftheword/frimousse/，\"face，\"\"countenance\"——awordwhicheveryschoolboyuses，ordiduse，inmytime。Note，inthefirstplace，theOudin，inhiscuriousdictionary，publishedin1640，wrotetheword/firlimouse/。Nowin/Romany/，/firla/，or/fila/，standsfor\"face，\"andhasthesamemeaning——itisexactlythe/os/oftheLatins。Thecombinationof/firlamui/wasinstantlyunderstoodbyagenuinegipsy，andIbelieveittobetruetothespiritofthegipsylanguage。
IhavesurelysaidenoughtogivethereadersofCarmenafavourableideaofmy/Romany/studies。Iwillconcludewiththefollowingproverb，whichcomesinveryappropriately：/Enretudipandanastiabelamacha/。\"Betweenclosedlipsnoflycanpass。\"