Such things happen to women, Lord,
whose hearts, when they behold the divine, are apt to carry them away
from the vulgar," and he laughed in a silly fashion like the vain old
fool that he was.
"Naturally. How could she help it, Inca? Who, after seeing you, would
wish to turn to Urco?"
"No one, especially as Urco is a coarse and brutal fellow. Well, what
was I to do? There are reasons why I do not wish to marry again at my
age; indeed I am tired of the sight of women, who want time to pray and
think of holy things; also if I had done what she wished, some might
have thought that I had behaved badly to Urco. At the same time, a
woman's heart is sacred and I could not do violence to that of one so
sweet and understanding and lovely. So I put her into the House of the
Virgins of the Sun where she will be quite safe."
"It seems that she was not safe, Inca."
"No, because that violent man, Urco, being disappointed and very
jealous, through some low creature of his, who waited on the Virgins,
tried to poison her with a drug which would have made her all swollen
and hideous and covered her face with blotches, also perhaps have sent
her mad.
Pages:
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354