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| Note: | Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See https://archive.org/details/strangefriendoft00alar |
THE
Strange Friend
OF
Tito Gil
BY
PEDRO A. de ALARCÓN
TRANSLATED FROM
THE SPANISH
BY
MRS. FRANCIS J. A. DARR
ILLUSTRATED
NEW YORK
A. LOVELL & CO.
Copyright, 1890
By LIZZIE S. DARR.
| “Friend! Wait!” | Frontispiece. | |
| Tito and Elena meet at the cathedral | Page | 13 |
| “Thou art forgiven.” | ” | 97 |
| “What city is this?” | ” | 113 |
CHAPTER I.
REWARDS AND SERVICES.
Tito Gil was a poor boy, tall, thin andsallow, with great black eyes, and afrank, open face; badly dressed andawkward, but possessed of a bright happydisposition.
At the time our story opens, he wasabout nineteen years of age; the son, nephew,grand-nephew, cousin and Heaven knows whatmore, to the best of the old Court shoemakers.
His mother, Crispina Lopez, died in givinghim birth, and her husband, Juan Gil, did notregard the child with much affection until helearned that he might be left a widower, fromwhich it may be inferred that the poor shoemaker[6]and Crispina Lopez were an example ofbrief but bad marriages.
Nevertheless, and judging only from appearancesCrispina Lopez deserved to be more sincerelymourned by her husb