Even the
queen, herself, had observed it; but it was a delicate subject, and
not to be spoken of lightly to him.
Lorenzo Bezan had most mysteriously found the passage to the queen's
good graces, and she delighted to honor him by important
commissions; so two years had not yet passed away, when the epaulets
of a general were presented to the young and ambitious soldier!
Simply outranked now by General Harero, who had so persecuted him,
in point of the date of his commission, he far outstretched that
selfish officer in point of the honors that had been conferred upon
him by the throne; and being now economical with the handsome
professional income he enjoyed, he was fast amassing a pecuniary
fortune that of itself was a matter of no small importance, not only
to himself, but also in the eyes of the world.
Among the courtiers he had already many enemies, simply because of
his rise and preferment, and he was known as the favorite of the
queen. Some even hinted darkly that she entertained for him feelings
of a more tender nature than the court knew of, and that his
promotion would not stop at a general's commission, and perhaps not
short of commander-in-chief of the armies of Spain.
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