Now he is a
general, and already distinguished."
They were nearer right in their surmises than even themselves were
aware of. It was very true that Captain Bezan, the unknown soldier,
and General Bezan, the queen's favorite, honored by orders, and
entrusted with important commissions, successful in desperate
battles, and the hero of the civil war, were two very different
individuals. No one realized this more acutely than did Lorenzo
Bezan himself. No step towards preferment and honor did he make
without comparing his situation with the humble lieutenant's birth
that he filled when he first knew Isabella Gonzales, and when his
hopes had run so high, as it regarded winning her love.
Of all the beauty and rank of the Castilian court, at the period of
which we write, the Countess Moranza was universality pronounced the
queen of beauty. A lineal descendant of the throne, her position
near the queen was of such a nature as to give her great influence,
and to cause her favor to be sought with an earnestness only second
to the service rendered to the queen herself. Her sway over the
hearts of men had been unlimited; courted and sought after by the
nobles of the land, her heart had never yet been touched, or her
favors granted beyond the proud civility that her birth, rank and
position at court entitled her to dispense.
Pages:
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172