E-text prepared by Chuck Greif, Brett Fishburne,
and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
()
The Dead Command
BY
VICENTE BLASCO IBÁÑEZ
From the Spanish
LOS MUERTOS MANDAN
Translation by
FRANCES DOUGLAS
NEW YORK
DUFFIELD & COMPANY
1919
PART FIRST
THE DEAD COMMAND
A MAJORCAN PALACE
Jaime Febrer arose at nine o'clock. Old Antonia, the faithful servantwho cherished the memory of the past glories of the family, and who hadattended upon Jaime from the day of his birth, had been bustling aboutthe room since eight o'clock in the hope of awakening him. As the lightfiltering through the transom of a broad window seemed too dim, sheflung open the worm-eaten blinds. Then she raised the gold-fringed, red,damask drapery which hung like an awning over the ample couch, theancient, lordly, and majestic couch in which many generations of Febrershad been born and in which they had died.
The night before, on returning from the Casino, Jaime had charged hermost earnestly to arouse him early, as he was invited to breakfast atValldemosa. Time to get up! It was the finest of spring mornings; in thegarden birds were singing in the flowery branches swayed by the breezethat blew over the wall from the sea.
The old servant, seeing that her master had at last decided to get outof bed, retreated to the kitchen. Jaime Febrer strolled about the roombefore the open window almost nude. There was no danger of his beingseen. The dwelling opposite was an old palace like his own, a greathouse with few windows. From his room he could see a wall of indefinitecolor, with deep scars, and faint traces of ancient frescoes. It was sonear, the street being extremely narrow, that it seemed as if he mighttouch it with his hand.
Nervous on account of an important event which was to take place in themorning, he had passed a restless night, and the heaviness following theshort and indifferent sleep led him to seek eagerly the invigoratingeffect of cold water. Febrer made a sorry grimace as he bathed in theprimitive, narrow, and uncomfortable tub. Ah poverty! His home wasdevoid of even the most essential conveniences despite its air ofstately luxury, a stateliness