que con sólo apretar los dientes se me quedaran en casa. Con ser de aquel malvado, por ventura lo retuviera mejor mi estómago que retuvo la longaniza, y no pareciendo ellas, pudiera negar la demanda. ¡Pluguiera a Dios que lo hubiera hecho, que eso fuera así que así!

     Nos hicieron amigos la mesonera y los que allí estaban, y con el vino que para beber le había traído me lavaron la cara y la garganta. Sobre lo cual discantaba el mal ciego donaires, diciendo:
     -Por verdad, más vino me gasta este mozo en lavatorios al cabo de año que yo bebo en dos. A lo menos, Lázaro, eres en más cargo al vino que a tu padre, porque él una vez te engendró, mas el vino mil te ha dado la vida.
     Y luego contaba cuántas veces me había descalabrado y arpado la cara, y con vino luego sanaba.
     -Yo te digo -dijo- que si hombre en el mundo ha de ser bienaventurado con vino, que serás tu.
     Y reían mucho los que me lavaban con esto, aunque yo renegaba. Mas el pronóstico del ciego no salío mentiroso, y después acá muchas veces me acuerdo del aquel hombre, que sin duda debía tener espíritu de profecía. Y me pesa de los sinsabores que le hice—aunque bien se lo pagué—considerando lo que aquel día me dijo salirme tan verdadero como adelante Vuestra Merced oirá.
     Visto esto y las malas burlas que el ciego burlaba de mí, determiné de todo en todo dejarle. Como lo traía pensado y lo tenía en voluntad, con este postrer juego que me hizo, lo afirmé más. Y fue así, que luego otro día salimos por la villa a pedir limosna, y había llovido mucho la noche antes. Porque el día también llovía, y andaba rezando debajo de unos portales, que en aquel pueblo había, donde no nos mojamos. Mas como la noche se venía, y el llover no cesaba, me dijo el ciego:
     -Lázaro, esta agua es muy porfiada, y cuanto la noche más cierra, más recia; nos acojamos a la posada con tiempo.
     Para ir allá, habíamos de pasar un arroyo que con la mucha agua iba grande. Yo le dije:

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than half way down that road, for, by simply biting down, his nose would have remained behind. Through that bit of wickedness, perhaps my stomach may have retained it better than it retained the sausage and his nostrils, by not making an appearance, might have denied his claim as to my guilt. Would that it had pleased God to yield the deed, for that would have settled it!
     The innkeeper's wife and the others that were there became our friends and, with the wine they had brought to drink, they washed my face and throat. About which the evil blind man decanted witticisms, saying:
     "Truthfully, more wine is spent on this boy in lavations in a year's time than I drink in two. At the very least, Lázaro, you are more a burden to the wine than to your father because he begat you once, but the wine has given you life a thousand times"
     And straightaway he told how many times my head had been wounded and my face torn and afterwards healed with wine.
     "I tell you," he said, "if any man in this world has been blessed with wine, it would be you."
     And those that washed me laughed, though I cursed. But the blind man's prediction didn't turn out to be a lie and many times hereafter I have come to agree with that man, who without a doubt must have had the spirit of prophecy. Yet he tormented me with the troubles I caused him—though I repaid him well—considering what happened on that day I actually got away, as henceforth Your Grace will hear.
     Seeing this and the evil sneering with which the blind man mocked me, I was determined, after all else, to leave him. As this was on my mind and I had willed it so, with this last game he played me for, I asserted it even more. It happened thus: The following day we left for the village to beg alms and it had rained hard the night before. Because it was raining throughout day, he walked along praying under the porticos where we wouldn't get wet. But as the night was coming on and the rain didn't cease, the blind man said to me:
     "Lázaro, this water is very stubborn, the more the night closes about, the heavier it gets. We must find refuge at an inn in good time."
     In order to get there, we had to go through an arroyo, that with all the rain, had greatly enlarged. I told him: