The alguazil, in despair at finding that the Breton had no money to bribe with, thought to indemnify himself by extorting something from the mistress of the house.  He called for her, and in she came half dressed, and when she saw and heard the Breton bawling for his money, Colindres crying in her shift, the alguazil storming, the attorney in a passion, and the bailiffs ransacking the room, she was in no very good humour.  The alguazil ordered her to put on her clothes and be off with him to prison, for allowing men and women to meet for bad purposes in her house.  Then indeed the row grew more furious than ever.  “Senor Alguazil and Senor Attorney,” said the hostess, “none of your tricks upon me, for I know a thing or two, I tell you.  Give me none of your blustering, but shut your mouth, and go your ways in God’s name, otherwise by my faith I’ll pitch the house out of the windows, and blow upon you all; for I am well acquainted with the Senora Colendres, and I know moreover that for many months past she has been kept by the Senor Alguazil; so don’t provoke me to let out any more, but give this gentleman back his money, and let us all part good friends, for I am a respectable woman, and I have a husband with his patent of nobility with its leaden seals all hanging to it, God be thanked! and I carry on this business with the greatest propriety.  I have the table of charges hung up where everybody may see it, so don’t meddle with me, or by the Lord I’ll soon settle your business.  It is no affair of mine if women come in with my lodgers; they have the keys of their rooms, and I am not a lynx to see through seven walls.”

My masters were astounded at the harangue of the landlady, and at finding how well acquainted she was with the story of their lives; but seeing there was nobody else from whom they could squeeze money, they still pretended that they meant to drag her to prison.  She appealed to heaven against the unreasonableness and injustice of their behaving in that manner when her husband was absent, and he too a man of such quality.  The Breton bellowed for his fifty crowns; the bailiffs persisted in declaring that they had never set eyes on the breeches, God forbid!  The attorney privately urged the alguazil to search Colindres’ clothes, for he suspected she must have possessed herself of the fifty crowns, since it was her custom to grope in the pockets of those who took up with her company.  Colindres declared that the Breton was drunk, and that it was all a lie about his money.  All in short was confusion, oaths, and bawling, and there would have been no end to the uproar if the lieutenant corregidor had not just then entered the room, having heard the noise as he was going his rounds.  He asked what it was all about, and the landlady replied with great copiousness of detail.  She told him who was the damsel Colindres (who by this time had got her clothes on), made known the connection between her and the alguazil, and exposed her plundering tricks;