Note 215 — Chapter VII

M. and D. add here: “for thus does the Holy Spirit advise us.”

“One day a friend of mine ordered a servant in my presence to go to a certain house to ask in his name for the last gazettes from Europa. I advised my friend to give the servant a note, since the latter would doubtless give expression to some bit of nonsense. He took no notice of me, and sent the servant. In fact, the man understood “aceite” [i.e., “olive oil”], for “gaceta” [i.e., “gazette”], and returned with a bottle of olive oil. His master was very much put out, while I burst into a roar of laughter. A peculiar thing is often observed in servants, namely, when one of them is ordered, ‘Go to the house of Don Antonio,’ before the message is finished the servant begins to go; and one has to call him back and say to him, ‘But, man alive, where are you going?’ and, if he is allowed to go, he reaches his destination and says that he has been sent there, and then returns whence he came, or utters some foolish remark.” (Mas, p. 133.)