New Book - El 19 de marzo y el 2 de mayo - Episodios Nacionales 3 - by Benito Pérez Galdós (Pages 1 - 15)

 First Published: 1873

It is March 1808, and now Gabriel works in a printing house. 

It is not the most motivating job in the world, so she looks forward to Sundays, when he can visit his friend, Inés, who now lives in Aranjuez with her uncle, Don Celestino. After many years waiting for a position, Celestino now has his own parish in Aranjuez.

During one of Gabriel's visits, Celestino tells him and Ines that he has received a letter from her mother's cousins, D Mauro and Doña Restituta Requejo, who are quite well-heeled. From his conversations with Ines's latea mother, Juana, and Ines herself, Gabriel knows that these two cousins have never cared for Inés, but in Mauro's letter he says that he has the intention to take Inés in and even make her the heiress to his estate. That day Mauro and Restituta come visiting, and they go over the top to praise Ines, and Mauro says that she will have all the luxuries and comforts that he can give her, and one day she will marry a rich bachelor thanks to her position in Mauro's household. The cousins want Ines to go with them that very day. When they leave to visit some land they own in Aranjuez, Gabriel tells Celestino that he thinks that these two are not honest, and he suspects that they have learnt that Ines is not Juana's birth daughter, but her mother is an unknown woman of noble lineage. So they want to use Inés for their own benefit. Celestino says that he can't give Inés what she deserves, and he will be happy for her to have whatever she wants and needs. When Gabriel argues, Celestina adds that if Inés is unhappy there, she can return whenever she wants. Gabriel reluctantly has to admit that he has nothing to offer her, so Inés goes with her cousins even though she clearly doesn't want to.

When Gabriel and Celestino are alone, the former says that he needs a position in the administration which will make it possible for him to marry Inés, and since Celestino has an appointment with Godoy, he wants to go with him and ask for a position. So that is what they do the next day.

Very interesting like always. The Episodios Nacionales are really a good series of novels which mix history and the story of Gabriel. I can't wait to find out more.