But I take my chance of that because you suit me in another way.

Perhaps you may scarcely know it yourself, but you have beauty, senor, beauty of a very rare and singular type, which half the ladies of Seville will praise when they come to know you.' 'I am much flattered,' I said, 'but might I ask what all these compliments may mean?
To be brief, what is your offer ?' 'To be brief then, it is this.

I am in need of an assistant who must possess all the qualities that I see in you, but most of all one which I can only guess you to possess--discretion.

That assistant would not be ill-paid; this house would be at his disposal, and he would have opportunities of learning the world such as are given to few.

What say you ?' 'I say this, senor, that I should wish to know more of the business in which I am expected to assist.