A Spanish Romance

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In a small Spanish town, some forty years ago, an innkeeper, kind and good-natured, sits dozing in his chair. Presently an English tourist appears and he jumps up and ushers the guest inside. The landlord and the tourist take seats and converse over a bottle of wine. In a short time Donna Inez, daughter of Don Jose, a military man, passes by, accompanied by her governess, Donna Maria. The tourist watches them with interest, then leaves the hotel. He comes upon the ladies, and as the young woman deftly drops a note it is evident that they are not strangers. The missive states that her father wishes her to marry an old grandee, but that she loves the young Englishman and implores his assistance. The tourist presses the note to his lips, turns and hurries up the street. In her daintily furnished boudoir, Inez and Maria are seated on a couch unwinding a rope ladder to see if it is in good condition. They fasten it to the balcony outside and re-enter the room as a bolt of thunder and a flash of lightning warn them of an approaching storm. In the garden beneath the balcony the young lover comes from behind the trees and whistles. The ladder is lowered and the young man climbs to the balcony. He seizes Inez in his arms and the lovers sit on the couch talking earnestly when a knock at the door startles them. The Englishman is hustled outside as the father and the man of his choice enter. The prospective husband is presented to Inez and acts the gallant lover. The young lady is distressed over her lover as the thunder and lightning increase in volume. She rushes to the balcony, returns with the young Englishman, drenched to the skin. He remains a few moments, planning an elopement, then takes an affectionate farewell. The following evening Inez, with her governess, elopes with her lover. The lovers have not gotten to the ground when Don Jose, gesticulating wildly, appears in the balcony above. He starts to descend, when the younger man pulls down the ladder, leaving the irate father clinging to the balcony. The young couple leave the garden, locking the gate behind them, mount a horse which is in waiting, and dash down the street to the beach, where a boat awaits them. The sailors cut loose and pull out from the shore as the father and the "near" husband reach the beach. On the deck of the British vessel, the captain and first officer are promenading the deck, occasionally looking out to sea through their glasses. Presently Inez and her English lover climb over the side and are warmly welcomed by his countrymen. The chaplain is summoned and, surrounded by officers and sailors, the young tourist and his Spanish sweetheart are made man and wife.