Exc^{mo}. Sr. D. Benigno Quiroga Ballesteros and to his lately
deceased wife, Doña Julia, the muse of at least some of Becquer's
_Rimas_, for an opportunity to examine a couple of albums containing
some of the poet's verse and a most interesting collection of pencil
sketches, which but confirm his admiration for Becquer's artistic
talent. Here is a list of the sketches:

_First Album:_

Lucia di Lamermoor--Eleven sketches, including frontispiece.

A dream, or rather a nightmare, in which a man is pictured in a
restless sleep, with a small devil perched upon his knees, who
causes to fly as a kite above the sleeper's head a woman in graceful
floating garments.

A fat and jolly horned devil in the confessional box, with a
confessor of the fair sex kneeling at one side, while at the extreme
right two small acolytes point out to each other a suspicious
looking tail that protrudes from beneath her skirts, thus stamping
her as Satan's own.

A belfry window with a swinging bell, and bestriding the bell a
skeleton tightly clutching the upper part of it--ringing the
_ánimas_ perhaps.

Gustavo himself seated smoking, leaning back in his chair, and in
the smoke that rises a series of women, some with wings.

A nun in horror at discovering, as she turns down the covers of her