The Spanish Gardener

Brande's wife has abandoned him, leaving him emotionally unsettled. This abandonment is suggested to have hindered his career and worsened his brusque demeanor. The combination of personal loss and professional disappointment colors his outlook as he receives a minor posting in Spain.

British diplomat Harrington Brande takes up a minor provincial consular post in Spain, a disappointment compared to his hopes for a senior position. He travels with his eleven-year-old son Nicholas, whom he teaches at home. He suspects this arrangement may hinder their prospects, and Brande's brusque manner remains unchanged.

Nicholas sees the move as an adventure and quickly forms a friendship with the teenage gardener Jose. He spends his days helping Jose with plants and relaxing in his company. Brande watches with skepticism as his son becomes more engaged with Jose than with his father.

Brande grows jealous of Nicholas's enthusiasm for Jose and tries to monopolize his son's company. He rebukes Nicholas for taking him to watch Jose play pelota and refuses Jose's gift of fish. He bans Nicholas from joining a youth group and even forbids speaking with Jose, punishing Jose by making him clear a large rockery.

While Brande is away on business, the drunken Garcia, the butler/chauffeur, threatens Nicholas with a knife and tries to break into his bedroom. The terrified boy takes refuge overnight with Jose, with whom he has been spending time. The incident reveals the volatile atmosphere in Brande's household.

Garcia convinces Brande that Jose has stolen Nicholas's wristwatch, a watch Garcia himself had stolen. Brande becomes furious, and Jose is arrested on suspicion of theft. The situation spirals quickly from a domestic scare into legal trouble for an innocent person.

Jose is arrested and taken on a train with two armed soldiers guarding him. Brande is aboard the same train and begins to realize his fault as the situation unfolds around him. The transport becomes a tense stage for the consequences of Brande's actions.

In a desperate moment, Jose jumps from the moving train; it is unclear if he survives the fall. Brande's realization of his mistake deepens as he contemplates the fate of the innocent boy he condemned. The rescue or loss of Jose hangs in the balance.

Brande returns home to discover that Nicholas has run away in response to the turmoil around Jose. He searches Jose's family, but they show little sympathy, and the old father hints that they might have fled somewhere else. The household crisis drives the family apart for a time.

On a stormy night, Nicholas finds Jose in a derelict old mill. Brande arrives and tells Jose that he knows he is innocent. The moment brings a tentative path toward reconciliation, with truth beginning to override fear.

Brande and Nicholas prepare to move on to another posting, leaving the Spain chapter behind. Brande apologizes again to Jose for the misunderstandings, signaling a fragile mending of ties even as they depart. The future of the relationship remains open, framed by duty and forgiveness.

As they leave, Jose refuses to accompany them to the station, saying there is much to do where he remains. Brande's apology lingers, but the story closes with Jose's determination to stay and continue his own work. The bond between them ends on a note of hopeful independence and future possibilities.