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Cause for Optimism. For the duchess, the outlook seemed gloomy. But in a surprising move, the press tribunal last week cleared her of the charges, in effect ruling that all works of fiction fall outside existing Spanish legislation. Some observers speculated that in view of conspicuous and longstanding government pressure, the decision represented less a display of leniency from above than a spirited show of independence by the lower courts. The duchess still faces the possibility of trial on similar charges in other courts, but the newly established precedent offered fresh cause for optimism. "In Spain," the duchess once said, "there are two professions that are equally risky: the torero's and the writer's." The writer's will seem a little less so from now on.