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 Fourth estate / 
 
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 Library 
 
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THE FOURTH ESTATE 
 
THE 
 
 Fourth Estate 
 
 Authorized translation 
 from the original of 
 A. PALACIO VALDES 
 author of " The "Joy of 
 Captain Ribot" ^^-Jose" 
 etc.^ by Rachel Challice 
 
 N E IF rORK: 
 
 BRENTANO'S. Publishers 
 M C M I 
 

 Copyright, xgoi, by 
 BRENTANO'S 
 
 /Ahii\.^ 
 
 Press of J. J. Little & Co. 
 Astor Place, New York. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. The Curtain Rises 3 
 
 II. Safe Aebival of the "Bella Paula" . . 23 
 
 III. The Engaged Couple Plan the Home . 44 
 
 IV. How the Chief Residents op Sarrio used to 
 
 Meet at the Club, and what Took Place 
 
 There 59 
 
 V. Burglars 86 
 
 VI. Cecilia's Trousseau 100 
 
 VII. Two Traitors 121 
 
 VIII. Meeting held by the Notables of Sarrio in 
 
 Support of the Fourth Estate . . . 143 
 IX. The Story of a Tear . . . .163 
 
 X. Glorious Appearance of " The Light op Sar- 
 rio " ... .... 187 
 
 -^ XI. GoNZALO Marries. — Serious Disturbances among 
 
 THE Members of the Club .... 216 
 
 XII. How Pablito Disports Himself .... 243 
 
 XIII. Some Seckets of Gonzalo's Life are Re- 
 
 vealed 261 
 
 XIV. Gallicisms in " The Light of Sarrio," and Other 
 
 Interesting Incidents. — First Casualties 
 IN the Battle of Thought .... 287 
 XV. Eventful Arrival in Sarrio of the Duke of 
 
 ToRNOs, Count of Bubna Vista . . . 310 
 
 V 
 
Contents 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 XVI. Noteworthy Deeds of the Duke of Toenos in 
 
 Sarrio . . . . . 351 
 
 XVII. QONZALO AND CeOILIA BoTH TaKE IMPORTANT 
 
 Steps . . . . .387 
 
 XVIII. DoSa Brigida Draws Aside the Veil . 407 
 
 XIX. The Stoet Ends with Important and Sad Events. 430 
 
THE FOURTH ESTATE 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE CUETAIN RISES 
 
 Sabbio, the well-known town on the Oantabrian 
 coast, boasted some years ago of a theatre neither 
 bright, light, nor commodious, but quite good enough 
 to afEord entertainment to the pacific, industrious resi- 
 dents during the long winter evenings. 
 
 It was built, as such places mostly are, in the form 
 of a horseshoe, and it consisted of two floors above the 
 ground one. On the first were the boxes — goodness 
 knows why they were so called, for they were nothing 
 but a few benches stuffed with goat's hair and uphol- 
 stered with scarlet flannel, placed behind a balustrade. 
 To take one of these places, a push had to be given to 
 the back, which raised the seat with a spring, and once 
 the person was in it readjusted itself, and he was as com- 
 fortable as a human being can be on an instrument of 
 torture. On the second floor all the rabble vociferated, 
 scuffled, and pushed, irrespective of social distinctions 
 between the well-to-do seaman, the poor mussel-picker 
 from the rocks and pier, and Amalia, the respected 
 dealer, and the sellers in the streets. This part of the 
 house was called the gallery. The stage-boxes were of 
 the same wretched style as the others, and the uphol- 
 
 3 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 stering seemed to be the same, as far as one could see. 
 Beyond them came the parterre, reserved, according to 
 the old-fashioned way, for certain handicraftsmen, who, 
 from their calling, their position as employers, or for 
 any reason, were averse to going up into the gallery and 
 mixing with the common herd. From the roof hung a 
 prismatic cut-glass chandelier, lighted with common oil, 
 which was subsequently replaced by petroleum; but that 
 reform I never saw. Under the staircase leading to the 
 boxes there was an alcove, enclosed by a curtain, which 
 went by the name of "Don Mateo's loge." Of this 
 Don Mateo, more anon. 
 
 Then you must know that in this provincial theatre 
 the same dramas and comedies were played as in the 
 capital, and the same operas given as at La Scala in 
 Milan. Incredible as it seems, it is perfectly true. 
 There the narrator of this story heard for the first time 
 the famous lines: 
 
 " When you hearken to a story of shipwreck. 
 All on earth, e'en to love, is forgotten." 
 
 They certainly struck him as splendid, and the the- 
 atre a marvel of luxury and good taste. Everything in 
 the world depends on imagination. Would that mine 
 were as fresh and vivid as it was in those days, so as to 
 be able to give you a few hours' pleasant amusement ! 
 
 There it was I saw " Don Juan Tenorio," with its flour- 
 whitened corpses, its commander gliding away on a 
 door pulled with cords, its infernal regions made of 
 lighted spirits of wine ; and its apotheosis of paper, 
 stuflBng, and packing-cases made such an impression on 
 me that I never slept that night. In the auditorium the 
 same things went on more or less as in the grandest 
 houses of the capital. However, more attention was 
 
 4 
 
The Curtain Rises 
 
 given to the performance here than in Court theatres, 
 because we had not arrived at that high state of culture 
 in which behavior is in direct contradiction to the 
 place — swearing and chattering in playhouses, laughing 
 and giggling in church, and silence and sedateness at 
 the promenade, after the delightful fashion in Madrid. 
 I do not know if they have attained to this state of cul- 
 ture in Sarrio by now. 
 
 But it must not be thought that there were not some 
 enlightened spirits who were suflBciently advanced to 
 give a sample of correct manners at the theatre. Pablito 
 de Belinchon was one of these. With three or four 
 kindred spirits he had a season ticket for one of the 
 stage-boxes, and from thence they spoke across to other 
 gentlemen, older men, who subscribed to the opposite 
 stage-box. They cracked jokes, they turned the soprano 
 or bass into ridicule, and they threw sweets and pellets 
 of paper. The people in the gallery, not yet conversant 
 with this advanced stage of refinement, loudly insisted 
 on silence. The families of importance arriving, as 
 usual, after the curtain had risen, came in with as much 
 fuss as if they were passing into the dress-circle of the 
 Eoyal Theatre, and, be it said, with much more noise, 
 for it is impossible to imagine the horrible sounds with 
 which the backs of the boxes were pushed back, and the 
 seats dropped, as if on purpose to attract attention. The 
 party now making its pompous entry into one of these 
 boxes remains standing until all wraps are removed, 
 while the eyes of the audience are instantly turned 
 from the stage and fixed upon the newcomers until they 
 are seated. They are the Belinchons. The head of the 
 family is a tall, spare gentleman, with bent shoulders, 
 bald head, small sharp eyes, a large mouth, wreathed 
 with a Mephistophelian smile, disclosing two long even 
 
 6 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 rows of teeth, the chef d'ceuvre of a certain dentist, 
 recently established in Sarrio; he had whiskers and 
 moustache, and his age was about sixty. 
 
 He was reported to be the richest merchant in the 
 town, being one of the chief importers of codfish on the 
 Biscayan coast. For many years he had the entire 
 monopoly of the wholesale trade of this commodity, not 
 only in the town, but in the provinces, and had thus 
 amassed a considerable fortune. 
 
 His wife, Dofla Paula — but why does her arrival 
 excite so much talk in the theatre? The good lady, 
 hearing it, trembles, looks confused, and, being unable 
 to collect herself sufficiently to take ofE her cloak by 
 herself, she is relieved of it by her daughter, who says 
 in her ear: 
 
 " Sit down. Mamma." 
 
 Dofia Paula sits down, or, to speak more correctly, she 
 drops into a seat, and casts an anxious look at the audi- 
 ence, while her cheeks are sufEused with crimson. In 
 vain she tries to collect and calm herself, but the more 
 she tries to keep the blood from rushing to her face the 
 more it mounts to that prominent position. 
 
 " Mamma, how red you are ! " said Venturita, her 
 younger daughter, trying not to laugh. 
 
 The mother looked at her with a pained expression. 
 
 "Hush, Ventura, hush," said Cecilia. 
 
 Dofia Paula then murmured: " The child delights in 
 upsetting me," and nearly burst into tears. 
 
 At last the audience, wearied of tormenting her with 
 their glances, smiles, and whispers, turned their attention 
 to the stage. Dofla Paula's distress gradually dimin- 
 ished, but the traces remained for the rest of the even- 
 ing. 
 
 The cause of the excitement was the velvet mantle, 
 6 
 
The Curtain Rises 
 
 trimmed with far, that the good lady had donned. It 
 was always like this whenever she appeared for the first 
 time in any fine article of apparel. And this for no 
 other reason than because Dofla Paula was not a lady by 
 birth. 
 
 She had belonged to the cigarette-maker class. Don 
 Bosendo had made love to her when she was quite a 
 young girl, and then came the birth of Pablito. How- 
 ever, Don Eosendo let five or six years elapse without 
 marrying, not wishing to hear of matrimony, but con- 
 tinuing to pay court to her and assisting her with money, 
 until finally, vanquished more by the love of the boy 
 than the mother, and more than all by the admonitions 
 of his friends, he decided to offer his hand to Paulina. 
 The town knew nothing of the marriage until it had 
 taken place, secrecy being considered the safest course. 
 Prom thenceforth the life of the cigarette-maker can be 
 divided into different epochs. The first, which lasted 
 for a year, dated from the time of her marriage until 
 the "mantilla appeared." During this epoch she did 
 not go out much, nor was she often seen in public. On 
 Sundays she attended early mass, and the rest of the 
 time she was shut up in the house. When she decided 
 to don the aforementioned mantilla and attend eleven 
 o'clock mass she was the cynosure of all eyes, in church 
 as well as on her way through the streets; and the event 
 was talked about for eight days afterwards. 
 
 The second epoch, which lasted three years, was from 
 the " mantilla episode " to that of " the gloves." The 
 sight of such an adornment on the large dark hands of 
 the ex-cigarette-maker produced an indescribable sensa- 
 tion in the feminine element of the neighborhood; in 
 the streets, in church, and on visits, the ladies met each 
 other with the question : 
 
 7 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " Have you seen ? " 
 
 " Yes, yes ; I have seen." 
 
 And then the tongues were loosed in cruel remarks. 
 
 Then came the third epoch, which lasted four years, 
 and ended with the silk dress, which gave almost as 
 much cause of complaint as the gloves, and produced 
 universal indignation in Sarrio. 
 
 " Do you really mean to say so, Dofia Dolores ? " 
 
 " Who would have thought it ? " 
 
 Dofla Dolores lowered her eyes with a despairing ges- 
 ture. 
 
 Finally the last epoch, the longest of all, for it lasted 
 six years, terminated (oh! horror!) with "the hat." 
 The shudder of disgust that went through the town of 
 Sarrio when Dofla Paula appeared one holiday after- 
 noon at the Promenade with a little hat on her head 
 beats description. It caused quite a sensation: the 
 women of the place made the sign of the cross, as they 
 saw her pass, and remarks were uttered in loud tones so 
 as to reach the person concerned. 
 
 " Look, girl, do for goodness' sake, look at the Serena, 
 and see what she has got on her head." 
 
 Mention must be made that Dofla Paula's mother, 
 grandmother, and great-grandmother had all gone by 
 the name of Serena. It is needless to add that even when 
 the cigarette-maker attained to the dignity of sefiora, she 
 was never by any chance given her proper name. 
 
 When the ladies of Sarrio met each other in the 
 street the following day there were no words to express 
 their horror; they could only raise their eyes to Heaven, 
 make convulsive gesticulations, and utter, with a groan, 
 the word " Hat ! " 
 
 So at that deed of daring, only comparable to those of 
 heroes of antiquity, like Hannibal, Caesar, and Genghis 
 
 8 
 
The Curtain Rises 
 
 Khan, the town remained crushed and dumfounded 
 for some months. Nevertheless, whenever Dofla Paula 
 appeared in public with the abhorred hat upon her 
 head, or with any other departure from her old attire, 
 she was always greeted with a murmur of disapproval. 
 The fault of the matter lay in her never having resented, 
 in public or in private, or even in the sanctum of her 
 own feelings, against this malignant treatment of her 
 fellow-townsfolk. She considered it natural and rea- 
 sonable, and it never occurred to her that it ought not 
 to have been; her ideas of conventionality had never 
 prompted her to rebel against the tyranny of public 
 opinion. She believed in all good faith that in adopting 
 the gloves, the mantilla, or the hat, she had committed 
 a breach of laws both human and divine, and that the 
 murmurs and mocking glances were the just retribution 
 for the infraction. Hence her terror and dismay every 
 time she appeared at the theatre or promenade over- 
 whelmed her with confusion. 
 
 "Why, then," it will be said, "did Dofia Paula 
 dress herself thus ?" 
 
 Those who ask such questions are not well versed in 
 the mysteries of the human heart ; Dofla Paula put on 
 the mantilla, gloves, and hat with the full knowledge of 
 the retribution to come, just as a boy stuffs himself 
 from the sideboard, knowing that he will be punished 
 for the act. Those who have not been brought up in a 
 little town can never know how ardently the hat is de- 
 sired by the artisan. 
 
 It was so with Dofia Paula, old, faded, and withered 
 as she was. As a young girl, she had been pretty, but 
 years, her secluded life, to which she could never accus- 
 tom herself, and, above all, her struggle against public 
 opinion in the adoption of appropriate attire, had pre- 
 
 9 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 maturely aged her ; but she still had beautiful black 
 eyes set in regular and pleasing features. 
 
 The first act was nearly over. A fantastic melo- 
 drama, the name I do not remember, was being per- 
 formed, and the company had brought into play all the 
 scenic apparatus at its disposal. The audience was im- 
 pressed, and received every change of scene with enthu- 
 siastic applause. Pablito, who had spent a month in 
 Madrid the previous year, made light of the perform- 
 ance and winked knowingly at his friend in the front 
 row of the stalls. Then, to show how boring he found 
 it all, he ended by turning his back on the stage, and 
 levelling his opera glasses at the local beauties. Every 
 time that the Russian-leather lorgnettes were turned on 
 one of the fair sex the girl trembled slightly, changed 
 her position, and raised her hand, which slightly shook, 
 to adjust her hair, smiled meaninglessly at her mamma 
 or sister, settled herself afresh, and fixed her eyes on 
 the stage with insistence and decision, but a quick shy 
 glance was soon raised to those round, bright glasses 
 directed at her, and she ended by blushing. Then 
 Pablito, having carried his point, turned his attention 
 to another beauty. He knew them all as well as if they 
 were his sisters, he tutoyed the majority of them, and 
 to several he had even been engaged ; but he was as 
 light and inconsistent in his love affairs as a feather in 
 the air ; the girls had all had to undergo the painful 
 process of disillusion, and finally, wearied of courting 
 his neighbors, he proceeded to exercise his charms on 
 some of the visitors to Sarrio, only, of course, to throw 
 them over, if they imprudently stayed more than a 
 month or two in the town. 
 
 There were weighty reasons for Pablito's power to 
 thus make havoc at his own sweet will in the hearts 
 
 10 
 
The Curtain Rises 
 
 of all the girls of the place, as well as of those from 
 other parts. He was a very aristocratic-looking young 
 fellow of four or five and twenty, of a handsome, manly 
 countenance, and slight well-formed figure. Then he 
 rode splendidly, and drove a tilbury or carriage and 
 four with an ease only seen in Sarrio among coachmen. 
 "When wide trousers were worn, Pablito's looked like 
 skirts, and when tight ones were the fashion his legs 
 looked as slender as a stork's. When high collars were 
 in vogue, Pablito went about half -strangled with his 
 tongue hanging out, and when low ones came in, he 
 had them cut down to his breastbone. These and other 
 striking characteristics made him irresistible. Perhaps 
 some people will not quite credit the universal admira- 
 tion he excited, but I am certain that the girls of the 
 province who read this story will testify to the truth 
 of the fact. 
 
 When the curtain fell, a bent old man with spectacles 
 and a long white beard crept, rather than walked, to the 
 Belinchons' box. 
 
 " Don Mateo ! You never miss a performance," ex- 
 claimed Dofia Paula. 
 
 " Well, what would you have me do at home, Pau- 
 lina?" 
 
 " Tell your beads and go to bed," said Venturita. 
 
 Don Mateo smiled benignantly and answered the pert 
 remark by giving the girl an affectionate tap on her 
 cheek. 
 
 " It is true I ought to do so, my child — but what is 
 to be done ? If I go to bed early I do not sleep — and 
 then I cannot resist the temptation of seeing you pretty 
 little dears." 
 
 Venturita's coquettish expression betrayed her satis- 
 faction at seeing herself admired. 
 
 11 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 "Now, if you were a handsome young man \" 
 
 "1 have been one." 
 
 " In what year was that ? " 
 
 " How naughty ! how naughty the child is ! " ex- 
 claimed Don Mateo, laughing, but he was here inter- 
 rupted by a fit of coughing which lasted for some 
 minutes. 
 
 Don Mateo, an old man, and decrepit not only with 
 age, but with infirmities brought on by a dissipated 
 life, was the delight of the town of Sarrio. No fes- 
 tivity and no public or private entertainment could 
 take place without him. He had been president of the 
 Lyceum, a dancing club, for many years, and nobody 
 thought of having him supplanted. He was also pres- 
 ident of an academy of music, of which he was the 
 founder ; he was treasurer of the artisans' club ; the 
 rebuilding of the theatre now mentioned was due to 
 him ; and as an acknowledgment of the time and money 
 he spent on it, the company permitted him to have the 
 boz, already alluded to, in the alcove under the stair- 
 case, enclosed with curtains. 
 
 He lived on his pension as colonel ; he was married, 
 and had a daughter over thirty years of age, who still 
 went by the name of " the child." It must not be 
 thought by this that Don Mateo was a skittish old man. 
 If he had been, the weaker sex would not have been so 
 profuse in their sympathy and respect for him. His 
 sole pleasure was to see other people amused and happy 
 about him, and he spared himself neither trouble nor 
 efforts in getting up any fresh entertainment. Once 
 his mind was set upon a new idea, his energy never 
 flagged. Sometimes he organized a country ball ; 
 another time he had a stage put up in the large room 
 of the Lyceum, and got up a play j and he occasionally 
 
 12 
 
The Curtain Rises 
 
 chartered a mountebank or musical company. If a 
 week went by without Sarrio having some entertain- 
 ment or other, Don Mateo was in a great state of mind, 
 and had no rest until he had started something. 
 
 Thanks to him, we can safely say that at this period 
 there was no place in Spain where life was rendered so 
 easy and pleasant as at Sarrio, for a constant round of 
 simple amusements engenders union and friendliness 
 among the townsfolk. Moreoyer, Don Mateo was the 
 peacemaker par excellence, for he made a point of 
 smoothing away all the bad feelings and misunder- 
 standings that always crop, up in a town. Unlike bad 
 persons who delight in fanning the flame of dissension, 
 he found delight in repeating to people all the pleasant 
 things he heard of them. 
 
 " Pepita, do you know what Dofia Rosario said just 
 now about the dress you have on ? — ^that it is most ele- 
 gant, recherche, and tasteful." 
 
 Whereupon Pepita, filled with pride as she sat in her 
 box, cast quite an afEectionate glance at Dofia Eosario, 
 little as she liked her. 
 
 Then, again, "How well you managed Villamor's 
 chocolate business for the widow and children, friend 
 Eugenic — you did, indeed. Don Rosendo was just 
 telling me he let the business slip through his fingers 
 like a fool." 
 
 As Don Rosendo was the best man of business in the 
 town, Don Eugenic could not help feeling flattered at 
 these words. 
 
 After chatting for some little time with the Belinchon 
 family, Don Mateo took leave, to prosecute his visits 
 to the other boxes, as usual ; but before going he turned 
 to Cecilia, and said : 
 
 " When does he arrive ? " 
 13 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 The young girl flushed slightly, and replied : 
 
 "1 cannot tell you, Don Mateo." 
 
 Then DoQa Paula, smiling mischievously, came to 
 her daughter's rescue, by saying : 
 
 " He ought to ^rriye in the ' Bella Paula,' which 
 sailed from Liverpool." 
 
 " Oh ! then we shall be having him here to-morrow 
 or next day. You have prayed a good deal to the 
 Virgin de las Tormentas, eh ? " 
 
 "She has actually had a nones. And six candles 
 have been burning for days before the image," said 
 Venturita. 
 
 Cecilia's blush deepened, and she smiled. She was a 
 young woman of twenty years of age, neither beautiful 
 in face nor graceful in figure ; the harmony of her fea- 
 tures was spoiled by her nose being too aquiline. With- 
 out this drawback she would not have been plain, for 
 her eyes were extremely good — so 'soft and expressive 
 that few beauties could rival thenu She was neither 
 tall nor short, but rather thin, and her shoulders 
 slightly bent. Her sister Venturita -was sixteen years 
 of age, and as full of grace and Weauty as a lovely 
 flower. Her oval cheeks seemed made of roses and 
 pinks ; she was somewhat petite, but so perfectly made 
 that she looked like a wax model. Her jasmine-like 
 hands and her fairy-like feet were the talk of Sarrio. 
 
 The softness and smoothness of her skin were like 
 mother-of-pearl and alabaster ; her creamy forehead, 
 high and narrow as that of a Greek Venus, was shaded 
 by fair curls ; and rich, abundant golden tresses cov- 
 ered her shoulders and fell below her waist. 
 
 "You may laugh at your sister, little one; but it 
 will not be long before you do the same ! " said Don 
 Mateo. 
 
 14 
 
The Curtain Rises 
 
 " /pray for a man ! You are getting imbecile, sir." 
 
 " It won't be long before I hear of it," returned the 
 old man, as he passed on to another box to greet the 
 sefiores de Maza. 
 
 At that moment Pablito joined his family, accom- 
 panied by his faithful friend, who merits special notice. 
 
 He was the son of the picador of the place, and the 
 cast of the lad's features was such as would have been 
 the delight of the spectators at a circus. His face 
 would have required no addition in the way of powder, 
 rouge, or dye to convert him into a clown. The nose, 
 highly colored by nature, the narrow slits of eyes, the 
 lack of any moustache or whiskers, the thick lips, 
 the excessive width of his shoulders, the bow of his 
 legs, and, above all, the facial contortions which 
 accompanied every word he uttered, were provocative 
 of mirth without the aid of paint or wig. Piscis, for 
 so he was called, was aware of this peculiarity, and re- 
 sented it so intensely that he resolved to counteract 
 the ludicrous cast of his features by determining never 
 to laugh, and hr religiously kept to his decision. 
 Moreover, he, for Obe same reason, interspersed his 
 remarks with the sharpest, strongest interjections of 
 the vernacular, varied by those of his own invention. 
 But this, instead of producing the desired effect, only 
 added to the amusement he provoked among his 
 acqxiaintances. 
 
 The only person who ever took him seriously, up to 
 a certain point, was Pablito. Piscis and Pablito were 
 born to inspire each other with mutual love and admi- 
 ration. The point of union between the two kindred 
 spirits was " the cult of the horse-god." Piscis, through 
 his father, was an adept in that line from a child ; and 
 as the best mount in Sarrio, he was the object of 
 
 15 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Pablito's warmest admiration, and the son of Don 
 Eosendo being the richest young fellow of the place, 
 there was, according to Piscis, no person in the world 
 more deserving of respect and admiration. Nobody 
 knew when this friendship began ; Pablito and Piscis 
 had always been inseparable from the time they were 
 children, and the difference of their social positions 
 had not separated them as they grew up to manhood. 
 Don Rosendo's stable was their constant place of meet- 
 ing ; from thence, after a long and erudite conference, 
 partly theoretical, partly practical on the horses, they 
 proceeded to betake their presence and their profound 
 knowledge to the town, where they took a few turns, 
 sometimes on high-spirited horses, and at other times 
 in a smart trap, with Pablito driving, and Piscis absorbed 
 in affectionate contemplation of the backs of the ani- 
 mals. On some occasions, however, they gave the 
 town a lesson of humility by perambulatiug on their 
 own legs. Pablito now came up to his family party 
 convulsed with laughter. 
 
 " What has come to you ? " asked Dofla Paula, 
 smiling in sympathy. 
 
 "We just followed Periqnito to the gallery, and 
 there we found him hand in hand with Ramona," 
 whispered the young man into his sister Venturita's 
 ear. 
 
 " Well, what did he say ? " she asked with great 
 curiosity. 
 
 " He said" — and here a burst of laughter interrupted 
 him for some minutes — "he said, 'Ramona, I love 
 you.'" 
 
 " Ave Maria ! and an anchovy seller, too ! " exclaimed 
 th'e girl, joining in the laugh, and making the sign of 
 the cross. 
 
 16 
 
The Curtain Rises 
 
 "If you could have heard the trembling voice in 
 which he said it, and the way in which he turned up 
 the whites of his eyes — Ah, here is Piscis, who was 
 also witness of it." 
 
 Piscis gave vent to a corroborative grunt. At that 
 moment Periquito, a pallid, chetif lad, with blue eyes 
 and a little, thin red beard, appeared in one of the 
 stage boxes ; the eyes of the whole Belinchon family 
 were at once turned on him with mocking and smiling 
 glances, Pablito and Venturita evincing particular 
 delight at the sight of the young man. Periquito raised 
 his head and saluted them, and the Belinchon family 
 responded to the greeting without ceasing laughing. 
 He raised his eyes two or three times, but those con- 
 tinual mocking glances so confused him that he at last 
 retired into the narrow foyer. The curtain then rose 
 again : the scene now represented caverns in the in- 
 fernal regions, although it was not impossible for them 
 to be mistaken for the hold of a ship. 
 
 The Act opened with a prelude by the orchestra, 
 worthily conducted by Seflor Anselmo, the cabinet- 
 maker of the town. 
 
 Sefior Matias, the sacristan, and Seflor Manola, the 
 barber, took part in the performance as bassoon-players. 
 Don Juan, the " old salt," as he was nicknamed, and 
 Prospero, the carpenter, played the clarionets ; the 
 trumpet-players were Mechacan, the shoemaker, and 
 Seflor Romualdo, the undertaker ; Pepe de la Esquila, 
 the lawyer's clerk, and Maroto, "the watchman," were 
 the cornet-players ; and the fiddle was played by Seflor 
 Benito, the violinist of the church, and a clerk in a 
 house of business ; whilst the minor accompanists 
 consisted of four or five apprentice youths of the town. 
 
 Instead of a bdton, Seflor Anselmo held in his hand 
 2 17 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 an enormous bright key, which was that of his shop, 
 and served to conduct the music. 
 
 The prelude was very sad and mournful, suggestive 
 of a fitting state of mind for the infernal regions. The 
 audience preserved absolute silence, and in anxious ex- 
 pectation of what was to come all eyes were fixed on 
 the open trap-doors in the stage floor. A discordant 
 note suddenly broke in upon the soft, mysterious music. 
 Seflor Anselmo turned and cast a reproachful look at 
 the ofEending musician, who colored up to his eyes ; 
 and there came a loud, prolonged murmur of dis- 
 approval from the audience, whilst from the gallery a 
 voice cried : 
 
 " It was Pepe de la Esquila ! " 
 
 All eyes were then directed to the delinquent, who, 
 drawing the mouthpiece from his cornet, shook it with 
 assumed indifference whilst his face became redder and 
 redder. 
 
 ''Those who cannot play should go to bed," cried 
 the same voice. 
 
 Then the abashed and ashamed Pepe de la Esquila 
 was fraught with fury. He threw his instrument 
 upon the ground, rose from his seat with his eyes 
 aflame with rage, shook his fist at the gallery, and 
 cried : 
 
 " I'll settle you when we get out, see if I don't." 
 
 " Sh ! sh ! Silence, silence ! " exclaimed the audience 
 in a breath. 
 
 " What is there to settle, man ? Get on and play the 
 cornet better." 
 
 " Silence, silence ! Shame ! " cried the audience 
 again, and all eyes were then turned to the alcalde's 
 box. 
 
 He was a man of sixty or seventy years of age, short 
 18 
 
The Curtain Rises 
 
 of stature and very high-colored ; his hair was still 
 thick and quite white, his cheeks were shaven, his 
 nose Koman, and his eyes were large, round, and promi- 
 nent. He looked like a courtier of the time of Louis 
 XV., or a coachman of some grand house. 
 
 Don Eoque, for such was his name, turned round in 
 his seat, and called out in a stentorian voice : 
 
 "Marcones." 
 
 Whereupon an octogenarian ofiBcial approached the 
 door of the hox with his shiny, peaked, blue cloth cap 
 in his hand. 
 
 The alcalde conferred with him for some minutes ; 
 and then Marcones ascended the gallery, and reap- 
 peared holding a young man in sailor dress by the arm. 
 They both approached the alcalde's box, and then Don 
 Koque proceeded to rebuke the offender in a voice 
 which he only partially succeeded in modulating, for, 
 from time to time, one overheard such remarks as — 
 " Disturber of the peace ! Have you no manners what- 
 soever ! You are a belligerent animal ! Do you think 
 you are in a tavern ? " 
 
 The sailor received the reprimand with his eyes on 
 the ground. 
 
 A voice cried from the pit : 
 
 "Let him be taken to prison." 
 
 Then another voice from the gallery immediately re- 
 turned : 
 
 "Let Pepe de la Esquila be taken too." 
 
 "Silence! Silence!" 
 
 The alcalde, after having sharply rebuked Percebe, 
 let him return to his seat, to the great delight of the 
 gallery, who received him back with hurrahs and 
 applause. 
 
 The orchestra, silenced for a time, now resumed the 
 19 
 
The Fourt h Estate 
 
 prelude of the infernal regions, and before it was fin- 
 ished a dozen devils were seen emerging through the 
 trap-doors on to the stage with masks, enormous tow 
 wigs, the inevitable tails, and with lighted torches in 
 their hands. Then, when they were all assembled on 
 the boarded floor and the trap-doors were conveniently 
 closed, they began the fantastic dance befitting the 
 occasion. But it is known of old that four demons 
 cannot join together in a dance without getting ex- 
 cited. The spectators followed their swift, measured 
 movements with extreme interest. A child began to 
 cry, and the audience made its mother withdraw him 
 from the house. 
 
 But, lo and behold ! with so much passing to and fro 
 of Beelzebub's ministers in that not very spacious place, 
 a torch ignited the tow wig of one of the party. The 
 poor devil, in ignorance of the fact, continued the 
 dance with most diabolical energy; the audience 
 went into fits of laughter awaiting the dSnouement 
 of the accident, and actually, when he felt his head 
 grow hot, he promptly tore off the wig and mask, 
 and disclosed the countenance of Levita, distorted 
 with terror. 
 
 " Levita ! " cried the delighted audience. 
 
 The owner of this nickname, deprived of his de- 
 moniacal disguise, retired from the scene, covered with 
 confusion. 
 
 In a short time another wig was set on fire. Fresh 
 cries of excitement at the approaching metamorphosis 
 of the demon. There was not long to wait, for in a 
 few minutes the wig and the mask flew through the 
 air like a flaming comet. 
 
 " Matalaosa ! " was the universal cry, and a shout of 
 laughter rang through the theatre. 
 
 20 
 
The Curtain Rises 
 
 " Matala, don't be afraid that you will catch cold," 
 said a voice from the gallery. 
 
 Matalaosa retired, discomfited, like his companion 
 Levita. 
 
 Two or three more wigs were set on fire, exposing to 
 shame as many more well-known faces of townfolk 
 who acted as supers at the theatre. The dance finally 
 terminated without further mishap. 
 
 The demons who had escaped any catastrophe being 
 once more relegated to the infernal regions, there ap- 
 peared on the scene a fine young fellow, who, to judge 
 from the skin which hung from his shoulder, was 
 evidently a shepherd, with a pretty young girl of the 
 same profession, and, according to the old rule which 
 obliges every shepherd to be in love, and every shep- 
 herdess to be coquettish, the dialogue began, in which 
 the afEectionate entreaties and tender reproaches of the 
 man contrasted strongly with the light laughter and 
 jokes of the girl. 
 
 Everybody was pleased and delighted, the gallery as 
 well as the pit, with the touching scene enacted, when 
 a loud voice was heard at the theatre door saying : 
 
 " Don Rosendo, the ' Bella Paula ' is coming in." 
 
 The effect that this unexpected news produced was 
 indescribable, for not only did Don Rosendo jump up, 
 as if he were pulled by a spring, and hasten to put on 
 his cloak with a trembling hand, but such excitement 
 pervaded the whole gathering that the pastoral dia- 
 logue was all but interrupted. The patrons of the 
 parterre rushed with one accord into the street, all 
 the sailors made their exit from the gallery with a 
 great clatter, and many people also left the stalls and 
 boxes. In a few minutes there was hardly anybody in 
 the theatre but women. 
 
 21 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Cecilia remained motionless and pale, with her eyes 
 fixed on the stage. Her mother and sister looked at 
 her with a smile on their faces. 
 
 " Why do you look at me like that ? " she exclaimed, 
 turning round suddenly and blushing violently, where- 
 upon Dofla Paula and Venturita burst out laughing. 
 
 23 
 
The '■''Bella Paula'"'' 
 
 CHAPTEK II 
 
 SAFE ARRIVAL OF THE " BELLA PATJLA " 
 
 The crowd of people ran throughi the streets in the 
 direction of the port. Foremost, accompanied by six 
 or eight sailors, his son Pablo and several friends, 
 came Don Eosendo, silent and preoccupied as he 
 listened to his companions' remarks, uttered in voices 
 panting from exertion. 
 
 " Don Domingo is in luck to get in at nearly high 
 tide," said a sailor, alluding to the captain of the 
 "Bella Paula." 
 
 " How do you know he is coming in ? He may have 
 cast anchor this afternoon," remarked another. 
 
 " Where ? " 
 
 " You ask ' where ? ' you fool ! Why, in the Bay, of 
 course," replied the other in a rage. 
 
 " If so, we should see her. Uncle Miguel." 
 
 " How could we see her, you idiot ? Why shouldn't 
 she have dropped anchor behind the Corvera Rock ? " 
 
 "The flag of the 'Bella Paula' would float higher 
 than the rock. Uncle Miguel." 
 
 " Whatever do you know about it ? " 
 
 " What cargo does it carry ? " asked a bystander of 
 the owner. 
 
 " Four thousand hundredweight." 
 
 "From Scotland?" 
 
 "No, all from Norway." 
 
 " Is the SeQorit^ de las Cuevas on board ? " 
 
 Don Eosendo did not reply ; but after a few more 
 quick steps he turned round, saying : 
 
 23 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 "I say, Don Melchor must be told that the 'Bella 
 Paula' is coming in." 
 
 " 111 go," said a sailor, detaching himself from the 
 crowd, and turning back to the town. 
 
 They arrived at the mole. The night was starless, 
 the wind had sunk, the sea was calm. They passed the 
 little old mole, and directed their steps to the end of 
 the new mole, which had been recently built, and 
 stretched some little distance out to sea. Lights from 
 the moored boats shone here and there in the darkness ; 
 the thick network of riggings was scarcely discernible, 
 and the hulks looked like formless black masses. 
 
 The newcomers did not at first perceive another 
 group of people at the end of the mole until they came 
 upon them. They were all silent, with their eyes fixed 
 on the sea, trying to make out the lines of the ship in 
 the mist. The waves breaking monotonously against 
 the rocks near by occasionally shimmered in the dark- 
 ness. 
 
 " Where is she ? " asked several of the comers from 
 the theatre, as they cast their eyes around. 
 
 "There!" 
 
 "Where?" 
 
 " Don't you see a little green light there to the left ? 
 Follow my hand." 
 
 " Ah ! Yes, now I see." 
 
 Don Eosendo went on to the second stage of the mole, 
 and there ran against Don Melchor de las Cuevas. He 
 was an old, very tall, wiry man ; he wore his beard 
 sailor fashion, that is to say, he let it hang round his 
 neck like a bag. He had a stronger reason for doing 
 this than the majority of the people of Sarrio who do 
 so, for he belonged to the honored profession of the 
 navy, although he was now on the retired list. But in 
 
 24 
 
The ^^Bella Paula'''' 
 
 seaport towns, and particularly when the place is small 
 like that of which we are speaking, the maritime ele- 
 ment preponderates, and so permeates the place that 
 the inhabitants, unintentionally, and in spite of them- 
 selves, adopt certain sailor customs, words, and fashions. 
 
 The Sefior de las Cuevas had been a gallant, fine fel- 
 low when he was young, and now at seventy-four he 
 was still a vigorous, active man, with bright, penetrating 
 eyes, aquiline nose, a fine, open countenance, and a 
 bearing full of energy and decision. 
 
 He was standing on one of the seats fixed against the 
 wall of the mole, with an enormous telescope turned 
 towards the little green light which shone intermit- 
 tently in the distance. He was by far the tallest figure 
 in the group of spectators. 
 
 " Don Melchor, you here already 1 I have just sent 
 a messenger to your house." 
 
 " I have been here for an hour," returned the Sefior 
 de las Cuevas, taking his glass from his eye. " I saw 
 the ship from the observatory a little after sunset." 
 
 "Who would have thought it? How is it that 
 nothing at sea escapes your observation ?" 
 
 " I have better sight than when I was a lad of twenty," 
 said Don Melchor in aloud, decided voice for all to hear. 
 
 "I believe it, I believe it, Don Melchor." 
 
 " I can see a little launch tack twenty miles off." 
 
 " I believe it, I believe it, Don Melchor." 
 
 " And if I were put to it," continued the old officer, 
 in a louder tone, "I could count the masts of the 
 frigates that pass the Perrol." 
 
 " Draw it mild, Don Melchor," said a voice. There 
 was a round of suppressed laughter in the dark, for 
 Sefior de las Cuevas inspired all the seafolk with pro- 
 found respect. 
 
 25 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 The old sailor turned his head angrily in the direc- 
 tion of the jeering remark, and after silently trying to 
 pierce the gloom, he said in a severe tone : 
 
 "If I knew who that was who said that I would 
 chuck him into the sea." 
 
 Nobody dared say a word, nor was a sign of a smile 
 seen, for it was well known in Sarrio that the Seflor de 
 las Cuevas was quite equal to fulfilling his threat. 
 
 He had served more than forty years in the navy, 
 and had won the reputation of being a brave, punctili- 
 ous officer ; but his severity bordered on cruelty. "When 
 no commander of a ship exercised the old maritime 
 laws, Don Melchor still strove to keep them in practice. 
 It was told with horror in the town that a sailor was 
 drowned through his making him pass three times under 
 the keel according to the old punishment for certain 
 transgressions ; and more than a hundred men had been 
 crippled by his blows, or had had the skin taken ofE 
 their backs by his use of the rope. 
 
 However, there was no pilot or sailor who could be com- 
 pared with him in his knowledge of all pertaining to the 
 sea, the weather, ships, and all the secrets of navigation. 
 
 The little green light continued its slow approach 
 until the form of the " Bella Paula " was visible to the 
 naked eye, and, moreover, two or three black spots 
 could be seen hovering around her from different sides. 
 They were the pilot's launch and the auxiliary boats, 
 ready to tow the ship when necessary. Sail was crowded 
 on the ship, as there was scarcely any wind. However, 
 it was too near the breakwater not to be dangerous. At 
 least Don Melchor thought so, for he began to swear 
 under his breath, and to seem uneasy. At last, no 
 longer able to restrain himself, although he knew he 
 was not within earshot, he cried out : 
 
 26 
 
The '•^Bella Paula^^ 
 
 " Purl the maintopsailj Domingo ! What are you 
 waiting for ? " 
 
 He had scarcely uttered these words when the almost 
 imperceptible forms of the sailors were seen on the 
 mastheads. 
 
 " We shall be all right now/' exclaimed Don Melchor. 
 
 " Don Domingo would snap his finger at you," mur- 
 mured the sailor who had incurred the old officer's 
 wrath, under his breath. 
 
 The hulk of the ship, painted black, with a line of 
 white on the upper decks, now stood out clearly from 
 the dark background. 
 
 The eyes of the spectators, grown accustomed to the 
 gloom, could discern perfectly all that was passing on 
 board. 
 
 Two figures were on the bridge, the captain and the 
 coasting pilot, and at the prow stood the ship-pilot. 
 
 " And the gaff-sail ? " shouted Don Melchor again. 
 
 The sail of the mizzen-mast fell, as if in obedience to 
 his voice. The wind was insufficient to fill the lower 
 sails, and the canvas hung from the mast, limp and 
 dilapidated as a draggled ball-dress. Soon all sails 
 were furled and the ship was motionless until it 
 slowly made way when taken in tow by the two boats. 
 The figures of the rowers moved measuredly on the 
 benches and the voices of the coxswains singing out, 
 "Pull ahead! pull ahead!" broke the silence of the 
 night. 
 
 But the rowers were so feeble in comparison to the 
 bulk in tow, that the ship made but slow way. When 
 at the end of a quarter of an hour she managed to get 
 some thirty lengths off the head of the mole, a rope 
 was thrown from one of the boats on to the sea wall to 
 help tack the ship. 
 
 27 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " Captain, captain ! " cried a stentorian voice from 
 the crowd. 
 
 " What is it ? " they replied from the ship. 
 
 " Is the Sefiorita de las Cuevas on board ?" 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " Then as long as the Sefiorita de las Cuevas is all 
 right, all the rest may go to the devil." 
 
 The joke provoked much merriment in the crowd, 
 until silence again reigned. 
 
 The ship now began to tack, being dragged ashore 
 by the rope, which creaked with the tension of the 
 hold ; the people on the mole began talking with those 
 on board, but they were silent and taciturn, being 
 more concerned with the management of the ship than 
 the questions directed to them. Then came a fresh 
 ebullition of the jocose spirit of the sailors of the place, 
 and fun was poked at those on board, more especially 
 at a certain fellow who looked like a heap of skins, 
 and whom they nicknamed Bruin, as he moved from 
 one side to another with the awkwardness of a bear, 
 handling the ropes and casting grunts of scorn at the 
 crowd. 
 
 " I say. Bruin, you will be glad to have a dish of fish, 
 eh?" 
 
 " Rejoice, Bruin, for there is cider in Llandone's 
 cellar." 
 
 " Is it hot in Norway ? " 
 
 " Too hot for a rogue like you," growled Bruin, as 
 he furled a sail. 
 
 This remark was received by the sailors with shouts 
 of laughter. 
 
 "Keep clear," called the pilot from the bridge. 
 
 " Hold there, on board ! " returned the sailor who 
 held the slack end of the rope. 
 
 28 
 
The ^^Bella Paula 
 
 » » 
 
 The rope fell into the sea and dashed against the 
 side of the ship. She was now close to the break- 
 water. The tide was not high enough to anchor by 
 the old mole. The captain called out to the pilot : 
 
 " Sound." 
 
 The pilot said to the sailor at his side : 
 
 " Drop anchor." 
 
 The anchor fell into the sea with a strident sound of 
 chains. Then the windlass was heard at work. 
 
 " Are you going to moor the ship, Domingo ? " asked 
 Don Melchor. 
 
 "Yes, seflor," returned the captain. 
 
 " It is not necessary ; you can cast anchor with two 
 anchors. In an hour you will be able to get in." 
 
 " One way is as good as another for me," said the 
 officer in a low voice, shrugging his shoulders, and then, 
 in a loud tone, he added : 
 
 " Drop a second anchor," whereupon a second anchor 
 fell into the sea with the same harsh sound as the first. 
 
 " How are you, uncle ? " cried a clear boyish voice 
 from the ship. 
 
 " Hello, Gonzalito ! arrived all right, my boy ? " 
 
 " Perfectly ; here I come." 
 
 And with great agility the young fellow swung him- 
 self down by a rope into the boat. 
 
 " Let us go and meet him," said Don Eosendo, tak- 
 ing a step or two forward. 
 
 But Seflor de las Cuevas caught the merchant by the 
 arm and held him like a vise. 
 
 " Where are you going ?" 
 
 "What is it?" asked the cod-merchant, in alarm. 
 " Ah ! it is true I did not recollect that this was the 
 lower stage, the darkness — such a long time here, the 
 dizziness from keeping one's eyes on the ship. My 
 
 29 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 God ! what would have become of me if you had not 
 caught hold of me ? " 
 
 " Nothing, you would only have been stunned on the 
 stones below." 
 
 " Holy Virgin ! " exclaimed Don Rosendo, turning 
 dreadfully pale, whilst a cold sweat bathed his brow, 
 and his legs trembled. 
 
 "Don't be alarmed at what is past and gone, but let 
 us go down and meet Gonzalito ! " 
 
 So they went to the end of the mole, where a manly, 
 tall, red-haired, fine young fellow had just arrived, 
 dressed in a cloak which nearly reached down to his 
 heels. 
 
 "Uncle!" 
 
 " Gonzalo ! " 
 
 The two tall men then fell into each other's 
 arms, and Don Rosendo also received the young 
 man with effusion. But he was so taken up with 
 the narrow escape he had just had of losing his 
 life, that he soon relapsed into his gloomy and mel- 
 ancholy mood, and he could hardly reply to the dock- 
 yard master's questions as to the disposition of the 
 captain's cargo. 
 
 They then started off to Don Melchor's house, which 
 was situated in the highest part of the town, command- 
 ing an extensive view of the sea. During the walk 
 Gonzalo left his uncle to go on in front, while he 
 diflSdently asked Don Rosendo a few questions about 
 his family. 
 
 " How is Dofla Paula ? Is she as smiling as ever ? 
 And Pablo ? Is he still as fond of horses ? And 
 Venturita ? I suppose she has grown a big girl now ? " 
 Pause. " And Cecilia, is she well ? " he finally asked 
 abruptly. 
 
 30 
 
The '•'■Bella Paula'''' 
 
 But the Seflor de Belinchon only gave monosyllabic 
 answers to all these questions. 
 
 " Do you know, Gonzalo," he said, stopping suddenly, 
 " that I nearly killed myself just now ? " 
 
 " How ? " 
 
 He then gave a full account of the incident of the 
 mole, and when the story was ended, he again relapsed 
 into a state of profound melancholy. 
 
 " I suppose the family is in bed," said Gonzalo, after 
 he had suj[ficiently sympathized (at least in his own 
 opinion) with the late peril of the merchant. 
 
 "No, they are at the theatre — one never knows 
 what may happen, eh ? " 
 
 " So you've got a theatrical company here, eh ?" 
 
 " Yes, for some days past. Do you know I thought 
 I should have been killed, Gonzalo ? " 
 
 " Tush ! You might, perhaps, have broken a leg, 
 or at the worst, a rib or two." 
 
 " Well, that would have been bad enough ! " ex- 
 claimed the SeQor de Belinchon, with a sigh. 
 
 By this time they had proceeded some distance into 
 the town, and arriving at a certain street, Don Eosendo 
 took leave of the uncle and nephew. He held out his 
 hand in a sad way, saying : 
 
 " I must go and fetch my family from the theatre. 
 A demain, and a good night's rest to you, Gonzalo." 
 
 "A demain — ^kind regards to all." 
 
 Then the Seflor de las Ouevas and his nephew went 
 on together to their house ; and the traveller had to 
 undergo a torrent of questions not relative to his visit 
 to England, but concerning particulars of the voyage 
 home. 
 
 " What wind did you have ? Pretty blusterous, eh ? 
 I suppose it hardly sank once ? The ship didn't pitch 
 
 31 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 much, eh ? She was well loaded. You never sailed 
 with all that canvas, eh ? You had to reef on leaving 
 Liverpool, eh ? I know the course well." 
 
 Gonzalo replied to the questions in an absent-minded 
 manner, for he really hardly took them in, as he was 
 walking along in a state of abstraction, with his head 
 down. 
 
 " What is the matter, Gonzalito ? You seem low- 
 spirited." 
 
 " I ? Bah ! no, sefior." 
 
 "I know you are." 
 
 They proceeded some distance in silence, and Don 
 Melchor, striking his forehead, exclaimed : 
 
 " I know what it is ! " 
 
 " "What ? " 
 
 "You are longing for the sea again. I have gone 
 through just the same. I used to leap ashore after 
 any voyage, and then I was seized with a fit of depres- 
 sion and a strong desire to return to the ship ! This 
 lasted two or three days, until I got accustomed to it. 
 The fact is, I longed to get into port, but once there, 
 I wished to be on board again. I don't know what 
 there is so attractive in the sea, eh ? That air so pure ! 
 The motion ! The freedom ! I know you are longing 
 to return to the ship, eh ? " he concluded, with a mis- 
 chievous smile, to show his perspicacity. 
 
 " Bother it all ! what I am longing for, uncle, is to 
 go and see my fiancee." 
 
 Don Melchor was dumfounded. 
 
 " Is that true ? " 
 
 " Of course it is." 
 
 The Sefior de la Cuevas reflected a minute, and then 
 said : 
 
 " All right ; perhaps you would like to go and meet 
 82 
 
The ^^Bella Paul 
 
 a 
 
 her at the theatre ? In the meanwhile I will go and 
 see if Domingo has improved." 
 
 " How can he improve ? He is a first-rate fellow," 
 returned the youth, smiling. 
 
 The uncle, olbivious of the irony, looked at him with 
 scorn. 
 
 " Get along ! I see you return as silly as you went. 
 I will wait supper for you." 
 
 " Don't wait for me, uncle," replied Gonzalo, already 
 some distance off. " Perhaps I shall not want supper." 
 
 Then, without running, but with extraordinary swift- 
 ness, thanks to his unusually long legs, he strode 
 through the streets, lighted here and there by oil 
 lamps, in the direction of the theatre. Any one meet- 
 ing him just then, would have taken him for one of 
 the many Englishmen who occasionally come to Sarrio 
 on shipping business, to reconnoitre mining districts, 
 or to start some industry. His colossal height and 
 his stout, robust appearance are not characteristic 
 features of the Spanish race, although one comes across 
 them in the north ; then that long coat, those double- 
 soled boots, and strange-shaped hat denoted the 
 foreigner. A glance at the face completed the illusion, 
 for it was fair ; and the long red beard, and blue, or, 
 more properly called, azure eyes are almost always seen 
 in the northern races. Let us use the few minutes 
 before his arrival at the theatre to give a short bio- 
 graphical sketch of this young fellow. 
 
 The family of Las Cuevas, to which he belonged, had 
 from time immemorial been huge in stature, and sea- 
 faring by profession. His father had been a sailor, his 
 grandfather a sailor, his uncles sailors, and the sons of 
 these uncles also sailors. Gonzalo when not eight 
 years of age was left orphaned of both father and 
 3 83 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 mother, and possessed of a considerable fortune, man- 
 aged by his uncle and guardian, Don Melchor, in whose 
 care he had been left by his father at his death. The 
 old sailor greatly wished his ward to continue the un- 
 interrupted course of the Cuevas with regard to a pro- 
 fession. To awaken in him a love of the sea, or to 
 make him take a fancy to it, he bought him a beautiful 
 sailing boat, in which they both took trips, or went on 
 fishing expeditions. But the good man's plans could 
 not prevail against his nephew's predisposition for the 
 land. He cared for nothing to do with the sea, but 
 the fish out of it, and that only when dressed and 
 steaming on the table. However, he managed some- 
 times to enjoy himself with a kettle, cooking an im- 
 promptu meal in some out-of-the-way spot on the coast, 
 seated on a rock whence bubbled beautiful fresh drink- 
 ing water. At fourteen Gronzalo had grown into a 
 fine young fellow in the second class of the private 
 college of Sarrio, which sent him up to the Capital every 
 year for the examination, where he generally won the 
 qualification "good" and once and again, but very 
 rarely, that of " highly commended." 
 
 He was much liked by his school-fellows for his open, 
 frank disposition, whilst he was respected for his power 
 of dealing powerful blows. The gentle-folk of the. 
 town made much of him on account of his position 
 and the family to which he belonged, and the sailors 
 and other people of the place loved him for his frank, 
 equable nature. 
 
 After graduating as bachelor of arts, he remained' 
 three years in Sarrio without doing anything. He got 
 up late, and spent the greater part of the day at the 
 casino playing billiards, in which game he became an 
 expert. In spite of being the spoilt child of the place, 
 
 84 
 
The ^^Bella Paula'' 
 
 he visited at few houses, preferring the stupid, de- 
 moralizing life of the cafe, to which he had become 
 accustomed. Nevertheless, as he was not wanting in 
 intelligence, and being of a naturally active turn of 
 mind, he sometimes turned his attention to the study 
 of some branch of science. He liked mineralogy, and 
 many afternoons he left the casino and the billiards 
 to repair to the suburbs of the town, in search of min- 
 erals and fossils, until he had quite a valuable collec- 
 tion. Then he took up the microscope for a time, and 
 after sending for a costly one from Germany, he de- 
 voted himself to the examination of diatomaceae, and he 
 arranged them admirably well upon the little crystals 
 which he cut himself. Finally, a book upon brewing 
 having fallen into his hands, he devoted himself en- 
 thusiastically to its study. He ordered several works 
 on the subject from England, and began to think that 
 this unpractised industry might be started with ad- 
 vantage in Sarrio. He seriously thought of opening a 
 brewery, but confiding the project to his uncle, the old 
 man was furious, and gave vent to a series of inarticu- 
 late grunts, all beyond the normal diapason, which 
 ended with the exclamation : 
 
 " What ! a Cuevas start a brewery ! The son of a 
 captain, the nephew of a rear-admiral! Impossible ! 
 You are off your head, Gonzalo. It is well said that 
 idleness is the mother of every vice. If you had passed 
 through the naval college, as I advised you, you would 
 have been first-lieutenant by now, and would not be 
 running about with such mad ideas." 
 
 Gonzalo was silent, but he did not cease reading his 
 treatises on the industry. He soon saw that, without 
 visiting the chief breweries, and without studying the 
 subject seriously, he could never attain any real knowl- 
 
 85 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 edge of it, and so he determined to go to England and 
 learn the husiness of a civil engineer. When he ven- 
 tured to broach the subject to his uncle, the sailor did 
 not object to the word engineer, but the attributive 
 adjunct of civil aroused the same storm of invectives as 
 the brewery had called forth. 
 
 " Civil, civil ! nowadays everything shady is called 
 civil. Be a straightforward engineer of roads, and 
 ports or mines." 
 
 At this time he knew, or, to speak more correctly, for 
 everybody knows each other in Sarrio, he became ac- 
 quainted with the Seflorita de Belinchon. One day his 
 uncle sent him to the rich merchant's house to ask 
 him if he could give him a bill of exchange on Manila. 
 Don Eosendo was not in his oflBce, which was on the 
 ground floor of the house, but as the business was 
 urgent, Gonzalo decided to go upstairs. The maid 
 who opened the door was very alert. 
 
 "Come this way, Don Gonzalo; the Seflorita Cecilia 
 will tell you where the master is." 
 
 He was taken into an untidy room, with heaps of 
 clothes upon the floor and on the table, at which the 
 eldest daughter of the Belinchons was ironing a shirt, 
 in a costume not befitting her station, for it was a 
 scanty, narrow skirt, an apron tied round her waist like 
 a workwoman, and her feet in shabby slippers. She did 
 not blush at the young man finding her in such an attire 
 and engaged in such a menial occupation, nor did she 
 exclaim, as many girls would have done in her place : 
 
 " Goodness, what a state you find me in ! " putting 
 her hands to her hair and her throat. 
 
 Nothing of the sort ; she suspended her task for a 
 minute, smiled sweetly, and waited to hear what the 
 youth had to say. 
 
 36 
 
The ^'Bella PauW 
 
 " Good evening," he said with a blush. 
 
 " Good evening, Gonzalo," she returned. 
 
 " Can I see your papa ? " 
 
 " I do not know if he is at home; I will go and see," 
 replied the girl, leaving the ironing upon the table, and 
 passing in front of him. 
 
 When she had proceeded a few steps she turned 
 back and said : 
 
 " Is your uncle well ? " 
 
 " Yes, sefiora, yes — I mean no, for some days he has 
 not left his bed — he has a dreadful cold." 
 
 " It is nothing serious ? " 
 
 " I think not, sefiora." 
 
 The girl went on her way smiling ; she was pleased 
 at Gonzalo calling her sefiora, for she was not sixteen, 
 and he spoke as if she were over twenty. They knew 
 each other like brother and sister, but they had never 
 hitherto behaved like grown-up people. They met 
 every day in the street, at the promenade, at the 
 theatre, or at church. When they were quite little, 
 Cecilia recollected that one afternoon at the Elorrio 
 Fair, when dancing the giraldilla with some other little 
 girls of her own age, some rough boys began teazing 
 them, pulling their hair, pushing them about, and 
 running in the way so as to spoil their dance, and upset 
 them. Gonzalo, then a boy of thirteen, seeing this 
 rude conduct, ran to the little girls' assistance ; and 
 with a kick here, a push there, and a few blows all 
 round, he soon dispersed the rude boys. The eyes of 
 the little dancers gazed at him in admiration, and an 
 undying feeling of gratitude towards the heroic lad 
 filled those tender hearts of five to ten years old. 
 
 Another time, years afterwards, on St. John's Day, 
 Gonzalo lent his boat to her and her family, for a little 
 
 37 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 sea trip, as all the boats and launches were full on that 
 occasion. 
 
 But neither of these circumstances had constituted 
 much intercourse between the young people. If they 
 met face to face, Gonzalo would raise his hand to his 
 hat ; if not, they would pass as if they did not see each 
 other, in spite of the acquaintance, if not intimate 
 friendship, existing between his uncle and SeQor 
 Belinchon. For the Bohemian life of the caf6, his 
 rare association with girls, had made Gonzalo a shy, 
 retiring youth. 
 
 " Come this way, Gonzalo; papa is waiting for you in 
 the dining-room," said the girl, when she reappeared. 
 " I hope your uncle will get better." 
 
 " Many thanks," he returned abruptly, and being so 
 tall, he knocked against the lamp hanging in the hall 
 so that it nearly fell to the ground. 
 
 He cast an agonized look at it, and quickly steadied 
 it, whilst his face grew red with confusion. 
 
 " Has it hurt you ? " asked Cecilia, anxiously. 
 
 " No, indeed, seiiora — on the contrary, dear me ! I 
 nearly broke it." 
 
 And he became more and more confused. 
 
 Our young friend was at that time of life when he 
 would fall in love with a broom. He was rather late 
 in reaching this susceptible stage, as is often the case 
 when the physical organism overbalances the nervous. 
 Therefore, SeQorita de Belinchon, with no claim to 
 prettiness, suddenly aroused a sort of feeling in him 
 easily mistaken for love, and the result of that short 
 interview was that Gonzalo henceforth went out of his 
 way to pass the house of the De Belinchons, with his 
 longing eyes fixed on the windows for a chance glimpse 
 of the young lady ; he went on Sunday to eight o'clock 
 
 38 
 
^^The Bella Paul 
 
 a 
 
 mass at St. Andrew's Church, because Dofla Paula 
 and her family went there ; at the theatre he ventured 
 to cast many a glance in her direction, and he occasion- 
 ally dared to raise his hat to her, but when he did so, 
 he blushed violently and cast furtive looks around, 
 trembling lest he should have betrayed the nascent 
 feeling of his heart. 
 
 Innocent Gonzalo ! Long before he was aware him- 
 self of his state of mind the whole town knew of it. 
 Nothing could be hidden, especially anything to do 
 with a young man and woman, from the sharp eyes of 
 the gossips of a place so small as Sarrio. And not only 
 did they know what was going on, but they made up 
 their minds that the marriage was certain to come off 
 sooner or later. Nevertheless, months went by and the 
 matter did not advance one step. However, Gonzalo 
 continued to give the same signs of his fancy for the 
 girl, and he spent a long time every day after dinner 
 in walking up and down in front of the rich merchant's 
 house on his way to the casino. Cecilia would be at 
 the window sewing ; he would raise his hat and then 
 go to the billiard table, and so on the next day. Don 
 Melchor sent him twice on messages to Don Eosendo, 
 but he always had the good luck to find him in his 
 ofBce. We say good luck because Gonzalo trembled at 
 the idea of going upstairs and meeting Cecilia. 
 
 He was now twenty years of age. The idea of quali- 
 fying himself as a civil engineer and taking up some 
 occupation occasionally crossed his mind in this idle 
 life. A friend at this time returning from a military 
 academy, a conversation with an English engineer, the 
 tone of contempt in which those who have no occupa- 
 tion were spoken of in the casino, suddenly awoke in 
 him a desire for work. At last he told his uncle that, 
 
 39 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 with his permission, he would go to England to study 
 something and see the world. 
 
 As Don Melchor could make no objection to this just 
 and laudable suggestion, Gonzalo a few days later 
 appeared at several houses of relations and friends, 
 where he had not set foot for years, to take his leave of 
 them, and on a beautiful, balmy spring afternoon he 
 embarked with great pomp on the big "Vigia" for 
 England, 
 
 Did he recollect Cecilia ? We do not know. Tem- 
 peraments like those of our friend are a long time 
 falling a prey to passion — great havoc as it may make 
 in the end. 
 
 Three years went by. He finished his course as an 
 engineer, which is brief and practical in England, and 
 then made up his mind to visit the factories of Eng- 
 land, Spain, and Germany. During the time of his 
 studies the recollection of Cecilia occasionally oc- 
 curred to him without arousing any very deep feeling. 
 But in the spring, when the blood circulates more 
 freely in the veins, and Mother Nature gives her 
 lesson in the verdure of the fields, the vivid colors 
 of the flowers, the effects of sunshine, the soft, balmy 
 air, and above all in her more faithful interpreters, 
 the birds, Gonzalo's thoughts turned to matrimony. 
 And whenever the idea crossed his mind, it was ac- 
 companied by the image of the eldest daughter of the 
 De Belinchons. 
 
 " This way, Gonzalo ; papa is waiting for you. Have 
 you hurt yourself ? " 
 
 The words still rang in his ears, and the recollection 
 of the kind tone in which they were said filled his 
 young heart with a feeling of love. The girl was not 
 beautiful, but her eyes were, and her modest, pleasant 
 
 40 
 
The ^^Bella Paula'''' 
 
 manner and the tone of her voice were all full of the 
 charm so attractive in her sex. 
 
 " I should not mind marrying her," he said with a 
 sigh to himself, as he thought how impossible it would 
 be for him to breathe a word of love in her ears, or in 
 those of any girl. 
 
 One day, when writing to a great friend in Sarrio, 
 he suddenly thought of asking if Cecilia Belinchon 
 were married. In reply, he learned that she was still 
 single, and that, although young men frequented the 
 house, probably more attracted by De Belinchon's 
 money than his daughter's charms, it was not known 
 that she had so far listened to any one of them. 
 
 On reading this letter the blood mounted to the 
 cheek of the civil engineer, and he was foolish enough 
 to think (will the reader think him very conceited ?) 
 that if Cecilia turned the cold shoulder on her admirers 
 it was, perhaps, because she was prepossessed in his 
 favor. Then he formed the plan of declaring his feel- 
 ings in a letter, for he thought it would be less awkward 
 to do it thus whilst far away. 
 
 Nevertheless, he hesitated, and when he took the pen 
 in his hand to write the first line he dropped it at the 
 thought of the surprise of the. girl on the receipt of 
 the letter. Some days elapsed. He could not get rid 
 of the idea. At last, by dint of much subtle reason- 
 ing, he determined to write the letter. If she laughed 
 at him, what of it ? He would not be there to see, for 
 in that case he would stay away from Sarrio ; and if 
 perchance he ever returned, he would manage to keep 
 clear of her. 
 
 So at last the letter was written, but terrified at the 
 idea of posting it, he kept it in his writing-case for 
 some days. A few glasses of spirits were required to 
 
 41 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 give him courage to post it, and when slightly elevated 
 by the potation he took the letter from his writing- 
 case, rushed into the street and dropped it into the 
 first letter-box he came across. 
 
 " My God ! What have I done ? " 
 
 The effects of the libation had suddenly vanished, 
 and he colored up to the roots of his hair, as if the 
 mocking eyes of all the people of Sarrio were gazing at 
 him through the gaping mouth of the letter-box. 
 
 He put his fingers into the aperture, in the vain at- 
 tempt to withdraw the ill-fated epistle, but a shark 
 could not have swallowed it more effectually, and the 
 mouth of the box looked gaping and ready for more. 
 For one moment he thought of going to the post-office 
 to reclaim it, but the thought of the particulars which 
 would have to be given so alarmed him that he pre- 
 ferred leaving the matter to fate rather than undergo 
 such an ordeal. 
 
 Bight days of trembling suspense went by. By the 
 time he could expect an answer his anxiety was over- 
 whelming, and he even began to think he might see his 
 own bold, ugly handwriting returned to him in an en- 
 velope. 
 
 A week, and then a fortnight, elapsed, but still no 
 answer came. 
 
 He calmed himself with the vague hope of the non- 
 arrival of his letter at its destination ; then he fancied 
 that Cecilia might have torn it up, without mentioning 
 it to anybody. But, lo and behold, when he had given up 
 all hope, he found on his plate, at breakfast-time, a letter 
 from Spain, in an unknown lady's writing. His excite- 
 ment at the sight was indescribable. He turned as white 
 as the mantelpiece — his heart seemed to jump into his 
 mouth. He opened the envelope with a trembling hand. 
 
 43 
 
The ^^Bella Paula'' 
 
 " Ah-a-a ! " he sighed, with relief, after devouring 
 the contents in two seconds. He then put his hand to 
 his side, wiped the sweat from his brow with his 
 pocket-handkerchief, took up the letter again, and re- 
 read it quietly. 
 
 It was really from Cecilia ; it was slightly ironical in 
 tone — however, it was not a rebuff. 
 
 What fancy could have seized him for her after four 
 years' absence ? Her parents — who had opened the 
 letter before she did — were equally surprised, and 
 thought it was a rash act, peculiar to youth — a passing 
 idea, of which he had probably already repented. She 
 quite coincided with their opinion, although she had 
 consented to follow their advice of writing to him, as 
 they had always maintained friendly relations with his 
 family. This letter filled him with delight ; it was not 
 the scornful refusal he had expected. Then he grew 
 sad, and then cheerful, as he read and re-read the let- 
 ter in search of a clear meaning. Was it kind — or was 
 it unkind ? He hastened to reply, imploring forgive- 
 ness for his boldness, and confirming his previous 
 declaration with renewed and more vehement protes- 
 tations. 
 
 The girl wrote again in a few days, in a kinder and 
 more affectionate manner, and then Gonzalo sent 
 another letter. An interchange of photographs fol- 
 lowed, and sometimes Dofia Paula enclosed a few lines 
 in the letters sent by her daughter. 
 
 In time the young people were formally engaged, 
 and the marriage was arranged. 
 
 Don Melchor corresponded with his nephew on the 
 subject, and he called upon Don Eosendo. It was at 
 last settled that Gonzalo should return in the spring, 
 when the wedding was to take place. 
 
 43 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THE ENGAGED COUPLE PLAN THE HOME 
 
 The rest of the audience was leaying the theatre, and 
 as Gonzalo met the people pouring from the door, many 
 of them recognized him, and he was soon surrounded 
 by old friends who were all warm in their welcome. 
 
 The first to throw his arms around his neck was Don 
 Mateo ; then came Don Pedro Miranda ; then the alcalde, 
 Don Roque ; then Don Victoriano and his wife Dofia 
 Eosario, and their three daughters. 
 
 Thus a circle soon gathered round the young man, 
 who responded effusively to the greetings, embraces, 
 and hand-pressures which reached him from all sides. 
 
 The sailors and women of the place also joined the 
 seflores in this demonstration of affection, and nothing 
 was heard but exclamations of delight and admiration. 
 
 " How stout you have grown, Gonzalito ! " 
 
 " You are a fine young man ! " 
 
 " Why don't you grow like that, Periquito ? " 
 
 "Don Gonzalo, you are a head taller than all the 
 other fellows of Sarrio ! " 
 
 " Grow ! He has not grown ; he has doubled his 
 height. Come here. Grenadier, and embrace me di- 
 rectly." 
 
 A ship-master declared that the youth was as like the 
 Prince of Wales as two drops of water, although Gon- 
 zalo might be taller. 
 
 The tall figure of the youth certainly towered above 
 the group, and he reached his hand over the heads of 
 
 44 
 
Planning the Home 
 
 those about him to the friends who could not get close 
 to him, and his fine, open countenance beamed on all. 
 
 Don Mateo, on tiptoe, pulled him by the arm so that 
 he bent down, and then he whispered in his ear : 
 
 " What a performance you have lost, Gonzalo ! It is 
 a pity you did not arrive in the afternoon. The soprano 
 sings like an angel ! And the dancing ! The dancing ! 
 I tell you, boy, they don't have better in Bilboa or Co- 
 runna. But never mind, I will have the performance 
 again before the company leaves — or it won't say much 
 for my influence." 
 
 But Gonzalo paid little heed to these words. With 
 his eyes fixed on the door, he was waiting in breathless 
 expectation for the appearance of the De Belinchon 
 family, which, as one of the first and most patrician of 
 the place, always waited behind to avoid mixing with 
 the plebeians. At last, by the light of the lamp burn- 
 ing under the archway of the entrance, he caught sight 
 of the face of Dofia Paula, followed by that of Cecilia, 
 and he tremulously advanced to greet them. 
 
 The girl turned as red as a poppy. This was natural, 
 but for the mother to do so also was less natural. What 
 was he to her ? Why was she to blush as much as the 
 daughter ? and it was what she did to perfection. The 
 voices of all three trembled, and after inquiring after 
 each other's health, their tongues seemed tied. The 
 looks of curiosity from the people added to their em- 
 barrassment. Fortunately, Pablito now approached 
 with Venturita, and our young friend greeted the former 
 affectionately and gave a ceremonious bow to the latter. 
 
 Pablo smiled. 
 
 " Don't you know her ? She is my sister, Venturita." 
 
 " Oh ! How could I know her ? She is a woman. 
 How do you do, Ventura ? " 
 
 45 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 The girl gave him her hand with a mocking, roguish 
 expression that quite confused him. 
 
 They then all turned towards home. Venturita ran 
 in front, dragging her brother with her. Dofla Paula, 
 Cecilia, and Gonzalo walked behind. Don Rosendo 
 closed the procession with his old friend Don Pedro 
 Miranda. The streets were dark, for it was only at the 
 corners that there were lamps. 
 
 The distance between the three groups of people 
 gradually increased. 
 
 Gonzalo made desperate efforts to sustain conversa- 
 tion with his bride-elect and future mother-in-law ; but 
 the girl never opened her lips, and Dofia Paula was very 
 far from being a Madame de Stael, and as the young 
 man had never consulted the manual of conversation, 
 he could not be called brilliant. In their letters they 
 had arrived at the confidential stage. Dofia Paula had 
 put postscripts into Cecilia's epistles, to which Gonzalo 
 had replied with little jokes ; he had sent stamps and 
 caricatures for Ventura, and in every way had comported 
 himself as a member of the family. But now the three 
 were quite embarrassed, for our young friend had never 
 before spoken to the Sefiora de Belinchon, and to Cecilia 
 he had only addressed the words that we have recorded. 
 
 But there in front was Venturita, laughing with her 
 brother ; and the engaged couple were quite certain 
 that the merriment was at their expense. Neverthe- 
 less, by the time they reached the house they were 
 more at home with each other, and there were signs of 
 increasing friendliness between them. The party col- 
 lected together on reaching the door of the De 
 Belinchons' abode, which was situated in the Eua 
 Nueva, the best street in Sarrio, and, like all the houses 
 in that quarter, it was large and handsome. 
 
 46 
 
Planning the Home 
 
 As Gonzalo had not yet supped, Don Rosendo asked 
 him to join them at their evening meal ; and the invi- 
 tation was given so cordially, that the young man, who 
 wished for nothing better, willingly accepted it. 
 
 Sefior Miranda and his son then took leave, and the 
 Belinchon family, with the new-comer who was soon to 
 be one of them, entered the house. 
 
 In the anteroom the ladies took off their cloaks and 
 hats. 
 
 The light seemed to make the afiBanced pair shy. 
 Gonzalo was now well able to see his betrothed, who 
 was not improved by years. She was taller, but also 
 thinner — love affairs don't make girls grow plump ; her 
 nose seemed a trifle sharper ; but her beautiful eyes, 
 so soft and intelligent, still shone like two stars. 
 
 He was greatly struck with the change in Venturita, 
 the child he had seen skipping to school on the arm of 
 a school-fellow. 
 
 She was now a woman, a full-grown woman, not so 
 much from her height as from the roundness and ful- 
 ness of her figure, and a certain directness of look 
 touched with a dash of coquetry. 
 
 They cast a rapid look at each other, as if they met 
 for the first time ; and Gonzalo said in a low voice to 
 Dofia Paula : 
 
 '•' How Venturita has improved ! She is a beautiful 
 girl." 
 
 Low as it was, the girl overheard the remark ; she 
 pouted disdainfully and went straight to the dining- 
 room, without betraying the gratification his spon- 
 taneous admiration had given her. 
 
 The table was laid, a patriarchal provincial board, 
 abundant and clean, without flowers or any of the 
 elegant accessories which are now the fashion. All 
 
 47 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Gonzalo's shyness vanishing at the sight of the meal, 
 he soon felt quite at home. A feeling of cheerfulness 
 pervaded them all. They exchanged remarks and 
 smiles ; Gonzalo took Pablito by the arm and asked 
 him after his horses ; Dofla Paula arranged the order 
 of the places ; Venturita, who was already seated, 
 began eating olives and throwing the stones at her 
 sister, with knowing winks, whilst Cecilia, her cheeks 
 aflame, put her finger on her lip to call her to order. 
 Don Kosendo had returned from putting on his jacket 
 and smoking cap, as he could not eat supper without 
 them. His wife now invited the visitor to take the 
 chair next to Cecilia, but she had taken her seat at the 
 other end of the table. 
 
 " What are you about ? Why don't you come to 
 your proper place ?" asked Dofla Paula in surprise, 
 whereupon the girl, without replying, quietly rose 
 and blushingly took the chair next to her betrothed. 
 
 The classic dish of buttered eggs was already steam- 
 ing on the table. 
 
 " Come, help Gonzalo — serve him first," said Dofla 
 Paula to her daughter, with the benign smile befitting 
 a wife whose ideas were in accord with those given by 
 Saint Paul in his celebrated epistle. 
 
 Cecilia hastened to obey, and filled the plate of her 
 future husband. He always had an excellent appetite, 
 fitting for his great size, but now, sharpened by the 
 sea air and some hours' fasting, he was voracious. He 
 ate everything that was put before him, without stop- 
 ping a moment, and without leaving a morsel, and 
 Cecilia, as we can suppose, was indefatigable in serving 
 him. 
 
 Directly he began to eat Gonzalo lost his shyness, 
 for the pressing necessity of satisfying his enormous 
 
 48 
 
Planning the Home 
 
 appetite was all-absorbing. Cecilia, on the contrary, 
 hardly touched her food. Seeing two little pieces of 
 ham about the size of two filberts on her plate, the 
 young man said : 
 
 "Who is that plate for — the parrot ?" 
 
 "No; it is for me." 
 
 " And are you not afraid it will give you indigestion ? " 
 
 It was the first joke that he had ventured to make 
 with his bride-elect. She smilingly returned : 
 
 " I never eat more than that." 
 
 Dofia Paula whispered into Venturita's ear : 
 
 "Don't you think they are very stiff with each 
 other?" 
 
 Venturita repeated the remark in an undertone to 
 Pablo, and he passed it on to his father. All four began 
 laughing and casting glances at the engaged couple, 
 who looked confused, asking with their eyes the reason 
 of the sudden merriment. 
 
 " Mama, do you want me to tell them what we are 
 laughing at ? " 
 
 " Tell them." 
 
 " Then, seflores, we were thinking that you might be 
 less stiff with each other." 
 
 The bride- and bridegroom-elect hung their heads 
 and smiled. 
 
 The good spirits of the supper party now broke forth 
 in laughter and jokes. Pablito asked his future 
 brother-in-law questions about horse-racing, skating- 
 rinks, and other more or less enthralling topics of the 
 kind. 
 
 Only Cecilia was silent in the intensity of her happi- 
 ness, shown in the brilliant scarlet of her cheeks, the 
 heat of which she tried in vain to cool with the back of 
 her hand. 
 
 4 49 
 
T h e Fourth Estate 
 
 When she thought she was unobserved she cast long, 
 loving looks at her fiance, whose fine, insatiable appetite, 
 the sign of life and energy, surprised and captivated 
 her ; and she gazed at him in adoring admiration as a 
 splendid type of masculine strength. 
 
 But these long, ecstatic looks did not escape Ventu- 
 rita, who managed by signs to draw the attention of 
 Pablo and her mother to them. Gonzalo acknowledged 
 the attentions of his fianc6e with a rapid ''Many 
 thanks" without looking at her, for fear of blushing. 
 When he did look up to speak to Pablo, his eyes always 
 encountered Venturita's, and her smiling, mocking 
 glance somewhat disconcerted him. 
 
 At last they left the table and dispersed. Don Ro- 
 sendo and Venturita disappeared, and Pablo, after chat- 
 ting for a few minutes, followed their example. 
 
 Dofia Paula and the engaged couple remained alone 
 in the dining-room, and all three sat on low chairs in a 
 corner together. Soon nothing but soft whispers were 
 audible, as if they were at the confessional. The three 
 chairs were close together, and with their heads almost 
 touching, they began an animated conversation. 
 
 Dofla Paula soon broached the all-important ques- 
 tion. 
 
 " This is the twenty-eighth of April. There are only 
 four months from now to the first of September," and 
 here she cast a long, knowing glance at the couple. 
 
 If it had been possible for Cecilia to get redder, she 
 would have done so. 
 
 Gronzalo's lips wreathed in a meaningless smile, and 
 he lowered his eyes. 
 
 After looking at them for a minute, as if enjoying 
 their confusion, Dofla Paula continued : 
 
 "It is necessary to think of the trousseau." 
 50 
 
Planning the Ho 
 
 m e 
 
 " Mama, por Dios ! It is early days," exclaimed the 
 girl in dismay, whilst her heart leaped into her mouth. 
 
 "It is not so, Cecilia ; you do not know the time the 
 embroidresses take in such matters. Nieves took a 
 month to embroider two petticoats for Dofia Eosario's 
 daughter — and Martina is slower than she." 
 
 "Nieves embroiders very well." 
 
 " There is no embroidress in the town to hold a can- 
 dle to Martina. She has hands of gold." 
 
 "I prefer the embroideries of Nieves." 
 
 " Then, if you wish it, let her embroider your clothes, 
 but I — " said Dofia Paula, looking at her daughter in 
 an offended, haughty sort of way. 
 
 " I don't say so," returned the girl in alarm ; " I only 
 say I like the work of Nieves better than Martina's." 
 
 The trousseau soon became the subject of conversa- 
 tion. It was discussed from every point of view, and 
 with the gravity and the care it deserved. 
 
 To whom should they intrust the hemming of the 
 linen sheets ? To whom the common ones ? Who 
 should make the underlinen ? Where should the man- 
 tles be bought, etc. ? All these questions were discussed, 
 weighed, and considered. Dofia Paula gave her opin- 
 ion ; Cecilia affected to contradict, but in reality what 
 did she care ? 
 
 Her whole soul was so filled with the thought of her 
 approaching marriage that her voice trembled with 
 emotion, and she could hardly speak, whilst her eyes 
 glowed with rapture, and shone like two fine stars on a 
 soft summer night. 
 
 " How hot it is ! " she exclaimed every now and then, 
 putting her hands upon her flaming cheeks. 
 
 Gonzalo assented with an inane smile to what was 
 said, and frequently changed the position of his long 
 
 51 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 legs, which were cramped from the lowness of his 
 chair. 
 
 When they had discussed the linen of the trousseau, 
 they passed on to the dresses, and the conversation be- 
 came more animated, and Cecilia saw her fiance with- 
 out looking at him, and the eyes of Dofia Paula, as she 
 gazed at them both, grew softer and softer ; their 
 breath mingled, and the shoulders of the future bride 
 and bridegroom touched each other. 
 
 The soft whispers, the lowered light of the lamp, 
 which scarcely reached them, the frequent contact with 
 the arm of her beloved, all combined to fill Cecilia 
 with overwhelming emotion. Quite overcome, she got 
 up two or three times and kissed her mother warmly ; 
 when she did this the third time, Dofia Paula saw what 
 it betokened and, with a compassionate, smiling glance, 
 said: 
 
 " Poor little thing ! My poor little thing ! " 
 
 Cecilia covered her eyes with her hands, and remained 
 so for some time. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " said Dofia Paula at last. 
 
 " Nothing, nothing." 
 
 But she kept her eyes covered. 
 
 " But what is the matter, my daughter ? " 
 
 "Nothing," she replied at last, taking her hands 
 from her face, and she smiled, but her eyes were wet. 
 
 " I know, I know," returned the mother. 
 
 "jYou want the salts ; you feel faint." 
 
 " No, I am not faint ; I am quite well." 
 
 The conversation was then renewed, and Dofia Paula 
 expressed her wish that Gonzalo should come and live 
 with them. This he rather objected to at first, as he 
 knew his uncle would not like it, nevertheless he ended 
 by conceding to the entreaties of both ladies. It was 
 
 62 
 
Planning the Home 
 
 so natural that they should not want to be separated ! 
 You can both be quite independent ; I will take care of 
 that. There is the large room, the blue one, you 
 know, Cecilia ; it has a large alcove ; then you only want 
 the study for Gonzalo. But I have thought of that. 
 Just by the large room there is the wardrobe-room, 
 that looks on to the courtyard ; it is nice and light. It 
 is all in disorder now, but, with a little trouble, it could 
 be turned into a very nice room. Would you like to 
 see it, Gonzalo ? " 
 
 The young man replied that it was not necessary, 
 that he believed all she said, and that he had as good 
 as seen it ; but the lady insisted on it, and, taking a 
 flat candlestick, she escorted him to the other end of 
 the house. 
 
 " This is the room — ^large, is it not ? Two win- 
 dows. The alcove is large enough for two beds, much 
 less for one," she added, with a glance at her 
 daughter, who turned aside to shut a window. 
 
 " Let us go and see the wardrobe-room " 
 
 And leaving the apartment, crossing a passage and 
 turning round a corner, they entered another room 
 full of cupboards and lumber. 
 
 " Don't mind about the distance, for it is really next 
 to the large room ; it only wants a door of communica- 
 tion to be made between." 
 
 Gonzalo turned to his fiancee and said softly : 
 
 " Why does not mama tutoyer me as your papa does ? 
 Ask her from me — I do not like to." 
 
 Then Cecilia approached her mother's ear and said in 
 a soft voice, which trembled with shyness : 
 
 "Gonzalo would like you to tutoyer him." 
 
 " What do you say, child ? " asked Dofla Paula, put- 
 ting her hand to her ear. 
 
 53 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Cecilia, with a great efEort, raised her voice a little : 
 
 " Gonzalo says why do you not tutoyer him as papa 
 does?" 
 
 " Ah — I am glad the suggestion comes from him, 
 otherwise I should not have ventured. Very well, 
 then, when a door is made here in the wall, you will 
 be able to go from the large room into this one with- 
 out crossing the passage — do you like the room ? Is 
 it large enough ? " 
 
 " Too large ; my business at the present moment does 
 not require much space." 
 
 Cecilia looked anxious, as if something were on her 
 mind. She opened her mouth several times as if about 
 to speak, and then lacked courage. At last, after a 
 long pause, she ventured to say : 
 
 " One thing is wanting, mama." 
 
 "What?" 
 
 The girl hesitated, as if to gain courage, and then, in 
 a trembling voice, she said : 
 
 " There is no dressing-room for Gonzalo." 
 
 " That's true. I never thought of that. Where was 
 my head ? There is no room about here — wait a mo- 
 ment — wait. We might put the pantry downstairs, 
 and then there would be that little room, which, nicely 
 furnished, would perhaps do. The only thing is, it does 
 not communicate with the other rooms ; he will have 
 to cross the passage. 
 
 "What does that matter ?" 
 
 They then returned to the dining-room, and to the 
 same seats in the corner. Presently Venturita came 
 in, in a white peignoir, cut so as to show her alabaster 
 throat and part of her beautiful neck ; her hair hung 
 loose over her shoulders, and her feet were shod with 
 gorgeously embroidered Eastern slippers. She came 
 
 U 
 
Planning the Home 
 
 to say " Good-night " before retiring to rest, and, ap- 
 proaching her mother, she gave her a kiss, making 
 teasing faces at her sister the while, which Gonzalo 
 could not see. 
 
 "Well, good-night," she said, giving Gonzalo her 
 hand. 
 
 " Good-night," he returned, with an admiring glance 
 and in a tone of admiration not unnoticed by the 
 girl. 
 
 She was just going away when a coquettish feeling 
 made her turn back at the door and say to Cecilia : 
 
 " Where did you put the shoehorn ? I had to come 
 in with slippers, as I could not find it." 
 
 Then she took the opportunity of showing her pretty 
 foot. 
 
 " But it is there in the table drawer." 
 
 "If you only knew how sleepy I am," she said, ad- 
 vancing a step, and putting her hand on the head of 
 her sister — "Do you know what I ought to do for it?" 
 she added, with a smile. Gonzalo looked at her atten- 
 tively. She was really a perfect creature ; the more he 
 looked at her, the more he admired her particular 
 charms. Her skin was soft, and shining as silk ; her 
 complexion pink and white ; her mouth like a budding 
 rose ; her lips red and full enough to show two rows of 
 even teeth ; her hair golden, silky, and abundant ; a 
 drawing-room magazine would say that it fell over her 
 shoulders like a cascade of sunbeams, or something to 
 that effect. 
 
 Her only imperfection was her height. If she had 
 taken after her mother in this respect, nobody could 
 have found any fault with her excepting, perhaps, her 
 friends. 
 
 Seeing she was an object of admiration, she went on 
 55 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 walking about, turning herself round to be seen from all 
 sides, posing in affected attitudes, asking impertinent 
 questions of her sister, then laughing aimlessly and 
 covering her with kisses, or pinching her unmercifully. 
 
 " Let me alone, Venturita ; how wild you are to-day ! " 
 exclaimed Cecilia, with her kind, frank smile, as she 
 tried to get away from her. 
 
 " Go to bed !" said Dofla Paula. 
 
 "I am going." 
 
 But instead of going, she embraced Cecilia again, 
 and tickling her, she managed to whisper into her 
 ear: 
 
 " How are you enjoying yourself, you rogue ? Don't 
 make those large eyes at him, or you will frighten him. 
 Good-bye, good-bye, sefiores," she said in a louder 
 voice, "and leave something for to-morrow, eh ?" 
 
 " What a little silly ! " cried Cecilia, blushing. 
 
 Dofla Paula and Gonzalo smiled, and he said in a 
 low voice : 
 
 " What lovely hair ! " 
 
 Ventura overheard him, and shaking her locks, she 
 said : 
 
 " It is false." 
 
 They all burst out laughing. 
 
 " Don't you believe it ? " she asked in a serious tone, 
 and approaching nearer. 
 
 " Pull it, and you will see it will come off in your 
 hand." 
 
 The young man did not dare to comply, and continued 
 to smile. 
 
 " Pull, pull," she insisted, turning her back to him, 
 and holding her hair before his face. 
 
 Gonzalo raised his hand to the hair, but he only ven- 
 tured to touch it caressingly. 
 
 56 
 
Planning the Home 
 
 " What I it has not come ofE ! That is because it is 
 well tied on." 
 
 And she ran out of the room. 
 
 The private conclave was prolonged for some time, 
 and many more points of their future life were touched 
 upon ; and as Cecilia listened to her mother descanting 
 upon what they should do when once they were mar- 
 ried, she could hardly conceal the tremor of emotion 
 that possessed her. She had taken her mother's hand, 
 and she pressed it and caressed it in a nervous way ; 
 sometimes she raised it to her lips and kissed it pas- 
 sionately. 
 
 Dofla Paula looked at her with sympathy, and smiled 
 kindly at the joy that filled her daughter's heart. 
 
 The clock in the dining-room struck half -past twelve. 
 
 " Oh, how late ! What will Don Kosendo say ? " 
 
 " He never goes to bed before this time," replied 
 Cecilia. 
 
 " Yes ; but you know he takes some time to lock 
 up," returned Dolia Paula. 
 
 Cecilia was silent. Gonzalo shook hands with them 
 warmly, promising to come the following day. Then 
 he went to Seflor Belinchon's study to take leave of 
 him. 
 
 The mother and daughter went on talking in the 
 same corner on the same theme, the former being the 
 object of countless embraces and fervent kisses. 
 
 " These are not for me," said the lady, in a tone of 
 mingled joy and sadness. 
 
 " Yes, mama ; yes ! " replied the girl, embracing 
 her with still greater effusion. 
 
 In the meanwhile Don Eosendo was bringing the 
 arduous and complicated task of locking the doors and 
 windows to a successful termination. 
 
 57 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 He was not contented with locks and iron bars, but, 
 to insure the non-violation of the sanctuary of his 
 dwelling during the night, the rich merchant was in 
 the habit of gumming pieces of paper over all the 
 locks. These he examined carefully in the morning, 
 to be quite certain that nobody had tampered with 
 them. Then he put various bottles and pots upon the 
 doorstep, so that if thieves came they would fall over 
 them. 
 
 58 
 
At the Club 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 HOW THE CHIEB RESIDENTS OF SAKKIO USED TO MEET 
 AT THE CLUB, AND WHAT TOOK PLACE THEEE 
 
 Don Melchor db las Cuevas rose from the table, 
 lighted a cigar and, offering one to his nephew, said : 
 
 " Let us go and have coffee." 
 
 Gonzalez was about to put the cigar in his pocket, 
 not having hitherto been permitted to smoke in his 
 uncle's presence; but the old man touched his arm, 
 saying: 
 
 " Light it, my boy, light it ; you are not a younker 
 now." 
 
 So the young fellow took out a match and began 
 puffing at the Havana with enjoyment, and the men 
 then left the house together, and proceeded slowly down 
 the street with the air of lien etre worn by powerful- 
 looking men after a heavy meal. They were as silent 
 and majestic as two magnificent cedars unrustled by a 
 breeze. The women at work in their doorways looked 
 after them with interest and admiration. 
 
 "Who's the young man with Don Melchor?" 
 
 "What! don't you know? 'Tis his nephew, SeQor 
 Gonzalo, who arrived last night in the ' Bella Paula.' " 
 
 " He is a fine, strapping fellow." 
 
 " Like his father, Don Martos, God rest his soul." 
 
 "And like his grandfather, Don Benito," added an 
 old woman. "What a noble, fine-looking family they 
 are!" 
 
 At the top of a street which commanded a view to the 
 59 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 sea, SeQor de las Cuevas stopped a minute to cast his eye 
 over the waters. 
 
 " Fine weather at sea! a slight breeze coming up! Do 
 you see them ? " he added, with an expression of triumph 
 after a minute. 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " The launches, man, the launches. Don't you see 
 them?" 
 
 " I see nothing," returned Gonzalo, fixing his eyes on 
 the horizon. 
 
 "You are just as you were; you see nothing hut 
 the soup in your plate," said the uncle, with a sarcastic 
 smile. 
 
 The Cafe de la Marina was already full of people. The 
 clatter of conversation and disputes, the clink of the 
 glasses, the ring of the domino pieces on the marble 
 table, made a deafening noise. The place was situated 
 in the small square formed by the junction of the Rua 
 Nueva with the harbor, and one side of the house looked 
 on to the sea. Most of the captains and pilots who 
 stopped at Sarrio on their cruises resorted thither, as did 
 the majority of the residents, who, without being 
 sailors, had a partiality for what was maritime. 
 
 The entrance of our friends was hailed with delight 
 from different tables. Don Melchor was the most pop- 
 ular and the most highly respected habitue of the caf6. 
 
 He had to greet all the assembled company, and take 
 Gonzalo up to each of them. 
 
 The jolly fellows were all delighted with the young 
 man, and wrung his hand almost to dislocation, whilst 
 they were eager and hearty in their offers of a glass of 
 wine or maraschino; and when this was refused on the 
 plea of taking coffee upstairs, a profound gloom over- 
 spread their countenances. 
 
 60 
 
At the Club 
 
 As a matter of fact, Don Melchor was accustomed to 
 have his coffee in the small saloon, -which was a room on 
 the first floor of the house, communicating with the cafe 
 by an iron staircase, which the uncle and nephew finally 
 ascended. 
 
 There the chief residents of the town were congregated, 
 seated on a circular sofa, with little Japanese tables in 
 front of them, on all of which cofEee was served. 
 
 Through one of the doors, which was generally left 
 open, could be seen the billiard room, where the same 
 people always played, with the same onlookers. When 
 Don Melchor and his nephew entered a project was in 
 course of discussion for keeping the poor women who 
 sell vegetables and milk from intemperance. 
 
 And Gonzalo recollected that on a certain occasion, 
 when he came thither to see his uncle before going to 
 England, the same matter was then under discussion. 
 The themes varied little in that assembly. The town 
 continued its tranquil even course in the midst of its 
 daily work. The only events that occasionally shook it 
 from its lethargy were the arrival or departure of some 
 important ship, the death of a well-known person, a dis- 
 honored bill, the paving of some street, the tax on some 
 merchandise, the lightening of contraband goods, or the 
 bad state of the harbor. 
 
 The women and young people were too much taken up 
 with their own affairs to trouble about outside matters. 
 But the arrival of any handsome young stranger caused a 
 great sensation among the marriageable girls; and if 
 any young man walked for the first time with Margarita 
 at the Promenade, it was looked upon as a settled 
 affair; if Severino of the iron-mongery administered a 
 beating to his wife, what could she expect after marrying 
 such a drunken fellow? and the dress that a certain 
 
 61 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 young girl wore on the Day of Our Lady made quite an 
 excitement. 
 
 "You say it came from Madrid! What Madrid? 
 Why, I saw it cut out at Martina's myself! " 
 
 The subscription dance announced at the Lyceum 
 formed a great topic of discussion. 
 
 " I don't believe there will be a ball, the young men 
 fight too shy of expense." 
 
 But the grave elders who frequented the Club de- 
 spised these themeSj albeit they sometimes condescended 
 to touch upon them. 
 
 Gonzalo had seen Don Rosendo, Don Mateo, Don 
 Pedro Miranda, and the alcalde the previous evening. 
 But Gabino Maza, Don Feliciano Gomez, M. Delaunay, 
 the French engineer, Alvaro Pefla, Marin, Don Lorenzo, 
 Don Agapito, and five or six other men whom he had 
 not yet seen, were there, and they all rose to embrace 
 the young man. 
 
 Don Pedro Miranda, whom we have already men- 
 tioned, was a man considerably past seventy, small and 
 insignificant looking, with a smooth bald head, large 
 solemn eyes, and of a retiring disposition. 
 
 He was the richest land-owner in the place, and no 
 titled person in the town could have been a better repre- 
 sentative of the aristocracy, in virtue of his own descent 
 from an old family of land-owners. 
 
 To this distinction, however, he attached but small 
 importance. He was an unpretentious, courteous man, 
 who consorted with all his neighbors regardless of his 
 superior rank ; and he was always extremely particular 
 not to allude to money, or to be in anywise dictatorial or 
 antagonistic to anybody. 
 
 But if he entirely waived the respect due to his birth, 
 he was very jealous of his rights as a land-owner, 
 
 63 
 
At the Club 
 
 Never was there a proprietor more proprietary than 
 Don Pedro Miranda. 
 
 The institutions of ancient as well as modern law, the 
 universities, the army and navy, the political constitu- 
 tion, and religion itself had no other raison d'itre in his 
 eyes but that of contributing, directly or indirectly, to 
 the preservation of his seignorial rights. 
 
 The marvellous macrocosm of the universe was designed 
 for the support of his indisputable claim to the full pos- 
 session of Praducos, a hamlet two miles from the town, 
 and to his right of an annual fee of a hundred and fifty 
 ducats in consideration of his title to the land at the 
 mouth of the river. 
 
 This very clear sense of his rights engendered, from 
 very excess of clearness, several disputes. A laborer 
 would come to him and say : 
 
 " SeQor, Joaquim the martin-breeder cut to-day some 
 of the branches of your walnut-tree which hung over 
 into his garden." 
 
 "But the walnut-tree was mine," exclaimed Don 
 Pedro, crimson with rage and surprise. 
 
 " Yes, sefior, but it hung over into his garden." 
 
 " What! The fellow dared to touch anything which 
 is mine — mine ! " 
 
 Thereupon a little lawsuit ensued, which, of course, 
 he lost. He lost dozens of these lawsuits in the 
 course of his life, without growing any wiser on the 
 subject. 
 
 Don Eoque de la Eiva, the alcalde of Sarrio, whom we 
 had the honor of comparing, when we first saw him at 
 the theatre, to a courtier of the time of Louis XV., or a 
 coachman of some great house, was not distinguished for 
 clearness of speech, for it was so indistinct and confused 
 that his interlocutors had great difficulty in understand- 
 
 63 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 ing him. We do not know whether the mutilation of 
 his words took place in his mouth, throat, or nose, but it 
 is a fact that they almost came forth transformed into 
 such mysterious, vague, chaotic utterances that they 
 were completely unintelligible. More especially was it 
 impossible to talk with him after dinner, and this for no 
 other reason, according to report, than because Don 
 Koque would insist on patronizing a wine called Eivero, 
 so strong that nobody could touch it without fear of get- 
 ting intoxicated. 
 
 This head of the corporation used to leave home every 
 afternoon, apparently alone, but in reality with an escort. 
 His enormous shaven face was very red, and the color 
 was accentuated in his huge Roman nose; his eyes, blood- 
 shot and half closed, as if unable to bear the weight of 
 his eyelids, looked slowly into every corner of the street 
 with an expression of physical hien 4tre ; his ponderous, 
 slow, vacillating step showed the sympathetic state be- 
 tween his psychical and physical faculties. Don Eoque 
 only had to come across some official, sweeper, watch- 
 man, or stone-breaker of the municipality to make his 
 enjoyment complete. 
 
 When from afar he espied one, his eyelids were quickly 
 raised and his nostrils quivered like those of a tiger at 
 approach of prey. Suppose the fellow, scenting the ap- 
 proach of the tiger, passed into another street or tried 
 to hide himself! Don Koque shouted to him, with a 
 voice of thunder : 
 
 "Juan, Juaan, Juaaan!" 
 
 The victim heard and bowed his head. 
 
 " Have you taken the message to Don Lorenzo ? " 
 
 "Yes, seflor." 
 
 " Have you told the secretary that he must let the 
 matter of the cemetery stand over?" 
 
 64 
 
At the Club 
 
 "Yes, sefior." 
 
 " Have you taken the documents to the petty court 
 of San Martin?" 
 
 "Yes, seflor." 
 
 " Have you told Don Manuel that he must take 
 away that rubbish in front of his house ? " 
 
 In fact, he went on asking questions until the poor 
 ofiBcial came to a negative answer. 
 
 Then the loud voice of the alcalde was heard all down 
 the street, and even to the end of the town; his eyes 
 became more inflamed, and his apoplectic face grew 
 quite alarming. It was impossible to understand what 
 he said. His ejaculations alone would have made his 
 discourse incomprehensible, but these were enunciated 
 in such a chaotic fashion that the " h " alone was dis- 
 tinguishable. 
 
 The scolding never lasted less than fifteen or twenty 
 minutes; he required no less time to let off the super- 
 fluous spleen which had accumulated since the previous 
 afternoon. Just as there are people who put their 
 fingers down their throats in the morning to make 
 themselves ill, so Don Koque was not happy until he had 
 had this ebullition of wrath. He had only one inter- 
 jection in his vocabulary, but this he used in such 
 abundance that quantity atoned for quality. 
 
 The neighbors came out of their doors to hear him, 
 but with a smile on their faces, as if accustomed to 
 such scenes. 
 
 " Don Eoque is giving it hot to-day," said one to 
 another in a loud voice. 
 
 "See how Juan is behaving." In fact, every time 
 the alcalde turned his back the clerk put up his thumb 
 and made a long nose at him. 
 
 Don Eoque liked to come upon a road-sweeper or a 
 5 65 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Btone-breaker at his work. For he would cautiously 
 approach him from behind and, catching him by the 
 collar, exclaim: 
 
 "Ah! so that's the way you sweep, is it! — ah! Do 
 you think I pay you to leave half the dirt between 
 the stones ?— ah ! Is this gratitude ?— ah ! It is shame- 
 ful!— ah!" 
 
 Once the zeal for his oflBce led him to seize the broom 
 and give the man an object-lesson in the art of sweep- 
 ing. 
 
 The townsfolk, the few passers-by in the street, and 
 some young ladies whom the noise had brought to a 
 window went into fits of laughter. The sweeper him- 
 self, in spite of his awkward position, could not help 
 smiling at the energy with which the figure, with its 
 coat-tails flying, made erratic and angry dashes at the 
 ground . 
 
 " Is that the way you sweep ? — ah ! " (Terrible bang 
 with the broom.) "That is the way — ah!" (another 
 bang). "That is the way to sweep — ah!" (another 
 bang). " That is the way to sweep! — ah! " 
 
 Until, wornout, heated, and nearly falling from fa- 
 tigue, the alcalde handed back the broom, and took up 
 his tasselled stick again. 
 
 Having thus relieved his noble heart of the superflu- 
 ous ah's which weighted it, he resumed his way, and 
 arrived at the Club in a very happy state of body and 
 mind. 
 
 Gabino Maza was a man of about flve-and-forty years 
 of age, a naval ofiBcer who had retired some years ago 
 from the service, his ungovernable temper being unable 
 to brook professional discipline. 
 
 He had an olive complexion, and small bright eyes, 
 with dark lines underneath which showed his biUo^s 
 
At the Club 
 
 temperament. He was tall, wiry, and masculine, and his 
 hair and beard were of a blue-black hue; his gestures 
 were always nervous and violent; his voice was inde- 
 finable, sometimes quiet, but when he was at all agitated, 
 which was almost always the case when he began to 
 speak, it was loud and shrill, and of such a discordant 
 falsetto that it was deafening. 
 
 "With his little income, and a tiny pension, he was 
 able to support his family in Sarrio with the comfort of 
 a gentleman at ease, which in the capital of the province 
 would have been impossible. 
 
 A born disputant, he brought into every question, 
 trivial as it might be, an amount of passion and violence 
 that was truly alarming, so anxious was he to contradict 
 whatever was said, although it might be as clear as noon- 
 day. He Judged people in such a severe and pessimistic 
 spirit that he never believed in the pure motive of a 
 kind action, however noble and honorable it might 
 seem; and his spite and malignity bordered on madness. 
 Nevertheless, this man was not so much disliked by his 
 neighbors as might have been expected. The intimacy 
 of a village or little town gives greater scope for learn- 
 ing the true character of each individual than is possi- 
 ble in large places, where a merely superficial intercourse 
 may permit many cold, selfish, bad-tempered men to dis- 
 guise their true selves with a sympathetic veneer, and 
 polite words, courteous manners, and an insinuating 
 smile win the encomium, " nice, agreeable sort of a per- 
 son." But in the country that all goes for naught, 
 and, on the contrary, excessive amiability and very sweet 
 smiles excite distrust. The character of everybody is 
 as ruthlessly and as minutely examined as if it were a 
 bundle of nerves under the dissector's knife; so that 
 many people are hated who seemed at first attractive; 
 
 67 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 and others liked who were at first sight considered 
 aggressive, hard, and violent. 
 
 Dissimulation, so much practised in great towns, is 
 never tolerated in the provinces, albeit it is the prevail- 
 ing vice of all social relationships. Quick tempers and 
 excitable natures do not arouse mistrust, as they are at 
 least " clear and above-board." There is always a sense 
 of justice in such people which, distorted and overbal- 
 anced by passion as it may be, does not make them 
 disliked. Besides, as quick temper and excitability are 
 a constant cause of self-sufEering and discomfort, both 
 physical and moral, it is justly considered that men of 
 this temperament reap their own retribution. 
 
 Gabino Maza was neither disliked nor very much 
 liked; those who were offended by him grumbled at 
 him and kept him at a distance, terming him a malig- 
 nant, sharp-tongued fellow; and the others laughed at 
 his exaggerated style, and enjoyed a conversation with 
 him without professing any great regard for him. 
 
 Another of the characters congregated there was Don 
 Feliciano Gomez, a retail merchant in ultramarine 
 goods, and also the owner of three or four vessels and 
 several smacks which traded along the Biscayan coast, 
 the largest sometimes going even as far as Seville. He 
 was of middle height ; his head, destitute of hair, was 
 pyramidal in form ; his waxed moustachios were turned 
 up to his nose, and his voice was almost always hoarse. 
 He was a cheerful, kind, optimistic sort of fellow; he 
 was a confirmed bachelor, and lived with his three elder 
 sisters, whom he had made real " seQoras " by dint of 
 his own hard work and economy. The reward they 
 gave him, according to public report, was to keep him 
 in hand like a child, admonish his slightest faults, and 
 worry and torment him in every imaginable way. Nev- 
 es 
 
At the Club 
 
 ertheless, he was never heard to utter a single word of 
 complaint against them. 
 
 M. Delaunay, the Belgian engineer, arrived at Sarrio 
 a few years before our story opens, with the object of 
 managing a mining district of an imposing English com- 
 pany. The working was a failure, and the company de- 
 prived him of his post and his pay. But Delaunay, who 
 was a born speculator, undertook seven or eight other 
 commercial enterprises. First he started a manufactory 
 of paper, then one of French nails, then he conceived 
 the idea of cultivating oysters, then he tried a cheese 
 factory, and ice factory; and finally he thought of turn- 
 ing to account some large, uncultivated tracts of land 
 near Sarrio. 
 
 All the enterprises had failed without anybody know- 
 ing why. Delaunay was certainly intelligent, clear- 
 headed, and industrious. He was complete master of 
 every trade that he entered into ; he ordered all the 
 apparatus from England, set it up, and it worked well 
 and produced very satisfactory results. He attributed 
 his failures to the lack of means of transport. The last 
 of his famous enterprises, which died before it came into 
 practice, brought more discredit on him than any other. 
 In one of his excursions in the environs of the town he 
 noticed close to a little river some uncultivated land, 
 which he thought could easily, with a little trouble, be 
 cultivated; he computed its value, drew out a plan, and 
 when, a few months later, he found himself compelled 
 to close the ice factory and to dismiss the workmen, he 
 recollected this low land and mentioned it to Don Kosendo 
 Belinchon, Don Feliciano Gomez, and two West Indians, 
 so that they might aid him in his grand scheme. They 
 replied that it would be necessary to see the district, and 
 an expedition was arranged. One morning they set ofE 
 
 69 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 on horseback, and took the direction of the river Orleo, 
 six miles from Sarrio. ArriTing there, they left the 
 horses and ascended the hill on foot, from whence they 
 could see the marsh land. 
 
 What was Delaunay's shame and confusion, when he 
 saw the tract that he intended to cultivate covered 
 with maize, beautifully green and flourishing. In fact, it 
 had been under cultivation for more than six years; and 
 his mistake arose from having seen it in December, when 
 it dies down. 
 
 The party returned to the town, and one can imagine 
 what a joke was made of the incident. 
 
 He was ruined at last, and he found himself obliged 
 to live in a wretched fashion. 
 
 But his rage for speculation increased instead of being 
 dampened by failure, and this to such a degree that there 
 was not a single capitalist in Sarrio whom he had not 
 tried to inveigle into some of his enterprises. 
 
 At one time it was a road to the capital, another a 
 port of refuge, or stone moles, and another time a grand 
 hotel. Some West Indians, certainly only a few, fell vic- 
 tims to his persuasions, and paid for their innocence 
 with the loss of some thousands of dollars. 
 
 However, Delaunay was a man of talent, and studious, 
 and he was well informed in all the improvements of 
 science, so to depreciate him would be injustice. 
 
 The harbor-master, Alvaro Pefla, a young fellow of 
 thirty years of age, dark, with large black eyes, and 
 moustacMos & la Victor Emanuel, was noted for his 
 profound, implacable hatred against the ecclesiastical 
 profession, and all who represented it, even to his own 
 brother. 
 
 Without any taste for science or literature, he owned 
 a rather extensive library, consisting exclusively of books 
 
 70 
 
At the Club 
 
 against religion and its ministers. He was a contributor 
 to two or three periodicals, known by their anti-clerical 
 opinions; and it was said that he had been occupying 
 himself for some years past collecting data for a book 
 that he thought of publishing under the title " Eeligion, 
 the Most Eetrograde of Sciences," of which several of his 
 acquaintances had been introduced to difierent portions. 
 He was cheerful and straightforward, and partial to sto- 
 ries and jokes in which some priest or monk played the 
 chief part. 
 
 Don Jaime Marin, the owner of four hundred acres of 
 land which, with the tax, realized six thousand pesetas, 
 would have been a great scoundrel, a fast, bad man, if 
 he had not had Dofla Brigida for a wife. This impor- 
 tant lady managed, with laudable energy, to prevent her 
 husband ruining the whole family, and being turned out 
 of doors. Before he finished making ducks and drakes 
 of the property she succeeded in depriving him judi- 
 cially of its control, and having it made over to her. It 
 is not easy to describe the firmness with which DoQa 
 Brigida took the reins of management. No Eoman 
 patrician was ever imbued with a greater sense of the sui 
 juris of the sacred rights with which " the city " had 
 invested her. From the time of this occurrence Don 
 Jaime, who was then over fifty years of age, dropped into 
 being a mere thing in her hands, according to the law's 
 decree. In his character of alieni juris he had to sub- 
 mit to the direct and constant sway of his lord and 
 master, and to bow in all ways to her universal will. 
 Farewell to sumptuous suppers of shellfish and Eueda 
 wine in the Caf6 de la Marina! Farewell to hunting 
 the hare with Fermo the butcher and Marcelino the 
 engraver! Farewell to delightful nights of tresillo! 
 Farewell to afternoons of peace and happiness on the 
 
 71 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 lake of Sebastian de la Puente ! Farewell ! The obdu- 
 rate lady put in his hand three pesetas every Sunday, 
 neither more nor less. It was all the pocket money 
 he had to spend on his pleasures for the week, with the 
 exception of smoking, which she took in hand herself, 
 buying the cigars and all. When he required a hat, 
 she bought it for him ; when he needed a suit of clothes, 
 or a pair of boots, she told the tailor or shoemaker to 
 call and measure him. She even prevented his going 
 to the barber's for fear he should spend the two reals, 
 and so the barber came on Saturdays to shave him. It 
 sometimes happened that the barber came when Don 
 Jaime was still asleep. 
 
 " What am I to do ? " he inquired of Don Brigida. 
 
 " Shave him," returned the inexorable seflora. 
 
 Obedient to the command, the barber approached the 
 bedside, covered the face with soap and quietly shaved 
 Don Jaime while still half asleep, and on his finally 
 rousing himself, he said to the servant who brought 
 him his chocolate : 
 
 " To-day is Saturday, let the barber be brought." 
 
 " You ass, you silly, that no priest can shrive," re- 
 plied his sweet consort from her room, "don't you see 
 you are shaved already." 
 
 "Ah, so I am," returned the good sefior, feeling 
 his face. 
 
 At first he asked his friends or acquaintances at the 
 caf6 for money with which to play tresillo, and he 
 drank coffee on trust at the cafe. But the friends soon 
 left off obliging him, and the master of the establish- 
 ment declined to even trust him for a peseta, for Dolla 
 Brigida almost knocked him downstairs when he one day 
 brought her a bill for a hundred and twenty reals. 
 
 So Don Jaime was reduced to spending hours in 
 72 
 
At the Club 
 
 watching the game of tresillo and in giving advice to 
 the players, which was not wanted. The winners some- 
 times rewarded him with a glass of rum. 
 
 He occasionally played draughts with Don Lorenzo, 
 but as he declined to play "for love," Marin had to 
 find something to play for which was not money. He 
 finally decided to have for a stake one of the cigars that 
 his wife gave him in the morning; when he lost it, he 
 had to spend the evening without smoking; sometimes, 
 trying to get his revenge, he lost two or three more, and 
 so he had to hand them over to his opponent on the en- 
 suing days. In the meanwhile he went from friend to 
 friend begging a little tobacco to appease his insufierable 
 longing for a smoke. Poor Marin ! 
 
 Dofla Brigida could never succeed in making him 
 retire to rest early. He had spent so many years in 
 being up till four or five in the morning, that it was 
 now impossible to break the habit. As, when he was 
 kept at home, he never went to bed until dawn, and as 
 he spent the night in wandering about the rooms, and 
 the bad habit of being up at night by one's self is very in- 
 expensive, the ingenious sefiora let him retire to rest at 
 what hour he liked. He remained at the Cafe de la 
 Marina with the latest habitues, and when these had 
 gone he waited whilst the servants put away the china 
 and glass, and the master was ready to shut up. When 
 he was literally sent off from the establishment, he with- 
 drew to the Eua Nueva, where he sat with his friend the 
 watchman, and, chatting with him, passed the hours 
 before dawn. 
 
 Don Lorenzo, Don A'j;apito, Don Pancho, Don A.qui- 
 lino, Dop. Ger.tci,an,'8\:irl«i,3on Jasfcr w&jt Indians. That 
 is to say, iAeywQve people who had been sent as children 
 to the West Indies by their parents to earn their living, 
 
 73 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 and they had returned between fifty and sixty years of 
 age with fortunes varying from thirty to a hundred 
 thousand dollars. There were more than fifty of these 
 Indians in Sarrio. The hard work and the long state of 
 self-suppression in which they had lived made their 
 ideas of happiness quite different to ours. We find pleas- 
 ure in a constant change of amusement, in going about 
 and travelling, and enjoying with both body and mind 
 the beautiful variety of things of nature. But these 
 West Indians looked for nothing more than exemption 
 from the hard law imposed by God on Adam after his 
 fall; and, in truth, they gave themselves up to this pe- 
 culiar delight. The majority of them had their money 
 invested in government funds, so they had their incomes 
 without any trouble. They were early risers from force 
 of habit, and they paraded the streets or the mole every 
 morning in parties of six or eight. They watched the 
 arrival and departure of boats, and the loading and un- 
 loading of cargoes. After dinner, they retired to the Caf6 
 de la Marina, or to that of La Amistad, and spent three 
 or four hours watching or joining in the game of billiards. 
 
 " Go, little ivory ball, go into that pocket! See, see, 
 Don Pancho, it has cannoned." " Come out, my little 
 dear, come out of that pocket." " Ah! ah! well played, 
 Don Lorenzo! " " Did it not go well, Pancho ? " 
 
 The game was always seasoned with these remarks, 
 which went on ad nauseam. 
 
 When the days were long, these West Indians were 
 seen in parties about the environs of the town, either 
 walking, or seated on the grass on the banks of a stream. 
 That was the hour of reminiscence, of the tropics. 
 
 "Do you ^jf-iiollect, Don ^igapito, do you recollect 
 that little dark creature who came to , you for a place 
 in the store ? " 
 
 74 
 
At the Club 
 
 " And how well she sang, the little rogue! " 
 
 " They said you were smitten with her, quite smit- 
 ten, Don Agapito." 
 
 " How now, Don Pancho — why, she only went to 
 the blacks' ball with the negro of my partner, Don 
 Justo ? " 
 
 " Get along, man, don't annoy me; the one who went 
 to the ball was yourself ; I saw you sportive enough 
 with her in the country-dance." 
 
 There was no counting on this West Indian clique 
 for subscriptions for the orchestra, theatre, or any 
 public amusement. The young people of the town 
 had to apply to the purses of their papas, for they 
 knew it was useless to expect American money to be 
 forthcoming, which roused such indignation among the 
 young people that they called them stingy fellows, 
 boors, and money-laden asses to their faces as well as 
 behind their backs. , But the Indians were thick- 
 skinned, and treated such terms with contempt. The 
 one who professed an open ayersion to them (and for 
 whom did he not entertain it ?) was Gabino Maza. 
 
 Why should these fifty idlers spend their days daw- 
 dling about the streets? If they would only devote 
 their money to some industry profitable to the place ! 
 
 When Don Melchor de las Cuevas and his nephew 
 entered the saloon, the only person standing and gesticu- 
 lating in the middle of the place was this same Gabino 
 Maza. He could not remain two minutes seated ; the 
 excitement of his nervous system, the vehemence with 
 which he tried to convince his audience, obliged him to 
 jump from his seat and dash into the centre of the 
 room, where he shouted and gesticulated until he had 
 exhausted his breath and his strength. He was talking 
 of the theatrical company, which had announced its 
 
 75 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 departure on account of having lost in the receipts of 
 thirty performances. 
 
 Maza was trying to prove that there had not been 
 such losses and it was all make-up. 
 
 "It is not true; it is not true. He who says he 
 has lost a farthing, lies!" (Then lowering his voice 
 and giving his hand to Gonzalo.) "How are you, 
 Gonzalo ? Yes, I know you arrived yesterday. You 
 are all right. I am glad of it. I repeat, that he lies! 
 Why, they don't dare to tell me so ! " 
 
 " They have lost six thousand reals in the thirty per- 
 formances, according to the account that the baritone 
 has given me," said Don Mateo. 
 
 Maza ground his teeth. His indignation impeded 
 his speech. At last he burst out : 
 
 " And you listen to that drunkard, Don Mateo ? Get 
 along! get along!" (With assumed disdain.) "By 
 dint of consorting with comic players you have lost your 
 head for business. You have got rusty." 
 
 "Listen to me, you blusterer. I did not say I be- 
 lieved him. I said that was what the baritone's calcu- 
 lations came to." 
 
 Maza leaped up, and returned to the centre of the 
 room, tore his hat violently from his head with both 
 hands, and waving it frantically, he vociferated : 
 
 " But, seflor! but, esflor! We seem to be made fools 
 of here! Well, you UA me what has become of twenty 
 thousand and more reals which the receipts came to, 
 and filmost as^inuch again for admissions paid at the 
 door ? " 
 
 " The salaries have very much increased," said the 
 harbor-master. 
 
 " You are not drunk, by Gad! Alvaro! You are not 
 drunk — I will tell you in a minute what the salaries 
 
 76 
 
At the Club 
 
 are" (counting on his fingers). "The tenor, six 
 crowns; the treble, another six ; that's twelve; the bass, 
 four; that's sixteen; the contralto, three; that's nine- 
 teen; the baritone, four " 
 
 " The baritone, five," interrupted Pefla. 
 
 " The baritone, four," persisted Maza in a rage. 
 
 " I am certain it is five." 
 
 " The baritone, four! " roared Maza again. 
 
 Alvaro Pefia now rose in his turn, fired with the 
 noble desire of getting the better of his opponent, and 
 then ensued a hot and furious dispute, which lasted 
 about an hoar, and all, or nearly all, the members of 
 that gathering of celebrities joined in. Such a battle 
 resembled the famous engagements that took place be- 
 tween the Greeks before the walls of Ilion; there was 
 the same fury and heat, the same primitive simplicity 
 in the arguments, and the same candid, rough violence 
 in the invectives. 
 
 " You are an addle-headed man! " 
 
 "Hold your tongue; hold your tongue, you uncouth 
 fellow! " " You are a bellowing ox! " "I tell you it 
 is not true, and if you want it plainer, you lie ! " " Good- 
 ness, what a goose! You are like a silly woman." 
 
 These altercations were very frequent, almost daily, 
 incidents at the Club. As all those who took part in 
 them had a straightforward, perfectly primitive way of 
 dealing with questions, similar, not to say equal, to that 
 adopted by the heroes of Homer, the argument started 
 at the beginning of the dispute continued until the 
 end. There was a man who would spend an hour in- 
 cessantly saying : " One has no right to meddle with 
 anybody's private life!" or "That may do in Ger- 
 many, but not here in Spain! " 
 
 Then cries briefer, and more to the point, such as 
 77 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " windbags! " " windbags! " filled the air until the crier 
 collapsed on the sofa with exhaustion. 
 
 But what the arguments lost in variety they gained 
 in intensity, for they were expressed with great and 
 forcible energy, and in tones raised to such a pitch 
 that some of the voices became quite hoarse, which was 
 generally the case with Alvaro Pefla and Don Feliciano, 
 who had the loudest voices, but the weakest throats. 
 When the Corporation had the trees of the Promenade 
 de Kiego trimmed, it caused a commotion in the club; 
 when the clerk of the House of Gonzalez and sons de- 
 camped with fourteen thousand reals, it caused another 
 heated discussion; when the parish priest declined to 
 give a certificate of good conduct to the pilot Velasco, 
 Alvaro Pefla burst a blood vessel in his excitement. But 
 no bad feeling remained after these violent scenes were 
 over, neither were the personal remarks recollected that 
 the discussions gave rise to. How could it be otherwise, 
 since there seemed to be a tacit understanding that none 
 of the ungracious epithets were to be resented ? The 
 local character of the subjects was unique. Politics 
 were little studied in Sarrio; it was only when the papers 
 noticed some event of great importance that the inhab- 
 itants of the place took a passing interest in them. 
 
 Twenty years ago the rich banker, Eojas Salcedo, 
 was elected representative of the place in parliament, 
 and he paid one visit to Sarrio to make himself ac- 
 quainted with the town. Nobody thought of disputing 
 his election. The presidents and secretaries of the 
 colleges generally met together, and computed from the 
 Acts the number of votes that he was entitled to. The 
 reason of this was that Sarrio had always been a com- 
 mercial town, where everybody could gain a living 
 without having recourse to government appointments. 
 
 m 
 
At the Club 
 
 The majority of the young men, after having passed 
 two or three years in some college in England or Bel- 
 gium, took their places in their father's offices as their 
 future successors; the others, the minority, followed 
 some military or civil career with a fixed income, and 
 only came occasionally to pass a few days with their 
 families. 
 
 It must, in one word, he confessed that Sarrio was a 
 sleepy place, dormant amid all the great manifestations 
 of mind, amid all the regenerating lights of contempo- 
 rary society; nobody studied the profound problems of 
 politics, and the terrible controversies engaged in by the 
 different parties in other places, to gain victory and 
 power, left them utterly unmoved. In short, in the year 
 of grace 1860, there was no public life in Sarrio. They 
 ate, they slept, they worked, they danced, they played, 
 they paid their taxes, but they were absolutely wanting 
 in public spirit. 
 
 When that evening at the club the dispute had ut- 
 terly worn them out and spoiled their digestions, Don 
 Mateo, beaming with delight, announced to the company 
 that he did not mind about the departure of the dra- 
 matic company, for he had for some days past been ar- 
 ranging a surprise for the Sarrienses; and after a great 
 deal of trouble the matter was concluded. 
 
 He was in treaty with the celebrated Marabini, the 
 phrenologist, the prestidigitator ; probably Tuesday, 
 yes, Tuesday or Wednesday, they would moreover be able 
 to admire his wonderful skill at the theatre; he would, 
 moreover, bring with him some dissolving views and a 
 tame wolf. 
 
 Gonzalo meanwhile had left the billiard room and was 
 looking at half a dozen West Indians playing at chapo. 
 When they struck the ball all the gold seals that hung 
 
 79 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 from their enormous gold chains rang like bells. These 
 chains and these seals were the greatest inducement and 
 the chief bait that the artisans of Sarrio used to per- 
 suade their sons to go to Cuba. 
 
 " Pool! and you could come back in a few years with 
 a fine cloth coat, a well-got-up shirt-front, patent boots, 
 and a watch-chain like Don Pancho's! " 
 
 This last inducement was too much for any lad. 
 
 " Will it go seven times round my neck, papa? " 
 
 "Yes, boy, yes; and you will have pencil-cases and 
 seals hanging on to it." 
 
 And so with their heads full of the prize the poor 
 fellows went off in the " Bella Paula," the " Carmen," 
 the "Villa de Sarrio," or any other sailing vessel, to 
 perish with yellow fever or hunger, lured to destruction 
 by the glitter of the trumpery jewelry like the eyes of 
 the terrible Lorelei. 
 
 The gestures of the Indians whilst at billiards being 
 those of people unaccustomed to restrain and compose 
 their feelings, were strange and funny, and a source of 
 delight to the young men of the place, whose antipathy 
 to the West Indians was always shown in making fun of 
 them. Who tapped upon the floor whilst the balls were 
 running like Don Benito ? Who bent from one side to 
 another, and twisted and contorted himself as if the 
 destination of the ball depended upon his movements, 
 like Don Lorenzo ? And who could equal Don Pancho, 
 who was little and fat, almost square, in his way of 
 sinking in a heap on the sofa after having struck a ball, 
 to better see the havoc he had made on the table ? Oc- 
 casionally one of them addressed a word of impatience to 
 the fellow : " Get up, my boy; don't excite yourself ! " 
 
 Don Feliciano Gomez took a seat by Gonzalo, who 
 soon wearied of his good-tempered, superficial conver- 
 
 80 
 
At the Club 
 
 sation, which was accompanied by an affectionate poke in 
 the ribs at every instant. 
 
 " When is the great day to be, Gonzalin ? Soon, eh ? 
 You know I am longing to see you with your young lady 
 on your arm, going to high mass! All right, my dear; 
 all right; go and be happy. At home, the girls [it was 
 thus he always termed his old sisters] don't leave me a 
 moment's peace; since yesterday it is: 'When is Gon- 
 zalin going to be married ? Don't forget to ask him ! ' 
 Well, the poor things have known you ever since you 
 were born. There is nothing like matrimony for a 
 peaceful, contented life. You will say, ' That being so, 
 why have you not married yourself, Don Feliciano?' 
 Listen, my boy, why should I marry, when I can live 
 happy as a bachelor ? What do I want ? I have a 
 home, with two dear girls who take the utmost care of 
 me, whom I adore — " (Poor fellow! report in the 
 place gave quite another version.) " And so I have 
 nothing to complain of — is it not so, my boy ? Certainly, 
 when I was young I had other ideas, but, as years go by, 
 one ceases to think of them. Look here, if any one 
 said to me now : ' Feliciano, would you like to go back 
 twenty years?' Bah! let another dog have that bone. 
 The best age for a man is fifty. Don't you doubt it, 
 Gonzalin. It is then that one can eat and sleep in 
 peace. Is there a young woman that is worth a dish of 
 sardines freshly fried ? 
 
 " But they have to be fried just before they are eaten; 
 if fried during the soup, they are not worth a brass 
 farthing. Or a lobster with fresh draught cider? 
 Doesn't it make your mouth water, my boy? And 
 now you are going to be married, and there will be kiss- 
 ing and ' my darling ' here and ' my love ' there— is it not 
 so ? Well, well, as things go it is a good thing. The 
 6 81 
 
Th e Fourth Estate 
 
 girl is of good family. Don Rosendo is rich — ^you are 
 doing well, doing well, my boy. But I say, why don't 
 you marry the little one, Venturita, who is pretty ? I 
 don't say that the elder one is ugly, but there is no 
 doubt that the younger one is more attractive; she is 
 just like a rosebud. What roguish eyes ! what teeth! 
 what gracefulness! But if you are engaged to the other 
 sister, I have nothing to say. But what comes up to 
 
 prettiness! And it would be the same family " 
 
 These remarks made a strange impression upon Gon- 
 zalo. It was the formulation of what he had vaguely 
 felt in an uncomfortable way ever since the previous 
 evening. Yes, it was quite true, what beautiful eyes, 
 how mischievous, and yet how candid ! What an alabas- 
 ter skin! What lips, what teeth, what golden hair! 
 Cecilia, poor thing, was plainer than when he went away 
 and less attractive. How was it possible that she had 
 taken his fancy ? Gonzalo had, in fact, to confess to 
 himself that she had never taken his fancy as Venturita 
 certainly now had. Why then — ? Well, it was no use 
 asking questions. He was only a lad at the time; he 
 had not been accustomed to seeing ladies; Cecilia's kind- 
 ness had impressed him. Then there was a certain 
 satisfaction in being engaged. Then the distance which 
 enhances the beauty and increases the value of things. 
 In fact, everything had combined to bind him to that 
 girl. But, if only he had seen Venturita sooner! It 
 was better not to think of that. The affair was too far 
 gone to be retracted. Unlike himself, he remained a 
 good quarter of an hour pensively looking at the marble 
 balls without seeing them. Don Feliciano had gone. 
 At last his healthy, sanguine temperament asserted itself 
 over the ridiculous fancies that threatened to disturb 
 him. He rose from his seat, the frown which had 
 
At the Club 
 
 momentarily darkened his brow was soon banished by 
 the genial smile which was his particular attraction. 
 He shrugged his shoulders with contempt, and that 
 gesture seemed to say: " I am going to marry the plainer 
 of the De Belinchon girls. Well, and what then? 
 In any case it would have been with one or the other, 
 unless I married no one. I want to be happy. It is 
 not necessary for happiness to come from without; I 
 have it within, in the even temper God has given me, 
 in the money left me by my parents, in this marvellous 
 health, and in this ox-like strength." 
 
 When he returned to the sitting-room, he found that 
 all the habitues had been thrown into great perturbation 
 by the news just brought in by Severino, of the iron- 
 mongery shop. 
 
 " Don't you know what has happened, sirs? " They 
 all left their seats and surrounded the storekeeper, who 
 spoke with visible agitation. 
 
 " Don Laureano was robbed and assassinated last 
 night." 
 
 "What, Don Laureano, who lives in the country 
 house ? " 
 
 " Yes, he of Las Acenas. They say that, at half -past 
 two, or thereabouts, nine men, masked, entered the 
 house; they knocked the servant down with sticks, they 
 tied up the sefiora and the maidservant, and they killed 
 Don Laureano. What they must have made them 
 suffer before they gave up the money ! The good man 
 only had twelve thousand reals, and those he had hidden 
 away, but they tortured the women until they made 
 them disclose the hiding-place." A shudder of horror 
 went through the notabilities of Sarrio. They turned 
 as pale as if they had assisted at that fearful scene. The 
 house of Las Acenas was a mile from the town, in the 
 
 83 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 solitude of a pine forest, but nobody took that into ac- 
 count ; they imagined themselves assaulted in their 
 houses in la Kua Nueva or de Caborana and cruelly as- 
 sassinated. Oh! what acts of violence! Santo Cristo, 
 what atrocities! 
 
 The first moments of surprise that elapsed were fol- 
 lowed by remarks in low voices. The robbers could 
 not be very far ofE. Such a thing had never happened 
 before in Sarrio, or its environs, in anybody's recollec- 
 tion. Marin asserted that he had seen some suspicious- 
 looking men about for some days past. This news gave 
 rise to an inward panic among the bystanders. They 
 all determined not to go out any more at night, but this 
 determination they kept to themselves. 
 
 The alcalde said that, in his opinion, the robbers must 
 have come from Castile. 
 
 "From Castile?" 
 
 "Yes, seflor; from Castile." 
 
 "I have heard my father (who is now in glory) say 
 that, in the year 1805, seventeen men, armed, and on 
 horseback, appeared in Sariego. They prowled round 
 the place, and finally robbed Don Jose Maria Herrero of 
 seventy thousand crowns that he had hidden under one 
 of the bricks of the hearth." 
 
 At any other time, the caf6 habitues would have said 
 that because such an event had happened in the year 
 five, it did not necessarily imply that the same thing 
 should occur in Las Acenas in the year sixty, but just 
 then no one felt equal to controverting the statement. 
 
 Then they continued to talk of the event of Las Acenas 
 in subdued tones, and they seemed all to concur in the 
 wildest, most extravagant ideas. But as Gabino Maza 
 was never known to agree for more than ten minutes 
 together to what was said in his presence, he suddenly 
 
 84 
 
At the Club 
 
 seized the opportunity of some Tery silly remark, made 
 by Don Feliciano Gomez with the perfect naturalness and 
 modesty that characterized the conversation of this dis- 
 tinguished merchant, to pounce upon him in a manner 
 as violent as it was unjustifiable. 
 
 "What ridiculous thing will you think of next? 
 What is the good of a house-to-house visitation ? Do 
 you think you are going to find Don Laureano's money 
 in a heap there?" 
 
 " If the money is not found, some trace might be dis- 
 covered." 
 
 " Of what ? you dunderhead, of what ? " 
 
 Then the dispute had full swing. The cries and 
 noise were indescribable. At last, as usual, nobody 
 could hear anything, nobody could understand any- 
 thing. The voices were perfectly audible over the whole 
 Plaza de la Marina, but the people were so used to it 
 that they did not stop to listen. 
 
 85 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 BURGLARS 
 
 The notables of Sarrio resolved to abstain from set- 
 ting foot in the streets at night, therefore the club, 
 Graell's shop-parlor, and even Morana's, were all deserted 
 at an early hour. The five or six locksmiths in the town 
 were given more orders for locks, bolts, iron bars, and 
 patent keys than they could execute. 
 
 The robbers of Las Acenas had not been caught, and 
 every one declared, with more or less authority, that they 
 were still prowling about the place, ready to slip in any- 
 where at some unexpected minute. Nevertheless, as 
 one gets accustomed to everything, even illness, and 
 even to the discussions at the athenaeum, they became 
 accustomed to the danger, and again sallied forth of an 
 evening, after taking great precautions to well lock up 
 their houses. 
 
 The first to venture was Marin. As all Dofia Brigida's 
 efEorts to induce him to retire to rest at a reasonable 
 hour were of no avail, she let him go out without any 
 pity. 
 
 Don Jaime asked permission to carry under the blue 
 military cloak that he wore at night an old, short gun 
 kept in the garret, and the magnanimous seflora granted 
 the permission under the condition that he take it un- 
 loaded. Then Alvaro Pefla sallied forth, for having a 
 certain military reputation and being a man of reputed 
 courage, it behooved him to show bravery at such a 
 critical time. 
 
 86 
 
B u rg i a r s 
 
 He carried two saddle pistols in his pockets, and a 
 sword-stick in his hand. 
 
 The alcalde, Don Koque, who from time immemorial 
 had repaired to Morana's with Don Segis, the chaplain 
 of the Augustine convent, and Don Benigno, the curate 
 of the parish, there to imbibe in the course of the even- 
 ing from four to eight quarterns of Eueda wine, could 
 not put up with the domestic hearth for more than 
 three days; so he also sallied forth into the town. 
 
 The octogenarian official, Marcones, armed with car- 
 bine and sword, accompanied his chief, himself carrying 
 a revolver and a sword-stick. Don Melchor, Gabino 
 Maza, Don Pedro Miranda, Delaunay, Don Mateo, and 
 all the others soon followed suit, and repaired to the 
 nocturnal resorts. The West Indians held out longer. 
 Thus Graell's parlor, Morana's, and the Club were 
 transformed into veritable arsenals at nightfall. Each 
 one, on his arrival, put his war accoutrements against 
 the wall, and on leaving the places they seized them 
 with an intrepid courage worthy of the Biscayan blood 
 that coursed in the veins of nearly all of them. 
 
 The old-fashioned arquebus stood side by side with 
 the modern twelve-chambered rifle, the cylindrical iron 
 sword by the steel-bladed modern sword-stick, the heavy 
 bronze pistol by the plated revolver. And this diversity 
 of war accoutrements served to sustain the warlike spirit 
 so necessary for the occasion. 
 
 Certain other measures of great utility had been 
 adopted. The watchmen had orders not to extinguish 
 any street lamp until twelve o'clock at night. They 
 were provided with more powerful whistles than the old 
 ones; and they had orders to keep their eyes on any 
 stranger passing along the streets at night. The towns- 
 folk wisely agreed among themselves not to make way 
 
 87 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 on the sidewalk for anybody, as it might not be a friend, 
 and everybody knows how propitious to criminals the 
 custom of making way on the sidewalk is. Pull of this 
 idea, Don Pedro Miranda and Don Feliciano Gomez 
 met one night in the Calle de San Florencio. They were 
 both muflBed up in their cloaks, with their swords un- 
 sheathed, prepared for any emergency, when Don Felici- 
 ano cried to Don Pedro from afar : 
 
 " Well, friend, make way!" 
 
 "Bah! bah! make way yourself," returned Don 
 Pedro. 
 
 " You are the one to make way," replied the mer- 
 chant; "make way, make way." 
 
 " Bah, bah, be kind enough to let me pass," returned 
 Seflor Miranda. Neither man budged an inch. They 
 unmuffled themselves and unsheathed their swords. 
 
 " Will you have the kindness? " 
 
 " Will you have the goodness ? " 
 
 Who knows what awful tragedy might not have taken 
 place in Sarrio at that instant, if they had not recog- 
 nized each other ? 
 
 " Does it happen to be Don Feliciano ? " 
 
 "Is it Don Pedro?" 
 
 "Don Feliciano!" 
 
 "Don Pedro!" 
 
 And rushing to each other, they shook hands with 
 effusion. 
 
 " What a fate would have been yours had I not 
 recognized you, Don Feliciano!" exclaimed Seflor 
 Miranda, showing his broad iron sword with its bone 
 handle. 
 
 "And yours would not have been agreeable, Don 
 Pedro!" returned the merchant, as he made passes in 
 the air with his finely polished Toledo blade. 
 
 88 
 
B u r g I a r s 
 
 One had to go down two steps to enter Morana's 
 shop. The shop was a confectioner's, although it did 
 not look like it; it was the only confectioner's in Sarrio. 
 Nowadays there are three, if I am not mistaken. I 
 say, it did not look like a confectioner's, because church 
 tapers, wax hands and feet and bodies for votive offer- 
 ings were sold there and had gradually become the chief 
 stock in trade instead of a mere supplementary one ; and 
 this was due to the lack of greediness in the town, 
 which speaks very well for it. It is usual in Spain for 
 the folk of little villages and towns to be passionately 
 fond of sweets, for want of the pleasures peculiar to 
 great towns, for, say what one may, the pleasures of the 
 table even are not equal in small towns to those of large 
 ones. In the first place, clever cooks are not forthcom- 
 ing, the food has not the variety induced by the laws of 
 biology, and the palate has not risen to the state of cul- 
 ture from a right and just estimate of the culinary 
 science. 
 
 Perhaps it will be remarked : " But the nuns of St. 
 Augustine used to make sweets." Yes, but we must 
 remember that this manufacture was limited exclusively 
 to preserves of cherry, quince, pear, and apricot, almond 
 tart and burrage tart, and a particular sweetmeat shaped 
 like fishes' fins, called orange flower. 
 
 I can only repeat the fact that there are few ion- 
 vivants in Sarrio. After all, rare as this abstemiousness 
 may be in towns in the interior, it is common in mari- 
 time places, which are known to be less under ecclesias- 
 tical sway. For observation teaches the visitor of the 
 towns that more sweets are consumed where church ser- 
 vices and religious rites absorb the greater part of life, 
 and where enthusiasm for the religious sentiment is 
 evinced in nones, masses, confraternities, and canonries. 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 which shows that there must be some mysterious afBnity 
 between mysticism and sweetmeats. This branch of 
 Morana's business was exhibited in the shop by two 
 pine-wood cupboards, painted blue, with glass doors at 
 either end of the counter. In these cupboards there 
 was a fair show of caramels, spiral cakes, sugar cakes, 
 almond cakes, madeleines, and above all the celebrated 
 tablets, the renown of which must certainly have reached 
 the ears of our readers, as it dates from remotest time. 
 The secret of the magic composition of these tablets we 
 have never been able to discover, but their fascination 
 was irresistible, and, strange to say, it was based upon 
 their extraordinary hardness. At the age when Morana's 
 tablets are eaten, the chief thing is not that the sweets 
 should be delicate, savory, and exquisite, but that they 
 should last a long time. It was not easy to get 
 the teeth into them at all, but once in this stick-jaw 
 paste, the extrication from it presented a really diflScult 
 problem. 
 
 Allow me to offer a delicate tribute of affection and 
 gratitude to these tablets which, from four to eight 
 years of age, constituted the greatest joy of my exist- 
 ence. 
 
 It is perhaps to their sweet influence that the author 
 of this book owes the optimistic spirit which, accord- 
 ing to the critics, shines in his works. 
 
 Morana, daughter and successor of another Morana, 
 who was dead, was a woman of forty years of age, of a 
 pallid complexion, with gutta-percha plaisters on her 
 temples for the severe pains in her head. 
 
 She married a Juan Chrysostom, who, according to 
 Don Segis, the chaplain, did not take after his patron 
 saint. 
 
 Nevertheless, when he administered corporal punish- 
 90 
 
B u r g I a r s 
 
 ment to his wife, he seasoned it with rather a rare 
 amount of learned talk. 
 
 "I who love this woman," he exclaimed, as he com- 
 menced operations — "I who loved this woman like a 
 wife, and not like a servant, according to the Apostle 
 Paul's command — you have read the Apostle Saint 
 Paul ? — what right have you to read, you great ass! " 
 
 The wine was very good, one can almost say it was 
 the only good thing in the place, and that was because 
 it did not remain long in the bottle, for Don Eoque, 
 Don Segis, Don Benigno, Don Juan " the old Salt," 
 and Seflor Anselmo the cabinet-maker, took care to empty 
 it. It was a white wine, strong and superior, and it 
 went to one's head with alarming facility. 
 
 The habitues of the shop left every night between 
 eleven and twelve, rather stumbling in their gaits, but 
 silent and quiet, which prevented any scandal. They 
 sallied forth arm in arm, leaning one against the other, 
 and they went along without saying a word, albeit with 
 much puffing and blowing. 
 
 Their instinct, which never completely left them, 
 instigated this prudent behavior, for they knew if they 
 spoke much or little, some dispute would arise and then 
 a scandal would ensue. Not a word — not a word; it 
 was better even not to whisper — and when they arrived at 
 their houses, they murmured a gruff " good-night" and 
 the one left last was Don Eoque, as he lived further 
 away than anybody. 
 
 So these venerable men got intoxicated every night in 
 this solemn, quiet, patriarchal fashion. 
 
 Two of them, Don Juan " the old Salt," the clerk of 
 the harbor-master, and Don Segis, were reaping the con- 
 sequences of that course. "The old Salt" had a nose 
 enough to frighten one. When least expected, the hour 
 
 91 
 
The Four th Estate 
 
 of retribution came for Don Segis, who, seized with an 
 apoplectic fit, was left with one leg dragging as if a 
 weight of six pounds were tied to it. It is true that the 
 insatiable chaplain was not contented with his four 
 quarterns of wine at the confectioner's; he made Morana 
 give him a glass of gin in each, which greatly added to 
 the expense; if he had six quarterns of wine, he had six 
 glasses of gin; if eight, eight; and so on. The effect of 
 all this gin was evident. 
 
 " But, Don Segis, how can you drink so much gin at 
 a time ? " 
 
 " There is nothing for it," he replied in a tone of 
 humility; " if I did not take a glass with every quartern, 
 child of my soul, what would become of me ? I should 
 be ill." 
 
 The conversations at Morana's were less exciting and 
 thrilling than those of the Club. Very few things in- 
 terested these old parties; the most important local 
 matters, which excited storms in the Club, were here 
 treated, or rather touched upon, with indifference. 
 
 When the Gonzalez sent off the captain of the 
 " Carmen " and put an Andalusian in his place, they 
 only said in a quiet tone : 
 
 "If the Gonzalez have done so, they had reasons 
 for doing it," for they were quite indifferent on the 
 subject. 
 
 "It is true," said another, after some time, raising 
 his glass to his lips. 
 
 " Eipalda seems a good fellow," said a third, after 
 five minutes, as he put his glass down on the counter. 
 
 "Yes, he seems so," replied another gravely. 
 
 Ten minutes passed in meditation. The habitu6s 
 gave affectionate kisses to their glasses, which shone like 
 topaz. Don Eoque at last broke the silence. 
 
 93 
 
B u r g I ar s 
 
 " There is no manner of doubt that Don Antonio em- 
 braced her." 
 
 "Embraced her," said Don Juan the Salt. 
 
 " Embraced her," echoed Don Benigno. 
 
 " Embraced her," corroborated Seflor Anselmo. 
 
 "Keally embraced her," added Don Segis in a lu- 
 gubrious tone. 
 
 Their minds were occasionally exercised on the subject 
 of dovecots. SeQor Anselm and Don Benigno were 
 devotedly attached to this pursuit; each had his dove- 
 cot, his doves, and mode of management, and long and 
 lively discussions were held occasionally on the subject. 
 The others listened without daring to give an opinion, 
 as they raised their glasses to their lips in solemn silence. 
 
 The crime of Las Acenas horrified them, but it did not 
 cause as great a commotion as in the rest of the neigh- 
 borhood. At the end of five or six days they returned 
 to their patriarchal customs, and such was their bravery 
 that the majority left their arms behind in the shop. 
 
 It was nearer one o'clock than twelve when Don 
 Eoque, who had exceeded by three quarterns his usual 
 six, sallied forth with the other five frequenters of the 
 confectioner's in a serried line to their different homes. 
 
 Marcones closed the file with his gun on his shoulder. 
 The first of the line was Don Segis, who lived in a little 
 two-windowed house, close to the Augustine convent; 
 then came Don Juan "the Salt," then the coadjutor, 
 and finally Seflor Anselmo, pulling out the enormous 
 shining key with which he beat time when he conducted 
 the orchestra, and opened the apartment where he slept. 
 
 The mayor remained with his aide-de-camp. He said 
 something, but his aide-de-camp did not hear him. 
 They directed their steps towards home, which was not 
 far off. But before arriving there, Don Eoque, who 
 
 93 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 puffed and blew like a whale, and whose walk was un- 
 mistakably like the gait of that creature, suddenly 
 stopped and gave a long discourse in a loud voice, of 
 which Marcones caught nothing but the word "rob- 
 bers" repeated several times. The oflQcial, alarmed, 
 looked all round to see if he could see anybody whilst 
 loading his gun, but he saw nothing to give him reason 
 to suppose that the villains were at hand. Don Eoque 
 made another remark, if such a term can be applied to 
 a series of strange, intermittent sounds, both horrible 
 and depressing, but Marcones managed to gather that 
 his chief wished a battle made in search of the criminals 
 of Las Arenas. Marcones thought that the force was 
 hardly equal to the undertaking; but discipline forbade 
 objections. Moreover, he nourished the hope that few 
 murderers cared about taking the fresh air at such an 
 hour. So, after a careful examination of their weapons, 
 they took their dangerous course through all the streets 
 and alleys of the town. One is bound in honor to state 
 that Don Eoque walked in front as the leader of the 
 valorous enterprise, with his revolver in his left hand, 
 and his sword-stick in his right, leaving his noble breast 
 a mark for the enemy's bullet. Marcones, weighed down 
 by the weight of his gun and his eighty-two years of 
 age, walked six steps behind. 
 
 It was a moonlight night, but great black clouds oc- 
 casionally darkened the sky, and the light of the petro- 
 leum lamps burning at the corners of the streets was not 
 sufficient to banish the gloom in them, 
 
 Sarrio had five chief streets, known respectively as 
 Eua Nueva, which runs to the harbor; the Calles of 
 Carborana, of San Florencio, of La Herreria, and of 
 Atras. These streets, long and narrow, run parallel to 
 each other. The buildings are generally low and poor. 
 
 94 
 
B u r g I a r s 
 
 other smaller streets cross and communicate with the 
 principal ones, and lead to branch roads where the 
 spacious residences of the West Indians are built, and 
 which constitute what may be termed the suburb of 
 Sarrio. 
 
 As the party was passing through the Calle de Atras, 
 near to that of Santa Brigida, they heard cries and 
 lamentations, which obliged them to halt. 
 
 " What's that, Marcones ? " asked the alcalde. 
 
 The old official shrugged his shoulders philosophically. 
 
 " Nothing, seflor; it is at Patina Santa's." 
 
 "How dare they commit these enormities? Let us 
 go there. Let us proceed." 
 
 " Let us proceed," was a phrase both used and abused 
 by Don Roqne, as it conveyed his sense of the decision, 
 rapidity, and energy of his authority to remedy all 
 grievances. Patina Santa was the great high priest of 
 one of the two temples of pleasure existing in Sarrio, 
 but the sordid, wretched appearance of these temples 
 was quite unlike the ancient famous ones of Greece. 
 
 "What scandal is this?" cried Don Eoque in his 
 stentorian voice as he approached the miserable dwell- 
 ing. 
 
 Three or four lads in the street flew away like birds at 
 the sight of the dignitary, but the doves remained. 
 
 Two of them stood at the door and two more were at 
 the windows. Those at the door wished to withdraw at 
 the sight of the alcalde, but he caught hold of them. 
 
 " What is this scandal — eh ? " he repeated. 
 
 The girls began to explain the cause of the commo- 
 tion, but hardly had they uttered a word than Don 
 Eoque interrupted them, vociferating: 
 
 " To prison with you ! " 
 
 "But, ^QTior Alcalde ! " 
 
 95 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " To the prison — bah ! To the prison, away with 
 you all ! Be ofE, everybody ! Where is the ruflBan 
 Patina?" 
 
 Merciful heavens, what a commotion then ensued ! 
 
 The girls at the windows had nothing for it but to 
 come downstairs, and Patina came with them, for Don 
 Eoqne brooked no delay. Cries and lamentations filled 
 the air, whilst the strident voice of the alcalde cried out 
 incessantly : 
 
 " To the prison — bah ! To the prison — ah I " 
 
 The unhappy creatures called on God aiid the Virgin; 
 but the alcalde, with his infuriated face and flaming eyes, 
 raised his voice still higher as he deafened himself with 
 his cry : 
 
 " To the prison — ah ! To the prison — ah ! " 
 
 There was no help for it. 
 
 The watchman, who had approached at the sound of 
 the first all's, led them oil to the town prison, in attend- 
 ance on his worthy chief, whilst the neighbors watched 
 the scene from behind their window-panes in mingled 
 compassion and derision. 
 
 Don Roque exercised his authority by locking the 
 door of the dovecot himself, and handed the key over 
 to Marcones, and with the usual " Proceed," they con- 
 tinued their perilous course. The alcalde and his aide- 
 de-camp had not gone very far when, in one of the nar- 
 rowest and dirtiest streets, they espied a man's figure 
 cautiously approaching a door, which he tried to open. 
 
 " Stop! " whispered Don Roque in the ear of his sub- 
 ordinate. " There is one of the thieves." 
 
 The official only caught the last word, but it was 
 enough to make him drop his gun. 
 
 " Don't tremble, Marcones, for there is only one," said 
 the alcalde, seizing him by the arm. 
 
B u r g I a r s 
 
 If the venerable Marcones had been at that moment 
 in full possession of his faculties of observation, he might 
 have detected a decided tendency to a convulsive move- 
 ment in the hand of his chief. The thief, hearing the 
 steps of the patrol, suddenly turned his head and stood 
 motionless, with his hand still on the door-handle. 
 Don Eoque and his companion also stood motionless, 
 and the moon appearing from under a cloud shed its 
 light upon the direful scene. 
 
 "Hsh ! hsh ! friend," said the magistrate at the end 
 of some time, without advancing a step. 
 
 The robber heard this exclamation of authority, and 
 took flight at one and the same moment. 
 
 "At him, Marcones! Fire!" cried Don Eoque, cou- 
 rageously running in pursuit of the criminal. 
 
 Marcones wished to follow his chief's injunction, but 
 fear made him helpless. 
 
 The trigger fell without emitting a spark. Then, 
 with martial promptitude, he cast aside the weapon, 
 which was useless, drew his sword and made valiant 
 efforts to keep pace with the alcalde, who, with intrepid 
 courage, was at least twenty paces in advance, in pur- 
 suit of the robber. 
 
 The fellow now disappeared round the corner of a 
 street. 
 
 But arrived there the pursuers saw him attempting to 
 gain the next. 
 
 " Boom ! " 
 
 Don Koque fired his revolver, crying at the same 
 time: 
 
 "Take that, thief!" 
 
 He again disappeared, and again they caught sight of 
 him in the Galle de la Misericordia. 
 
 Boom ! Another shot from Don Eoque. 
 7 97 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " Take that, thief! " But the villain, doubtless as a 
 last resource, and to prevent any watchman stopping 
 him, began also to cry : 
 
 "Thieves! Thieves!" 
 
 Then the sharp, long whistles of the watchmen were 
 heard, followed by another and another. 
 
 The street of San Florencio was well lighted, and the 
 criminal was clearly visible, trying to get quickly under 
 the shadow of the houses. 
 
 Boom! Boom! 
 
 "Take that, thief!" 
 
 "Thieves!" returned the fugitive, without ceasing 
 flight. 
 
 Two watchmen joined the column of attack, and ran, 
 brandishing their pikes, by the side of the alcalde. 
 
 The thief seemed, at all cost, anxious to reach the Eua 
 Nueva, so as to gain the harbor, where he could secure 
 himself in a boat, or cast himself into the water. But 
 before arriving there he stumbled and fell prostrate on 
 the ground. Thanks to this accident, the patrol gained 
 upon him considerably, and had almost reached him 
 when the villain jumped up with great celerity and flew 
 off swifter than the wind. Don Koque fired off the last 
 two shots of his revolver, still crying : 
 
 "Take that, thief!" 
 
 He disappeared round the comer of the Eua Nueva. 
 Arrived there, the magistrate and his force, now near 
 the Plaza de la Marina, saw no sign of the criminal any- 
 where. They took a few hesitating steps on to the said 
 plaza, and there they stopped, not knowing what 
 course to take. "To the mole! To the mole! He 
 must be there," said a watchman. 
 
 They were just about to proceed farther when a win- 
 dow of one of the houses was suddenly opened and a 
 
 98 
 
B u r g I a r s 
 
 man in night attire said in sonorous tones that re- 
 sounded in the silence of the night : 
 
 "The thief has just entered the Cafe de la Marina." 
 
 These words were uttered by Don Feliciano Gomez. 
 
 When the patrol heard them it rushed to the door of 
 the caf6 and abruptly made its entrance. The sitting- 
 room was empty. There at the end, by the side of the 
 counter, were three or four lads in white aprons stand- 
 ing round a man who was lying, more than sitting, upon 
 a chair. 
 
 The alcalde, the officer, and the watchmen rushed at 
 him with their pikes, swords, and sword-sticks at his 
 chest, and all with one accord cried: 
 
 "Take that, thief!" 
 
 The criminal raised his terror-stricken face, now 
 whiter than wax. 
 
 "Ah — if it is not Don Jaime, God bless my soul! " 
 exclaimed a watchman, lowering his pike. All the 
 others did the same, dumb with astonishment. For 
 indeed it was a fact that the villain they had so hotly pur- 
 sued was no other than Don Jaime Marin, taken una- 
 wares as he was about to enter the door of his house. 
 
 They had to carry him home and bleed him. On the 
 following day Don Eoque appeared to ask his pardon, 
 which was granted. But Dofla Brigida, his severe 
 spouse, would not grant it until she had given expression 
 to a storm of recriminatory adjectives, among which that 
 of " drunken " figured frequently. 
 
 Don Eoque submitted meekly to the attack, and the 
 matter dropped. 
 
 99 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 CECILIA'S TEOUSSEAU 
 
 Peepabations for the wedding commenced in the 
 Belinchon household. They were started very cau- 
 tiously. Dofla Paula sent for Nieves, the embroideress, 
 and a long conference ensued with closed doors. Then 
 patterns were ordered from Madrid, and a few days later 
 the sefiora, accompanied by Cecilia and Pablito, took a 
 journey to the capital of the province in the family 
 coach. The prying Don Petra, who was passing along 
 the Eua Nueva as Dofia Paula and her children returned, 
 saw the servant take from the carriage large, heavy par- 
 cels that looked like bales of material. 
 
 All Sarrio then soon knew that preparations for the 
 trousseau of Don Rosendo's eldest daughter had com- 
 menced, and Dofia Paula had one of her heart attacks 
 when she heard that it was known. The blame was cast 
 on Nieves, but she declared that she had never breathed 
 a word on the subject. Dofla Paula declared she must 
 have done so; the embroideress wept, and there was a 
 regular scene. 
 
 Well, as the cat was out of the bag, there was no use 
 making any more mystery about it. The room at the 
 back of the house, the one that looked on to the Calle de 
 Carborana, was the scene of operations for the staff 
 working at the linen under Dofla Paula's orders and 
 Nieves's instruction. It consisted of four persons besides 
 the two maids of the house, when domestic duties per- 
 mitted, and Venturita, and Cecilia herself. It was a 
 
 100 
 
Li e c 1 1 i a s Irousseau 
 
 merry party, as work did not prevent chatting, laughing, 
 and singing all day long. Merriment welled from the 
 young creatures' hearts, and babbled forth in aimless 
 laughter that sometimes lasted a long time. If one of 
 them dropped the scissors — ^laughter; if a skein of 
 thread caught on a neck — laughter; if the cook came 
 with a red face to ask the sefiora for the money for the 
 milkwoman — hearty laughter. Not only were those 
 working at Cecilia's trousseau young and merry, but 
 from the directress herself they were all pretty. Nieves 
 was a tall, graceful, red-haired girl, with a white, trans- 
 parent skin, clear blue eyes, a perfect nose and month, 
 twenty years of age, and endowed with a disposition that 
 was Heaven's own blessing. It was impossible to be 
 long melancholy in her company. Not that she was 
 talkative or witty, nothing of the sort; the poor girl had 
 little more intellect than a fish, but her boundless good- 
 humor shone from her eyes in such a charming manner, 
 and rung forth from her throat in such clear tones, that 
 it was quite infectious. By the work of her hands she 
 supported a paralytic mother, and a bad, idle brother, 
 who treated her shamefully when she was unable to give 
 him sufficient money with which to get intoxicated. 
 Her troubles, which would have been insupportable to 
 anybody else, only momentarily disturbed her equa- 
 nimity, and rising above them, she soon recovered her 
 habitual cheerful spirits. She enjoyed the blessing of 
 perfect health, the only pain she ever knew being an 
 occasional stitch in the side from overmuch laughter. 
 Valentina, also an embroideress, and also with red hair, 
 was not so pretty; her eyes were smaller, her skin less 
 delicate, her nose less regular, and smaller of stature. 
 On the other hand, her bright locks were curly, and 
 clustered very prettily on her forehead, her hands and 
 
 101 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 feet were smaller and more delicate than those of Nieves, 
 and the striking point of her face was a constant little 
 trick of knitting her brows, which gave a pleasant 
 piquancy to her features, as it was not due to bad temper. 
 
 Encarnacian was a needlewoman too; she was a great, 
 strong, bouncing girl with a vulgar face. The artisans 
 of Sarrio thought she was the flower of the flock, but 
 she would not have pleased the taste of a refined, intel- 
 ligent person. 
 
 Teresa, also of the same trade, was perfectly Moorish 
 in coloring; her hair was as black as jet, and her large 
 eyes were as dark as her hair, and her nose and mouth 
 were regular; she was considered ugly in the town on 
 account of her swarthiness, but she was really a type of 
 Oriental beauty. There was nothing remarkable in G-en- 
 erosa, one of the two maids of the house. Elvira, the 
 other, was a pale little thing, with large, languid eyes, 
 and very graceful figure. 
 
 The working classes of Sarrio have never gone in for 
 the ridiculous imitation of ladies, which is so frequent 
 nowadays in other places in Spain. They think, and I 
 am of the same opinion, that the fashions adopted by 
 ladies would not enhance their natural grace; in fact, 
 they would lessen it. And this is logical, for, in the first 
 place, they are not accustomed to drawing their waists 
 in, as fashion demands of its slaves, and as little towns 
 have no good dressmakers, the imitation would be both 
 inferior and ugly; whereas, who upon the terrestrial 
 globe, or upon any other globe, can compete with the 
 charm of the girls of Sarrio when they don the richly 
 embroidered fichu, crossed in front, and tied behind ? 
 Who can equal their fascinating mode of arranging 
 the curls on their foreheads with a studied carelessness ? 
 Who can take part in a giraldilla with more consum- 
 
 102 
 
Cecilia's Trousseau 
 
 mate grace, or give in a more coquettish way a push to 
 a young fellow who gets out of his place, whilst saying 
 with a mingled smile and frown: 
 
 " Good fellow, you are mad, or on the road to it. 
 Look out, or I shall pinch you! " 
 
 Who can sing with more sentiment and with less ear 
 the couplet : 
 
 " When Aben Hamet Granada left, 
 He felt his heart of joy bereft." 
 
 There is no doubt that the artisan girls of Sarrio, 
 whose strict ideas of taste are the admiration of both 
 Spaniards and foreigners, especially nowadays when 
 characteristic features are on the wane, are quite right 
 to maintain their independence and to hold their own 
 costume in spite of the dressed-up young ladies of the 
 cities. Because (be it said softly, so as not to be over- 
 heard), the truth is they are much prettier. And this 
 I say without meaning offence to anybody in particular; 
 Heaven forbid. 
 
 There is no traveller in the Peninsula who, on think- 
 ing of Sarrio, will not echo this assertion with more of 
 the enthusiasm natural to him. 
 
 There is no Englishman who stops for a few days at 
 this port but who, when talking to his friends at Cardiff 
 or Bristol of this Spanish town, will begin by raising his 
 eyebrows and smacking his lips with delight, with 
 "Oh! oh! oh! Sarrio! the young girls there are very, 
 very, very beautiful." And if Englishmen say it, what 
 will be said by the Spaniards, and particularly those 
 who have lived so long under their beneficent influence ? 
 
 The four workers, including Nieves, although she 
 was rather superior, belonged to this much-admired 
 class of women for whose prosperity and continuance in 
 
 103 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 their ways I ofEer daily prayers to Heaven, and advise 
 every good Catholic to do the same. 
 
 On working days they were dressed in cotton gowns, 
 with a little woollen fichu tied behind and a silk hand- 
 kerchief falling back on the neck from the uncovered 
 head. Nieves, as an exception, wore a black fringed 
 fichu. 
 
 They had just sat down to work after dinner. The 
 sun poured through the panes of the two windows de- 
 spite the blinds. The workers were gathered together 
 in one of the corners of the room to escape its rays. 
 Teresa, the most musical of the party, started a senti- 
 mental song in sad, drawn-out cadences in a sweet, 
 timid voice, so that the others should join in parts; and 
 in effect Nieves soon "took second," and the rest fol- 
 lowed suit, some taking first and others second, which 
 resulted in a somewhat melancholy harmony, tinged 
 with romance. Romance may vanish from customs, and 
 be banished from the novel and the stage, but it still 
 finds a delicious haven of rest in the hearts of the arti- 
 sans of Sarrio. The music continued until Pablito saw 
 fit to disturb it by breaking in suddenly with his bleat- 
 ing voice. The needlewomen stopped singing, raised 
 their heads in alarm, and then burst out laughing. 
 
 " Madre! what a fright you gave me! " 
 
 " I thought it was a cow! " 
 
 " And I thought it was a cock crowing — and I still 
 think so," said Venturita. 
 
 The handsome Pablito, reclining in his armchair in 
 the other corner, laughed loudly at his own expense. He 
 certainly was of a jocose turn of mind, as we shall have 
 occasion to see later on. From the time of the com- 
 mencement of his sister's trousseau Pablito evinced a 
 sudden taste for a sedentary life that had not hitherto 
 
 104 
 
Cecilia^ s Trousseau 
 
 been noticeable in him. Who had ever seen him before 
 stop a minute in the house after dinner ? Who would 
 have thought that he could spend the morning in that 
 armchair chatting with the workers ? Nevertheless, it 
 was a fact. For the last month he had not been out 
 riding or driving, and he did not spend more than an 
 hour in the stable during the course of the day. 
 
 Piscis was quite upset. He came every day to fetch 
 him out, but it was in vain. 
 
 "Look here, Piscis, I have to clean my silver spurs, 
 80 I cannot go out." "I say, Piscis, I have to go and 
 get a bill of exchange cashed for papa." " Look here, 
 Piscis, Linda is ill and can't be ridden." 
 
 " She is all right now," growled Piscis. 
 
 " Have yon come from the stable ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Well, anyhow, I can't go out to-day — I am out of 
 sorts." 
 
 Sometimes Piscis entered the room and sat waiting 
 silently; it was certainly not for long, because he was 
 always thinking the women were making fun of him, 
 and this prevented him being at his ease. When he 
 thought the right moment had arrived, or when he no- 
 ticed symptoms of boredom in Pablo, or when some 
 other circumstance beyond our province occurred, he 
 rose from his seat and made a sign with his hand to his 
 friend as he gave a long, low whistle, for they under- 
 stood each other better by whistles than by words. They 
 both objected to articulate sounds and eschewed their 
 use in each other's company, but Pablito did not relish 
 the sign at that moment. 
 
 " I say, Piscis," he said, " I am dreadfully idle. Be 
 so kind as to go to the stable and ask Pepe to put an- 
 other oil compress on Eomeo." 
 
 105 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 "I will do it," returned Piscis with a frowning face. 
 
 " All right, Piscis; thank you very much. Ta, ta ! 
 You will come to-morrow, eh ? Perhaps I shall be able 
 to ride then." 
 
 This was said with great suavity and amiability, to 
 throw his friend off the scent. Piscis growled a " good 
 day " without turning to the company, and left with his 
 eyes aflame, uglier and more demoniacal-looking than 
 ever. The same thing occurred the next day. In spite 
 of his respect for Pablito, Piscis then came to the con- 
 clusion that he admired one of the needlewomen. Which ? 
 His perspicacity could not solve that question. 
 
 The young people commenced singing, but coming to 
 the words: 
 
 " Only thou, Divine woman, 
 Said a prayer 
 At my solitary tomb," 
 
 Pablito gave vent to such a discordant bellow that they 
 all burst out laughing; but Venturita became serious. 
 
 " Look here, Pablo, if you go on like that, you had 
 better go off with Piscis." 
 
 It was then Pablito's turn to be cross. 
 
 " I shall go when I feel inclined. You are always the 
 one to spoil everything" 
 
 Young Belinchon meant to infer that his sister Ven- 
 turita was the only one who failed to recognize the gifts 
 which heaven had bestowed on him, and this was true; 
 and all the company laughed as if they had heard a pas- 
 sage from " Eabelais " instead of a cross remark. Dofla 
 Paula, who had an idolatrous admiration for her first- 
 bom, and nourished a grudge against the girl for her 
 sharp remarks, which she considered were not warranted 
 by her beauty, came to her son's assistance : 
 
 " You are quite right, Pablo! She always does throw 
 106 
 
Cecilia'' s Troussea 
 
 u 
 
 cold water on any enjoyment. Goodness, what a girl! 
 The man who takes her will have something to do to 
 keep her in order." 
 
 At that moment Gonzalo appeared at the door of the 
 room; he bent like a bow to shake hands with his fu- 
 ture sister-in-law, Ventura, and Cecilia. The latter 
 became serious, for, without turning her head, she knew 
 that all the workers were looking out of the corners of 
 their eyes, and she knew the kind of smile that wreathed 
 their lips. Every day was alike. Before Gonzalo arrived 
 the needlewomen lost no opportunity in teasing the bride. 
 
 " Cecilia, which of these garments will you wear the 
 day of your wedding ? " 
 
 *' Seflorita, you will sleep in these sheets, they are so 
 fine." 
 
 " You won't be the only one to find them so." 
 
 " I say, you rogue, what a fine young man you've got. 
 You won't have such a handsome fellow, Venturita." 
 
 " Who knows! " returned the girl. 
 
 Cecilia listened to these words with a smile on her lips, 
 and blushed. Since the commencement of the prepara- 
 tions for the wedding her cheeks, formerly so pale, were 
 almost rosy. This animation, and the light which hap- 
 piness lent to her eyes, made her look interesting and 
 sweet, if not pretty. There is not a girl who does not 
 become more or less good-looking on the approach of 
 marriage. 
 
 Cecilia was naturally silent and reserved without being 
 bad-tempered. She hardly ever spoke, except when she 
 was addressed, and then her replies were sweet, clear, 
 and to the point. Timidity, which lends a certain 
 charm to youth, was not the characteristic trait of her 
 character, but our heroine had a sweet serenity and a 
 certain sympathetic force in all her actions and words 
 
 107 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 that revealed the perfect purity of her mind. This 
 serenity was taken by unobservant people, if not for 
 pride, which certainly could not be laid to the charge of 
 Cecilia, for cold-heartedness. Even those who were 
 most often at the house thought she was incapable of 
 conceiving a great and tender passion. Accustomed to 
 see her fulfil her domestic duties with the regularity of a 
 clock, they would have required a power of penetration 
 not possessed by many to divine the true moral worth of 
 the eldest daughter of the Belinchons. The majority of 
 such beings live and die unappreciated, because they do 
 not possess any of the brilliant qualities that attract all 
 that see them. Innocence may be ranked among the 
 virtues of this class of girl, and rare as it is, it is one 
 least calculated to add to the value of a woman's char- 
 acter. Very few are those who know how to appreciate 
 the beauty of these crystal souls; see them without 
 noticing anything to arouse attention. But the same 
 can be said of certain philters that are poisonous and 
 certain draughts that are life-giving, and because our 
 unpractised, dull eyes cannot discern the elements of life 
 or death that lie dormant in them, are we to say that 
 such do not exist? It was difficult to divine whether 
 sad or pleasant feelings filled Cecilia's heart, but it was 
 not impossible. I do not know if she tried to hide 
 them, or whether her particular nature impelled her to 
 do so, but it was a fact that in her home she was mis- 
 understood, even by her parents. If perchance it was 
 a question of paying calls, or buying a dress, Dofia 
 Paula would ask her daughter with solicitude : 
 " And what do you think, Cecilia ? " 
 " I think it is very nice," was the reply. 
 " Do you really think it is nice ? " said the mother, 
 looking into her eyes. 
 
 108 
 
Cecilia'' s Trousseau 
 
 " Yes, mama; I think it is nice." 
 
 But Dofla Paula was always left in doubt as to whether 
 the dress pleased her or not, or what she really thought. 
 She seldom cried, and when she did, she took such pains to 
 hide it that nobody knew of it. Whatever distress she felt 
 was only betrayed by a slight line in her forehead, and 
 great happiness with her was only evinced by a little more 
 intensity in the gentle smile constantly upon her face. 
 When Gonzalo wrote to her from abroad, she went to her 
 mother and gave her the letter directly she read it. 
 
 "Do you like the lad?" asked Dofla Paula, after 
 reading the letter with more emotion than her daughter 
 had shown in giving it to her. 
 
 " Do you like him ? " returned the girl. 
 
 "I? Yes." 
 
 " Then if you and papa like him, I like him too," said 
 Cecilia. 
 
 Who would have thought from those cold words that 
 Cecilia had been in love with him for some time ? Never- 
 theless, as love is of all human sentiments the most 
 difficult to conceal, and as there was no need to hide it 
 when her parents' consent had been given, she let it 
 then be seen quite clearly. In temperaments like that 
 of our heroine the slightest indication signifies a good 
 deal. The happiness that filled her heart was soon seen 
 in her face by all who knew her intimately. Few beings 
 have known greater joy on earth than that which Cecilia 
 experienced at that time. 
 
 All the litter about the room, the paper patterns, the 
 designs, the linen stretched in frames, the skeins of 
 thread, all spoke a soft mysterious language to her; the 
 chis chis of the scissors cutting, the cruj eruj of the 
 needles sewing, prophesied future joys to her. Some- 
 times they said to her: 
 
 10» 
 
Th e Fourth Estate 
 
 " You will be seen, Cecilia, going to mass on Sunday 
 on the arm of your husband. He will carry your prayer- 
 book, he will leave you to go to the altar of Our Lady 
 and will stay behind among the men; then he will wait 
 for you at the door, will offer you the holy water, and 
 then he will give you his arm again." 
 
 At other times they seemed to say to her: 
 
 "In the morning you will rise very quietly to keep 
 him from waking, you will brush his clothes, you will 
 put the buttons on his shirt, and when the time comes 
 you will give him his chocolate." 
 
 Other voices seemed to say: 
 
 " And when you have a child! " But here the bride- 
 elect felt her heart swell with delight, her hands trem- 
 bled, and she cast a rapid glance at the needlewomen, 
 fearing they had noticed her emotion. As the different 
 articles of clothing were finished and ironed Cecilia put 
 them away carefully in a press, and when that was full 
 she took them to a room upstairs, where she artistically 
 and carefully arranged the underclothing, nightcaps, 
 dressing jackets and peignoirs upon long tables, put for 
 the purpose ; then she covered them delicately with a 
 linen cloth and left the room, locking the door and 
 putting the key in her pocket. 
 
 After greeting the party Gonzalo took a seat near 
 Pablito, and putting his hand familiarly on his shoulder 
 he whispered in his ear: 
 
 " Which do you like best ? " 
 
 And as he bent towards his future brother-in-law he cast 
 an earnest look at Venturita, who returned it with a pecu- 
 liar glance. Then both turned their eyes to Cecilia, but 
 she had not raised her head from* her embroidery franie. 
 
 " Nieves," replied Pablo, without hesitation, in his 
 falsetto voice. 
 
 110 
 
Cecilia's Trousseau 
 
 " I knew it, and I applaud your taste," said Gonzalo, 
 laughing. " What a smooth skin — what teeth 1 " 
 
 " And -what a figure ! First-rate, don't you know ? " 
 
 Both looked at the embroideress, who raised her head, 
 and seeing that the conversation was about her, she made 
 a face. 
 
 " Come, don't talk in a whisper," said Dofia Paula 
 with asperity peculiar to the women of the people. 
 
 "Let them be, sefiora," returned Nieves; "they are 
 talking about me, and in that they show their good 
 taste." 
 
 " Certainly. Pablo was calling my attention to the 
 ruddiness of certain lips, the transparency of a certain 
 skin, and the golden hue of certain hair." 
 
 "Then they were talking of you, Valentina," said 
 Nieves, blushing and nudging her companion. 
 
 "What an idea! Don't worry about that, as if we 
 don't know who is the prettiest! " said the other, with 
 evident pique. 
 
 " Gently, gently, sefloras," exclaimed Gonzalo. " It 
 is true that Pablo began by talking of the perfections of 
 Nieves, but it is certain that he had meant to go on to 
 those of all the rest, if he had not been interrupted. Is 
 it not so, Pablo ? " 
 
 "Yes, I meant to go on to Valentina." 
 
 Whereupon the girl referred to raised her head and 
 looked at him with the half -frowning, half-roguish look 
 that was peculiar to her. 
 
 " Take care, Nieves, that these young men don't for- 
 get themselves." 
 
 Pablo, without heeding the interruption, proceeded : 
 
 "And then from Teresa and Encarnacian, Elvira 
 and Generosa, I should have gone on to Venturita, for 
 of course all men are at her feet; to Cecilia, no, for she 
 
 111 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Ib engaged; and then I should have Baid something about 
 Seflora Dofla Paula, who, be it said without ofEence to 
 anybody, is the most beautiful of all." 
 
 "What a humbug!" exclaimed the lady, pleased at 
 her son's flattery. 
 
 Then Pablo rose from his armchair and embraced his 
 mother affectionately. 
 
 " Get away, get away, flatterer! " she said, laughing. 
 
 "Come, open your purse, mama," said Venturita. 
 
 "I see! A spiteful remark as usual," exclaimed the 
 young man in a rage, as he turned his head to his sister; 
 but she only smiled to herself maliciously, without rais- 
 ing her head from her embroidery frame. 
 
 " You have done a great deal," said Gonzalo in a low 
 voice, as he took a seat by the side of his fiancee. 
 
 " So, so," returned Cecilia, looking at him with her 
 large, luminous eyes. 
 
 " But, indeed, it is a great dearl. Yesterday you had 
 not embroidered this clove. It looks to me like a 
 clove." 
 
 " It is jasmine." 
 
 "Nor these two leaves, either." 
 
 "Bah! That is nothing." 
 
 " And what are you embroidering now ? " 
 
 Cecilia went on plying her needle without answering. 
 
 "What are you embroidering now?" asked Gonzalo 
 in a louder voice, thinking that she had not heard. 
 
 "A sheet — hush," returned the young girl, slightly 
 raising her eyes in the direction of the embroideress, 
 and quickly dropping them again. 
 
 At that moment Gonzalo's and Venturita's eyes met in 
 a meaning glance over Cecilia's head. 
 
 " Well, you see, every one to his taste," said Pablito, 
 as he looked fixedly at Nieves, as much as to say: 
 
 113 
 
Cecilia^ s Trousseau 
 
 "Don't pay any attention. I only say that as a 
 duty." 
 
 " What is there to suit everybody, Don Pablo ? " asked 
 Valentina in an ironical tone. 
 
 "Flowers, girl." 
 
 " Give them to the saints." 
 
 "And to pretty girls like you." 
 
 " If I am not pretty, I precede those that are, without 
 any by your leave." 
 
 "The deuce she does! Valentina puts her back up 
 directly one goes near her," exclaimed the snubbed young 
 man. 
 
 The joke made the needlewomen laugh. 
 
 " Valentina does not like young men," said Bncar- 
 nacian. 
 
 " She is quite right; you get nothing from young men 
 but promises, lost time, and often a lifetime of misery," 
 said Dofia Paula sententiously, unmindful of her own 
 fortunate lot. " As to that, Sarrio is quite demoralized; 
 there is hardly a girl who keeps company with one of 
 her own class. The young man is at least expected to 
 wear a cravat, to carry a cane and a cigarette-holder, 
 although he may not have a plate to eat off. Young 
 girls do not mind being seen at dusk nowadays with 
 young gentlemen, nor do they object to returning from 
 fairs on the arm of one of them, singing at the top of 
 their voices." 
 
 " Poor young things! I don't know what you expect. 
 Because the son of Don Eudesindo married Pepe la 
 Esquila, and the pilot of the ' Trinidad ' the Mechacan 
 girl, you think all is gold that glitters. But seeing is 
 believing. Look at Benita, the girl at Sefior Matias's, 
 the sacristan. She does not look very pretty now, eh ? " 
 
 " Benita has her marriage lines," said Encarnacian. 
 8 113 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " Lines, eli ? She -will see what her lines are worth." 
 "Sefiora, the lad cannot desert her; if he does, she 
 will pursue him all her life." 
 
 " Silence, silence, chatterbox; who put such ideas into 
 your head ? " 
 
 " It is a well-known fact that Benita has gone to law." 
 " Look here, seflora," said the dark, sentimental girl, 
 " it is quite true that we run risks, but what are we to 
 do? The artisans of the town are just as bad; they 
 mostly spend Sunday and Monday and one day in the 
 week at the tavern. How many are there who take 
 their wages home to their wives regularly ? If the hus- 
 band is a sailor, he sends it home one quarter, keeps 
 it three quarters, and then keeps it altogether. The 
 supplies ceasing, the unhappy woman is forced to work 
 to get bread for her children. And then in other cases 
 what thanks or reward does the wife get from her hus- 
 band ? If he does go out with her on a Sunday after- 
 noon, he stops at every public house on the road and 
 leaves the poor creature at the door ; or if there is some 
 friend with him, he shouts out some insulting remark 
 at her that makes her blush like a peony. Yes, yes, 
 seflora, they are all such vagabonds. Goodness knows 
 they are not worth the bread they eat. The other day I 
 met Tomasina — you know the girl at Uncle Ruflo's who 
 married one of Prospero's clerks less than a year ago — 
 well, she was at that moment going to get two reals 
 from her father to buy some bread, for she had not had 
 a mouthful all day. Her husband drinks nearly all his 
 wages, so the poor thing has nothing to eat by the 
 middle of the week, God help her! And most nights 
 the great pig comes home hopelessly drunk, and nearly 
 beats her to death. Sometimes the poor thing goes to 
 bed bruised and supperless. And then, seeing these 
 
 114 
 
Cecilia'' s Trousseau 
 
 things, people want a — well, better hold one's tongue! 
 But I do say, caramba, that if one has to go to the devil, 
 it is better to go in a coach." 
 
 "Look here," intervened Valentina, raising her face 
 with its habitual frown, albeit a trifle more pronounced, 
 " don't go on like that; yon say you like young gentle- 
 men. "Well and good. I don't care; but don't you throw 
 all the dirty water on your own class. If they drink — 
 and there are those that do — don't I also see gentlemen 
 coming home quite intoxicated ? And if they do beat 
 their wives, half the time they would not do it if the 
 women's tongues were not so long, don't you see ? And 
 Don Eamon, the music-master, beat his wife when he 
 came home one night. You must know that, as you live 
 near." 
 
 "I don't chatter about everything, girl," returned 
 Teresa, somewhat damped by the fear that her swarthy 
 friend would make her reveal her nocturnal perambula- 
 tions with Donato Eojo, the medical officer of health; 
 " only I say there are many asses." 
 
 " Very well, leave them in peace, then, and don't talk 
 of them, and they won't talk of you. Every one for 
 herself, and let sleeping dogs lie." 
 
 " Listen, Valentina," said Elvira, smiling maliciously. 
 " Do you think Cosme will beat you when you marry ? " 
 
 " If I desbrve it, he will. I would rather have a blow 
 or two from my Cosme than the scorn of a fine gentle- 
 man — so there ! " 
 
 " That's what I like to hear; take a lesson, take a 
 lesson, girls," said Pablito. 
 
 Gonzalo, after talking some time with his bride-elect, 
 left his seat, took three or four turns up and down the 
 room, and finally seated himself by the side of Venturita, 
 with whom he was always on good terms, for they liked 
 
 115 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 laughing and joking together after they had once be- 
 come friendly. The girl was drawing some letters pre- 
 paratory to embroidering them. 
 
 "Don't come teasing here, Gonzalo; we know how 
 badly I draw," she said, whilst the look that she gave 
 the youth was so flashing and provocative that it made 
 him drop his eyes. 
 
 " I am not so sure of that. You don't draw badly," 
 he replied in a low voice that slightly trembled, as he 
 bent his face down to the paper which Venturita had on 
 her lap. 
 
 " Pure flattery. You will acknowledge that it might 
 be better." 
 
 " Better — ^better — everything in the world might be 
 better. This is good enough. " 
 
 "You are getting quite a flatterer. I don't want 
 you to make fun of me, do you hear ? " 
 
 "I don't make fun of anybody, much less of you," 
 he returned, without raising his eyes from the paper, 
 and with his voice lower every minute, and evidently 
 agitated. Venturita kept her eyes fixed upon him with a 
 mocking expression, in which the triumph of satisfied 
 pride was plainly visible. 
 
 " Come then, you draw them, Mr. Clever," she said, 
 as she passed him the pencil and paper with gracious 
 condescension. 
 
 The youth acceded to the suggestion, as he ventured 
 to raise his eyes to the girl's, but he quickly dropped 
 them as if he feared their magnetism. He took the 
 book from her lap on to his knee, put a piece of white 
 paper on it, and proceeded to draw. 
 
 But instead of the letters, he began to sketch, with 
 some skill, the head of a woman; first the hair parted in 
 two braids, then the straight, pretty forehead, then a 
 
 116 
 
Cecilia's Trousseau 
 
 delicate nose, a pretty, short chin joined to the throat hy 
 a soft, graceful curve. It was wonderfully like Ventu- 
 rita. The girl, leaning on the shoulder of her future 
 brother, followed the movements of the pencil, and a 
 vain smile gradually overspread her face. After draw- 
 ing the head Gonzalo proceeded to delineate the figure, 
 and the peignoir, or matinee, worn by the girl was soon 
 reproduced; but he took some time drawing minutely 
 the silk bows with which it was fastened in front. When 
 the picture was finished, Venturita asked him in a mis- 
 chievous tone: 
 
 " Now put underneath who it is." 
 
 The young man raised his head and their smiling 
 eyes met. Then, quickly and decisively, he wrote under 
 the drawing: 
 
 " The one I love best in all the world." 
 
 Venturita took the paper in her hands and looked at 
 it with delight for some moments; then, with a pout of 
 assumed disdain, she gave it back to him, saying: 
 
 " Take it, take it, you rude fellow." 
 
 But before it reached Gonzalo's hands Cecilia stretched 
 out hers and snatched it from him laughingly, saying : 
 
 " "What papers are these ? " 
 
 Then Venturita sprang from her seat, as if she had 
 been stung, and caught hold of her sister's hand. 
 
 "Give it up, give it up, Cecilia! Let go!" she 
 cried, with her face aflame and distorted with a forced 
 smile. 
 
 " No, I want to see it." 
 
 " You shall see it afterwards; let go! " 
 
 " I want to see it now." 
 
 "Let be, child; let her see it. What does it signify 
 to you ? " said Dofla Paula. 
 
 "I don't like anything being taken from me by 
 117 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 force," Venturita cried, turning serious. Then realiz- 
 ing that she was losing ground, she resumed her smile, 
 saying: 
 
 " Come, Cecilia, let go; don't be disagreeable." 
 
 "Don't make such a set out! Let go yourself; you 
 are hurting me." 
 
 " Who are you to snatch the paper from my hand ? " 
 she returned, and really in a rage. "Let go, let 
 go, you ugly thing, you parrot nose, you fool! Let 
 go or I will scratch you," she added, with her eyes flash- 
 ing and her face distorted with rage. 
 
 Seeing her like this, the smile that had sufEused 
 Cecilia's face suddenly left it, and opening her large 
 eyes, full of surprise, she exclaimed : 
 
 " Goodness, you seem mad, child. Take it, take it; I 
 don't want it." 
 
 So she gaye up the paper, which was crumpled in her 
 hand, and Venturita, with her face still distorted with 
 rage, tore it into a thousand pieces. 
 
 "In all the days of my life I never saw such a mad 
 creature! " exclaimed Dofla Paula in amazement. " Ave 
 Maria! Ave Maria! Wherever did you get such a bad 
 temper from, child ? " 
 
 " It would be from you," replied Venturita sulkily, 
 without looking at anybody. 
 
 "You shameless girl! If it were not for folk being 
 here! How dare you answer your mother like that? 
 Don't you know the commandment of the law of God ? 
 I will take you to-morrow to confess to Don Aquilino." 
 
 "Very well; give my regards to Don Aquilino." 
 
 "Wait a bit, wait a bit, you bad girl!" cried the 
 seflora, making as though she would rise to the chas- 
 tisement of her daughter. 
 
 But at that instant the figure of Don Rosendo, in his 
 118 
 
Cecilia's Trousseau 
 
 many-colored dressing gown and silk-tasselled velvet 
 cap, appeared at the door. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " he asked with surprise at the 
 sight of his wife's excited state. 
 
 Suffocated with sobs, Dofla Paula then proceeded to 
 give him an account of his daughter's want of respect. 
 
 Don Rosendo thought it behooved him to frown 
 severely and say in a solemn tone: 
 
 " You have behaved badly, Ventura; go and ask your 
 mama's pardon." 
 
 "We know that he was absent-minded, always absorbed 
 in some idea, so this domestic episode only partially 
 roused him from his preoccupation. Nevertheless, 
 seeing his child obstinate, supercilious, and angry, he 
 repeated his command with greater firmness. 
 
 " Come, daughter, go and ask your mother's pardon, 
 seeing that you have been rude to her." 
 
 The girl made her usual scornful pout and murmured 
 under her breath : 
 
 " As if I should think of doing such a thing! " 
 
 " Come, Venturita, what are you muttering there ? 
 Come, before I get angry." 
 
 " Do, do, Venturita; don't behave like that," im- 
 plored all the needlewomen in low tones. 
 
 "Don't bother me. Will you leave me in peace?" 
 she retorted, also in a low tone, albeit an angry one. 
 
 " Won't you do as I tell you ? " now demanded Don 
 Eosendo, with increased severity, " won't you ? " But 
 the girl sat silent and motionless. 
 
 " Then leave the room at once; get out of my sight! " 
 stormed the father. 
 
 Venturita rose from her seat and, stiff and sullen, she 
 made her way through the party, and left the room, 
 slamming the door heavily behind her. Don Rosendo, 
 
 119 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 after standing a momeDt motionless with his eyes on 
 the door by which his daughter had made her exit, 
 turned round and said: 
 
 " I am sorry to have to be so severe with my children, 
 but sometimes there is no help for it." 
 
 120 
 
'wo Traitors 
 
 CHAPTEE VII 
 
 TWO TBAITOKS 
 
 The fierce expression soon faded from Belinclion's 
 fine face, and was superseded by his habitual look of 
 thoughtful abstraction. 
 
 " Gonzalo, if it is not troubling you, I wish you would 
 come with me into my study," he said, turning to his 
 future son-in-law. 
 
 The young man, who had several times started and 
 turned pale during the last scene, was now filled with 
 dismay, for he feared that the summons betokened 
 nothing less than that Don Eosendo, having a suspicion 
 of the inconstancy of his feelings, was now about to call 
 him to account. So, with his head bent and very anxious, 
 he followed Belinchon into the study, which was a spa- 
 cious apartment, furnished with the luxury befitting 
 a rich merchant — a massive table and cabinets of mahog- 
 any, loaded with parcels of books and papers, a velvet 
 carpet, sofas upholstered with brocade, and a colossal 
 silver inkstand. A quarter of the room was filled with 
 a heap of little packets, wrapped in paper of various 
 colors, which would puzzle anybody who entered it for 
 the first time. Not so Gonzalo, or any intimate friend 
 of the house. Those packages were full of toothpicks ! 
 
 " How so ? " the reader will ask. 
 
 Don Eosendo Belinchon, a cod merchant of such re- 
 nown, a dealer in toothpicks as well ? 
 
 No, Don Eosendo did not deal in toothpicks; he 
 made them. And this not from any speculative motive, 
 which would have been beneath him, but from a purely 
 
 121 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 disinterested love of the thing. He had evinced the 
 taste in early youth, but the assiduous occupations of his 
 trade and the vicissitudes of his life had only hitherto 
 permitted him to indulge his passion in a desultory way 
 in leisure hours. But from the time he could leave his 
 oflBce to a few faithful underlings he gave himself up 
 heart and soul to such a simple and useful amusement. 
 In the morning at Graell's shop, in the afternoon at the 
 saloon, in the evening at home, or at Don Pedro 
 Miranda's, he was always working. His servant spent 
 a great part of the day in preparing perfectly equal 
 pieces of dry wood, from which his dexterous hand pro- 
 duced the queen of toothpicks. 
 
 And as he never rested from his work, not even on 
 holidays, the production was so excessive that there was 
 not enough purchasers in town, and when the heap 
 reached from the table to the ceiling he was obliged to 
 despatch packets of them to his friends in the capital. 
 Thanks to the noble efEorts of this clever representative 
 of his trade, we can say with pride that Sarrio attained 
 the level of the great capitals in this interesting branch 
 of civilization, and that no other Spanish or foreign 
 town could compete with it, for the house of every rich 
 man, as well as every poor one, boasted a well-cut tooth- 
 pick, irrefutable testimony of the cultured refinement 
 of its inhabitants. 
 
 Don Rosendo signed to the young man to be seated on 
 the sofa, which he did in visible agitation. Then the 
 merchant proceeded to take a chair with an air of 
 mystery, and placing himself opposite the youth, 
 he gave him a dig in the ribs and jauntily said with a 
 smile : 
 
 " Well, Gonzalito, and what do you think of this ques- 
 tion of the slaughter-house ? " 
 
 132 
 
Two Traitors 
 
 " The slaughter-house ? " asked the young man, open- 
 ing his eyes wide with surprise. 
 
 " Yes, the new slaughter-house; do you think it ought 
 to be put on the Escombrera, or on the Plaza de las 
 Meanas, or at the back of Don Kudesindo's houses ? " 
 
 Gonzalo seemed to see heaven open and, smiling with 
 pleasure, he replied: 
 
 " I think it would be very well on the Plaza de las 
 Meanas. It is very open — very airy there." 
 
 Then seeing that a frown gathered on his future 
 father-in-law's forehead, and that the smile suddenly 
 left his face, he added stammeringly: 
 
 " I don't think it would be bad at the Escombrera 
 either." 
 
 " Much better, Gonzalo; infinitely better." 
 
 "Maybe, maybe." 
 
 " But it must be, and I tell you plainly that to have 
 it on the Plaza de las Meanas (this, mind you, quite 
 between you and me) is an act of utter madness; an act 
 of ut-ter madness," he repeated, with additional stress 
 on each syllable. 
 
 " And this opinion of mine," he added, " is not, as 
 yon imagine, a thing of yesterday, or of to-day, but of 
 all my life. From the time that I was capable of un- 
 derstanding anything I knew that the slaughter-house 
 ought not to be where it is; in a word, that it ought to 
 be moved. Whither? An internal voice always re- 
 plied: ' To the Escombrera.' Before I was able to give 
 any scientific reason I was as convinced as I am now that 
 it was there that it ought to be, and nowhere else. Now 
 that the discussion of the problem is at hand, I feel 
 obliged to support this opinion, to communicate my idea 
 to the public, and to give it the result of my medita- 
 tions. If you have nothing to do, I will now read you 
 
 123 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 the letter that I am sending to the ' Progress of Lancia ' 
 with this end in view." 
 
 And in effect, without waiting for Gonzalo to reply, 
 he turned to fee table, took up some sheets of paper 
 that were upon it, put on his spectacles, and approach- 
 ing the window, he commenced reading the letter in a 
 voice which betrayed his emotion. 
 
 The letter was written on business paper, large and 
 ruled. All the letters that for years past he had sent to 
 the " Progress of Lancia " and to other periodicals had 
 been written on the same sort of paper, on both sides. 
 He did not then know that the paper ought only to be 
 written on one side for the press, but he soon acquired 
 that valuable knowledge, as we shall see. 
 
 Don Eosendo Belinchon evinced a taste for writing 
 communications to the press almost simultaneously with 
 that for toothpicks ; that is to say, it dated from his 
 early years. 
 
 A great advocate of human progress, of reform, of all 
 kinds of discussion and instruction, it was natural that 
 the press should inspire him with respect and enthusi- 
 asm. Newspapers had always been an indispensable 
 element of his existence. He subscribed to many, both 
 national and foreign, because, being educated for com- 
 merce, he was well versed in French and English, and 
 he never missed devoting a couple of hours to reading 
 the journals even on the busiest days. These hours had 
 increased during later years, at the expense of the cod- 
 fish business. The delight that our hero felt in the 
 morning, after taking his chocolate, in perusing the 
 leading articles of the " Pabellon Nacional," the events 
 of the " Politica," and the light news of the " Figaro," 
 was so intense that the brightness of his face pervaded 
 the atmosphere. 
 
 124 
 
W 
 
 Traitors 
 
 Like all men of wide and lofty views, he was not ex- 
 clusive in his press proclivities. He liked a paper as a 
 paper, a pleasant medium of the progress of human 
 reason, or, as he better expressed it, as " a lofty mani- 
 festation of public opinion." 
 
 The opinions that each supported were secondary mat- 
 ters. He subscribed to papers of every opinion, and 
 enjoyed them all equally. If he had any particular 
 predilection, it was for venomous articles and paragraphs, 
 for their way of saying one thing and conveying an- 
 other, of twisting phrases in such a manner that an 
 apparently innocent clause was an envenomed shaft, 
 filled Don Eosendo with such delight that he went 
 nearly mad with joy. Sometimes on reading in "La 
 Espafia " a paragraph in this style: 
 
 " Yesterday the circular of the Seflor President of the 
 Supreme Court to his subordinates appeared at last. 
 We congratulate General O'Donnell, the president of 
 the Liberal party, and Seflor Negrete and the Demo- 
 cratic Grovernment party on the colossal work that they 
 have consummated in a few moments of lucidity," he 
 would exclaim, waving the paper in his hand : 
 
 " What spite. Caracoles; what spite! " 
 
 This liking, or, rather, passion for the press, was not 
 fruitless, as we have said. Even in his youth he had 
 sent two letters to a weekly paper published in Lancia, 
 called "Autumn," describing the annual festivities 
 that took place in Sarrio in the month of September. 
 These letters were read with profit and no little pleas- 
 ure in the town, which encouraged him to write three 
 more the following year, giving an account of the mar- 
 vellous number of rockets that were sent ofE in Sarrio on 
 the 13th, 14th, and 15th of the month, the beautiful 
 illumination of the 1 6th, and the magnificent ball given 
 
 125 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 at the Lyceum on the night of the 17th. After tasting 
 the sweets of publicityj Don Rosendo could not do less 
 than indulge in them from time to time. The least 
 pretext sufficed for him to send a letter or a communi- 
 cation to the papers. Sometimes he signed them with 
 his name, at other times with some pretty pseudonym 
 or anagram. If the fisher-folk had a fete in honor of 
 St. Telmo, Don Eosendo immediately wrote his letter to 
 the " Progress of Lancia " or to the " Bee," describing 
 the decorations, the bonfires, the mass, the procession, 
 etc. If a banquet were given in the new school build- 
 ings on their inauguration, three or four days later the 
 Lancian paper contained a letter publishing the speeches 
 and improvised sonnets. If a bricklayer fell from a 
 scaffolding, there was a communication from Don 
 Eosendo asking for better protection for bricklayers who 
 have to go on scaffoldings. If the son of Don Aquilino 
 sang at a mass, there would be a letter from Don Eosendo 
 describing the touching ceremony and praising the 
 clear, musical voice and the serene appearance of the 
 young priest. If the tides were high and strong and 
 broke away some stones from the end of the pier, a 
 letter; if the boats from Bilbao declined to take on 
 board the pilots of Sarrio, a communication; if a har- 
 vest of maize were lost by the drought, a letter; if the 
 prevailing winds were from the northeast, a letter. In 
 short, nothing happened on terra firm a or in the at- 
 mosphere of the town worthy of mention without its 
 being tackled by the clever, flowing pen of our mer- 
 chant. How much work will the future historians of 
 Sarrio be saved by this valuable material, accumulated 
 by one of its most enlightened sons! 
 
 With advancing years Don Eosendo Belinchon's let- 
 ters assumed a character less romantic, we won't say 
 
 126 
 
wo irattors 
 
 frivolous (for it would not be either correct or respectful 
 to apply such a term to that estimable gentleman) ; but 
 it was noticeable that the subject-matter was not so 
 much the junketings and recreations of the townsfolk, 
 but something that would tend, directly or indirectly, to 
 forward their moral and material interests. The trades, 
 the schools, the salvage from shipwrecks, the building 
 of a church or a prison, were the matters that he now 
 most frequently treated to his own glory and to that of 
 his birthplace. 
 
 One of them, of vital interest for Sarrio, as he main- 
 tained, was the slaughter-house. He had not hitherto 
 approached this question, because he knew that his 
 opinion was at variance with that of a large number of 
 his fellow-townsmen. But he considered " that the time 
 had now come to express it without any perambulation 
 or circumlocution." 
 
 The letter he now read, the first he had written on the 
 subject, was addressed to the " Progress of Lancia," 
 and it ran thus: 
 
 The Senoe Director of the " Progress op Lancu." 
 
 Bear Sir : The attention now accorded to natural physical 
 science, and especially to the science of hygiene, as the health of 
 places as well as people depends upon it, in view of its great prac- 
 tical utility, the timidity of those who, influenced by an educa- 
 tion as erroneous as it was deficient, condemned the study of these 
 great problems, being cumbered with antiquated, dull ideas, is now 
 happily vanishing under the powerful movement of the nineteenth 
 century, rightly called the century of enlightenment. 
 
 Don Eosendo's style was always involved. He con- 
 tinued : 
 
 Now that civilization, released from the obstacles that crip- 
 pled the conscience and the mind, opens a vast field to all, by 
 means of the press, to express our independent ideas and give 
 
 127 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 them forth to the world, trusting in the friendship that you have 
 always accorded me, and in the kindness with which the public 
 has hitherto received the humble efforts of the pen, etc., etc. 
 
 After three or four more paragraphs in this perambu- 
 latory style (which the editor of the " Progress" always 
 had to curtail) Don Eosendo went into the question, 
 putting forward the slaughter-house, or, as he termed 
 it, "the public massacre-hall," in all its bearings, so as 
 to condemn its establishment on the Plaza de las Meanas 
 in terms that left no room for doubt. The reasons 
 given for the opposition were obvious. For one thing, 
 the southeast winds, prevalent during the greater part 
 of the year, would carry miasmic smells, etc. 
 
 For another thing, the difficulty of reaching solid 
 ground for the cementing would cause an enormous 
 expense, etc. The necessity of passing through the 
 town with the cattle, etc. For another thing, the prox- 
 imity of the houses, the bad effect on the mineral 
 springs, etc. 
 
 In fact, Don Eosendo having given more than twenty 
 reasons, in what he termed " a clear, succinct style," he 
 added that they would be given more fully in the forth- 
 coming letters with which he purposed " troubling the 
 readers of the illustrious periodical." 
 
 When the reading was over, Gonzalo pronounced the 
 reasoning incontrovertible, and Don Eosendo (with his 
 spectacles on his nose) declared that there was no gain- 
 saying it. 
 
 Having arrived at such a perfect understanding, they 
 separated in a befittingly cheerful spirit. Don Eosendo 
 remained in the library to copy his letter, and Gonzalo 
 was about to return to the workroom; but before he 
 left the apartment his future father-in-law called him 
 back to say: 
 
 138 
 
W 
 
 Traitors 
 
 " Mind, not a word to anybody of this." 
 
 " Don Kosendo, I swear! " returned the young man, 
 raising his hand in sign of protest. 
 
 The merchant, in an expansive frame of mind, con- 
 tinued : 
 
 " You will soon know something else which will be a 
 pleasant surprise to you. It is an idea which came to 
 me two months ago, and which I hope to carry out, God 
 willing, very soon. Oh! it is a brilliant idea! It will 
 make a radical change in Sarrio, you know! " 
 
 The mysterious manner, the serious, agitated tone of 
 his voice, the look of triumph which fulminated from 
 his eyes as he spoke, surprised G-onzalo not a little. 
 Nevertheless, he did not dare to ask for explanations, 
 and his future father-in-law let him go with a vacant 
 smile. 
 
 The party in the workroom was meanwhile still enter- 
 tained by Pablito's conversation, which was embellished 
 by practical illustrations, in accordance with his versatile 
 nature. 
 
 Venturita had not yet returned, and Gonzalo reseated 
 himself by the side of his fiancee and began talking to 
 her with undisguised embarrassment and timidity, for 
 being unaccustomed to hide his feelings, his treachery 
 weighed upon his soul. Sometimes Cecilia raised her 
 head to reply, and her clear, serene, innocent glance 
 made him blush. To overcome his confusion he thought 
 he had better tell her his love and devotion in more 
 ardent terms than hitherto. Like all irresolute natures, 
 in a time of exigency he took the worst course to give 
 himself a moment's respite. Cecilia received the pro- 
 testations in silence, without evincing the delight that 
 women generally show on hearing expressions of affection 
 from the one they love, 
 
 9 J29 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 "You are very flattering to-day, Don Gonzalo. I 
 don't like being spoiled," she said at last with a smile. 
 
 " But it is a pleasure to tell you what I feel," he re- 
 plied in a choked voice. 
 
 " "Well, it is a pleasure I do not understand," she re- 
 turned sweetly. " The deeper my affection the less I 
 like to speak of it." 
 
 " That is because you do not really love." 
 
 " Oh! " she exclaimed, in such a genuine tone of re- 
 proach that our young man was taken aback. 
 
 " Yes, yes; it is because you are naturally cold. The 
 heat of feeling, like physical heat, cannot remain long 
 concealed; there comes a time when it rises to the sur- 
 face like the lava of volcanoes. And of all sentiments, 
 love is the one that can best burst the strings of the 
 tongue. It is only really felt when one can say in every 
 tone and in every manner possible, ' I love you. ' What 
 you said just now is absurd, for simultaneously with the 
 birth of love in our hearts for anybody there comes the 
 desire to express it; and to satisfy this desire is the 
 greatest of all delights." 
 
 " It may be, it may be," she remarked in a doubtful 
 tone. " Although I have not experienced it, I can well 
 imagine it from what I suffer. But, Gonzalo," she 
 added in a tremulous voice, "for God's sake don't 
 measure my affection by my words. I cannot, I can 
 never say what I feel. There seems to be a sort of lump 
 in my throat, and nothing comes but foolish things, in- 
 significant remarks, when I should hke to utter words 
 of affection ! Oh, it is a torture ! It is being like a dog 
 without a tail." 
 
 Gonzalo burst out laughing, and the girl, who had 
 spoken more strongly than usual, turned red and bent 
 her head. 
 
 130 
 
W 
 
 Tr ai t r s 
 
 " But nobody has cut out your tongue." 
 
 " In this matter you must consider that they have." 
 
 "Very well; you must express yourself in writing," 
 and at that moment he turned his head quickly towards 
 the door, which had opened. 
 
 It was Piscis. After muttering a " Good afternoon," 
 he took his usual seat in the corner, followed by derisive 
 glances of the needlewomen, towards whom, for this and 
 other reasons, he vowed eternal hatred. 
 
 After returning their mocking looks with one that 
 was straight and fierce he remained silent for some 
 minutes, but as his soul was burdened with solemn and 
 profound secrets, and Pablito would not cease his atten- 
 tion to Nieves, he was boiling over with rage. After 
 having whistled to attract his friend's attention, he ven- 
 tured to disburden his mind in public at the risk of his 
 confidences not being understood and appreciated by the 
 feminine element of the party. 
 
 "What is it, Piscis?" asked Pablito, hearing the 
 whistle. 
 
 " Do you know why Eomeo is neighing? " 
 
 Then the needlewomen raised their heads in surprise, 
 and Valentina, trying not to laugh, said to Teresa : 
 
 " Child, what is he saying ? " 
 
 " Why does a horse neigh ? " 
 
 "Because " 
 
 Although she spoke in a low tone Piscis heard her 
 quite well, and turning from Pablo, who had taken the 
 question quite seriously, and wished to hear about this 
 peculiarity of Eomeo's, he said to Valentina in an angry 
 tone: 
 
 " Will you be quiet, you chatterbox ? " 
 
 These strong words were received with an explosion 
 of laughter by the workers. 
 
 131 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " Don't fuss yourself, Piscis; let them be. Well, you 
 took Eomeo out ? I am glad of that. " 
 
 " I harnessed him to the char-a-bancs with Linda," 
 returned the centaur, with an angry look at the listen- 
 ing Valentina. 
 
 " If you could have seen — shiver my shins! — how he 
 behaved! I with the whip, and he, thud, thud, against 
 the splash-board. I returned to the stable and put on 
 the kicking strap. Then I went out again. But what 
 did the creature do this time? He got between the 
 wheel and the traces, and then he began neighing. Dash 
 me! I very nearly broke a lamp." 
 
 " I must get to the bottom of this," returned Pablito, 
 profoundly interested, and leaving Nieves to go over to 
 Piscis. 
 
 "I must think it over to-night," returned the cen- 
 taur, looking very grave, "and we will see to-morrow 
 what we can do." 
 
 The two friends then lowered their voices and plunged 
 into an animated private discussion. 
 
 Gonzalo was disturbed. He kept casting glances at 
 the door, hoping every minute to see Venturita return. 
 Nevertheless, the time went on and the girl did not ap- 
 pear. His abstraction so notably increased that Cecilia 
 had to ask him the same question three times. 
 
 " What is the matter ? Your thoughts seem to be 
 wandering." 
 
 "It is BO," he said, slightly coloring; "I recollect 
 that I ought to write to London to-day on an important 
 matter of business, and it is now about six o'clock." 
 
 Whereupon he took leave of his fiancee, of Dofla 
 Paula, and the rest of the party, and left. 
 
 Once in the passage he slackened his steps, and began 
 looking round on all sides without seeing what he wished. 
 
 132 
 
W 
 
 Traitors 
 
 Then, with bent head, he slowly and sadly descended 
 the staircase and was about to raise the latch of the door 
 when he thought the string by which it was pulled from 
 upstairs shook. He stood a moment motionless. He 
 again raised his hand to the latch, and again noticed the 
 vibration of the cord. Then he turned back, looked up 
 the staircase, and there above a pretty little face was 
 smiling at him. 
 
 " Is it you ? " he asked in a falsetto voice, his counte- 
 nance suffused with joy. 
 
 " Yes, it is I," replied Venturita in the same tone. 
 
 " Do you want me to come up ? " 
 
 "No," returned the girl, as much as to say, "Why 
 do you ask, sir ? " Gonzalo mounted the staircase on 
 the tips of his toes. 
 
 "We must not stay here; we shall be seen," said 
 Venturita, taking his hand and leading him along the 
 passage to the dining-room. 
 
 There Gonzalo took a seat without leaving hold of her 
 hand. 
 
 " I thought I was not going to see you again to-day. 
 What a temper you have, child! " he said, smiling. 
 
 Venturita's face clouded. 
 
 "If they did not irritate me every minute, I should 
 not have one." 
 
 "But recollect, it was your mama who reprimanded 
 you," be replied with a smile. 
 
 " What ? " she exclaimed passionately. " Why is my 
 mother to annoy me every hour and every minute ? If 
 she thinks I am going to stand it she is greatly mistaken. 
 She does not mind what that boor does; she will do 
 anything for him. There is nothing but spoiling for 
 him ! Look here, Gonzalo, if you want us to be friends, 
 don't interfere with me." And at these words, uttered 
 
 133 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 in an angry tone, her eyes flamed with rage, and she 
 gave a violent pull at her hand to release it. But thi-s 
 Gonzalo did not allow, and kissing it passionately several 
 times, he said, laughing: 
 
 " But, my girl, don't be angry with me, who have 
 done nothing. If I admire you, it is just because you 
 are so hot-tempered. I don't like women who are milk- 
 and- watery." 
 
 " Because you are so yourself," she replied, now calm 
 and smiling. 
 
 " Don't believe it. I am not so milk-and -watery as 
 you think. When I am angry, I am so indeed." 
 
 "Bah! Once a year!" 
 
 " Well, as I am so, I ought to like quiet, sweet-tem- 
 pered women." 
 
 " You make a mistake; one always likes one's con- 
 trast. Fair people like dark people, thin people fat, tall 
 people short. Don't I suit you because you are so tall 
 and I so small ? " 
 
 "Not only for that," he said, laughing and drawing 
 her towards him. 
 
 "Why, then?" she asked, giving him a mocking 
 glance. 
 
 " Don't you know ? Shall I whisper it to you ? " 
 
 " Why ? " she insisted, keeping her eyes upon him. 
 
 " Because you are so very ugly." 
 
 "Thank you," she returned, with her face bright 
 with gratified vanity. 
 
 "There is no one uglier than yon in Sarrio; not in 
 the whole world." 
 
 " You have seen uglier in the countries where you 
 have been." 
 
 " I assure you, no." 
 
 " Virgen del Amparo ! Then I must be a monster," 
 134 
 
Two Traitors 
 
 she cried, accepting the flattering hyperbole of the 
 words. 
 
 "Somebody is coming!" said Gonzalo, suddenly 
 turning grave. 
 
 Venturita went to the door. 
 
 " It is only the cook passing," she said, turning back 
 into the room. 
 
 " I think we are in danger here. Suppose your 
 mama or one of the girls came in — or Cecilia " (he added 
 in a low voice) — " what excuse could we give ? " 
 
 "Something or other; that's a slight matter. But 
 if you are nervous, we can go elsewhere." 
 
 " Let us go to the drawing-room." 
 
 " No, no; wait a moment. I will go first." 
 
 Then stopping at the door, and turning back, she 
 said: 
 
 "If you give me your word to be good, I will take 
 you to my room." 
 
 " On my word of honor," replied the young man with 
 delight. 
 
 "No caresses?" 
 
 "None." 
 
 "Swear it." 
 
 "I swear." 
 
 "Very well; stop here a minute, and then come on 
 tiptoe. Au revoir ! " 
 
 " Au revoir! " said Gonzalo, taking one of her hands 
 and kissing it. 
 
 "I see what it is," she said, pretending to be angry; 
 " before you come you begin to break your word." 
 
 " I did not think that your hands were included in 
 the promise." 
 
 "Above all things," she said, with severity in her 
 tone and a smile in her eyes. 
 
 135 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 At the end of two minutes the youth followed her, 
 found the door ajar, and entered. Venturita's room 
 was like its mistress, small, pretty, and seductive. 
 
 There was a sandalwood bedstead hung with brocaded 
 silk hangings and covered with a blue silk coverlet; an 
 ebony cabinet, inlaid with ivory, which formed an 
 escritoire when opened; a comfortable blue velvet arm- 
 chair; a toilet table and looking glass, also hung with 
 silk; a mirrored wardrobe of sandalwood, like the bed; 
 and a few gilt chairs completed the furniture; and the 
 room was as redolent of sweet perfume as the sanctum 
 of an odalisque. 
 
 " Oh, this is better than Cecilia's room ! " said Gon- 
 zalo. 
 
 " When did you see that?" asked Venturita. 
 
 "A few days ago she showed it tome; bare walls, 
 with a few second-rate pictures, a curtainless bed, a 
 common wardrobe." 
 
 " Well, if she doesn't have it like I do, it is because 
 she doesn't care to. I certainly had to get over papa at 
 first. But my sister is so — well, she is as God made her. 
 It is all alike to her. Everything pleases a commonplace 
 person, doesn't it ? " 
 
 "In this room there is so much taste and so much 
 coquetry, and that there always is about you." 
 
 " Why do you accuse me of coquetry, you silly? " she 
 asked, in her old mocking tone. 
 
 "Because it is true, and quite right so. Coquetry, 
 when not excessive, adds attraction to beauty as spice 
 adds flavor to food." 
 
 " And so I suit your taste ! Well, look here; although 
 coquetry may give attraction, or flavor, or what you 
 like, I am not coquettish. You at least have no right 
 
 to say so. I say — it seems to me " 
 
 136 
 
W 
 
 Traitors 
 
 "It is true; you are right; you are very right. I 
 cannot call you coquettish, because the coquetry I was 
 speaking of is quite different." 
 
 " Do me the favor to sit down, for I think you have 
 grown enough — and let us leave abstract questions." 
 
 Gonzalo dropped into the chair the girl offered him, 
 still under the spell of her brilliant, mischievous eyes. 
 From the minute he entered the room he experienced a 
 delight, half physical, half spiritual, which dominated 
 his senses and his spirit. The perfume that he inhaled 
 mounted to his brain, and the magnetic glance of Ven- 
 turita hypnotized him. 
 
 " You did wrong in bringing me to your room," he 
 said, as he passed his handkerchief over his forehead. 
 
 "Why?" she asked, opening and shutting her eyes 
 several times, which were like stars at the close of a hot 
 day in summer. 
 
 "Because I don't feel well," he returned, with the 
 same smile. 
 
 "You really feel ill?" replied the girl, opening her 
 eyes wide with an innocent expression. 
 
 "A little." 
 
 "Shall I call anybody?" 
 
 " ISo; it is your eyes that hurt me." 
 
 " Oh, come ! " she exclaimed, with a laugh, as if that 
 were of no consequence; "then I will shut them." 
 
 " Oh, no; don't shut them, or I shall be much worse." 
 
 " Then I will go," she said, rising from her chair. 
 
 " Thai would kill me, my girl! Do you know why I 
 am ill ? It is because it kills me not to be able to kiss 
 your eyes." 
 
 "Goodness!" exclaimed Venturita, with a burst of 
 laughter. " How bad it must be ! I am sorry not to be 
 able to cure you." 
 
 137 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " Will you let me die ? " 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Thank you. Let me kiss your hair, then." 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Your hands." 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Let me kiss something of yours. See, you are 
 doing me a lot of harm." 
 
 " Kiss this glove," said the girl, laughing, and taking 
 one from the toilet table. Gonzalo seized it, and kissed 
 it passionately several times. 
 
 The reader, who may have denounced Gonzalo in his 
 heart as a disloyal, perfidious fellow, or at least weak, 
 and maybe deserving the appellation of "a disagreeable 
 character," as the critics say when the people in novels 
 are not all as heroic and as clever as might be wished, 
 must imagine himself in that little nest, as full of per- 
 fume as the chalice of a magnolia, with the youngest 
 daughter of the Belinchons, dressed in a blue-ribboned 
 peignoir, revealing a good part of her neck, like roses 
 and milk, with her shining blue eyes on him, and a soft, 
 melodious voice that moved his very soul, and if the 
 girl gave him a glove, saying " Kiss it," he must think 
 whether he could refrain from doing so. 
 
 "You must calm yourself, Gonzalo," she said, with 
 a smile tl>at would have bewitched St. Anthony. 
 
 "Yes, yes." 
 
 " Very well. Now we must talk seriously and review 
 the situation." 
 
 Gonzalo became grave. 
 
 "After what you said to me three days ago I did 
 think that before now you would have said something 
 to mama or papa, or that you would have written. But 
 no; you not only let the time slip by, so that things got 
 
 138 
 
Two T r a i t r s 
 
 worse every day, but I see that you are more affectionate 
 and attentive to Cecilia than ever." 
 
 Gonzalo made a negative gesture. 
 
 " Yes; I saw you a moment ago through the keyhole 
 of the room. Nothing escapes me. Now this is very 
 bad if you don't love her; and if you do love her, it is 
 treating me badly." 
 
 " Are you not yet sure that you alone possess my 
 heart?" said the young man, raising his eyes towards 
 her. 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Then yes, yes; a thousand times yes. But I can- 
 not treat Cecilia in a cold, indifferent manner. That 
 would be very ugly. I prefer to tell her plainly and 
 end the matter once for all." 
 
 "Then tell her." 
 
 "I do not dare." 
 
 " Then don't tell her, and you and I will have done 
 with each another. Better so," returned the girl with 
 impatience. 
 
 " For God's sake, don't speak like that, Ventura ! I 
 shall think you don't love me. You must understand 
 that my position is awkward, strange, and terrible. To 
 be on the eve of marrying an excellent girl; then 
 without any quarrel whatever, without any warning of 
 any kind, to suddenly say to her: ' It is all over. I can- 
 not marry you because I do not love yon, and I never 
 have loved you,' is the most brutal and hateful thing 
 that has ever been known. Besides, I don't know how 
 your parents will take my behavior. It is most probable 
 that, justly indignant on her behalf, they will load me 
 with reproaches and forbid me the house." 
 
 "Very well; marry her — and go in peace!" said 
 Venturita, turning somewhat pale. 
 
 139 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " That I'll never do. I marry you, or nobody." 
 
 " Then what are we to do ? " 
 
 "I don't know," returned the youth, hanging his 
 head in distress. 
 
 Both remained silent for some seconds. Then Ven- 
 turita, placing her hand on his head, said : 
 
 " Think it over, man; think it over." 
 
 " I do, but with no result." 
 
 "You can't manage it. Come, then; go along, and 
 leave it to me. I will speak to mama; but you must 
 write a letter to Cecilia." 
 
 "Oh, my God! Ventura!" he exclaimed, full of 
 anguish. 
 
 "Then what do you want — say?" asked the girl, 
 now in a rage. " Do you think I am going to be made 
 a plaything of?" 
 
 "If we could only manage without this letter," re- 
 turned Gronzalo humbly. "You can't imagine the 
 efEort it will be for me. Would it not do if I left off 
 coming to the house for some days ? " 
 
 " Yes, yes; be off and don't come back! " she replied, 
 taking a step to the door. 
 
 But the youth caught her by the tresses of her hair. 
 
 " Come, don't be cross, beautiful one; you well know 
 that you have completely conquered and fascinated me, 
 and that I will obey your every command, even to cast- 
 ing myself into the sea. I only told you my opinion — if 
 you don't like it, I have nothing more to say. I only 
 want to avoid hurting Cecilia." 
 
 "It is like your conceit!" exclaimed the girl, with- 
 out turning round. " Do you think Cecilia is going to 
 die of grief?" 
 
 " If she is not hurt, so much the better, and f shall be 
 saved remorse." 
 
 140 
 
wo Irattors 
 
 " Cecilia is cold; she cannot love or hate much. She 
 is very good, and does not know what selfishness is; but 
 you will always find her the same, neither happy nor 
 sad. She is incapable of either giving or taking offence; 
 at least, if she does take it, nobody knows it. What are 
 you doing?" she added, turning round quickly. 
 
 "I am untying the ribbons of your tresses. I want 
 to see your hair loose again. No sight gives me more 
 pleasure." 
 
 " If that is your fancy, I will undo them. Stop," 
 said the girl, who had reason to be proud of her hair. 
 
 " Oh, how beautiful! It is a marvel of nature!" 
 exclaimed Gonzalo, putting his fingers in it. " Let me 
 bury my face in it ; let me bathe in this river of gold." 
 
 And so saying, he hid his face in the fair locks of the 
 girl. 
 
 But it happened that a few minutes earlier, as the 
 clock struck seven, the seamstresses and the embroider- 
 esses left off their work and prepared to leave. Before 
 doing so Valentina was commissioned by Dofla Paula to 
 go to Venturita's room to fetch thence some patterns on 
 the wardrobe. So she pushed open the door at the crit- 
 ical moment in which Gonzalo was bathing his face in 
 that original manner. On hearing the sound he rose 
 suddenly and stood, paler than wax. Valentina blushed 
 up to her eyes, and said stammeringly: 
 
 " Your mama wants the patterns, those of the other 
 day; they ought to be on the wardrobe." 
 
 "They are not on the wardrobe, but inside it," re- 
 turned Venturita, without any confusion whatsoever. 
 
 And turning to the wardrobe, the girl opened a 
 drawer and drew out a paper parcel, which she gave 
 
 her. 
 
 " Stop a moment, Valentina," said Venturita before 
 141 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 she left the room; " be bo kind as to tie my hair, for I 
 cannot do it with this bad finger." 
 
 Then she showed that her finger was bleeding, for 
 she had managed to scratch it when getting the patterns 
 out. Valentina, still quite taken aback, proceeded to 
 tie the ribbon. 
 
 " Yes, my hair hurt me, and on untying the ribbon I 
 scratched it with the pin which fastened the bow. Poor 
 Gonzalo could not manage to do it very well, eh? " she 
 added, with a laugh. 
 
 "Oh, no!" said the youth with a forced smile, 
 amazed at her sang-froid. The excuse, well conceived 
 as it was, did not deceive Valentina, who was quite cer- 
 tain of what she had seen. 
 
 " Do you think she was taken in by that story of the 
 scratch?" anxiously asked Gonzalo when the girl had 
 left the room. 
 
 "Perhaps not, but I don't mind her; she is the stu- 
 pidest of the lot." 
 
 Valentina took the patterns to her mistress, and then 
 started to go home until the following day. 
 
 On crossing the hall she distinctly heard the sound 
 of a kiss, and on looking in its direction, towards the 
 dark room, she caught sight of the black and white 
 checks of Nieves' dress. 
 
 " So this is the way the wind blows, is it? " she mur- 
 mured, with that particular little frown that character- 
 ized her. Then she descended the staircase and passed 
 into the street, where Cosme was waiting to escort her 
 home. 
 
 m 
 
The Meeting 
 
 V.WKV'VVM VIII 
 
 MKKTTN(» linM) MY TIIK NOTAltliES OF SARRIO IN 
 SUl'l'OR'l' OP TUB FOUKTll I5STA.TK 
 
 Til K Otli of . I lino, IHdO, ought to bo recorded in letters 
 of gold in the iinnals of the town of Snrrio, for Don 
 IvoMondo, niiji])ortod by Alviiro Pofla, and his son Pablo, 
 .•ippointod Mm aftornoon of that day to meet at the the- 
 atre for liliii diwiussion of a subjoot of vital (Don Rosendo 
 would nol, for the world have omitted the word " vital ") 
 interest to the town of Sarrio and its suburbs. Only 
 four or live of the most intimate friends of the merchant 
 were aiKiuainted with tlio noble and patriotic project 
 whiiih had prompted the invitation; so, drawn by curi- 
 osity as much as by courtesy, those who had been asked 
 arrived at three o'l'lock precisely, and many came to 
 the mooting who had not received an invitation. The 
 thoatro was packod quite full. The patrician townsfolk 
 took poBBCBsion of tho boxes and stalls, whilst the ple- 
 beian repaired to tho gallery. On the stage there was a 
 writing table, old and dirty, and round it were placed 
 half a dozen chairs, neither new or clean, for they 
 Kervod as furniture for any " poorly fui'nished rooms" 
 in a play. 'I'he stage was still empty, although the 
 thoairo was full, and tho whole house was almost in 
 darkness, for what little light there was came through 
 tho dusty panes of a window at the back of the stage. 
 In time one's eyes beoanui accustomed to the gloom, 
 and one could distinguish the people as they entered and 
 proceeded cautiously along the line of boxes, so as to 
 
 148 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 avoid knocking against anybody, touching the craniums 
 of the occupants, in their search for vacant seats. 
 
 " There is no room here, Don Kufo." 
 
 " Is there no place ? " asked the medical man with 
 the vacant smile of the blind. 
 
 "No; go up to the stage boxes." 
 
 " Oome here, Don Eufo; come here," cried some one 
 in the front. 
 
 " Is that you, Cipriano ? " 
 
 And after more pushing and struggling the comer 
 managed to get settled. One arrival, more wide-awake 
 than the other, lighted a wax taper, but instantly there 
 arose voices from the gallery : 
 
 "Eh, eh! Cat's eyes, Don Juan! When you go at 
 night to Peonza's house you don't have a taper then." 
 
 Don Juan hastened to extinguish it, to avoid the in- 
 sults and shouts of laughter levelled at him by the idle 
 crowd. 
 
 As time went on the hum of conversation grew deaf- 
 ening. The patronizers of the gallery expressed their 
 impatience by stamps, cries, and shouts, whilst exchang- 
 ing with each other, over the heads of the occupants of 
 the stalls, jokes and remarks which were coarse in the 
 extreme. It was a good thing that there were no ladies 
 present. At last four gentlemen appeared on the stage 
 — Don Eosendo Belinchon, Alvaro Pefla, Don Peliciano 
 Gomez, and Don Eudesindo Cepeda, proprietor of the 
 finest cider distillery. The four men took off their 
 hats as they assembled on the stage. Silence suddenly 
 reigned. Some of the audience — the minority — also 
 took off their hats; the majority, more veiled in dark- 
 ness, and more inclined to discourtesy, so prevalent in 
 the gallery, remained covered. Don Eosendo and his 
 friends smiled shamefacedly at the audience, and to over- 
 
 141 
 
The Meeting 
 
 come the oppressive feeling of nervousness and embar- 
 rassment, they began talking to the occupants of the 
 front row of stalls who were within sight. Alvaro Pefla, 
 more courageous by dint of his military experience, ad- 
 vanced to the front of the stage, and giving an exagger- 
 atedly familiar tone to his remarks, and aimlessly smiling 
 like a dansetise, said : 
 
 " Sefiores, my coadjutors are as anxious as myself for 
 all persons of note in the audience to come up here, so 
 that they may assist us with their support, eh ? and with 
 their knowledge, eh ? — in short, that they may second 
 us in the enterprise about to be inaugurated." The 
 harbor-master pronounced his r's very much like j's. 
 
 The modesty conveyed by this suggestion was received 
 with a murmur of applause from the assembly. 
 
 "Is not Don. Pedro Miranda here?" asked Pefia, 
 now at his ease, and resuming the despotic military air 
 peculiar to him. 
 
 " Here he is — here! " cried several voices. 
 
 Don Pedro, however, remonstrated with those who 
 pushed him towards the stage. 
 
 "But, sefiores, why? What is the object? There 
 are other people." 
 
 But there was no help for it. He was gradually pushed 
 to the stage, and as there were no steps by which to 
 climb, Pefla and Don Peliciano Gomez pulled him up by 
 the hands on to the boards. 
 
 "Now, Don Kufo, come up." 
 
 Don Eufo, the chief doctor of the town, after pro- 
 testing a little, was also pulled up in the same way. 
 And by the same simple means five or six more gentle- 
 men arrived upon the stage. Each ascent was greeted 
 with loud applause and a murmur of delight from the 
 friendly gathering. The officer then seeing Gabino 
 10 145 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Maza seated in &fauteuil by the wall, cried out cheer- 
 fully: 
 
 "Gabino, I did not see you! Come, man; come 
 along." 
 
 "I am very well here," cried the huffy ex-oflScer of 
 the navy, drily. 
 
 " Shall I come down for you ? " 
 
 Maza returned in a loud voice : 
 
 " There is no need." 
 
 " Come, Don Gabino, go up. Don't be idle. Men 
 like you ought to be here. There is only you now to go 
 up!" 
 
 And at the same time they tried to push him on. But 
 all entreaties were in vain. Maza was as determined to 
 remain in the box as the others were that he should 
 leave it. Then Alvaro Pefia came down after him, but 
 after a long altercation he was obliged to retire defeated. 
 
 The stage was now almost full. More chairs were 
 brought from the actors' dressing-rooms, the most aris- 
 tocratic residents of Sarrio took their seats, and then 
 ensued a consultation to decide who was to be the chair- 
 man of the meeting. In this there seemed to be some 
 difficulty in coming to an agreement, and the public 
 gave signs of impatience. The majority was of opinion 
 that the honor of sitting behind the pinewood table was 
 due to Don Eosendo, but he declined it with a modesty 
 much redounding to his credit. At last, however, he 
 took the chair, as he saw the public was getting tired, 
 and the applause was tremendous. Fresh and weari- 
 some discussion ensued as to who was to open the meet- 
 ing. Alvaro Pefla, a man of impulse and action, finally 
 took a few steps towards the curtain, and said in a loud 
 voice : 
 
 "Gentlemen." 
 
 146 
 
The Meeting 
 
 "Sh! Sh! Silence!" cried several voices, and 
 silence reigned. 
 
 " Gentlemen, the object of this meeting is no other, 
 eh? than for us to unite in the support of the material 
 and moral interests of Sarrio. Some days ago our most 
 worthy president informed me that they were deteriora- 
 ting, eh ? and that it was necessary to support them at 
 all costs. Gentlemen, there are many questions at issue 
 in Sarrio at this critical time — the question of the cov- 
 ered market, the question of the cemetery, the ques- 
 tion of the road to Kodillero, the question of the slaugh- 
 ter-house, and many others; and I said to my worthy 
 friend, the only means of solving these problems is to 
 call a meeting at which all the Sarrienses can freely give 
 their opinions." 
 
 " What ? " cried a sharp voice from the gallery. 
 
 Pefia darted an angry look in the direction of the 
 sound, and as he was known to be a violent man, and 
 had great, fierce mustachios, the fellow trembled in his 
 skin, and did not venture to make a second ejaculation. 
 
 " My good friend, whose large heart and love of prog- 
 ress is known to all, said to me some time ago that he 
 was of the same opinion, and that, moreover, he had a 
 plan that he was anxious to lay before this illustrious 
 assembly. Therefore we have called our friends of 
 Sarrio to a public meeting, and here we are — because 
 we have come." 
 
 This collapse produced an excellent efEect on the au- 
 dience, who laughed good-naturedly. 
 
 "Seflores," continued the captain, encouraged by 
 the sound of merriment, " I believe that what this place 
 requires is to be roused from its state of lethargy to the 
 life of reason and progress, eh? — to rise to the height of 
 the progress of the century, to take stock of itself and 
 
 147 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 its powers. Hitherto Sarrio has been a town under the 
 sway of theocracy; plenty of nones, sermons, and rosa- 
 ries, and no thought of the advance of its interests and 
 the knowledge of anything useful. We must get out of 
 this state, eh ? — we must shake off the theocratic yoke. 
 A place governed by priests is always a backward and a 
 squalid place." (Laughter and applause, mingled with 
 hisses.) 
 
 The officer spoke better at the conclusion of his speech, 
 and even acquired a certain aplomb during his denunci- 
 ation of priestcraft. 
 
 "May I be allowed to say a word?" cried a clear 
 voice from a box. 
 
 "Who is it? Who is it?" asked the audience and 
 the dignitaries of the stage of one another. 
 
 " It is Perinolo's son." 
 
 "Who?" 
 
 " Perinolo's son. Perinolo's son." 
 
 These words were repeated in a low tone all over the 
 theatre. 
 
 Perinolo's son was a pale youth with large, promi- 
 nent eyes. Nothing else was visible in the semi-dark- 
 ness of the place, which was fortunate for him, for a 
 good light would have revealed the crumpled front of 
 his shirt and the dishevelled locks of his hair, and the 
 holes in his boots and his threadbare trousers would have 
 been seen through the balustrade of the box. But all 
 the people of Sarrio knew him from meeting him con- 
 stantly in the street or at the cafes. I must say that, in 
 spite of his appearance, he was a lad of gentle mien and 
 disposition. 
 
 His father, Seflor Maria el Perinolo, the bootmaker 
 in the town, was quite an institution. He was one of 
 the few old artisans who in the middle of the century 
 
 148 
 
The Meeti 
 
 n 
 
 g 
 
 still retained the jacket and large hat of former times. 
 He was a Carlist fanatic, a member of all the religious 
 confraternities; he told his beads in the afternoon as 
 the bell from the Church of Saint Andrew rang for 
 prayer; accompanied by several womenfolk, he joined 
 in the processions of Holy Week with its disciplinary 
 garb and a crown of thorns, and he had under his care 
 the Chapel of the Nazarene, in the Calle de Atras. This 
 poor saint, who had never given anybody cause to speak 
 against him (supreme testimony of honesty among the 
 lower classes), brought up his own son, Sinforoso, and 
 two others in the holy fear of God, and the strap, 
 scourgings, penances on his knees, days on bread and 
 water, ear-puUings and blows, constituted the tender 
 memories of Sinforoso's childhood. As he grew from 
 boyhood and youth he showed signs of having profited 
 by his father's teaching. Perinolo made up his mind 
 that the lad's vocation was not in the direction of boot- 
 making, but of becoming a pillar of the Romish Church. 
 Means were, however, wanting to send him to the sem- 
 inary at Lancia, so Don Melchor de las Cuevas, Don 
 Rudesendo, and the parish priest spontaneously came to 
 his assistance, and allowed the lad three pesetas a day 
 until he could intone the mass. But at the end of the 
 second year of theology these gentlemen received from 
 the seminarist an elegantly expressed letter in which he 
 stated that he did not feel called by God to an ecclesias- 
 tical career, and that rather than be a bad priest he 
 would learn his father's business, or go to America; and 
 it ended by entreating in fervent terms that he might 
 be allowed to exchange theology for the law, for which 
 he had a predilection, so as to modify the disappoint- 
 ment of his father. His benefactors acceded to the 
 request, and Sinforoso finally became a pillar of the 
 
 149 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 state instead of the church, as Perinolo had wished. 
 Whilst pursuing his studies with marks of commendation 
 from the commencement to the close, he contributed 
 several articles to the daily papers, by which achieve- 
 ment he considered himself entitled to let his hair grow 
 and -wear pince-nez. So that the licentiate returned to 
 Sarrio with an aureole of glory befitting one who had 
 won his spurs and still wages war in the press of the 
 day. He attached himself to the most advanced Liberal 
 party, which alienated him from his people. His father 
 was greatly enraged with him, and it was only through 
 his mother's intercession that he let him remain in the 
 house. He never spoke to him or gave him a centime 
 for his expenses, but merely let him sleep under his roof 
 and partake of their scanty fare. At the end of a few 
 months the youth's boots became shabby, and his clothes 
 looked wretched; but the man of letters carried it off by 
 the reserve and gravity of his physiognomy and the 
 self-importance of his deportment. He spent the morn- 
 ing reading in bed, and the afternoon and evening in 
 loud discussions at the cafe of what he read in the 
 morning. The townfolk did not like him, but they re- 
 spected his talents and dignity. 
 
 " Who asked permission to speak ? " queried Don 
 Eosendo. 
 
 " Suarez — Sinforoso Suarez," said the youth, bending 
 over the rail. 
 
 " Then you have it, Seflor Suarez." 
 
 The young man coughed, ran the fingers of both 
 hands through his hair, leaving it rougher and more 
 tumbled than ever, put on his glasses that he wore 
 hanging by a string, and said : 
 
 " Gentlemen." 
 
 The quiet, impressive tone with which he said this 
 150 
 
The Meeting 
 
 word, the long pause that followed it, during which he 
 fixed his glasses on his nose and looked at the audience 
 in a superior way, inspired silence and attention. 
 
 " After the brilliant speech which has just been given 
 us by Seflor Pefla, my respected friend, the illustrious 
 harbor-master of this port — [the captain, who had 
 never spoken to Suarez more than three times in his life, 
 bowed graciously] — the assembly is quite convinced of 
 the generous and patriotic feelings which prompted the 
 promoters of this meeting. There is nothing so beauti- 
 ful, nothing so grand, nothing so sublime as to see a 
 town met together to discuss the dearest, highest inter- 
 ests of life. Ah, gentlemen, when listening just now 
 to Seflor Pefla I imagined myself in the Agora of 
 Athens, a free citizen, with other citizens, free as my- 
 self, discussing the destiny of my country; I imagined 
 I heard the ardent, eloquent words of one of those great 
 orators who adorned the Hellenic State. Why, the elo- 
 quence of my dear friend, Seflor Pefla, was like the 
 overwhelming passion that characterized Demosthenes, 
 the prince of orators, and like the fluency and elegance 
 that distinguished the discourses of Pericles. [Pause, 
 with his hand to his glasses.] He was bright and ani- 
 mated, like Cleon; deliberate and temperate, like Aris- 
 tides ; his intonation was quiet and precise, like that of 
 Esquines, and his voice was pleasant to the ear, like 
 that of Isocrates. Ah, gentlemen, I, like the eloquent 
 orator who has preceded me on the subject, desire that 
 the place which gave me birth may awake to the life of 
 progress, to the life of liberty and justice. Sarrio! 
 What sweet recollections, what ineffable happiness does 
 this single word awaken in my soul ! Here were passed 
 the days of my childhood. Here my mind began to 
 form. Here love made my heart palpitate for the first 
 
 151 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 time. Elsewhere my mind has been enriched by the 
 knowledge of science, and the grand ideas engendered 
 by the study of law; here my soul has been nourished 
 by the sweet and holy feelings of the hearth. Else- 
 where my intelligence has been sharpened by polemics 
 and the light of ideas; here my afEections have been 
 fostered by tender family love. Gentlemen, I will say 
 it again, come what may, Sarrio is called to a great 
 destiny. It has a right to be one of the first towns on 
 the Biscayan coast, an emporium of activity and riches, 
 by reason of the excellent position which nature has 
 given it, as well as the integrity, industry, and the great 
 gift of intelligence of its inhabitants." 
 
 {Bravo! Bravo! Unanimous and loud applause.) 
 
 The silence, caused more by surprise than any bad 
 feeling, was now broken, and the " bravos " and ap- 
 plause continued without intermission. Never had the 
 industrious, honest, intelligent people of Sarrio heard 
 any one speak so fluently and eloquently before. 
 
 " That discourse was a revelation of the modern par- 
 liamentary style!" So Alvaro Pefla said when the 
 meeting was over. 
 
 The speech continued half an hour longer, amid the 
 increasing enthusiasm of the audience, when one of the 
 notabilities on the platform thought that his throat 
 must be dry, and that it was time to give him a glass of 
 eau Sucre. The idea was communicated in an under- 
 tone to the president, who interrupted the orator with 
 the remark : 
 
 " If Seflor Suarez is fatigued, he can rest. I am going 
 to have a glass of water sent him." 
 
 These words were received with a murmur of approval. 
 
 " I am not tired, SeQor President," the orator replied 
 gently. 
 
 152 
 
The Meeting 
 
 ( Yes, yes ; rest. Make him rest. Let Mm have a 
 glass of water. He will hurt himself. Let him, have a 
 few drops of anise.) 
 
 The audience, suddenly inspired with tender sym- 
 pathy, manifested quite a maternal solicitude for Peri- 
 nolo's son, who, inflated with delight, smiled on the 
 audience and continued: 
 
 " Fatigue is fitting for valiant soldiers. Those who, 
 like myself, are accustomed to the tribune [he had spoken 
 a few times in the Academy of Jurisprudence in Lancia], 
 do not easily become fatigued." 
 
 We must now say that Mechacar, a shoemaker, a 
 neighbor, and a rival of many years' standing of Sefior 
 Jose Maria Perinolo, who had known Sinforoso from his 
 birth, and had often given him two or three beatings 
 with the strap, when on his return from school he an- 
 noyed him by calling him by some contemptuous nick- 
 name, was in the gallery with his hands resting on the 
 rail, and his face, alert and attentive, on his hands. No 
 enthusiasm shone in those eyes under the lowering 
 brows, as in those of the others; but envy, hatred, and 
 malice were visible on the countenance. When the 
 honeyed words of his rival fell upon his ears he felt 
 powerless to stand the farce, and he called out in a rage: 
 
 " Stop that rubbish, you fool! " 
 
 {Indescribable indignation of the audience. All eyes 
 taere turned to the gallery. Voices were heard saying :) 
 
 "Who is this brawler? To the prison with him! 
 Out with the fool!" 
 
 The president asked with terrible severity : 
 
 "Are we in » civilized town, or among Hottentots?" 
 
 The question thus formulated produced a profound 
 impression upon the audience. Suarez, slightly pale, 
 and in an agitated voice, finally said : 
 
 163 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " If the meeting desire it, I am ready to sit down." 
 
 {No, no. Ooon! Loud and prolonged applause for 
 the orator.) 
 
 The indignation against the rude disturber increased 
 to such a degree that sounds of threats were audible, and 
 several shook their fists in the direction whence the voice 
 had proceeded. Alvaro Pefla, the Greek orator, more 
 indignant than anybody, finally went up to the gallery 
 and put Mechacar out of the theatre by force, amid the 
 applause of the public. 
 
 The storm abated, the orator continued. He made a 
 wide digression through the fields of history to prove 
 that from the Eoman conquest, when Spain was divided 
 into citerior and ulterior Hispania, and afterwards into 
 Tarraco, Betica and Lusitania, and so on down to the 
 present day, the Sarrienses had on all occasions given 
 proof of a powerful intellect, very superior to that of 
 the people of Nieva. 
 
 Such assertions were received with great signs of ap- 
 proval. Then suddenly passing into the region of law, 
 he gently touched upon branches of knowledge that are 
 not common, particularly in Sarrio — the science of 
 Tribonianus and Papinianus. 
 
 On arriving at a certain point he said, with a modesty 
 that did him credit : 
 
 "What I have just observed, seflor, has no scientific 
 value whatsoever. Every boy knows it who has made 
 the acquaintance of the pandectas." 
 
 Don Jeronimo de la Puente, a schoolmaster of the 
 town who had studied the modern methods of peda- 
 gogics, and knew something of Proebel and Pestalozzi, 
 a celebrated man who had written a primer on irregular 
 verbs and kept a telescope at his window always turned 
 towards the heavens, now rose from his seat and said: 
 
 154 
 
The M e e t i n 
 
 g 
 
 " Corporal punishment has been stopped in the schools 
 for some years." 
 
 "I did not say 'palmetas' (blows); I said pan-dec- 
 tas," returned Suarez, smiling with some vexation. 
 
 Don Jeronimo was angry at having made such a 
 mistake. 
 
 The orator continued, and finally resumed his seat, 
 saying, like the eloquent ofl&cer who had preceded him, 
 that Sarrio must awake to the life of progress; that it 
 must arise from the lethargy in which it lay, and that 
 she must take part in the struggle of ideas, which are 
 always fruitful; and that she must let the radiant sun 
 of civilization rise on her horizon. 
 
 "If it be true, as I have heard, that, thanks to the 
 patriotic and generous initiative of a most worthy citizen 
 of this town, that the Fourth Estate of modern powers 
 is about to celebrate its advent here; if, in fact, Sarrio 
 will be presented with a periodical which will reflect 
 her legitimate aspirations, let it be the palladium • for 
 the exercise of her intelligence, the promoter of her 
 dearest interests, the advanced protector of her tran- 
 quillity and peace, the organ, in short, by which it may 
 have communion with the spiritual world. Let us con- 
 gratulate ourselves with all our hearts, and let us also 
 congratulate the illustrious patrician whose efforts will 
 bring to us a ray of this luminous star of the nineteenth 
 century which is called the press." 
 
 (Bravo, bravo! All eyes are turned to the chairman. 
 The face of Don Rosendo beams with dignity and 
 delight.) 
 
 After the son of Perinolo came Don Jeronimo de la 
 Fuente. The illustrious professor of the instruction of 
 youth was very anxious to rise in the eyes of the public 
 after his slip about the pandectas. He commenced by 
 
 155 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 saying that he shared the opinions of the worthy orator 
 [notice that he did not say eloquent, or illustrious, but 
 worthy, nothing more] who had preceded him on the 
 subject; that he, destined by his profession to light the 
 torch of science in infantile brains, could not do less 
 than be a devoted partisan of all modern enlightenment, 
 more especially of that of the press. In corroboration 
 of this statement he begged to say that as soon as a peri- 
 odical in Sarrio was an established fact he would have 
 the pleasure of laying before his fellow-citizens the solu- 
 tion of a problem which until now was considered insol- 
 uble, that of the trisection of the angle, to which he 
 had devoted much time and trouble, and which, fortu- 
 nately, now was crowned with success. He spoke, more- 
 over, with great emphasis on other matters — of physical 
 geography and astronomy, clearly and briefly explaining 
 the earth's rotation and progression, the composition of 
 air, the formation of the clouds and dew, the origin of 
 the salt of the sea, of springs and rivers, the scientific 
 cause of tides, and also something about the cause of 
 volcanoes. Afterwards, just by the way, he passed on to 
 an explanation of the celestial mechanism, and particu- 
 larly the law of universal attraction, discovered by New- 
 ton, by which planets move round the sun in elliptic 
 orbits. Then he explained with great brilliancy the 
 nature of an ellipsis. Finally, speaking of our satellite, 
 the moon, he remarked that the time of its revolution 
 round the earth was sensibly diminishing, which indi- 
 cated the decrease of its orbit. This, according to the 
 orator, would sooner or later result in the moon falling 
 into the earth, when both would be shattered. Don 
 Jeronimo then resumed his seat, leaving the audience 
 quite crushed under the weight of this alarming 
 prophecy. 
 
 156 
 
The Meeting 
 
 The proceedings went on until lamps were lighted. 
 Don Rufo, the town doctor, a tall, lean man, with a 
 pointed beard and gold eye-glasses, then got up and de- 
 clared explicitly in a few words that thought was only a 
 physiological function of the brain, and the soul an attri- 
 bute of matter, and that the greater or less degree of 
 intelligence in animals depends on the cerebral lobules 
 and the weight of the brain. The orator computed that 
 its weight in a man was three pounds and a half. Then 
 he gave the calculation of the phosphoric matter that it 
 contains. Man's brain contains more phosphorus than 
 animals', whilst theirs have more than birds'. In chil- 
 dren the quantity of phosphorus increases considerably 
 at the natal hour, and it continues to increase rapidly 
 with the course of time. But in what part of the brain 
 is the spark of intellectual activity situated ? asked the 
 orator. In his opinion this activity has its mainspring 
 in the grayish or bluish substance, and in some way in 
 the whitish substance, which is the conductor of such 
 activity. He then spoke of the dura-mater, the hemi- 
 spheres of the brain, the frontal, parietal, and occipital 
 parts of the skull, the function of the cerebrum, the 
 seat of the cerebellum. Here the speaker conceived the 
 happy idea of making a beautiful comparison between 
 the circumlocutions of this gray substance and a heap of 
 intestines thrown promiscuously together. All the 
 faculties which we call the soul are nothing but func- 
 tions of this gray substance, of this mass of intestines. 
 The brain secretes thoughts, as the liver does bile. The 
 orator concluded by saying that whilst humanity is igno- 
 rant of these truths it cannot rise from its present state 
 of barbarism. 
 
 Navarro, the veterinary professor, who never wished 
 to be behind the doctor, then asked leave to speak, 
 
 157 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 and after a few words of congratulatioii on the inau- 
 guration of the "meeting" (all the speakers used 
 the English term), he gave expression to a few very 
 rational ideas on the gangrenous quinsy of the pig, and 
 the treatment for its prevention. The orator hesitated, 
 stuttered, and grew hot in the expression of his ideas, 
 but this deficiency of language was compensated for by 
 the novelty and interest of the subject, for numbers of 
 these nice animals fell victims to quinsy at certain sea- 
 sons in Sarrio. 
 
 In spite of the interest and respect with which the 
 public listened to the discourse on the danger which 
 threatened pig-farming, there were certainly signs of 
 impatience to hear the president's speech. After the 
 allusion of Perinolo's son to the fact of a journal, every 
 one was anxious to have the news confirmed. Whilst 
 Navarro was talking a voice from the gallery cried : 
 
 " Let Don Kosendo speak! " 
 
 And although this rude interruption was rebuked 
 with a prompt " Sh! " it was evident that they had had 
 enough of Navarro. 
 
 At last the celebrated man of Sarrio, the standard- 
 bearer of all progress, the illustrious patrician, Don Eo- 
 sendo Belinchon's majestic figure rose behind the table. 
 
 {Silence! Sh! Sli! Silence, gentlemen! Atten- 
 tion! A little attention, please.) 
 
 These were the cries that proceeded from the crowd, 
 although nobody dared move a finger, such was the anxi- 
 ety to hear the president's remarks. 
 
 Like all men of a really superior mind and clear in- 
 telligence, Don Eosendo wrote better than he spoke. 
 Nevertheless, his quiet mode of speech gave an impres- 
 sion of dignity that was wanting in the orators who had 
 preceded him. 
 
 158 
 
The Meeting 
 
 " Gentlemen (pause), I thank (pause) all the people 
 (pause) who have assisted (pause) this afternoon (pause) 
 at the meeting which I have had the honor to convene. 
 (Much longer pause, rife with expectation.) I have a 
 real pleasure (pause) in seeing gathered together in this 
 place (pause) the most illustrious persons of the town 
 (pause), and all those who, for one reason or another, 
 are of consequence and importance." 
 
 {Bravo! Very good. Very good.) 
 
 After this exordium, received in such a flattering 
 style, the orator maintained that he was moved by the 
 desire to raise the intellectual tone of Sarrio. Then he 
 added that the object of this meeting had only been 
 that of raising this tone. {Long applause.) He con- 
 sidered himself too weak and incompetent to accomplish 
 the task. {Yes, yes. Applause.) But he counted 
 on — at least he thought he could count on — the sup- 
 port of the many men of feeling, patriotism, intelli- 
 gence, and progress dwelling in Sarrio. {Thunders of 
 applause.) The means that he considered most effica- 
 cious to raise Sarrio to its rightful height, and to make 
 it compete worthily with other towns, and even maritime 
 towns of more importance, was the creation of an organ 
 that would support its political, moral, and material 
 interests. "And, gentlemen (pause), although all the 
 difficulties are not yet overcome (pause), I have the 
 pleasure of informing this illustrious assembly {Atten- 
 tion ! Sh ! Sh ! Silence !) that perhaps in the ensu- 
 ing month of August {Bravo! Bravo! Loud and 
 frantic applause that interrupted the orator for some 
 minutes) — that perhaps in the ensuing month of August 
 {Bravo ! Bravo ! Silence !) the town of Sarrio will 
 have a bi-weekly paper." 
 
 {Loud applause. Navarro threw his hat upon the 
 159 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 stage. Several other spectators followed his example.) 
 Alvaro Pefia and Don Feliciana Gomez employed them- 
 selves in picking them up and returning them to their 
 owners. Don Eosendo's face shone with an august ex- 
 pression, and his lips, wreathed with a happy smile, 
 revealed the two symmetrical rows of teeth, eloquent 
 proof of dental skill. 
 
 "In spite of these expressions of regard (pause), for 
 which I thank you from the bottom of my soul (pause), 
 pride does not blind me. My want of power {No, 
 no. Applause.) makes me fear that the organ about to 
 be started may not come up to the expectations of the 
 public. {Voices from various sides: "Yes, it will. 
 We are sure it will." Applause.) But if, perhaps 
 (pause), the lack of cleverness can be atoned for by faith 
 and enthusiasm, it will certainly be so. My humble pen 
 and my modest fortune are at the disposal of the town 
 of Sarrio. {Vehement signs of approbation.) 
 
 "The new paper," continued the orator, "has a 
 great mission to fulfil. This mission consists in start- 
 ing the reforms and the advancement which the town 
 requires." The necessity of these reforms and advance- 
 ments is known to all the world. The covered market 
 is absolutely indispensable; the road to Eodillero was 
 the constant desire of both places; and as to the slaugh- 
 ter-house, Don Eosendo asked with surprise how the town 
 could consent to the existence of a focus of filth like the 
 present one, which was a perfect disgrace to the place. 
 
 Gabino from his seat had listened to the speakers with 
 marked disdain and disgust. He turned about in his 
 chair as if it were hurting him, and he was filled with an 
 overwhelming desire to cry out to the orators: "Asses! 
 Fools! " as he was accustomed to in the Club, or to slash 
 out at them with one of his fiercest sarcasms. These 
 
 160 
 
The Meeting 
 
 fooleries thoroughly upset him. It was not surprising, 
 when we recollect the state of the ex-sailor^s liver. He 
 breathed with diflBculty, he ground his teeth, he smiled 
 sarcastically, and was paralyzed with rage, thus showing 
 his disapprobation of all that had been said, all that was 
 being said, and all that would be said. Occasionally he 
 gave vent to a " Bah! " or a " Pooh! " or a " Pshaw! " 
 and other peculiar sounds not less significant. Finally, 
 in the middle of Don Kosendo's discourse, either be- 
 cause his grave eloquence was incontrovertible, or because 
 the applause exasperated him to an intolerable degree, 
 Gabino left the place and walked up and down in front 
 of the door of the theatre in a pitiable state of agitation. 
 In a few minutes he returned, and then went up into 
 the gallery. Then, hearing Don Kosendo touch upon 
 the matter of the slaughter-house, he asked a pleb to let 
 him pass, and arrived in the first row, he cried out ex- 
 citedly, " This is not fair play." 
 
 On hearing the remark Don Eosendo stopped sud- 
 denly, dumb and pale. A loud murmur of surprise ran 
 through the whole theatre. Some cried, "Out with 
 him! " Others said, " Sh! Sh! " and the eyes of all, 
 after being directed to the gallery, were turned to the 
 chairman. Don Eosendo, quite agitated, said with a 
 hoarse -"oifie: 
 
 " Gentlemen, if these remarks have shown that I have 
 had any unworthy thoughts in the convocation of this 
 meeting,' my delicacy forbids me to remain in the chair, 
 and. I retire." 
 
 ("No, no ! Go on ! Long live the president ! ") 
 
 "I am sure, gentlemen," said the orator, visibly 
 moved, " that the individual who has just called out is 
 not a resident of Sarrio; he has not been born in Sarrio! 
 He can't be of Sarrio! " 
 
 11 161 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Somebody having murmured that the interlocutor 
 was of Nieva, great indignation and confusion reigned 
 in the theatre. A formidable cry of " Down with the 
 bullfinches ! Viva Sarrio ! " It must be mentioned that 
 the people of Nieva were called bullfinches on account of 
 the great number of these birds there, whilst the people 
 of Sarrio are called in Nieva chaffinches for a similar 
 reason. 
 
 The excitement having at last abated, Don Kosendo 
 acknowledged the applause with thanks and acceded to 
 the persuasions of the audience, and returned to his 
 place. 
 
 " Before again occupying this seat [the president had 
 retired to the back of the stage], I must say that if this 
 popinjay or bullfinch {laughter) wants to force from 
 me an opinion on the subject of the slaughter-house, I 
 have no objection to giving it, because I am always 
 straightforward. (Great interest. You could have 
 heard a pin drop.) I solemnly declare, gentlemen, that 
 in my opinion the new slaughter-house ought not to be 
 put anywhere but on the rubbish chute." 
 
 The orator terminated his eloquent speech with a few 
 more words, and the meeting broke up. 
 
 The audience left the theatre, half asphyxiated, as 
 much by the many emotions experienced in a short time 
 as by the hundred and four degrees of heat in the place. 
 
 162 
 
The Story of a Tear 
 
 CHAPTEE IX 
 
 THE STORY OF A TEAE 
 
 All this happened in exalted spheres, whilst in the 
 obscure regions of private life events were transpiring 
 which, albeit not so memorable, were of some import- 
 ance to those concerned. 
 
 On the day following the interview already narrated 
 between Venturita and Gonzalo, the young man did 
 not appear at his fiancee's ; he remained at home, feign- 
 ing a seize of violent toothache. Such at least was the 
 news that reached Cecilia through Elvira, the maid, 
 who met Don Melchor's servant on the market-place. 
 As the young man did not appear the next day either, 
 the family thought he was still sufEering, but Venturita 
 and Valentina were not deceived. The embroideress 
 avoided meeting the girl's eyes, perhaps from fear of 
 embarrassing her, or because she herself felt embarrassed 
 without knowing why. Venturita was as merry as ever; 
 and Cecilia, the only one anxious enough to be silent, took 
 a toothache mixture from her wardrobe, copied out a 
 prayer to Saint Polonia which had been given her, and 
 calling Elvira mysteriously aside, she said with a deep 
 blush : 
 
 " Elvira, will you be so kind as to take this bottle and 
 paper to Seflorita Gonzalo ? " 
 
 "Now, at once?" 
 
 "As soon as you can. . . . If you have nothing 
 to do just now — But I don't want it to be talked 
 about." 
 
 163 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 "All right, seflorita," returned the pale little bru- 
 nette, smiling kindly, " nobody shall know a word 
 about it. Your mamma was just asking for some 
 starch, so I will go and get some." 
 
 When Gonzalo received the little packet, he was over- 
 whelmed with remorse, and paced up and down the 
 room in agitation. Three or four times he was on the 
 point of taking his hat, going to the Belinchons' house, 
 and letting things go on as before. All the feelings 
 of honor, kindness, and goodness inherent in him, the 
 voice of reason which spoke for Cecilia — in one word, 
 the good angel which every man has within him, im- 
 pelled him to this course. But he could not drive the 
 pretty, graceful image of Venturita from his mind : 
 the fire of her eyes seemed still to pierce his soul, the 
 sweet, voluptuous touch of her golden hair — in fact, his 
 bad angel held him back. Gonzalo was a man of phys- 
 ical health, powerful muscles, rich blood, but with a 
 weak will. Evil spirits fear delicate constitutions more 
 than a fine one like his. The battle fought by his 
 good and bad angels did not last long ; it was soon de- 
 cided in favor of the latter by means of a note from 
 Venturita brought by the other maid of the house. It 
 ran thus : 
 
 " Don't be impatient. To-day I will speak to mam- 
 ma. Trust in me. Vbktueita." 
 
 The look of the maid as she gave this note seemed, 
 in spite of her smile, to convey a tacit reproach, which 
 somewhat upset him. He dismissed her with a hand- 
 some tip; and on opening the letter with a trembling 
 hand, he noticed the sandal perfume, always used by 
 Venturita, and as it recalled to his mind the bewitch- 
 ing, beautiful girl, it set chords vibrating in his being 
 which had hitherto remained untouched. He put the 
 
 164 
 
The S 1 ry of a Tear 
 
 letter to his lips, and intoxicated with passion, he kissed 
 it effusively many times. 
 
 Poor Cecilia ! She had taken the first piece of paper 
 that came to hand, and without waiting for perfumes, 
 she generally wrote to her fiance in pencil. 
 
 If women only knew the importance of these wretched 
 details! 
 
 Venturita had been hovering about her mother all 
 day, waiting for an opportunity of speaking privately to 
 her. In the evening, when the needlewomen had gone, 
 the mother and daughter were at last alone. Cecilia 
 had retired to her room, a prey to a depression that 
 she had tried to combat by work during the day. Dofla 
 Paula was seated in an armchair with her eyes fixed on 
 the window, looking at the last rays of the setting sun, 
 in a melancholy, pensive attitude unusual in her. She 
 seemed to forebode the trouble that was coming. Ven- 
 turita put the embroidery frames away in a corner, 
 covered them over with a cloth, arranged the chairs in 
 order and dragged the work-basket to one side so that 
 it should not be in the way. 
 
 " Have the lights brought," said Dofia Paula. 
 
 *' Why," returned the girl, taking a low chair by her 
 side. " It is all tidy now." 
 
 Her mother turned her eyes again to the window, 
 and resumed her melancholy attitude. At the end of 
 some minutes' silence Venturita took her parent's 
 hand and raised it affectionately to her lips. Dofia 
 Paula turned her head with surprise. Seldom, nay 
 never, had her youngest daughter given this respectful 
 kiss. She smiled sweetly, and taking her by the chin, 
 she said : 
 
 " Are you pleased with the dress ? " 
 
 "Yes, mamma." 
 
 165 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " It makes you a very pretty figure. If it is taken in 
 a little at the waist it will be charming." 
 
 The girl was silent, and after a minute she raised 
 her eyes, and controlling her yoice, said in a calm 
 tone : 
 
 "I say, mamma, what do you think of Gonzalo's 
 retreat?" 
 
 " Gronzalo's retreat ! " exclaimed the seflora, turning 
 her head anxiously. " What do you mean, child ? " 
 
 " Yes, his retreat, because I don't believe that he is 
 ill ; yesterday he was playing billiards at the Marina 
 Caf6 all the evening." 
 
 "Bah! bah ! you are joking." 
 
 "I am not joking ; I am serious." 
 
 " And who told you that ? " 
 
 " I know it from Nieves, who was told by her brother." 
 
 " The pain probably left him in the evening, and he 
 went out for a little change." 
 
 " Well then, why did he not come to-day ? " 
 
 "Because the pain no doubt returned." 
 
 "Don't you believe it, mamma. You can be quite 
 certain Gonzalo does not love Cecilia." 
 
 " Do you know what you are saying, child ? Be so 
 good as to hold your tongue, before you make me 
 angry." 
 
 " I will be silent, but the proofs that he is giving of 
 his affection are not very great." 
 
 " That I should have to hear this ! " said the seflora, 
 turning round proudly. "If Gonzalo is somebody, 
 Cecilia is as good. My daughter is not to be treated 
 with disrespect by Gonzalo, or the Prince of Asturias, 
 do you hear ? I will inquire into the truth of what 
 you have said, and if it be true, I will take measures." 
 
 DoQa Paula was naturally kind and gentle, a friend 
 166 
 
The S t r y of a Tear 
 
 of the poor, and generous ; but she had the unreflective 
 pride and the extreme touchiness of the working class 
 of Sarrio. 
 
 "No, mamma, I don't mean that. Who said that 
 Gonzalo treats Cecilia with disrespect? " 
 
 " You, yourself. Why does he not love her then ? " 
 
 Venturita hesitated a moment, and then replied with 
 firmness : 
 
 " Because he loves me." 
 
 " Come," said the seflora laughing, " I ought to have 
 seen from the first that it was all a joke." 
 
 "It is not a joke, it is pure truth, and if you want 
 convincing you can see for yourself." 
 
 Then she drew from her bosom a letter which she 
 had ready, and handed it to her mother; whereupon 
 Dofia Paula sprang to her feet and cried : 
 
 " Quick ! a light, quick ! " 
 
 Venturita took a box of tapers that was on the table, 
 and lighted one. 
 
 Mother and daughter were pale. The mother held 
 the letter to the light, and after reading a few lines she 
 dropped into an armchair, and fixing her eyes on her 
 daughter with a sad expression, she said : 
 
 " Ventura, what have you done ? " 
 
 "I? nothing," returned the girl, letting the taper, 
 which was nearly burnt out, fall to the ground. 
 
 "Is it then nothing to you, you heartless, mad 
 creature, to prevent the marriage of your sister, to 
 deceive her so abominably and to give rise to such a 
 scandal in the town as never was seen ? " 
 
 " I have not done all this. He was the one to declare 
 himself to me. Is it then a sin to be loved ? " 
 
 " On this occasion, yes," replied the seQora severely; 
 " at the first sign you ought to have told me. To allow 
 
 167 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 him to speak to you in any other way than as to a siBter 
 was treachery to your sister, and does little credit to 
 yourself." 
 
 " Well, there it is," returned the girl in a scornful 
 tone. 
 
 " Then it shall not be," said Dofia Paula angrily, as 
 she rose from her seat. " What do you suggest ? Come, 
 say; or rather, what have you suggested ? " 
 
 " You can imagine." 
 
 " To marry each other, eh ? " she asked in a sarcastic 
 tone. " Then you are greatly mistaken ! The mar- 
 riage of your sister is broken off — Well, it is as good 
 as broken off — Of course, you are free to marry Gon- 
 zalo, but don't you think you will set foot in this house. 
 In the first place, you are a bad girl who ought to pay 
 for your grimacings; and in any case your father and I 
 will not consent to your marrying a man who has treated 
 your sister so disgracefully and deceived us all round. 
 People would indeed say that we were dying to have 
 him for a son-in-law, so give up the idea, child." 
 
 " Well, if you like it or not," said Venturita, flounc- 
 ing to the door, " I shall marry him." 
 
 Dofia Paula felt inclined to punish this insolence with 
 corporal punishment, but the girl quickly left the room 
 and shut the door ; then half reopening it, she said 
 in furious tone : 
 
 "I will marry him; I will marry him; I will marry 
 him." 
 
 The following day Gonzalo received a letter from 
 Ventura in which she said : 
 
 " Yesterday I spoke to mamma, and I think she will 
 give in. Keep your spirits up." 
 
 And in effect, that same morning mother and 
 daughter renewed the conversation in the daughter's 
 
 168 
 
The Story of a Tear 
 
 room. It was a long interview, and we do not know 
 what transpired, but at the end of an hour Dofla 
 Paula appeared with her eyes red with weeping and her 
 hand on her heart, from which she frequently suffered, 
 and retiring to her room she went to bed. Ventura 
 came out behind her, quiet but pale, and calling Gen- 
 erosa, her confidential maid, she gave her a letter for 
 Gonzalo, who that evening appeared at nine o'clock in 
 front of Belinchon's house. A few minutes later, 
 Venturita opened the window of the library, which 
 was on the ground floor and protected with iron grat- 
 ings. 
 
 " Everything is settled," she said in a falsetto voice, 
 directly the young man approached. 
 
 " How ? Eeally ? " he asked in a tone of delight. 
 
 " It has been a pretty hard task for me ! She was 
 furious." 
 
 " And your papa ? " 
 
 " Papa knows nothing about it yet, but he will give 
 in, too. See if he won't give in. The measure taken 
 could not have been more effectual." 
 
 " What measure ? " 
 
 " The one I took. The whole business looked 
 so hopeless that it would have ended by your being 
 forbidden the house, and I should have been packed 
 off to Tejada in disgrace. All entreaties, all arguments 
 were in vain ; she was mad with rage, she called you an 
 infamous traitor, you can imagine how she spoke of me ! 
 Then I saw that there was nothing for it but to take a 
 strong measure; and it was somewhat strong," she 
 added in a low, changed voice. 
 
 " What measure ? " asked Gonzalo with curiosity. 
 
 Venturita was silent for some moments, and then 
 somewhat shamefacedly returned : 
 
 169 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " I told her — I told her that there was nothing else 
 for us but to marry each other." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " Why — why — guess why ! " said the girl with im- 
 patience. 
 
 Then Gonzalo divined what she meant, and the knowl- 
 edge filled him with repugnance and terror. A gloomy 
 silence fell upon him, and Venturita at last said : 
 
 " Do you think it was wrong ? " 
 
 "Yes," he returned drily. 
 
 " All right, my boy; to-morrow I will tell her it was 
 all a lie, and then all is over between us." 
 
 "That won't do any good. I do not quarrel with 
 the result, as you must know, but with the way you 
 have managed it." 
 
 " I lose more than you." 
 
 " Well, I feel it all the same." 
 
 " All right, then show it," she returned in a pet, jump- 
 ing up from the window-sill, where she had been seated. 
 
 But Gonzalo put his hand through the bars, and 
 caught her by the dress. 
 
 "Stop." 
 
 The dress tore. 
 
 " Now you have torn my frock, do you see ? " 
 
 " Well, don't go so quickly." 
 
 And succeeding in catching her by the arm, he 
 obliged her to sit down again. 
 
 "What rough manners!" exclaimed the girl laugh- 
 ing; " that must be the way bears make love." 
 
 " Do you love me? " asked Gonzalo, also laughing. 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Give me your hand as a friend." 
 170 
 
The Story of a Tear 
 
 The girl gave him her pink and white hand, and the 
 herculean youth kissed it passionately several times. 
 
 " All revoir till to-morrow, and I will tell you all 
 the news — " she said, once more rising from her seat. 
 
 Gonzalo withdrew, and after taking a few steps he 
 recollected that the news signified the way in which 
 Cecilia would take his disloyal conduct, and his fore- 
 head corrugated with an expression of pain. In this 
 state of preoccupation he crossed the Eua Nueva, en- 
 tered the Plaza de la Marina, went along by the harbor, 
 and reached the end of the mole. The night was mild 
 and clear. The stars shining in the firmament were 
 reflected in the tranquil waters of the bay. The rigging 
 of the anchored shipping stood out distinctly from the 
 dark blue background. The hour for the extinction of 
 lights had not yet struck, and one could see several 
 lights and figures on the ships; the sailors reclining on 
 the upper decks were chatting before retiring to rest. 
 
 Occasionally a glance would be cast at a great English 
 steamer anchored in the middle of the harbor, and a 
 sailor would call out, with an exaggeration of the pro- 
 nunciation : 
 
 " All right," and a schooner would echo the words, 
 " All right,''' and the cry would be taken up by all the 
 tenders, schooners, and fishing smacks. It was a joke 
 upon the English anchored there. But it was received 
 with silence ; the great steamer treated it with the 
 phlegmatic, profound contempt that nobody can assume 
 better than a son of Albion. 
 
 The end of the mole was the resort of anybody who 
 wished to enjoy the fresh air. It was one of the hot- 
 test nights of August. Gonzalo, overwhelmed by the 
 heat and the difficulty of his position, walked along 
 with his hat in his hand. Before reaching the end of 
 
 171 
 
T h e Fourth Estate 
 
 the mole he caught sight of a gigantic figure on the 
 Becond stage. 
 
 "I say, uncle," he cried. 
 
 The old sailor spent the greater part of his life on 
 that mole in intimate communion with the sea, his old 
 friend and companion. The terrible ocean was an open 
 book to him, either sleeping in its immense bed of sand 
 or awakening and lashing the sky furiously with its 
 foam. He could accurately forecast its rages, its storms, 
 its smiles, and its profoundest working. To him the 
 monster seemed to reveal its liquid heart as to a faith- 
 ful friend, and told him how it fretted in its granite 
 prison, and how the sight of human wickedness some- 
 times made it long to rush over the land and submerge 
 this fulsome human anthill. And the good man, 
 thinking of all the crimes about which he had read, 
 would reply: 
 
 "You are right, friend; in your place it is probable 
 I should feel the same." 
 
 Nothing in the world would have induced Don 
 Melchor to forego his morning, afternoon, and evening 
 walks at the end of the mole. During his wife's life- 
 time, when he was under surveillance, he had to his 
 great vexation been obliged to give up the later walks. 
 But now unfortunately, as he had no one to look after 
 him and keep him in hand, he did as he liked. 
 
 Nothing came up to the sea-air cure for catarrhs. 
 When occasionally he had a pain in his inside, he drank 
 a couple of glasses of salt water and he was all right. 
 There is no better or simpler medicine than sea-water. 
 Once he had a bad leg : two ulcers corroded the flesh 
 down to the bone ; and the doctors not only gave the 
 leg up for lost, but despaired of his life. In despera- 
 tion he had himself carried down to the beach and 
 
 172 
 
The S 1 ry of a Tear 
 
 bathed. After nine baths the ulcers were cured. One 
 can imagine what he thought of the curative efficacy of 
 the sea after that ! 
 
 On the other hand, he had a great objection to rivers. 
 The air of a river made him hoarse, the fogs suffocated 
 him, and gave him asthma. The " shut in " feeling of 
 the air filled him with aversion and unspeakable dislike. 
 Don Melchor slept little ; he rose before sunrise ; and 
 directly he got up he ascended his observatory, and ex- 
 amined the sky and the sea; and after drawing out in his 
 head a meteorological map of the coming day, he went 
 down to the end of the mole to corroborate his observa- 
 tions ; ascertained whether the wind was passing, or 
 settled, if it were positively north, or inclined to the 
 east or west, if the weather were going to be good or 
 bad, if the sea would be stormy or calm ; how long the 
 weather would remain as it was ; to what quarter the 
 wind would veer at mid-day ; if the sea would then be 
 calm or rough, etc., etc. 
 
 He could not take his chocolate until he had made all 
 these observations. 
 
 And really, however this may look like a mania, I 
 think it is less silly than rising from one's bed to notice 
 if one's neighbor's face is clean or dirty, cheerful or 
 sad, if he eats or if he fasts, if he sleeps or if he wakes, 
 if he be idle or industrious, how long he remains at 
 home, and what road he takes when he goes out. Gon- 
 zalo mounted the upper wall with an irresistible desire to 
 unburden his heart and tell his uncle what had hap- 
 pened, for although his character was little adapted for 
 love confidences, the occasion was important and crit- 
 ical. Don Melchor, who walked a little bent under the 
 weight of years, straightened himself at the sight of a 
 man approaching, for he was anxious to hide all signs 
 
 173 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 of weakness from the world, and lie liked to be thought 
 a stalwart fellow. 
 
 " Is that you, Gonzalillo ? " 
 
 " It is I, uncle." 
 
 " That is a wonder ! For you like seeing billiard balls 
 roll better than waves." 
 
 " No ; I have not played billiards to-day. But I am 
 worried and upset, and I want to speak to you about an 
 important matter, in fact I want your advice." 
 
 Don Melchor looked at him in surprise. 
 
 " An important matter ? " 
 
 " Yes — look here, uncle ; would you marry a woman 
 you did not love? " 
 
 " What a question ! Matrimony at my age is a thing 
 of the past, my boy." 
 
 " But if you were young, would you marry like that ? " 
 
 " Never." 
 
 "Very well, uncle — I do not love Cecilia." 
 
 "You do not love Cecilia?" exclaimed the old gen- 
 tleman in horror. 
 
 It must be said that Don Melchor had a blind 
 aSection, almost adoration, for his nephew's fiancee — the 
 girl was sacred to him. Prom the time that he knew 
 Gonzalo's affections were set in that quarter he inspected 
 her as carefully as if he were examining the hulk of a 
 ship before masting her. He had considered her kind, 
 quiet, intelligent, and capable, and his delight at the 
 marriage was only embittered by hearing that the en- 
 gaged couple was not going to live with him. 
 
 He seldom visited Belinchon's house, but when he met 
 the girl in the street he made a point of stopping her and 
 treating her with exceptional courtesy and attention. 
 
 "You do not love her?" he repeated. "And why 
 don't you love her, you dunderhead ? " 
 
 174 
 
The Story of a Tear 
 
 "I don't know. I have made superhuman efforts to 
 love her, and I have not succeeded." 
 
 " And you have just found that out— a month before 
 your marriage ? Come, Gonzalo, you have got a screw 
 loose." 
 
 " It is shameful — I grant it — but I can't resign myself 
 to being unhappy for life." 
 
 " Unhappy ! And you call it unhappiness, you great 
 fool, to marry the nicest and prettiest girl in Sarrio, 
 for no other can hold a candle to her." 
 
 Gonzalo could not forbear smiling. 
 
 " Cecilia is a good girl, and worthy of marrying a 
 better man than I am, but pretty, uncle " 
 
 " Pretty, yes, pretty, you fool ! " exclaimed the Seflor 
 de las Cuevas in a rage ; " you would find fault with an 
 angel." 
 
 Surprising as the statement may be, the old man was 
 at that time of life when one is more impressed by the 
 poetry of womanhood, seen in exquisite sensibility, resig- 
 nation, sweetness and self-sacrifice, than by the ephemeral 
 physical charms before which impetuous youth is so 
 prone to fall captive. 
 
 " Do not let us quarrel about it." 
 
 " But we will quarrel about it — I won't have Cecilia 
 spoken of like that — so there ! " 
 
 " All right ; then I'll say that Cecilia is a very pretty 
 girl— but " 
 
 "But what?" 
 
 " But I cannot love her, because I love another." 
 
 " What thousand deviltries are you saying now, boy ? " 
 returned Don Melchor, taking his nephew by the arm 
 and shaking him. 
 
 "I cannot help it, uncle. I am madly in love with 
 her sister, Venturita." 
 
 175 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " Are you in your senses or out of them, you mad- 
 man?" 
 
 "lam speaking seriously — I love her, and she loves 
 me." 
 
 " And you think that this is all there is to be said? " 
 said the old man, getting more and more angry. " Do 
 you think a solemn promise can be broken in that way ? 
 Do you think a girl can be made the laughing stock of 
 a place like that? Do you think any parents will tol- 
 erate such infamous conduct ? " 
 
 "Uncle," returned Gonzalo quietly, "before daring 
 to tell you this, things have occurred which have made 
 me take this step. My position with Venturita is an 
 established fact ; her mother knows it, and has author- 
 ized it, and by this time her father has also been made 
 acquainted with the circumstances." 
 
 "And will give his consent? " 
 
 " I am sure he will." 
 
 Don Melchor dropped his nephew's arm, and raised 
 his hand to his forehead. It was some time before he 
 could speak. At last he said in slow and melancholy 
 tones : 
 
 " All right. I am powerless to prevent this disgrace 
 — ^f or it is a disgrace," he added forcibly. "You are 
 of age, and even if you were not I would have nothing 
 to do with such a business." 
 
 " Are you angry ? " 
 
 " There is no use being angry. I am only very sorry. 
 I am sorry for her, for I am very fond of her — and I am 
 still more sorry for you, Gronzalo. God cannot help the 
 man who breaks his word. You were on a safe ship, 
 well built of white, well-seasoned wood, with the flats 
 well lined, straight strong masts, and bright and smart 
 rigging ; and you leave that to embark in a craft that is 
 
 176 
 
The S 1 ry of a Tear 
 
 prettier and showier. You are making a fine experi- 
 ment, but take heed, lad, the journey is long, the sea 
 wide and wild; when all the calm and beauty of the 
 present becomes a scene of storm, when the soft winds 
 rise to a hurricane, matters become serious, and pretty 
 decorations and designs are of no avail where timber — 
 good strong timber, is required. Give me good timber 
 and I will take you for miles. It is not much good for a 
 ship to leave a port well dressed if her hulk is not equal 
 to her get up. You know that I liked Cecilia — I am very 
 sorry that I cannot say the same of her sister. And this 
 is not speaking against her ; I do not know her well 
 enough to do that, neither do I feel inclined to, but I 
 can and I ought to tell you my sentiments although 
 you disregard them." 
 
 " Oh, uncle ! " 
 
 " It does not matter, my boy; when a lad's mind is set 
 upon anything, full sail must be set and he must go be- 
 fore the wind. Everything looks shipshape — but foul 
 weather comes, and I tell you, you are not navigating 
 your ship well, you are not behaving like a gentleman." 
 
 "Uncle!" 
 
 " The facts speak for themselves. Even if you have 
 got over her parents, and overcome all difficulties, you 
 can't make black white, and make a bad action good. 
 Heave the anchor and unfurl the sails. I am old, and 
 I hope I shall not live to see the storms overtake you. 
 But if it be God's will to punish me thus, if for my sins 
 I have to see you shipping water with bare masts, I shall 
 feel, my boy, that it is beyond my power to help you." 
 
 At these last words the voice of the old man shook ; 
 Gonzalo's heart-strings tightened. For some time they 
 were both silent ; and then Don Melchor said : 
 
 " Come along to supper, Gonzalito." 
 12 177 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 "I am not hungry now," returned the young man, 
 "but I will come presently." 
 
 " Very well. Au revoir,^'' said the Sefior de las Cuevas 
 sadly, and turning his steps shoreward, he was gradually 
 lost in the gloom. 
 
 Gonzalo remained where he was, with his eyes fixed on 
 the wall of the mole, against which the sea was quietly 
 washing. The waves after breaking against the stone 
 wall with a soft, hollow murmur, receded with a sharp 
 sound like that of curtain rings being drawn. The 
 phosphoric brilliance of the foam proved the presence of 
 the millions of beings existing as comfortably in the 
 watery depths as we do on the dry land in spite of their 
 wild career through space. The monster slept under the 
 dark mantle of night quietly and peacefully, as a child 
 undisturbed by bad dreams. The soft sough of its res- 
 piration was hardly audible in the hollows of the rocks. 
 
 The black silhouette of Cape San Lorenzo stretched 
 far out to sea on the west where the revolving white, 
 green, and red lights of the lighthouse at the point were 
 visible. The stars were shining in the firmament with 
 wondrous power. Jupiter blazed in the heavens like 
 the god of night piercing the darkness with its golden 
 rays. Suddenly a change came over the scene. The 
 pale crescent of the moon raised its horn in the east over 
 the tranquil water, and irradiated it with a track of 
 light. Lucifer paled before the serene splendor of the 
 goddess, whose slow and majestic ascent eclipsed the 
 brilliance of the starry orbs of every size about her. 
 She rose in a radiant splendid atmosphere emitting, 
 diffusing, and disseminating the ambient soft influence 
 of her wondrous presence. And the ocean, ebbing and 
 flowing since the beginning of the world under this same 
 influence, now kindles like a flame of fire ; its vast shin- 
 
 178 
 
The S 1 ry of a Tear 
 
 ing bosom trembles, and it dashes its waters over the rocks 
 of Santa Maria like enormous stratums of mercury, 
 which in their retreat mingle with the incoming 
 waves. 
 
 Sublime silence reigned, and a sense of ineffable peace 
 pervaded the scene so old, and yet so new. Nature her- 
 self seemed to stop and listen to the eternal harmony of 
 the heavens. The waves softly kissed each other with- 
 out daring to interrupt the august serenity of the night 
 with any louder sounds. 
 
 In spite of the great uneasiness which the conversa- 
 tion with his uncle had caused him, Gronzalo felt the 
 fascination of the sea, the sky, and the moon, and his 
 uneasiness changed to sadness. The severe words of the 
 old sailor had suddenly awakened his conscience, and the 
 struggle between his good and bad angel re-commenced. 
 For one moment his good angel nearly conquered. The 
 young man thought he would go to the Belinchons' 
 house, speak to Dofla Paula and beg her to say nothing to 
 Cecilia, but hurry on the marriage. However, at that 
 moment Venturita's image came before his mind, and he 
 felt it would be impossible to live near her without 
 suffering horribly. Then, as it nearly always happens in 
 these struggles, there came a sense of the unendurable. 
 " The best thing to do," he said, " will be to go right 
 away. I will return to France or England, and not marry 
 either. Then there will be no treachery. The injury I 
 have done Cecilia will soon be forgotten. She will find 
 a more worthy husband than T, and when I return at 
 the expiration of a few years I shall probably find her 
 happy, and surrounded with children. But — but to 
 leave Ventura ! to leave that being, radiant with hap- 
 piness ! No more to hear that voice that fills my soul 
 with delight ! nor to feel the sweet touch of her hand, 
 
 179 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 fresh and soft as a rosebud ! To leave her shining 
 eyes and magnetic smile ! — oh no ! " 
 
 Drops of perspiration stood upon his forehead. Mor- 
 tal anguish filled him at the thought of separation, and 
 to overcome the sense of it being definitely settled he 
 said to himself : " We'll see, we'll see. It would be 
 very diflBcult to go back now — almost impossible. The 
 mother knows about it now. Ddn Bosendo too, and 
 probably Cecilia also by this time." 
 
 The good angel loosened his hold and let go his hands 
 as, spent and defeated, he gave up the struggle. If not 
 with the eyes of the body, Gonzalo could see with those 
 of the spirit, the white form of the good angel passing 
 through the serene atmosphere, and vanishing on the 
 glistening waters. 
 
 Then overwhelmed with a strange sadness, he wept. 
 This kind of struggle can never take place in the human 
 soul without upsetting it for some time. To win hap- 
 piness he had to wound the heart of an innocent girl, 
 break a promise, and be a traitor. 
 
 The words of his uncle still echoed in his ears, " God 
 cannot help the man who breaks his word." And, in 
 fact, he felt himself unworthy of help. A cruel indefi- 
 nite presentiment of misery, death, and sadness over- 
 whelmed him ; and in one moment the awfulness of life 
 without virtue or peace was revealed to him, as to the 
 youth of the legend who embraced a beautiful young 
 woman, and when the light oscillated with the wind, he 
 saw that she was transformed into a hideous, hag-like, 
 bony being. 
 
 The waves softly washed the wall at his feet, and with 
 his eyes fixed upon them he abstractedly followed their 
 undulating motion. The seaweed growing in the depths 
 moved with the motion of the water like the hair of a 
 
 180 
 
The Story of a Tear 
 
 dead person. How quietly he could sleep down there ! 
 What peace in those transparent depths ! What magic 
 light helow ! Gonzalo gave ear for the first time in his 
 life to the eloquent voice of Nature inviting him to re- 
 pose in her maternal bosom — the siren voice sweet with 
 irresistible charm, audible to unhappy creatures, even in 
 their dreams, and so often leading them to place the 
 cold muzzle of a pistol to their temples. It was for one 
 minute, not more. His cheerful, sanguine tempera- 
 ment rebelled against this depression ; his vitality, exu- 
 berant in his healthy constitution, indignantly repudiated 
 the passing thought of death. An insignificant incident, 
 the appearance of a little green light in the distant hori- 
 zon, sufiiced to divert his attention from these gloomy 
 ideas. 
 
 " A ship coming in," he said. " What time is it ? " 
 (He drew out his watch.) " Half past ten, already ! If 
 it were a little earlier I would stop. I'll go and see if 
 there's anybody at the caf6, for I should like a game of 
 chapo." 
 
 He then took out a fine Havana cigar from his case, and 
 smoking it with gusto he repaired to the Oaf6 de la 
 Marina. 
 
 Almost at the same time a sad scene was being enacted 
 in the Belinchon household. Dofia Paula had remained 
 all that day in bed, a prey to a dreadful pain in the left 
 side, which caused her great diflacnlty in breathing. 
 With the plebeian's invincible antipathy, nay terror, of 
 science, she did not like to have a doctor, but she pre- 
 scribed for herself some of the numerous remedies rec- 
 ommended by the many medicine women who came daily 
 to her house to extort money from her with their vile, 
 exaggerated adulations. So there was no end of em- 
 brocations of meat fat, cups of herb concoctions, the 
 
 181 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 inside of fowls, etc., etc. At last, by dint of these formid- 
 able therapeutics, the good lady improved in the even- 
 ing enough to wish to get up ; but Cecilia and Pablito 
 would not hear of it. Both of them had sat with her 
 for some time at her bedside; Cecilia especially had only 
 left her long enough to make the embrocations and 
 tisanes. Pablito made frequent excursions into the 
 corridors, where, curiously enough, he nearly always 
 met Nieves, from whom he extorted toll tax. Some- 
 times their suppressed laughter reached the room of 
 the invalid, and she would smile kindly, and say to 
 Cecilia : 
 
 " What silly creatures I " 
 
 For it never occurred to her that her adored son could 
 be up to anything but hide-and-seek. 
 
 As the pain gradually left her, her mind was op- 
 pressed with the thought of telling her daughter the sad 
 news which had made her so ill. She could only cast long 
 and melancholy glances at the girl as she drew deep sighs 
 of distress. She said several times : 
 
 " Cecilia, listen." 
 ^And each time she stopped, and merely asked for some 
 trifle. 
 
 Night closed in. Venturita lighted the shaded lamp, 
 and then withdrew. Pablo, finding his mother better, 
 and seeing no further opportunity of exercising his sei- 
 gnioral rights in the passage, withdrew to the cafe. 
 Mother and daughter remained in the bedroom, the 
 former in bed and seemingly tranquil, the latter seated 
 near her. After a long silence, during which the Sefiora 
 de Belinchon turned over in her head a thousand ways 
 of opening a conversation which might lead naturally 
 to the confidence she was obliged to make, she said : 
 
 " Have the girls worked well to-day ? " 
 183 
 
The S 1 r y of a Tear 
 
 "I don't know, I have scarcely seen them," re- 
 turned Cecilia. 
 
 "I think that if they go on at this rate they will 
 finish too soon." 
 
 "Perhaps so." 
 
 Dofla Paula was at a loss to know how to proceed, 
 and remained silent. 
 
 At the end of some minutes she took up the thread 
 afresh. 
 
 " The trousseau will be completely finished in this 
 month of August, and I do not think you will be mar- 
 ried for some months." 
 
 "Some months?" 
 
 " I think so. I believe Gonzalo does not wish the day 
 to be so soon," said the sefiora with a trembling voice. 
 
 " Has he told you so ? " 
 
 " Yes, he has told me so — I mean — no, he has not 
 told me so — but I have guessed it from certain things — 
 from some indirect remarks." 
 
 Dofia Paula was here overpowered with a feeling of 
 sufEocation. Fortunately Cecilia could not see the 
 flaming color of her cheeks. 
 
 "I should like to know what those remarks were," 
 returned the girl in a firm voice. 
 
 "Don't ask me, child of my soul !" exclaimed the 
 sefiora, bursting into tears. 
 
 Cecilia turned deadly pale, and let her mother kiss 
 the hand she held in hers, astonished at this emotion. 
 
 "What has happened, mamma? — speak." 
 
 " A terrible thing — my heart — an infamous thing — I 
 would rather die this moment than see the ruin and 
 the misery of one of my daughters." 
 
 " Calm yourself, mamma, you are ill, and you will do 
 yourself great harm with this excitement." 
 
 183 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " Wliat does it matter I I tell you I would rather die 
 — I would give my life for you not to love Gonzalo — 
 You do love him, dear heart ? You love him deeply ? " 
 
 Cecilia did not reply. 
 
 "Tell me, for God's sake, that you do not love 
 him." 
 
 Cecilia was still silent ; at the end of some minutes, 
 trying in vain to give a firm tone to her voice, she said : 
 
 " Gonzalo declines to marry me, eh ? " 
 
 DoQa Paula was now silent in her turn, and hid her 
 weeping face in her hands. 
 
 Some minutes went by. 
 
 " Has he anything against me ? " 
 
 "What could he have? Who could have anything 
 against you, my lamb ? " 
 
 " Then, if I do not please him, or he does not love 
 me, what is to be done ? It is better to be undeceived in 
 time." 
 
 " Oh ! " cried Dofia Paula, breaking into fresh sobs, 
 for under the apparent resignation of her daughter she 
 detected a profound grief which she strove in vain to 
 hide. 
 
 " What is to be done, mamma? Is it not better for 
 him to say so now than after we are married ? Do I 
 not know what a wretched life he would lead united to a 
 woman he did not love ? The pain that he causes me 
 now, great as it is, is nothing to what I should feel if 
 my husband did not love me. The pain would get worse 
 and worse until I died, whilst now it may go, or at least 
 be alleviated — Perhaps when he has gone away and I 
 have not seen him for some time I shall gradually forget 
 him " 
 
 " But he is not going," returned the seflora in con- 
 fusion. 
 
 184 
 
The Story of a Tear 
 
 " If he does not gOj patience — I will try not to go out, 
 and I shall not see him." 
 
 " But, child of my soul, your misfortune is much 
 greater ! Gonzalo is in love with your sister." 
 
 Cecilia turned still paler, her face became livid, and 
 she was silent. 
 
 Her mother again kissed her hand with effusion, and 
 then drew her to her, and covered her face with kisses. 
 
 " Forgive me for torturing you like this. Much as 
 you suffer, I suffer more. Yesterday evening your 
 sister came and told me. Imagine my distress and grief. 
 My first impulse was to kill her, for I was sure that she 
 was most to blame. She gave me proof that they have 
 been carrying on for some time, and showed me letters 
 which made Gonzalo's faithlessness very clear to me. 
 When I was convinced of his treachery I said that I 
 would have nobody make a laughing stock of my 
 daughter, and Gonzalo should not set foot again in this 
 house, that he was as bad as she ; in short, I said all 
 that came into my head. But this morning, this morn- 
 ing — I learned something still worse. I learned that 
 your sister has gone farther than I can, or wish to, say. 
 There is nothing for them but marriage, and that as 
 soon as possible. Now you know why I have had this 
 pain, which all but kills me, and would that it did so ! 
 Your father and I are both trapped — our hands are tied. 
 If it were not so I would sooner be cut into little pieces 
 than consent to this marriage. The infamous way this 
 man has treated you will make me hate him all my life. 
 Yes, all my life ! " she added in an angry tone. 
 
 Cecilia did not answer. She sat with her hands 
 clasped in her lap, her head hanging on her bosom and 
 her horror-struck eyes fixed on the ground, 
 
 Neither the vehement broken utterances of her mother 
 185 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 nor the sobs which succeeded them made her change her 
 position. She remained thus for some time, motionless, 
 and white as a statue. 
 
 In those large, limpid eyes there at last trembled a 
 tear; it grew, it moved, then overflowing, it left a wet 
 track upon her wan cheek, and fell like a drop of fire 
 upon her hand, and there remained. A little later it 
 evaporated. An angel had gathered it up and taken it 
 to God in protest for her who had shed it. 
 
 186 
 
^ <■ T h e Light of S a r r i 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 GLORIOUS APPEAKAIJCE OF "THE LIGHT OF SAEKIO " 
 
 A NEW bright day dawned upon Sarrio after the re- 
 cent heavy gloom. By the mercy and grace of God the 
 beautiful town was now, when least expected, provided 
 with a press organ, which was to be bi-weekly, or as the 
 illustrious organizer expressed it, " hepdomenal." Grave 
 obstacles and perilous difficulties were at first opposed to 
 the realization of the undertaking, but the genius of the 
 wonderful man who undertook it overcame them all. 
 The first difficulty was that of money. Fifty shares of 
 a thousand ducats each were issued for the support of 
 the periodical . The friends of Don Eosendo only took up 
 nine. Don Eudesindo had five allotted to him, Don Fe- 
 liciano two, and Don Pedro Miranda, in spite of his 
 large income, only another two — no more. Alvaro 
 Pefla, Don Eufo Navarro, etc., excused themselves for 
 want of funds, and that with reason; besides, they gave 
 the business the benefit of their brains, which no doubt 
 was a great thing. So Don Eosendo, with a generosity 
 which greatly impressed the rest of the company, was 
 the holder of the remaining forty-one shares. 
 
 Messengers were despatched to Lancia in search of a 
 printing press, but the negotiations proving fruitless, 
 the press organizer went himself to the town. At the 
 end of some days he was fortunate enough to find a 
 printer who had been ruined for some years, and no pur- 
 chaser had been forthcoming for his broken-down, rotting 
 apparatus which lay covered with dust in a dark cellar. 
 
 187 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 When Don Eosendo proceeded to examine it with its 
 owner, he could not help feeling respectful emotion, and 
 grave thoughts filled his mind as he contemplated it. 
 
 "Here," he said, "is lying in idleness the most in- 
 fluential instrument of human progress, and this not 
 from any fault of the owner, but through the desertion 
 of mankind. How much information, how much spir- 
 itual food might it not have produced during these 
 barren dumb years ! Whilst barbarism and ignorance 
 are rampant in the greater part of our country, that 
 printing apparatus, the only agent of their dispersion, 
 stands motionless for the want of a hand to work it and 
 to bring forth from it the secrets of science and politics." 
 
 He almost kissed and fondled the machine in his en- 
 thusiasm. The printer, seeing his visitor so well dis- 
 posed in its favor, could not be outdone, and he declared 
 himself so devotedly attached to the very skeleton of 
 his machine that he would not part with it for any 
 money, for it had always been the faithful companion, 
 by which he had earned his bread (and according to re- 
 port, his wine too). He descanted upon its perfections 
 with as much enthusiasm as if he were its offspring and 
 indebted to it for his life's breath ; and he moreover 
 made the solemn statement that it printed better and 
 cleaner than all the printing presses of the day. Hear- 
 ing these facts Don Eosendo fully concurred in the 
 exordium on the machine, and tried to prove to him 
 that he ought to part with it to prevent its wondrous 
 qualities being lost to the world. But the more eloquent 
 the merchant grew, the more tender and clinging became 
 the printer. Finally, seeing there was no persuading 
 the man to part with his treasure, and he had not the 
 heart to enforce it, he arranged for him to go to Sarrio 
 with it, and settle down there. He was to take a few 
 
 188 
 
( ( 
 
 The Light of S ar r i 
 
 compositors with him, who were to teach the trade to 
 some of the lads in the town, and he was to be furnished 
 with all necessary materials for the establishment of a 
 printing office. Folgueras, the ruined printer, was thus 
 to be the director and master of the concern, and his 
 salary was to be drawn from the journal, and according 
 to our calculations this proved to be twice as much as 
 what is given in the best printing offices in Madrid. 
 However, it is not much if we consider the merit of the 
 machine and the deep love professed for it by the owner. 
 
 The title of the newspaper was one of the points in 
 which the inventive, superior mind of Don Eosendo par- 
 ticularly distinguished itself. It was called " The Light 
 of Sarrio," a name extremely impressive and well-sound- 
 ing, and moreover testifying to its mission, which its 
 founder wished to be that of enlightening and dignify- 
 ing the town of Sarrio. He secretly ordered from 
 Madrid an engraving for the head of the paper, and on 
 its arrival a few days later it caused rapturous delight 
 among the shareholders and all those who had the good 
 fortune to see it. It represented a seaport, like Sarrio, 
 in the dark hours of the night — to judge by the black hue 
 of the sky and sea; on the left towered the heights of an 
 ideal mountain, upon which was seen a man, bearing a 
 distant resemblance to Don Eosendo, turning the rays of 
 an enormous lantern upon the town ; round about him 
 were the heads of several people, and the shareholders 
 believed in good faith that they represented themselves, 
 and so they felt deeply indebted to the designer. 
 
 The printing press was to be set up in a storehouse of 
 Don Eudesindo's, to whom, of course, a rent was to be 
 paid; and at the printing office there was to be another 
 room, but these plans required some consideration before 
 they could be carried out. The printing press was 
 
 189 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 finally set up, but not without heavy, unexpected ex- 
 penses, for Folgueras, who pretended he was furnished 
 with all that was necessary, had nothing at all, and they 
 had to send to Madrid for sets of type, have type galleys 
 made, buy tables, etc., etc. At last everything was in 
 order. Don Eosendo worked like a slave, and busied 
 himself with the smallest details, and his talent of organ- 
 izer was more shown than ever on this occasion. He 
 made Sinforoso Suarez chief editor with a salary of 
 twenty-five crowns a month, and he made Don Rufo's 
 eldest son manager. But the paper for printing did not 
 come. They had telegraphed to Madrid for a supply 
 and it had not arrived. The impatience of Belinchon 
 knew no bounds. Telegrams went and came by the elec- 
 tric wires. They said it was detained at Lancia — a tele- 
 gram to Lancia asking for it. Then they heard it had 
 not left Valladolid — telegram to Valladolid. Then 
 that it had not left Madrid — telegram to Madrid. Don 
 Eosendo swore he would have no more paper from Mad- 
 rid, but that he would order it henceforth from Belgium. 
 But disappointment changed into delight, as it often 
 does, when the news came that several bales had arrived 
 at Lancia, and were there awaiting a cart to take them 
 to their destination. As the copy for the first number 
 had been ready for some days, the printing was imme- 
 diately proceeded with, and it had to be done on an ex- 
 tensive scale, for Don Eosendo intended to circulate it 
 through the provinces, to send it all over Spain, and 
 even to introduce it into foreign countries. Both he and 
 his partners took a personal interest in seeing the print- 
 ing press started, and they never wearied of admiring its 
 complicated machinery, the wonderful precision of its 
 movement, and the marvellous velocity with which it 
 worked, for it cast ofE no less than two hundred copies in 
 
 190 
 
i i 
 
 The Light of S a r r i 
 
 one hour. Its illustrious founder could not restrain the 
 press ardor which consumed him ; he tore off his coat in 
 the presence of everybody, and literally put his shoulder 
 to the wheel until the sweat poured copiously from his 
 manly brow. A striking instance of enthusiasm and 
 love of civilization to which we like to draw the atten- 
 tion of the rising generation ! At last "The Light of 
 Sarrio" appeared in great style, for its founder had seen 
 that the paper was good, and it was fairly well printed. 
 The only faulty feature was the engraving on the frontis- 
 piece, for the majority of the people thought that the 
 individual holding a lantern in his hand was a negro, 
 instead of the respectable individual we have men- 
 tioned. It contained a leading article in large type called 
 " Our Purports." Although it was signed by the staff, 
 it emanated entirely from the pen of Don Eosendo. The 
 purport of the appearance of " The Light " in the press 
 was, chiefly to defend cap-a-pie the moral and material 
 interests of Sarrio, to combat ignorance in all its forms, 
 and in the fierce battles of the press to fight unwea- 
 riedly for the triumph of the reforms that the progress 
 of the times requires. 
 
 " The Light " maintained that the hour had struck for 
 breaking with the doctrines of the past. Sarrio earnestly 
 desired to emancipate itself from the thraldom of petti- 
 ness and conventionality; it wished to break the bonds 
 which had hitherto restrained it, and enter into full pos- 
 session of its own conscience and rights. 
 
 "We trust," said the writer, "that a period of 
 moral and material activity will date from the appear- 
 ance of our publication, and that we shall assist at one 
 of those social reformations which mark an epoch in the 
 annals of the town. If our voice is successful in 
 awakening the town of Sarrio from its long sleep and 
 
 191 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 apathy and we soon see the dawn of an era of labor and 
 study befitting the reform movement that we hope to 
 inaugurate, we shall feel amply repaid for our efforts 
 and sacrifices." 
 
 The' language could not have been more noble and 
 patriotic, and modesty, as usual, tempered the tone of 
 the authoritative eloquence. 
 
 "We do not aspire," he said, "to being the van- 
 guard in this great battle of thought about to take place 
 in the town of Sarrio, but we do aspire to fighting like 
 common soldiers, for we do expect a place in the 
 rearguard. There we shall fight like good men, and if 
 we finally fall vanquished, we will envelop ourselves in 
 the sacred banner of progress." 
 
 The military allegorical style was very effective in the 
 town, and it contributed not a little to the enthusiastic 
 reception accorded to the paper. 
 
 In short, the article was so rich in expression, so 
 replete with deep remarks, and the style was so concise, 
 that the public was at a loss to attribute it to any one 
 but the illustrious director — and in this it was right. 
 
 Then the periodical contained a long article by Sin- 
 foroso on " Woman." It consisted of two close columns 
 of poetic prose, embroidered with all the flowers of rhet- 
 oric, describing the sweet influence of this half of the 
 human race. 
 
 He maintained, in fervent language, that civilization 
 cannot exist apart from matrimony; conjugal love is its 
 only basis. Everything is holy, everything is beautiful, 
 everything is happy in the intimate union of a young 
 married couple. The man, rendered happy by his com- 
 panion, feels his faculties increase, and is capable of 
 carrying out enterprises otherwise impossible to him. 
 The influence of the woman presses him onward to virtue 
 
 193 
 
( i 
 
 The Light of Sarrio 
 
 and glory ; it is the sweetest and at the same time the 
 most powerful of social forces. Sinforoso queried with 
 surprise, " How could some beings consider woman infe- 
 rior to man? She with her beauty, delicacy, grace, 
 sweetness, perspicacity, and patience is the highest' work 
 of creation. But the mission of woman is to be a wife 
 and mother. Without being these she is not fully 
 evolved, she fades like a flower without perfume." The 
 writer concluded by advising woman to bear this in 
 mind, and for no earthly consideration to consent to be 
 voluntarily deprived of the two conditions of her honor 
 and glory. 
 
 This exordium on matrimony, although addressed to 
 the fair sex in general, was written for the special edi- 
 fication of a certain pretty cigarette maker, of the Calle 
 de Caborana, whom Sinforoso had courted in vain for 
 some years. The public thought that the girl would end 
 by accepting him, partly by reason of the poetic terms 
 in which he made his case clear, and partly because of 
 the fifty reales a montli which the suitor now received 
 for his work on the staff. 
 
 Then followed a contribution from the professor, Don 
 Jeronimo de la Fuente ; it was a serious, violent attack 
 on Kepler's three great laws of the motions of the plan- 
 etary bodies, or rather on two of them, for he preserved 
 silence on the first, which treats of the elliptical orbit of 
 the planets. He fiercely opposed the second, maintain- 
 ing and demonstrating by means of a most brilliant cal- 
 culation that the areas described by the radius vector 
 are not in any equal to the time employed in making 
 them, but they concord with the attractive or repulsive 
 force of the celestial bodies. But the chief object of his 
 attack was the third law, for Don Jeronimo rejected as 
 antiquated and absurd the idea that the time taken for 
 13 193 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 the revolutions of planets was proportionate to the cubic 
 feet of their distances from each other ; for he showed 
 not merely by empty words, but by figures, that there 
 was no ground for such a calculation. He announced an- 
 other article for the next number, which was to establish 
 a new basis for the celestial mechanism which would 
 quite smash up the old one. In it he maintained that 
 the stars were attracted by one pole and repelled by an- 
 other like electric bodies, and upon this great principle 
 he satisfactorily explained the movements of the celestial 
 bodies, their disturbances, and many problems which 
 had hitherto been deemed insoluble. Thanks to the 
 telescope in the window of his house, Don Jeronimo had 
 made a series of prodigious discoveries which set at 
 naught all the existing knowledge of astronomy. It was 
 not astonishing that the learned professor, filled with 
 legitimate pride, exclaimed at the end of his article : 
 
 "Down with Kepler, Newton, Laplace, and Galileo 
 from the pedestal upon which man's ignorance has placed 
 them and all colossal standard bearers of false science ! 
 All their calculations have vanished like smoke, and their 
 magnificent systems are like dry leaves, fallen from the 
 tree of science to rot and decay." 
 
 Some verses by Periquito, the son of Don Pedro Mi- 
 randa, were also inserted that confided to a certain mys- 
 terious " G" that he was a worm, and she a star ; he 
 a branch, and she a tree ; she a rose, and he a caterpillar ; 
 she a light, and he the shadow ; she the snow, and he 
 the mud, etc. 
 
 There were reasons for suspecting that this " G " was a 
 certain Gumersinda, the wife of a corn merchant, a wom- 
 an remarkable for her stout figure, which caused her 
 some diflBculty in walking. Periquito had a particular 
 fancy for ladies who were plump and married. "When 
 
 194 
 
( < 
 
 The Light of S a r r i 0^ 
 
 both these qualities were combined in one being his 
 passion knew no bounds. And such was the present 
 case. One must not think by this that the young man 
 was a vicious creature. The husbands of Sarrio were 
 not disturbed about him. Periquito was always in love, 
 sometimes with one, sometimes with another lady, but 
 he never dared to address them or send a billet doux. 
 Such courses were not in his line, which consisted 
 chiefly in fascinating them by his gaze. Therefore, 
 whenever he came across one of these fair creatures at 
 church, or in the theatre, he first managed to take a 
 seat at a convenient distance, and once he had taken up 
 his position, he directed the magnetic power of his eyes 
 straight at the passive object of his experiment until 
 she occasionally glanced at him with an expression of 
 surprise. The respectable matron, often not consider- 
 ing herself worthy of such particular attention, would 
 look round and ask those with her if she had a spot on 
 her face, or if her hair were out of order. Periquito 
 was indefatigable, and went through all these perform- 
 ances with the gravity they deserved. Sometimes he 
 spent an hour or more with bis eyes fixed on one person, 
 and often when the hour had elapsed, and the enamored 
 youth thought his soul must have filtered through the 
 pores of the obese lady to the affection of all her facul- 
 ties and feelings, this same lady would say in an under- 
 tone to her companions : 
 
 " Goodness, how that fellow Don Pedro does stare! " 
 How far the poet was from supposing that the star of 
 his dreams held him in such small account ! 
 
 Sometimes, but very seldom, Periquito got a little 
 farther. When he was quite sure that the husband was 
 not at home, nor even about the town, he sent the mys- 
 terious lady a bouquet of flowers which was really a 
 
 195 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 passionate eloquent letter, if the lady had only been as 
 well versed as he was in the language of flowers. Un- 
 fortunately, the supine ignorance of the fair sex in Sar- 
 rio made these ingenious modes of communication null 
 and void. The same can be said of certain other deli- 
 cate attentions to which Periquito resorted to show his 
 devotion. If he saw the lady wear a blue dress, he 
 donned a cravat of the same color, a blue striped shirt 
 and a blue flower in his button-hole ; and if the lady 
 continued wearing the same dress, he went as far as to 
 adopt blue trousers ; and if the color were green, brown, 
 or gray, he also followed suit. If the unhappy lady 
 were of a religious turn of mind, Periquito voluntarily 
 imposed on himself the terrible ordeal of rising early, 
 and attending the mass to which she went ; and if on Sat- 
 urday, Monday, or Thursday she approached the sacred 
 table to communicate, he also received the spiritual food 
 from the priest on the same days. If the lady had 
 plants in her window, Periquito promptly ascertained 
 her hour of watering them, and took care to pass by at 
 that time, when he was in the seventh heaven if per- 
 chance a few drops fell from the watering-pot on his 
 hat. In the small hours of the night he wandered 
 around the house, making invocations to the moon, and 
 praying it might watch over the dreams of his love. 
 On one occasion, when he was in love with the wife of 
 a lieutenant of the carbineers who was ordered to 
 Burgos, he nearly di'ed of grief. His mad passion in- 
 spired him with the idea of going off to get a glimpse 
 of her, so after writing a letter of farewell to his father 
 and taking twenty dollars of his savings he started for 
 the City of the Oid ; but in Venta de Bafios he unfor- 
 tunately came across a married lady of the Civil Guard 
 who attracted him to Palencia ; there he saw another 
 
 196 
 
^^The Light of Sarrio''^ 
 
 lady who took him farther, and so on, until he came back 
 to Sarrio. This was not his only escapade. On an- 
 other occasion he went fifteen miles on foot merely to 
 cast an amatory glance at a certain lady as she sat at 
 the window, and this lady was married to a second hus- 
 band. 
 
 As the final touch to this description we must add 
 that Periquito, to use his father's expression, ate like 
 HeliogabuluB, and yet he never grew fat. 
 
 "The Light of Sarrio" was for our impressionable 
 young man an admirable means of airing the vague 
 fancies, anxieties, joys, and distresses which consumed 
 his soul, and declaring himself in mysterious acrostics 
 to all the matrons, more or less stout, who paraded their 
 plump forms in the streets of the flourishing town. 
 
 Finally came the columns of "Intelligence" under 
 different headings. The genius of Sinforoso and the 
 rest of the staff of " The Light" shone in this portion of 
 the paper. The paragraph called " Going and Coming " 
 referred to the visitors who had come to Sarrio in view 
 of the approaching fetes. 
 
 Another, headed " Sarriensians out Walking," main- 
 tained in a graceful, sparkling style that the weather 
 was delicious, and that the people of Sarrio could not 
 do better in the evening than take a turn in the pretty, 
 leafy environs of the town. 
 
 Another, " Seflor Alcalde to the Fore," was an appeal 
 to Don Boque to have gutters put to several houses. 
 
 Later on this section dropped the title of "Intelli- 
 gence" for that of "News to Hand," which Don 
 Eosendo put in imitation of Nouvelle d, la main of 
 the "Figaro" 
 
 The journal ended with the charade in verse, of 
 which, if we recollect rightly, the word was "avellano." 
 
 197 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 The fiction was Don Eufo's department, and as he had 
 been studying French on the OUendorf system for a year 
 and a half, he decided to translate for the paper the six 
 volumes of the " Mysteries of Paris." It is unnecessary 
 to say that although " The Light of Sarrio " lived for 
 some years, it never got as far as the third volume. Don 
 Eufo was a wonderful translator. If he had a defect it 
 was that of translating too literally. Once he wrote : 
 " The carriage went o£E at a quick trot, inside a lady 
 fair and frail." 
 
 In another passage, he said that Mon. Kudolph passed 
 his youth in the perusal of the chief works of antiquity. 
 Finally, he represented the Countess as taking hold of 
 the button (instead of buttonholing) of the secretary, and 
 this provoked so much derision from ignorant folk that 
 Don Eufo lost his temper and resigned the work, which 
 then was undertaken by a pilot who for several years had 
 made the run to Bayonne. The success of the first 
 number, as was expected, was prodigious : the article by 
 Sinforoso, the learned dissertation by La Fuente, the 
 "Intelligence," and even Periquito's verses, were all 
 read with due appreciation by the public. But Don 
 Eosendo's article headed "Our Purports" made the 
 profoundest impression on people of a serious turn of 
 mind. The well-turned phrases, so full of spirit and 
 fire, the noble thoughts, the enthusiasm for the interests 
 of Sarrio, the frankness and modesty that characterized 
 it, filled their hearts with joy, and made them feel as if 
 an era of prosperity and well-being had dawned. That 
 night the band, conducted by Sefior Anselmo, with his 
 great shining key, serenaded the staff. The front of 
 the publishing office was illuminated with Venetian 
 lamps, and, as usual, the pretty light-hearted artisans of 
 Sarrio took the opportunity of dancing country dances 
 
 198 
 
^^The Light of Sarrio^' 
 
 and mazurkas on the hard stones of the street. The 
 worthy indmduals who gave voice to their admiration 
 and enthusiasm for the staff of " The Light " in the lan- 
 guage of music were inspired thereto by De Rueda's 
 wine and cigars. Joy reigned in every heart, and over- 
 flowed in embraces as hearty as they were spontaneous. 
 Don Eosendo embraced Navarro, Alvaro Pefla, Don 
 Eudesindo, Don Eufo, Sinforoso, and Don Pedro 
 Miranda, the printer Folgueras. The musicians em- 
 braced each other, and they all embraced their con- 
 ductor, SeQor Anselmo. Outside the printing ofiBce, 
 Pablito, also in commemoration of the auspicious day, 
 embraced the fair Nieves under the shadow of a door- 
 way, and several other lads following his example 
 openly distributed their commemorative kisses among 
 the happy girls. The only thing that disturbed the 
 general happiness was the peculiar sadness that came 
 over Folgueras after he had imbibed several litres of 
 wine. The recollection of Lancia, his natal town, sud- 
 denly occurred to him and threw him into a state of 
 depression difficult to describe. Just when cheerfulness 
 and gaiety had reached their height he called Don Eo- 
 sendo aside, and with tears in his eyes assured him that 
 life away from his adored town was an unsupportable 
 burden to him ; better to die than lose sight of the humble 
 dwelling which saw his birth and the streets trodden 
 by his baby feet. The same week, please God, he hoped 
 to leave Sarrio and return to Lancia with his belongings. 
 On hearing this sudden news Don Eosendo turned pale. 
 " But, man, the next number of ' The Light.' " 
 " Don Eosendo, you will have to excuse me. You are 
 a gentleman — a gentleman knows how to appreciate the 
 feelings of another gentleman. One's country before 
 everything. Guzman the Good flung his poniard to the 
 
 199 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 enemy to kill his own son. You know that well enough, 
 eh ? What do you think of that ? Eiego died on a 
 scaffold. Well! What do you think of that? If I 
 were in the workhouse, with not a shirt to stand up in, 
 there would be no need for any one to tell me anything. 
 Do you think you will keep me all tied like a dog to the 
 wheel ? But all sentiment dies out in a man — the man 
 lives, the man works, the man occasionally shows his true 
 self — and because he drinks a quartern, or two, or three, 
 is he to forget his country ? Eh ? What do you think 
 of that?" 
 
 Don Kosendo called Don Eudesindo to his assistance, 
 and they succeeded in dissuading the printer from his 
 course by the force of their strong reasons, the most 
 potent of these being a fresh bottle of Eueda wine. After 
 this was imbibed, the patriotic feelings of Folgueras 
 calmed down. Then he took another bottle, drank it, 
 was ill, and slept. 
 
 Thoughts of glory, vague desires for undying fame 
 filled the mind of the illustrious founder of " The Light 
 of Sarrio " by the time he retired to rest. After extin- 
 guishing the light, they recurred over and over again 
 until they took some definite form. Don Eosendo was 
 moved at the thought of the possibility of his mem- 
 ory being perpetuated by a tablet put up in the Con- 
 sistorial buildings. This ambitious thought made him 
 tremble with joy and delight between the sheets. Being 
 a modest, sensible, magnanimous man, he tried to expel 
 the idea, but it returned to his mind with additional 
 clearness. He saw the white marble, he saw the gold 
 letters, he clearly deciphered the graven lines : 
 
 " Tribute of gratitude from the town of Sarrio to her 
 enlightened son, Don Eosendo Belinchon, indefatigable 
 champion of her moral and material progress." 
 
 SOO 
 
^^The Light of Sarrio 
 
 » > 
 
 His miad, filled with these brilliant forecasts, could 
 not easily succumb to Morpheus ; nevertheless, he finally 
 slept with a smile on his lips. A progressive angel, 
 ready for these emergencies, beat his wings over his brow 
 through the night watches and gave him pleasant 
 dreams. 
 
 The next morning found him in the cheerful frame 
 of mind befitting a man who has seen his efforts crowned 
 with enviable success. He performed his toilet to the 
 humming of scraps of song, he took chocolate with his 
 family, gave a glance at the national and foreign news- 
 papers, and without cutting his usual bundle of tooth- 
 picks, he went out to ascertain what effect the first num- 
 ber of " The Light " had produced upon the town. He 
 was received at Graell's shop with effusion, he was con- 
 gratulated on his article, which he modestly tried to dis- 
 claim, and the talk about the paper was long and eager. 
 
 What most excited the enthusiasm of the habitues of 
 the caf6 was, to think that Nieva had not yet arrived, 
 nor would it arrive for some time, at a similar state of ad- 
 vancement. And Don Eosendo, not a little elated with 
 these eulogies, promised to take active measures in favor 
 of all that was asked of him. One requested that the 
 deep ruts of the Calle de Atras should be mentioned ; 
 another that a lamp should be put outside his house; 
 another that some pills should be recommended ; an- 
 other, that serenades should not disturb the hours of 
 sleep, etc., etc. Don Kosendo assented to all, knitted his 
 brows and extended his open hand in a valedictory fash- 
 ion. The journal would settle it all. Woe to him who 
 ran counter to the reforms of the press ! He had often 
 held forth on toothpicks to the assembly of respected 
 matrons of the town generally gathered in Dofla Eafaelo's 
 shop, but " The Light " was the subject of his discourse 
 
 201 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 to-day. The fiction portion seemed to have met with the 
 most favor from the fair sex ; Don Rosendo told them 
 the next number would be much more interesting, and 
 then he withdrew. 
 
 A party of sailors by the port were loud in their con- 
 gratulations, and they hinted that the harbor was very 
 dirty and required dragging. 
 
 " It shall be done — it shall be done," said Don Eo- 
 sendo, and he went off full of a solemn sense of his om- 
 nipotence, and seeing the large curling waves in the 
 distance, he even asked himself if it would not be a good 
 thing to ask them, by means of the press, to moderate 
 their uncalled-for excitement. At the approach of the 
 dinner hour he directed his steps homewards, meditat- 
 ing on the grave responsibility he would incur before 
 God and man if he did not use his great power for the 
 prosperity and improvement of his native town. On 
 arriving at the Eua Nueva, he met Gabino Maza. The 
 choleric ex-ofiBcer greeted him very politely, asked after, 
 his family, and made the kindest inquiries after the 
 health of each member ; then he talked for some time 
 on the possibility of the cold northeast wind soon chang- 
 ing into a warm, southwesterly one, asked when the next 
 ships would start for America ; he then complained of 
 the dust on the roads, which made walking unpleasant, 
 spoke of the price of codfish, and the news of the New- 
 foundland cod fisheries, but Rosendo naturally expected 
 him to mention the paper. Nothing of the sort. Maza 
 did not make the slightest allusion to it. This began 
 to upset our friend and made his position painful. 
 The conversation passed from one subject to another 
 without bearing at all upon the press. At last Don 
 Rosendo, showing his gleaming teeth, said somewhat 
 abruptly : 
 
 302 
 
i < 
 
 T/i e Light of S ar r i 
 
 J » 
 
 " Have you not received " The Light " ? One of the 
 first copies was sent to you." 
 
 " Dear me! I think it did come to the house yester- 
 day, but I have not opened it yet," returned Maza with 
 affected indifference. "I say, Don Eosendo, will you 
 come and dine with me? Au revoir, then." 
 
 Don Eosendo stood for an instant rooted to the ground, 
 feeling as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown over 
 him. The blood rushed violently to his face, and he 
 almost staggered home. The unexpectedness of the blow 
 made him feel it much more keenly. When the shock 
 had passed off, he fell into a violent passion against that 
 — he could not resist calling him anything less than a 
 malicious and despicable creature. He arrived home in 
 a deplorable state of agitation, and although he took his 
 seat at the table and made violent efforts to calm him- 
 self, his digestion was so thoroughly upset that he 
 recoiled from all food. He was gloomy and silent dur- 
 ing the meal ; a sarcastic smile occasionally wreathed 
 his lips, and he murmured : " The villain ! " 
 
 Finally his wife, who was upset on her own account, 
 ventured to say : 
 
 " What is the matter, Eosendo ? " 
 
 " Nothing, Paulina ; but envy causes a lot of wicked- 
 ness in the world," was the short, bitter reply. 
 
 Having given utterance to this profound remark, he 
 remained in a state of comparative repose, leaning back 
 in an armchair to collect his thoughts ; and after the 
 expiration of half an hour he once more sallied forth in 
 the direction of the Club. On entering the caf§ Gabi- 
 no's voice fell upon his ears, shouting as usual up-stairs. 
 From the staircase he thought he heard him talking of 
 the periodical and calling it "a solemn farce." His 
 heart jumped, and he entered the room agitated and 
 
 20S 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 upset. At the sight of him Maza, who was gesticulat- 
 ing in the centre of a group of men, put on his hat with 
 a sudden gesture, and took a seat upon the sofa. 
 
 Don Lorenzo and Don Peliciano Gomez greeted the 
 new-comer with a certain embarrassment, and with some 
 shamefacedness, all of which confirmed Don Eosendo in 
 his suspicion. He hid his feelings as much as possible, 
 and striving to assume a cheerful demeanor he began 
 talking of the current news. Conversation then took 
 its natural course, and confidence was restored. But 
 the engineer Delaunay, as artful as he was malignant, 
 turned the conversation upon the newspaper, and in the 
 lisping tone that he affected, he said, with an ironical 
 smile, to the founder : 
 
 " "What little contributions are you preparing for the 
 next number, Don Eosendo ? " 
 
 " You will see when it comes out," returned the chief 
 editor, who knew there was a joke underlying the 
 question. 
 
 " Here, in Don Peliciano," continued the engineer 
 with the same smile, " you have a staunch defender." 
 
 "If he defends me it is because somebody has at- 
 tacked me," returned Eosendo with increased asperity. 
 
 Nobody said a word. Silence reigned for some time, 
 until it was broken by Belinchon making a casual re- 
 mark to Don Jaime, and the conversation was resumed. 
 But the blow had only been momentarily averted; thun- 
 der was in the air and soon became audible. 
 
 Maza was consumed with the desire to tell Don Eo- 
 sendo that the paper was a humbug, and the latter was 
 not less anxious to tell Maza that he was a malignant 
 fellow. Thus both took advantage of the first oppor- 
 tunity of communicating these polite remarks. The dis- 
 pute lasted more than two hours. Maza tried to restrain 
 
 204 
 
i ( 
 
 The Light of S a r r i 
 
 > > 
 
 himself because of Don Eosendo's superior position, and 
 besides, lie owed him fifteen thousand reales. The 
 founder of " The Light " also considered it prudent not 
 to give full expression to his thoughts. Nevertheless, for 
 better or for worse, all came out for the edification of the 
 notabilities who ranged themselves on one side or the 
 other of the contending parties. It must be confessed 
 that the minority was on Maza's side. The West In- 
 dians, neutral, as usual in these disputes, occasionally 
 appeared, cue in hand, at the door of the billiard room 
 to listen to the arguments of the disputants and gain 
 some light on the subject. For those discussions were 
 very improving, as they taught them many terms and 
 phrases unknown to them; and thus they were less shut 
 out from even a superficial interest in the many prob- 
 lems of life. It was unfortunate that their devotion to 
 billiards prevented their always listening. 
 
 The state of agitation and anger in which Don Ko- 
 sendo left the club cannot be exaggerated. His noble, 
 magnanimous soul was wounded to the quick by the 
 ingratitude and baseness of his false friends. It must 
 be horrible to live and die in obscurity and to have 
 Heaven-born gifts wasted in boredom and inaction when 
 one is meant to shine in the higher spheres of human 
 society. But it is still more painful to see the depre- 
 ciation of one's noble mental efEorts and magnanimous 
 endeavors for the triumph of goodness and truth. Such 
 was the case with Socrates, Solon, Giordano Bruno, and 
 also with our hero. The first sting of malignity caused 
 him the acute pain which great benefactors of the 
 human race cannot but feel, and his spirit failed him. 
 It was only for a minute, however, a mere passing weak- 
 ness which bore witness to his sensitive disposition. 
 
 Nevertheless, that night he could eat no supper, and 
 
 205 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 it was a long time before he could manage to sleep. To 
 how many depressing thoughts had this incident given 
 rise. "Whilst the common herd of the townsfolk of Sar- 
 rio, destitute of genius, perspicacity, and intellect, slept 
 soundly, the philanthropic man lay tossing on his couch 
 as if it were a bed of thorns, robbed of the enjoyment of 
 refreshing sleep. 
 
 He rose the next morning somewhat pale and hollow- 
 eyed, but firm in his determination to continue his work 
 of regeneration. The sleepless night, instead of weaken- 
 ing his intention and making him relax in his efforts, 
 had only strengthened him in his course, and roused 
 him to fresh efforts. Fire consumes and turns straw 
 to ashes, but it purifies gold. 
 
 Therefore he proceeded enthusiastically in the organi- 
 zation of his plan for the second number, which was to 
 appear the following Thursday, and as usual success 
 brought many offers of assistance. Many were the con- 
 tributions sent for the second number, but the majority 
 was below the mark, and want of space obliged him to 
 reject several that were good. This gave rise to a great 
 deal of grumbling and bad feeling — second difiBculty in 
 the course of his patriotic enterprise. But on the publica- 
 tion of the fifth number there was a much more serious 
 trouble, which caused a great sensation in the town and 
 gave rise to a perfect storm. It happened that Alvaro 
 Pefia, being quite convinced, as we know, that all the 
 miseries and drawbacks suffered by the human race are 
 exclusively due to the clerical influence, thought he 
 would use the press as a field of an active campaign 
 against it. This he opened by sending as skirmishers 
 several paragraphs, asking about the funds of a certain 
 sisterhood of the Rosary which were not forthcoming, 
 speaking in disrespectful terms of the Daughters of 
 
 206 
 
(( 
 
 The Light of S a r r i 0^^ 
 
 Mary, and making irreverent remarks of the nones, and 
 confessions, and also ridiculing the scapularies worn by 
 the young religieuses in the town. But the shots were 
 particularly aimed at Don Benigno the curate, the di- 
 rector of the female consciences of Sarrio and the insti- 
 gator of all those revolts against sin. The rector was an 
 old apathetic man who passed his life in a little house 
 near the town, and willingly left to his curate the care 
 of the souls of his flock. And Don Benigno fulfilled his 
 duty as an active, vigilant, and most zealous pastor, keep- 
 ing watch over the flock by day and night, so that no wolf 
 should take off any sheep, and giving most careful per- 
 sonal attention to those he purposed ofiering to the 
 Heavenly Bridegroom. Nothing could exceed the ardor 
 with which he procured brides for the Most High. As 
 soon as a young girl knelt at his feet for confession he 
 thought that he was in a position to insinuate that the 
 world was corrupt, its pleasures were transitory and 
 often damnatory, earthly love was corrupt, affection as 
 a daughter and sister was despicable, the time of work- 
 ing out salvation was very short, therefore the best 
 thing to be done was to leave this earthy world (Don 
 Benigno was very fond of this adjective), surrender all 
 to Christ, and repair to that delightful retreat spoken of 
 by San Juan de la Cruz, and there remain oblivious of 
 all cares. He knew just such a happy retreat, a real little 
 piece of Heaven, where one could enjoy in anticipation 
 the delights reserved by God for his faithful servants. 
 This retreat was a Carmelite convent, just founded in 
 the outskirts of the town, and the curate was its great 
 patron and supporter. Certainly this had caused a slight 
 coolness between him and Don Segis, the chaplain of the 
 Augustinians, but the latter did not dare to show his 
 resentment because it would not have served his purpose 
 
 207 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 to quarrel with his coadjutor. These insinuations to the 
 young girls were sometimes eSectual, sometimes not. 
 Don Benigno rarely made them in the ears of an elderly 
 person. We do not know if he thought that Heaven 
 would rather receive a bride of fifteen than one of thirty, 
 or whether he thought the older people were more obsti- 
 nate and suspicious than the young girls. Anyhow, 
 that spiritual sport induced interesting episodes. On 
 one occasion the priest was the victim of an assault 
 made by a youth who had been robbed of his bride-elect 
 by the convent. On another occasion, after having 
 obtained a dowry for a young girl, and having provided 
 her with clothes, the bride of Heaven escaped in the 
 night with a tailor's assistant. Don Benigno used to 
 take the brides himself to the abode of the Bridegroom. 
 When there were difficulties to overcome on the part of 
 the family, he bore himself with the skill and energy of 
 a consummate lady-killer, and he organized and carried 
 out the conquest with an astuteness that many mundane 
 suitors would have envied. It was this matter to which 
 Alvaro Pefla referred when in a certain paragraph he 
 mentioned a certain priest devoted to "pigeon-sport." 
 And as we know Don Benigno's proclivity in this direc- 
 tion, the shaft went home with diabolical effect. The 
 readers also understood the allusion, and laughed not a 
 little at the mischievous joke. 
 
 Seeing himself made fun of like this, the priest, being, 
 like all artists, of susceptible and choleric temperament, 
 grew terribly angry. 
 
 " Have you read Don Eosendo's paper ? " he asked 
 Don Segis that evening at Morana's. 
 
 It must be mentioned that since the first irreverent 
 paragraph Don Benigno never spoke of " The Light of 
 Sarrio " by any other term. 
 
 208 
 
( ( 
 
 The Light of Sarrio 
 
 » > 
 
 " Yes, I read it this morning, at Graell's." 
 
 " And what do you think of that insult ? " 
 
 " What insult ? " asked the chaplain calmly. 
 
 " Why, man, have you not read the infamous remarks 
 made about me?" 
 
 Don Segis raised his glass to his eyes, attentively ex- 
 amined the golden liquid, put it to his lips, and slowly 
 drank it. After coughing a little, and drying his mouth 
 with a silk handkerchief, he said gravely : 
 
 "Tush! There is not a kind spirit about it, as we 
 all say; but it is best to take such things calmly, it is no 
 good exciting one's self." 
 
 This is a fresh blow to the curate, who had hoped to 
 find his indignation shared by Don Segis, and he was 
 dumb with suppressed rage. It was thus that the chaplain 
 of the Augustine convent was able to pay Don Benigno 
 out for his uncalled-for partiality to the rising convent. 
 The curate then addressed himself to Seflor Anselmo 
 and to Don Juan, "the old salt," who both expressed 
 disgust at the paragraph, without, however, showing 
 much interest in the subject, for we know that that 
 would not have been in keeping with the quiet charac- 
 ter of the patriarchal gathering. 
 
 But on the following Thursday, Alvaro Pefla left 
 Don Benigno, and attacked the chaplain of the nuns, 
 making him the subject of a description in verse, and 
 giving a graceful reference to the mingling of the glasses 
 of gin with the quarterns of white wine. It was then 
 Don Segis's turn to be furious, and Don Benigno's to be 
 calm. But it was evident that this calmness was only 
 put on, merely assumed to pay Don Segis ofE for his want 
 of sympathy, for, as a matter of fact, he was still bleeding 
 from his wound. Therefore it was not long before a 
 reconciliation took place, and they both agreed, with 
 14 209 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 unusual ardor, to skin every one who wrote in Don 
 Eosendo's paper, beginning with the founder himself, 
 and ending with the owner of the printing press. They 
 were quite aware that Alvaro Pefla was the author of the 
 insults, but as every one had always known that he was a 
 soulless vampire, capable of sucking the blood of all the 
 clerics of Sarrio, to avoid harping on the same string 
 they soon turned from him and laid all the blame on 
 Sinforoso. 
 
 They considered themselves justified in this course, 
 because the young fellow had been a seminarist, and 
 consequently a traitor. Then he came from the same 
 stock, for his father was a Carlist, and his grand- 
 father before him. Moreover, Don Eosendo Belinchon, 
 Don Eudesindo, and Alvaro Pefla and Don Eufo, all 
 men of certain position in the town, might have some 
 license and do as they liked— "but that puppy! that 
 ragamuffin ! " 
 
 Excited by the murmur of applause, Don Benigno 
 drank a few more quarterns than usual, and the chap- 
 lain would not let himself be outdone. 
 
 When the habitues left the shop in the classic chain, 
 Don Segis noticed that his swelled leg dragged less than 
 usual, and he remarked it to Don Benigno, who congrat- 
 ulated him on the fact. Then when, a few steps later, 
 they reached the walls of Augustine convent, Don Segis 
 said in a loud voice, that as he felt no desire to go to 
 bed that night he would go on with him. But the 
 curate whispered in his ear that he would like to speak 
 to him in private, so both remained in front of the 
 convent. 
 
 "Friend Don Segis, what do you think of going and 
 pulling Perinolo's son's nose for him ? " 
 
 " Gently ! gently ! gently ! " 
 210 
 
(( 
 
 The Light of S a r r i 
 
 ■> 1 
 
 "If we could only give him a hiding, without any 
 scandal, of course." 
 
 " Gently ! gently ! " 
 
 " At eleven, or half past, they leave the oaf 6. We can 
 wait for him about there, and then administer a little 
 corporal punishment." 
 
 " Gently ! gently ! gently ! " 
 
 " Are you a man, or are you not, Don Segis ? " 
 
 This question, innocent as it was, produced great per- 
 turbation in the mind of the chaplain, to judge by the 
 series of faces and agitated gestures which he made be- 
 fore he could find his voice. 
 
 "Who? I? I would never have believed that a 
 friend and coadjutor could say such a thing to me ! " 
 
 Then he turned aside in great emotion, and raised his 
 handkerchief to his eyes, which shed some tears. 
 
 " Well, men should comfort themselves as men. Come 
 along, and let ns chastise this rascal." 
 
 " Come along ! " replied the chaplain in a firm tone, 
 as he turned in the direction of his house. 
 
 " Not that way, Don Segis." 
 
 " Which way you like." 
 
 The two clerics took each other by the arm, and pro- 
 ceeded on their way, not without certain vacillations, in 
 the direction of the Oaf 6 Marina. It must be observed 
 that they both adopted a lay costume in the evening ; 
 they wore black frock coats, with full skirts and tight 
 sleeves, thick boots, and enormous felt hats. 
 
 It was a good quarter of an hour before they finally 
 reached the cafe. Once there, dazzled by the lights, like 
 silly butterflies, they almost collapsed and withdrew. 
 
 "It will be better to wait for him near his own 
 house. There are several people about here still," said 
 Don Benigno. 
 
 311 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Don Segis, being in a submissive state of mind, fol- 
 lowed bis friend's suggestion. 
 
 In tbe Calle de Caborana, at the corner of that of 
 Azucar, which leads to the Eua Nueva, they both took 
 up their positions, a stroiie of strategy, as the enemy 
 had to pass that way, for his house was situated in the 
 Calle de Caborana. Then the two clerics displayed the 
 persistence of the Navarrese in the defile of Konces- 
 valles, for during the half hour's waiting, they bore 
 with indomitable heroism exposure to a fine rain, with- 
 out fear of rheumatism or without any other mundane 
 consideration causing them to budge an inch from their 
 post of occupation. Finally, relieved in his mind and 
 satisfied with having maintained a heated discussion in 
 the caf 6, the chief editor of " The Light " directed his 
 steps to his house, when he unexpectedly came upon the 
 enraged curate, who said in a shrill voice : 
 
 " Listen here, boy ; if you will now repeat the insults 
 which you have written in Don Rosendo's paper, I shall 
 be very glad to hear them." 
 
 Surprise, the sarcastic and threatening tone of the 
 priest, and the sight of the portly form of Don Segis 
 standing motionless as a reserve force a few steps off, 
 filled Sinforoso with such terror that for some time he 
 was speechless ; and it was only when the cleric ad- 
 vanced a step towards him that he managed to say : 
 
 " Calm yourself, Don Benigno. I did not use your 
 name." 
 
 " Hallo 1 " exclaimed the priest with a fierce smile, 
 " I see you don't crow so loud now. What is the matter 
 with the cock that does not crow ? What is wrong with 
 the cock that does not crow, boy ? " 
 
 Don Benigno took a step forward, and Sinforoso took a 
 step backward. 
 
 212 
 
^^The Light of Sarrio'''' 
 
 Don Segis, the reserve force, also advanced a step 
 to preserve the strategical distance. 
 
 " Calm yourself, Don Benigno ! " cried Sinforoso in 
 terror. 
 
 "I am very calm, young fellow ! I only want to 
 hear that about the doves again which pleased me so 
 much." 
 
 "I did not write it!" exclaimed Perinolo's son in 
 dismay. 
 
 " You did not write it, boy ? Then take this for 
 when you do write it." And he levelled a blow at the 
 editor's cheek. 
 
 " Calm yourself, Don Benigno ! " exclaimed the 
 wretched fellow as he fell backwards with his hands 
 outstretched. 
 
 "Don't I tell you I am very calm? You braggart. 
 Here's another little dove ! " And he administered 
 another blow. 
 
 "For God's sake, Don Benigno, calm yourself ! " 
 
 " There goes another little dove 1 " another blow fol- 
 lowed. 
 
 Let us say now, before going any farther, that of all 
 the blows given in Sarrio during the two years subse- 
 quent to the appearance of " The Light " (and goodness 
 knows they were innumerable), the cheeks of this distin- 
 guished youth were the butt of at least one-half of 
 them. 
 
 Being powerless to calm his infuriated assailant by 
 his entreaties, and suspecting the doves would prove to 
 be numerous, the chief editor cried out with all his 
 strength : 
 
 "Help! help! They are killing me!" Then he 
 turned round to take refuge in flight, but the iron 
 fingers of the priest caught him by the arm, and at the 
 
 213 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 same moment Don Segis, thinking that the time had 
 come for him to join in the fray, levelled a heavy blow 
 on his shoulders with his stout stick. 
 
 " Help ! " cried the wretched fellow again. It hap- 
 pened that at that moment Alvaro PeQa, the intrepid 
 naval officer, who was proceeding from Graell's shop, 
 where he generally spent his evenings, to his dwelling 
 in the Calle del Azucar, rushed to the spot, saying : 
 
 "What is the matter, Sinforoso? What is the mat- 
 ter ? " 
 
 " Help, Don Alvaro; they are killing me! " 
 
 " Hold on, Sinforoso, help is coming ! " he cried as 
 he rapidly approached. 
 
 The priests, hearing the voice of that hated and ter- 
 rible enemy of the Church, were much alarmed, but em- 
 boldened by the fight, they faced him in battle line with 
 their sticks raised in the air. Pefla was filled with 
 mingled rage and pleasure as he advanced to the attack. 
 
 " Windbags ! " he cried, as he wielded his stick, and 
 Don Benigno's enormous hat flew twenty paces off. 
 
 Don Segis advanced with the purpose of aiming his 
 stick at the head of the officer, but before he could do 
 so a blow caught him at the back of the head, leaving 
 him badly hurt. 
 
 " It might have been expected. Caramba ! only noc- 
 turnal birds are capable of treacherously laying in wait 
 for a defenceless man, making a street brawl and dis- 
 turbing the neighbors' rest. We must have done with 
 these bloodsuckers who sap the life of the town and try 
 to keep it in a state of barbarism. Call these the min- 
 isters of God ! The apostles of charity ! The eternal 
 disturbers of the social circle ! " 
 
 Even in this critical moment the officer could not 
 drop the anti-clerical rhetoric and pompous style that 
 
 214 
 
a 
 
 The Light of S a r r i 
 
 5 » 
 
 he always adopted. Every phrase was accompanied 
 with a blow. The priests being powerless to withstand 
 his furious attack, tried to take to their heels. The 
 curate soon got out of reach of the stick, but poor Don 
 Segis, with the extraordinary weight of his left leg, was 
 left behind, and had to endure the blows from PeQa's 
 weapon for some time. Alvaro's voice could be heard 
 in the distance, crying out in mocking rebuke : 
 
 " Hypocrites ! Whited sepulchres ! Is this con- 
 formity with the spirit of the Gospel, you brawlers? 
 You preach peace and love to mankind, and you are the 
 first to disgrace the sacred doctrine ! When shall we 
 shake off your yoke and emancipate ourselves from the 
 slavery in which you have kept us for so long! " 
 
 Any one would have thought to hear him that he was 
 making a speech in some democratic club instead of 
 administering corporal punishment. 
 
 Thas ended that encounter. 
 
 The next morning the harbor-master received a visit 
 from the rector of Sarrio, who came to implore him not 
 to make mention of the unfortunate incident in the 
 newspaper, and offering all kinds of apologies to both 
 him and Sinforoso on behalf of the curate and Don 
 Segis. 
 
 Pefia declined to accede to this request, for it was an 
 admirable opportunity to open an attack upon the ene- 
 mies of liberty and progress ; and, in fact, the next num- 
 ber of " The Light " contained a circumstantial account, 
 written in a humorous style, of all that had taken place, 
 which greatly exercised the minds of the clergy and the 
 timorous people in the town. 
 
 315 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 GOKZALO MABEIES. — SEKIOUS DISTUEBANCES AMONG 
 THE MEMBERS OF THE CLUB 
 
 The weighty and serious matters on Don Rosendo's 
 mind prevented his giving the painful incident that 
 had disturbed the even tenor of his house the especial 
 attention that he would have acccorded it at any other 
 time. Nevertheless he was much upset when he learned 
 of Gonzalo's treachery and his younger daughter's mis- 
 conduct, and he held long conversations with his wife 
 on the subject — irrefutable proof that great men may 
 be full of exalted, grand ideas, and yet not blind to the 
 things of this world, as is usually supposed. His first 
 impulse was to send off Gonzalo and shut his daughter 
 up in a convent, but the entreaties of Dofia Paula and 
 his own clear-minded conclusions led him to change his 
 purpose. 
 
 At the expiration of some days of indecision (the bur- 
 den of the other cares caused their number to be few) 
 he granted the ill-conducted young people permission to 
 marry ; but not without first having an interview with 
 Cecilia, and hearing from her lips that she willingly for- 
 gave her sister, and wished the marriage to take place as 
 soon as possible. 
 
 The consent being given, Gonzalo presented himself 
 one afternoon at Belinchon's house. It was a fortnight 
 since he had been there, and his heart sank at the pros- 
 pect in spite of his wishes having been so fully and 
 promptly realized. He dreaded the first interview, and 
 
 216 
 
G n % a 1 Marries 
 
 not without reason. Dofia Paula received him with 
 marked coldness, and even the servants' manners were 
 tinged with a hostility which hurt him. 
 
 Then the idea of seeing Cecilia made him tremble. 
 But when Venturita came into the room all his fear and 
 depression vanished. Her sprightly chatter, the bright 
 sparkle of her eyes and her graceful mocking coquetry 
 quickly raised his spirits, and transported him into the 
 seventh heaven. The enchanting enthraldom of her 
 voice and manners had lulled him into an indifEerence 
 to all else by the time Cecilia entered the room. 
 
 The sight of his victim exercised a strange and sud- 
 den efEect upon him ; he automatically rose from his 
 seat, and his face changed color. 
 
 " How do you do, Gonzalo ? " 
 
 This was said by Cecilia, as if she had seen him the 
 preceding day and nothing particular had happened, 
 only she was a shade paler than usual. But the young 
 man was so overwhelmed with confusion that he could 
 not reply to this simple question without stuttering. 
 The clear and tranquil glance of Cecilia afEected him 
 like an electric current, and he turned to Dofia Paula, 
 whose face was overshadowed with a severe and melan- 
 choly expression, whilst Venturita looked out of the 
 window with assumed indifEerence. At last he resumed 
 his seat, trembling violently, and Cecilia, who had come 
 to ask her mother for the keys of the cupboards, gave 
 him a quiet smile of farewell as she left the room. 
 
 The preparations for the marriage commenced. Dofia 
 Paula had the delicacy, rare in a low-born woman, not 
 to allow a single article of wearing apparel made for 
 Cecilia to serve for her sister. 
 
 So a fresh trousseau was quickly put in hand. To the 
 great surprise of the needlewomen, Cecilia joined in the 
 
 217 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 work. Some attributed this concession to kindness, 
 others to want of feeling. It is true that, although a 
 little thin, her face expressed the same quiet cheerfulness 
 as ever, and her fingers worked at her sister's initials 
 with the same dexterity as when she embroidered her 
 own. But the cutting of the scissors, cMs, chis, and 
 the sewing of the needles, cruj, cruj, seemed to say hor- 
 rible things, ah ! yery horrible things, instead of those 
 pretty ones which used to make her tremble with joy. 
 
 They remained buried in her heart, however, and the 
 keenest observer would have read nothing in those 
 large, liquid, beautiful eyes but the usual quiet smile. 
 
 "Didn't I tell you so, girl?" whispered Teresa in 
 Valentina's ear as she looked at our young friend. 
 
 "Yes, Seflorita Cecilia is incapable of loving any- 
 body." 
 
 Gonzalo avoided the workroom, and when perchance 
 he appeared he was so abashed and confused that the 
 embroideresses winked at each other and smiled. Seeing 
 him so embarrassed, and Cecilia so calm and indifferent, 
 you would have thought that the parts played by both in 
 the sad love affair had been reversed. 
 
 In the meantime tongues wagged on the subject in 
 the shops, in the houses, in the streets, and at the Prom- 
 enade — there was no end to it. The event caused a 
 great sensation in the town. Whilst preparations for 
 Cecilia's marriage had been going on, it had been the 
 general opinion that Gonzalo showed a deplorable want 
 of taste, that he was throwing himself away on the poor 
 girl, who was represented as little less than a monster of 
 ugliness ; and they all wondered why he had not chosen 
 her sister, who was so lovely and so graceful. Directly 
 they learned of the change their opinions suddenly veered 
 round. 
 
 218 
 
G n z a 1 Marries 
 
 " What a scandal ! What a disgraceful proceeding ! 
 What parents to consent to such infamy ! Where was 
 the shame of some people ? Poor girl, so beautiful, so 
 slender, with such lovely eyes ! Well, I consider her 
 prettier than her sister." 
 
 "So do I." 
 
 We must not miss the opportunity of saying that this 
 eternal discontent of people with regard to the actions 
 of their fellow-creatures, much as it upsets us, does not 
 argue intentional unkindness, malignity, or envy, as we 
 are apt to think when we are the object of their re- 
 marks ; it is nothing but an evident tribute to the im- 
 perfection of our planetary existence and the love of 
 the ideal that every one bears within himself without 
 ever seeing it realized. After having thus shown our- 
 selves both philosophical and optimistic, we will proceed 
 with our story. 
 
 The day of the marriage arrived. It was solemnized 
 early in the morning at Belinchon's house, in the pres- 
 ence of a few relations and friends ; and after taking 
 chocolate, the bride and bridegroom left for Tejada. 
 
 This was an estate about four miles from the town, 
 where Don Eosendo's genius, aided by money, had had 
 full scope to produce great efEects. When he bought 
 the place it consisted of several fields and a wood, where 
 cows pastured, and the notes of thrushes, linnets, and 
 blackbirds filled the air. Don Eosendo began by doing 
 away with this indigenous colony, and substituting a 
 foreign one for it. The breed of cattle of the country 
 was proscribed and replaced by one from Switzerland. 
 The same ruthlessness was shown in robbing the trees of 
 their native songsters, and hanging them with cages full 
 of rare, exotic birds that croaked dolefully all the year 
 round at sunset. The energetic reformatory spirit of 
 
 319 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Don Rosendo did not stop at the animal kingdom, for 
 it was brought with equal relentlessness to bear upon 
 the vegetable one, and the character of the place was 
 thus completely transformed. By degrees the great 
 shady chestnut trees, with their gnarled trunks; the 
 gigantic oaks, which had renewed their scalloped foliage 
 more than three hundred times; the walnut trees, that 
 looked like enormous thistles; the luxuriant orchard 
 trees, bowed to the ground with the weight of the lus- 
 cious fruit, and many other trees pertaining to a good 
 landed property in the country, all gradually succumbed 
 to the saw and the axe. 
 
 Washingtonians, araucarias, excelsas, and many other 
 trees of foreign extraction, chiefly of the coniferse family, 
 were planted in their room, which made the place look 
 something like a cemetery in the eyes of the vulgar. 
 
 However, when any such remark was made to Don 
 Eosendo he merely replied that coniferse had the advan- 
 tage of foliage during the winter, and the vulgar would 
 return that that very fact made it look like a cemetery 
 in the winter, and in the summer too. But Don Eo- 
 sendo did not deign to reply to such a silly remark, and 
 in this he was right. 
 
 As everything that is worth much costs much, the 
 foreigners of both kingdoms absorbed a good deal of 
 Belinchon's income. The birds of the country had fed 
 themselves and dressed their feathers without any ex- 
 traneous assistance, but those from abroad, shut up in 
 cages and enormous aviaries made for the purpose, re- 
 quired several attendants to feed them and to keep their 
 places clean. Then home-sicknesa caused great blanks 
 among them which could only be filled by sending ex- 
 pensive orders to Paris and London. The same thing 
 happened with the vegetable kingdom, only of every 
 
 220 
 
G n z a 1 Marries 
 
 plant that succeeded by dint of great care and cultiva- 
 tion thirty or forty died, and the constant attention of 
 the gardeners could not prevent this mortality. 
 
 The house was also neither Spanish nor European in 
 style. It was built in Chinese style, with little pagodas 
 rising upon every side. I do not know what connection 
 these little towers had with Babel, the scene of the con- 
 fusion of tongues, but I must tell you that in the neigh- 
 borhood the fantastic building went by the name of 
 "Don Eosendo's Babel." 
 
 It was magnificently furnished, and wanting in none 
 of the comforts and refinements aflEorded by modern 
 civilization to the rich. It had a splendid room, deco- 
 rated in Persian style, a bath-room, a large dining- 
 room, fairly well frescoed, and several beautiful little 
 airy apartments, where the light penetrated through col- 
 ored windows. 
 
 So Gonzalo and Ventura repaired to this nest two 
 hours after their union had been solemnized. On their 
 way thither they had talked without embarrassment on 
 different subjects. The young man had imprinted sev- 
 eral kisses on the cheeks of the girl, as when they were 
 betrothed ; but on arriving at the " Babel," and find- 
 ing themselves alone in the Persian chamber, he was 
 overwhelmed with confusion and awkwardness. 
 
 He tried to find subjects of conversation, but he 
 failed in the attempt. 
 
 Venturita scarcely answered him, but she looked at 
 him with an expression of mingled passion and coquetry. 
 
 " Look here, stop — stop talking that nonsense. 
 Leave oflE and give me a kiss," she added laughing, and 
 patting his mouth with her primrose hand. Then Gon- 
 zalo colored deeply, and kissed her passionately. 
 
 His passion of these first days bordered on madness. 
 221 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Venturita, with her singular beauty, the languid, volup- 
 tuous expression of her eyes, and her invincible ten- 
 dency to recline, was a perfect odalisque. But unlike 
 one in being merely a beautiful animal, she was full of 
 a mischievous spirit that bubbled forth at every moment 
 in rather equivocal jokes and meaning puns, so that 
 Gonzalo was always roaring with merriment, in igno- 
 rance of the danger of that mood between husband and 
 wife. The life they led was very sedentary, for Ventura 
 did not like going out; the sun gave her headache and 
 the cold hurt her throat. She spent much time in the 
 adornment of her person, and changed her dresses as 
 often as if she were in Madrid, so that the greater part 
 of the day was spent in her dressing-room. This did not 
 displease Gonzalo; for, on the contrary, when he saw 
 her appear looking lovely and graceful, exhaling a pen- 
 etrating perfume like a tropical flower, he was trans- 
 ported with delight, and a tremor of passion shook his 
 whole being as he thought that that exquisite work of 
 nature was his — entirely his. 
 
 Nevertheless, everything was not quite like what he 
 had imagined it would be. Sometimes the young bride, 
 half in earnest, half in joke, shut herself up in her 
 room and there spent three or four hours without per- 
 mitting him to enter, in spite of his affectionate en- 
 treaties through the keyhole. 
 
 " I rob you of the sight of me for some time," she 
 would say afterwards, laughing, " to increase your wish 
 to be with me." 
 
 And, in fact, these coquetries augmented the young 
 man's passion to such an extent that it became quite a 
 madness. When the beauty felt inclined, they walked 
 in the grounds, but they did not go far. On arriving 
 at one of the few shady, cool retreats which had escaped 
 
 332 
 
G n z a 1 Marries 
 
 the reforming hand of Don Eosendo, the girl liked to 
 sit down — but neither upon the grass nor the rustic 
 seats, so Gonzalo had to run and fetch an armchair for 
 her from the house. 
 
 " Now sit here at my feet." 
 
 The young man then prostrated himself at her side 
 and passionately kissed the hands that his beautiful 
 wife gave him. 
 
 " Samson and Delilah ! " she laughingly exclaimed, 
 putting her snowdrop hands through the ruddy curly 
 beard of her husband. 
 
 " You are right," he replied with a sigh. " A Sam- 
 son without hair." 
 
 " You no hair ! — and this — what is this ? " she re- 
 turned, ruffling his locks and making them stand up 
 like a broom. 
 
 " I am speaking of my strength." 
 
 "You have not strength, eh? Let's see — show me 
 your arms." 
 
 Laughing, he took off his jacket, and turning up the 
 sleeves of his shirt he brought to view his enormous 
 gladiatorial arms, on which the powerful muscles stood 
 up like a network of cords. 
 
 " What strength ! " exclaimed the girl, taking hold 
 of one arm with both hands, which were unable to com- 
 pass it. Then, seized with sudden enthusiasm and 
 admiration, she added : 
 
 " How strong, how handsome you are, Gonzalo ! Let 
 me bite your arm ? " 
 
 And bending down she tried to insert her pretty little 
 teeth into the flesh, but the youth had such iron mus- 
 cles that her teeth only passed over the skin without 
 breaking it. 
 
 Then she grew vexed, and tried again to succeed in 
 223 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 piercing the flesli at all costs. Finally he relaxed his 
 muscles, and said : 
 
 " I will let you bite me, but only on condition that 
 you draw blood." 
 
 "No, not so," she replied, whilst her pleased smile 
 expressed the wish to do it. 
 
 " Yes, you must draw blood ; if not I won't let you 
 do it." 
 
 Then the girl proceeded to bite her husband's arm. 
 
 " Harder ! " he cried. 
 
 And she bit harder. 
 
 " Harder ! " he repeated. 
 
 And she bit harder still, whilst a mischievous smile 
 sparkled in her eyes. 
 
 " Harder ! harder ! " 
 
 "Enough," she said, rising from her seat; "don't 
 you see I have drawn blood? How cruel, just as if I 
 were a dog ! " 
 
 And bending down again, she sucked with delight 
 the blood that welled up in the arm. Both smiled with 
 repressed passion, and then they looked at the little red 
 circle made by the girl's teeth. 
 
 " Do you see ? " she repeated, half ashamed. " Well, 
 it was one of your strange fancies ! " 
 
 "Thanks! I should like this mark to remain here 
 forever. But no, unfortunately it will soon go." 
 
 "I can renew it every day," she mischievously re- 
 turned. 
 
 " I should be very pleased." 
 
 " You want to make your wife into a little dog ; well, 
 you had better say so plainly." 
 
 And suddenly embracing him, and kissing him pas- 
 sionately on the eyes, cheeks, mouth, and beard, she 
 repeated incessantly : 
 
 334 
 
G n % a 1 Marries 
 
 "Say so plainly! say so plainly, you bear! This 
 mouth is mine, and I kiss it. This beard is mine, and 
 I kiss it, too. This neck is mine, and I kiss it. These 
 arms are mine, mine, and I kiss them too ! " 
 
 "Take me altogether; my life is yours," he said, 
 intoxicated with happiness. 
 
 " I love you ; I love you, Gonzalo, for your good looks 
 and your strength. Look, let me put my hand on 
 yours — what a difference ! It looks like an ant." 
 
 " A white ant," he returned, taking the little hand 
 between his own great strong ones. 
 
 " I love you ; I love you, Gonzalo. Take me in your 
 arms. Could you walk with me like that ? " 
 
 " Oh ! you are nothing." 
 
 And lifting her like a feather, and putting her on 
 his arm like a child, he began jumping about the garden. 
 
 "ISot so fast ! Carry me gently. Let us go for a 
 walk." 
 
 So he carried her all over the park without feeling 
 any fatigue. And from that day that kind of walk 
 pleased the girl so much that whenever they went out 
 she clung to her husband's neck for him to carry her. 
 
 The servants smiled and shook their heads at the 
 sight. But a still better way of amusing her was very 
 soon discovered. There was a swing near the house, 
 out of order, but more from time than use. It was re- 
 paired, and as soon as it was ready it afforded many 
 hours of occupation to Gonzalo. 
 
 "If you could only know how I enjoy it ! Push a 
 little more." 
 
 Whereupon the youth's vigorous push made the swing 
 fly, and the girl's eyes closed and her nostrils dilated 
 with a feeling of intense delight, and Gonzalo liked see- 
 ing her so well amused. 
 
 15 325 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Thus twenty days went by. During that time they 
 received two visits from Pablito and Piscis; once they 
 came in the tilbury, and once on horseback. The chief 
 object on this last occasion was to ride a mare that Pablo 
 had received in exchange for an older one. And strange 
 to say, in spite of being so much in love, our young 
 friend received the visits of the two equestrians with 
 inexpressible delight, entered deeply into their interests, 
 and when they had gone he had a feeling of void in his 
 life, for his blood and his muscles were suffering from 
 the extremely sedentary life he was leading. One day 
 he proposed to his wife to go shooting, for he was an 
 excellent shot and an indefatigable sportsman. Ven- 
 turita made no objection as long as she could go with 
 him, and so it was arranged. Therefore, one morning 
 they went in search of a covey of partridges, the exist- 
 ence of which Gonzalo had been aware of since the day 
 of his arrival at Tejada. But before they had gone half 
 a mile from the house Venturita was quite done up, 
 she could not take another step. Her husband, there- 
 fore, was obliged to carry her back in his arms, and 
 forego his favorite pastime. 
 
 Dofla Paula, who had regarded the marriage with great 
 aversion, did not make any allusion to visiting the bride 
 and bridegroom until many days had elapsed. She 
 then suggested to Pablito to accompany her, because she 
 feared it would pain Cecilia to do so ; but the girl 
 quietly expressed her intention of also going to Tejada. 
 So one afternoon the mother and daughter started ofE to 
 the place in an open carriage ; but on coming in sight of 
 the well-known little stone towers, Cecilia turned pale — 
 she felt a pain at her heart and she could hardly see ; 
 so when Dofla Paula saw her daughter's indisposition 
 she gave orders to the coachman to turn back. 
 
 226 
 
G n z a 1 Marries 
 
 " Poor girl ! " she said, kissing her. " You see you 
 cannot do it." 
 
 "I shall be able — I shall be able to," she returned, 
 covering her eyes with her hand. 
 
 On the following day Dofia Paula paid the visit, ac- 
 companied by Pablo, and she cordially invited the bride 
 and bridegroom to leave the retired spot and to come to 
 them in town, so this they did the following week. 
 
 Cecilia came down to the street door to receive the 
 couple ; she embraced and kissed her sister warmly, she 
 gave her hand to Gonzalo, and kept it from trembling 
 by a supreme effort of will ; and the young man em- 
 braced her with a fraternal afEection, thinking himself 
 forgiven. 
 
 The bride and bridegroom were put in possession of 
 the rooms that Dofia Paula had destined for her eldest 
 daughter, and, to all appearances, life resumed its peace- 
 ful course. Nevertheless, Gonzalo was sorry to see 
 that they were not environed with that warm and genial 
 atmosphere which adds so much to the comfort of the 
 domestic hearth. Everybody was kind and attentive, 
 from Don Kosendo down to the lowest servant ; but no 
 afEection was shown them. Ventura did not notice it, 
 or if she noticed it she did not much mind. 
 
 We must now turn to the more important business of 
 the public life of Sarrio. 
 
 After that grand victory over the clergy, " The Light 
 of Sarrio " resumed its successful and prosperous course. 
 The boisterous, vehement harbormaster was able to con- 
 tinue his civilizing crusade without fear of any more 
 ambuscades. Sinforoso did not give up his post ; how- 
 ever, he never went home without being accompanied 
 by Maza or some other friend, both being well armed. 
 
 But Gabino Maza, who was always captious, knew 
 237 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 how to make a malicious use of the rupture with the 
 Church by appealing to the consciences of several of the 
 townsfolk. Not that he was a strict Catholic, or cared 
 a rap whether the whole priestcraft were rooted up like 
 parsley, or not, for his ideas had always been somewhat 
 heterodox, and the clergy had long considered him be- 
 yond the pale, yet he was the one now to be shocked. 
 
 "After all," he said, "we have been brought up to 
 respect religion, which is the only curb upon a town, 
 and people cannot be allowed to ride roughshod over the 
 sacred beliefs of our wives," etc. 
 
 These perfidious insinuations caused several people to 
 give up their subscriptions to the paper. 
 
 The editor and the proprietor, who divined the source 
 of the blow, were greatly indignant ; but Gabino Maza, 
 seconded by the no less irrepressible Delaunay, did not 
 relax in his contentious campaign. If any of the stafiE 
 of " The Light " were present nothing was said, but di- 
 rectly they left tongues wagged freely and furiously. 
 Sometimes seriously and sometimes jokingly they dis- 
 cussed all who were concerned with the paper, more 
 especially, as was only logical, its highest representative 
 — the eminent Don Eosendo. They said (oh ! disgrace- 
 ful conduct !) that it was only the desire of seeing him- 
 self in print which had inspired him with the philan- 
 thropic movement of lighting the torch of progress in 
 Sarrio ; that Don Eufo, the doctor, was an impostor ; 
 Sinforoso, a poor thing — a broken reed to lean upon ; 
 Alvaro Pefla (here the voices were lowered and furtive 
 looks cast round), a blusterer without a spice of justice 
 in him ; Don Feliciano Gomez, a poor devil who had 
 better look after his own not very flourishing affairs ; 
 Don Eudesindo, a great brawler who was only trying to 
 let his storehouse and advertise his cider ; and as to the 
 
 228 
 
G n z a 1 Marries 
 
 originator and promoter of the enterprise, Don Rosendo, 
 they said that he had always been a stupid fool, who had 
 thought himself an author when in fact he understood 
 nothing but the rise and fall of the price of codfish. 
 
 Only the imperious duty of acting as faithful and 
 impartial chroniclers obliges ns to record such remarks ; 
 for of a truth it is much against the grain — the pen 
 itself even seeming to revolt in one's hand against writ- 
 ing down such abominable things. 
 
 The backbiters abstained from speaking against Don 
 Pedro Miranda because they had already asked him to 
 withdraw from the periodical, which he seemed inclined 
 to do after the skirmish with the clergy ; for Don Pedro 
 was an old Christian, and a great friend of the Augus- 
 tinian chaplain. The malignant remarks were successful 
 in setting some of the influential ladies of the town 
 against the paper, amongst whom was Dofla Brigida ; so 
 the foolish and degraded Marin went over to their side 
 at the Club. 
 
 The dissentient side was also increased by the drunken 
 alcalde, for a feeling of fellowship with the habitu§s of 
 the caf6, and the vexation caused him by the constant 
 excitement of the press, made him quickly retire from 
 the great reform movement. That which finally set him 
 against "The Light" and its stafE was a paragraph in 
 which the alcalde and the corporation were severely cen- 
 sured for the license they allowed the town police and 
 the little they did to render Sarrio a pleasant seaside re- 
 sort for distinguished scrofulous patients in the summer. 
 
 Although they outwardly behaved as friends, a veiled, 
 silent enmity reigned among the chief habitues of the 
 Club, and this increased day by day, thanks to the 
 mischief-makers, who never cease on such occasions to 
 air the differences and dislikes. Thenceforth they 
 
 239 
 
The Fourth Esiaie 
 
 avoided quarrels and disputes because the angry cries 
 and insulting terms whicli naeant nothing in former 
 days were now, thanks to the cordial dislike which 
 existed among them all, fraught with much danger. 
 
 Therefore greater silence and more courtesy reigned 
 in the resort, but it was accompanied with less frankness 
 and cordiality. That strange state of feeling could not 
 last long. Among people meeting every day and not 
 being very cordial with each other, a quarrel is soon in- 
 evitable. It happened thus. There arrived at the 
 saloon, no one knew how, a copy of a certain Catalonian 
 illustrated paper, where, among other pictures, was one 
 representing the banks of an American river, upon which 
 a dozen crocodiles were disporting themselves. Maza 
 had the paper in his hand when Eufo came up behind 
 him and said in a jocular tone : 
 
 " A lot of crocodiles, eh ? " 
 
 " They are not crocodiles," returned Maza in a dry, 
 disdainful tone, without raising his head. 
 
 " And why are they not ? " asked the doctor, wounded 
 by the tone. 
 
 " Because they are not." 
 
 " That is no reason." 
 
 " If you don't know, study ; I am not here to teach 
 you for nothing." 
 
 " Chut ! The sage of Greece. Stand off, gentle- 
 men ! " 
 
 "I am not a sage, but I say these animals are not 
 crocodiles, for there are no crocodiles in the river Mara- 
 non." 
 
 " What are they, then?" 
 
 "Alligators." 
 
 " Call them what you like ! Alligators and crocodiles 
 are the same." 
 
 230 
 
G n % a 1 M a r r i e s 
 
 " Another atrocity ! Where did you learn that ? " 
 
 " "Why, man, it is a well-known fact that the alligator 
 and crocodile only difEer in name. Here is Don Lorenzo, 
 who has travelled, and can tell us whether it is not so." 
 
 "The alligator is rather smaller," observed Don 
 Lorenzo, with a conciliatory smile. 
 
 " The size is of little consequence. The question is 
 whether it has the same form or not." 
 
 Don Lorenzo nodded in sign of assent. Maza jumped 
 up in a fury : 
 
 " But gentlemen ! But gentlemen ! Are we among 
 cultivated people or among country clowns ? Where do 
 you find that crocodiles are the same as alligators ? The 
 crocodile is an animal of the Old World, and the alli- 
 gator of the New." 
 
 " Excuse me, friend Maza, but I have seen crocodiles 
 in the Philippines," returned Don Eudesindo. 
 
 " Well, and what if you have ? " 
 
 " Because you say crocodiles don't belong to the Old 
 World " 
 
 " No more they do I Are not the Philippines in the 
 New World? Gentlemen, gentlemen, open your um- 
 brellas, for fooleries are raining down now." 
 
 "What? Do you mean to say that the Philippines 
 are not in the other hemisphere ? " asked Don Eudesindo, 
 his face distorted with rage. 
 
 " Never mind ; never mind ; go on." 
 
 " The chief difference between the crocodile and the 
 alligator," intervened Don Lorenzo in a tone of au- 
 thority, "is that the crocodile has three rows of teeth, 
 and the alligator only two." 
 
 " It is not so, sir ; it is not so ! Crocodiles have the 
 same rows of teeth as alligators." 
 
 Don Lorenzo received this remark with indignation, 
 231 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 and Don Eudesindo came to his support ; Maza, seconded 
 by Delaunay, was not less furious in his attack. Several 
 members of the Club soon joined in the dispute, which 
 got warmer every minute. The voices were deafening. 
 If they had had three rows of teeth like the crocodiles, 
 or even two, I do not doubt that they would have de- 
 voured each other, seeing the rage and passion with 
 which they showed the one set with which nature had 
 endowed them. Maza was so aggressive and so insolent 
 that at last Don Rudesindo, no longer master of himself, 
 gave him a blow on the head with his umbrella. The 
 subsequent conflict of sticks and umbrellas made a noise 
 so terrible that it would have struck terror into the 
 bravest heart. Several who had no recollection of hav- 
 ing given any opinion on the teeth of the reptiles in 
 question received their share of umbrella blows the 
 same as those who had discoursed upon the subject. 
 The master and several other people came up-stairs, the 
 West Indians left ofE playing billiards, Don Melchor de 
 las Cuevas, a person of influence in war as well as in 
 peace, mediated between the combatants, and the dis- 
 turbance was finally quelled, but it was some months 
 before their tempers cooled down. 
 
 The result was, that from that day Gabino Maza, 
 Delaunay, Don Roque, Marin, and three or four other 
 members left the Club. Don Pedro Miranda only ap- 
 peared between long intervals of absence, which made 
 the remaining members and the stafE of " The Light " see 
 that they could not count upon him, and that it would 
 not be long before he joined the other side, as indeed 
 it came to pass. The dissenting party used to meet in 
 the Caf6 de Londres in the CaUe de Caborana, but not 
 many months later the news ran through the town 
 that they had taken a storehouse in the Calle de San 
 
 382 
 
G n % a 1 Marries 
 
 Plorencio in which to hold their meetings ; and so it 
 was. They had the floor boarded and carpeted, the 
 walls and ceilings painted, and after furnishing it with 
 several chairs and armchairs, they began going there as 
 regularly as they had formerly gone to the Club. As 
 the roof was low, and there was a ledge in the wall on 
 which Marin used to take his siesta, the place soon went 
 by the name of the Cabin in the town, and the name 
 clung to it. The staff of "The Light" treated the desert- 
 ers with scorn as long as they had no roof under which 
 to assemble, but now the matter assumed importance, 
 and the first symptom of fear was evinced in an article, 
 or a screed in blank verse, describing the new meeting 
 place, and bringing each of the members into notice 
 under the names of different animals : Maza, a fish ; 
 Delaunay, a crowing cock ; Marin, an ass ; Don Eoque, 
 a pig, etc. This exasperated the Cabin party in an in- 
 expressible way. Don Eosendo became more and more 
 pushing and active in his press campaign, and he es- 
 sayed to introduce into " The Light" all the forms and 
 customs that he noticed in the national and foreign 
 press, more especially the French. He commissioned a 
 clerk in Madrid to send him, every Wednesday, a tele- 
 gram of twenty words, and moreover to write him polit- 
 ical and literary letters. He translated all the foreign 
 notices that appeared in periodicals, even those of 
 fashion, courts of justice, and theatres ; but where he 
 distinguished himself was in the market column. It 
 is not easy to describe the cleverness with which he 
 treated the subject of cereals, oils, spirituous liquors, 
 rice, etc. To show the intelligence and brilliance he 
 brought to bear on such a prosaic matter we must quote 
 one of his paragraphs in which he wrote : 
 
 " Sugars, alive to these variations, remain low, and 
 233 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 ■will not attain any permanent rise until coffees, cocoas, 
 and all foreign produce restrain their violent oscilla- 
 tions." It was, in fact, the soul of the paper. 
 
 Nevertheless, he had not done enough to realize his 
 ideal. Belinchon had always followed with the greatest 
 interest the personal polemics of the Parisian press, which 
 generally ended in a duel. And these proceedings 
 afforded him such exquisite pleasure that no banquet 
 could be more congenial and delightful to his taste. 
 When several days passed without this excitement Don 
 Eosendo languished. The descriptions of the assaults of 
 arms among the celebrated fencers of thie capital were of 
 equal interest to him, and although he found the expres- 
 sions Engagement de sizte, Battement en quarte, Oontre- 
 riposte, Feinte, etcetera, were somewhat confusing, he 
 translated them in his own way, and pretended to be 
 quite conversant with them. He said there was no surer 
 sign of the state of the culture of a country than in its 
 devotion to arms. The practice aroused and inspired 
 the idea of human honor and dignity, and their aban- 
 donment brought dishonor and degradation. He knew 
 better than their own relations the biography of all the 
 great duellists and gens des armes in Paris, and he could 
 give a detailed and minute description of all the duels 
 that had taken place, with their accompanying wounds. 
 
 When an assault of arms was announced between two 
 masters like Jacob and Grisier, our friend was greatly 
 excited; he eagerly opened the "Figaro" every day, 
 and mentally backed the one or the other. 
 
 One day in bed — his best ideas seemed always to come 
 to him there — it occurred to him that to be a journalist 
 without a knowledge of the use of arms was like being a 
 dancer without the power of playing the castanets. One 
 day, when least expected, a blow might fell him to the 
 
 234 
 
G n % a 1 Marries 
 
 ground if he were ignorant of the art of parrying it. It 
 was true that nobody in Sarrio was versed in the science 
 of fencing, but then nobody was under a strong obli- 
 gation to attain it. There might be some dispute be- 
 tween him and a journalist of Lancia or Madrid, and 
 then he would have to let himself be assassinated ! 
 These thoughts led him to adopt the resolution of 
 learning to use the foil at all costs. How ? Why, by 
 sending for a master to come to Sarrio, as he could not 
 leave the place. Without communicating the idea to 
 anybody, he wrote to a friend in Paris to look out in the 
 salles d'armes for a teacher, or prMt, who would be 
 willing to expatriate himself. At the end of some time, 
 such a one was found who, for the sum of two thousand 
 francs a year, with the liberty of giving other lessons, 
 would settle in the Biscay an town. 
 
 The news went forth that a professor of fencing. 
 Monsieur Lemaire, had arrived in the schooner " Julia" 
 for the sole purpose of teaching Don Eosendo the noble 
 art of defence. 
 
 And, in fact, our friend was soon seen in the company 
 of a slight, red-haired young man of foreign appear- 
 ance. The people were horror-struck, for in a little 
 town where blows with fists and sticks are given and 
 taken the coldbloodedness, formality, and gravity of 
 duels inspire horror and terror. They first thought 
 that Don Eosendo wished to kill somebody, and it was 
 only after some time that they understood the reason of 
 the step. Don Eosendo entered into the matter with 
 the ardor and gravity that it deserved. He devoted an 
 hour every morning, and two more in the afternoon, to 
 perfecting himself in lunging, which was all that the 
 professor allowed him to do for the first two months. 
 The most noteworthy result of this exercise was that at 
 
 235 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 the end of some days he did not know whether his legs 
 were his own, or whether they really belonged to an- 
 other rational biped like himself. So sharp and strong 
 were the pains to which he became subject, that even in 
 his dreams he thought he was still lunging, and jumped 
 up with cries of pain. Then Monsieur Lemaire was so 
 cruel that he was never satisfied with the efforts made 
 by the good gentleman. Plus ! plus ! encore plus ! 
 Sapristi! " and Don Kosendo had to stretch and strain 
 himself to such a degree that he felt as if he were being 
 sawed asunder. When the noble exercise was over 
 Seflor Belinchon, being nearly bowed to the ground 
 with pain, was obliged to hold by the furniture to get 
 from one room to another ; and the noble founder of 
 " The Light of Sarrio " walked henceforth to the end of 
 his days as if he were bandy legged. But these tortures, 
 similar to those endured by martyrs in Japan, he bore, 
 if not with pleasure, with heroic endurance, as he re- 
 membered at what enormous sacrifices the improvement 
 of oneself and one's country is attained. 
 
 At the end of two months the eternal tic-tac of the 
 foils commenced : Degagez ; coup droit ; degagez; un, 
 deux; degagez, douilez." But the torture of the legs 
 was not herewith relaxed. Don Kudesindo, Alvaro 
 Pefla, Sinforoso, Pablito, the printer Folgueras, and sev- 
 eral others took lessons at the same time. In the hall 
 the fencers were so overwhelmed by their belligerent 
 feelings that solemn silence reigned. Nothing was 
 heard but the sharp voice of Monsieur Lemaire inces- 
 santly repeating in an absent fashion : JEJn garde vive- 
 ment — Gontre de quarte — Ripostez — Ah Men ! — En garde 
 vivement — Gontre de sixte — Ripostez — Ah Men ! — Parez 
 seconds — Ripostu — Ah Men! Don Eosendo thought he 
 was transported to Paris, and he saw a Grisier, Anatole de 
 
 236 
 
G n % a 1 Marries 
 
 la Forge, and the Baron de Basancour in Don Kudesindo, 
 Folgueras, and Sinforoso. 
 
 " The Light " no longer seemed to be " The Light," 
 but " Le Gaulois " or " Le Journal des Debats." 
 
 At the end of five months he was well versed in the 
 art of self-defence; he could parry direct blows, he 
 could attack with a shortened arm, and he could spring 
 forward to perfection. He then thought the time had 
 come for an esclandre to take place. It behooved the 
 town to know that the two thousand francs expended on 
 the professor had not been thrown away ; besides, he 
 wished to imbue the place with a taste for the refine- 
 ments of the great capitals. But with whom in Sarrio 
 could he pick a quarrel ? However willingly he might 
 quarrel with one of the members of the Cabin, he knew 
 that the only one capable of fighting was Gabino Maza, 
 and he held him somewhat in awe, especially since he 
 had heard the professor say that one had to be very 
 careful with violent men, even if they could not fence. 
 After long and profound consideration he thought the 
 best thing to do was to pick a quarrel with some journal- 
 ist of Lancia through the discussion carried on by " The 
 Light " with " The Future " about a particular branch 
 road, and this plan he carried into execution. In the 
 next number he showed himself so aggressive and so 
 insolent to the paper of the capital that, surprised and in- 
 dignant, it replied that certain remarks in " The Light " 
 were only worthy of contempt. Whereupon Don Eo- 
 sendo commissioned his friends, Alvaro Pefla and Sin- 
 foroso Suarez, to take his challenge to the editor of " The 
 Future." So the two gentlemen went to Lancia, and 
 returned the same day. 
 
 On seeing them come back Sefior Belinchon ardently 
 hoped that the affair might have been amicably settled 
 
 337 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 without the necessity of fighting, although he had been 
 the one to demand satisfaction, which is a fresh proof 
 of his siiigularly exalted soul and the exquisite sensi- 
 bility with which he was endowed. Unfortunately, 
 however, the editor of " The Future " had remained firm, 
 and the seconds had arranged a duel with swords which 
 was to come off the following day at an estate in the 
 Lancian suburbs. 
 
 On learning this our hero felt his legs tremble, not 
 with fear — that nobody would dare imagine — but with 
 emotion at finding himself about to be the object of 
 public curiosity and attention. As they were walking 
 towards home, Pefla said to him with rough frankness : 
 
 " The Villar party wanted to have the sword points 
 blunted, but I said : ' I know Don Rosendo very well, 
 and he is a man who abhors childishness; you cannot 
 trifle with him. When one has to do with a quarrel like 
 this it has to be treated seriously. I am certain that if 
 we blunted the points there would be a row with him. 
 Was not that what you would have said ? " 
 
 " Exactly. Many thanks, Alvaro," returned Seflor 
 Belinchon, giving him a hand which Pefia found rather 
 cold, and he added in a weak voice : 
 
 " But if the points were a trifle filed I would not 
 mind agreeing to that. The afEair, after all, does not 
 precisely exact death." 
 
 "I did not dare to agree to it. Not knowing your 
 opinion, I feared to vex you." 
 
 " Not at all — not at all. I would not mind their 
 being filed." 
 
 "Well, now it can't be. The conditions are ar- 
 ranged and unless they suggest it again the points 
 will have to be sharp. That will suit you, as you know 
 how to use the foil." 
 
 238 
 
G n % a 1 Marries 
 
 "And precisely for that reason I did not wish to 
 take any unfair advantage of my adversary." 
 
 To this remark Pefla gave a knowing wink. 
 
 " Don't be so scrupulous, Don Eosendo. If you can 
 run him through first ! like a little bird, don't hesitate 
 to do so." 
 
 The officer accompanied these last words with an ex- 
 pressive pass in the air with the tips of his fingers, as if 
 he were inserting them in a human body. 
 
 Don Eosendo made a gesture of repugnance, and 
 after keeping silent for some time he said sullenly : 
 
 " What I fear is, that these cursed pains will not let 
 me lunge properly." 
 
 " Tush ! man, don't trouble about that. You won't 
 feel any pain in your legs during the duel. Haven't 
 yon ever found that a toothache goes away directly you 
 arrive at the dentist's door to have it drawn ? " 
 
 This consolatory simile provoked a roar of laughter 
 from the officer which lasted for some time, whilst 
 Belinchon remained grave and depressed, as it behooves 
 heroes to be on the eve of batttle. The news of the 
 approaching duel ran through the place like an electric 
 shock. The excitement of the townsfolk was indescrib- 
 able. It never entered anybody's head that a person 
 advanced in years, with a married daughter, could cross 
 swords with any one on the question of a branch road. 
 Nevertheless Belinchon's party admired the firmness 
 and bravery of their chief, who had a fearful nightmare 
 that night. He dreamed that the sword of the editor of 
 " The Future " cut him in two. The conqueror carried off 
 one-half as a trophy, and only the other half returned 
 to Sarrio. His cries awoke him, and filled Dofla Paula 
 with such alarm that she fetched the anti-spasm medi- 
 cine. Belinchon, with the fortitude of heroic temper- 
 
 339 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 amenta, said nothing to his consort, but he took a dose 
 of the mixture. 
 
 On the following day he went off to Lancia in a car- 
 riage, accompanied by Pefia, Sinforoso, and Don Enfo, 
 with two swords. Upon leaving the town more than a 
 hundred persons were waiting in the road to see them 
 off. Don Eosendo felt quite overcome. 
 
 " Good luck ! You'll send a telegram, eh ? It shall 
 not be said that Sarrio was beaten by Lancia." 
 
 Don Eosendo pressed the hands of his partisans with 
 emotion. They all offered to accompany him, and vowed 
 vengeance in case of his perishing in the duel. At last 
 they reached the appointed spot, and there they met the 
 enemy. 
 
 The seconds conferred with each other, and the 
 swords were produced and put into the hands of the 
 combatants, whose faces had assumed the color befitting 
 such solemn occasions, which is that of bottle-green 
 varied with an orange hue. Once on the defensive, and 
 the word of attack given, they both commenced bran- 
 dishing the swords methodically, first on one side and 
 then on the other, with a lugubrious, terror-striking 
 sound. At the end of some time Villar ventured to 
 raise his weapon with the intention of wounding his 
 adversary's head. But lo ! Don Eosendo gave such a 
 prodigious leap backwards that the seconds looked at 
 each other in astonishment. Villar, also surprised, 
 waited for his adversary to return to the attack. The 
 melancholy tic-tac recommenced ; Don Eosendo at the 
 end of some time raised his sword, whereupon Villar in- 
 stantly far exceeded his foe in the really supernatural 
 bound he made backwards. 
 
 The seconds looked at each other in increased surprise, 
 for they thought he would leap out of the field. 
 
 240 
 
G n z a 1 Marries 
 
 The duel lasted ia this way more than half an hour, 
 during which Don Kosendo once cried : 
 
 " Stop ! " 
 
 " What is it?" asked the seconds, approaching. 
 
 " It seems to me that the other gentleman has blunted 
 the point of his sword." 
 
 Then Villar's sword was inspected, and it was seen 
 that it was not so. 
 
 This act of generosity, more befitting the Middle 
 Ages than our own times, raised him, when it became 
 known, in the public estimation to the dignity of the 
 legendary heroes — Roldan, Bayard, and Bernardo del 
 Carpio. The duel ended when Villar's sword quite 
 unintentionally struck Belinchon's brow. It was a 
 simple scratch, but the seconds considered it termi- 
 nated the fight. Don Eufo stuck a large piece of 
 English sticking-plaster on the wound. The wounded 
 man nobly gave his hand to his adversary and de- 
 spatched a telegram to Lancia to be sent to Sarrio. 
 Then they all breakfasted cheerfully together ; and 
 during the meal the champions expansively confided 
 to each other the blows they had intended to admin- 
 ister, and which for lack of opportunity they had been 
 powerless to give. 
 
 " Why, man, if you had not prevented it in time I 
 should have cut your head in two. With one or two 
 feints at the face I should have given a thrust at your 
 chest and a cut at your head," said Don Rosendo, swal- 
 lowing a mouthful of cod. 
 
 " Well, you would not have come ofE any better if I 
 had carried out my intended line of attack," returned 
 Villar. " I should have raised my arm, ping! I should 
 have made a feint at your head, ping ! You were to aim 
 at my arm, ping ! I to give you a cut at your face, ping ! 
 16 241 
 
The Fourth Esiate 
 
 You to go for my head, ping ! I to parry and make for 
 your arm, ping ! " 
 
 Here the editor of " The Future," of Lancia, who had 
 been brandishing his fork and trying to swallow a fish- 
 bone during the description of his proposed famous and 
 complicated plan of action, now nearly choked and 
 turned crimson. He had to be taken into the air, and 
 Don Rosendo was the one to give him the sacred slaps 
 upon his back to make him get rid of the fish-bone. 
 Beautiful and striking example of chivalry that can 
 never be forgotten ! 
 
 The breakfast over, Don Rosendo and his companions 
 entered the carriage, and repaired to Sarrio. More 
 than half the population, apprised by the telegram, 
 awaited them on the outskirts of the town, A cry of 
 delight and enthusiasm burst from all throats on the 
 approach of the carriage. Don Rosendo, much moved, 
 put his head out of the window and took ofE his hat, 
 which revealed the piece of English sticking-plaster. 
 At the sight the people gave vent to a loud hurrah, and 
 the vehicle was fairly mobbed by the crowd. After en- 
 tering his house the acclamations were so great that 
 the founder of " The Light " was obliged to appear at the 
 window, where he was greeted with fresh enthusiasm. 
 
 That night his friends treated him to a serenade. 
 
 342 
 
How P ab I i 1 Disports 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 HOW PABLITO DISPORTS HIMSELF 
 
 " It would be as well to put a light curb on her." 
 
 "Oh! a bit," returned Piscis gravely. 
 
 Both were silent for some minutes, then Pablito ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 " Confounded mare ! I never in my life saw such a 
 sensitive mouth." 
 
 " Like silk/' returned his friend in a tone of pro- 
 found conviction. 
 
 Another pause. 
 
 "Do you think we ought to give her more of the 
 spur?" 
 
 " The spur is never amiss with any animal," growled 
 Piscis in the same decided tone. 
 
 " We must train her in trotting." 
 
 " It would be just as well." 
 
 During these remarks the two inseparable equestrians 
 walked right across the town from the other end, where 
 they had been in conclave in Don Eosendo's stables. It 
 was ten o'clock at night; the air soft and springlike. 
 The few people about were hastening homewards, and 
 the only shops now open were those of popular resort, 
 such as Graell's, Marano's, and the like. In the Cabin 
 there was a great deal of light and excitement. Pablito, 
 who shared his father's resentment in the matter, said 
 to his friend, as they passed the abhorred club : 
 
 "Piscis, throw a stone at the door and break the 
 glass." 
 
 243 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Thereupon Piscis, always aggressive, took up a flint 
 from the road, waited for his friend to get round the 
 corner, and then, zas! he flung it at the Cabin and 
 shivered the window to atoms. Then he took to his 
 legs, and for fear of being recognized by those who came 
 out in search of him, he ran away on all fours with 
 wondrous agility. 
 
 There were also some people in the Caf6 de la Marina. 
 They entered the place and quaffed in silence several 
 glasses of chartreuse without it interfering with the 
 active working of their brains. 
 
 On rising Pablito said : 
 
 " The best thing will be to put her in harness with 
 Romeo." 
 
 " That is just what I was thinking," returned Piscis 
 eagerly. 
 
 After leaving the caf 6 Pablito was asked, not in words, 
 but with a horrible face, whither they were going. 
 
 "There." 
 
 "Grood; then as I pass by my home I will make 
 myself look a bit shabbier." 
 
 They left the principal streets, not without Piscis 
 stopping a minute at his abode to alter his attire, and 
 then they proceeded to the other end of the town, where 
 the working classes mostly lived. They stopped in a 
 certain street, as dull as it was dirty, in front of a poor- 
 looking house with a rough stone balcony. Pablito 
 looked carefully all round, and then gave a long, low 
 whistle with the skill which distinguished him in this 
 acquirement. Then casting an anxious look at the oil- 
 lamp burning fifty steps off, he said : 
 
 " If we could but put out this light." 
 
 The terrible Piscis was again to the fore. He stepped 
 to the corner of the wall, and there extinguished the 
 
 244 
 
How P ab I i t Disports 
 
 light with his stick, of course breaking the glass at the 
 same time. 
 
 A woman's form then appeared upon the balcony. 
 Pablito jumped up to the iron grating of the window, 
 and thence climbed noiselessly on to the balcony. Piscis 
 meanwhile kept guard at the corner, armed with his 
 formidable stick. Who was the woman who happened 
 just then to be the object of the attentions of the Sultan 
 of Sarrio? "The fair Nieves," those will reply who 
 haye followed the course of this story. Well, although 
 we do not wish to run counter to the perspicacity of our 
 readers, truth obliges us to declare that the young 
 woman was not the fair Nieves, but the fair Valentina. 
 
 What ! that prim needlewoman so averse to young 
 gentlemen, and who, moreover, was betrothed to a 
 young man named Cosme? 
 
 The same in body and soul, with her golden curls 
 upon her forehead, her piquant frown, and her nose 
 a little retroussL Pablito was the man to cause this 
 sort of upset. Whilst he was courting, or pretending 
 to court Nieves, he was trying the ground with Valen- 
 tina. But she was more obdurate than the other. The 
 first kiss that he gave her upon the neck was when she 
 was drinking some water in the kitchen. The angry 
 embroideress called it disgraceful ; she turned as red as 
 a cherry, her expressive eyes shone with rage, and she 
 cried : 
 
 " Take care, for I won't stand such ways! Get along, 
 and try them on with those that like them." 
 
 By this she doubtless meant Nieves. Pablito pro- 
 ceeded more cautiously henceforth, but not with less 
 audacity. He did not seem to object to her brusque 
 manners; he joked with her, and he patiently bore with 
 her spitfire ways, for Valentina was a type of the artisan 
 
 245 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 in Sarrio whose want of culture seemed merely an addi- 
 tional charm. The trousseau of Ventura being finished, 
 there were no more opportunities of meeting, so Pablito 
 made use of the public balls to lay siege to her. 
 
 Not that he had abandoned Nieves. The gay young 
 fellow guessed that the self-love excited by rivalry would 
 do more in his favor than even the personal charms 
 with which he was endowed. This perspicacity was in- 
 nate in him, and had been clearly shown from the first 
 time he paid attention to any of the fair sex, which is 
 an additional argument for those who believe in the pre- 
 existence of the human being; because it could only be 
 by having laid siege to several sempstresses in a previous 
 state of existence that our young friend could have such 
 clear ideas as to the course of action that would prove 
 successful. 
 
 At last the conquest was made. 
 
 She began by giving up her young man, and she 
 ended by making evening appointments like the present 
 one with the gallant Pablito. 
 
 " Is your father asleep ? " was the first question that 
 he asked when he appeared on the balcony. 
 
 " What is that to you ? " returned the severe semp- 
 stress. 
 
 "Well, if he is not asleep, you see, by jingo! the 
 thing is serious." 
 
 " Hold your tongue, coward, or I will make it hot for 
 you; I will make a disturbance for the pleasure of seeing 
 you run." 
 
 Here Pablito caught her in his arms and kissed her 
 effusively. The young girl smiled with delight, but she 
 soon frowned, and her whole physiognomy expressed 
 great displeasure. 
 
 "Go away, go away!" she said, pushing him ofE. 
 246 
 
How P ab I i t Disports 
 
 " I have something to ask you. Where were you this 
 morning ? " 
 
 " This morning ? In several places — at home, at the 
 Club, in the stables, at the end of the landing-stage." 
 
 " Were you not in the Calle de San Florencio? " 
 
 " Yes, I passed by there two or three times." 
 
 " And whom did you meet there ? " 
 
 " How should I know ? Several people. " 
 
 " Didn't you meet Nieves ? " asked the pretty semp- 
 stress with suppressed rage. 
 
 " Why, yes, I did meet her," he returned in a care- 
 less tone. 
 
 " And you did not stop her ? " 
 
 "No, I simply said good-day." 
 
 "Fool! hypocrite! story-teller! " Valentina exclaimed 
 with fury. "Take that, you ass!" giving him a ter- 
 rible pinch on his arm. "You only said 'Good-day' 
 to her, and yet you were a whole hour with her ! Take 
 that, you deceiver! Take that! " 
 
 Upon this she gave him so many pinches that the 
 wretched Pablo was doubled up with pain, whilst power- 
 less to utter a sound out of respect for the slumbers of 
 the father of the vixenish girl. 
 
 " Stop, Valentina ! for goodness' sake. You are indeed 
 mistaken. I only stopped a minute to ask her if she 
 had finished hemming my handkerchiefs." 
 
 "It was no such thing ! You stood there for a good 
 hour together, laughing like mad! I felt inclined to 
 strangle you with my own hands, you fool! you fool! 
 you more than fool ! " 
 
 The enraged girl, now maddened with fury, laid her 
 hands on the neck of her adorer, as if about to strangle 
 him. 
 
 Her heart, however, was touched at seeing such a 
 247 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 handsome, fine young fellow with his eyes distended 
 with terror; in fact, Valentina took pity on him and 
 let him go, but not without giving his arms several 
 additional pinches. 
 
 " You don't deceive me, you know; you don't deceive 
 me! If I find that you are with her again I won't 
 have anything more to do with you." 
 
 "All right, I promise not to speak to her any more; 
 but don't go and believe the first story you hear about 
 me." 
 
 " Will you promise ? " asked the obdurate sempstress, 
 looking at him in a relentless way. 
 
 " Never fear." 
 
 " Well, you will have to settle with me if you don't 
 keep your word. Come." 
 
 This was the calm and tender mode of Valentina's 
 dealings with the young swell of Sarrio; and when he 
 gave Piscis, or any other friend, an account of them, he 
 smiled like a man of the world, and declared that these 
 irascible, imperious women are most attractive to men, 
 especially if, like himself, they were somewhat ilas6s. 
 
 After they had made peace, or, to speak more cor- 
 rectly, after Valentina had come to terms, there was 
 a whispered conversation which lasted for some time. 
 Then nothing more was heard, and one was led to sup- 
 pose that the balcony was vacated. If it were not very 
 ugly to cast a slur on a girl's reputation, one might 
 have suspected that the loving couple had retired to the 
 interior of the house. Piscis meanwhile kept guard, 
 walking up and down the street; and the fact was, he 
 was not the only one so occupied, for a man was posted 
 ever since their arrival in the corner of a doorway, where 
 the shadows were darkest. Motionless and protected by 
 the gloom, he was invisible to Piscis. Profiting by a 
 
 348 
 
How P ab I i t Disports 
 
 moment when the back of the latter was turned to the 
 house, the man issued from his hiding-place, and cau- 
 tiously approached it. He looked at the balcony and 
 hesitated a few seconds. This hesitation caused his fail- 
 ure. By the time he jumped up to catch hold of the 
 bars the terrible Piscis turned and saw him. With two 
 strides he was under the balcony before the intruder 
 could swing himself up to it, and his famous stick came 
 down with such force on the shoulders of the poor man 
 that he loosened his hold on the bars and measured his 
 length with the street. The wrathful centaur was about 
 to repeat the blow, when the fellow jumped up with 
 such agility and fled away so swiftly that the second 
 blow struck the ground, and he did not attempt a third. 
 
 " Confound it! " cried Piscis. 
 
 This exclamation must have reached the ears of his 
 happy friend, for a few seconds later he appeared on the 
 balcony and swung himself into the street. 
 
 " What is it? " he asked, approaching his friend. 
 
 "A man." 
 
 " Where ? " asked the caralier, turning round two or 
 three times. 
 
 " He has escaped now. I caught him just as he was 
 about to scale the balcony, and I knocked him down 
 with my stick. Then he took to his heels. By Jove ! 
 Eomeo couldn't have beaten him in speed." 
 
 " This man," returned Pablo gloomily, "must be an 
 old lover of Valentina's. What is to be done ? " 
 
 " Then, if he be a lover, I don't know what he could 
 be here for, unless it was to give you a licking." 
 
 Pablito threw his arm round his friend's shoulder, 
 not to support himself, although his legs trembled 
 somewhat, but to say, in a low voice : 
 
 "Do you think so?" 
 
 S48 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " One — or two, or three." 
 
 The handsome young man was silent. At the end of 
 a minute he said : 
 
 " Do you know him ? " 
 
 "I? No; and you?" 
 
 "I have never seen him; I only know that he is 
 named Cosme, and that he is a barber." 
 
 They left the street in silence, and in silence they 
 arrived at Belinchon's house. There, on taking leave 
 of each other, Pablito said to his friend : 
 
 " If I go there again, which I doubt, will you do me 
 the kindness not to lose sight of the balcony, eh ? " 
 
 " I should rather think so," was the laconic reply of 
 the indomitable Piscis. 
 
 The following day was Sunday, and the usual weekly 
 ball took place at the school. They danced in the after- 
 noon from three to seven. The room was spacious, hav- 
 ing been built a few years ago as a school for children. 
 The benches were piled up on the teacher's platform; 
 the walls were covered with maps and proverbs, and as 
 the followers of Terpsichore danced the languid haba- 
 nera, they could amuse themselves by reading a portion 
 of the invaluable exhortations tending to show that vir- 
 tue and labor are the true treasures of childhood : " The 
 studious child will receive the reward of his industry "; 
 " Truth and perseverance are superior to talents. " And 
 there at the end over the master's table was the image 
 of Christ crucified (oh, blasphemy!), mounted on a 
 silken background, in the presence of these wild polkas 
 and voluptuous dances. 
 
 It was there that, without fear of rain or sun, stran- 
 gers could court and admire the young girls of Sarrio. 
 And, in truth, all the captains and pilots who visited 
 the town took care to frequent the place. Occasionally 
 
 250 
 
How P a b li t Disports 
 
 their admiration led them to overstep the bounds of 
 British gravity, and their fair beards came too near to 
 the face of some beauty. 
 
 "Are you mad. Christian?" she would ask, as she 
 pushed him away. 
 
 "Christian! Christian!" the Englishman repeated 
 in astonishment. " What is being a Christian ? " 
 
 "Goodness, man, don't you know the doctrine? 
 Well, learn it then." 
 
 It would be about five or six in the evening, after 
 four or five waltzes and as many polkas had been danced, 
 that these ladies were so charming. The well-circulated 
 blood tinged their cheeks with a bright color; their fair 
 or dark locks, in pretty disorder, floated in the air or 
 fell in adorable curls upon their shoulders; their eyes 
 shone like stars in those heavenly faces, and those ruddy, 
 luscious, half-opened lips revealed immaculate rows of 
 teeth. 
 
 But enough, or we shall never finish; albeit in our 
 admiration of the working-girls of Sarrio we are outdone 
 by every Englishman who comes hither. 
 
 There was always a sameness in the feminine element 
 of these balls, for it was entirely composed of young 
 girls of the same rung of the social ladder. But there 
 was a dangerous variety in the masculine element, for it 
 consisted of the young gentlemen as well as the young 
 artisans of Sarrio. Thus the artisans considered that 
 their rights were encroached upon by the rival charms 
 of the young gentlemen, and the repeated unequal mar- 
 riages that took place in the town showed how they had 
 been ousted. 
 
 As already remarked, the West Indians were generally 
 satisfied with the somewhat poor and faded young ladies 
 of the place, but the young men were more taken with 
 
 251 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 the charms of the working-girls. Thus the poor arti- 
 sans and sailors were outdone by the gentry. What 
 were they to do ? 
 
 They found some consolation in visits to the tayerns, 
 and in the use of their sticks, which made every ball the 
 scene of a shower of blows, and two or three gentlemen 
 generally left the school with broken heads on a Sunday. 
 
 Pablito had come ofE pretty well hitherto, thanks to 
 his most faithful Piscis, who undertook to receive the 
 blows intended for him. The only inconvenience he 
 suffered at the majority of these gatherings was the loss 
 of his hat, and this happened so repeatedly that he was 
 quite certain that they picked a quarrel with him to 
 make him lose it. When an artisan wanted a hat he 
 knew how to get one. 
 
 But Piscis could not save him from the blows he 
 received that Sunday; and this not from want of will on 
 the part of the centaur, but because there are things 
 that really cannot be done. With what care did that 
 gallant youth twist the ends of his mustache before his 
 looking-glass ! How he dressed his cheeks with a cream 
 he had sent for from Madrid, and what havoc was made 
 of his toilet an hour afterwards ! 
 
 He walked across the room, looking so handsome and 
 so attractive that it was a pleasure to see him as he 
 cast his eyes from one side to another, as all men well 
 versed in his accomplishments are prone to do. Occa- 
 sionally on passing a young lady he would say, " Pretty 
 as ever, Julia!" or else, "Your eyes are killing"; or, 
 " Torquata, there's no one to come up to you in Sarrio," 
 or any other remark flattering to a girl. But whilst 
 saying these things he maintained his gravity of de- 
 meanor, as he was aware that it was one of his most 
 irresistible charms. 
 
 352 
 
How P a b I i t Disports 
 
 He waited for Valentina for some time, but the room 
 was full of ladies, and the brass orchestra had played 
 two dances without the pretty sempstress making her 
 appearance. The strains of a mazurka began, theyew- 
 nesse doree encircled the slender waists of the working- 
 girls, but Pablito, faithful to the absent, stood idle, look- 
 ing on at the swift couples as they passed before him. 
 
 The mazurka over, he began to think that Valentina 
 would not come. In the sudden way he seized an idea 
 he was very like his father, particularly when flushed 
 with wine, so that in a few minutes he was quite con- 
 vinced of the fact. This sudden fancy happened to be 
 coincident with the entrance into the room of the fair 
 Nieves. Their eyes met, and the poor girl, shamefully 
 neglected for nearly two months, smiled sweetly at him. 
 This sweetness had been precisely the cause of her fail- 
 ure, for the self-sufBcient Pablito soon wearied of sweet 
 women. Nevertheless, he returned the smile, and on 
 coming to her side, he said, teasingly : 
 
 " Are you going to frighten the bulls, Nieves ? " 
 
 The embroideress wore a scarlet sash at her waist, and 
 this remark of her ex-admirer so flustered her that she 
 could not reply. She smiled again, and said, "Ah!" 
 "Yes," "No," and uttered a few more words that we 
 do not remember, and looked as if she would faint with 
 emotion. The next time he came across her he asked 
 if she would like to dance the flrst polka with him. 
 " The first, the second, the third, and all the polkas in 
 the world," returned Nieves, with trembling lips. 
 Pablo was filled with remorse after having engaged 
 himself for the polka. " What a fool, what a brute 
 I am! And suppose Valentina comes in now! " 
 
 But she did not come. The orchestra struck up the 
 opening bars, and the youth, without turning his eyes 
 
 253 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 from the door, encircled the waist of the embroideress 
 and dashed rapidly into the centre of the room. Other 
 young people, no less rapid, dashed from the opposite 
 side, and then ensued one shock, then another, and then 
 another. Such collisions formed the chief attraction of 
 these balls, and the young girls, instead of being angry 
 at nearly losing their footing and having their hair 
 tumbled, laughed with infinite pleasure. Pablo and 
 Nieves, who could not take four turns without colliding 
 with another couple, were perfectly charmed. Never- 
 theless, the young man felt his legs tremble whenever 
 he passed the door, and he always left it as quickly as 
 possible. When the orchestra had finished he took his 
 partner to a corner of the room and then sat down a 
 minute, and Pablito felt a spark of feeling glow in the 
 ashes of his love for that girl so cheerful, so good-tem- 
 pered, and so affectionate. 
 
 " Yes, I wanted to dance with you, Nieves," he said 
 as he wiped his brow with his handkerchief. 
 
 "And I with you, Pablo." 
 
 "You?" 
 
 The girl blushed. 
 
 " Do you say you instead of thou now ? " 
 
 " It is now BO long ago." 
 
 " You are right. But see, I have not forgotten." 
 
 " On Wednesday I saw you — I saw you in the Nieva 
 road — you were on a white horse." 
 
 "It was a mare." 
 
 " I thought it would throw you." 
 
 " Throw me! " exclaimed Pablito, slightly frowning. 
 " It was a bit fresh, child; a mare does not throw me so 
 easily." 
 
 "But it reared up so! It almost stood upright. 
 Goodness, how frightened I was! " 
 
 254 
 
How Pablito Disports 
 
 " I was teaching it to step high," returned the youth, 
 with a smile of superiority. "As she has not been 
 worked before she resisted a bit. Sometimes her mouth 
 seems too tender, but taking her all round, Linda is a 
 fine creature. Look here, when I bought her, or, 
 rather, when I changed Negress — and she cost me over 
 and above 1,500 reales — for her last October, she had 
 a temper, indeed; she stuck in the middle of the road, 
 she shied at the carts and carriages — in short, she was an 
 impossible creature, and I said to myself: 'What is to 
 be done with this mare ? ' " 
 
 Pablito, in whose heart the girl had touched a sensi- 
 tive chord, talked long and brilliantly on his equestrian 
 deeds. Nieves listened with rapturous delight, think- 
 ing that behind the minute description of Linda's pec- 
 cadilloes she was going to find her lost love. 
 
 But suddenly the orator (pof !) received a blow in the 
 middle of his face, the listener (pof !) received another, 
 and before they had recovered from their surprise they 
 received two more — pof! pof! 
 
 The choleric Valentina was the author of this attack, 
 and in less than a minute she had overwhelmed them 
 with blows. 
 
 Pablito had nothing for it but to make his escape as 
 gracefully as he could and retire to the street. Nieves 
 remained like an innocent dove in the clutches of a vul- 
 ture, until Valentina, seeing she could go no further, as 
 her arms were seized by some of the party, quickly tore 
 herself free, left the room, where the next dance was 
 about to commence, and rushed into the street. 
 
 Pablito was walking slowly, still feeling quite stunned, 
 when he felt a terrible pain in his arm. Being quite 
 accustomed to that kind of torture, he said, without 
 turning his head : 
 
 25S 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 "Valentina!" 
 
 " It is I! Do you think you are going to make me a 
 laughing-stock ? " 
 
 " What you have just done is very ugly," replied the 
 youth in an angry tone, and looking his beloved in 
 the face. "You have made a scandal, and you have 
 made me ridiculous. I will not tolerate that, do you 
 hear?" 
 
 "You won't tolerate it? Well, look here, if I see 
 you again with her I will not be contented with what 
 I did to-day — I will strike at you both with a knife." 
 
 "But I won't allow you to do anything of the sort; 
 neither will I have you speak to me when I am with 
 another girl!" cried the young man, more and more 
 infuriated. 
 
 " Not when I see you with that cat! We'll see about 
 that, we'll see!" 
 
 Then the handsome youth, justly enraged and oblivi- 
 ous in his fury of all the laws of gallantry, discharged 
 a blow at the face of his dear one, and then another, 
 and then another, until, in fact, she had a regular buf- 
 feting. The pretty sempstress patiently submitted to 
 this treatment of her admirer without evincing the 
 slightest sign of resistance, nor even of avoidance of the 
 blows. When Pablito had finished, she said, with 
 delightful naturalness : 
 
 " Have you done now ? " 
 
 " Eor the present, but I shall have to do it again! " 
 roared the young man, blind with rage. 
 
 " Well, you can do it whenever you like, and I will 
 bear it all without moving; but, beat me or not, I have 
 told you what I shall do if I find you talking with her 
 again. Now take me back to the ball." 
 
 "I don't want to." 
 
 266 
 
How P a h I i t Disports 
 
 "Very well; then take me somewhere elsewhere I 
 can put my hair straight, for you have quite dishev- 
 elled it." 
 
 The youth had to obey, and so he escorted her to the 
 Star Caf6, thinking on the way that he had to pay 
 rather dearly for his conquests. 
 
 A few days later he had still greater reason to come 
 to that conclusion. It was at the Madrilefla barber's 
 where he frequently went to be shaved and have his 
 hair cut. 
 
 Accompanied by his chief equerry, he had entered the 
 place and taken a seat on the sofa to await his turn. 
 
 " At your pleasure, sir," said a pale young man with 
 a slight black mustache, looking across at him as he 
 turned a seat round. 
 
 Pablito went forward in an absent sort of way, and 
 dropped into the armchair with the languid grace 
 adopted by those endowed by Providence with great 
 superiority. 
 
 The lad covered his face with soap, and the Belinchon 
 youth, with his proud head thrown back, waited with 
 majestic calm for the dark hue covering his cheeks to 
 be removed. He kept his eyes closed so as better to enjoy 
 the vague poetic thoughts passing through his mind, for 
 his head was always full of ideas on leaving the stable. 
 His legs were stretched out comfortably under the table, 
 and his gloved hands hung lazily from the arms of the 
 chair. 
 
 " Fernando," said the barber, who was about to shave 
 him, to one of his companions. 
 
 " What do yon want, Cosme ? " 
 
 This name made Pablito tremble without knowing 
 why; he opened his eyes, and gave a long look at the 
 hairdresser. He did not know him, he was a new hand 
 17 257 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 in the establishment; but this, instead of calming him, 
 made him change his position several times, with a loss 
 of his habitual ease and languor. 
 
 " Can you give me the razor that was sharpened to- 
 day?" 
 
 "Here it is." 
 
 Fernando stretched out his hand and gave the razor 
 to Cosme. A vague desire to rise from his seat now 
 came into Pablito's mind, but before he could do so the 
 barber had taken him by the nose and was proceeding 
 to shave him. 
 
 At the end of some minutes, during which our friend, 
 from under his long eyelashes, followed with some alarm 
 the movements of the barber's hand, Cosme said to hid, 
 in alow voice, whilst his lips wreathed with a forced smile 
 which much enlarged his mouth : 
 
 " You are Seflorito Belinchon, eh ? " 
 
 "Yes," was the reply. 
 
 "I have known you for some time," continued the 
 barber, still with the same voice and smile. " Oh, yes, 
 for a long time. You don't know me, that's evident. 
 Gentlemen don't take much notice of us. I often see 
 you about here on horseback, and sometimes on foot, 
 and I frequently notice you at the balls at the school. 
 You dance very well, sir, very well." 
 
 "Tush! " returned Pablito, whose desire to rise was 
 now quite overwhelming. 
 
 "Yes, very well; and, moreover, you know how to 
 choose a partner. Caramba, sir, what pretty girls you 
 always take, sir! Some months ago you were always 
 dancing with a red-haired girl. She is the sister of a 
 friend of mine. But now you are always dancing with 
 one prettier still — Valentina. Caramba, what a good 
 eye you have, sir! I have known this "Valentina since 
 
 258 
 
How P ab I i t Disports 
 
 I was a boy — we were friends at one time. Haven't you 
 heard her talk of me — of Cosme ? " 
 
 "No," murmured the youth, who was breaking out 
 into a cold sweat. 
 
 " Well, that's strange, as we were great friends — so 
 great that three months ago we were going to be mar- 
 ried. But then you came along, sir, and all was over." 
 
 Cosme uttered these last words in a tremulous voice. 
 Pablito had now great cold drops of sweat upon his 
 brow. 
 
 Like his illustrious father, Pablo had a horror of 
 treachery and deceit. 
 
 "Of course, what could one expect?" continued the 
 barber, with the uncertain tone of voice divided between 
 the desire to laugh or to weep, and at the same time he 
 dexterously passed the razor across the throat of the gay 
 Lothario to do away with a few encroaching hairs. 
 " Of course a young gentleman of the upper class like 
 you can soon oust a rough fellow like me. Girls lose 
 their heads directly one of your sort whispers sweet noth- 
 ings in their ears. They do it to amuse themselves, 
 when it is for nothing worse. It is too well known that 
 you have no intention of marrying Valentina. You 
 like to spend your evenings with her on the balcony, 
 eh? And then you'll forget her. But I truly loved 
 the girl." 
 
 The barber's voice trembled again, and his hand also 
 shook ; but Pablito was motionless, he was petrified. 
 
 "But now," continued Cosme, "who would marry 
 her but a madman ? We poor are beneath you, and we 
 have to bear these things. If you had been my equal 
 we would have met on fair ground. But if I attacked 
 you I should soon have my head broken and be put into 
 prison. And yet," he continued after a moment's 
 
 259 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 silence, in a hoarser tone, "if I now went suddenly 
 mad, sir, farewell to horses and carriages, farewell to 
 balls, farewell to Valentina ; just by a slight stroke with 
 this razor — pif ! — and all would be over forever " 
 
 Pablito, whose face was now as white without the soap 
 as it had been with it, then uttered such a cry of horror 
 and misery that Piscis, whose eyes had been suspiciously 
 fixed upon the barber, now jumped up suddenly and 
 caught him by the arms; Pablo sprang from his seat, 
 and the master and all his employees cried out simul- 
 taneously: 
 
 "What is it?" 
 
 "Seize the assassin!" exclaimed Pablito, springing 
 upon Cosme, who was as pale as death under his arrest. 
 In one instant the gay young man, still cold with fear, 
 told them what had happened, and poor Cosme was 
 kicked out of the shop by the master, who did not wish 
 to lose the best customer in the town. 
 
Secrets Revealed 
 
 CHAPTEE XIII 
 
 SOME SECKETS OF GONZALO'S LIFE ARE REVEALED 
 
 GoNZALO, recollecting that the blister had not been 
 attended to which had been put on him the previous 
 day, rang the bell violently. He was lying on his back 
 in bed, gazing at the arabesques on the ceiling, the room 
 being well lighted by two windows. He was not in his 
 own bed-room, but in his sitting-room, where a bed was 
 put up the first day he was taken ill. Ventura had 
 objected to leaving their room, and as they could not 
 both be there he had been the one to move. The ill- 
 ness had proved as serious as it was sudden — it was 
 erysipelas, causing inflammation in his face, hands, and 
 legs, which had nearly cost him his life. 
 
 It had been kept from his head by strong applications 
 to his legs, and the doctor put blisters on various parts 
 of his body. 
 
 " What do you want, sir ? " said the maid, half open- 
 ing the door. 
 
 " Be so kind as to ask my wife to come." 
 
 At the end of a minute the servant reappeared, and 
 said: 
 
 " She is coming directly." 
 
 The young man waited, and in ten minutes' time the 
 fair head of his wife appeared at the door. 
 
 " What do you want, my love ? " she asked without 
 coming in, and in a tone too careless to accord with the 
 tenderness of the words. 
 
 261 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " Come in. It is eleven o'clock, and the blister has 
 not been attended to yet." 
 
 " I thought you would wait for the doctor to do it," 
 she said as she hesitatingly entered the room, resplend- 
 ent in a magnificent blue silk dress. 
 
 " He did not say he would come and take it off; be- 
 sides, it hurts me very much." 
 
 The girl approached the bed, and after a few moments' 
 silence she put her hand upon her husband's head and 
 said: 
 
 " Won't it be better to wait for the doctor to do it ? " 
 
 " No, no," he returned, now fairly cross; " it is hurt- 
 ing very much. Fetch the lint and the ointment and 
 a pair of sharp scissors." 
 
 Ventura left the room without replying, and soon 
 returned with the necessaries in her hand. She looked 
 grave and seemed absent, whilst her face betrayed her 
 aversion to attendance at the sick-bed. 
 
 After she had put the things on the little table by the 
 bedside, and spread some ointment upon the lint with 
 a knife, the young wife said softly : 
 
 "Come along." 
 
 Gonzalo raised himself in bed, and opening his shirt, 
 he exposed his herculean chest, on the right of which 
 there was the blister. The wife leaned forward to raise 
 the linen rag, and Gonzalo profited by the occasion to 
 kiss her forehead. 
 
 Nothing was said. The blister was large, and sur- 
 rounded by a circle of inflamed flesh. Ventura straight- 
 ened herself and said, with her usual want of feeling : 
 
 "Bah, bah, we had better wait for the doctor; he 
 won't be late. If you like we will send him a message." 
 
 " I have said no," returned the young man, frowning 
 angrily. "Take the scissors and snip the blister all 
 
 263 
 
Secrets Revealed 
 
 round, then put the linen on the wound, and it is done. 
 You see, it is very easy." 
 
 Ventura did not answer. She took the scissors, and 
 bending oyer him again, she began to snip the blister. 
 
 " Does it hurt you ? " 
 
 " It is nothing ; go on." 
 
 But when the wound was disclosed to view the girl 
 could not repress a gesture of repugnance, which did 
 not escape her husband's sight; so that his eyes dark- 
 ened and his forehead corrugated with angry lines. 
 
 " Look here, stop, stop. We will wait for the doctor 
 to come," he said, taking hold of her gently, but firmly, 
 by the wrist. 
 
 Ventura looked at him in surprise. 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 "Never mind; go away, go away," he returned 
 quickly, fastening his shirt, and drawing up the bed- 
 clothes about him. 
 
 Ventura stood with the scissors in her hand and 
 looked at him fixedly in astonishment. Her husband 
 lay with the frown still upon his forehead and with his 
 eyes fixed on the ceiling. 
 
 " But why ? What have I done to you, boy ? " 
 
 "Nothing, nothing, only go and let me be." 
 
 The girl stood looking at him a few more minutes, 
 and then fiying into a rage, she dashed the scissors on 
 the ground and said in the angry, haughty tone she 
 knew so well how to give to her words when she liked : 
 
 " I am glad of it, for the spectacle was not very pleas- 
 ant, especially just before dinner." 
 
 Then, as she turned her steps towards the door, Gon- 
 zalo retorted, with a sarcastic smile : 
 
 "And I am glad to have afforded yon this pleasure." 
 
 When left alone the young man's eyes flamed with 
 263 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 fury, his lips trembled, he crumpled the sheet with 
 twitching fingers, and he broke into a torrent of awful 
 interjections peculiar to the brief and terrible rages of 
 men of sanguine temperament. 
 
 Before he had completely got over his excitement he 
 heard a soft tap at the door, and thinking it was his 
 wife, he called out angrily: 
 
 "Who is it?" 
 
 The person who had knocked, alarmed doubtless by 
 the tone of his voice, waited a minute before replying. 
 At last a soft voice said : 
 
 "It is I, Gonzalo." 
 
 "Ah, excuse me, Cecilia. Come in," he returned, 
 suddenly mollified. His sister-in-law opened the door, 
 came in, and carefully shut it behind her. 
 
 " I came to know how you are, and to tell you that if 
 you want the lemonade it is ready made. " 
 
 " I am better, thank you. If I keep on like this I shall 
 be able to get up to-morrow or next day." 
 
 " Has the blister been taken off ? " 
 
 " Ventura began doing it just now, but she did not 
 finish," he replied, as a frown again darkened his brow. 
 
 " Yes, I just met her in the passage, and she told me 
 that you were cross because you thought the task was 
 repugnant to her," said Cecilia, smiling kindly. 
 
 "It is not that, it is not that," returned the young 
 man in an impatient tone and somewhat shamefacedly. 
 
 " You must forgive her, for she is not accustomed to 
 these things. She is but a child. Besides, in her state 
 of health she is easily upset." 
 
 "It is not that!" repeated the young man with in- 
 creased impatience, and slightly raising his head from 
 the pillows. " I should be very stupid and very selfish 
 if I were to put myself out for something which, after 
 
 264 
 
Secrets Revealed 
 
 all, she cannot help. That is a matter of temperament, 
 and I am accustomed to bear it in mind, especially as it 
 is a question of my wife, and she is not well. But it is 
 more than that, and this is the last straw that breaks 
 the camel's back. I have now been in bed ten days 
 and she has not entered the room more than two or 
 three times a day, and those occasions were generally 
 when I sent for her. Do you think that is how a hus- 
 band ought to be treated by a wife ? If it had not been 
 for you and for mamma — especially you — I should have 
 been left to servants, like in a hospital." 
 
 "Oh, no, Gonzalo." 
 
 "Yes, yes, Cecilia," he returned emphatically, and 
 raising himself up, " abandoned. My wife only appears 
 when anybody comes to see me. Then, yes, she comes 
 sweeping in, redolent with perfumes and blazing with 
 colors. But as to bringing me tisanes, carrying out the 
 doctor's orders, or keeping me company a while by read- 
 ing or talking — nothing of the sort. Just now I begged 
 her to take off the blister for me, and even as I men- 
 tioned it her whole face changed. She began by mak- 
 ing excuses to avoid doing it, and it was only when I 
 insisted on it that she made up her mind to do it, but 
 with such a bad grace and with such a cross face that 
 I felt inclined to tear the things out of her hand. I 
 should not have had a spark of dignity or self-respect if 
 I had let her go on." 
 
 In his increasing excitement Gonzalo quite raised 
 himself up in bed, and Cecilia stood in the middle of 
 the room listening to him in dismay and distress, with- 
 out knowing what to reply. She wanted to defend her 
 sister, but she had no arguments weighty enough to 
 contravene those of her brother-in-law. 
 
 " Gonzalo," she said at last, with a serene face and 
 265 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 in a firm voice, " the pain you have had has somewhat 
 excited you, and prevented your seeing things as they 
 really are. It is possible that Ventura has been rather 
 neglectful of her duties, but be quite assured that it was 
 not from lack of will. I know her well, and I know 
 that her character is not one to lend itself to the con- 
 sideration and care required by an invalid. She is not 
 fit for a sick nurse. Besides, we must recollect that her 
 present state of health excuses her from many things." 
 
 " But if it be so in everything, Cecilia ; if it be so in 
 everything?" returned the young man, both crossly 
 and quickly. " If she be an empty-headed girl ? The 
 only thing of any importance in the world to her is her- 
 self — her beauty, her dresses, her jewels; all the rest — 
 father, mother, brother, sister, and husband, all go for 
 naught. I am certain she has been more interested in 
 her hat from Paris than in my illness." 
 
 "Oh, don't say that, for goodness' sake! You are 
 mad." 
 
 " I am not mad, it is the simple truth." 
 
 And in rapid, stirring tones, frequently interrupted 
 by the intensity of his anger, he laid bare his troubles, 
 seeming to take pleasure in reopening the wounds he 
 had received in his matrimonial life. Ventura had a 
 character diametrically opposed to his. It was not pos- 
 sible to get on with her for more than an hour, because 
 when there was peace, and no cause for dispute, she did 
 not rest until she had found one, doubtless for the 
 pleasure of making up the quarrel again. If he did 
 anything to give her any enjoyment, instead of thank- 
 ing him she only acknowledged it by some joke or sar- 
 casm. Nothing seemed of any importance to her, and 
 his greatest sacrifices were of no account. It was im- 
 possible to make her think of anything beyond her 
 
Secrets Revealed 
 
 dresses, perfumes, and ribbons. What a life she led 
 him those three months she spent with him in Madrid ! 
 They were continually visiting drapers, jewellers, and 
 dressmakers. The evenings were invariably spent at the 
 play, and however much his head ached, or however 
 tired he was, he had to appear in some box at the Koyal 
 or Prince's theatre. 
 
 The money they spent there amounted to a consider- 
 able sum. He thought he had provided himself with 
 sufficient funds, but he had been obliged to send home 
 three times for more. Then seeing that his income would 
 not suffice him for this style of living, especially if he 
 had several children, he thought of starting a brewery, 
 and thus turn to account the study he had given the 
 subject. But Ventura firmly set her face against such 
 a proceeding, saying that she declined being " a brewer's 
 wife." 
 
 He was certain that the bad state of his blood, which 
 had brought on the sudden attack of erysipelas, was due 
 to the life he had led at Madrid and subsequently in 
 Sarrio. This was quite evident, for he required a life 
 of activity and work, an outdoor life with shooting and 
 riding; his plethoric temperament required exercise, 
 and the sedentary life which suited Ventura, with the 
 eternal theatre and visits, and long evenings without 
 food, were death to him, and his blood became as thick 
 as oil. But what did all that signify to her ? All she 
 cared about was to please herself once and for all. In 
 Madrid she had learnt to use rouge — an atrocious thing, 
 because she was naturally as white as milk; but although 
 he had impressed upon her several times the horror that 
 he had of the fashion, she paid no attention to him. 
 
 Whilst Gonzalo unburdened himself in this uninter- 
 rupted torrent of words his face successively expressed 
 
 367 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 the indignation, sadness, anger, and disappointment 
 with which the recollection of his sufEerings filled him. 
 His great athletic form moved convulsively on the bed, 
 sometimes raising itself and at other times throwing itself 
 back, whilst his trembling, clenched hands mechanically 
 pulled up the bed-clothes which his excitement contin- 
 ually disarranged. Cecilia listened with her head bent 
 and her hands clasped, hoping that his temper would 
 calm after the disburdenment of his troubles. And so 
 it was, for when he had thoroughly exhausted himself 
 he drew the sheet up to his eyes, and only gave vent to 
 a series of interminable groans mingled with a few inco- 
 herent utterances. 
 
 Then Cecilia said, in a very soft voice : 
 
 "I don't know what to say to all this, Gonzalo. It 
 is always very dangerous to meddle with matrimonial 
 disagreements; and if any one ought to interfere about 
 yours it is not for me, but for mamma. But I have 
 always heard that all marriages have trials and troubles 
 at the commencement, until the characters become 
 moulded to each other. But such troubles go by like 
 clouds in summer ; as long as the hearts are united little 
 differences are of little consequence. And fortunately 
 there is no fear about that in this case — you love Ven- 
 tura." 
 
 "Oh, more and more every day!" he exclaimed, 
 angry with himself. " I am in love like an ass! Yes, 
 yes, like an ass! " 
 
 A shade of sorrow, swift as lightning, passed over 
 Cecilia's clear eyes, but they instantly resumed their 
 usual serene brightness. 
 
 "And she also loves you, don't doubt it. Her dis- 
 position is light, perhaps somewhat capricious, because 
 she has always been the spoilt child of the house; she is 
 
 268 
 
Secrets Revealed 
 
 incapable of bearing malice, but she acts without think- 
 ing, on the impulse of the moment. Besides, Gonzalo," 
 she added, smiling, " recollect you owe her especial con- 
 sideration just now, and even additional tenderness, if it 
 be possible." 
 
 Then the girl in delicate language touched upon the 
 future child, the bond that would indissolubly solder the 
 union of their hearts. This child, for which the whole 
 house was now working, would dissipate with its inno- 
 cent smile the clouds that threatened to momentarily 
 darken the love of its parents. Once it is in the 
 world, what time will Venturita have for rouge ! No; 
 she will have enough to do to tend it, feed it, and soothe 
 it when fretful. And the father will be so taken up 
 with it that he will not have time to notice what dress 
 his wife had donned, or whether she was in a good or 
 bad humor. Cecilia's voice, soft and persuasive, albeit 
 somewhat hesitating, which gave a peculiarly touching 
 and humble efEect to her tones, was enough to melt any- 
 body's heart, and her brother-in-law's was not proof 
 against it. 
 
 He suddenly calmed down, and his face expanded 
 with a smile as he interrupted her by saying: 
 
 " Child, what a good barrister you would make ! " 
 
 " It is because I am in the right," she replied, laugh- 
 ing. 
 
 " And if you were not, you would make yourself so. 
 Well, well, it is over now! My tempers don't last long, 
 and particularly when you begin to speak I am done for. 
 No orator can come up to your way of accumulating 
 arguments on your own side. Fancy bringing in the 
 child!" 
 
 Cecilia could not forbear laughing. 
 
 " Confess that you missed no point." 
 269 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 "I don't deny it." 
 
 And both laughed merrily, joking each other affec- 
 tionately, in the brotherly and sisterly way that de- 
 lighted them. 
 
 At last Cecilia was about to take her departure. But 
 before reaching the door she turned and asked, with a 
 timidity which betrayed her strong concern on the 
 subject: 
 
 " Would you like me to take off the blister ? It must 
 hurt you." 
 
 The young man hesitated an instant, fearful of offend- 
 ing his sister-in-law's delicacy. 
 
 " If you like. There is no necessity. Perhaps it will 
 be disagreeable to you." 
 
 But Cecilia had already approached the bed and put 
 the lint, ointment, and scissors in order. She cut a 
 fresh piece of lint and carefully spread the ointment 
 upon it. Gonzalo watched her somewhat shyly. She 
 kept silent in her heroic efforts to overcome the confu- 
 sion which nearly overwhelmed her. She was indeed 
 repenting her suggestion, and she spent some minutes 
 passing the knife numberless times over the lint, with 
 downcast looks, feigning engrossing attention to the 
 task. At last, with a supreme effort she took up the 
 lint, and raising her eyes to her brother-in-law, she 
 said, with assumed indifference : 
 
 " Are you ready ? " 
 
 Gonzalo with a hesitating hand pushed back the bed- 
 clothes, and proceeded to unfasten his nightshirt slowly 
 and shyly, until he had uncovered his muscular chest. 
 
 "Nice sight before dinner!" he exclaimed shame- 
 facedly, repeating the remark expressed by his wife. 
 
 Cecilia did not reply, but proceeded to examine the 
 wound still half covered with the blister that Ventura 
 
 270 
 
Secrets Revealed 
 
 did not finish removing. Then she took the scifisors, and 
 with a firm hand she snipped away what remained of it. 
 
 " Do I hurt you ? " she asked. 
 
 " Not at all." 
 
 When the wound was laid bare, as large as the palm 
 of one's hand, she gently laid the lint upon it, passed 
 her hand several times over it to adjust it, put some 
 linen over the lint, and without leaving oS the pressure 
 with her left hand, she took a band from the little table 
 to keep the plaster in its place. 
 
 Then it was necessary to get the bandage round his 
 back so as to tie it in front. 
 
 " Can't you do it ? " he said, laughing nervously. 
 
 She did not reply, for she wished by her gravity to 
 overcome the confusion to which she was a prey. She 
 only betrayed her emotion by the slight trembling of her 
 lips. Her eyes, half closed, shone under her long lashes 
 with a real intense pleasure which the grave and quiet 
 expression of her face could not conceal. 
 
 Gonzalo tried to cross the strings behind him, but it 
 was impossible, and Cecilia came to his assistance. Her 
 hand slightly trembled as it touched the young man's 
 form, but she did not shrink from the performance of 
 her task. 
 
 " A fine chest, eh ? " he said with affected unconcern, 
 to hide the embarrassment from which they were both 
 suffering. 
 
 " It is rather," returned Cecilia. 
 
 " Don't think it is quite natural. I got these arms 
 and chest by rowing on the Thames." 
 
 "Bowing?" 
 
 " Yes, rowing. The richest youths there don a sailor's 
 vest or shirt, and indeed it is considered fashionable to 
 do so on the water. "What trips we had down that river! 
 
 271 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Then every now and then there was a regatta, and the 
 people flocked thither as they do to a bull-fight in Ma- 
 drid. Fine races were held ; it is a delicious amusement. 
 What an excitement there was among us for days before- 
 hand!" 
 
 He was quite elated at the recollection of those pleas- 
 ant hours of health and strength, when neither love nor 
 any domestic cares disturbed his merry life as a rich 
 young athlete. Then seeing Cecilia's attention, he gave 
 minute descriptions of little incidents in his athletic 
 career. He told her of the races he won, those that he 
 lost, and all the particulars relating to them. He re- 
 counted his experiences before and after the events, the 
 kind of diet which he had to adopt to gain strength and 
 to lose fat; he described the costume that he wore, even 
 to the shape of the boots, and he dilated on the cries of 
 the crowd on the banks of the river. 
 
 " There were none there stronger than you," she 
 said, her eyes eloquent with admiration. 
 
 " Oh, yes, there were none bigger than I, but there 
 were some stronger," he modestly replied. 
 
 The shyness of both had now vanished, and the old, 
 pleasant sense of familiarity had reasserted itself. As 
 he lay upon the bed, with his arms stretched out on the 
 counterpane, he said that when he was quite himself 
 again he would go to Tejada, for he would have to 
 change his mode of life to avoid another illness; he 
 thought of going in seriously for sport, he would set up 
 a gymnasium near the house — in short, he made up his 
 mind to be a diflerent man altogether. Cecilia ap- 
 plauded his plans, and promised to accompany him 
 sometimes. She liked Tejada much better than Sarrio; 
 she was born for a country life, but her brother-in-law 
 derided these remarks. 
 
 373 
 
Secrets Revealed 
 
 "You don't know what it is going shooting down 
 there. I daresay I should have to carry you in my arms 
 as I did Ventura." 
 
 " No fear; I am stronger than I look." 
 
 "When the girl at last was leaving the room Gonzalo 
 said timidly: 
 
 " Couldn't you read to me a little ? " 
 
 Cecilia had thought of the idea herself, but as the 
 young man had complained of his wife not doing so, she 
 thought it would put Ventura in a bad position if she 
 offered to do so. 
 
 " What would you like me to read ? " 
 
 " Anything, as long as it is not one of those horrible 
 novels that my wife is so fond of." 
 
 " All right, I will read you ' The Christian Year.' " 
 
 "Oh, come!" he exclaimed, laughing. 
 
 So Cecilia then took from the shelf a volume of poems 
 and began to read, seated near the foot of the bed. In 
 a quarter of an hour Gonzalo fell into a delicious sleep 
 as tranquil as a child. The girl stopped reading and 
 looked at him attentively, or rather fixed her loving 
 eyes on him for a long time. 
 
 Then, thinking she heard steps in the passage, and 
 not wishing to be found in that attitude, she jumped 
 up quickly from her chair and left the room on tiptoe. 
 When Gonzalo was convalescent he carried out his wish 
 of going to Tejada, and all the family accompanied him 
 with the exception of Don Eosendo. It was the month 
 of October, and instead of the yellow foliage of other 
 estates, Don Rosendo's place, full of coniferas, presented 
 a gloomy appearance not at all pleasing to the eye. The 
 young man carried out his programme of a hygienic life. 
 He rose early, took his gun, called his dogs, and struck 
 across the country, returning most days with a few par- 
 18 373 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 tridges in his bag, and as hungry as a cannibal. "When 
 his expeditious were shorter Cecilia accompanied him, 
 according to her promise. Although on these occasions 
 few partridges were shot, Gonzalo enjoyed the society of 
 such a sympathetic, agreeable companion. The girl 
 would never confess to being tired, but he always guessed 
 it by her faltering step, and made her sit down until she 
 was rested, when the time passed quickly in joking and 
 talking. 
 
 But she had to struggle between her delight in these 
 expeditions and the promises she had made her sister to 
 work at the layette for the child. 
 
 When the time had come to think about it, Ventura 
 was about to order it from Madrid, but Cecilia said to 
 her: 
 
 " If I have the patterns I will undertake to make the 
 things as well as if they came from the city." 
 
 Ventura demurred a little at first, but seeing that 
 her sister was set upon the task, she soon gave in, and 
 Cecilia commenced the work with such enthusiasm that 
 she hardly gave herself time to eat and sleep. 
 
 Sometimes, when her brother-in-law wanted her to go 
 out, she would say : 
 
 "No, you must let me work to-day; I have hardly 
 done anything the last three days." 
 
 And when he insisted and made light of her labors, 
 she gave in, saying : 
 
 " Very well, it will be all the worse for you when you 
 find that the child has nothing to wear when it arrives." 
 
 " Don't trouble about that, dear," he returned, laugh- 
 ing. " I have sufficient shirts for him and myself too, 
 particularly if he is likely to have a predilection for low 
 collars." 
 
 By the end of the month the open air and sun had 
 374 
 
Secrets Revealed 
 
 made Cecilia very much stronger, and Gonzalo declared 
 that she looked like a boy, a sailor boy, so sunburnt was 
 her face. 
 
 In the meanwhile Ventura led her sultana-like life, 
 which was now more excusable. She hardly ever left 
 the house. The minute care of her appearance took up 
 a great deal of her time, and the rest of it was spent in 
 the perusal of light novels. She grew more beautiful 
 every day, and the incessant care of her person contrib- 
 uted not a little to increase her charms. She was like 
 an artist in the indefatigable manner she touched and 
 retouched her work in the way of attending to her hair, 
 her skin, her teeth, and her hands. Marriage had 
 added to her beauty by giving an additional fulness and 
 womanliness to her figure, and changing her springtide 
 prettiness into a more developed loveliness. Even her 
 state of health was no drawback to her beauty, for it 
 only seemed to give a greater dignity to her appearance. 
 Then the wonderful taste, or better said, art, with which 
 she knew how to adapt the color and form of her dress 
 to her figure brought out all the charms of her lovely 
 person. 
 
 And so the whole house was at Ventura's feet. All 
 the human figures on those Chinese towers were swayed 
 by her will, as if she were some feared and adored god- 
 dess. Even Dofia Paula, who had been somewhat cool 
 to her during the first months of her married life, suc- 
 cumbed to the sway. Ventura did not abuse her power 
 as long as everything went as she wished, and she took 
 care that it always did. So nobody but herself knew 
 when they would return to Sarrio; the cook never 
 arranged a meal without consulting her; the coachman 
 came up every day to ask her at what time the carriage 
 was wanted, and the gardener never moved a plant with- 
 
 275 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 out her sanction. On the other hand, she did not con- 
 cern herself at all about her husband's mode of amuse- 
 ment. Only once, when seeing him about to go out 
 with Cecilia, she said with a smile before her sister and 
 a few other people : 
 
 " You and Cecilia are becoming very friendly. I 
 shall begin to be jealous." 
 
 But even as she said those words she gave the young 
 man one of her dominating looks, which showed that 
 she knew the strength of her power. Gonzalo could 
 not break his chain, although he had considerably 
 lengthened it, and he always returned to her feet quiet 
 and submissive, like a comet that passes through space 
 in its whirling course, and then, when at an immeasur- 
 able distance from the sun, it quietly turns itself 
 towards it. 
 
 Gonzalo returned that look with one of absolute sub- 
 mission, but Cecilia turned slightly pale, and smiled to 
 hide her confusion. 
 
 " Come, be off. I don't want to spoil your pleasure; 
 but," she added, "if you do take advantage of me the 
 worse for you, because revenge would be mine." 
 
 The joke was not a pretty one, considering the former 
 relations that had existed between Cecilia and Gonzalo; 
 but Venturita was not the woman to spare them on that 
 account. The first days of December saw them all back 
 in Sarrio, and a month later Ventura gave birth to a 
 beautiful baby-girl, pink and white like herself. Gon- 
 zalo was so much in love with his wife that he hailed it 
 with pleasure, but not with that rapture and delight 
 with which some men greet their first-born. His inter- 
 est was chiefly centred in the mother, with whom every- 
 thing went well. He was constantly in and out of her 
 room, he felt her pulse and pestered Don Eufo with 
 
 276 
 
Secrets Revealed 
 
 questions. The doctor considered that Ventura might 
 easily nurse her child, who was strong and well-formed. 
 In consideration of the possibility of finding it exhaust- 
 ing, the girl had at first vaguely and then definitely 
 expressed her objection to the course, so Gonzalo soon 
 concurred in this decision, and, moreover, considered it 
 quite reasonable. Dofla Paula, on the other hand, was 
 very indignant, but she did not dare to express her dis- 
 approval to Ventura's face. 
 
 Cecilia meanwhile devoted such care and attention to 
 the baby that she soon had entire charge of it. 
 
 She had the nurse's bed and the child's bassinette 
 brought into her own room, as it was supposed to make 
 Ventura ill to have her nights disturbed, whilst it did 
 not hurt her to have her sleep broken. And, in truth, 
 she was the first to jump up when the child cried, and 
 take it to the nurse ; and if that did not quiet it, she 
 walked for hours up and down the room with it in her 
 arms, until she succeeded in putting it to sleep. 
 
 So the young married couple had their nights as 
 utterly undisturbed as hitherto. When the baby was 
 brought to its mother in the morning, Cecilia had 
 already bathed it in warm water and dressed it in clean 
 clothes. Ventura played with it a little, and when the 
 time came for her retirement into her dressing-room 
 she gave it back to her sister. 
 
 In like manner, although with a certain timidity, due 
 to her desire not to ofEend her sister, and to show the dif- 
 ference in their dispositions, Cecilia undertook the care 
 of Gonzalo's clothes and the order of his sitting-room; 
 and her brother-in-law finally constantly gave her the 
 keys of his wardrobe, saying: 
 
 " Cecilia, I am going to dress." 
 
 Then the girl would run to his room and return in 
 277 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 a few moments, saying: "Your things are all ready." 
 Whereupon Gonzalo would find his clothes laid out on 
 the bed, his shirt with the studs put in, and his boots 
 ready cleaned by the table. 
 
 " Cecilia, the fur has come a little undone on my 
 coat." When he put it on again it was mended. And 
 she who cared very little about her own dress was very 
 particular about her brother-in-law being spick and 
 span, and she would not for anything allow him to 
 have soiled boots or a dirty collar. She delighted in 
 going to the window and peeping at him through the 
 curtain as he sallied forth to the caf6 in a fine new suit, 
 and with a cigar in his mouth ; and she stood staring 
 after him till he turned the corner, and watched till the 
 smoke from his cigar had vanished. 
 
 One day, feeling angry with himself at spending so 
 much money, Gonzalo gave Cecilia the key of his cash- 
 box, saying: 
 
 " Look here, take care of this key; neither Ventura 
 nor I are good managers. When we want money you 
 can put it down in this note-book, and then let us know 
 at the end of the month what we have spent. Perhaps 
 we shall keep a little order like that." 
 
 Being thus provided with a steward, the married 
 couple found their affairs improve. When any bill 
 came in Gonzalo said to the servant with a smile : 
 
 " Take it to the manager." 
 
 Whereupon the servant also smiled, and took it to 
 Cecilia. 
 
 This intimacy, this close companionship in almost 
 all the acts of daily life, engendered utter confidence 
 between the two, particularly on Gonzalo's side. Noth- 
 ing happened to him in the street or in the cafe but he 
 came and told Cecilia, who was never tired of listen- 
 
 278 
 
Secrets Revealed 
 
 ing; his wife, on the other hand, never wanted to hear 
 about his sport, his vexations, or his friends' afEairs, for 
 very little interested her beyond the fashions, balls, 
 evening parties, and the marriages of the &lite of Spain. 
 
 Her curiosity was mostly exercised in all concerning 
 the king and queen and royal family. 
 
 She read with avidity the accounts of the gatherings 
 ab the palace; she was up in the court etiquette as much 
 as any gentleman-in-waiting; she knew how the royal 
 hand should be kissed; when it was necessary to speak 
 in the presence of royalty, and how one ought to with- 
 draw; and she was versed in the name and biography of 
 every member of the royal family and every member of 
 the court. The novels she read, and the conversation 
 of the quondam lady-in-waiting of the queen who had 
 come to take the baths in Sarrio, filled her mind with 
 silly ambitions, and imbued her with a strong desire to 
 live in the brilliant atmosphere of the court. 
 
 The majesty of royalty moved and inspired her, who 
 had ever been incapable of submission, with humility, 
 and the brilliant life at court suggested to her all the 
 enchantment of a pleasant dream. When she went to 
 Madrid her position as a mere rich provincial had 
 only admitted her to the enjoyment of the theatres, 
 drives in the Castellana, visits to the shops, and walks 
 in the streets; but the court with all its gayeties and 
 delights was still as far removed as if she had remained 
 in Sarrio. Nevertheless, she was quite certain, and not 
 without reason, that she could have been a star in those 
 exalted spheres; that her beauty, her vivacity, and her 
 charming ways would have brought her into note in the 
 most distinguished society. Sometimes, when driving 
 in a landau with her husband, she had seen the eyes of 
 the Duke of S fixed upon her in flattering admira- 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 tion, and she received the same notice from the Mar- 
 quis of C , and also from ssTeral eminent political 
 
 people. 
 
 On one occasion she heard the Duchess of Medinaceli 
 say to her companion as she drove past : 
 
 " Is that pretty girl just married ? " 
 
 A poetic vision had remained to her of those three 
 months in Madrid, a confused recollection of its pleas- 
 ures, and a distinct desire to emulate the fashions of the 
 smart ladies of the court with the poor means at her 
 disposal in the little town of Sarrio. So on her return, 
 whenever she went out, which was very seldom, she did 
 so in a carriage, especially if it were to the theatre. It 
 excited some surprise and no little grumbling in the 
 town when the carriage was first seen waiting for her at 
 the end of the performance. 
 
 The dresses in which she appeared in public were 
 always fantastic, and utterly different to those worn by 
 the other ladies of the place. They generally went 
 about their homes with their old clothes " done up 
 somehow," as they expressed it. But Ventura created 
 a revolution in this direction; she attired herself in the 
 morning in new and pretty garments. She was never 
 seen, even in the retirement of her boudoir, without 
 being well turned out; and her silk morning-gown, her 
 hair-nets — things hitherto unknown in Sarrio — and her 
 velvet slippers were the admiration of the town. 
 
 Many ladies called upon her for the sole purpose of 
 seeing her beautiful things. 
 
 When Gonzalo saw her absorbed in the perusal of 
 society papers, and heard her describe some court baU 
 as if she had been present, he would exclaim, laughing: 
 
 " Do you know how this mania of yours would be 
 defined by the medical faculty ? ' Grandeur mad.' " 
 
 280 
 
Secrets Revealed 
 
 This offended her, because, like all mocking creatures, 
 she was deeply wounded by ridicule levelled at herself. 
 
 The young man sometimes laughed with his sister-in- 
 law at his wife's eccentricities, and at other times he 
 became quite angry with her conduct, which he termed 
 stupid and shallow; but Cecilia tried to appease him by 
 reminding him of the youth and the impressibleness of 
 Ventura. 
 
 "You will see," she said ; "in a few months' time 
 she will have given up all such nonsense." 
 
 Cecilia was his safety-valve, the confidante of all his 
 matrimonial troubles, and he never failed to receive 
 from her some useful advice or some consoling words 
 that calmed his splenetic outbursts. He became so 
 accustomed to these confidences that, if his sister-in- 
 law were not at home after any difference he had with 
 Ventura, he would put on his hat and run in search 
 of her to the Promenade, to church, or wherever she 
 might be. 
 
 The many hours that they spent together also favored 
 these confidences. Ventura did not like going out, 
 and as Don Rufo ordered the child fresh air, Cecilia 
 undertook to accompany the nurse, and Gonzalo also 
 joined the walks. The nurse with the baby went first, 
 and the young man followed with Cecilia. It was dur- 
 ing these long walks that he confided to her all his 
 secrets, all his hopes and fears and joys. Sometimes 
 when hearing her speak with so much perspicacity on 
 serious matters, he exclaimed, with a want of gallantry 
 to his vidf e : 
 
 " "What a pity Ventura has not your clever, sensible 
 disposition!" 
 
 She, on the other hand, was as impenetrable to him 
 as to everybody else. Whether it was because she had 
 
 281 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 no secrets to tell, or whether it was due to her exces- 
 sively reserved disposition, the fact remained that the 
 eldest daughter of Belinchon carefully avoided talking 
 of herself. Neither her joys nor her troubles were con- 
 fided to anybody, and only a very sharp observer could 
 have detected the emotions that moved her; and Gon- 
 zalo, in the simple egoism of a strong and healthy man 
 incapable of much perspicacity, simply looked upon his 
 sister-in-law as a passive, rational, cold being, admirable 
 for giving advice and managing others, but incapable of 
 feeling those rages, those joys, those insensate passions 
 that assail weak natures like his own. 
 
 Nevertheless, he tried sometimes, in a joking way, to 
 win her confidence. He knew that three or four young 
 men in the town aspired to her hand, for he had come 
 npon one or two walking up and down in front of the 
 house, and in the theatre he had noticed them turning 
 their opera-glasses in her direction; and although Gon- 
 zalo was somewhat disgusted at seeing that the attention 
 was due more to the attraction of her money than to 
 love, he tried to flatter her by alluding to her admirers. 
 
 She received the remarks in stony silence, with an 
 absent sort of smile to conceal her thoughts, until she 
 found herself obliged to turn the conversation. 
 
 But on one occasion Gonzalo treated the subject with 
 more seriousness and greater pertinacity. A friend of 
 his boyhood, an engineer, had spoken to him of Cecilia, 
 and begged him to do his best to interest her on his 
 behalf. The young man was very much pleased with 
 the frank, open way in which his friend spoke on the 
 matter. 
 
 " Gonzalo," he said, "I am now at an age and in a 
 position to marry. I did not care about doing so either 
 in Madrid or in Seville, because I mistrust women I 
 
 382 
 
Secrets Revealed 
 
 have not known for some time. Men ought to marry 
 in their own neighborhood girls they have seen grow up 
 round about them. I determined to marry one of the 
 girls here, and I have set my heart upon your sister-in- 
 law. I will now confide to you my ideas about her. 
 Cecilia is neither pretty nor ugly; she is a passable 
 woman, and I have always thought that such a one 
 makes the best wife. In the four or five times I have 
 met her at the Saldanas I found her very friendly, 
 reasonable, frank, and modest. Her girl friends all 
 speak well of her, which fact men don't take sufficiently 
 into account when they are thinking of marriage, for 
 girls are implacable, and bear eternal grudges against 
 eaeh other. Besides, your sister-in-law will have a nice 
 fortune shortly. I don't see why I should not mention 
 it, because it is another fact which should be borne in 
 mind. I don't see why men should systematically marry 
 poor women. Marriage increases a man's expenses; chil- 
 dren cause a considerable outlay; and all these things 
 have to be taken into account. But I have no need to 
 marry for fortune. I have rather a lucrative profession, 
 and my parents will leave me some money. Will you 
 ask her if she has found me to her taste the few times 
 I have talked with her, and if she will allow me to call 
 on her?" 
 
 Gonzalo promised to use his influence on his behalf, 
 whilst he could not help prophesying success to his 
 friend's designs, for he was conscious of the influence 
 he exercised over his sister-in-law, and she had never 
 hitherto neglected any of his wishes. 
 
 " If I am not able to bring it about, nobody can," he 
 added ia a burst of spontaneous confidence and pride. 
 So that same evening, when Cecilia came to light his 
 lamp in his study, he said to her with a smile : 
 
 283 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 "Are you busy now, Cecilia? No. Then sit down 
 a minute, I have something to say to you." 
 
 The girl looked at him with her large, luminous, 
 soft eyes full of surprise. Gonzalo made her take a 
 seat. 
 
 " Haye you a lover ? " he asked brusquely. 
 
 " What a question! " she exclaimed, with a face smil- 
 ing and unabashed. 
 
 "I am not speaking of a formal lover. If you had 
 one I should have been told. I only want to know 
 whether, among the young men who pay attention to you, 
 any one has succeeded in finding favor with you." 
 
 " Why do you want to know ? " 
 
 "Answer." 
 
 Cecilia made a negative gesture. 
 
 " Then I am going to take .the liberty of speaking to 
 you on behalf of one who has appealed to me. I mean 
 my friend, Paco Plores, whom you know. He has 
 begged me to intercede for him, and to ask you if you 
 have found him objectionable the few times he has talked 
 with you." 
 
 " Objectionable ? " she asked in surprise. " Why ? I 
 do not dislike anybody as long as they behave well." 
 
 " Then he asked me if you would consent to his call- 
 ing here." 
 
 "That is another matter," she returned, suddenly 
 becoming serious. " I cannot hinder his calling here, 
 but if my consent thereto implies my liking his visits, 
 I am not disposed to give it." 
 
 " It is not a question of your accepting him as a bride- 
 groom," Gonzalo quickly said; "he only wants you to 
 give him a little time, and then if you consider him 
 worthy of your hand you can take him, and if not, you 
 can refuse him." 
 
Secrets Revealed 
 
 "Well, it is refused now, and without need of any 
 further talk," returned the girl with firmness. 
 
 " That is very sudden," said Gronzalo, smiling to con- 
 ceal the vexation that her brusque refusal caused him. 
 
 " It seems to me that in these matters the sincerer we 
 are, the better it is for all parties. Why should this 
 young man trouble himself to visit here for some time 
 only to receive the answer that I can give him to-day? " 
 
 " Well, well, let us proceed calmly. If Paco is not 
 antipathetic to you, as you say, you cannot be sure that 
 you may not fall in love with him by the end of six or 
 eight months or a year." 
 
 "I am incapable of falling in love," she said, with a 
 bitter smile that was incomprehensible to her brother- 
 in-law. 
 
 " Love comes when least expected," Gonzalo observed 
 sententiously. " We may go years and years without it, 
 and then one day, paf ! the heart gives a bound, because 
 we have met our other half." 
 
 These words, so simple and yet so cruel, stirred the 
 gall-like bitterness of her heart. With her eyes fixed on 
 one of the arms of the chair in which she was seated, 
 she said in rapid, hard tones : 
 
 " Well, I am certain my heart will never go off, paf! 
 one day." 
 
 "Why are you so certain, Cecilia? Women, more 
 than men, are made for the delights of love and for 
 family life." 
 
 Cecilia listened to him in silence; her face was severe, 
 and her eyes were fixed on space. 
 
 The words of her brother-in-law sent a note of desola- 
 tion through her heart. Yes, it was true, unfortunately 
 it was all true! When he had finished the apology for 
 love, he made one for his friend Paco Flores: such a nice 
 
 285 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 young fellow, too; so courteous, the son of a good fam- 
 ily, with a brilliant career, etc., etc. 
 
 But Cecilia was firm in refusing her consent to his 
 coming to the house. Then Gonzalo, somewhat vexed 
 at her obstinacy, and wounded in his self-love for having 
 boasted of his influence with his sister-in-law, uttered 
 some rather cruel remarks. 
 
 "Perhaps he is not grand enough for you! Paco is 
 not rich, but he can certainly aspire to your hand. There 
 is no better fellow in Sarrio; nobody can say that the 
 marriage would be an unequal one. Oh, perhaps you 
 expect a prince of the blood! But take care lest you 
 make a great mistake, for woman's youth soon passes, 
 and many chances are lost like this." 
 
 The girl listened to her brother-in-law's oration till 
 it was over without moving a muscle. When it was 
 finished, she quietly rose from her seat, and quickly left 
 the room. On crossing the passage on the way to her 
 room two large tears rolled down her cheeks. 
 
 286 
 
Interesting Incidents 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 GALLICISMS IN "THE LIGHT OF SAEEIO," AND OTHEK 
 IKTBRBSTING INCIDENTS — FIRST CASUALTIES IN THE 
 BATTLE OF THOUGHT. 
 
 After his glorious duel the gallant Belinchon wore 
 the laurels of his well-earned fame with becoming mod- 
 esty. There are chroniclers who are not of this opinion, 
 but then their dissent is grounded upon the discovery of 
 certain annoyances to which the worthy gentleman sub- 
 jected some of the townsfolk, whilst ignoring the fact 
 that such annoyances did not take place simultaneously 
 with the reported duel, but some time later. 
 
 Chronology is always an important element of history, 
 and in this particular instance it gives a satisfactory 
 explanation of the acts of our hero. During the first 
 excitement of the event he was accorded the marks of 
 admiration indisputably due to him; even his enemies 
 regarded him with respect mingled with admiration 
 when they saw him pass. Then Don Rosendo, instead 
 of abusing his recognized superiority, as any other man 
 of less force of character and modesty would have 
 done, preserved his same stately, quiet demeanor, and 
 walked along the streets as gravely and unpretentiously 
 as hitherto — a noble example of magnanimity, which, 
 however, instead of redounding to his credit, only ex- 
 posed him to attacks. 
 
 The Cabin soon began to make light of the affair, 
 and malignant stress was laid upon the exaggerated 
 accounts of the backward jumps given by the founder 
 
 287 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 of " The Light of Sarrio " in the duel. These jokes, of 
 which it can well be supposed Gabino Maza was the 
 originator, did not stop in the precincts of the Club, for 
 they soon spread through the whole place, so that at the 
 end of a few days the majority of the townsfolk smiled 
 ironically when the duel of honor was mentioned. 
 
 Don Kosendo became conscious of this state of things, 
 not only by his ears, but also by his eyes, for he noticed 
 that the respectful, courteous glances of his neighbors 
 were gradually exchanged for a rude sort of behavior, 
 shown in turning their heads away when he approached, 
 or in ill-suppressed laughter when they passed him in 
 a narrow street. 
 
 What was he to do in such a case ? Indisputably it 
 was time to lay aside modesty and make rude fellows 
 feel the dignity of his noble art of self-defence. 
 
 The first sign he gave of the scorn and contempt in 
 which he held his enemies was to spit upon the ground 
 when any of the party passed him, to demonstrate his 
 loathing for them. As soon as the reason of this act 
 dawned upon the faction, the more timid, fearing that 
 lightning might follow the rain, took care to avoid him; 
 the braver ones, however, passed him without heeding 
 the scornful act, but they dared not look him in the 
 face. At the end of some time several took it calmly as 
 a joke, and said to one another with a laugh: 
 
 " I say, I have just met Don Rosendo." 
 
 " Well, did he spit at you ? " 
 
 "I should think he did!" 
 
 Thus the Cabin party made fun of our great patri- 
 cian, and rude practical jokes were played on him. 
 
 In one of these it was arranged that all the members 
 of the Cabin should pass by him in single file, at a certain 
 distance from each other, which was such a strain on 
 
 288 
 
Interesting Incidents 
 
 Don Rosendo's power or desire to spit, that his throat 
 became quite sore and unequal to the continual effort. 
 But Gabino Maza, who took the whole matter quite seri- 
 ously, said he would see if that ox (the word is strong, 
 but it is textual) would dare spit when he passed. And, 
 in fact, Don Rosendo had always abstained from doing 
 it at him, as he thought that a certain amount of con- 
 sideration was due to the head of the opposite party. 
 
 But one evening, when he was carrying his head 
 rather high, being somewhat excited after reading the 
 account of a certain duel between two Yankees, it sud- 
 denly occurred to him to spit, in a provocative way, as 
 he came across Gabino Maza, close to the Caf6 de la 
 Marina. Whereupon Gabino became white with rage, 
 and seizing him by the wrist, he said, in a tone of fury: 
 
 " Listen to me, you great fool, you shan't spit at me 
 like that; no, not if you were in the last stage of phthisis, 
 do you hear?" 
 
 As a conventional man, well versed in affaires d ^hon- 
 neur, Don Rosendo said nothing at the moment, but on 
 the following day he did not leave the house, as he 
 waited for Maza's challenge, which, happily for him, 
 did not come. 
 
 In spite of everything Don Rosendo's duelling energy 
 excited emulation in the town. Thanks to our hero 
 there arose a great taste for the exercise of arms, and 
 many of the most distinguished townsfolk went in 
 enthusiastically for the art of fencing. 
 
 Not only the stafi of " The Light " and the members 
 of the Club practised the science of Monsieur Lemaire, 
 but the members of the Cabin, recognizing the impor- 
 tance of the art, established a salle d'armes in a ware- 
 house near by, and put at its head a retired cavalry 
 oflBcer who had wielded the foil in Madrid, The im- 
 19 289 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 mediate consequence of this step was, that all the dis- 
 putes that now arose between the Club and the Cabin 
 were formally settled with all the ceremonious etiquette 
 of the code of honor. 
 
 Hardly a week went by without the town being excited 
 at the going and coming of seconds, meetings held in 
 corners of caf 6s, whilst the proceedings were published 
 in " The Light " and in the Lancian papers. But out of 
 twenty disputes nineteen would end in an amende hon- 
 orable, drawn up and signed by the seconds. 
 
 So that, although these affaires d 'honneur were con- 
 ducted in accordance with the usual procedure, they 
 involved nothing more serious than the blow or insult 
 which gave rise to the quarrel. 
 
 On rare occasions, when a great deal of feeling was 
 excited, a meeting was arranged. Delaunay called out 
 Don Eufo for a paragraph in " The Future " in which it 
 was stated that the doctors did not go the round of the 
 hospital at the prescribed hours, and some sword strokes 
 were interchanged. The printer Folgueras also had an 
 encounter with Marin's son-in-law for having omitted 
 to bow to him. 
 
 In both cases nothing worse than a few sword cuts 
 transpired. 
 
 The most noteworthy afEair was that between Don 
 Eudesindo and Don Pedro Miranda, who, after vacillat- 
 ing for some time, finally joined the Cabin party. 
 
 The origin of the quarrel was the slaughter-house 
 problem, the occasion the following: Don Pedro was 
 heard one day to say that Don Rudesindo only remained 
 on Belinchon's side because he did not want the slaugh- 
 ter-house built on the Plaza de las Meanas, as it would 
 affect his house property there. 
 
 The cider manufacturer, hearing of this remark, spoke 
 290 
 
Interesting Incidents 
 
 insultingly of Don Pedro at the Club, and appeared 
 exceedingly angry at the imputation, although, in fact, 
 he was not so much so as he pretended to be. 
 
 Alvaro Pefla, who was never so happy as when he had 
 a duel on hand, hastened to say in a loud voice, with 
 his characteristic arrogance : 
 
 "Look out, Don Rudesindo, Miranda must give you 
 satisfaction. Would you like to leave it to me to settle ? " 
 
 The good manufacturer felt as if he would willingly 
 have eaten the words he had let drop, but PefSa was 
 such an impetuous fellow. Why the devil had he said 
 he would like to kick Don Pedro downstairs, when, in 
 truth, he had just met him as he was leaving home, and 
 had passed him without uttering a word! But more 
 than twenty people were now present, and he was in the 
 wretched position of being obliged to reply to the officer 
 in the least aggressive tone he could command : 
 
 " Very well, if you think it is worth the trouble." 
 
 " But it is not a case of worth. Do you think you 
 are only on our side to be exposed to such low remarks ? 
 Why, they are an insult to you. I say, Don Feliciano, 
 a word with you." 
 
 Don Feliciano and he then conferred together in a 
 corner for a few short minutes, and then sallied forth 
 into the street. Don Rudesindo remained apparently 
 calm, but inwardly much incensed against Pefla, against 
 the Club, against himself, and against the mother who 
 bore him. What necessity was there for him to embroil 
 himself, a married man with children, whose whole life 
 had been spent in working like a slave to amass a little 
 capital ? And now that he had got it — for this fellow's 
 humbug — it was a fine thing! And the manufacturer 
 could hardly swallow the sips of cognac with which he 
 was regaling himself. 
 
 291 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 The affair was quickly arranged. Don Pedro Miranda 
 was quite taken aback at the yisit of Pefla and Don 
 Feliciano. He said that he had no recollection — that 
 he had no spite whatsoever against Don Rudesindo, on 
 the contrary. But Pefla interrupted him by saying: 
 
 "Very well, Don Pedro, we can't listen to all that. 
 Just name two friends, who will arrange with us. " 
 
 The poor proprietor suggested Gabino Maza and 
 Delaunay, and as one of these was a choleric, fiery man, 
 and the other a bad-hearted fellow, no pacification was 
 possible. All explanations were refused. The duel was 
 arranged to take place in the early morning, and swords 
 were the weapons to be used. 
 
 "When Don Eudesindo heard it, he cursed the day he 
 saw the light, and his adversary threw himself onto a 
 sofa and asked for a cup of tilleul. However, there was 
 nothing to be done but to obey the call of honor, and 
 we dare not say whether they were impelled thereto by 
 their own free will or by extraneous circumstances. 
 
 At six in the morning Pefla and Don Feliciano on 
 one side, and Maza and Delaunay on the other, dragged 
 them from their homes to the old cemetery. "What 
 lugubrious fancies passed through Don Pedro Miranda's 
 head as he journeyed thither! They were only compar- 
 able to those that assailed Don Rudesindo on the same 
 journey. Before arriving, Pefla said to him : 
 
 " I am quite sure, Don Rudesindo, that you will settle 
 him, and I feel primed with courage. Don't push your- 
 self, but you have a difficult part to play, very difficult! " 
 
 The manufacturer would have sacrificed all his prop- 
 erty at that moment to have found it not only difficult 
 but impossible. 
 
 " Don Pedro is not firm on his legs; besides, he is short 
 in the arm. But, as you know, in fighting there is noth- 
 
 393 
 
Interesting Incidents 
 
 ing certain, and it is always the unexpected that hap- 
 pens. If you have any last requests to make, make 
 them before we arrive." 
 
 Don Eudesindo shuddered. He remained silent for 
 some time as he walked along, and finally, drawing 
 some papers from his pocket, he gave them to his 
 friend, saying in a stifled voice: 
 
 "If I perish give these to Seflor Benito." 
 
 Two tears then gathered in his eyes. 
 
 " Do you mean Seflor Benito the Rat? " asked Pefla. 
 
 Don Rudesindo did not hear him. He had walked 
 quickly on to hide his emotion. Why the name of his 
 clerk should upset him so much at that moment we can- 
 not explain. Perhaps in the great crises of life we are 
 suddenly apprised of the existence of strong, deep feel- 
 ings hitherto unsuspected. 
 
 The old cemetery, put in order a short time later, was 
 then overrun with grass and briers. 
 
 The wooden crosses had rotted away, and the only 
 evidence of its being the home of the dead lay in the 
 two skulls encrusted in the wall on either side of the 
 gate. 
 
 These skulls were certainly not conducive to raising 
 Don Rudesindo's spirits. We do not know about Don 
 Pedro, but we suspect that the effect was no more 
 pleasant upon him. 
 
 Some time was spent in finding a convenient spot, as 
 the nettles and briers rendered it impossible for the 
 combatants to take their places. 
 
 Whilst Pefla and the seconds of the other side busied 
 themselves about this most solemn task, good Don Feli- 
 ciano Gomez committed the indiscretion (God bless him 
 for it!) of going up to Don Pedro Miranda, who, with 
 his white face, frightened eyes, and his inside upset by 
 
 293 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 the fabulous amount of tilleul lie had imbibed that 
 night, was leaning against the wall, waiting for the sec- 
 onds to finish their task, and looking like a criminal 
 condemned to death. 
 
 "Hello, Don Pedro! Cold, eh? Carambal what a 
 morning! Look here; fancy a man leaving his bed for 
 this! G-oodness gracious! {Silence, interrupted ly a 
 few groans from the unhappy Miranda.) I would have 
 given my little finger, my little finger, not to have had 
 to assist at such an atrocity! But they say it was a favor 
 that cannot be refused. Well, I suppose it cannot when 
 it is a matter of a serious offence. But what is the seri- 
 ous offence in this case ? Come, let us see, let us hear. 
 What is it? Would to God! would to God! {Fresh 
 silence and fresh groans from Don Pedro, who finished 
 ly dropping his head resignedly upon his breast as if he 
 were putting it upon the Mock.) How much better it 
 would be to be in bed taking chocolate, eh, my boy ? " 
 continued Don Feliciano, putting his hand upon his 
 shoulder with great familiarity. To this remark Mi- 
 randa uttered an almost inaudible guttural sound of 
 assent. 
 
 " Yes, I should think so," said the merchant. " For 
 whatever they say, I cannot believe that you want to kill 
 Don Eudesindo, a neighbor who has been your friend 
 up to a little while ago, who has grown up with yon 
 and went to school with you." 
 
 " I do not want — at all," murmured Don Pedro, as if 
 his head were still upon the block. 
 
 "That's right!" exclaimed Don Feliciano, giving 
 him a hearty slap on the shoulder. " I said so, and 
 Don Rudesindo feels the same. Then who wants to kill 
 whom? Come, let us hear." And he cast his eyes 
 around, seeking for an answer to his question. 
 
 294 
 
Interesting Incidents 
 
 Pefia, Maza, and Delaunay were at some distance, hid- 
 den among the cypresses. Don Eudesindo, also leaning 
 against the wall, was about fifty paces off. 
 
 Then the merchant, filled by a sudden and heavenly 
 inspiration, made a sign for him to approach. 
 
 Don Eudesindo came slowly towards him with a timid, 
 hesitating step. 
 
 "Tell me, dear fellow, have you any desire to kill 
 Don Eudesindo ? " asked the merchant of Miranda. 
 
 " None whatever," he murmured. 
 
 " Have you any wish to wound him ? " 
 
 " Hardly. I have always esteemed Don Eudesindo," 
 stammered the man of property. 
 
 " Eh ? What ? What do you say ? " cried Don Feli- 
 ciano in a tone of triumph. " That you have always 
 esteemed Don Eudesindo ? Eh, my dear fellow ? You 
 said so?" 
 
 "Yes, sefior." 
 
 "Tell me, Don Eudesindo" (taking a few steps 
 towards the cider manufacturer), ".do you wish to kill 
 Don Pedro, a neighbor who has hitherto been your 
 friend, who has grown up with you, and who went with 
 you to Don Martia's school ? " 
 
 "I? Why should I?" said the merchant, opening 
 his eyes wide in distress. 
 
 " Would you wish to wound him ? " 
 
 " No, nor do him the least harm. I have always con- 
 sidered him a real friend." 
 
 " How is this, eh ? A real friend, eh ? Then, in my 
 humble opinion, I think you ought both to embrace 
 each other." 
 
 Hardly had Don Eeliciano uttered these words than 
 Miranda and Don Eudesindo, by a simultaneous im- 
 pulse, rushed into each other's arms, and embraced with 
 
 295 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 sucli efEusion that the bones in their bodies were all but 
 broken. 
 
 Don Feliciano at the same time bared his bald, re- 
 treating forehead, and waving his hat wildly for some 
 minutes, he shouted : 
 
 "Hurrah!" 
 
 I do not know to whom this hurrah was addressed if 
 not to the astute spirit to whom he owed his brilliant 
 idea. 
 
 At that moment the seconds approached and gazed 
 with surprise at what was going on. 
 
 They tried to look pleased at the turn the affair had 
 taken, and soon went their different ways. But that 
 evening at the Club PeQa sharply reprimanded Don 
 Feliciano for his conduct, going so far as to say that he 
 had put him in a ridiculous position, and that, did he 
 not look upon him as a friend of long standing and older 
 than himself, he would ask satisfaction. 
 
 " Satisfaction ? " exclaimed the optimistic Don Feli- 
 ciano. " What next will you ask, you exacting crea- 
 ture ? " 
 
 "Would you refuse to fight me?" asked the officer 
 in a ringing voice. 
 
 " What should we fight about ? " 
 
 "What you like." 
 
 " I, for dancing a fandango or a bolero, my dear fel- 
 low," he returned, as he proceeded to dance up and 
 down the room, and snap his fingers until his hat fell 
 off and exposed his bald head to view. 
 
 The members of the Club rolled on the sofas with 
 laughter, and Pefla, after giving vent to some contemp- 
 tuous remarks, retired from the scene in vexation and 
 disgust. 
 
 The members of the Cabin being constantly attacked 
 396 
 
Interesting Incidents 
 
 in the articles of "The Light/' finally decided to start 
 another paper, in which they could avenge the injus- 
 tices to which they had been exposed. 
 
 This entailed an enormous sacrifice, because very few 
 among them were rich. The only one that could be 
 called so was Don Pedro Miranda, and he would rather 
 have a tooth drawn than loosen his purse-strings. 
 
 By dint of meetings, touting, asking help from dif- 
 ferent quarters, and making collections at the Cabin, 
 they ended by getting the requisite sum of money for 
 setting up a printing-press, as Folgueras was not will- 
 ing to print the publication, nor did they wish to 
 humiliate themselves by asking such a favor. When 
 the printing apparatus, modest as it was, was all in 
 order, the occasion was celebrated by the indispensable 
 banquet, at which it was decided to name the new 
 organ "The Youth of Sarrio," and all its supporters 
 glowed with enthusiasm for its prosperity and with 
 desire for the destruction of its vile enemies. 
 
 The appearance of the first number, bearing a vignette 
 representing a youth surrounded with rows of books for 
 his perusal and delectation, caused a great sensation in 
 the town, and it deserved it. The members of the Cabin, 
 who had been powerless to resent the insults heaped 
 upon them by "The Light" for many months, now 
 avenged themselves with interest. Santo Cristo de Eo- 
 dillero, what a stream of insults and attacks! Prom the 
 beginning to the end it was full of caustic attacks on 
 the members of the Club. They did not openly call 
 one a rogue, another a villain, another a brute, another 
 a humbug, and so forth, but they spoke of them under 
 names by which no one could fail to recognize them. 
 Belinchon was called "Don Quixote," and Don Kude- 
 sindo "Sancho," Sinforoso the "Marquis of Kicks," 
 
 297 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 and PeQa "Captain Choleric," etc. And shielded 
 thus, they attacked them in a most merciless fashion, 
 and did not leave them a leg to stand on. 
 
 Sticks were used at night on the Rua Nueva. Fol- 
 gueras, who had also his share of insults in " The Youth 
 of Sarrio," met Gabino Maza and levelled a blow at his 
 head, which Maza returned with interest, and Folgueras 
 renewed the attack, for a compositor came to his assist- 
 ance, and his opponent was seconded by his son-in-law, 
 which made the brawl look quite alarming. 
 
 " The Youth of Sarrio " was published every Sunday. 
 Periquito Miranda was glad of an outlet for his poetic 
 vein, as his father's quarrel with the Club had arrested 
 the demand for his effusions in that quarter; but it now 
 overflowed in numberless sonnets, odes, acrostics, and 
 other metrical combinations which bore witness to his 
 platonic love for the wife of the manager of the steel 
 factory, a great, elephantine, stout Frenchwoman who 
 could easily have put him in her pocket. But we know 
 that Periquito had a predilection for ponderous, portly 
 specimens of womankind. He found that the form of 
 dreams was his best mode of expressing the feelings 
 which assailed and tormented his soul. The platonic 
 youth dreamed in verse that he was in a lovely grotto, 
 where a nymph with waving arms invited him to repose 
 upon a couch of roses and green grasses. Another time 
 he was on the summit of a very high mountain, when 
 on the billowy clouds in the distant horizon a form of a 
 woman (the wife of the manager) took shape; the clouds 
 approached, the woman was white as driven snow, glori- 
 ous and splendid as a magnolia flower, and the beautiful 
 apparition finally came towards him and bore him off to 
 azure space, encircled in her arms. Another time he 
 ■was sailing in a little ship on the ocean waves. The 
 
Interesting Incidents 
 
 ship foundered, and he descended to the briny depths 
 to be welcomed by a fair and most beautiful nymph 
 (always the wife of the manager), who took him by the 
 hand, led him to a magnificent crystal palace, seated 
 him at her side on a marble throne, and invited him to 
 the nuptial ceremony to the strains of sweet music, after 
 which she escorted him to an apartment which was 
 a marvel of decoration. 
 
 These dreams of bliss, put into facile verse yet adorned 
 with a certain poetic gravity, caused some anxiety among 
 the paterfamiliases. Periquito daily ate more and grew 
 thinner. 
 
 " The light " of the following Thursday, after load- 
 ing the chief members of the Cabin with insults, at- 
 tacked the poet under the malicious, satirical pseudonym 
 of Pericles. 
 
 A fierce and incessant warfare thus arose between 
 "The Light" and "The Youth of Sarrio," and the 
 columns of both papers were filled with mutual insults 
 and recriminations. 
 
 It seldom happened that a number of either of the 
 publications appeared without giving rise to some blows 
 or brawl, if not to a formal duel. Nevertheless, they 
 became more chary in this respect. It was an easy mat- 
 ter to be a second for any contending parties, but to use 
 a sword or pistol on one's own behalf was another mat- 
 ter. The spirit of controversy inflamed the minds of 
 the townsfolk, many people who had remained indiffer- 
 ent in the disputes between the Club and the Cabin 
 ended by joining one side or the other, in some cases 
 because they took up the cudgels on behalf of their rela- 
 tions, and in other cases merely because the dispute 
 aroused a kindred feeling in their bellicose tempera- 
 ments. 
 
 299 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 The place was soon divided into two parties. The 
 side which boasted of Don Rosendo as its worthy chief 
 was the most numerous, and it consisted of almost all the 
 rich merchants of Sarrio. That of the Cabin was smaller, 
 numbering the landowners and the timorous religious 
 people who had been scandalized by " The Light." 
 
 The dissension increased to such a degree that in a 
 short time those that belonged to one side totally ignored 
 those of the opposite party, although they had been good 
 friends hitherto. 
 
 " The Light " and " The Youth of Sarrio " began to 
 criticise each other's style and grammar, eagerly seiz- 
 ing upon any mistakes of syntax, and finding as much 
 fault with the diction as with the verbs. 
 
 "This word is not Castilian," said "The Youth of 
 Sarrio." 
 
 "The word desilusionar, which the pettifoggers of 
 ' The Youth of Sarrio ' say is not Castilian," returned 
 " The Light," " we have seen used by the most eminent 
 writers of Madrid, such as Ferez, Gonzalez, Martinez, 
 etc. This time, as usual, the organ of the Cabin has 
 overreached itself." 
 
 " The Youth " replied to this remark, " The Light " 
 retorted; instances from the grammar, dictionary, and 
 distinguished authors were quoted, and at last nobody 
 knew what to think. 
 
 " The Youth of Sarrio " was condemned for using the 
 preposition de after debia when referring to the Calle de 
 Atras requiring to be repaired. 
 
 " A DE <fe trop, dear student." 
 
 " But when the verb is used conditionally," returned 
 " The Youth," " the de is required. Have the editors 
 of ' The Light ' been to school, or not ? " 
 
 " We have been to school," was the reply, " to greater 
 800 
 
Interesting Incidents 
 
 purpose, as it seems, than all the fools of the Cabin, and 
 we know that in the present case the verb deber is not 
 used conditionally." 
 
 " Yes, it is." " Ko, it is not." And things went on 
 as before, although sometimes they spoke of referring 
 the questions to the Academy of Language. "Don 
 Juan Tenoris," by Zorilla, was often quoted, and cita- 
 tions from " El Curioso Parlante " were brought to bear 
 on the questions at issue. 
 
 This grammatical controversy drove people to the 
 study of a science of which they had hitherto been igno- 
 rant. The effect was the same at both the Club and the 
 Cabin, and two or three copies of the latest grammar of 
 the Academy were constantly in request. 
 
 The most venomous of the linguistic attacks were 
 those directed against Don Eosendo, whom it was con- 
 sidered expedient to crush in respect of his being the 
 head and soul of his party. Belinchon had never studied 
 grammar, except in his childhood, but like all superior 
 spirits, if he did not know it he divined it. His oppo- 
 nents were constantly bringing to light a thousand 
 anachronisms in his articles, but such was the confi- 
 dence with which his powerful mind inspired us that 
 we never credited these remarks, and only regarded 
 them as pure calumnies. If there had been no gram- 
 mar, Belinchon, with all his natural gifts, would have 
 been capable of inventing one. Nobody was a greater 
 master than he of the language of the press, bright but 
 brilliant, full of phrases made sacred by the use of a 
 hundred writers. 
 
 Thanks to his wonderful style, Don Eosendo could 
 write an article on the liberty of culture with the same 
 facility as he could pen an informal account of the fish- 
 ing industry. 
 
 301 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 His enemies said that he used gallicisms. And what 
 if he did ? The mere fact of a writer of such repute 
 using them converted them into the purest Oastilian. 
 
 This anxiety to show up the gallicisms of "The 
 Light" was one of the manias of "The Youth of 
 Sarrio," or " The Local Student," as it was always 
 called by the other publication, anxious to show the 
 withering contempt it had for it by not even giving it 
 its proper name. By the use of a certain old dictionary 
 in the possession of one of the members of the Cabin 
 they were merciless in their attacks on the articles and 
 the novelettes in "The Light." If Don Kosendo said 
 in courteous language that for want of converdancias he 
 could not touch upon certain subjects, "The Youth" 
 called him to book in a sarcastic style. Where did the 
 clever Don Quixote (as they almost always called Belin- 
 chon) learn this use of the word conveniencia ? It was 
 certainly not in the famous history written by Cervan- 
 tes. If he used the word gubernamental or banal, or 
 the phrase Tener lugar, what bursts of derision from 
 "The Youth of Sarrio"! what mockery! what scorn! 
 This lasted until the Club got hold of another dic- 
 tionary of gallicisms, and then both papers became so 
 involved on the subject that they ended by ignoring 
 purism, and returning to their free, happy, independent 
 style. 
 
 Moreover, the controversy had become so heated that 
 classic terms were insufficient for the conveyance of 
 their insults. 
 
 In all the articles such terms as "venomous reptile," 
 "despicable creatures," "obtuse brains," "wallowing 
 in the mire," "ignoble and degraded beings" were 
 adopted on one side as well as the other. 
 
 Tired of insulting each other, they proceeded to lead 
 
Interesting Incidents 
 
 the attack into the family life, and modest wives and 
 venerable fathers were soon not safe from the shafts. 
 "The Youth of Sarrio" was the first to start in that 
 quarter by publishing an Arab story called " The East- 
 ern Slave," in which form an exact relation was given 
 of the history of Dofla Paula and her marriage with Don 
 Eosendo (Mahomad Zegri), flavored with low-toned re- 
 marks and shameful insinuations. Belinchon felt in- 
 clined to call the stafF out, but thinking it would only 
 add fuel to the fire and look as if the cap fitted him, he 
 decided to confine his revenge to the organ of the press. 
 
 Sinforoso, at his request, then wrote an Indian story, 
 in which the life and shady doings of Maza's father fig- 
 ured, for he had been a slave-owner, and had made his 
 fortune in traflBcking in human flesh. Henceforth East- 
 ern stories were freely told on both sides as instruments 
 for laying bare the peccadilloes of either party. 
 
 The widest field for strife, and the richest in results 
 for both the Club and the Cabin, was that of politics. 
 The eyes of both parties turned in that direction, and 
 no opportunities were lost for skirmishes and conquests. 
 Until this division in the town, politics, as we know, had 
 played but a small part in Sarrio. But from that time 
 it became the constant subject, the indispensable ele- 
 ment of all masculine conversation. 
 
 No one had hitherto thought of referring to Bojas 
 Salcedo on the subject of the alcalde's re-election, because 
 Don Koque was the friend of everybody, and had repre- 
 sented the district for eighteen years. Nevertheless, as 
 the time of the municipal elections drew near, letters 
 were sent from both parties on the matter. 
 
 It must be mentioned that the members of the Club 
 wished at all cost to have Don Eoque deposed from the 
 municipal chair, because on more than one occasion, in 
 
 803 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 the exercise of his duties, he had sided with the opposite 
 party at the expense of his old friends. 
 
 " The Light " repudiated him on this account. The 
 enmity increased. Don Koque in revenge abused his 
 authority by sending Folgueras to prison, and the at- 
 tacks of " The Light " proceeded with redoubled fury. 
 Don Eoque being now regarded as a tyrant of the Mid- 
 dle Ages, began to fear for his life, and went about 
 night and day accompanied by the veteran Marcones. 
 
 It was said that his death was decreed at a secret meet- 
 ing of the members of the Club, so the hair of the poor 
 alcalde stood on end with terror if he espied any of 
 " The Light " party in a lonely quarter, and he promptly 
 turned his steps in an opposite direction. 
 
 Eojas Salcedo replied to the members of the Cabin 
 that if Don Koque were elected councillor he would be 
 re-elected alcalde. At the same time he secretly wrote 
 to the members of the Club, charging them to do their 
 best to prevent his being elected, and in this way he 
 sided with both parties. 
 
 But the partisans of Belinchon triumphed all along 
 the line by reason of their numbers, their riches, and 
 their open-handedness. The struggle was finally con- 
 centrated on the matter of Don Eoque. The members 
 of the Cabin knew that if he were elected the battle 
 would be won, because he would be alcalde, and the 
 power of that ofBce would outweigh any other influence 
 in the corporation. The Club was also quite alive to 
 the fact, so both sides fought with the fiercest zeal. At 
 last the old alcalde was defeated at election by a small 
 number of votes. Confused and cast down, with his 
 eyes terribly inflamed and his face so livid that it was 
 fearful to see, he finally retired home after spending the 
 whole day at the Town Hall. A king robbed of his 
 
 304 
 
Interesting Incidents 
 
 crown could not have felt the blow more keenly. He 
 arrived at his house without an escort> like any ordinary 
 being. He had seen Marcones in the corridor, and he 
 was certain Marcones had seen him, but he had not ven- 
 tured to ask him to accompany him home, as the old 
 oflScial was standing talking obsequiously to Don Rufo, 
 his enemy, and pretended not to see his old chief pass by. 
 It was not that Marcones turned to the rising sun, but, 
 imbued with the principle of modern statesmanship, he 
 understood that the public force ought always to be at 
 the service of the reigning power. 
 
 And yet it was really more necessary for Don Roque 
 to be escorted home than it had hitherto been. Besides 
 suffering from a shock that went to his heart, he felt 
 physically indisposed. These long hours of agony, sus- 
 pense, receiving contradictory reports at every minute, 
 on no nourishment but drops of gin since the morning, 
 had worked a dreadful change in him. His legs shook 
 and his sight failed. To reach his home he had to sup- 
 port himself several times against the wall. On his 
 arrival at the door the old servant who opened it started 
 back aghast, the face of her master looked as if his 
 throat was being squeezed by pitiless, invisible hands. 
 Although she was always able to interpret the confused, 
 indistinguishable sounds that issued from his mouth, 
 she could not understand a word he said on this occa- 
 sion. Seeing him go straight to his room, she took him 
 a glass and some water. But Don Eoque in a fury 
 dashed the glass to the ground, and roared like a person 
 possessed with the devil. However, it was impossible 
 to understand what those hollow, fearful, demoniacal 
 sounds meant which rose to his mouth, and before issu- 
 ing forth resounded four or five times in the enormous 
 cavities of his throat. Trembling and alarmed, she ran 
 20 305 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 to fetch a bottle of wine. Although somewhat appeased, 
 he declined to take it, and he repeated with greater em- 
 phasis, but with no more clearness, the order that he 
 had given. At last, by dint of sharpening her wits, the 
 servant managed to understand that her master wanted 
 some rum punch. Don Eoque, seeing that she had 
 understood him, became calm; he took off the enormous 
 greatcoat in which he was enveloped, then his frock 
 coat, tried to take ofE his boots; his noble municipal 
 countenance assumed the color of Valdepenas wine, but 
 he could not bring the undertaking to a satisfactory con- 
 clusion, so when the servant came with the punch she 
 completed it for him. 
 
 Then he said he was going to bed, and the doors were 
 to be well locked, and he was not to be disturbed on any 
 pretext whatsoever. The servant did not understand 
 a word of this discourse, but divining the purport, she 
 withdrew. 
 
 Don Roque then threw himself on to his bed, drew 
 the clothes up, and with his back against the pillows, 
 he took the glass of punch and put it to his lips. On 
 discovering that there was a deficiency in one of the in- 
 gredients, he uttered a guttural awful sound, and rising 
 from the bed, he fetched the bottle of rum from his 
 cupboard and put it on the little table by the bedside. 
 
 Then once more in bed, he gravely and solemnly pro- 
 ceeded, with the glass in one hand and the bottle in the 
 other, to repair the servant's error. He took a sip of 
 punch and then filled up the glass from the bottle, and 
 the concoction thus strengthened was more befitting the 
 state of agitation which possessed his mind, for under 
 that apparent calm Don Roque's brain was wild with 
 excitement. All the hours of the day passed before him 
 in their sad and depressing course — the deceptions he 
 
 806 
 
Interesting Incidents 
 
 had endured, the disappointed hopes, the heated discus- 
 sions, and finally the desertion of Marcones. 
 
 And then the future. That was of the blackest 
 description. "Was he to resign the alcalde's mace that 
 he had wielded with glory so many years, to turn into 
 a nobody without an escort, a private person, not to 
 have the run of the Town Hall, not to pass by any of 
 the corporation officials, and not to be able to say: 
 "Juan, go to Kabila well, and don't let the servants be 
 cleaning their pails there " ? 
 
 If he saw a stonebreaker in the road, was he not to 
 have the power of telling him to strike harder or gen- 
 tler, to raise the axe less or more ? 
 
 His feet were intensely cold. He got up two or three 
 times to put the clothes thicker over them, but his 
 efEorts were fruitless. The contents of the bottle finally 
 passed to the glass, and from the glass to his stomach. 
 A pleasant heat then pervaded his inside and gradually 
 permeated through all his members. Don Eoque then 
 felt his tongue loosen, and he began to talk to himself 
 very distinctly in his own opinion, but if any mortals 
 had been in earshot they would have retreated in 
 horror. 
 
 Sounds like all, call, mall seemed to figure most fre- 
 quently in the monologue, from which a perspicacious 
 philologue, taking into account the combination of the 
 vowel a and the consonants II, would have deduced the 
 probability that the word expressed by the alcalde was 
 canalla {canaille), and this would have been a more or 
 less legitimate deduction. 
 
 At last he was silent. He felt a fiery heat in his 
 throat, which passed to his head and face. His tongue 
 declined to move. He experienced a sensation of physi- 
 cal increase of his whole being; his head especially 
 
 307 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 seemed to grow; it grew in such a measureless way that 
 it overpowered him. 
 
 At the same time the objects about him — the cup- 
 board, bed, washstand, and the sticks standing in the 
 corner — appeared to grow small. He seemed to hear in 
 his head the noise of the machinery of a clock in motion, 
 a wheel that went round swiftly, and a hammer that fell 
 rhythmically with a metallic sound. The hammer ceased 
 and the wheel went on. 
 
 He thought he heard strange noises in the street that 
 petrified him with fear. Poor Don Roque did not know 
 that his enemies were at that moment treating him to 
 "rough music." He thought of calling the servant, 
 but feared that the sounds were imaginary, as they had 
 been before. And, in fact, he was confirmed in this 
 idea by hearing a deafening clang of bells, a discordant 
 sound in which all seemed mingled, from the largest 
 bell of Toledo to the smallest hand-bell. 
 
 How bewildering ! how fatiguing! Fortunately it 
 ceased with a final loud clang, but it was immediately 
 succeeded by a whistle so long and so sharp that it 
 seemed it must break his tympanum, and he instinctively 
 raised his hands to his ears. On the cessation of the 
 whistle he thought that the foot of the bed went up and 
 the head went down, until his feet were above his head, 
 which was a most agonizing sensation. He then gave 
 a long sigh, and his feet returned to their normal level ; 
 but as the same proceeding was repeated several times, 
 he had to give repeated long sighs to regain his normal 
 position. 
 
 But that fantastic operation did not warm Don Eoque's 
 feet. They were like two pieces of ice, whilst the rest 
 of his body was burning hot. His head especially rose 
 to a fearful temperature that increased every minute. 
 
 308 
 
Interesting Incidents 
 
 When he raised his hand to his forehead it seemed like 
 a flame, and he seemed to hear the voice of his wife, 
 ■who died twenty years ago, calling, "Eoque! Eoque! 
 Roque! " The teeth of the alcalde chattered with ter- 
 ror. He lost sight of the cupboard, the walls of the 
 bedroom, and the objects about him, and saw in their 
 place a million lights of all colors that were at first 
 motionless and then began to dance violently. By dint 
 of crossing and recrossing each other they formed solid 
 circles — one blue, one red, one violet — that danced 
 around him and became more striking than the solar 
 spectrum. At last the circles also disappeared, leaving 
 one single, luminous, hardly perceptible point. But 
 that point slowly increased; it was first a star, then a 
 moon, then an enormous sun that grew gradually larger 
 as it assumed a blood-red hue. This sun increased and 
 increased until its immense disk grew to the size of an 
 ox, then it partially overshadowed him, then it covered 
 him completely, and then he suddenly knew no more. 
 And the good alcalde, indeed, saw no more, for in the 
 morning he was found dead, with his head fallen for- 
 ward, a case of apoplectic seizure. 
 
 309 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 OHAPTEE XV 
 
 EVBKTFTJL AEKITAL IN SAEEIO OF THE DUKE OF 
 TOENOS, COTJNT OF BUENA VISTA 
 
 SeSoe Anselmo, the conductor of the band of Sarrio, 
 came to tell the President of the Academy that the 
 alcalde threatened to stop the orchestra supplies if it 
 attended St. Anthony's fair that afternoon. 
 
 "How is that?" asked Don Mateo, raising himself 
 up in bed, where he still was, and stretching out his 
 hand ?or his spectacles on a little table by his side. 
 " Stop supplies! Why should he stop the supplies ? " 
 
 " I don't know. Prospero has just sent to tell me so." 
 
 "What has the band's going to St. Anthony's fair to 
 do with him ? " he returned in a tone of irritation. 
 
 " I think it is because a gentleman is arriving to-day at 
 Don Eosendo's, and as the fair will block the road " 
 
 "Ah, yes, the Duke of Tornos; but what is that to 
 do with it? Come, they are mad — Look here, leave 
 me an instant. I am going to dress, and then I will go 
 and see Maza. I dare say we shall be able to arrange 
 matters. Leave me." 
 
 Seflor Anselmo left the room, and quicker than could 
 have been expected from his years and infirmities, Don 
 Mateo appeared, ready to go out. His wife and his 
 daughter were, as usual, at church. He asked for some 
 breakfast. 
 
 "I cannot give it to you, sir. The seflora has the 
 keys, and there is no chocolate out." 
 
 " Always the same ! " grumbled the old man, not so 
 310 
 
Duke of T rn s 
 
 vexed as he ought to hare been. " I don't know why 
 she can't leave out what is necessary. It is true that 
 I generally get up late, but there may be cases of im- 
 portant business, like to-day." 
 
 " Shall I go and ask for an ounce of chocolate from 
 a neighbor ? " 
 
 " No, there is no need. I am sure Matilda would be 
 vexed. Is there nothing to eat handy ? " 
 
 The servant did not answer for some seconds. 
 
 "TSo, seflor; there is nothing. You know that the 
 sefiora " 
 
 " Yes, yes, I know." 
 
 Don Mateo went to the sideboard and began pulling 
 open the drawers. Nothing — there was nothing but the 
 table utensils: spoons, forks, corkscrew, etc.; but some 
 chocolate drops and a plate of biscuits could be seen 
 through the glass cupboard door. 
 
 "Caramba! if there were only a key," and drawing 
 out his own bunch he proceeded to try the lock with 
 each key on the ring, but his efforts were fruitless. At 
 last in despair he readjusted his spectacles, put on his 
 hat, and was starting off on his expedition, saying : 
 
 " Well, well, we will fast to-day." 
 
 But before arriving at the door he turned round and 
 said abruptly to the maid : 
 
 " Is there any bread about ? " 
 
 " The baker has not come yet, but you can have some 
 of mine," returned the girl smiling. 
 
 "All right; let me see this bread of yours." 
 
 So they repaired to the kitchen, and the servant lift- 
 ing the lid from the bread-pan, Don Mateo took out 
 a moderate-sized piece of almost black rye bread. 
 
 "All right; I don't object to your black bread," he 
 said, cutting himself a piece. " Health to the darkies," 
 
 311 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 he then added, with a jocoseness he had not ventured 
 to display for years, as he swallowed a mouthful. The 
 servant smiled, astonished at his good humor. 
 
 " It has more flavor than ours. If it were not quite 
 so hard! " 
 
 He then brushed away the crumbs with his hand, 
 readjusted his spectacles, and after taking a draught of 
 water — for the wine was also locked up — he sallied forth 
 in the direction of the Town Hall. The clock of the 
 building was striking ten. He passed through the great 
 portico, mounted the wide, stone staircase, and arriving 
 at the corridor, where the dust was more than an inch 
 thick, he asked Marcones, who came forward, for Don 
 Gabino. 
 
 " Seflor alcalde is sitting." 
 
 " Sitting 1 The deuce he is ! At this hour ? " 
 
 It was, in fact, a rare occurrence. Two years had 
 elapsed since the death of Don Eoque, and those of the 
 Club who then took office at the Town Hall with Don 
 Kufo as alcalde for more than a year and a half, were 
 now reaping the consequences of subsequent defeat. 
 They were still in the majority in the municipal corpo- 
 ration, but the Cabin party finally worked so effect- 
 ually in Madrid that Gabino Maza was elected alcalde. 
 It was said that this was due to the hateful treachery of 
 Rojas Salcedo, who, noting at the previous municipal 
 elections that the power of the Cabin party was on the 
 increase, now went over to that side. Thus the storm 
 of hatred and abuse passed upon him by the supporters 
 of Don Belinchon was indescribable. 
 
 A fierce struggle ensued. Each sitting of the Town 
 Council was a disgrace. The Maza party sued the ex- 
 corporation for the depreciation of the funds, demand- 
 ing reimbursement of the same. 
 
 312 
 
Duke of T rn s 
 
 The members of the Belinchon party were quite sure 
 that justice would be accorded them in the Audience 
 Chamber, but on the principle that God helps those 
 who help themselves they brought all possible influence 
 to bear in their favor, and letters went to and from 
 Madrid. The Cabin party was not, however, remiss in 
 opposition on its side, and Maza made his opponents 
 feel the force of his rod of power. As Don Rosendo's 
 majority consisted only of two votes, Gabino spared no 
 pains to rob him of them. Sometimes he convoked 
 a special meeting when it was impossible for any one of 
 them to come; at other times he sent false notices to 
 certain councillors, saying that the session was post- 
 poned ; at other times, when a measure was to be put to 
 the vote, he, by common consent with his friends, made 
 it in such an ambiguous way that it confounded Don 
 Eosendo's supporters, and as it happened on more than 
 one occasion, they voted against themselves. Moreover, 
 he once had some councillors locked in the office and 
 took away the key. After the dignitaries of the corpo- 
 ration were weary of calling out and hammering at the 
 door, an official came and opened it, but the voting had 
 taken place without them. 
 
 Thanks to these and other tactics, and countless acts 
 of arbitrariness, the choleric ex-naval officer achieved 
 his great object of avenging himself on his enemies. 
 His strategy was chiefly exhibited in attacks where it 
 hurt the most; that is to say, on their house property. 
 If any member of the Club owned one or more houses 
 in a street in which no friend of his own had any prop- 
 erty, he ordered the architect of the corporation to level 
 the road and make it lower, by which course the foun- 
 dations of the houses were laid bare and the buildings 
 were in danger of falling to the ground, to say nothing 
 
 313 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 of the inconvenience of having to put ladders for ingress. 
 Thus during the few months of his mayoralty there were 
 more than twenty houses in Sarrio with the foundations 
 exposed, and at other times he had the roads raised so 
 that the houses were flooded when it rained. 
 
 Such freaks naturally excited a great commotion 
 among Don Belinchon's partisans. Eabid diatribes ap- 
 peared in " The Light," and incessant scenes took place 
 at the municipal sessions. But Maza took it all quite 
 quietly, and calmly pursued his urban reforms, receiv- 
 ing meanwhile the complaints of his victims with a cruel 
 smile, and giving fierce, sarcastic replies to the speeches 
 of the opposite party. 
 
 Marcones took Don Mateo into a room adjoining the 
 sessional chamber. The people's gallery was too small 
 to admit more than one decent-sized person; and, more- 
 over, the disputes of those fighting cocks were of little 
 interest to outsiders. The two notaries of the place 
 were in friendly converse in the same room, Don Victor 
 Varela and Sanjurjo; the first was a little old man, with 
 prominent eyes and such a coarsely made wig that it 
 looked like straw, and the other was a man of middle 
 age, with a grayish mustache, afflicted with lameness 
 from his birth. They greeted our old man like a great 
 friend, and after the manner of people who see each 
 other every day. Indeed, there was nobody in the town 
 who could help greeting Don Mateo. 
 
 " You are waiting for the meeting to be over, eh ? " 
 
 "Yes, seflor," returned one of the two men, in so 
 abrupt and cold a tone that the old gentleman felt no 
 desire to pursue the subject further. 
 
 He sought for another topic, and hit upon sport as 
 one more congenial to the tastes of the depositaries of 
 public trust. Both were ardent sportsmen after quails, 
 
 314 
 
Duke of T orn s 
 
 woodcock, etc., but their love of coursing was extreme. 
 Directly any leisure time was at their disposal the swift, 
 innocent animals were subjected to a fearful martyrdom 
 at the hands of these notaries of the corporation, actively 
 seconded by half a dozen greyhounds, kept half starved 
 to quicken their pace. 
 
 To talk of hares was next door to heaven to Don Vic- 
 tor; as for Sanjurjo, to stand up to his waist in brambles 
 and to start one was heaven itself. 
 
 "What a pity to lose such a day!" exclaimed Don 
 Victor with a sigh as he looked through the window 
 covered with dust. 
 
 " True," returned Sanjurjo with another sigh, " but 
 I dare say the ground at Maribona is rather soft; there 
 has been a good deal of rain the last few days." 
 
 " What does that matter ? " said Don Mateo. " Now 
 in this summer weather it soon gets dry, as the ground 
 so readily absorbs the damp." 
 
 The lawyers looked at each other in dismay. 
 
 "P6pe la Esquila told me," he continued, "that 
 the peasant folk have seen hares jumping about in 
 Ladreda." 
 
 " Yes, we know," said Sanjurjo. " If it were not for 
 some trifle to-day we should have gone off there," and 
 he gave a sign of intelligence to Don Victor. 
 
 "Well, Pepe is going this morning with Permo; 
 I heard so yesterday evening." 
 
 The notaries looked at each other in alarm. 
 
 "What did 1 tell you, Sanjurjo?" exclaimed Don 
 Victor. 
 
 "Well, I must confess the rogue has taken me in. 
 Never mind, there will be some left. We will go to- 
 morrow, you and I, Don Victor." 
 
 But the news had saddened them, and they preserved 
 815 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 an obstinate silence. Excited voices and loud noises 
 were audible in the chamber, whilst the sharp ting of 
 the president's bell was constantly heard calling to 
 order. 
 
 Don Mateo, feeling quite depressed at his inability to 
 sustain the conversation, made another attempt with 
 Sanjurjo. 
 
 "Well, man, I should not have thought you would 
 have cared for sport with your lame leg." 
 
 " What, how ? What are you thinking of ? He runs 
 like a greyhound," exclaimed Don Victor, with affec- 
 tionate enthusiasm. "Directly he is on the track of a 
 hare he ceases to be lame. And I say that he invented 
 his lameness to excite pity. He is no more lame than 
 you or I." 
 
 "If you could only make me well," returned San- 
 jurjo, smiling resignedly. 
 
 The joke put them all in good spirits. Don Victor 
 recounted the feats of bis friend on various occasions : 
 " One day he went on all fours so as to run better. 
 That was a sight." 
 
 "What," queried Don Mateo in astonishment, "on 
 all fours?" 
 
 " Yes, it is a fact," returned Sanjurjo, laughing, and 
 adding that he had learnt to run like that as a child, 
 when his lameness was more pronounced, and prevented 
 him being a match for his playfellows. Then he, on 
 his side, spoke of Don Victor as a lazy fellow, who would 
 scan every blade of grass to avoid taking an unnecessary 
 step, whereupon Don Victor joined in the laugh against 
 himself, saying that hares were not only started with 
 the legs, but with the eyes as well. 
 
 " How many times has your obstinacy ended in fail- 
 ure ? Do yon recollect that St. Peter's Day three years 
 
 316 
 
Duke of T rn s 
 
 ago, when you left me alone near Arceanes? "Who 
 started the hare then — you, who went ofE like the wind, 
 or I, who remained quietly behind ? " 
 
 The conversation now became more and more ani- 
 mated, to the great delight of Don Mateo, who could 
 never bear to see any one look bored in his presence. 
 "When their cheerful talk made them oblivious to the 
 shouts and ringing of the bell going on in the other 
 room, the door was thrown open, and the majestic fig- 
 ure of Don Belinchon appeared in a state of excitement 
 difficult to describe. His hair was disordered, some 
 locks hanging about his face damp with sweat, his cheeks 
 were aflame, his eyes glassy, and the bow of his cravat 
 was undone. 
 
 " Sanjurjo, Sanjurjo, come here! " he said in a strange 
 voice, without greeting or even seeing Don Mateo. The 
 notary rose quietly from his seat, and entered the large 
 room with him. Don Victor made no allusion to the 
 sudden exit, but continued quietly talking on the same 
 subject with Don Mateo, who did not dare to ask any 
 questions. At the end of some time Sanjurjo reap- 
 peared, shut the door behind him, took his seat again, 
 and continued his interrupted conversation. 
 
 But not many minutes elapsed before the door was 
 again roughly opened, and the short, stout form of Don 
 Pedro Miranda appeared in the same state of excitement 
 as that of the former arrival. 
 
 " Don Victor, Don Victor, come here! " 
 
 He also neither greeted nor saw Don Mateo. 
 
 The notary quietly rose from his seat and followed 
 him. 
 
 " What the devil does this mean ? " asked Don Mateo 
 of Sanjurjo when the door was closed. 
 
 The only reply was a scornful shrug of the shoulders. 
 317 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " What foolery ! " grumbled Don Mateo. " Belinchon 
 and Miranda never used to get so excited about these 
 affairs of the corporation, and want to be alcalde! " 
 
 Things had indeed changed. The violent party feel- 
 ing that both sides brought to bear in every province 
 was in fuller force in the municipal corporation than 
 anywhere. Maza's tyranny had so infuriated Don 
 Kosendo's friends that they spared no means to contra- 
 vene it. They wished at all costs to bring an action 
 against him for his abuse of authority. To this end 
 Belinchon had secured the services of the lawyer San- 
 jurjo, who constantly attended him at the sittings, and 
 drew up statements and statements of the arbitrary con- 
 duct of the alcalde, all of which were sent to the courts 
 of justice, but there they were blocked, thanks to the 
 ill-will of the judge. 
 
 Then the Cabin party employed the other lawyer, 
 who also drew up documents complaining of the insub- 
 ordination of the majority, and of its carrying resolu- 
 tions on subjects of which it knew nothing. When the 
 sitting was over Mateo was taken into the alcalde's 
 room. He was found sipping a refreshing concoction 
 which was considered good for the bile, but his system 
 was greatly tried by his daily resort to this remedy for 
 his disorder. He was in an excited, agitated state, for 
 the sardonic smile and scornful calm adopted at the sit- 
 tings were merely assumed, whilst his very vitals were 
 consumed with rage, which seemed to turn his blood to 
 gall. What trouble it cost him to repress those wild, 
 blind outbursts of passion which assailed him at every 
 step! 
 
 Two of his friends were discussing the meeting, whilst 
 he, silent and livid, with dark circles under his eyes, 
 stirred his concoction with a spoon. Don Mateo, as one 
 
 318 
 
Duke of T r n s 
 
 of the very few persons who remained neutral in Sarrio, 
 was received with frankness and affability. 
 
 "Take a seat, Don Mateo. What good news brings 
 you here ? " 
 
 The old man replied that he came to know if the 
 report were true that the band would be put down if it 
 attended the St. Anthony fair that afternoon. The face 
 of Maza darkened. It was quite true that it could no 
 longer count upon any support from the corporation if 
 the instruments were taken out that afternoon from the 
 Academy. Don Mateo asked: 
 
 "But why?" 
 
 After grinding his teeth as a preface to his remark, 
 Maza replied that he did not wish to celebrate the arrival 
 of a person who was coming that afternoon on a visit to 
 Belinchon, for, he added: 
 
 "Don Quixote would be quite capable of thinking 
 that the band had attended in honor of his guest." 
 
 " But, Gabino, as it has attended every year, nobody 
 could think any such. You must bear in mind that 
 this is the chief fair of the town, and that it will be very 
 sad for the young people not to have a little dancing 
 and amusement just then." 
 
 " They must do without it to-day. I am very sorry. 
 If the band likes to go it can go, but it knows what it 
 has to expect." 
 
 It was impossible to turn him from his decision. At 
 first Don Mateo used persuasion, and then he grew 
 angry, and with the privilege of his years and his unfail- 
 ing good intentions, which nobody in the town could 
 doubt, he told Maza and his two councillors present 
 a few home truths, which neither they nor the choleric 
 alcalde could deny. 
 
 "Perhaps you are right, Don Mateo; but what am 
 319 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 I to do ? A feud is a feud. Our self-respect is at stake. 
 If we don't keep these rascals down they will have us 
 down." 
 
 The old man left the consistorial building more sad 
 than angry. The vexations and worries he had suffered 
 of the kind during the last three years were innumer- 
 able. He could count on nobody to second him in any 
 plan for festivities. In vain did he exert himself to get 
 any operatic or dramatic company for the theatre; it 
 soon fell to the ground, for if the Club element pre- 
 vailed, the Cabin party withdrew, and vice versd. And 
 as a general gathering is necessary for a theatrical per- 
 formance, the actors went off half dead with hunger. 
 
 When Don Mateo went about begging for subscrip- 
 tions, the first thing asked was: 
 
 "Has So-and-so subscribed, and So-and-so, and So- 
 and-so?" And if he answered in the affirmative, the 
 reply would be: 
 
 " Then do not count upon us." 
 
 Our good friend tried at last to win them over by 
 diplomacy, but the implacable townsfolk were too sharp 
 for him, and they would not let him escape telling them 
 who were going. And if this was so with regard to the 
 theatre, it was much worse in the case of any artists 
 pitching their tents in the town. There was a famous 
 violinist, a man who played admirably on an instrument 
 of wood and straw; four bell-ringers, brothers; a Moor, 
 who exhibited two wise cows; an English scientist with 
 a microscope; a celebrated Chinese giant, and a sea-calf 
 that said "papa," "mama," etc. Don Mateo Lad pat- 
 ronized them all, but his canvassing campaigns on their 
 behalf did not prove successful. All the curiosities, 
 Spanish as well as foreign, knew by report our retired 
 colonel, and directly they set foot in Sarrio they went 
 
 320 
 
Duke of T r n s 
 
 to call at his house. He went with them to see the 
 alcalde, introduced them at the Club, recommended 
 them to the owner of the storehouse where they thought 
 of exhibiting, and he nearly always headed the subscrip- 
 tion to pay their journey, and not one of them left the 
 town in former days without being pleased and satisfied; 
 but now they all said their receipts did not pay for the 
 flagstaffs. Don Mateo's right hand in all these festivi- 
 ties was Severino, of the ironmongery shop. Nobody in 
 the province could equal him in the manufacture of 
 beautiful, elegant, well-arranged decorations, nor in the 
 difficult art of putting up green arches with lamps for 
 the night, nor in his power of sending off rockets swiftly 
 and perpendicularly. Well, this ingenious fellow, who 
 had so delighted the town with his various inventions, 
 had now been idle for some time. 
 
 "Severino, we must think of arranging something 
 for the eve of St. Anthony." 
 
 " What, Don Mateo, what ? " returned the shopkeeper 
 in a depressed tone. 
 
 "An illumination of two hundred lamps, an orb, and 
 a few rockets. " 
 
 " Do you wish us to pay the expense, as we did at the 
 festival of St. Engracia ? " 
 
 " Perhaps the West Indians will pay this time," mut- 
 tered Don Mateo. 
 
 "No; don't be so simple; you seem to forget what 
 they are. Pay, indeed ! Precious little will they pay ! " 
 
 Everybody was rather unjust to the West Indians. 
 They simply maintained a strict neutrality, and won- 
 dered that worthy men like Belinchon, Miranda, and 
 others should excite themselves so much about things 
 outside their respective occupations and businesses. 
 That handful of calm people in the midst of the fierce 
 21 331 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 contest which waged continually would have been like 
 the chorus of Greek tragedies if only they had not been 
 wanting in any exhibition of either joy or sorrow to 
 either the successes or the reverses of the actors in ques- 
 tion. The "West Indians of Sarrio were utterly apathetic, 
 dulled by their idle, monotonous life, in which the rec- 
 ollections of their quondam hard work and trials in 
 Cuba sometimes filled them with horror, and added to 
 their sense of comfort at their present circumstances. 
 What did they care for the resolutions carried by the 
 corporation, the attacks made in " The Light " and " The 
 Youth of Sarrio," or the schisms with which the town 
 was continually rent 1 Whilst they were left quiet to 
 take a turn in the morning on the Mole (and there was 
 no fear of that being disturbed), to play billiards or 
 tresillo after dinner, and to take those famous walks in 
 parties in the picturesque suburbs, they did not care for 
 anything. So little interest did they take that they 
 hardly ever mentioned the episodes of the feud when 
 they were together. The only thing that could disturb 
 them was the telegraphic notification of the rise and fall 
 of the public funds in which their capital was placed. 
 Otherwise they were model citizens, they gave no offence 
 to anybody, and they only enjoyed what they had worked 
 hard for with their hands. They did not give money to 
 entertainments and performances. But this was not a 
 grave offence, for they saw no necessity for such festivi- 
 ties. What in the world did people want more than to 
 live in a pleasant climate and quietly to eat, work, and 
 sleep the hours away? Besides, they had conferred a 
 benefit on the town by conducting to the altar a number 
 of ladies between tlArears of twenty-five and thirty, who 
 without this unexpected deliverance would have been left 
 to wither away on the stalk. Now they were almost all 
 
 322 
 
Duke of T rn s 
 
 stout, quiet matrons^ mothers of happy families, and 
 managers of well-ordered houses. 
 
 These West Indians were the only people who escaped 
 the incessant attacks of the press, for whatever antipathy 
 was nourished by both parties against them, they did 
 not dare make any public allusion to them, as they had 
 no ground for doing so. They therefore had to con- 
 tent themselves with grumbling, and calling them money- 
 laden asses behind their backs. 
 
 Thus in the course of three years Sarrio attained the 
 height of perfection that had been the dream of Don 
 Eosendo; that is to say, there was no longer any private 
 life. The deeds of the townsfolk, be they of the most 
 private or the most insignificant character, came to 
 light in the press, and were the subject of censure, com- 
 ment, and ridicule. Nobody was safe, even in the sanc- 
 tuary of his home. If rather ugly words passed between 
 a man and his wife, if he chastised his children with 
 more or less severity, if he were short of money, if he 
 were at all dissipated, if he dropped the c's in the mid- 
 dle of words and said reto and pato instead of recto and 
 pacta, if he ate with his fingers or snored loudly: all 
 these interesting details were recorded for the benefit of 
 the public in " The Light " and " The Youth of Sarrio," 
 sometimes directly, and other times by means of the 
 famous Oriental stories already mentioned. 
 
 From the municipal chamber Don Mateo repaired to 
 the Academy, where SefiLor Anselmo was waiting for 
 him, and it was with great tact that he told him that 
 the band was not to go out that afternoon. 
 
 By dint of negotiations and diplomacy he had so far 
 managed to keep it going as well as tli^-Lyceum, although 
 no theatrical performances were now given there, neither 
 was there any dancing, excepting on particular days, 
 
 323 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 sucli as those of Candlemas, Carnival, and Santa En- 
 gracia; but by force of tact and energy Don Mateo had 
 succeeded in making the majority of the members con- 
 tinue their monthly subscription of two pesetas. All 
 the other places of recreation in which the town had 
 been bo rich had disappeared. The cause of all the 
 excitement at the present time was the arrival of the 
 Duke of Tornos. 
 
 The wide-awake, practical Don Kosendo found out 
 through his agents in Madrid that the Duke of Tornos, 
 Count of Buena Vista, related to the Koyal family, 
 former Ambassador in France, head major domo of the 
 palace, etc., a person of much consequence in court and 
 political circles, had decided to spend the summer in 
 Sarrio for the benefit of the sea air, which was considered 
 better for him than that of San Sebastian or Biarritz. 
 When Belinchon heard of it he immediately wrote the 
 duke a letter, placing his house at his disposal. 
 
 The duke naturally refused with many graceful ex- 
 pressions of gratitude, but Don Eosendo, who saw the 
 great importance of the triumph of having such a per- 
 sonage under his roof, with whose assistance he counted 
 on routing his adversaries, pressed the matter so much 
 that the duke ended by accepting the invitation. 
 
 The Cabin party, having scented the impressive 
 news, made Don Pedro Miranda also ofier his house, 
 promising to reimburse him for all the expense which 
 he would thereby incur. But the duke was already 
 engaged, and so was unable to accede to their request, 
 pressing as it was, which fact filled them with rage, as 
 we shall see. We must mention that the Duke of Tor- 
 nos belonged to the Moderate party, and although in 
 Sarrio neither the Club nor the Cabin party was very 
 conversant with politics, as the local strifes absorbed all 
 
 324 
 
Duke of T rn s 
 
 their attention, and their sympathies were always for 
 the party in power, there was no doubt that liberal views 
 prevailed at the Club, beginning with its enterprising 
 chief, whilst at the Cabin they were more conservative. 
 Therefore the favor conferred on the first was the more 
 trying. 
 
 Don Eosendo had had an extra story built to his house 
 the previous year. The birth of another grandchild had 
 induced him to have it done. If the marriage continued 
 to be so fruitful the house would soon be too small for 
 the family. Gonzalo had talked of taking one for him- 
 self, as he wanted to be more independent, and to pre- 
 vent this his father-in-law adopted this plan, and the 
 new floor was built for the young family so that it should 
 be independent. The staircase did not pass through 
 the parents' quarters, although there was a little inner 
 iron stairway, which facilitated communication between 
 the two parts of the house. G-onzalo could enter and 
 leave his dwelling without having to pass through his 
 father-in-law's house, but they still had their meals 
 together. 
 
 But when the Duke of Tornos accepted the invitation 
 it was decided that he was to have the quarters of the 
 young married couple, and they were to return to their 
 old rooms. This was easily managed, for Venturita 
 had furnished her domain so excessively luxurious 
 that it was speedily and easily converted into an abode 
 worthy of the personage who was to be the honored 
 guest. The telegram from his secretary announcing his 
 departure from Madrid was anxiously awaited at the 
 Club, and the faces of all the members glowed with joy 
 and triumph, and shone with the hope that they would 
 soon be able to give some decisive blows to their adver- 
 saries, who went about with black, angry looks, although 
 
 335 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 they tried to hide their vexation under a feigned igno- 
 rance of the magnitude of the event of the duke's arrival. 
 It Tvas not long before somebody came to tell Belinchon 
 of the alcalde's cross-grained conduct about the music. 
 He was at dinner when the news arrived, but with an 
 admirable serenity that his enemies might have envied 
 he finished the plate of soup before him, wiped his 
 mouth, drank a glass of wine, wiped his mouth again, 
 and quietly rose from the table without saying a word. 
 
 Like all the great leaders we read of in history, Don 
 Eosendo never lost his dignity, and it was in critical 
 moments like the present that he was inspired with the 
 grandest ideas and the most helpful resolutions. He 
 went at once to the telegraph office, and wired to the 
 conductor of the orchestra at Lancia to come immedi- 
 ately to Sarrio and he would be well paid. 
 
 The conductor replied that they would be there that 
 evening. " All right," he then said to himself; " if the 
 music be not there to receive him, at least he shall have 
 a serenade, and these wretches can rage as much as they 
 like." 
 
 The arrival of the Duke of Tornos was, as we have 
 seen, coincident with the fair of St. Anthony. The 
 afternoon was like the morning, bright and clear, with- 
 out the least heat, for the northeast wind of Sarrio and 
 all Biscayan ports tempers the heat of the summer sun 
 most delightfully. These fairs are frequented by all 
 classes of society, more especially the artisans, so that 
 they have retained their primitive, festive, cheerful 
 character. From early morning numerous groups of 
 girls leave the suburbs and cross the town to take the 
 road to Lancia, clad in the classic black or colored 
 merino skirt, with the flowered cotton handkerchief 
 crossed in front and behind, low shoes, pearl earrings. 
 
Duke of T rn s 
 
 and smooth, well-brushed, uncovered hair. Their merry 
 talk and bright laughter awaken the quieter townsfolk, 
 Btill in bed, and make them smile at pleasant recollec- 
 tions of the St. Anthony days of their youth, when mer- 
 riment had also shone in their eyes, and no drop of gall 
 had yet feJlen into their cup of life. What girl in Sarrio 
 would not recollect some one of these journeyings to the 
 hermitage on a soft, pleasant morning, when the feet 
 seemed winged and the heart beat quickly at the thought 
 of soon seeing and spending the day with the adored 
 swain ! 
 
 These maidens seemed to emit a waft of brightness 
 which rose from the street to the houses, entered the 
 windows, and invited them to leave for a few hours the 
 heavy weight of business, ambition, envy, and all the 
 low passions which make up the sum of human misery, 
 and follow them in the enjoyment of the fresh morning 
 air, the green fields, the incomparable rich milk sold at 
 the hermitage, in the games of puss-in-the-corner and 
 blind man's buff, in the languid habaneras (Spanish 
 dances), Morana's sweet caramels and cakes, and, what 
 was better still, the kisses of somebody, when the face 
 was not ugly and the mostacho not too obtrusive. 
 
 Pablito sallied forth in the early morning, accom- 
 panied by his faithful Piseis, both mounted on fine 
 spirited horses, which of course pirouetted from side to 
 side. A weighty reason added to his equestrian propen- 
 sity made him use this mode of transport. Young 
 Belinchoa had not frequented any fairs for the past 
 year, and avoided going on foot. He seldom left the 
 house, especially at night, and only traversed the most 
 frequented streets, and then very rarely alone. He had 
 hidden and bitter enemies. Valentina, the fair, viva- 
 cious sempstress, had sworn by all the saints of heaven 
 
 327 
 
The Fourth E state 
 
 to plant a dagger in his back. It is needless to say the 
 reason why. After having ruined her he had aban- 
 doned her and gone elsewhere, like a careless, gaudy 
 butterfly which flies from flower to flower. It had cost 
 him some trouble, or rather some alarm. When he 
 heard of his lover's oath, which did not surprise him, 
 as he knew her character so well, he tried to avoid an 
 early, wretched death by sending different emissaries to 
 her with offers of sums of money, her maintenance with- 
 out work, and suggesting to take and bring up the child. 
 The angry sempstress indignantly rejected all these 
 offers, repeating her horrible, bloodthirsty oath each 
 time an ambassador came to see her. Naturally our 
 handsome youth felt rather qualmish under the circum- 
 stances, and he would have given his carriage and horses 
 to have had eyes at the back of his head He made the 
 best of those he had, and whenever he went out on foot 
 he exhausted himself in looking about him. But con- 
 fidence came with time, for as Valentina scarcely ever 
 left home, and never frequented balls and fairs since 
 her trouble, nobody had seen her. So Pablito, never 
 meeting her on the street, felt emboldened by the sug- 
 gestion of Piscis to go to ih&fete of St. Anthony. 
 
 Thus they mounted early, and took the wide, dusty 
 Lancian road, shaded for some distance from the town 
 by majestic giant elms. The road inclined, without 
 being very steep, and on both sides was the smiling dis- 
 trict of Sarrio, bordered by two or three lines of un- 
 dulating hills, with the mountains of Narcin in the dis- 
 tance rising above the valley of Lancia still lying in 
 mist. 
 
 Looking back after going some distance, the beautiful 
 town was seen bathed in the sunlight, which brightened 
 the white fronts of the houses, whilst the vast expanse 
 
 328 
 
Duke of T r n s 
 
 of the sea, touched by the oblique rays of the rising sun, 
 presented a milky white appearance. 
 
 The horses of our equestrians, in the pride of their 
 beautiful breed and their bright, shining backs, cara- 
 coled incessantly, which ostentations display of their 
 muscular power in the morning light raised clouds of 
 dust. The work-girls who were making their way to 
 the hermitage grew impatient, and chafEed the riders 
 more from vexation at the dust than from fear of the 
 horses; and taunts in somewhat bad taste were cast at 
 the seyere Piscis, who turned a deaf ear to them, so 
 absorbed was he in the contemplation of the hoofs of 
 the horses, as their right elevation had been entrusted 
 to his training. 
 
 " Bah! the road is too narrow for himl " 
 
 "I say, cur6, don't kick up such a dust! On horse- 
 back you think yourself somebody, but you look like a 
 puppy-dog. You fancy yourself a duke, and you look 
 like a monkey." 
 
 They did not interfere with Pablito. The bizarre 
 youth exercised the same fascination over the work-girls 
 as he did over the young ladies. Not only were they 
 attracted by his fine figure, his gallantry and his riches, 
 but also, and perhaps chiefly, by his conquests. The 
 number of adorers he had had in all classes made an 
 aureole of glory round his head. There had been much 
 talk against him among the artisans on account of the 
 affair with Valentina; they called him false, traitor, 
 rogue; but all of them, even the friends of the victim, 
 admired him in secret, and would have required little 
 persuasion to fall, themselves, into his arms, much as 
 they swore and declared that she had been very foolish 
 to think anything of that flirt. 
 
 Pablito pursued his way in a serious mood, also busy 
 829 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 witli his skittish quadruped. Nevertheless, he occa- 
 sionally deigned to smile slightly, and this suspicion of 
 a smile so excited the girls that they threw additional 
 fire and wit into their attacks on the invulnerable Piscis. 
 
 About two miles on there was a beautiful open green 
 space crossed by the road, which was to be the scene of 
 the festivities in the afternoon, when the people came 
 from the town and the others returned from the hermit- 
 age. To go to the hermitage one had to leave the high- 
 road and take the narrow, steep paths bound by little 
 stone walls covered with briers. A mile further on one 
 came on to another open space on the top of the little 
 hill where the shrine stood. The view from thence was 
 beautiful and unequalled. There was an immense ex- 
 panse of sea-coast, not flat, but hilly, planted in some 
 places with maize, in others with corn, and in most 
 places only with grass, and intersected by the long, 
 dusty road of Lancia, with its dark, level line of gigantic 
 elms terminating in the pink and white line of the town. 
 
 By the shrine young women from the neighborhood, 
 with more than one satin-cheeked, ruddy-lipped peasant 
 girl, were selling milk in little earthenware mugs. There 
 were also tables covered with cloths spread with bizcochos 
 (milk biscuits flavored with cinnamon) and other con- 
 fetti of ancient renown. The chief feature of the fete 
 was to drink milk in the morning at the hermitage, play 
 with the mugs, and then break them by rolling them 
 down the hill. At twelve o'clock they ate the provisions 
 brought with them, and then repaired to the walnut 
 grove, the usual scene of the gathering. Pablito did 
 not omit a single item of the programme. He bought 
 more than a dozen mugs of milk and a great quantity 
 of biscuits, with which he laid siege to his friends, and 
 then played with them so roughly that they often lost 
 
 830 
 
Duke of T r n s 
 
 their footing and he fell with them onto the ground, 
 to the great delight of the onlookers. He was most 
 assiduous in his attentions to a very pretty, dark young 
 girl, daughter of Maroto the policeman, who sold fish 
 in the market-place, to whom the reader will recollect 
 Periquito said, in the pit of the theatre, " Eamona, I 
 love you," to the great amusement of Piscis and Pablo. 
 When the hour came for repairing to the walnut grove 
 he tried to put her upon his horse in front of him. 
 The girl resisted a little, but at last she gave in, for 
 there was no help for it. So the youth arrived with her 
 in the midst of the fete, to the applause and hurrahs of 
 his friends, whilst the other girls expressed disapproval, 
 and looked scandalized, although they were the first to 
 succumb to the charms of the handsome sultan when 
 they were the objects of his attentions. At three o'clock 
 the walnut grove was full of visitors. The vast green 
 formed an emerald ground upon which the kerchiefs of 
 the women, white, red, and yellow, in continual motion, 
 formed a movable design in brilliant colors. Fresh 
 arrivals came by the high-road from Sarrio, and dis- 
 persed on the green on both sides. The roar of conver- 
 sation, like the waves of the sea, was audible a little 
 distance off, and the sharp twang of the guitar could be 
 heard above the dull, monotonous sound and ring of the 
 tambourine. There were some tents with rough plank 
 tables loaded with swollen goatskins of wine, like vic- 
 tims prepared for sacrifice, surrounded by numerous 
 groups of men. Then on the green there was a large 
 crowd of both sexes, in the centre of which the dance of 
 the country was going on to the sound of the castanets 
 and with the motions peculiar to the district. The 
 dance continued five or six hours without any pause 
 whatsoever. They perspired freely, but they were never 
 
 331 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 fatigued. The men might be so sometimes, the women 
 never. Those who danced so much were country girls 
 from the neighboring villages, who returned home by the 
 cross-roads without passing through the town. 
 
 The artisans of Sarrio made up parties for the giral- 
 dilla (a Spanish country dance), in which they sang in 
 loud voices as they opened and closed the lines, leaving 
 in the middle now a group of women, now a group of 
 men. The young gentlemen knowing the girls through 
 the dances at the schools, and accustomed to the pleas- 
 ure, did not wish to relinquish their right of monopoly 
 in the open air, and so they joined them, although they 
 danced without grace with loose arms and stiff legs. 
 Then a little further ofE the artisan lads danced with 
 the girls who were either neglected by the gentlemen, 
 or being of a superior calibre, cast scornful looks in their 
 direction, and preferred their own class. 
 
 It must not be thought that fashionable dances were 
 omitted that afternon. Don Mateo having sought for 
 a substitute for the orchestra, had come upon an Italian 
 harpist and violinist, and had paid them to play out jjf 
 his own pocket. So there, in a corner of the green, 
 under an immense walnut tree, within a rope barrier, 
 were a dozen closely clasped couples giving occasional 
 turns to the measure of the sweet habanera, surrounded 
 by a large crowd of spectators. 
 
 The young ladies smiled derisively at this rough imita- 
 tion of their own dances, and felt sorry that such hand- 
 some young men should dance with such awkwardness. 
 But when any of the party ventured to ask one for a 
 turn, she, after a little demurring, laughing and blush- 
 ing, and such like, to show that the act was purely one 
 of condescension, took the arm of the swain and joined 
 in the dance. 
 
 383 
 
Duke of T r n s 
 
 Gonzalo came to the fete on foot with Cecilia, the 
 eldest child, and the nurse. And as the road was long 
 and steep, he carried his little girl almost all the way to 
 prevent her getting tired. Ventura hated fetes ; besides, 
 her father had taken the carriage to meet the Duke of 
 Tornos, and to think of going nearly two miles on foot 
 was a monstrous idea. Dofia Paula could not go either, 
 for she had been delicate for some time, and the doctors 
 thought that weakness and her want of health were due 
 to a defect of circulation, a cardiacal affection which 
 might turn serious at any time, although not so at 
 present. Cecilia had wanted to release Gonzalo from 
 his burden during the walk, but he had laughingly 
 said: 
 
 " You, you little skeleton," for so he called her jok- 
 ingly; "be quiet, and don't let me have to carry you, 
 too." 
 
 And so they arrived like husband and wife, and pro- 
 ceeded to wander over the green, stopping every instant 
 to greet friends they met. They bought sweets for the 
 child, they stood looking at the dancing to the guitar, 
 then they stopped by the giraldilla, and finally they 
 went to where the harp and the violin were being played, 
 and there they saw Pablo among the dancing couples, 
 with his arm encircling the form of the beautiful 
 Eamona. Certainly the fantastic youth seemed a little 
 confused when he saw them, and turning to his sister, 
 he asked: 
 
 "Is mama here?" 
 
 Cecilia made a negative gesture, and he was reassured. 
 
 The child being soon tired of watching the dancing, 
 asked to return to the peasants' dance. So recrossing 
 the high-road, they went back to the gayeties on the 
 other side, which was very fortunate for them, for just 
 
 333 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 at that moment a fearful blood-curdling scene befitting 
 a romantic tragedy was enacted on the spot they had 
 quitted. 
 
 Pablito was dancing with his dark young lady, serene 
 in his enjoyment of cutting a good figure. His face, 
 always fresh-looking, was now extremely bright, not so 
 much from physical exercise as from emotional excite- 
 ment under the sensuous strains of the dance music. 
 Kamona also, as scarlet as a poppy, leant her chin, em- 
 bellished with two ravishing dimples, on his shoulder, 
 when she was suddenly horror-struck at the sight of a 
 livid face with two flaming eyes, and Pablito heard 
 a discordant cry behind him : 
 
 "Take that, villain!" and at the same time he felt 
 a sharp dig in his back. He turned quickly round, and 
 saw the fury-fraught, distorted face of Valentina, bran- 
 dishing a weapon in her hand. The youth thought he 
 was mortally wounded and fell to the ground with 
 deathly signs upon his countenance. A crowd of people 
 immediately hastened to raise him, while others caught 
 hold of the sempstress. As he was being carried to a 
 neighboring cottage, Pablito thought he heard the cries 
 of Valentina, who was trying to free herself from her 
 captives, doubtless still anxious to kill him. 
 
 The news spread through the fete. Many people ran 
 to the scene. Cecilia and Gonzalo, seeing the excite- 
 ment, asked what it was about; and a friend, who knew 
 the truth, told them that there was only a dispute 
 among the peasants, and so managed to get them 
 away. 
 
 In the meanwhile the doctor from a neighboring vil- 
 lage, who was there, was asked to go and dress the 
 wound. He was a young man fresh from the lecture 
 hall. The first thing he did was to take off the youth's 
 
 384 
 
Duke of Torn OS 
 
 coat by cutting it down the back, and doing the same 
 with his waistcoat and shirt, and when the flesh was 
 bared he could not help laughing: 
 
 " "What a wound! There is nothing to be seen." 
 
 In fact, the little penknife with which the sempstress 
 had attempted his assassination had pierced his coat, 
 his waistcoat, and his shirt; but as to the flesh, it had 
 been left intact. Pablo was greatly relieved to find him- 
 self still in the land of the living. Then the woman of 
 the house temporarily stitched up his shirt and he put 
 on the doctor's coat whilst Piscis went to fetch the 
 horses. Pablo left the house by the back way, and 
 struck across the fields so as not to be seen, for he was 
 not only ashamed of being seen in that dreadful garb, 
 but he was filled with horror at the recollection of the 
 baneful words of Valentina, for if he remembered rightly 
 (and his faint condition had not been conducive to a 
 great feat of memory), the sempstress had cried, when 
 he was carried away by the four men : 
 
 " Get along, brute; and if I have not killed you now, 
 somebody will soon do so." 
 
 Pablito was in such deadly fear of being assassinated 
 by an unknown hand that he would not stay a minute 
 longer at the fair, and when he reached the road, where 
 Piscis was waiting for him, he mounted his horse and 
 lost no time in regaining the town. The sun was sink- 
 ing. Some of the people began leaving the fair, when 
 there was a great excitement at the sight of six or eight 
 carriages coming along the road from Lancia. It was 
 the Duke of Tornos and his suite. In an open carriage 
 he was seated with his secretary and the great patrician, 
 Don Eosendo. In the next carriage came Don Enfo, 
 Alvaro Pefla, and two gentlemen from Lancia; and in 
 the others were Don Eudesindo, Navarro, Don Jeronimo 
 
 335 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 de la Fuente, and several other partisans of the illustri- 
 ous Belinehon followed in the other vehicles. 
 
 On arriving at the walnut grove the duke was aston- 
 ished at the sight of the motley crowd assembled on the 
 green. He was a man of forty-six years of age, with 
 flaccid cheeks of a sickly hue, a drooping lower lip, ex- 
 pressive of boredom and disdain; his cold, glassy, squint- 
 ing eyes had a vacant expression, and in one of them he 
 had an eye-glass fixed which gave an excessively imper- 
 tinent look to his repulsive face. He had no beard, but 
 a long mustache with waxed ends. He dressed in a style 
 never seen in the country; that is to say, with the capri- 
 cious originality of those who do not follow, but set the 
 fashions. He wore a white American hat with a wide 
 brim. He had a yellow shirt, lilac-colored gloves, and 
 instead of a cravat a white handkerchief tied in the scarf 
 form, with a great pearl pin. 
 
 "Delightful! delightful!" he exclaimed at the sight 
 of the picturesque scene, languidly raising his eyelids. 
 His voice was weak, and his enunciation low and labored, 
 as if he were applauding from his box the trills of some 
 prima donna at the Koyal Theatre. 
 
 Don Kosendo gave him an explanation of the/e^e; he 
 pointed to the steep hill leading to the shrine, which 
 was visible in the distance; then he directed his atten- 
 tion to the different groups of dancers. 
 
 "There, Seflor Duke, they are dancing to the strains 
 of the guitar and tambourine; it is the characteristic 
 dance of the country. Over there are the giraldillas, in 
 which the town girls dance as they sing. There they 
 drink; those are the tables where sweetmeats are sold. 
 Under that walnut tree they are dancing habaneras. . . . 
 See, see, Seflor Duke, it is the classic dance of our coun- 
 try — the men on one side, the women on the other; they 
 
 336 
 
Duke of T r n s 
 
 go on quietly for hours and hours, singing the old bal- 
 lads. It is a chaste dance, as you acknowledge." 
 
 "Delightful! delightful!" repeated the duke in his 
 drawling tone, directing his eye-glass chiefly at the giral- 
 dillas. The Duke of Tornos was right. Pew more 
 cheerful, beautiful sights could be seen in any other 
 spot on earth. 
 
 The/^^e waxed frenzied at its close. The guitar ac- 
 centuated its sharp, strident tones, which vibrated in the 
 far distance, accompanied by the persistent, dull sound 
 of the tambourine; the young girls, excited and hot, 
 with their cheeks on fire and their hair in disorder, not 
 only sang, but shouted as they revolved in the giraldilla, 
 and waxed desperate at the cessation of the enjoyment 
 so seldom at their command. Those who had been in- 
 dulging in wine also joined in the cries, with nasal 
 sounds, as they tried to maintain their equilibrium 
 upon the grass. And the lads and lasses of the danza- 
 prima, in increasing excitement, raised the tone of the 
 long, montonous songs. Even the Italian harpist and 
 violinist dashed into a mazurka, of which the couples 
 showed their appreciation by kicking out wildly on the 
 grass. 
 
 Light was leaving the picture, and as it faded a mys- 
 terious poetic charm pervaded the scene and reminded 
 one of the happy retreats of old Arcadia. 
 
 It seemed as if the people ought to live and die thus 
 in perpetual happiness and youth. Why leave the spot, 
 why withdraw from that happy retreat to return to the 
 fatigues of daily life, the anxieties and cares of business ? 
 To enjoy, in innocence of heart and feelings, health and 
 the sublime harmonies of life and sound; to enjoy the 
 delights of love, the root of all things; to enjoy the force 
 that maintains the cohesion of the universe; to enjoy 
 22 337 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 the plumage of the birds, the murmur of the streams, 
 the scent of the flowers, the dew of the fields, the foam 
 of the sea, the eternal blue of the skies : for this it is to 
 be created a man, not to fill the brief days of one's 
 ephemeral existence with bitter vengeance, pale jeal- 
 ousy, and gnawing depression. The tradition of Para- 
 dise is the most ancient and logical of human traditions. 
 The sun now gilded the tops of the walnut trees which 
 surrounded the green and cast long shadows upon the 
 ground. A slight shudder of cold and melancholy ran 
 through the company, which those who were heated with 
 dancing or wine vainly strove to resist. It soon per- 
 meated the whole assembly. Voices were heard of 
 mothers calling to their children, and of brothers to 
 their sisters; groups were formed that waited for a 
 moment to see if their party was complete before start- 
 ing off. The first to break up were the giraldillas ; the 
 singing and dancing went on, for as the peasant folk 
 had not so far to go in returning to their homes, they 
 had no fear of nightfall. The people collected by the 
 carriages in the middle of the road. The duke turned 
 his lorgnon in all directions, looking at the preparations 
 of departure with the eye of a connoisseur in painting. 
 At last, seeing the great crowd assemble from all sides, 
 he gave orders to go on slowly in the wake of the crowd, 
 as he wished to see everything, not because it was beau- 
 tiful, but because it was new to him. 
 
 The carriages then proceeded in the midst of the 
 crowd, surrounded by affectionate couples in intimate 
 converse; old men leading children by one hand and 
 carrying handkerchiefs full of sweetmeats in the other; 
 groups of girls interchanging their experiences in loud 
 voices, with much laughter. As soon as they had gone 
 a little distance from the walnut grove, the canticles, 
 
 338 
 
Duke of T r n s 
 
 which were the chief features of the/^^es of the neigh- 
 borhood, commenced. The artisans are with reason 
 proud of their voices. They generally sing some senti- 
 mental song to a drawn-out, melancholy tune, an har- 
 monious accompaniment being given by the seconds in 
 thirds; at other times, when the party is larger, they 
 use the traditional street ditties, which are various and 
 delightful. That they did on this occasion. The duke 
 was surprised at hearing the chorus of fresh voices inces- 
 santly repeating simple couplets like the following : 
 
 " I was high above 
 In the tower of love ; 
 The foundations rumbled. 
 But I never tumbled. 
 
 " Why should the poor 
 Call at your door, 
 When your palm never itches 
 To give of your riches? " 
 
 But the puerile ideas of the lines acquired in their 
 mouths an undue importance. They seemed solemn 
 phrases, mysterious and wondrous formulas that no out- 
 sider could enter into without sacrilege. The air seemed 
 filled with those sweet, drawn-out sounds; an indescrib- 
 able feeling pervaded the singers from whose mouths 
 they fell; each time they repeated them with more ten- 
 derness, with more unction, as they colored them with 
 those poetic sentiments which always fill their hearts, 
 and are transmitted from mothers to daughters in the 
 romantic Biscayan town. It was the melancholy of 
 those who apprehend the world of beauty, love it, and 
 are forced by circumstances to live and die far from it. 
 Between the couplets there was a silent pause, filled with 
 the tramp of feet. The choir seemed to be in a waking 
 
 339 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 dream, only alive to the vague feelings which the song 
 aroused in the depths of their hearts. 
 
 Night fell suddenly. The branches of the high elms 
 stood out clearly in the diaphanous atmosphere, but the 
 shadows cast upon the road became darker. The land- 
 scape had lost its color, and the bluish hue of the tracts 
 planted with corn were hardly distinguishable in the 
 shades of evening. The great sweep of the ocean in the 
 distance was now indistinct. The brilliant blue of mid- 
 day had changed into a metallic greenish gray. The 
 choir soon shook ofE its melancholy. A young girl 
 started a bright, merry air, and the others willingly 
 joined in, as if glad to awake from a sad dream : 
 
 " Do not bewail 
 That you must fail 
 To go to Anthony Fair, 
 There to tread on air ; 
 For lo I it is raining, 
 And you'll be complaining 
 That no more you will get 
 The dress now so wet." 
 
 This was sung with the eager shout of enthusiasm 
 usual with such songs, and a few minutes after its con- 
 clusion an improvised couplet, illustrating the present 
 situation, followed: 
 
 "Come to St. Anthony Fair; 
 There you will stare ; 
 A duke to see 
 As polite as can be. 
 The girls laughed and ran 
 To see such a great man." 
 
 And thenceforth the magnate was introduced into the 
 songs; and he, turning his eye-glass from right to left, 
 
 340 
 
Duke of T r n s 
 
 and shaking his head with a benevolent smile, repeated 
 in a low voice : 
 
 "Delightful! delightful! A Teniers picture! a Lo- 
 rena's landscape! " 
 
 By the time they reached the town night had closed 
 in. The duke with his secretary withdrew to the rooms 
 prepared for him by Don Eosendo. The secretary was 
 a young man of six-and-twenty, pale, and red-haired, 
 whose undeveloped brain contained no idea beyond that 
 of the colossal importance of the duke, and the imperi- 
 ous necessity of becoming a personage, if not of so much 
 consequence, yet important enough to also have a secre- 
 tary. Beyond these ideas the world had no other mean- 
 ing for Cosio, for such was his name. 
 
 When the magnate had rested a little he came down 
 to dinner in the orthodox evening dress. Cosio did the 
 same. Don Eosendo had changed the Spanish hour of 
 dinner for the French. Seeing him enter in evening 
 dress, the Belinchon family were much upset. It was 
 evident that Belinchon, his son, and his son-in-law had 
 made a mistake in not dressing. Venturita mentioned 
 the fact in a cross, low tone to her husband, but he only 
 shrugged his shoulders and moved his lips in a scornful 
 way. He was out of temper, for when asking his wife 
 why the table had been laid without a place for the 
 child, she had rudely said : 
 
 "But, Gonzalo, don't be silly! Do you want the 
 child to dine to-day with us? " 
 
 "Why not?" 
 
 Venturita was shocked, and then she laughingly asked 
 him if he had learned those fashions in the regatta clubs 
 in England. This had so put him out that he did not 
 feel inclined to show the duke the respect and deference 
 due to him. His wife, on the contrary, had been busy 
 
 841 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 for days preparing for the reception of the illustrious 
 visitor. 
 
 The stafi of servants had been increased at her sug- 
 gestion and under her directions, and the men-servants 
 were put into livery. 
 
 When Gonzalo saw Pachin, an old retainer, in his 
 uniform, he burst out laughing, which greatly excited 
 the ire of his wife. She also instituted a new, aristo- 
 cratic arrangement of Belinchon's table, with the intro- 
 duction of dessert knives and forks, fish knives, and 
 lithographed cards for the menu, besides other innova- 
 tions hitherto unknown at the meals of the house. The 
 foreign element also modified the healthy, patriarchal, 
 abundant fare which we saw at the beginning of this 
 story. 
 
 Ventura appeared in the drawing-room with a low- 
 necked blue silk dress and bare arms. She had learned, 
 we know not where, that at formal dinners ladies should 
 be decolleUee. Dofia Paula did not go so far as that, but 
 she was gorgeously dressed in bright-colored materials 
 that formed a sad contrast to her thin face, wasted by 
 illness. The only guests were Alvaro Pefia and Don 
 Rufo. Pachin, the good Pachin, in his new livery, 
 opened the door and said, with a sonorous voice, in 
 which he had been drilled by Ventura: 
 
 " Dinner is served! " 
 
 The duke ofEered his arm to Dofla Paula, and they 
 all repaired to the dining-room. The hostess took the 
 chief place, in accordance with her daughter's previous 
 injunction. The duke sat at her right hand, Don Eufo 
 at her left, and the others took their seats as they liked. 
 Venturita was found at the right hand of the distin- 
 guished guest, then came Alvaro Pefla, Cosio, Pablito, and 
 Don Rosendo, while Gonzalo sat by the side of Cecilia. 
 
 842 
 
Duke of T r n s 
 
 Then the dinner began with stiff ceremony and long 
 intervals of silence. They were all oppressed and over- 
 whelmed with the grandeur of the guest. The thin 
 hair on the back and the side of the duke's shiny bald 
 head was still black in spite of his forty-six years. His 
 slightest movements were the object of the company's 
 admiring attention, and his remarks were received by 
 the company with smiles of delight and adulation. 
 
 The first words that fell from his lips after a few con- 
 ventional courtesies expressed his admiration of the sub- 
 urbs of the town. 
 
 " I only know the provinces in the north," he said in 
 a slow, drawling tone. "I find this much superior to 
 that in the way of scenery; it offers more variety, richer 
 coloring, and there are lovely spots in the district we 
 have traversed, comparable to the most enchanting 
 scenes in Switzerland. Then on arriving at the coast 
 there is the same softness of outline, the same sweetness 
 of atmosphere as in the south of Italy." 
 
 " Oh, Sefior Duke, you are too flattering! Pure kind- 
 ness, Seflor Duke. In the summer this country is all 
 very well, but in winter ! " 
 
 Don Rosendo, Alvaro PeQa, and Don Rufo, over- 
 whelmed with joy and gratitude, blushed, and disclaimed 
 the encomiums as if they had been the objects of them. 
 The duke continued speaking, as if he had not heard 
 their exclamations. 
 
 " It is more hilly than the northern provinces, the 
 tones are more marked. I saw from the Lancian road, 
 looking eastward, a group of mountains with the summits 
 still covered with snow, which was truly beautiful. It 
 only wants a few lakes, and foreigners would resort to it." 
 
 " We have a lake in the west of the province," said 
 Pefla. 
 
 8^ 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " A lake ? " queried the duke, as he raised his eyelids 
 to look at the interlocutor. 
 
 " Yes, sefior ; the lake is called Nordon." 
 
 Then the duke kept his glassy gaze fixed upon the 
 ofiBcer until he grew confused, and after bringing each 
 person at the table into the focus of that gaze, he con- 
 tinued : 
 
 "In my gallery at Bourges I have a landscape, by 
 Backhuysen, with a background rery similar to that of 
 these mountains. Only in the foreground there is a 
 lake surrounded with briers. On the right there are 
 some swans swimming on the water, and on the left 
 there is a boat with two young peasants. I bought it 
 merely for the delicacy of the coloring." 
 
 "The sefior duke seems to like good pictures," said 
 Don Eufo, stretching his mouth from ear to ear to speak 
 with a befitting smile. 
 
 " And who does not like them ? " returned the mag- 
 nate, looking at him with his squinting eyes. 
 
 " Oh, yes, sefior ... it is true . . . you are very 
 right! Everybody likes them. But it is an expensive 
 taste . . . only great people like the sefior duke can 
 allow themselves the luxury." 
 
 Don Eufo here became confused, thinking he had said 
 something disrespectful. 
 
 " The sefior duke has many pictures of the best 
 painters from what I hear," said Don Eosendo, coming 
 to his friend's assistance. 
 
 "I have a few," returned the nobleman, pouring 
 some water into Venturita's glass. This act over- 
 whelmed the girl with gratitude, and the blood rushed 
 to her face. 
 
 "The duke's is one of the first galleries in Europe," 
 said Cosio in a low voice to Pefia. 
 
 844 
 
Duke of T r n s 
 
 " I like painting because it is the national art," con- 
 tinued the magnate. "It is the only one in which we 
 have really advanced; it is the only one in which we 
 distinguish ourselves in the present day . . . because, 
 although I have spent a great deal of my life abroad, 
 I am very fond of my country," he added in a patron- 
 izing tone, with a slight smile. 
 
 If the country could have heard those fine words it 
 would doubtless, like Venturita, tremble for joy. 
 
 " I love it notwithstanding I acknowledge its back- 
 ward condition. Nature has endowed us liberally with 
 rich gifts. A fertile country — not so much so as is com- 
 monly believed, but, in short, fertile — admirably situated 
 at one side of Europe, stretching her hand to America 
 across the seas; a sky — oh, the sky! There is not an- 
 other like it. The air has here, above all in the south, 
 a transparency . . . oh, an infinite transparency! The 
 despair of painters. Then this transparency gives 
 greater purity to the outlines; nowhere do points stand 
 out as they do here. In Castile the towers are visible 
 many miles ofE, and as distinct as if they were only a few 
 steps distant. It is quite evident that this is due to its 
 being above the level of the sea." 
 
 " The countries which lie much higher than the level 
 of the sea are the least intelligent," remarked Don Rufo, 
 glad to air his physiological mania. 
 
 The duke turned his head to look at the speaker, and 
 then went on as if he had not heard him. 
 
 " Then the great power of the sun throws up the con- 
 trast between the light and the shade, and gives a dis- 
 tinct outline even to the distant mountains. Only here 
 in the north the vapors floating in the atmosphere rather 
 blur and confuse the contours, and make them misty. 
 But, on the other hand, the tones are richer; in the 
 
 34S 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 south the shades of the ground are lost in the excessive 
 brilliance of the sky in the universal sense of light. 
 But here what an immense variety of shades ! Oh, in- 
 finite beauty! Then what power, what changes! In 
 the south the tone is stationary; the immutable light of 
 the sky keeps it the same for many hours, and the same 
 one day as another; but in these provinces, where the 
 light changes every minute, the color varies, too; the 
 composition is perfect, the gradations of color fondues, 
 its general tone is transformed into strong reliefs." 
 
 The duke having commenced enumerating the advan- 
 tages possessed by the Spaniards, could not leave the 
 subject of contour, light, and color, and lost himself in 
 disquisitions on landscape, to which the company listened 
 without understanding, with open eyes and idly mov- 
 ing lips. 
 
 But without ceasing talking he attended to Venturita, 
 anticipating her wishes, pouring water into her glass, 
 handing her the condiments, the bread, or anything she 
 might want, signing to the servant to give her wine 
 when he noticed that her glasses were empty, and all 
 with the easy, polished ways of a man accustomed to 
 society. Venturita accepted these attentions shyly and 
 smilingly, and trembling with gratitude, without under- 
 standing that at that moment she was nothing to the 
 magnate but the lady on his right. 
 
 Gonzalo, not feeling well disposed to the egregious 
 guest, became tired of the monologue on painting, and 
 exchanged a few whispered remarks with his sister-in- 
 law, joking her as usual on her small appetite. 
 
 " Come, bag of bones, another cutlet. Don't be 
 ashamed because the seflor is here. We told you that 
 he will not be astonished at the quantity you eat. Con- 
 stitutions like yours require a little fat." 
 
 846 
 
Duke of T r n s 
 
 Cecilia, smiling, replied with broken words, with re- 
 spectful glances at the duke; and he, having noticed that 
 they had spoken, raised his eyes and gave them a vacant, 
 contemptuous look. The second time, particularly as 
 Gonzalo and Cecilia put their table-napkins to their 
 mouths to stop the sound of their laughing, the glance 
 of the nobleman was longer, colder, and more abstracted 
 than ever. Venturita showed her annoyance with her 
 eyes, but Gonzalo, either from a wish to avenge his 
 wife's former slighting remarks, or because he really 
 did not feel the shyness and awe with which the per- 
 sonage inspired the others, did not desist from joking 
 with his sister-in-law and making her laugh. 
 
 The affectionate feeling between the brother and sis- 
 ter-in-law had not decreased. Gonzalo and his children 
 were the especial care of Cecilia. Her beneficial, sweet 
 influence was felt every moment of their lives. The 
 eldest little girl, Cecilita, now two years and a half old, 
 and the other, Paulina, who was eight months old, 
 throve under their aunt's maternal warmth of affection : 
 she washed them, she dressed them, she took them out 
 to walk, she was the first to teach them to pray. The 
 mother, fond as she was of her children, soon wearied 
 of them; their crying worried her; and when it was a 
 question of keeping them quiet she was ignorant of any 
 method of doing so, and only ended by half suffocating 
 them with caresses. 
 
 Thus it came about that " auntie " was the refuge to 
 which they ran, and for which they cried in any dis- 
 tress. Sometimes Ventura, wounded at this preference, 
 grew jealous, and made them stay with her by force, 
 but this only resulted in making them afraid of her. 
 
 As to Gonzalo, he had in Cecilia a sister and a mother, 
 ever ready to save him discomfort and to remove all 
 
 347 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 thorns from his path; she always had a soothing efiPect 
 upon him, and he would go to her like a great spoilt 
 child, annoyed if his wishes were not immediately com- 
 plied with, and not sparing her in any way. 
 
 But the bond between him and his wife remained firm 
 and unchanged; his passionate admiration, which had 
 made him commit the first sin of his life, had not abated 
 in spite of everything; she was still the orbit of his life. 
 Ventura kept her hold over him by the power of her 
 beauty, which continued to fascinate his senses. Cecilia 
 understood it all, and when the young man, wounded 
 by some neglect or some unkind word of his wife, broke 
 out in complaints against her, she smiled sadly, and 
 tried to calm him, while she was sure that her brother- 
 in-law would soon lower himself by going to his wife in 
 contrition and shame to kiss her very feet. 
 
 When the nobleman had finished his monologue a few 
 minutes' silence ensued. Then, as if recollecting he 
 had been remiss, he assumed a benevolent interest in 
 his companions' affairs. 
 
 " So Sefior Don Kufo Pedroso is a doctor, eh ? The 
 practice of medicine is arduous, especially in the prov- 
 inces where, as a general rule, it does not meet with due 
 compensation. SeQor PeQa is a sailor, is he not ? Oh, 
 the naval profession has always been brilliant. It is 
 a pity that our war material is not equal to the bravery 
 and skill of the officers. They have a hard time of it. 
 Does the command of a harbor give much to do? I 
 thought of bringing before the Senate a motion asking 
 for the construction of two ironclads. And Pablito, 
 does he have a good time in Sarrio? What resources 
 does the town offer to young men ? " Had he been in 
 Madrid? He was fond of horses. Ah, riding was a 
 grand exercise! The duke could well sympathize with 
 
 348 
 
Duke of T rn s 
 
 tliat taste. Were his horses Spanish or foreign? He 
 asked all these questions in an abstracted way, with an 
 artificial smile, as if he were reciting a lesson. In fact, 
 the most trying point of his code of manners was the 
 necessity of recollecting that one has to make one's self 
 agreeable to people with whom one is conversing, and 
 to take an interest in their affairs. 
 
 He cast a cold glance at Gonzalo and Cecilia, but he 
 directed no questions to them. When the unpleasant 
 task of conventionality was accomplished the magnate 
 resumed his eternal monologue. This time it was not on 
 painting, but on archaeology. In Lancia he had seen a 
 Byzantine chapel, which had excited his attention by its 
 purity, not having at present been at all restored. The 
 cathedral was not bad, only the tower was too wide; evi- 
 dently it was originally higher, but its dimensions had 
 doubtless been changed when rebuilt after its destruc- 
 tion by lightning. He understood that Sarrio had a 
 very beautiful church in the florid style of architecture. 
 Whilst the duke continued this drawling, learned, end- 
 less disquisition, Don Eosendo evinced by his eyes and 
 gestures that he was consumed with an anxiety which he 
 vainly strove to conceal. Three times he had asked a 
 question of the servant in a low voice, and three times 
 he had received the answer also in a low voice. 
 
 The duke having concluded his archaeological mono- 
 logue, with the perspicacity of the conceited, who know 
 whom they fascinate and whom they do not, then ad- 
 dressed his conversation to Venturita. The remarks 
 were now made with a little more animation, and the 
 illustrious guest occasionally deigned to smile, and to 
 do his fair interlocutor the honor of raising his drooping 
 eyelids to give her a look of curiosity and admiration. 
 The girl was filled with pride at this mark of favor. 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 and with crimson cheeks and bright eyes she talked so 
 naively and prettily that the duke was quite delighted 
 with her. They seemed to be talking of painting, for 
 Cecilia and Gonzalo, who were still joking together, 
 heard her say : 
 
 "Oh, Eubens! What flesh-painting! Kubens is the 
 Cervantes of painting." 
 
 Gonzalo turned his head as if he had been struck, 
 whilst his face expressed his astonishment. 
 
 " Cecilia, where did my wife learn all that ? " he 
 asked his sister-in-law. 
 
 A shrug of the shoulders was the only reply. But 
 Venturita had noticed Gonzalo's movement, his sur- 
 prise, and the remark he made to Cecilia. She colored, 
 and lowered her voice; then seeing her husband's mock- 
 ing expression, returned it with a quick, angry look. 
 
 In the meanwhile Dofla Paula talked to Don Kufo 
 about her heart complaint; Cosio took pride in describing 
 to Pefia and Pablito all the grandeur and luxury of the 
 Castle of Bourges, where the duke had his famous pic- 
 ture gallery. Only Don Kosendo remained silent, get- 
 ting more restless every minute, and making little balls 
 of bread with his nervous fingers. Suddenly his fine 
 features expanded into a benevolent smile, for all heads 
 were simultaneously raised at the sound of a loud trum- 
 pet in the street — it was the band from Lancia, arrived 
 at last. 
 
 350 
 
Noteworthy Deeds 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 NOTEWORTHY DEEDS OF THE DUKE OF TOEKOS IK 
 SAKEIO 
 
 " The Light " the following Thursday was almost 
 entirely devoted to panegyrics on the Duke of Tornos : 
 the first part gave his biography, the second a descrip- 
 tion of his arrival at the fair, and the romantic way 
 he was accompanied to the town by its most beautiful 
 maidens to the sound of triumphal song and music ; 
 then reference was made to this event in the verses by 
 one of Don Eufo's sons ; and finally there figured in 
 the third part of the paper two or three striking para- 
 graphs about the illustrious arrival. " The Youth of 
 SarriOj" on the contrary, only noticed his arrival in a 
 short, cold article called " "Welcome." But the oppor- 
 tunity was taken to deal a spiteful double-edged thrust 
 at its enemies. The article described Don Eosendo 
 taking the duke to the Club and introducing him to 
 its chief members, and this gave the ground for great 
 fun to be made of Don Rudesindo, Don Feliciano 
 Gomez, Alvaro Pefla, Don Eufo, and other worthy per- 
 sons. The account excited great indignation among 
 all Belinchon's friends, and fired their hearts with re- 
 vengeful feelings, and its well-turned spiteful phrases 
 caused it to be universally attributed to Sinforoso 
 Suarez. 
 
 What ? Was not Sinforoso the chief editor of " The 
 Light," the faithful friend and follower of Don Eo- 
 sendo ? No ; not now. He left his old friends about a 
 
 351 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 year ago and went over to the enemy's side, which, 
 trading on his weak disposition and the ruling passion 
 of his soul, put the screw on, and seconded by his 
 father and others, told him that there would be no 
 career open to him as long as he belonged to the Club 
 party, for in attacking the religious ideas of the place 
 he shut himself out from all respectable houses and all 
 conquests of the fairer sex, and he was bribed with 
 the vague prospect of a brilliant marriage with one of 
 Maza's daughters. So finally, to the surprise and as- 
 tonishment of the town, he deserted his friends and 
 patrons, and in the space of four-and-twenty hours he 
 exchanged the editorship of " The Light " for a place 
 on the stafE of " The Youth of Sarrio." 
 
 This act, however, was not consummated with im- 
 punity, for when Alvaro Pefla met him the next time 
 in the Eua Nueva at mid-day, he loaded him with im- 
 precations, and, what was worse, his fist left marks on 
 his face. The punishment was so humiliating that 
 Sinf oroso, who was lacking in neither pride nor bravery, 
 was filled with a burning desire for vengeance against 
 his fierce assailant. Arming himself with a bar of 
 iron provided by his new friends, he lay in wait for the 
 officer at the corner of the Calle of San Florencio, and 
 gave him from behind a blow on the head which felled 
 him senseless to the ground. PeQa was then carried 
 to his house, where he had to remain eight days in 
 bed. His friends were powerless to persuade him to 
 place the matter in the hands of the law ; for being an 
 irascible, impetuous man, he thought that legal pro- 
 ceedings would be too temperate for him. It was re- 
 ported that the officer, when looking at the walls of the 
 cemetery from his window, was heard to say in decided 
 tones : 
 
 862 
 
Noteworthy Deeds 
 
 " Poor Sinforoso ! It won't be many days before he 
 takes his permanent place there." 
 
 These prophetic ■words caused a great sensation in 
 the town, for the speaker was supposed to be imbued 
 with the power of fulfilling them. The efEect that 
 they had on Sinforoso is indescribable. As soon as the 
 ofl&cer had suflB.ciently recovered from his wound to re- 
 appear in the street, Perinolo's son made himself 
 scarce ; he was not seen for quite a month. It was said 
 that he only went out at night, and then with many 
 precautions. But as everything must come to an end, 
 the young man gradually relaxed his precautionary 
 measures, as he thought that time must have tempered 
 the murderous intents of Pefla. He gradually grew 
 accustomed to the danger, and ventured to go out in 
 the daytime ; but he avoided the spots where he 
 might meet his enemy by asking people he met if 
 they had seen him go by, and in what direction had 
 he gone. The town, therefore, was in a state of great 
 excitement, as it daily expected that a catastrophe 
 would ensue. 
 
 On a certain afternoon, hearing that Pefla had gone 
 to the mouth of the river with Don Eosendo, our Sin- 
 foroso ventured to enter the CafI Marina and call for a 
 bottle of beer. 
 
 Having taken a seat at one of the tables nearest the 
 door, he noticed that many of his friends and acquaint- 
 ances exchanged smiles and knowing glances ; and 
 before many minutes had passed the stentorian voice 
 of the officer fell upon his ear, for he was carrying on 
 a discussion with his friends in a dark corner of the 
 caf6. This sound made our journalist throw himself 
 on all fours, and, gaining the door in this ignominious 
 position, he quickly took to his heels. 
 23 353 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 When lie was supposed to be well out of reach, one 
 of the party said : 
 
 " Alvaro, do you know who was here just now ? " 
 
 "Who?" 
 
 " Sinforoso ; he has only just gone." 
 
 " Ah ! bad luck to him ! " exclaimed Peflaj rushing 
 more than running past the tables, and leaving the 
 place in a whirlwind. But where was Sinforoso ? 
 After flying a good way down the street without know- 
 ing whither, the officer was obliged to return to the 
 cafe, mad with anger and rage. Nevertheless, so much 
 time elapsed without his coming across his assailant 
 that his anger cooled down, and when three months 
 later he met him at the end of the pier he contented 
 himself with the administration of a couple of kicks, 
 and the son of Perinolo thanked his sbars for get- 
 ting off so easily. The indignation aroused by the up- 
 start journal was tempered with the hope of annihilat- 
 ing "the reptiles" who had started it, or at least 
 humiliating them with the reported grandeur of the 
 duke. During the days succeeding the arrival of the 
 grandee, Belinchon's friends cast mocking glances at 
 their rivals. 
 
 " Tremble, pettifoggers, tremble," their glances 
 seemed to say. Even Don Kosendo, so magnanimous, 
 so philosophical, so humane, shared their implacable 
 rage and longed to exterminate his rivals. 
 
 The combative spirit which had taken possession of 
 him gradually gained ground, so much so that all his 
 high-minded desire for progress and his interest in the 
 moral and material evolution of his natal town were 
 swallowed up in his burning desire to injure his 
 enemies. This, however, was only an incidental state 
 of affairs. The depths of his soul remained as pure 
 
 354 
 
Notewort hy Deeds 
 
 and as progressive as when it left the hands of its 
 Creator. 
 
 The Club party formed an impassable barrier around 
 the duke, and according to the expression of "The 
 Youth of Sarrio," it " sequestered " him. 
 
 He never went into the street without being accom- 
 panied by four or six of the most important members. 
 Opportunities of approaching him nearer were only 
 afforded to such of the townsfolk as were considered 
 worthy of the honor, for parties and dances were given 
 in the town and in the suburbs, and Belinchon's 
 friends were not remiss in arranging picnics and fish- 
 ing and hunting expeditions. 
 
 Eeally, life was pleasant in Sarrio in summer-time. 
 The duke, whose coming had been heralded by the 
 arrival of a quantity of luggage, was supplied with all 
 necessary materials for painting, and, profiting by the 
 leisure hours at his command, he produced pictures 
 full of marvellous inspiration. His intercourse with 
 the Belinchon family was of a stiff and courteous 
 character, perfectly befitting the maintenance of a 
 requisite distance. His words and his manners were 
 always touched with an assumed protecting air, which 
 somewhat softened the look of boredom on his face 
 when in repose. 
 
 It was only with Venturita that his dull eyes seemed 
 to brighten a little, and with her the duke's attention 
 even increased to the point of a free-and-easy gallantry. 
 When chatting in the family circle his glance was 
 always turned in her direction, as if she were the only 
 one capable of understanding him. Gonzalo's wife was 
 the first allowed to see the creations of his brush, and 
 her admiration was the only person's he valued ; he 
 gave her some French novels to read, and the discus- 
 
 355 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 sions on the subjects and authors of these works 
 formed topics of conversation between them at table, 
 to which the others listened without understanding. 
 After some days the duke suggested painting Ven- 
 turita's portrait. He said that landscape was his chief 
 taste, he had painted portraits only of the Duchesse de 
 Montmorency and of one of the infantas of Spain ; 
 but now he had a great fancy to paint Venturita just 
 as he had seen her for the first time in the low-necked 
 blue dress. The young girl felt immensely flattered : 
 the first portrait a duchess, the second an infanta, the 
 third herself ! Then that particular wish of painting 
 her in the dress worn the first erening ! No doubt 
 she had made a great impression upon the duke. The 
 sittings were started in one of the rooms on the ground 
 floor. Don Jaime, as the grandee was called, decided 
 to paint her reclining on a crimson sofa, with plants 
 and flowers at her side. Dofla Panla, Gonzalo, and 
 Cecilia were present at the first sitting, but they soon 
 wearied of being there, and during the subsequent sit- 
 tings they were alone, the mother only occasionally 
 coming in to give a glance at the picture and to say a 
 few polite words. 
 
 During the fortnight that the painting of the por- 
 trait lasted, the intimacy between the duke and the 
 beauty made great strides. The grandee even conde- 
 scended to tell her a great deal of his private history ; 
 his public one was known by everybody. Don Jaime 
 de la Nava and Sandoval married, when very young, a 
 grand lady united by ties of blood to the sovereign. 
 The marriage did not prove happy. The passionate 
 love of the lady, which had led her to overstep the 
 social barrier which separated her from her husband, 
 soon cooled down ; difEerences arose, a scandal took 
 
 356 
 
Noteworthy Deeds 
 
 place, and a separation ensued. Although Don Jaime 
 descanted on the privileges and honors of his elevated 
 position, he did not make it all couleur de rose, for no, 
 he was a victim to fate, and only custom made him 
 callous to the sufferings to which he was a prey. He 
 had not had time to recover from the shock of his wife's 
 treatment, but he found some consolation in making 
 bitter attacks upon the aristocracy of Madrid, and the 
 highest people of the land were not exempted from the 
 venom of his remarks. Venturita had thus an oppor- 
 tunity of gaining an insight into the character of the 
 magnate, and as the duke grew more at home with her 
 he took the measure of the girl's character. He would 
 turn the conversation to other topics, as if he felt it 
 was not good form to pursue depressing subjects ; and 
 he talked with perfect naturalness of the immoral con- 
 duct of high-born ladies in Madrid as if it were a mat- 
 ter of daily occurrence. The Duquesa de So-and-So is 
 now with a certain banker's son ; the Marquesa de So- 
 and-So has gone off to Brussels with the son of the 
 Kussian ambassador ; this lady takes up with toreadors, 
 that one with her groom ; the Condesa de So-and-So 
 is proud of having three lovers at a time ; the Baron- 
 esa de So-and-So had hers in the carriage with her, 
 whilst her husband drove on the box. 
 
 In fact, there was not a lady of the court at whom 
 he did not cast some aspersion, not excepting his 
 wife herself. Once he concluded his discourse by 
 saying : " And finally, if you want to know what the 
 aristocracy of Madrid is like, you have only to take 
 the Duchess de Tornos, who is a conglomeration of all 
 its vices." 
 
 Ventura was amazed. She had a vague idea of the 
 duke's bad feeling towards the duchess, but she had 
 
 357 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 not thought it possible that a husband could speak like 
 that of his wife under any circumstances. 
 
 Nevertheless, she was so fascinated by the import- 
 ance of the grandee that she soon began to think that 
 his cynicism and style of conversation were only 
 according to fashion and " good form." 
 
 Then spicy anecdotes followed of a most questionable 
 character, but they were told in the soft, low voice of 
 the duke, and his lips were wreathed with a smile of 
 superiority as he said : 
 
 "One can tell you these things, as you are married." 
 
 It was thus that the young girl gained a panoramic 
 view of the court world, which she had been so anxious 
 to know. The private life of those pallid youths with 
 waxed mostachos she had seen driving smart vehicles 
 in the Castellana, and of those beautiful, proud ladies 
 rolling by in their carriages, scarcely deigning to cast a 
 careless, scornful glance at her, now passed before her 
 mind's eye. Whilst only affecting a polite attention to 
 these details of the world, she was in reality drinking 
 them in with feverish eagerness, for she had always a 
 nascent desire for brilliant society, extravagant fancies, 
 and unattainable ambitions. 
 
 Thus the Duke de Tornos, inadvertently, and for the 
 mere pleasure of indulging his blas6, wounded state of 
 mind, did more for the corruption of the young wife's 
 soul in a few days than could have been done by a 
 whole course of novels. 
 
 Because, after all, what the novels say is not true ; 
 but the stories of the duke had only recently taken 
 place, and the people who had played a part in them 
 were really living persons known by their world ; in 
 fact, to use a common expression, it was real life. 
 
 The grandee with his corrupt mind and worn-out 
 358 
 
Notewort hy Deeds 
 
 body, and the beautiful country girl anxious to fly to 
 other sphereSj doubtless both thought they had been 
 born to understand each other and to be drawn together 
 like certain forces in natural science. Venturita 
 centred all her powers of imagination upon the painter, 
 and she became more fascinating every day. When 
 the duke, raising his eyelids to look at her, evinced 
 any sign of admiration, her delight suffused her cheeks 
 with crimson, and she was filled with the deepest scorn 
 for the state of life in which fate had cast her lot. 
 
 Although she did not presume upon the friendliness 
 of the grandee, she ventured to joke with him a little 
 occasionally, to the great distress of Don Kosendo ; in 
 fact, she knew she was the favorite, and so she assumed 
 a coquettish manner in his company. The duke mean- 
 while, in spite of his assumed indifference for all things 
 in heaven or earth, devoted an immense deal of atten- 
 tion to his coat, shirts, ties, and, in short, all that 
 constitutes man's attire ; and the variety, originality, 
 and eccentricity of the costumes in which he appeared 
 were a revelation to Venturita and a source of wonder 
 to the town. In fact, if she dressed herself for the duke, 
 he did so no less for her. 
 
 It gradually dawned upon Don Eosendo's younger 
 daughter that the friendship of the grandee might be 
 turned to account by augmenting her father's political 
 influence in the town, as well as by adding lustre and 
 dignity to the family. 
 
 For instance, he might have a large cross. . . . 
 
 Those who had one were addressed as "excellency." 
 If her father were an excellency he would lose the 
 stamp of a codfish merchant, which was an offence to 
 her. And why should it not come to pass ? A person 
 of such influence as the duke could easily manage it. 
 
 359 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 She had heard that a title of count or marquis could 
 be bought. A title ! And Venturita, without thinking 
 of her elder brother and sister, lost herself in pleasant 
 thoughts of one day being addressed as "la sefiora 
 marquesa," or " la sefiora condesa." 
 
 But then that husband of hers was such a " boor " ! 
 So adverse to interfering with politics or asserting 
 himself at all. Oh ! if she were but a man, what would 
 she not do ! 
 
 In a short time her friendship and influence with the 
 duke increased to such a degree that it was noticed 
 not only by the inmates of the house, but also by out- 
 siders. Don Jaime even went to meet her when coming 
 from bathing, and walked back with her right across the 
 town, to the great excitement of the people. The girl 
 nearly died with pleasure at the thought of the envy of 
 her friends at this mark of favor, for the duke openly 
 paid her a thousand attentions, and made no secret of 
 admiring her more than the other members of the 
 family. Gonzalo was secretly very annoyed at this 
 friendliness. He had disliked the duke from the first, 
 and he noticed that the antipathy was mutual, although, 
 as a man of the world, the diike had assumed a cour- 
 teous, almost kind demeanor, which would have dis- 
 guised his feelings to any but a very keen observer, or 
 a simple-hearted fellow like Gonzalo. Nevertheless, 
 with his increased friendliness and ease with the wife 
 there was a decrease of animosity towards the husband, 
 and his politeness seemed to be of a sincere character. 
 Knowing that Gonzalo was devoted to sport, he made 
 him a present of a magnificent gun which had been 
 given him by the Czar of Eussia. Then the grandee 
 frequently invited him to join him in shooting expedi- 
 tions, so that their relations became less strained, 
 
 860 
 
Noteworthy Deeds 
 
 But unfortunately an accident occurred which upset 
 them again. 
 
 One day, Gonzalo haying gone to Lancia on business 
 for his father-in-law, the duke went ofE coursing, only 
 accompanied by Don Feliciano and Don Sanjurjo, the 
 notary, and the dogs that he took with him belonged 
 to the house. Then it happened that the harrier 
 Gonzalo thought most of, having bought him for a 
 high price in England, misbehaved himself. The fault 
 that he committed was one of the gravest that can be 
 committed in the exercise of his duty, it was nothing 
 less than dropping a hare when the duke ran forward 
 to take it from his mouth, so that the timid creature, 
 only wounded in one leg, escaped into the bracken. 
 Thereupon the rage of the grandee was so great that, 
 raising his gun, he fired upon the dog, but the animal, 
 seeing the aggressive attitude of the sportsman, ran 
 away and got ofE scot free. 
 
 The duke, in a fury, pursued the animal to put an 
 end to it, but he could not overtake it. The culprit 
 fled from the scene, and was invisible for the rest of the 
 day. When the grandee reached home he was told that 
 the dog had returned, and then Don Jaime, who was 
 still in a rage, said to the servant : 
 
 " Catch that dog, take him out of the town, and shoot 
 him." 
 
 The man-servant was thunderstruck. He stood for 
 some minutes in doubt, and then, cowed by the stern, 
 imperious look of the duke, he bowed submissively and 
 proceeded to execute the order. 
 
 He called the dog, put a chain on him, and taking 
 his gun he left the house. How little the poor creature 
 thought he was going to his death ! He leapt for joy ; 
 he wriggled with delight, and lavished such licks of 
 
 361 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 affection on the servant's face that the man's eyes filled 
 with tears, and he cursed the course of action to which 
 he was compelled, for the beautiful dog was a great 
 favorite of his. 
 
 "Heaven's mercy on us! What should he say to 
 Seflor Gonzalo when he heard that his Polion had been 
 killed ?" 
 
 Just as he was thinking this, Gonzalo appeared round 
 the corner of the street. He had arrived in the coach 
 from Lancia, and was on his way home. Seeing the 
 servant, he said with some surprise : 
 
 " Where are you ofl to, Eamon ? " 
 
 The servant, abashed and frightened, hesitated a few 
 seconds, and then said : 
 
 " To kill the dog." 
 
 This reply so astonished the young man that he was 
 dumb with amazement. 
 
 "Kill the dog!" 
 
 " Yes, seflor ; the duke gave me the order because he 
 dropped the hare after catching it." 
 
 Gonzalo turned livid. 
 
 "How dare he give such a shameless order !" roared 
 the young man, and snatching the chain so roughly 
 from the servant that he made him stagger. Then he 
 strode towards the house, accompanied by the dog, with 
 the intention of having a violent scene with the duke. 
 But before he reached home he had time to consider that 
 it would be a breach of hospitality to quarrel with a 
 guest, and so he contented himself with sending Polion 
 back to the kennel, and treating the duke somewhat 
 coldly. 
 
 The antipathy which had been momentarily overcome 
 now revived with double force. The preference shown 
 by the duke for his wife and the attentions that he paid 
 
 862 
 
Notewort hy Deeds 
 
 her now became as ofEensive to him as they were at first 
 astonishing, although it still never entered his head 
 that they went beyond the politeness or gallantry 
 customary in high society. BesideSj the disparity of 
 age between the duke and his wife seemed to preclude 
 all thoughts of jealousy. Such things only happened in 
 noTels. One day, when he was alone with Cecilia, he 
 suddenly broached the subject by saying : 
 
 "I say, Cecilia, what do you think of the friendship 
 of my wife with the duke ? " 
 
 The girl looked surprised. 
 
 "What do I think of it?" she returned, looking 
 at him with her large, liquid eyes. " Why, I think that 
 Ventura gets on with him better than the rest of us 
 here." 
 
 " But this partiality, don't you think it makes me 
 look rather ridiculous ?" 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " Why, because it does," was the abrupt reply. 
 
 Then after a few minutes' silence he added : 
 
 "You, Cecilia, do not know how easily a husband 
 can be made ridiculous when he has such a frivolous, 
 imprudent wife as Ventura ! " 
 
 "Gonzalo!" 
 
 " So imprudent, yes ; for you don't notice how 
 pleased she is to talk aside with him, and how delighted 
 she is when everybody sees her hanging on his arm ! 
 There is no need to say anything, for I know it is sheer 
 vanity. She has never been anything but vain and 
 frivolous. You know it yourself, although you won't 
 confess it. But in this case her vanity may give rise to 
 many grave consequences for me and for everybody. 
 Let her put on a different dress every day to attract 
 the duke ; let her cut her nails into points, and let her 
 
 363 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 put rouge on her cheeks ; let her talk of Meissonier's 
 pictures without having seen them^ and play the fool 
 in other similar ways ; but, my dear girl, those smiles 
 before people and those asides are intolerable, and if 
 they go on many more days I think I shall have to put 
 matters right in a way she won't like." 
 
 Cecilia tried to calm him down. If he himself 
 confessed that it was all due to Venturita's frivolous 
 nature, why should he excite himself about it ? Jeal- 
 ousy was ridiculous ; nobody in the world could sup- 
 pose that Venturita regarded the duke as anything 
 else than what he was — a married man, and an old one 
 who might very well be her grandfather. 
 
 " No, I am not jealous," said the young man some- 
 what shamefacedly. 
 
 " Yes, you are, Gonzalo, although you don't know 
 that you are. This anger and this excitement, what do 
 they show but jealousy ? And look here, my boy ; 
 allow me to say that it is not paying much compliment 
 to yourself, and still less to your wife, for if you can 
 imagine that Ventura can prefer this worn-out man to 
 yourself, you credit her with very little taste." 
 
 She blushed as she said these words, and Gonzalo 
 received the sally with a smile without being convinced. 
 His instinct, which was stronger than his intelligence, 
 told him that such an aberration was possible. How- 
 ever, he did not wish to pursue the discussion, because it 
 was humiliating to press the point, even with his sister- 
 in-law. 
 
 He wanted to tell his wife that he strongly objected to 
 the conversations, confidences, glances, and coquettish 
 smiles she lavished upon the duke, but he knew Ven- 
 turita of old, and dreaded speaking to her himself. One 
 of the biting remarks in which she excelled, or a mock- 
 
 364 
 
Notewort hy Deeds 
 
 ing retort, easily upset him, and when he was upset like 
 that he did not know where he was and where to stop. 
 
 This was the position of affairs when,^ the day follow- 
 ing his conversation with Cecilia, he looked in at the 
 Club as usual. Glancing at the papers on the centre 
 table, his eye fell upon the last number of " The Youth 
 of Sarrio." He hardly ever read the paper, for al- 
 though he was not a party to the antagonistic attitude 
 of his fellow-members, he was equally averse to the 
 course taken by the Cabin community, and he avoided 
 seeing the insults levelled at his father-in-law, that 
 made his blood boil. But on this occasion he cast a 
 careless glance at it, and stopped to read some of Peri- 
 quito's verses on the charms of a certain lady, which 
 made him roar with laughter. Under this effusion 
 there was a short story with the heading : "An uncom- 
 mon Tcind of husband," and he began to peruse it in a 
 perfunctory way : 
 
 " A mandarin on his travels was received as the guest 
 of a certain Chinese plebeian, who placed the best 
 room at his disposal and provided the best provisions 
 the market could supply in his honor. This Chinaman 
 had a very beautiful wife who at once attracted the 
 attention of the old mandarin (for he was old). The 
 mandarin took no heed of the comforts and the lux- 
 urious furniture which the Chinese proudly placed at 
 his disposal ; he had only eyes for the wife of the China- 
 man. The house was frequented by all the friends of 
 the host, who were obsequiously effusive in smiles, flat- 
 tery, and genuflections. But the mandarin hardly con- 
 descended to notice them ; he had no words for anybody 
 but the wife of the Chinaman. He was taken to see 
 the town, the chief points of interest, the picturesque 
 suburbs ; it all fell flat : the mandarin was absorbed in 
 
 365 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 the lady. He was taken to large shooting parties, he 
 was rowed out on the still blue sea in a beautiful boat, 
 to try his hand at fishing. But as the mandarin cast 
 his net into the deep he thought he would rather en- 
 snare his host's lovely wife. 
 
 " And whilst the whole house and neighborhood were 
 alive to the cause of the mandarin's depression and saw 
 the drift of his attentions, the husband was quite un- 
 suspicious and calm, and continued to entertain the 
 mandarin with magnificent banquets and splendid fes- 
 tivities until a friend whispered in his ear one day : 
 ' Don't you see, silly, that your guest cares nothing for 
 your entertainments and fishing and shooting parties ? 
 His heart is set upon your beautiful wife.' 
 
 "Then the Chinaman, when his eyes were opened, 
 took his wife by the hand and led her to the mandarin, 
 saying : 
 
 " ' Pardon, my lord, but I did not notice your depres- 
 sion, nor did I guess your wishes. If I had guessed 
 them sooner I would have gratified them ere now. 
 Here, take my wife, glorious mandarin.'" 
 
 Gronzalo read the columns without seeing the drift of 
 their meaning, but suddenly it burst upon him, like a 
 flash of lightning, that he was the subject of the little 
 story. A sudden rush of blood suffused his face with a 
 fiery hue. He looked around in a quick, shamefaced 
 way. He was alone. Then with convulsive hands he 
 took up the paper he had let fall and re-read the article 
 for the second, third, and fourth time. The more he 
 read it the more the fearful suspicion took form in his 
 mind, and it so overwhelmed him, mentally and physi- 
 cally, that his whole body, with the exception of his 
 head, grew suddenly icy cold. 
 
 The first idea that came to him with returning self- 
 366 
 
Noteworthy Deeds 
 
 possession was, " PU go at once to the office of ' The 
 Youth ' and reduce them all to fragments." 
 
 He put on his hat and left the room, but on the 
 staircase another side of the picture presented itself to 
 him — the great scandal and commotion he ■would cause 
 in the town, the laughing-stock he would be in the 
 place, and how his enemies, or rather those of his 
 father-in-law, would delight in turning upon him. 
 
 He remounted the staircase and returned to the Club 
 to think a minute. After taking two or three turns 
 up and down the room without knowing if he were 
 moving or motionless, he altered his mind. 
 
 He took the paper, folded it deliberately, put it in 
 his pocket, then went slowly down the iron staircase, 
 and turned homeward with a slow step, pale face, and 
 stony glance. 
 
 His sense of strength and rage had restored his self- 
 possession. 
 
 " Is the seflorita in her room ? " he asked the ser- 
 vant who opened the door. 
 
 " I think so, seflor ; I will ask the maid." 
 
 "No, no; don't ask anybody; I will go myself." 
 
 And he went up to the room which they had had 
 since the duke had occupied the first floor. On pass- 
 ing from the passage he did not notice Dofia Paula, 
 who was sitting near the door, and who was aghast at 
 his strange expression of countenance. Venturita was 
 standing before the mirror. On seeing her husband 
 she said, without turning her head : 
 
 " Hollo ! I thought you had gone out. What is up 
 now?" 
 
 Gonzalo drew the paper from his pocket, unfolded 
 it slowly, and handed it to her, saying : 
 
 " This," 
 
 367 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " And what is this ? " asked the girl in surprise. 
 
 ''A paper." 
 
 "Yes, I see— but what of it ?" 
 
 " It contains a very interesting little story. Bead it. 
 Here in the third column, underneath these verses." 
 
 There were three or four pots of flowers in the room, 
 which had been used for the portrait that was standing 
 against the wall, waiting to be hung up in the drawing- 
 room. Gonzalo's eyes grew dark as they fell upon this 
 picture of his wife, redder than a rose and more golden 
 than a canary, and with a mystic expression on her 
 face such as he had never seen. 
 
 The duke had talked of sending the portrait to the 
 Salon in Paris. Whilst Ventura read the paper he 
 kept his eyes fixed upon her face with breathless atten- 
 tion, but she did not waver under his gaze ; she only 
 grew a little pale as she read the last lines and returned 
 him the paper. 
 
 " Why did you ask me to read that ? I don't under- 
 stand." 
 
 "Well, I will explain it to you," returned Gonzalo, 
 accentuating each syllable in suppressed rage. "I 
 asked you to read this because the mandarin mentioned 
 in it is the Duke of Tornos, you are the Chinese lady, 
 and I am the Chinaman — do you understand now ? " 
 
 At these words he glared at his wife in a terrible 
 way, and crushed up in his hand a bough of a plant 
 that was standing beside him. 
 
 Ventura met the look without wincing, and seemed 
 more surprised than alarmed; she hesitated for an 
 instant, whilst her lips moved to reply, and she ended 
 by bursting into a loud laugh. 
 
 " Ave Maria ! what an atrocity ! " 
 
 " I am in earnest, Ventura," returned the young 
 368 
 
Noteworthy Deeds 
 
 man ; " this that excites your derision is a very serious 
 matter, and your happiness and mine are at stake." 
 
 Ventura only replied by another peal of laughter, and 
 another, until she bubbled over with laughter, but 
 Gonzalo was not blind to the affectation of her merri- 
 ment. 
 
 " Take care, Ventura, take care," he said with his 
 face fraught with fury ; " recollect I am speaking 
 seriously now." 
 
 " But my dear fellow — ha ! ha ! — do you expect me 
 not to laugh when you tell me — ha ! ha ! — that you 
 are a Chinaman and I am a Chinese lady ? — ha ! 
 ha ! ha ! " and her laughter grew more affected every 
 minute. 
 
 "It is now some days since I ought to have put 
 matters straight," continued the husband gloomily, 
 after a pause. "This unwarranted, inconvenient, 
 stupid, familiar attitude that you take with the duke 
 before people irritated me exceedingly — but I wasn't 
 going to expose myself to ridicule by saying so. Jeal- 
 ous men always look ridiculous — but you see what has 
 happened by my being too remiss." 
 
 So saying, he broke off the branch he was clutching 
 and crushed it in his hand. 
 
 "But you are really Jealous now, are you not ?" she 
 asked in tones of mingled cajolery and endearment. 
 
 "If I were, I should be silent, Ventura — I should be 
 silent and watchful ; and if my jealousy were well 
 grounded — I learnt what to do before the cur6 read me 
 Saint Paul's epistles. But there is no question of jeal- 
 ousy here; the age and position of the duke preclude it, 
 and I don't insult you by supposing you prefer him to 
 me. The point is, the ridicule which your imprudence 
 has brought upon me. You don't see, you stupid girl, 
 24 369 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 that we have the eye of the public upon us ; that we 
 have lots of enemies, and that they seize the smallest 
 pretext to attack us." 
 
 " Well, you acknowledge it is only a pretext to annoy 
 you." 
 
 " Yes ; but it is founded on your inherent vanity, 
 which I have never been able to break you of." 
 
 " Let us understand each other, Gonzalo. What have 
 I done ?" she asked in an injured tone. 
 
 The young man was silent as he looked at her sternly. 
 Then after some minutes he said slowly : 
 
 "You know too well. Eepeating it degrades me." 
 
 There was another pause of silence, and then Ven- 
 tura said somewhat impatiently : 
 
 "Well, what do you want ?" 
 
 " I am going to tell you," returned the young man, 
 restraining himself with difficulty. " I want this objec- 
 tionable friendship to cease, as you see it is most derog- 
 atory to me. I want you not to think any more of the 
 Duke de Tornos, nor to take any notice of his suave 
 smile nor of his generally compromising flirting man- 
 ners. I want to resume the calm tenor of our lives, 
 such as it was before his arrival ; and as that is my 
 wish, I intend to have it done at all costs." 
 
 He was silent for a minute, and then with a vehemence 
 beyond what the occasion required, he added : 
 
 " This very day the duke shall leave the house." 
 
 Ventura looked at him in amazement. She turned 
 suddenly livid, and with her lips trembling with rage 
 she exclaimed : 
 
 " What do you mean ? You will have to be taken to 
 Leganes. Come, come," she added in a more concili- 
 atory tone, "do me the kindness to leave me in peace, 
 and go and calm yourself, for you really require it." 
 
 370 
 
Noteworthy Deeds 
 
 Gonzalo's face then became distorted with fury, 
 his lips wreathed with fierce sarcasm, and his eyes 
 flamed. 
 
 " Ah ! " he roared, more than said, " take the friend- 
 ship of this rake, for he is a rake, and all Spain knows 
 it ; you think more of it than of your husband's 
 happiness ; but don't think for an instant that because 
 I am not a duke and a grandee that I don't know how 
 to protect my honor ! Look here ! Look here ! This 
 is the respect that I have for the duke." 
 
 And at these words he gave the picture a kick which 
 levelled it to the ground with a great noise. Then 
 he seized hold of it, with his teeth set, his eyes blood- 
 shot, and a prey to one of those paroxysms of rage 
 to which powerful phlegmatic people are sometimes 
 subject. The canvas was soon in pieces ; and Ventura, 
 utterly dumfounded, but with the daring of a spoilt 
 woman, gasped out : 
 
 " Brute ! Brute ! " 
 
 The tone of this insult was so fierce with rage that 
 Gonzalo raised his head as if he had been struck with 
 a red-hot iron ; and springing upon her, he seized her 
 by the arm. The girl uttered a cry of agony, her hus- 
 band's hand held her with a steel-like grip that went 
 to the very bone. 
 
 " Forgive her, Gonzalo, forgive her ! " exclaimed 
 Dofia Paula, intervening. 
 
 The infuriated man turned his head without loosen- 
 ing his hold of his wife. At the sight of his mother- 
 in-law, in whose face, now convulsed with terror, 
 illness had made such cruel ravages, gazing at him with 
 imploring eyes and hands clasped in entreaty, his hand 
 let go of Ventura and fell to his side. 
 
 He had no time to say anything. Dofla Paula, 
 371 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 without looking at her daughter, dragged him by the 
 coat-sleeve, saying : 
 
 " Come, my son, come ; I will settle this matter, 
 and calm you down." 
 
 And Gonzalo, overwhelmed with shame, let himself 
 be taken away like an automaton. On reaching her 
 room the good lady locked the door. 
 
 " I heard all," she said, as she fixed upon him her 
 large, dark eyes, as sad as those of a Dolorosa, the last 
 remnant of her beauty. " I saw you cross the passage, 
 looking so strange that I couldn't help following you. 
 I don't know what it says in this paper that you have 
 given Venturita, but it must be something very 
 repulsive and objectionable." 
 
 " The greatest insult that a man can have ! " returned 
 Gonzalo in a stifled tone. 
 
 " How infamous ! Insult you, who have never hurt 
 them ! You are right. It is Ventura's fault : her friv- 
 olity and the silly ideas that she gets into her head have 
 caused this trouble, as they have caused other slighter 
 ones that you have had. But do not imagine for an 
 instant that there is anything bad about Ventura. She 
 is a giddy creature, a little flirt, but she is not bad 
 at heart ; she will improve with time. I, also, have 
 had my share of pride, and committed fooleries that 
 put me to shame to think of now ! Oh, years, sadness, 
 and sickness take all the nonsense out of one ! The 
 thing now is to prevent any worse consequences. I 
 have noticed for some time the duke's attentions, and 
 the intimacy which has sprung up between them. I 
 know quite well that there is nothing in it ; I am as 
 certain of my daughter as you must be ; but I can 
 quite understand that the conduct of this man is 
 annoying to you. Moreover, when a paper takes the 
 
 372 
 
Noteworthy Deeds 
 
 opportunity of insulting you, it is time matters were 
 put on another footing ; some step must be taken." 
 
 " It is come to this," said Gonzalo moodily, " I send 
 the duke out of the house this very day." 
 
 " No, you cannot and must not do so ; you are 
 quick-tempered, and there would be a violent scene, 
 which must be avoided." 
 
 " But it is precisely this scene that I want ! " 
 
 " Don't be childish, Gonzalo," replied the lady. " It 
 is for me to settle this matter, because Eosendo neither 
 sees, hears, nor understands anything beyond politics. 
 A scandal just now would make you ridiculous." 
 
 " Never mind ! " exclaimed the young man in a rage. 
 "I want the pleasure of kicking him out of the house." 
 
 " You force me to say, then, Gonzalo," returned 
 Dofla Paula in a tone of impatience tinged with 
 authority, "^that you have no right to do so. It was 
 not you who invited him, neither are you the master 
 of the house." 
 
 The young man colored deeply ; and noting his 
 confusion the lady added in an affectionate tone : 
 
 " You are our son, and sons do not interfere in the 
 affairs of their parents. It is they who have the duty 
 of watching over their happiness and sacrificing them- 
 selves for it. I will see that the duke leaves the house 
 without any scandal, and without any one suspecting 
 the reason, or your doing anything which you would 
 regret afterwards. . . . Don't think that I do it for 
 his sake, for I detest him. Prom the moment the 
 man arrived he filled me with the greatest repulsion. 
 Now that I see what he has brought upon our family, 
 you can imagine how I dislike him. I only do it for 
 your sake, because I love you, I will not say any more 
 than my daughter — because one's children, oh ! one's 
 
 373 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 children ! you know what they are — but, at least as 
 much, and I esteem you much higher. " 
 
 Gonzalo, quite overcome, dropped into a chair, and 
 began sobbing like a child, with his face in his hands. 
 The good lady placed her thin, white hand on his head, 
 and with tears in her eyes, she said : 
 
 " My poor boy ! Wait a minute, I am going to see 
 this seflor about the matter." 
 
 The Seflora de Belinchon then descended the iron 
 staircase leading to the second floor, and meeting the 
 grandee's valet, she asked : 
 
 "What is the seflor duke doing?" 
 
 "He is painting," replied the servant, looking with 
 surprise and astonishment at Dofla Paula's red eyes. 
 
 " Tell him that I wish to speak to him." 
 
 Whilst the man went to inform his master, DoQa 
 Paula thought her strength would give way, for she 
 began to feel premonitory symptoms of the spasms to 
 which she was occasionally subject ; but her strong wish 
 to restore peace to her children overcame her weakness 
 at the moment. Commending herself to our Lady of 
 Pity, she entered Don Jaime's study, full of resolution. 
 
 The seflor, clad in the fantastic garb worn at home 
 in the morning, came forward to receive her with his 
 palette and brushes in his hand. 
 
 " Seflora," he said, bowing respectfully and raising the 
 gold-tasselled Turkish cap that covered his head, " I 
 am sorry you troubled to come up. A message would 
 have summoned me immediately to your presence." 
 
 Dofla Paula made a gesture of thanks, putting her 
 hand to her heart, which was beating at her side like a 
 sledge-hammer. The duke looked at her in surprise. 
 
 " Take a seat, seflora," he said, putting his palette 
 and brushes on a chair. 
 
 874 
 
Noteworthy Deeds 
 
 Whereupon the lady dropped into an arm-chair, and 
 Don Jaime remained standing. 
 
 " The door must be shut," she said, beginning to 
 rise from her seat ; but the gentleman anticipated her, 
 and then took up his stand in front of the lady, squar- 
 ing his feet with exaggerated respect, and waiting for 
 her to speak. 
 
 Several minutes passed in silence, then raising her 
 sad eyes, she said : 
 
 '' Seflor duke, you have conferred a great honor on 
 us in coming to our house. We can never sufficiently 
 thank you for this mark of favor " 
 
 The duke bowed as he raised his heavy eyelids to 
 cast upon his interlocutor a look tinged with curiosity. 
 
 " Why do you not sit down? " asked Dofla Paula, in- 
 terrupting her speech. 
 
 " I am very comfortable, seflora ; continue." 
 
 But the interruption had upset her; she could not 
 proceed for some minutes. Finally she murmured : 
 
 " It is dreadful ! — you do not know, seflor duke, 
 what I am going through now. I wish I were dead ! " 
 
 And the tears riishing to her eyes, she drew her hand- 
 kerchief from her pocket and buried her face in it. 
 
 The duke, now quite astonished, said : 
 
 " Calm yourself, seflora. I am a true friend of both 
 you and de Belinchon. Whatever trouble you may 
 have, let me share it as if it were mine, and I will do 
 what I can to assuage it." 
 
 " Many thanks, many thanks," murmured the lady, 
 without taking her handkerchief from her eyes ; and 
 after a minute's silence she said in a trembling voice : 
 
 " Will you do me a very great favor ? A favor for 
 which I will thank you all the days of my life — but I 
 don't dare ask it." 
 
 375 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " I repeat that I am at your serTice ; and that any- 
 thing I can do for you, you may consider done." 
 
 " Oh ! nOj it is outrageous in me ! You would 
 never think, seflor duke, that your visit to this house 
 has caused much misery. Your attention and your 
 admiration of my daughter Ventura's frank, merry 
 disposition have given rise to remarks in the town." 
 
 " Oh !" interrupted the duke, smiling to hide a cer- 
 tain feeling of shame. 
 
 " Yes, very offensive remarks about all of us; more 
 especially about my son-in-law, who is as dear to us as 
 if he were our own son. I do not blame you or her. 
 I am sure that in your case it has only been due to 
 over-attention, which, in a little place like this, where 
 nothing escapes notice — Perhaps you, seflor, ought 
 not to have — She has been imprudent and frivolous, 
 she was always faulty in that way — She is a girl with 
 a will of her own, as one may say — If there were 
 no divisions in the town there would not be this fear- 
 ful feud, which is nearly the death of us; probably 
 nobody would have noticed — Unfortunately our ene- 
 mies seize on the most trifling pretext to annoy us and 
 put us to shame — An article has come out which 
 attacks my son-in-law in such a shameless way — And 
 this I cannot allow " 
 
 Dofla Paula's courtesy had diminished with her 
 speech, and the final words were rapped out defiantly. 
 A slight flush suffused the duke's affrighted face. He 
 ought, of course, to have seen the gravity of the situa- 
 tion, but he merely thought : " This person is reading 
 me a lesson." 
 
 "I am very sorry," he said in an obsequious tone, 
 " to have caused you all any trouble. But I am so 
 used to being an object of public comment and attack 
 
 376 
 
Noteworthy Deeds 
 
 that the remarks and articles you have just mentioned 
 don't annoy me in the slightest. The lower classes 
 always try to pay ofE the superiority of the upper ones 
 by finding fault with them. It is the eternal law of 
 give and take that cannot be altered." 
 
 " That is all very well, seflor duke, for such an ex- 
 alted personage as yourself — But we are quite dif- 
 ferent ; we are not in such a high position, and evil 
 tongues, you must know, can do us a lot of harm," 
 returned Dofla Paula, so simply that it sounded ironi- 
 cal. 
 
 The duke, somewhat irritated, played nervously 
 with the tassel of the cap he held in his hand, as he 
 said: 
 
 " I repeat, I am very sorry, seflora. If I had thought 
 that my innocent attentions to your daughter could 
 have been subjected to such malignant interpretation, 
 I would have been more careful in proffering them — 
 In the future I will be more discreet. Dio mio ! " he 
 added, smiling. " How is it possible to imagine that a 
 man of my years could regard a child like Ventura in 
 any but a paternal way ! " 
 
 This remark was supposed to completely exculpate 
 him. 
 
 " Oh, seflor duke, men in your position are never 
 old. The brilliancy of it is attractive to women — 
 Therefore, it is not sufficient to be merely more pru- 
 dent in the future ; the world must be robbed of all 
 pretext for remarks " 
 
 The duke turned suddenly pale, hesitated a few sec- 
 onds, and finally said : 
 
 " By my leaving the house, eh ? " 
 
 " This was the favor I came to beg of you," she said 
 without raising her eyes, and in a tone of humility. 
 
 377 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Don Jaime turned a shade paler, took a turn up 
 and down the room, crushing the Turkish cap in his 
 clenched hand, uttered a sarcastic laugh, and returning 
 to his place in front of Dofla Paula, he said with mock- 
 ing arrogance : 
 
 " So you turn me out of the house, sefiora ? " 
 
 " I, seQor duke ? What an idea ! The only thing 
 I want is to restore peace to my children and avoid a 
 catastrophe." 
 
 " What catastrophe ? " asked the duke, whilst an 
 ominous light shone in his dull eyes. 
 
 Dofla Paula saw it boded danger for her son-in-law, 
 so she hastened to repair her slip. 
 
 " The catastrophe of my son-in-law being insulted 
 by those wretches — Look here, seflor, if you are of- 
 fended at the request I have just made you make 
 a great mistake — We are so honored at your coming 
 to our house that nothing could have flattered us so 
 much as this favor — My husband exerted himself to 
 prefer the request, and he was delighted when he heard 
 that you accepted the invitation. . . . You can 
 never understand how proud I was to have such a dis- 
 tinguished person in my house — I, a woman of the 
 people, the daughter of a sailor, the granddaughter of a 
 watchman, known in the place as the Serena, as my 
 mother and grandmother were before me — certainly I 
 should have been prouder still if it had been some 
 years ago — one's pride decreases with disillusions and 
 troubles. But at all events I am very flattered, and only 
 the fear of the great troubles which may accrue to my 
 children obliges me to take this step ; so you will for- 
 give me, sefior." 
 
 Don Jaime took another turn across the room, 
 stopped in the centre to think a minute, and ended 
 
 378 
 
Notewort hy Deeds 
 
 by shrugging his shoulders and wreathing his lips in 
 a scornful way. Then advancing towards DoQa Paula, 
 he said : 
 
 " Is your husband aware of the step you have just 
 taken ? " 
 
 " No, seQor ; and I shall be glad if it could be set- 
 tled without his knowledge." 
 
 " Perfectly. It shall be done to-day." 
 
 " Oh ! seflor duke ! a thousand thanks — You will 
 forgive — " she exclaimed, rising from her seat and 
 extending her hands to him. 
 
 The grandee bowed low without replying. 
 
 " I entreat you not to bear me malice." 
 
 " The subject of our conversation will remain quite 
 entre nous. We will manage to avoid disclosing the 
 reason of my departure. Try to play your part well. 
 I will answer for my own." 
 
 Dofla Paula quitted the room, escorted by the duke, 
 who led her to the door with an exaggerated, silent 
 politeness. 
 
 On reaching the staircase the anxious lady, once 
 more alone, breathed freely. Although it had been at 
 the cost of so many painful emotions, she was de- 
 lighted at having arranged the matter without any 
 scandal or danger. And with a fleet foot, she who 
 generally dragged herself about in ill-health now ran 
 to Gronzalo to tell him the result of her mission. 
 
 At luncheon the duke mentioned that he had re- 
 ceived a letter from one of his sons, saying he was com- 
 ing to spend the month of September with him in Sar- 
 rio ; and his brother, the Marques del Eiego, would 
 probably also come. He had therefore decided to take 
 rooms at the hotel. Don Eosendo, seconded by his wife, 
 immediately strongly opposed the step, whilst Gonzalo, 
 
 879 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 with, gloomy face and lowered eyes, continued his meal 
 in silence during the discussion. 
 
 In spite of all Don Eosendo's arguments to make 
 him stay, even representing that the house was large 
 enough to receive the new guests, the sorrow which 
 his whole family would feel at this unexpected depart- 
 ure, etc., etc., the duke was obdurate, although he 
 responded with his usual patronizing smile, and a flow 
 of pleasant, friendly phrases. At last it was seen that 
 persuasion was useless, and the depressed Don Eosendo 
 accompanied the duke and his secretary on the inspec- 
 tion of the rooms at the only decent hotel the town 
 possessed. The first floor was taken, and on the follow- 
 ing day the duke moved into it, in spite of his host's 
 urgent entreaties that he would at least stay until the 
 arrival of his relatives. 
 
 The whole place was taken by surprise at the move, 
 and eagerly inquired the cause. But although Don 
 Eosendo gave everybody a full account of the whole 
 occurrence, it was impossible to prevent people sus- 
 pecting that things had not been just as they were told 
 by Belinchon. His enemies were particularly active in 
 unravelling the mystery, thinking, not without reason, 
 that the Club party would not have the duke's influ- 
 ence to oppose them. During the two months and 
 more of the grandee's residence in Sarrio, the friends 
 of Don Eosendo had successfully brought into court 
 an indictment against the alcalde, the administra- 
 tor of the posts, who was of the Cabin party, had been 
 withdrawn, and the problem of the slaughter-house 
 had been solved according to Belinchon's opinion. 
 
 Maza's friends, who had been going about like doomed 
 flies in autumn, received the fresh news like a tardy ray 
 of sunlight. Santo Dios ! what excited talk took place 
 
 380 
 
Noteworthy Deeds 
 
 that night in the Cabin ! Joy shone in all their eyes, 
 their nostrils dilated with delight as they anticipated 
 the fall of the Club party and a decisive, a grand victory 
 for themselves. "The Youth of Sarrio" published in 
 its next number the following laconic but venomous 
 paragraph : 
 
 "His excellency, the Seflor Duke of Tornos, who was 
 the guest of Don Eosendo Belinchon, has moved to the 
 first floor apartments of the Estella Hotel. We offer 
 the honored duke our sincerest congratulations." 
 
 This disgraceful notice made Belinchon ill for days, 
 and then he sent his seconds to Maza. But the alcalde 
 returned that they could not fight whilst he was in 
 office, but when that was over he would see if he could 
 not cross swords with such a blusterer. Then the 
 seconds replying in a similar tone, they were threat- 
 ened with imprisonment and had to retire. 
 
 The Duke of Tornos continued visiting Don Eosendo's 
 house occasionally, and Belinchon and his friends always 
 accompanied him when he went out. The friendship 
 between them remained outwardly the same. The 
 small neutral party in Sarrio thought that there was 
 no mystery in his move, and that it all originated in 
 the ridiculous imaginations of the Cabin party, who 
 were blinded by the desire to get the better of their 
 adversaries. However, some days had elapsed, and 
 September had come in without bringing the advent 
 of either the grandee's son or brother. The duke him- 
 self had so much improved in health in Sarrio that he 
 had his carriage and horses brought from Madrid, and 
 bought a charming little fishing-boat. He seemed dis- 
 posed to spend some months in Sarrio. In his exterior 
 relations with the Belinchon family — that is to say, 
 when he met them in the town — he assumed a courte- 
 
 381 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 ous, kind manner befitting people deserving much 
 attention. He did not take such a familiar tone with 
 Venturita as before, but he chatted with her in the 
 theatre and at the Promenade in a playful way. Thus 
 those who pried into the reason of his leaving the 
 house were put off the scent. Dofla Paula was very 
 pleased at this behavior, and Gonzalo even, seeing 
 that he could not expect more, was courteous and 
 polite to him. 
 
 Peace reigned again between the young couple. Ven- 
 turita after a few days, during which she looked pale 
 and cross, and exchanged no word with her husband, 
 doubtless being hurt by the violence he had shown in 
 the scene described, resumed her usual demeanor — 
 merry and pleasant sometimes, cross and capricious at 
 others, and always ready with a sharp, sarcastic re- 
 mark. Nevertheless, Gonzalo noticed an unaccustomed 
 amiability and deference in her manner, and he at- 
 tributed it to her desire to blot out the recollection of 
 that transient but perilous trouble they had under- 
 gone. So the days drifted quietly by in Don Rosendo's 
 house, only disturbed by DoQa Paula's attacks of ill- 
 ness. She was as often in bed as up, but she took long 
 drives with Cecilia, or Ventura, and often had her 
 grandchild Cecilita whom she worshipped, with her. 
 Don Rufo talked of the necessity of her moving to 
 another climate, to a place above the level of the sea, 
 where the air would be clearer, and Don Eosendo, 
 although possessed with the desire of exterminating his 
 enemies and conferring happiness on his natal town, 
 entertained the idea of moving, albeit with some re- 
 pugnance, and amused himself by weaving vague grand 
 utilitarian plans as usual. He was inspired with the 
 happy notion of transferring " The Light of Sarrio to 
 
 382 
 
N t ew r t hy Deeds 
 
 Madrid, and making it a daily paper under the title of 
 " The Light of the Provinces/' to defend the moral and 
 material interests of the provinces ; to maintain their 
 autonomic life independent and free in face of the 
 monopolizing action and power of the capital, "a 
 raging fire that dries up the sap of the nation and 
 devours her inherited wealth." What a great and 
 noble thought ! 
 
 At the end of October Gonzalo went to Lancia on 
 business for his father-in-law. It was a question of 
 persuading a banker of the town not to proceed with 
 certain negotiations with a capitalist in Sarrio, a cer- 
 tain member of the Cabin, according to report ; any- 
 how, he was to let Don Eosendo have the refusal of 
 the ofEer in question on the same terms. 
 
 Gonzalo had been away two days. At dusk on the 
 afternoon of the third day Dofia Paula thought she 
 would go up and see Ventura, who had returned to the 
 second floor after the duke's departure. The good 
 lady very rarely ascended that iron staircase. But that 
 day she felt stronger, she had less pain in her side, and 
 she wanted to try her strength and prove to herself how 
 much better she was. The immediate object of her 
 visit was to take her little granddaughter, Gecilita, a 
 doll which the maid had just finished dressing. The 
 stairs seemed very high. When she was half-way up she 
 stopped to take breath, and on reaching the landing 
 she called as loudly as she could : 
 
 " Gecilita, my child, where are you ?" 
 
 "Here, grandma, here," returned the child, coming 
 out of her mother's room. 
 
 She was a little creature, not yet three years old, with 
 sunny golden hair, and so spontaneous in her baby 
 talk that her grandmother quite adored her. 
 
 383 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " What have you got for me, grandma ? What have 
 you got for me ? " she asked, looking eagerly at Dofla 
 Paula, after having nearly knocked her over in the 
 impetuous way she caught her by the legs. 
 
 " The doll, my child, with its new frock." 
 
 "No doll . . . the doll for Lalina. . . . Fse big 
 ... I want chocolate." 
 
 "I have no chocolate here, my darling," replied the 
 grandmother, looking lovingly at the child. 
 
 "Mama has chocolates . . . come and give me 
 one." 
 
 And the little girl dragged her grandmother by the 
 dress to her mother's room. On entering it the child 
 seemed surprised, and looked about everywhere, whilst 
 Ventura came forward and embraced her mother affec- 
 tionately. 
 
 " My goodness ! what a surprise ! whatever brought 
 you here ? . . . I don't know that it is good for 
 you to come upstairs like this. . . . Do you feel all 
 right?" 
 
 " I am not very tired. I think I am better. De- 
 hand's pills seem to do me good." 
 
 " That's right. I am glad we have at last hit upon a 
 medicine that does some good. . . . Won't you sit 
 down ?" 
 
 " Grandma, give me a chocolate," said the child, in- 
 terrupting them. 
 
 " I haven't any, my dear. . . . Have you any cara- 
 mels, Ventura ?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 "Jaime has some, and he is here." 
 
 Venturita turned dreadfully pale. 
 
 " What Jaime, child ? " asked Dofla Paula. 
 
 " Nobody, nobody ; some nonsense. Well, these pills 
 884 
 
Noteworthy Deeds 
 
 suit you, then ? Suppose Don Eufo heard of it. . . . 
 Suppose he heard of it ! " Ventura repeated in such a 
 trembling voice and looking so confused that her 
 mother gazed at her in astonishment. 
 
 "Jaime is here ... he has chocolate; come and 
 see, grandma." 
 
 Whereupon the child dragged Seflora Paula by the 
 dress, and the lady, vaguely apprehending something 
 terrible, let herself be led without knowing what she 
 was doing. 
 
 " Cecilia ! " cried Ventura in a voice unlike that ever 
 heard by her mother. 
 
 However, the child paid no heed, and went on drag- 
 ging her grandmother towards the bedroom. But be- 
 fore they reached the door the Duke of Tornos appeared 
 on the threshold. 
 
 At the sight of the sudden apparition Dofla Paula 
 stood rooted to the spot, with her face white and ter- 
 rified and her eyes staring in amazement. Then she fell 
 heavily to the floor, dragging the child with her. 
 
 The duke hastened to raise her, and then, obedient to 
 an imperious gesture of Ventura, he laid her on the 
 sofa and took his departure. 
 
 The cries of the girl soon brought up the servants 
 and her sister. It was thought it was a faint brought 
 on by over-fatigue. She was carried to her room, 
 where, thanks to Cecilia's care, she recovered conscious- 
 ness, but not her faculty of speech. The unhappy lady 
 was powerless to articulate a word. Two days went by, 
 and the efforts of both Don Eufo and another doctor 
 who came from Lancia were powerless to restore action 
 to the paralyzed tongue. 
 
 She generally lay with her eyes shut, whilst soft sighs 
 escaped her lips ; but when Venturita entered the room 
 25 385 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 she opened her eyes, and fixed them on her with an ex- 
 pression full of anguish and reproach. 
 
 Two days later, and almost at the same hour in which 
 the fatal scene had taken place, the unhappy lady ex- 
 pired, with her grief -stricken eyes still fixed on Ven- 
 tura's face, even in the hour of death. 
 
 386 
 
Important Steps 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 GONZALO AND CECILIA BOTH TAKE IMPOETANT 
 
 STEPS 
 
 The Belinchon family retired to Tejada to mourn 
 their bereavement in seclusion for some time. 
 
 Dofia Paula was mourned, as she deserved to be, by 
 her magnanimous husband, who, waiving his ideas of 
 progress and reform, was not remiss in showing signs 
 of grief and affection, which, in my opinion, in no wise 
 detracted from his public dignity. 
 
 It was long before Cecilia ceased to mourn the loss of 
 her mother, to whom she had been bound as much by 
 ties of sympathy as of blood. She was more like Dofla 
 Paula than any other of the children, although she had 
 not been the favorite. Pablo, the pet, felt it as much 
 as he was capable of feeling anything ; but, according 
 to report, in a few days he was seen at full trot on his 
 last purchase in horseflesh, so he could not be said to 
 mourn very deeply. 
 
 But it was particularly on Venturita that the sudden 
 death had a sad and strange effect. She was so over- 
 come that she was for some days in bed in a high fever. 
 When she recovered she looked pale and sad, replied 
 abstractedly when she was spoken to, and in spite of 
 her husband's entreaties she rarely left her room. 
 This grief, as great as it was unexpected, was a proof 
 to Gonzalo of the truth of Cecilia and DoQa Paula's 
 continual assertions that Venturita might be wild, 
 capricious, and vain, but she had a good heart. This 
 
 387 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 was a great alleviation to the sincere sorrow he felt at 
 the death of his mother-in-law, for the final and ma- 
 ternal service she rendered him had put the seal to the 
 affection with which her constant kindness had in- 
 spired him. 
 
 The Duke of Tornos returned to Madrid shortly 
 after his friend's afiSiction. 
 
 From thence he corresponded with Don Eosendo, 
 and frequently did him a good turn in the ceaseless 
 feud that he maintained against his enemies of the 
 Cabin. 
 
 These services were finally crowned by the large cross 
 of Isabel the Catholic. The grandee forwarded with 
 the diploma the Order set in brilliants worth not less 
 than 20,000 reales. 
 
 Don Kosendo's gratitude and emotion on the receipt 
 of the great mark of honor can be imagined. As 
 nobody in Sarrio owned a large cross, he had to go to 
 Lancia for a knight of the Order to complete the honor 
 by decorating him with it. 
 
 And now that he was a knight, he who had professed 
 a certain metaphysical scorn for all religious observ- 
 ances now joined in the procession of the parish, so 
 as to carry a light, with the Order on his breast and the 
 ribbon across his frock coat. 
 
 All this was gall and wormwood to Maza's party, and 
 their spite thereat was let off not only at the Cabin, 
 but in the periodical, in which the famous founder of 
 " The Light of Sarrio " was made the subject of both 
 comic and serious attacks. 
 
 Li some of the fierce and caustic paragraphs one 
 could almost see the bilious alcalde, pen in hand. 
 
 For the first time in his life Don Eosendo read the 
 diatribes with no sensation beyond that of infinite 
 
Important Steps 
 
 scorn. When the apogee of society is reached, at- 
 tacks from pigmies seem more curious than offensive. 
 The event roused Venturita from her lethargic, gloomy 
 state. One of her dreams had been realized, and she 
 participated in the pride and glory of her father, even 
 to appearing sometimes in the town, but, of course, 
 always in the carriage. 
 
 She adopted a haughtier mien, and her languid, 
 grand, ladylike air made all the ladies of the town 
 nearly die of envy, although they avenged themselves 
 for her contemptuous manners by calling her, in their 
 hours of spleen, " The Codfish Princess." 
 
 The death of her mother, whom everybody had known 
 " with the handkerchief tied behind," as they say, had 
 contributed as much as the grand cross of her father 
 to raise the social status of the family, or rather to 
 make it aristocratic. 
 
 Venturita, with her scornful demeanor, her costly 
 costumes, and the disdainful coolness with which she 
 treated her acquaintances, effectually avenged the poor 
 woman who had been made to undergo such a lifelong 
 mortification at the hands of the ladies of Sarrio. 
 
 The winter passed away at Tejada — a winter un- 
 usually inclement. Sometimes it rained a great deal, 
 which made it impossible to leave the house ; at other 
 times there was a severe frost ; the sky was clear, but 
 in the mornings the fields looked white with a coating 
 of frost half an inch thick. All these meteorological 
 phenomena hold charms for those who love the coun- 
 try. Gonzalo was born to revel in these fluctuations 
 of Nature. If it froze, he rose early in the morning 
 and, to the astonishment of the household, he went out 
 into the corridor, where he washed himself with the 
 water which he had brought from the marble fountain 
 
 389 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 basin after breaking the ice. Then donning a light 
 shooting suit, he took his gun and went off on one of 
 his wonderfully long walks of sixteen or eighteen miles, 
 without any one hearing him complain of fatigue after- 
 wards. 
 
 If it snowed, he put on his waterproof, his high 
 boots, and his fur cap, and went shooting wild pigeons 
 or hares about the estate. More than once he fell 
 into one of the reservoirs filled with snow, and it was 
 only through his extraordinary strength that he man- 
 aged to get out. And then the country offered other 
 pleasures unknown in town. The groups of trees and 
 bushes were pleasant to the eye ; the dark green of the 
 conifera looked clear and bright with the collection of 
 water on their branches, which the frost soon solidified ; 
 the leaves of the magnolias shone like crystals, and 
 both the face and coloring of Nature were incessant in 
 their changes, and the forms of the trees and the 
 mountains were also subject to endless variations. 
 
 Even the monotonous pattering of the rain upon 
 the foliage gave a pleasant, reposeful feeling quite 
 luxurious to those who had nothing to do out of doors, 
 and who had within all the comforts and luxuries of 
 the rich. It was pleasant to hear the pio pio of the 
 frightened sparrows, who resorted by hundreds to a 
 large Washingtonia near the house as if it were a great 
 aviary. It was amusing to Gonzalo to feed the little 
 exotic creatures that Don Eosendo had on his property 
 after walking over to the cages in sabots, and it was also 
 delightful to doze in an arm-chair by the fireside with 
 a cigar in his mouth and a bottle of rum by his side, 
 whilst Cecilia read aloud either an interesting story or 
 some harmonious, sonorous poetry. 
 
 Don Eosendo and Pablo went regularly every day to 
 390 
 
Important Steps 
 
 Sarrio, and came back to dinner. Don Eosendo occupied 
 himself in directing public opinion along the path of 
 progress, both moral and material, and in crushing 
 those "reptiles who grovel in the mud because they 
 are incapable of rising to the high regions of ideas, 
 and then eject their venom on every one superior to 
 them in intelligence or virtue" — it is unnecessary to 
 mention the names of " those reptiles " alluded to in 
 his articles so frequently by Don Eosendo — and Pablo 
 was engaged in laying siege to the hearts of several 
 fair strangers who had arrived in the town. One 
 morning he went out shooting with his brother-in-law, 
 but finding that the cold spoilt his complexion, he 
 gave up the sport almost entirely. Besides, Piscis 
 greatly objected to it, for a clever centaur like he 
 cared for nothing on earth but horses. 
 
 In the afternoon, when it rained, Ventura played 
 tresillo with Cecilia and Gonzalo if she were in a good 
 humor, and if not, the two latter played tute together, 
 with a child seated on the lap of each ; and although 
 the little girls upset the game every moment by taking 
 up a card in their tiny hands, the players were so good- 
 tempered that they merely took them gently from 
 them. 
 
 " Be quiet, Cecilita, be quiet ; if you show your aunt 
 my cards she will win." 
 
 " Never mind, auntie dear, look at them," said the 
 child, laughing. "When the game was over the elders 
 watched the children make houses with the cards, 
 whilst the rain-drops pattered on the Chinese windows 
 and the logs of wood crackled on the hearth. The 
 children had their meals with the family, and attending 
 to them was an important occupation to Cecilia, for 
 she had to serve them, to tie their bibs on, give 
 
 391 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 them water, and see that they did not drop their food. 
 When Gonzalo was at home he delighted in assisting 
 at this repast and standing like a butler behind the 
 chairs of his children. Then when they had to be 
 taken to bed, Cecilia took one in her arms, and Gonzalo 
 the other, and they carried them to the room where 
 they both slept. The task of undressing them was 
 long and complicated. Gonzalo, in spite of his ox-like 
 strength, was as gentle as a woman in untying their 
 strings and moving their little bodies from one side to 
 another without hurting them. Sometimes the hands 
 of the brother and sister-in-law touched each other ; 
 then a slight cloud overshadowed her smiling face, 
 but Gonzalo noticed nothing. When the little ones 
 were in bed, they smilingly listened to the innocent 
 prayers which Cecilita said to " auntie." Paulina did not 
 yet know how to address the Supreme Being, and so 
 she only made the sign of the cross. Whilst they were 
 going to sleep, papa and auntie had to remain close by 
 the bedside without moving. If they talked together, 
 the children were disturbed, and were a long time 
 getting to sleep. Therefore they tried to keep silent, 
 or they only exchanged a few words in low voices. 
 Cecilita could not sleep without holding one of her 
 aunt's ears. Gonzalo often objected to this fancy, and 
 every day he spoke of making her give it up ; but his 
 sister-in-law did not mind it, and she even bent over 
 the pillow to indulge it. Sometimes Gonzalo fell 
 asleep on Paulina's pillow, especially when he had 
 been out shooting, and on waking up he found himself 
 close to the sweet, pale face of his sister-in-law, whose 
 wide-open eyes were fixed on space. 
 
 " What are you thinking about, bag of bones ?" he 
 asked her as his eyes met hers. 
 
 393 
 
Important Steps 
 
 The girl collected herself with an effort, and smiled 
 kindly. 
 
 " I don't know — nothing." 
 
 "Haven't you a lover ?" he said one evening, raising 
 her chin affectionately. 
 
 " Bah ! what lovers could I have in this place ? " 
 returned Cecilia, coloring, and withdrawing her face. 
 
 " Tou could have one in Sarrio." 
 
 " And he can't care much not to come and see me 
 all the months that we have been here. I have already 
 told you that I am going to remain an old maid," she 
 added with a smile. 
 
 " That can't be," replied the young man with fervor ; 
 " it can't be. It would be a shame to poor humanity 
 for you to remain an old maid. You were born to be 
 married. Your chief delights are in managing the house, 
 looking after children, sewing and dusting. You will 
 be a perfect wife, like Fr. Luis de Leon describes. It 
 is intolerable to think of any one who could make any 
 man happy remaining an old maid." 
 
 We do not know what Cecilia's thoughts were just 
 then ; but they were probably something like this : 
 "Yes ; I could have made any man happy but you." 
 
 She opened her lips with a gesture of indifference, 
 and replied : 
 
 " What has that to do with it ? All women who are 
 not pretty have these qualities. Those who shine in 
 the world think of their clothes, and they are right." 
 
 There was a sad, despairing irony in these words 
 which Gonzalo could not but feel in his heart. 
 
 " Oh ! you always talk this nonsense. I believe you 
 put on this modesty to be contradicted — besides, we 
 know that you can shine with the first. You have eyes 
 that are unequalled; you are graceful, elegant, dis- 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 tingu&e. What do you want more, bag of bones ? The 
 thing is, seflorita, you have more here than here." And 
 he put his finger first on his forehead, and then on 
 his heart. " When somebody comes along who really 
 interests you, you will see how all these ideas about 
 celibacy will disappear." 
 
 Cecilia shrugged her shoulders and resumed her far- 
 away look as she dropped the conversation. 
 
 With the month of April the family returned to 
 Sarrio. 
 
 The municipal elections took place in June, and 
 Gonzalo was elected town councillor against his will. 
 Don Rosendo imposed the sacrifice upon him. Ventura 
 regained her spirits with the approach of summer. She 
 went out more frequently, and her open carriage always 
 created a certain sensation. The fact was, it was very 
 grand with its trappings from Paris. She liked to dress 
 herself in black, for in her vanity she knew that it en- 
 hanced the brilliancy of her complexion, and brought out 
 the golden hue of her hair. When she went to the eleven 
 o'clock mass, which was the most crowded service, her 
 presence excited a repressed murmur of curiosity among 
 the women and of admiration among the men. The 
 princess-like air that exasperated the ladies was what 
 delighted the men. They all agreed that her beauty, ele- 
 gance, and distinguished manners made her far superior 
 to the other young women in the town, and would create 
 quite a sensation in more aristocratic circles. Ventura 
 had been of the same opinion for some time, and she 
 turned over in her head the idea of going to live in 
 Madrid. When she suggested it to her husband he 
 expressed a great objection to the plan ; he was not a 
 man for the court ; the social duties imposed by 
 etiquette would be distasteful to him, for he was born 
 
 394 
 
Important Steps 
 
 for liberty, the enjoyment of the open air and sea, 
 bodily exercise, and easy homely occupations. Besides, 
 he was quite aware that the income upon which they 
 lived among the first people in Sarrio would not be 
 sufficient to keep them on the same social plane in 
 Madrid, particularly with his wife's disposition. Never- 
 theless, Venturita was so sure of overcoming these 
 objections that she ceased speaking of the project, but 
 kept on thinking of the time and means of its fulfil- 
 ment. An event then occurred to disturb the life of 
 the Belinchon family. Gonzalo was unexpectedly 
 elected alcalde of Sarrio through the influence of the 
 Duke of Tornos. His first idea was to decline the 
 appointment with some excuse, but Don Eosendo 
 and all his friends were so eager and hot about 
 his accepting it that he could not avoid doing so. 
 The members of the Club were somewhat upset about 
 it ; they considered they were put upon, for the new 
 alcalde would never allow the fonndations of their 
 enemies' houses to be laid bare, as Maza did, neither 
 would he resort to any other extreme measure of their 
 suggesting. In the month of September, when the 
 bathing season was over which filled the town, and 
 shooting began in the country, Gonzalo returned with 
 his family to Tejada. The children were very well 
 there, and he always liked it, besides, there was not 
 much going on just then in Sarrio. His office of alcalde 
 somewhat stood in the way of this move, but he 
 arranged with his municipal colleagues to go to town 
 every day, or at least very frequently. The journey 
 could be made in a carriage in less than half an hour. 
 Moreover, Don Eosendo kept his house open, so that 
 Gonzalo could dine and sleep there as often as he liked. 
 As Venturita was thinking of going to Madrid the next 
 
 395 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 spring, she made no objection to these plans of her 
 husband ; and he was glad to have made this arrange- 
 ment when he found that the Duke of Tornos was com- 
 ing in October, for life in Madrid had brought a 
 recurrence of the malady which the air of Sarrio had 
 benefited. Unwilling as he would have been to con- 
 fess it, Gonzalo still felt the sting of jealousy in the 
 inmost depths of his heart, and neither reflection nor 
 specious argument with himself could eradicate it. 
 
 Whilst the duke was away he was free from that 
 feeling, but the news of his approaching arrival was a 
 vexation to him, if not an actual trouble. And in 
 effect, at the end of October there was no escape from 
 going to meet him at Lancia with his father-in-law and 
 several gentlemen, all members of the Club. The 
 alcaldes appointment through his influence made the 
 grandee a powerful patron of the party. He put up 
 at the Estella Hotel with his secretary, and commenced 
 the outdoor life which he said, with truth, suited him so 
 well. Several fine days he went out fishing, or walking, 
 or shooting, or riding. This time he only brought 
 two horses with him : one for a tilbury, and a magnifi- 
 cent saddle one ; so when the secretary rode, he used 
 a horse that Don Eosendo put at his disposal. 
 
 The duke maintained cordial relations with the Be- 
 linchon family, but he had only been to Tejada three 
 times in a fortnight. As Ventura and Cecilia frequently 
 came to Sarrio, he saw them and talked to them, al- 
 though he avoided being with them in public. 
 
 After the duke's arrival Gonzalo assiduously read 
 " The Youth of Sarrio," which, like " The Light," 
 came out three times a week. He read it to soothe the 
 uneasiness which he felt, because he was in continual 
 fear of some insulting paragraph like that which en- 
 
 896 
 
Important Steps 
 
 raged him so much the previous summer. In the first 
 numbers after the grandee arrived, "The Youth" 
 contented itself with showing its hostility towards the 
 duke by making fun of him under such transparent 
 nicknames as those of " painter," " fisher," and even 
 " politician," and insinuating the idea that the duke was 
 a person despised in Madrid, dismissed from court, and 
 without infiuence with the Government. Some stories 
 of his life were brought to light which were not much 
 to his credit ; and even his habits about his clothes and 
 cravats were made fun of. Don Jaime did not read 
 such a little journal ; but when Pefla showed him what 
 was said about him he smiled maliciously, and wrote 
 to the governor of the province asking him to take the 
 first opportunity of suppressing the paper. The Club 
 party hearing of this letter, joyfully anticipated the 
 blow. 
 
 At last the poisoned arrow so much dreaded by Gon- 
 zalo pierced his heart ; it was not a paragraph, it was a 
 story, supposed to have taken place in Scotland, in which 
 he, his wife, Don Eosendo, and other well-known people 
 were made atrocious objects of ridicule. Amongst 
 other things, it was said that whilst the sherifE (evi- 
 dently Gonzalo) was assiduously fulfilling the duties of 
 his oflBce, Lord TroUope (the duke) undertook for him 
 the duties of husband to his beautiful wife. 
 
 Gonzalo felt the same sense of rage and misery as 
 before ; but this time he decided to control himself and 
 find out if there were any truth in the malignant in- 
 sinuation, and if unfortunately there should be, he 
 would take full and complete revenge. 
 
 It cost him great trouble to hide the feelings which 
 preyed upon him, unaccustomed as he was to dissimula- 
 tion, but he was greatly helped by his strong desire to 
 
 397 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 put an end to his doubts. The only thing noticeable 
 about him was that he seemed rather sad and preoccu- 
 pied. He devoted himself for some days to watching 
 his wife, never losing sight of her for an instant ; but 
 he discovered nothing to confirm his suspicions. At 
 the same time, he watched to see if and how the duke 
 might have access to her. The result of his investiga- 
 tions was that he found that this could only be the 
 case when he went to the municipal sessions. This was 
 impossible by day, as the duke was not a person who 
 could go unobserved ; it must then be in the hours of 
 the night when he slept in town. 
 
 He determined to know the truth at once. To that 
 end he announced to his family a few days in advance 
 that a meeting of the Town Council would oblige him 
 to sleep in Sarrio on Friday, for the meeting was an 
 important one, as it was to decide nothing less than the 
 appointment of one of the two doctors of the place, 
 paid by the municipal corporation. 
 
 The Maza party had their candidate, and that of Don 
 Eosendo theirs, and the contention was most bitter, 
 not about the votes, which had been perfectly counted 
 the previous day, but because the Cabin party, who had 
 been defeated, had prepared a petition to Parliament 
 to nullify the election of the enemies' candidate, by 
 saying he had not had the months of practice consid- 
 ered necessary by the corporation to make the candidate 
 eligible. The day of the great test found Gonzalo very 
 upset. He had craftily tried to find out if any servant of 
 the house was a party to the matter, or at least if he knew 
 anything ; but he found out nothing which could make 
 him think so. He breakfasted without appetite, and 
 after swallowing his coffee he went off with his father-in- 
 law. The meeting of the Town Council lasted till ten 
 
 398 
 
Important Steps 
 
 o'clock at night. Then he went home with Don Ko- 
 sendo, who noticed that his son-in-law was preoccupied 
 and abstracted. Gonzalo excused himself by saying 
 that he was much irritated by the spleen and behavior of 
 Maza's friends. They retired to rest at eleven o'clock, 
 and then, when all was silent, our young man secretly 
 left the house, and took the road to Tejada on foot. 
 
 The night was cloudy, but not very dark ; the light 
 of the moon shone through the clouds, revealing ob- 
 jects at a short distance ofE. Gonzalo walked swiftly, 
 with a thick sword-stick in his hand, and carrying a 
 pistol in his pocket. 
 
 He felt very sad, and the test he was about to make 
 filled him with mingled fear and remorse. If his wife 
 were guilty, what a tragedy was at hand ! And if she 
 were not, he was acting a low part to suspect her 
 honor. He continued his course as furtively as if he 
 were a robber about to break into a house, hiding un- 
 der the walls along the road when he heard steps, and 
 trembling when he heard a voice, far off as it might be. 
 The idea that an acquaintance might see him on foot at 
 that time made him ashamed, feeling quite certain that 
 his object would be guessed. 
 
 The fresh air seemed to pierce his very bones, 
 although he so rarely felt cold. There was a soft, 
 melancholy sound from the rustling of the wind in the 
 tops of the trees which lined the road like black phan- 
 toms. Under one of these he thought he saw a figure, 
 and fearing to meet anybody who might know him, 
 he jumped into the field ; but looking over the little 
 wall, all that he saw was ruminating and recumbent 
 cows. Then passing a workman's cottage, a window 
 was suddenly thrown open and a woman appeared, 
 which made him take to his heels under the shadow of 
 
 399 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 the trees. As he proceeded on his way he felt a weight 
 at his heart, and a thousand different ideas warred in 
 his mind. He recollected the many delightful details 
 of the first months of his married life : the sweet words 
 and the ostensible proofs of love given him by his wife 
 — his wife whose defects were those of all girls who 
 are too much spoilt, and he began to think that he 
 must be under some cursed hallucination, one of the 
 thousand infamies invented by the enemies of his 
 father-in-law to injure him, and he was on the point 
 of returning to Sarrio and going back to bed when, on 
 thinking over and weighing his grounds for suspicion, 
 the recollection of the duke's departure from the house 
 of his wife's parents, Ventura's frivolity and flirtiness 
 and the veiled yet persistent attack of the inimical 
 journal, fired his blood and urged on his steps. Oh ! 
 shame on them if it were true ! Better for them if 
 they had never been born ! And his hand tightening 
 on the stick, he drew out the sword to make sure it 
 was ready for use. The revolver did not suggest itself 
 to him ; he wanted to see and feast his eyes on the blood 
 of the traitors. 
 
 When he had covered half the distance to Tejada he 
 suddenly heard behind him the gallop of a horse. 
 Without knowing why, his heart gave a terrible jump, 
 and he quickly leaped into the adjoining fields and 
 anxiously waited, looking over the wall, for the horse 
 to pass by. Before two minutes were over it went by 
 like a flash. He was perfectly able to recognize the 
 duke's chestnut steed ; he could not distinguish the 
 grandee himself, as he was enveloped in a cloak, with 
 a large hat drawn over his face ; but if his eyes did not 
 see him, his heart saw him with perfect clearness. He 
 stood stunned, rooted to the ground, and he felt a 
 
 400 
 
Important Steps 
 
 peculiar failing of the legs as if they were going to give 
 way. But the blood soon resumed its healthy circula- 
 tion in his athletic frame, his iron muscles quickly 
 reasserted their strength, and, without touching it 
 with his hands, he cleared the six-foot wall which en- 
 closed the field. He sprang into the middle of the 
 road, and without an instant's delay he pursued the 
 horse at a mad, wild speed as if he were silly enough to 
 try and catch up to it. Although he was long-winded, 
 he was out of breath long before he reached the estate, 
 and he had to stop three or four times to recover him- 
 self. At last he arrived at the shrubbery and entered 
 by the iron gate, which was only latched. Casting a 
 glance round, he saw the duke's horse tied to a tree. 
 He hastily continued his course, carefully avoiding 
 making any noise, by one of the paths lined with coni- 
 feras leading to the house, and, as he knew all the 
 approaches, he did not go to the door — of which he 
 had the key with him — for fear that some servant 
 would hear him, but he climbed by a vine up to the 
 window of his father-in-law's room, which was always 
 left open when he did not sleep at home. Unfortu- 
 nately, it happened to be closed. Then he drew out 
 his sword, and putting it in the crack of the window, 
 he raised the latch and thus effected an entrance. 
 
 He was, however, seen by one person — Cecilia. On 
 one of the preceding nights she, occupying a room next 
 to that of her sister, thought she heard a noise, and 
 got up. She looked through the window towards the 
 garden and saw Pachin, the servant, with another 
 man she could not recognize. Nevertheless, an awful 
 suspicion filled her with horror. The gait of the man, 
 of whom she could only see the figure, was not that of 
 a peasant. Gonzalo was sleeping that night at Sarrio ; 
 26 401 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 besides, her brother-in-law was much taller. Dread- 
 fully upset by a terrible idea, she retired to rest again, 
 but not to sleep. All the following day she was sad 
 and preoccupied, and she inwardly determined to watch 
 her sister to know for certain if her thoughts were 
 chimerical or real. So she kept her eye on Pachin, 
 and she noticed that on the very day that Gonzalo was 
 to sleep at Sarrio he was given a commission by Ven- 
 tura, although he was not the one to make the house 
 purchases. When he returned she wanted to see what 
 he had brought. It was a French novel, which she 
 could not take into her hand, as Ventura seized hold of 
 it and went off to her room. She then had no doubt 
 but what there was a letter between the leaves, and she 
 determined to watch that night and ascertain the 
 truth. 
 
 After dinner she sat sewing a while, whilst Ventura 
 read by the light of the lamp ; and when it struck ten, 
 both sisters retired to their respective rooms. 
 
 Cecilia threw a cloak over her shoulders, put out the 
 light, and sat by the window. She waited — one, two 
 hours. When it was nearly twelve, she noticed two 
 shadows among the trees, and, albeit with difBculty, 
 she recognized Pachin and the man of the previous 
 night, whom she now saw was the duke. 
 
 The two shadows quickly disappeared among the 
 trees round the house. She stood petrified with horror; 
 a wave of indignation rose in her heart and burst from 
 her lips in the words : 
 
 " How infamous ! How infamous ! " 
 
 Then she seated herself on the window-sill, with her 
 face pressed against the pane, as overwhelmed with 
 confusion, shame, and distress as if she were the culprit. 
 At the end of some minutes, standing with her terrified 
 
 403 
 
Important Steps 
 
 gaze fixed on the park, she saw another figure running 
 with strange swiftness towards the house. She could 
 not repress a cry of horror, and sprung to her feet as if 
 she were worked by a spring ; then stumbling in the 
 dark through the furniture, she reached her sister's 
 room, but it was all in darkness. For a moment she 
 thought of calling her, but then she recollected that 
 Ventura could not sin so close to her and her children. 
 A few steps further, on turning the corner of a passage, 
 she saw a light, and ran towards it. In the Persian 
 chamber, of rotunda form, somewhat isolated from 
 the rest of the house, there was a light ; and she 
 gave two little knocks at the door, saying through 
 the keyhole : 
 
 "It is I, Ventura. Open ! Gonzalo is here." 
 
 The door was then opened, and Ventura appeared, 
 paler than death. The Duke of Tornos was at the other 
 end of the room, and was turning to the window, with 
 intent to jump out of it. But Cecilia ran towards him, 
 and catching him by the arms, she cried : 
 
 " No, not that ! It will be no use — Ventura, es- 
 cape — To the kitchen ! Gonzalo climbed up by 
 papa's room." 
 
 The girl spoke in an imperious falsetto tone, with her 
 eyes flaming. 
 
 Ventura required no repetition, for she precipitately 
 left the room. 
 
 Then Cecilia forcibly dragged the duke to one of the 
 sofas, and said : 
 
 "Sit down." 
 
 The magnate looked at her in stupefaction, and 
 asked : 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " Sit down, I tell you," said the girl in a fury, and 
 403 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 at the same time putting her hands on his shoulders 
 she pushed him down. 
 
 The duke at last sat down, and then Cecilia placed 
 herself on his knees, and throwing her arms around his 
 neck, she put her lips on his cheek. 
 
 At that moment quick steps were heard in the cor- 
 ridor, the door was violently thrown open, and Gonzalo 
 appeared with his drawn sword-stick. Cecilia, turning 
 her head, uttered a cry ; and the young man recogniz- 
 ing his sister-in-law, sheathed the arm which he carried, 
 and hastily re-opening the door, he repaired in surprise 
 and confusion to his old bridal chamber. 
 
 There Ventura was quietly reading by the light of a 
 lamp. On seeing her husband before her she rose in 
 surprise, saying : 
 
 " What is it ? How is it you are here ? " 
 
 An actress would gladly have bought from her that 
 movement and tone of voice. 
 
 Gonzalo was taken aback, and knew not what to say ; 
 but he got out of the diflBculty by exclaiming : 
 
 "Don't you know what scandal is going on in the 
 house ?" 
 
 " What is going on ? " returned the girl, with a face 
 so discomposed that if Gonzalo had been more obser- 
 vant by nature he would have seen that it could not 
 have been solely due to his presence. He shut the 
 door, and said in her ear : 
 
 "Your sister is in the Persian chamber with the 
 duke ! Don't you know anything about it ? Tell the 
 truth," he added, seizing her by the wrist. 
 
 Ventura was confounded; she hesitated; she trem- 
 bled; she lowered her eyes admirably well, and finally 
 said : 
 
 " Why should you want me to know, Gonzalo ? " 
 404 
 
Important Steps 
 
 " Don't lie, Ventura ! " he exclaimed with a furious 
 gesture ; but his heart was filled with immense and in- 
 finite relief. 
 
 " I am telling you the truth — I know nothing about 
 it — but I suspected something. That is why I was 
 alarmed. When you came in I was thinking of going 
 to Cecilia's room to see if she were there. " 
 
 " How shameful ! How scandalous ! But this in- 
 famy ! Some course must be taken — this must be put 
 an end to without anybody hearing of it." 
 
 " Yes, yes ; but what do you want us to do ? " 
 
 " I don't know. I will speak to your father — N"o, 
 not to your father — it would be a fearful blow to the 
 poor man. I will speak to the duke, and we'll see if he 
 resists ! " 
 
 At that moment they heard a noise in the adjoining 
 room. 
 
 " Cecilia has gone to her room," said Ventura. " I 
 will go now and speak to her myself. It will all be put 
 a stop to, and remain a secret. I don't wish you to com- 
 promise yourself, Gonzalo mine," she added, throwing 
 her arms around his neck. Gonzalo made a gesture of 
 scorn. 
 
 "!N"o, no; I don't want to. It is better for me to 
 speak to Cecilia — wait a minute." 
 
 Her husband stopped her as she was leaving the 
 room, and said in a low voice : 
 
 "Don't speak cruelly to her. Try and be prudent. 
 It is infamous of him to have thus abused his friendship 
 with the family. What a wretched creature ! " 
 
 Ventura left the room, and repaired to that of her 
 sister, trembling with alarm. The heroic girl was stand- 
 ing in the middle of the room, with her arms by her 
 side and her eyes fixed on the ground. Ventura care- 
 
 40S 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 fully closed the door, and embracing her, she mur- 
 mured in a tremulous voice : 
 
 " my sister ! thank you, thank you ! " 
 But Cecilia roughly repulsed her with a gesture of 
 scornful pride, exclaiming : 
 
 " I did it for him, and not for you ! " 
 
 406 
 
Draws Aside the Veil 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 DOSfA BEIGIDA DRAWS ASIDE THE VEIL 
 
 Cecilia would never do it again — she saw the wicked- 
 ness of her conduct; she was sorry to have given Gon- 
 zalo's enemies ground for insulting his wife's honor, 
 and she had given her word, and solemnly sworn, that 
 those nocturnal meetings would not occur again. 
 
 Such was the message that Ventura delivered that 
 night to her husband. 
 
 During the succeeding days he showed neither anger 
 nor even severity against the delinquent. All his anger 
 and ill-will were against the duke, whom he accused of 
 having iniquitously abused the confidence of his father- 
 in-law to arouse in poor Cecilia feelings that had hith- 
 erto lain dormant. He treated her with kindness, even 
 to indulgence, such as he might have accorded a sick 
 child in the desire to show her that she had lost none of 
 his affection. 
 
 But this kindness was so humiliating to her, showing 
 as it did that the man was quite contented in his con- 
 viction of her guilt, that she repulsed it, and in spite of 
 her strenuous efforts to do so she failed to appear grate- 
 ful for so much generosity. 
 
 She shut herself up in her room, without attending 
 as before to the care of the children, and at meal-times 
 she looked so grave and was so quiet that Don Eosendo's 
 notice was attracted, absorbed as the great patrician was 
 in the higher sphere of the battle of thought which was 
 now being waged in Sarrio. 
 
 407 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 And with his peculiar perspicacity he saw that it was 
 a question of moral and physical weakness proceeding 
 from the monotonous country life. Youth has its own 
 needs, and these must be attended to. 
 
 " You are ill, Cecilia. You look pale and sad. You 
 must leave here and live a freer life, in surroundings 
 more befitting young people. "We will go to Madrid for 
 a couple of months in the spring. In the country you 
 get asphyxiated like a bird under the bell of a pneu- 
 matic machine." 
 
 This great thinker occasionally used happy illustra- 
 tions, drawn, like the present one, from physical and 
 natural science. Prom the brightness with which the 
 girl concurred with the suggestion he concluded that 
 he had as usual found the key to the matter. 
 
 Ventura looked as usual. The terrible scene that had 
 been enacted, the sacrifice of her sister, which she knew 
 had incurred her righteous contempt, had not affected 
 her. She went on just the same as before, just as care- 
 ful of herself and careless of others as she had ever been. 
 Nevertheless, whenever she encountered the clear, pene- 
 trating eyes of her sister she turned her own away. 
 From the night of the affair she avoided being alone 
 with her, which was very easy, as Cecilia had no wish 
 to exchange a word with the treacherous girl. 
 
 Gonzalo feeling quite sure of his wife, revelled in his 
 sense of security, and a recrudescence of affection arose 
 between the couple. 
 
 Ventura had made him promise he would never again 
 sleep away from home, and to this he agreed. 
 
 Thinking of his sister-in-law's sin, he frequently said 
 to himself: 
 
 " The Lord preserve me from still waters, and I will 
 take care of the running ones." 
 
 408 
 
Draws Aside the Veil 
 
 And henceforth he not only pardoned the lightness 
 and frivolity of his wife's vain disposition, which had 
 once so much disgusted him, but came to regard these 
 defects as a guarantee of her fidelity. 
 
 " There is nobody without some faults," he would 
 say to himself, " and I would prefer her to have those 
 that are above board." 
 
 Five or six days after the event related, " The Youth 
 of Sarrio " published a paragraph, insinuating the same 
 idea as that which had led Gonzalo to make the mem- 
 orable nocturnal visit to Tejada. The young man read 
 it without emotion and with a smile on his lips, laugh- 
 ing to himself at the mistake under which his enemies 
 were laboring. Nevertheless, as it was, after all, an 
 insult to have such things written, he determined to 
 chastise its insolent authors, albeit in a matter-of-fact 
 fashion. Therefore at nightfall he abruptly entered the 
 office of "The Youth," when not more than three of 
 the stafE were present, one of whom was the traitor Sin- 
 foroso Suarez. Without saying a word Gonzalo fell 
 upon them tooth and nail, with so much force and rage 
 that they utterly succumbed to the attack. When one 
 of them did rise from the ground a tremendous blow 
 knocked him down again ; and not only were they lev- 
 elled, but the tables and cupboards were also overthrown, 
 making more noise than an earthquake. When tired of 
 administering this corporal punishment, he quietly left 
 the place, laughing. A few people responded to the 
 cries for help, but he said to them : 
 
 "It is nothing, seflores ; but the managers of ' The 
 Youth ' have had a thrashing up there ; and, I say, look 
 here! go up and tell those fellows that if they continue 
 with these libels I shall be obliged to send them to 
 prison." 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 When the facts of the case were known the event 
 caused some commotion. The members of the Cabin 
 were in a frenzy, but Gonzalo inspired such deep re- 
 spect, not so much from his position of alcalde, but from 
 the terror of his fist, that they at last resigned them- 
 selves to overlooking the drubbing administered to their 
 confederates. 
 
 The Carnival went by without any great festivity, for 
 Sarrio was no longer the scene of the processions and 
 cavalcades which had once been the talk of the province 
 whilst converting the town into a miniature Venice. At 
 one time all the inhabitants took part in the great burst 
 of gayety. The rich not only decked themselves befit- 
 tingly for the occasion, but they started subscriptions for 
 the importation of gorgeous costumes from Madrid. The 
 cavalcades were incessant and indefatigable in directing 
 showers of almonds, caramels, and aniseed at the win- 
 dows. The balls at the Lyceum, if not as brilliant, 
 were as entertaining and as bright as those in the most 
 opulent palaces of the court. Oh, the Carnival of Sar- 
 rio! Who in the south of the province, where these 
 events took place, will cease to have grateful and tender 
 recollections of it ? 
 
 But all had changed with the Guelph and Ghibelline- 
 like political strife between the members of the Club 
 and the Cabin. Every one remained in seclusion at 
 home, and the streets were only favored with the sight 
 of some bold mummer, who afforded delight to the 
 crowd of boys in his wake. 
 
 The titanic efforts of Don Mateo were powerless 
 to awake any enthusiasm about balls at the Lyceum. 
 It was in vain that he conferred with the marriage- 
 able girls of the place to get promises to help him, 
 which promises were easily gained, but when it came 
 
 410 
 
Draws Aside the Veil 
 
 to interviewing papa, he knitted his brows and gravely 
 said: 
 
 " Well, we will see, Don Mateo; we will see." 
 
 And this " we will see " generally signified a prudent 
 abstention. For there might be there Mr. This or Mr. 
 That, with whom the good papa was not on terms of 
 acquaintance. 
 
 The previous year Don Mateo had tried to revive the 
 old Filiate ball of glorious renown, known to all good 
 Sarrio folks as the chief feature of the first Sunday in 
 Lent, but the alcalde, who was then Maza, under cover 
 of religion and trying to curry favor with the clergy of 
 the town, would not give permission. This year the in- 
 defatigable old man returned to the task with increased 
 ardor. Gonzalo made no objection to granting his per- 
 mission. Then he stimulated the interest of the place 
 to such an extent, by laying stress upon the extraordinary 
 wonders and surprises of the famous globe, ordered from 
 Bordeaux, that he ended by exciting a universal wish to 
 be present that evening at the Lyceum. 
 
 So for the first time in Sarrio for several years the 
 salon of the society promised a full attendance. Dur- 
 ing the days preceding the Sunday the talk and prepara- 
 tions of the young people drowned the disagreeable 
 sounds of politics. It was like a moment's respite for 
 the weary town. Directly Venturita heard that a ball 
 was really in preparation, she ordered from her dress- 
 maker a most magnificent dress to represent Queen 
 Elizabeth of England, and one for Cecilia as a lady of 
 the time of Louis XV. The latter at first declined to 
 go to the ball, but Gonzalo made such a point of it, 
 doubtless to rouse her a little from the melancholy to 
 which she had lately fallen a prey, that she at last gave 
 in, and several afternoons were employed in going to 
 
 411 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Sarrio, trying on the dresses and giving instructions to 
 the dressmaker. 
 
 The longed-for Sunday at length arrived, and Gon- 
 zalo, who was very busy all the morning, lunched in 
 Sarrio and returned about dusk to Tejada to dine with 
 his family, and to escort his wife and sister-in-law to 
 the ball. 
 
 When he arrived the ladies were dressing themselves 
 in their different rooms, and a little after the usual hour 
 they both appeared in the corridor in their elegant 
 attire. 
 
 Cecilia was bright and loquacious, as those of a seri- 
 ous temperament are in moments of excitement; and 
 she seemed to have shaken off the black thoughts that 
 had lately cast such a gloom over her face. 
 
 Before taking his seat at table Gonzalo tried some 
 playful jokes with her, as well as with his wife, and dur- 
 ing the dinner he continued to laugh at their expense 
 in his own genial, hearty way. 
 
 "Will not your majesty take a little sausage?" he 
 said, addressing his wife. And then, delighted with 
 his remark, he gave vent to a long, loud roar of laugh- 
 ter, like those given by barbarous kings at their festivi- 
 ties, while his enormous frame heaved convulsively. 
 
 His healthy, manly spirits were infectious, and no one 
 could help laughing when he started. 
 
 Ventura was very amiable that evening, and she 
 tapped her husband on the shoulder and begged him to 
 be quiet, as she could not eat in peace. 
 
 When dinner was over and they were taking coffee, 
 either through laughing too much or from some other 
 cause, the young wife complained of indisposition; her 
 dinner had disagreed with her. She expressed a wish 
 to withdraw, retired to her room, and shortly returned, 
 
 412 
 
Draws Aside the Veil 
 
 saying that she was not well, and that her head was 
 aching. Tea was made for her, and she laid on the sofa 
 for some time, but the pain and distemper remained. 
 
 " Look here! you go to the ball, and I will go to bed," 
 she said, raising her head. 
 
 Cecilia, suddenly filled with a suspicion, replied : 
 
 "No; I will stay, too." 
 
 " How silly," exclaimed the invalid, " to deprive your- 
 self of the only entertainment Sarrio has given for some 
 time on such a frivolous pretext! " 
 
 "Yes," replied Cecilia with the same gravity; "I 
 shall remain." 
 
 " But you know this indisposition hardly causes me 
 any sufEering. I am rather bilious; four or five hours' 
 sleep will quite restore me." 
 
 " Well, I shall remain." 
 
 "Then I shall be obliged to go, ill or not ill," she 
 said in an impatient tone, as she rose from the sofa. 
 
 "Ventura is right, bag of bones," said Gonzalo, tak- 
 ing his sister-in-law by the shoulders, and shaking her 
 affectionately. " It is nothing. I have had it a hun- 
 dred times. Why should you give up going to the ball ? 
 Here, here ! get your mantilla. Kamon has already put 
 the horses in; it is more than half -past nine," he added, 
 pushing her towards the door. Cecilia could not resist 
 him, but before leaving the room she cast a piercing 
 glance at her sister, who avoided meeting it by resum- 
 ing her seat. Kamon was, in truth, waiting for them 
 with the family coach. The largest carriage was used 
 that evening, as Don Eosendo and Pablito, who were 
 dining in town, were to return with them in the small 
 hours of the morning. During the drive Gonzalo was 
 still chatty and merry, trying to amuse his sister-in-law, 
 who had resumed her taciturn manner. The young 
 
 413 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 man thought that she was still tormented by the recol- 
 lection of the fatal scene already narrated, and so made 
 every effort to distract her. 
 
 Arrived at the Lyceum, Gonzalo and Cecilia went in, 
 arm in arm, and they crossed a large anteroom, where 
 a crowd of young men made way for them, and greeted 
 them with the familiarity usual in little towns. There 
 were several ladies in the salon, all in fancy dress, al- 
 though the majority of them, like Cecilia, wore no 
 masks. This was an innovation in Sarrio. 
 
 For the last five years the balls at the Lyceum had been 
 dreary affairs. But, thanks to the perseverance of Mateo, 
 the flame of pleasure burst that night into a brightly burn- 
 ing bonfire. The youth of the town entered the empty 
 salon like an overflowing torrent, making the place re- 
 sound with the bright tones of their talk and laughter. 
 
 " Alvara, do you know me ? do you know me ? Why 
 don't you marry ? For you are on the road to old age." 
 
 "Periquito, do you like me? Why do you wear a 
 mask ? You don't want one. You are not taken with 
 faces, and there you are right. Look here and look 
 there. Eh? Ta ta, ta ta, Periquito." 
 
 "Hollo, Delaunay! Hollo, monsieur ! How goes the 
 aerial tramway? What will you have next? What a 
 long head you have ! It is a pity you are so unfortunate. 
 They say you are not a practical man, but you knew how 
 to settle the ' Eat's ' daughter. Good-by. Good-by." 
 
 " And here's Sinforoso. When are they going to give 
 you Cipriana's hand ? They treat you very badly. Why 
 don't you threaten to go back to the Club ? " 
 
 It was a party of ladies in black dominoes who cut 
 these jokes, which were at times too strong. The major- 
 ity of them were old, for the younger ones liked to show 
 their faces and the turn of their figures in some histor- 
 
 414 
 
Draws Aside the Veil 
 
 ical costume. There were costumes of Venetian and 
 Roman ladies, costumes of the lower empire, costumes 
 of the time of Louis XV., of the Directory, of Philip 
 II., and others, down to the most recent period. There 
 were also gitanas, necromancers, slaves, and many other 
 fanciful and romantic costumes not admitting classifica- 
 tion. There was one representing a starry night, an- 
 other a tulip, and another a carrier pigeon with a letter 
 at her neck. 
 
 The men, as a rule, were not in costume. They wore 
 the long, full frock coat which only came out on such 
 occasions. Nevertheless, some wore a domino, which 
 permitted them to talk to the girls they admired with- 
 out fear of being interrupted by the mama. 
 
 A party of young fellows belonging to the Cabin con- 
 ceived the happy idea of dressing up Don Jaime Morin 
 as a bib-and-tucker young lady. When dressed up like 
 this they told him that he would be better disguised 
 with paint than with a mask, and he concurred with the 
 suggestion. A young fellow then took up a box of 
 paints and a brush, and pretending to dip it into several 
 colors, he passed the brush several times over his face, 
 but it had only been dipped in water. 
 
 Morin asked to see himself in a looking-glass, but the 
 mischievous youths took good care not to give it to him. 
 They all cried out: "But how capital you are, Don 
 Jaime! How grotesquely you are painted! Your own 
 mother would not know you! " Upon the strength of 
 these words the good Morin allowed himself to be car- 
 ried ofE to the Lyceum, where his young friends advised 
 him to joke certain young ladies, to which he replied 
 that his jokes would prove a shock to their nerves. 
 And in effect, no sooner was he in the salon than he 
 cried out to a young lady, in a falsetto voice : 
 
 415 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " Hollo, Kosarita! what have you done with Anselmo? 
 We know that you throw him a letter out of the window 
 every night at ten o'clock." 
 
 "But, Don Jaime!" exclaimed the girl, looking at 
 him in surprise, " how did you find that get-up ? " 
 
 "The devil! She knew me," said the good Morin, 
 withdrawing. He then turned to another of the fair 
 sex, with the same result "It is strange," he said at 
 last, " they all know me at once. It must be the voice, 
 because although I am painted with a vengeance " 
 
 He was full of these reflections when a bony hand 
 seized him from behind. 
 
 "Great ass! booby! idiot! Who got you up like 
 that?" 
 
 It was his beloved spouse, the ingenious, severe Dofia 
 Brigida. 
 
 "Get along, stupid! You're always the laughing- 
 stock of everyplace!" and she pushed the poor fellow 
 out of the salon. The good lady, who was dressed in 
 a domino and mask, went with him as far as the ante- 
 room, where she left him, and returned to the ball-room 
 to carry out her own devices, as we shall see. 
 
 Surrounded by a group of dominoes stood the kind 
 Don Feliciano Gomez, whose shining, bald, pyramidical 
 head overtopped the circle of ladies around him as they 
 cracked their insufferable jokes, which sometimes bor- 
 dered on insults. 
 
 "Feliciano, poor fellow! so your sisters let you come 
 to the ball! At what time will they send for you? 
 They say that Dofla Petra beats you when you are late; 
 is that a fact ? Poor Feliciano ! how strict your sisters 
 are! Well, as they did not let you marry, they ought 
 to give you a little more liberty." 
 
 The good merchant, without taking offence, gave 
 416 
 
Draws Aside the Veil 
 
 kind, smiling replies to the harpies, who at last grew 
 tired of his patience and left him in peace. 
 
 The charming Pablito, correctly attired in a frock 
 coat, with a white ioutonnih'e, was meanwhile courting 
 a beautiful Jewish girl, sister of an artillery officer, who 
 had just arrived. The poor girl was orerjoyed at seeing 
 at her feet the richest and most eligible young man in 
 the town. What smiles! what meaning looks! The 
 girls of the place cast derisive glances at her, as much 
 as to say: " Enjoy yourself a little, unhappy one; you 
 will soon be disillusioned." 
 
 Pablito, as he bent over her in a submissive way, whis- 
 pered in her ear such ardent and ingenious phrases as: 
 
 " As I was coming from Tejada yesterday, I saw you 
 with your papa, as pretty as ever." 
 
 " What nonsense ! I saw you, too. You were driving 
 an open carriage. You drive very well." 
 
 " That is flattery, Carmencita. To drive nowadays is 
 nothing. Anybody can do it. If you had only seen 
 those horses when I bought them ! One was a caution. 
 It takes about a year to let them have their head, driv- 
 ing them every day. Don Agapito's coachman nearly 
 spoilt them altogether, especially the handsome one, 
 don't you know, the left-hand one, a little darker than 
 the other; he was quite spoilt. If he had fallen into 
 other hands he would not have been worth more than 
 2,000 reales now. But now he is better than the other. 
 It is a question of patience, don't you see ? " 
 
 The beautiful Jewess remonstrated. " Come, don't 
 make light of what we all know you do well." 
 
 "Patience and a little practice," repeated Pablito, on 
 
 a bed of roses. Then he entered full swing on what he 
 
 considered constituted a good driver: a firm, gentle 
 
 hand, a quick eye, prompt castigation without loss of 
 
 27 417 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 temper at any misdemeanor, and a perfect knowledge of 
 horses, for without a careful, thoughtful study of the 
 temperaments of the animals it is impossible to drive 
 systematically. 
 
 Carmencita listened, quite entranced. Cecilia had not 
 been long in the ball-room before she was joined by Paco 
 Flores, the engineer, who had asked her in marriage 
 through the mouth of Gonzalo. From the time the girl 
 refused him the young man, who, as we have seen, at 
 first thought only of winning a modest, capable wife 
 with money, fell more in love with her, and became 
 unremitting in his attentions. Self-love always plays 
 a great part in love, and it is not often easy, even for 
 the individual himself, to distinguish the one feeling 
 from the other. "When it was seen in Sarrio how per- 
 sistent the engineer was in courting Belinchon's eldest 
 daughter, it was thought that he was only anxious for 
 her dowry; but this was a mistake, for Flores was really 
 in love. If Cecilia had become suddenly poor he would 
 have made her his wife all the same, for her behavior 
 only increased his admiration of her. She always re- 
 ceived his attentions and politenesses with kindness and 
 gratitude. There was no fear that she would withdraw 
 from the window when he passed by, nor snub him if 
 she met him at any friend's house, nor commit any of 
 those rudenesses that constitute the delight of the 
 majority of girls. 
 
 She treated him like a good friend, and accorded him 
 the kindness due to a person one esteems; but as soon 
 as the engineer wanted to go further, if he asked for 
 a little love, a ray of hope, he was met the next day 
 with the same firm, gentle, persistent refusal. And 
 the worst of it was, Cecilia had no pleasure in re- 
 fusing, but pain, as it hurt her to disappoint a friend. 
 
 418 
 
Draws Aside the Veil 
 
 This feeling was an additional blow to the suitor's 
 self-love. 
 
 After dancing a waltz they sat down to rest in a corner 
 of the salon. Flores had taken her fan and was fanning 
 her respectfully. 
 
 " I should like to spend my life like this," he said in 
 a sincere tone. 
 
 "Oh, you would soon get tired of it," returned 
 Cecilia, smiling. 
 
 " Will you try me ? " 
 
 The girl was silent. 
 
 " You are not, Cecilia, one of those women of whom 
 one easily tires. You have treasures in your heart and 
 mind that would always keep the man who loves you at 
 your feet. You have had my heart for more than two 
 years, and instead of wearying I feel myself more and 
 more attached to you. I adore you more and more des- 
 perately, to the point of being the laughing-stock of the 
 place." 
 
 "That is nonsense," she replied, albeit touched by 
 the fire and feeling that Flores had given to his words. 
 " It is not the same thing seeing a woman a little while 
 now and again, and speaking to her of this and that, as 
 having her continually with you." 
 
 " What should I like better, Cecilia, than to have you 
 always with me ! " returned the engineer in a low, 
 trembling voice, playing with the fan, with his eyes on 
 the ground. "To consecrate my life to your service, 
 and to adore you on my knees ... I know that 
 you would make any man happy, but no one as much 
 as I, for I know the great qualities of your soul, and 
 I divine secret feelings in your heart quite unknown 
 to others. It is terrible that you will not give me 
 the remotest hope that some day, distant as it may 
 
 419 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 be, my love will conquer you, and you will accept me 
 as a slave." 
 
 " I accept you as a friend, as a great friend," said the 
 girl gravely. 
 
 "Friend, bah! This friendship, Cecilia, is a stone 
 wall between you and me. I understand that I do not 
 deserve to win your love . . . that there are a hundred 
 young men in the town who could ask it with a better 
 right ; but what is so strange, and what encourages and 
 discourages me at the same time, is that until now you 
 have chosen nobody. Your heart remains empty and 
 indifEerent . . . that is to say, unless you have some 
 hidden love." 
 
 Cecilia shivered slightly and raised her eyes a little to 
 the place where the voice of Gonzalo was audible. Then 
 she replied with more severity than usual : 
 
 " Cease studying my heart, Flores. In the first place, 
 because it is most probably as commonplace as that of 
 the majority of women, and in the second place, because, 
 if there were something hidden in it, it would not be 
 easy for you to discover it." 
 
 "Don't be ofEended, Cecilia. This study is only a 
 proof of my interest in you." 
 
 " I am not offended," replied the girl, trying to smile. 
 " I am going to speak to Eosario. Will you escort me 
 to her ? " 
 
 In the anteroom, only separated from the ball-room 
 by a few pillars, the grave fathers were chatting and 
 casting pleased looks to where their daughters were dis- 
 porting themselves. Sometimes a masked lady detached 
 herself from the dancing and came to rally them, and 
 sometimes, being a contemporary, would make them 
 laugh till they coughed, and then brought out some of 
 their old stories. 
 
 420 
 
Draws Aside the Veil 
 
 Don Bosendo was chatting in a corner with Don 
 Melchor de las Cuevas. He was laying before him one 
 of his grand and magnificent projects of which the port 
 was now the object. It is impossible to imagine how 
 much more versed in knowledge Belinchon had become 
 in the last few years, and as with all great men, it was 
 knowledge more intuitive than studied. At first, when 
 he wrote for " The Light " on any subject of which he 
 was ignorant, he was reticent, vacillating, and timid, 
 but as he grew conversant with the topics of the day, 
 and had at his command a quantity of hackneyed 
 phrases, and, above all, when he possessed an encyclo- 
 paedic dictionary in fifteen volumes, which did not cost 
 him less than 3,000 reales, he tackled any point with 
 tooth and nail. There was not a subject or scientific, 
 social, economical, and political problem upon which 
 Don Eosendo did not undertake to throw some light. 
 If it was a question of the plague which was decimating 
 the cattle, Don Eosendo sought in his dictionary for the 
 words cattle, horse, bull, sheep, forage, live stock, etc., 
 and as soon as he had read what was said on the subject 
 he took up his pen, and his journalistic genius was 
 brought to bear on the production of one or several arti- 
 cles pregnant with philosophy and erudition. 
 
 At the time the question of the port came up, he lost 
 no time in looking in the dictionary for the words port, 
 dockyard, tides, dredges, winds, etc. Seven consecutive 
 articles were written and published to show the neces- 
 sity of making a dockyard for Sarrio at a spot called 
 Foril. He posed as a consummate seaman, used to navi- 
 gating the seas and grown gray in the study of hydraulic 
 problems. However, the Sefior de las Cuevas, although 
 less eloquent in such a vocabulary of maritime terms, 
 some of which he did not even know, writhed at the 
 
 421 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 wordy explanation given him by Don Rosendo, and 
 ended by clapping him on the shoulder, and saying : 
 
 " You can disabuse your mind, Belinchon, about 
 your dockyard. When the wind is in the northeast no 
 sardines come in." 
 
 The one who enjoyed the entertainment most was an 
 old man, the good Don Mateo, to whom it was entirely 
 due. To him the ball represented one of the great tri- 
 umphs of his life. It had cost him more trouble than 
 enough to assemble together the cantankerous towns- 
 folk. He never stopped all the evening, going, or rather 
 dragging himself, from place to place, giving orders to 
 the servants, the wardens, and the orchestra. 
 
 " Gervasio, now for the plates of confetti! Take one 
 down each side, you fellows! What do you want, Seflor 
 Anselmo? Do the boys want a rigodon instead of a 
 valse ? Then let them play a rigodon. Tell the young 
 men that there are ladies in the dressing-room waiting 
 for partners. Marcelino ! where has Marcelino got to ? 
 G-o down to the porch, for some vagabond has thrown 
 a stone at the lamp and broken it. But, Don Manuel, 
 it is not more than two o'clock! You won't take away 
 the girls yet, and the pinata not yet broken." 
 
 The good gentleman was rejuvenated that evening. 
 He shared the pleasure of the young people as mystics 
 rejoice in a general communion. His dark eyes occa- 
 sionally looked over his spectacles at the wooden globe 
 hanging in the middle of the room, and he gave a 
 chuckle of delight. The beautiful work of art from 
 Bordeaux was painted with blue and white stripes, and 
 there hung from beneath it a quantity of ribbons of 
 various colors, all of which, with one exception, were held 
 by young ladies ready to pull them, and the one who 
 had the ribbon that opened the pinata won the globe, 
 
 422 
 
Draws Aside the Veil 
 
 wliich was doubtless filled with confetti, and, according 
 to report, with very pretty knick-knacks. Gonzalo, in 
 the middle of the party, seemed also in good spirits, 
 being sometimes with one lady, sometimes with another. 
 He had danced a rigodon with his sister-in-law, and a 
 polka and a waltz with two friends of his wife. His 
 tall, colossal form rose like a tower above the heads 
 of all. 
 
 " How cheerful you are, Seflor Alcalde! " said a lady 
 of the lower middle class. 
 
 " One has to profit by Ventura's absence," returned 
 the young man with a laugh. "Where is your hus- 
 band, Magdalena?" 
 
 " Oh, somewhere about." 
 
 " Come, dance this polka with me, and let us make 
 hay whilst the sun shines." 
 
 " I can't. I am engaged to Pefla for it." 
 
 Whilst he was joking thus with those about him, a 
 woman enveloped in a black domino, with a mask of 
 the same hue, never lost sight of him for a moment, 
 sometimes standing at one spot, sometimes at another, 
 but always at a short distance from him, whilst her two 
 shining, fiery eyes were visible through the holes of her 
 mask. It was Dofla Brigida, the ingenious wife of the 
 spendthrift Morin, who was watching for the right 
 moment, like the baritone in " Un Ballo in Maschera," 
 to strike the blow. The victim in that case was a 
 prince, in this it was only an alcalde. The reasons of 
 the eminent lady for meditating this crime would not 
 appear so weighty as those of the baritone in the eyes of 
 a man, but they certainly would to any woman. 
 
 " The Light of Sarrio," in its anxiety to wound all 
 members of the Cabin, with their relations and their 
 friends, had for the last three or four months taken up 
 
 433 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Morin's wife as a theme. Thus all her domestic secrets 
 were shown up: her married life, the dependence and 
 degradation of Morin were caricatured, whilst all the 
 anecdotes, more or less funny, that were the current 
 talk of the town, appeared in print, with the addition 
 of several others, discovered or invented by the malig- 
 nant editors. 
 
 And as if this were not enough, there was not a num- 
 ber of the paper in question which did not make men- 
 tion in some way or other of Dofia Brigida's wig, which 
 fact thus became public property in Sarrio. The anger, 
 the rage, the hate, and the desire for revenge which all 
 this aroused in the lady is impossible to imagine. Suf- 
 fice it to say that when she met one of the managers of 
 " The Light " in the street she turned livid, and it was 
 only by a great effort that she restrained herself from 
 springing at his throat like a mad cat. Hitherto she 
 had had no opportunity of satisfying this thirst for 
 revenge with which she was consumed. But now, with 
 Gonzalo before her eyes, she was filled with delight, she 
 trembled with eagerness, like a tiger in sight of his 
 prey. Taking advantage of a moment during which 
 nobody was speaking to him, she came closer behind 
 him, and swiftly placing herself in front of him, she 
 hissed, more than said : 
 
 " Gonzalo, why are you so stupid ? You are the 
 laughing-stock of everybody. There is not a person in 
 the room who does not know that your wife is this 
 moment with the Duke of Tornos." 
 
 The young man was stunned, as if he had received 
 a blow on the forehead; he turned deadly pale, and then 
 made as though he would tear off her mask ; but that 
 was impossible, for Dofia Brigida had slipped away like 
 an eel among the crowd, and as there were many ladies 
 
 424 
 
Draws Aside the Veil 
 
 in the same costume, it was impossible to know which 
 was the one he sought. Then Gonzalo quickly left the 
 room, the words he had heard ringing in his head like 
 hammer strokes. He feared he must fall. In the ante- 
 room he replied with a stupid smile to the remarks 
 made to him; and his uncle, Don Melchor, seeing him 
 80 pale, came up to him, and said: 
 
 " What is the matter, Gonzalillo ? Are you ill ? " 
 
 " Yes ; I am going to get a cup of tea." 
 
 "I'll go with you." 
 
 " No, no ; I shall be back directly." And he ran oflE, 
 leaving his uncle standing at the door. 
 
 He descended the staircase, and found himself in the 
 street without knowing what he was doing. The fresh 
 night air cooled his head and revived his memory. He 
 suddenly determined to go to Tejada. He looked about 
 for the carriage, but not seeing it, he thought Ramon 
 had not left home yet. He looked at his watch; it was 
 only half-past two. He took a few quick steps towards 
 his father-in-law's house, when he recollected he had no 
 hat or overcoat on. Eeturning to the Lyceum, he told 
 the first servant he met in the hall to bring him down 
 his hat and coat. 
 
 Arrived at the house, he found Eamon had already 
 put the horse to the carriage. 
 
 " Eamon, drive me as fast as possible to Tejada at 
 once." 
 
 The coachman looked at him in surprise. 
 
 " Is madame worse ? " 
 
 "I think so," he replied, getting into the carriage. 
 " But stop at the corner by the mill, you understand ? " 
 
 " You are afraid of disturbing madame, eh ? " queried 
 the coachman with great astuteness. Gonzalo did not 
 reply. 
 
 425 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 The horses went off at a trot, making the carriage jolt 
 along the stony, uneven road of the town. Gonzalo did 
 not notice how the movement shook every bone in his 
 body, nor the change to the high-road on leaving the 
 town. All his attention was concentrated on one point. 
 Was it true, or was it not ? 
 
 Strangely enough, without himself knowing why, the 
 conviction that his wife had deceived him entered his 
 soul and took possession of it. When he went to Tejada 
 on foot, about two months before, he had not wished to 
 harbor this conviction; however much he tried to con- 
 vince himself that the insinuation of the paper was true, 
 his head and his heart declined to admit the idea. Now 
 it was quite different; he tried to think and to persuade 
 himself that the accusation of the masked lady was only 
 a vile exhibition of the envy and jealousy of some hid- 
 den enemy, and yet he could not believe it. 
 
 When the carriage stopped he had no idea of the time 
 he had been driving; it might just as well have been a 
 day as a minute. He awoke from his dream, and jumped 
 out of the carriage. 
 
 "Now go back for the family," he said to Eamon; 
 "and don't say you have brought me; there is no need 
 to trouble them." 
 
 He then turned slowly towards the gate of the park 
 some two hundred feet off, whilst the carriage went 
 down an opposite road. Arrived at the gate, he pushed 
 it with a trembling hand; it was open, like the previous 
 time. He felt a chill at his heart, which obliged him 
 to stop. He finally entered cautiously, and looked up 
 to see if the key were inside; but it was not there. The 
 night was neither clear nor dark; the sky was overcast, 
 and a fine rain was falling which penetrated to the skin. 
 It made no sound as it fell upon the trees and bushes 
 
 426 
 
Draws Aside the Veil 
 
 of the park, but when disturbed by a gust of wind a 
 quantity of drops came down in a regular gust, which 
 made a quick, passing, ringing sound on the ground. 
 
 Gonzalo suddenly recollected that he had no weapon 
 with him; but then he shrugged his shoulders in scorn 
 born of the absolute confidence that in the case of neces- 
 sity he would not be found wanting. He looked about 
 on all sides to see if he could see the duke's horse, but 
 instead of seeing it he caught sight of the shadow of a 
 man disappearing among the trees; so he ran after him, 
 but he quickly vanished. He thought it was Pachin, 
 the man-servant, and he then suspected that he was the 
 traitor who had opened the gate to the duke. Ever 
 since the night when he had discovered his sister-in-law 
 with the grandee, his incessant efforts to find out who 
 had helped the duke into the house had been fruitless. 
 He could not have suspected anybody less than such an 
 old servant as Pachin. Then, as he thought that the 
 man might possibly go and warn the traitors, he con- 
 tinued his course towards the house as quickly as possible. 
 He once more climbed to his father-in-law's room, but 
 this time only as far as the window. Swiftly on tiptoe 
 he automatically turned to the Persian chamber, as if, 
 having met the duke there once, he must necessarily be 
 there again. Great, therefore, was his surprise to find 
 it dark and deserted. He stood a moment riveted to 
 the spot, but suddenly, struck by an idea, he ran to the 
 room where Ventura slept. The door was locked from 
 the inside. He called out quickly : 
 
 " Ventura I Ventura ! ' ' 
 
 " Who is there ? " cried his wife from within in 
 a frightened, strange voice. 
 
 " It is I. Open, open directly." 
 
 " T am in bed." 
 
 427 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 " No matter, open at once." 
 
 " Let me dress." 
 
 "No; open directly, or I'll break the door." 
 
 " I am coming! I am coming! " 
 
 The young man waited a minute, but instead of the 
 door he thought he heard the window of the room being 
 opened. 
 
 " Open, Ventura! " he cried in a rage. And receiv- 
 ing no answer, he gave such a blow at the door with his 
 powerful Cyclopean leg that it burst the lock with a 
 loud noise. The room was in darkness. 
 
 "Ventura! Ventura!" he cried. 
 
 No answer. He struck a match with a trembling 
 hand, and gave a look round the room. His wife, pale 
 and affrighted, was cowering in a corner in deshabille. 
 Gonzalo turned his eyes from her and looked all round 
 in search of some one, until he noticed the window half 
 open. Throwing it up and leaning out, he saw some- 
 thing white running under the trees — it was the figure 
 of a man in his shirt-sleeves. 
 
 Gonzalo did not stop to climb down from the window; 
 he took a flying leap into the garden, and darted after 
 the fugitive like an arrow. But the man had already 
 reached the iron gate, opened it, and disappeared. 
 Gonzalo was not far behind him, but an instant later he 
 saw him on horseback, under the shadow of the trees, 
 dash down the road in the direction of Nieva. 
 
 Inspired, nevertheless, with an insane hope of catch- 
 ing him, Gonzalo rushed back to the stables, took out 
 his beautiful saddle-horse, and putting on a bridle, he 
 jumped on his bare back, and also took the road to 
 Nieva with all speed possible. He had neither spurs 
 nor whip, but the brave animal obeyed his voice, or 
 rather his roars, and went at a furious pace. The eyes 
 
 428 
 
Draws Aside the Veil 
 
 of the horse saw the road, but the rider was only con- 
 scious of a black abyss, which seemed about to swallow 
 him up, and the old elms that lined the road seemed to 
 fly by like a ghastly procession of phantoms. 
 
 On, on, on. 
 
 The noble brute flew on as if impelled by a goad for 
 about half an hour. 
 
 "It is impossible," said Gonzalo to himself, "that 
 his horse is better than mine. He had at least a start 
 of two gun-shots of me! " But just as he was thinking 
 this, and was hesitating about reining in the horse, he 
 passed by one that stood saddled, but riderless, by the 
 side of the road. He made his own steed halt with 
 some difficulty, and turning back to see what it was, he 
 recognized the duke's English mare. 
 
 "Oh," he roared, "now I've got you!" For he 
 thought his enemy must have had a fall. He dis- 
 mounted and searched the ground, but no rider did he 
 find. Then he said to himself: "Perhaps hearing the 
 gallop of my horse, and fearing that it would overtake 
 him, he has hidden himself somewhere about here." 
 
 He then sprang into the neighboring field, and made 
 as careful a search as he could by the light of matches : 
 he looked behind the hedges, he searched the brambles, 
 then he went some way along the bank of a stream on 
 his left, but his box of matches came to an end before 
 he could discover his enemy, so he retraced his steps, 
 mad with rage. 
 
 If the Duke of Tornos were hidden somewhere about 
 there, he must have had an anxious time of it. 
 
 429 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE STOBT ENDS WITH IMP0KTA2S-T AND SAD BTEKT8 
 
 After seeing her husband disappear through the 
 window, Ventura dressed herself quickly and left the 
 room to find a servant. Just at this moment Pachin 
 arrived with a disconcerted face, carrying a light. 
 
 " The seflorito is rushing after the duke across the 
 garden," he said in a hardly audible voice. 
 
 " Will he catch him ?" asked the unfaithful wife, very 
 pale, although somewhat recovered from her fright. 
 
 " I don't think so ; the duke has his horse tied to the 
 Antony vine. He had the start, and, once mounted, it 
 will be impossible to overtake him." 
 
 " Where shall I hide myself ? If he comes back he 
 will kill me." 
 
 " It will be best to leave the house. Come with me." 
 
 The girl then followed the servant along the passages, 
 down the back staircase and out by the kitchen door. 
 Pachin wished to take her to the parish-priest's house, 
 which was near to the estate. When they were entering 
 the garden they saw Gonzalo running towards the 
 house, and they only just had time to hide behind the 
 Washingtonia close to the dining-room. From there 
 they saw him go into the stable, bring out a horse and 
 go off full gallop, and Ventura thought she would die 
 of fright. 
 
 " No, no ; I don't want to go to the cure's house. He 
 will return soon, and the cur6 could not defend me 
 
 430 
 
The S i ry Ends 
 
 from him ... he is a poor old man. ... I want 
 to go to Sarrio." 
 
 " But, sefiorita, to Sarrio at this hour, and raining ?" 
 
 *'Is there no carriage ?" 
 
 "There is the landau, but there are no horses. Wait 
 a bit. I will alter the shafts, and we will harness 
 Seflorito Pablo's mare. ... I don't answer for her 
 going in it." 
 
 "Capital! capital!" 
 
 Pachin carried out his idea as quickly as possible. 
 Ventura got into the carriage, and ofE they went. 
 
 Although at first the mare rebelled a little, once 
 on the high road, the thought of the stable at Sarrio, 
 her usual abode, made her go very well. 
 
 The girl told the servant to drive her to Don Rude- 
 sindo's house, as she was on rather intimate terms with 
 his wife. There she remained until two or three days 
 after the event, when her father took her to Madrid, 
 and from thence to Ocafia, where she was shut up in a 
 convent by the joint arrangement of Gonzalo and 
 Eosendo. The great patrician, as we know, was not 
 much in favor of positive religions, but "as long as 
 society provided no other coercive measures for certain 
 moral transgressions, he was perforce led to look for 
 them from old social institutions, deficient and vitiated 
 as they might be." 
 
 We must now return to Gonzalo. He passed the 
 whole day locked in his room in a state of agitation 
 approaching madness. The only person who ventured 
 to enter his room was Don Rosendo, who talked to him 
 in a kind and dignified style, adorned with periphrases 
 and florid periods befitting his character as a writer. 
 He took a seat by his side and cursed his daughter, 
 " whose inexpressible conduct, defying [Don Rosendo 
 
 431 
 
The Fourth Esiaie 
 
 had lately taken a great fancy to this verb] at once 
 morality, law, and social practice, had placed her be- 
 yond the pale of all legal and family protection." 
 
 It was he who suggested shutting her up for a time 
 in a convent. Poor Gonzalo, overwhelmed and dis- 
 traught, never answered a word, but listened to him 
 whilst walking backwards and forwards across the 
 room with his hands in his pockets and his eyes wet 
 and gloomy. Once only he raised his head to say with 
 firmness : 
 
 " Take her where you like . . . but don't let her see 
 my children. I do not want her lips to touch them." 
 
 At dusk a servant came to tell Gonzalo that two 
 gentlemen had arrived in a trap, who wished to see him 
 on urgent business. Guessing immediately the import 
 of the matter he said at once : " Show them in." 
 
 Two gentlemen from Meva then entered. One was 
 the Marquis of Soldevilla, a middle-aged man, quite 
 bald, with a complexion marked with erysipelas, and 
 black teeth. He talked in a loud tone to seem at his 
 ease. The other, named Golarzo, was old, gray, and a 
 man of few words on friends. They came on behalf 
 of the duke to arrange a serious matter that had 
 happened the previous night — about an affair of honor. 
 The duke did not wish to rob the Seflor de las Cuevas 
 of the reparation due to him. To run away on such an 
 occasion was not according to his habits nor his char- 
 acter, neither was it befitting his social status. But at 
 the same time, in the interest of Gonzalo and himself, 
 he expected that all would be executed with as much 
 privacy as possible. 
 
 Without wincing, and affecting a calmness he was 
 far from feeling, Gonzalo put no check to the loquacity 
 of the marquis, which bordered on impertinence. 
 
 432 
 
The Story Ends 
 
 "All right," he said, when he had finished. "I 
 accept the challenge, and I am ready to fulfil it when it 
 suits you. But it is rather odd," he added with a 
 nervous laugh, which badly cloaked the anger which 
 consumed him, " It is rather odd for the Sefior Duke 
 to send the challenge, seeing that I am the injured 
 party. This course seems to me more prompted by 
 fear than by gentlemanliness." 
 
 " Seflor de las Cuevas," broke in the ex-colonel with 
 acerbity, "we cannot permit these derogatory remarks 
 to be made in our presence." 
 
 Gonzalo looked at him in an absent way as if he had 
 not heard him, and then continued : 
 
 "In fact I could, and even I ought to reject this 
 challenge, because it is not customary for decent men 
 to fight scoundrels, even if they bear the title of king." 
 
 " Seflor de las Cuevas," exclaimed Golarza, rising in 
 anger from his seat, "this is insufferable, and I will 
 not permit you to speak like this." 
 
 " The Duke of Tornos is a scoundrel, and you know 
 he is," he returned, looking him straight in the eyes in 
 a provocative way. 
 
 The fact was, it would have required some courage to 
 withstand Gonzalo at that moment. Golarza turned 
 white and, rising, said : 
 
 " This is your house, therefore I retire." 
 
 " Do you want me to say it to you outside ? " he 
 exclaimed impetuously as he also rose from his seat. 
 
 " Seflores," cried the marquis in his cracked voice, 
 " calm yourselves. Golarza, you have no right to get 
 angry. The sort of injury that our patron has done 
 the gentleman (and I am sorry to have to refer to it) 
 excuses his want of appreciation of his character. I 
 think from the moment he accepts the duel he has 
 28 433 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 suflBciently atoned for the tone of his remarks, the 
 outcome of the natural anger to which he is a prey." 
 
 Gonzalo felt inclined to hurl the table beside him at 
 the fulsome peacemaker ; but he stood motionless and 
 silent because of his ardent desire to come face to face 
 with the duke. 
 
 The ex-colonel resumed his seat at the entreaty of 
 his companion, and either from spite, or from fear of 
 the young man's irascible state, he did not utter 
 another word. Gonzalo said that he would depute 
 two friends, who would arrange with them the details 
 for their meeting at Nieva in the morning. In the 
 meanwhile they would be returning to the town, unless 
 they would do him the honor of being his guests that 
 night. 
 
 The friends of the duke thanked him and proceeded 
 to withdraw. "When they were standing ready to go, 
 Gonzalo, addressing himself to the marquis, said : 
 
 " I request that your conferences with regard to this 
 duel, and the duel itself, may take place in Nieva — be- 
 cause — " he added in a tone half sarcastic, half tremu- 
 lous, " strange as it may appear to you, in this house 
 there are people who love me." 
 
 The seconds promised to concede to this wish and 
 they then returned to Nieva. 
 
 After Cecilia saw them depart she haunted her 
 brother-in-law's door without daring to go in. But 
 coming out in search of Pablito the young man met 
 her in the half-dark passage ; when the girl, seizing 
 him by the hand, fixed an imploring look upon his 
 face. She said : 
 
 "Do not fight, Gonzalo." 
 
 Mustering up the strength to dissimulate, he ex- 
 claimed, scornfully : 
 
 434 
 
The Story Ends 
 
 " I fight with this canaille! Never ! I will kill him 
 when I meet him/' 
 
 She believed his words, but she turned to say in a 
 broken voice : 
 
 " Don't do it, for the sake of your innocent children." 
 
 "For my children and for you," he returned, caress- 
 ing her cheek affectionately with his hand. 
 
 And overpowered with emotion he hastily withdrew. 
 
 On meeting Pablo he said in a low tone : 
 
 " I can speak openly with you ; you are a man, 
 and you know that there are things in life that are 
 inevitable. The seconds of the duke have just 
 gone, and I have just deceived Cecilia by promising 
 not to fight. But, as you will understand, that is 
 impossible." 
 
 "Why? — No, you ought not to fight — I am the 
 one — I ought to kill this wretched fellow," impetuously 
 exclaimed the handsome youth. 
 
 "Thanks, Pablo, thanks," returned Gonzalo gravely, 
 in an unsteady voice, and clasping his hand effusively, 
 " but that can't be. Think a little over the affair, and 
 you will see that your affection and kind wishes lead 
 you astray." 
 
 It cost Gonzalo some trouble to convince Pablo that 
 he was the one who should fight the duke first, and his 
 not very fertile brain was much exercised in his search 
 for reasonable and logical arguments in support of this 
 decision. 
 
 Pablo only gave in after a long discussion and with 
 the understanding that if Gonzalo were wounded in the 
 duel he should challenge the duke. 
 
 There was something in the loyalty and affection 
 shown him by all the family, and in the open and de- 
 cided way in which they ranked themselves on his side 
 
 435 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 and repudiated the erring daughter and sister, which 
 touched, while it overwhelmed him. 
 
 This magnanimous conduct obliged him to be gener- 
 ous and not mention the name of the faithless girl in 
 conversation, as he could not do so in measured lan- 
 guage. 
 
 Pablito was not so reticent, but he saw that it was 
 better not to continue the subject. 
 
 " Look here, go early to-morrow to Sarrio and take 
 the letters I will give you to Alvaro Pefla and Don 
 Eudesindo. Let them proceed at once to Meva, trying 
 to keep out of sight as they pass by here. Let them 
 arrange the matter as quickly as possible, and send 
 word to Sarrio about the day and time. You will get 
 it there, and bring it straight to me. Then I will 
 manage to leave here without letting your father and 
 Cecilia know about it." 
 
 Having received his directions Pablo went ofE on 
 horseback to Sarrio at daybreak to execute them, and 
 Pefla and Don Eudesindo at once proceeded to Nieva. 
 
 Gonzalo from his bedroom window saw the carriage, 
 in which they were, go by. 
 
 As may be supposed, the gossip in Sarrio was terrible. 
 Nothing else was spoken about. The friends of Be- 
 linchon looked glum, and there were several who 
 blamed Don Eosendo for having so spoilt his youngest 
 daughter and having put up with her airs and graces 
 of a princess. 
 
 The enemies of the patrician were in a state of pure 
 delight and added a thousand particulars to the 
 scandal. 
 
 The few impartial people in the place contented 
 themselves with pitying Gonzalo, and censuring the 
 repugnant proceeding of Marin's malicious spouse j 
 
 436 
 
The Story Ends 
 
 for every one knew it was she who had put the match 
 to the train. Many inquisitive people passed in front 
 of Don Kudesindo's house, and gazed e.agerly at the 
 windows, and tried to glean from the servants, as they 
 came out, what was going on within. It was said that 
 Ventura was very quiet, and showed little sorrow for her 
 conduct, for she had dined and joked and laughed with 
 the wife of the cider manufacturer. It was thought 
 that the eager curiosity shown in this quarter would 
 have distracted attention from Don Eudesindo's ex- 
 pedition to Nieva with Pefia. But the object of the 
 journey was suspected, and the news ran through the 
 town like wildfire, that Gonzalo was to have a duel with 
 the duke, no one knew where. 
 
 Don Melchor de las Cuevas lived alone with a man 
 and a woman-servant. The night of the ball he went 
 home and, calling at the Belinchons, they told him 
 that Gonzalo had gone to Tejada ; so not feeling well, 
 the old man retired to bed without any suspicions. 
 
 The following day he still felt indisposed, not being 
 accustomed to late hours, so he remained at home. 
 However, he sent his man to Belinchon's to ask after 
 his nephew, and there the servant heard all that had 
 happened. But not daring to tell his master the news, 
 the servant brought back the message that Gonzalo 
 was all right at Tejada. 
 
 That day went by, and on the following, which was 
 Tuesday, the servant heard that the young man was to 
 have a duel with the duke. Then, either fearing to in- 
 cur responsibility, or because he thought his master 
 could prevent the trouble, he told him the whole story, 
 albeit with some reservations. 
 
 Don Melchor, wounded in his tenderest afEections, 
 jumped up from his arm-chair and ordered a carriage 
 
 437 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 to be fetched at once to take him to Tejada, and when 
 it came to the door he got in, telling the driver to go 
 with all speed to Belinchon's country place. Don Ko- 
 sendo was the first person he saw, and he received him 
 with some confusion and shame, as if he shared in the 
 disgrace weighing upon Gonzalo. Don Melchor was 
 rather cold to him, not intentionally, but from his de- 
 sire to see his nephew. Don Rosendo took him to his 
 room door, and there left him. Then the Seflor de las 
 Cuevas rapped with his knuckles. 
 
 " Who's there ? " was sharply asked from within. 
 
 Whereupon the old man turned the handle, and went 
 in without answering. Gonzalo, who was standing in 
 the middle of the room, turned as red as fire on see- 
 ing his uncle, who clasped him affectionately to his 
 breast. 
 
 Copious tears then flowed down the young man's face. 
 Nobody had seen him weep during that trying time, 
 but the old man had been a father to him from his in- 
 fancy, and he had no shame in revealing to him the 
 most hidden wounds of his heart. 
 
 They remained for some time in each other's arms ; 
 and Don Melchor at last released his nephew and, push- 
 ing him towards an arm-chair, he said : 
 
 "Sit down." 
 
 So Gonzalo dropped into the seat and hid his eyes 
 with his hand. 
 
 " It is a heavy blow," said the sailor in a hoarse 
 voice, after a long silence — " a treacherous squall has 
 put your bark under water. But you are a ship of much 
 strength," he added, placing his hands on the young 
 man's herculean shoulders. "You have solid bul- 
 warks — we will weather the storm yet." 
 
 Gonzalo made no answer. 
 488 
 
The S t ry Ends 
 
 "Why did you not come home at once ?" 
 
 " Because it would have been a cruel slight on this 
 poor family in its deep affliction. They have been so 
 kind to me." 
 
 " If that is so, you did well — but you ought to have 
 told me — I don't forgive you for that." 
 
 " But why ? The later you heard the bad news the 
 better." 
 
 "That's not so ! I am like your father, Gonzalo, 
 and I can sympathize with you — They tell me you are 
 going to have a duel with him — with that pirate. Is it 
 so?" 
 
 " No — no such thing now — " returned the young 
 man with some hesitation. 
 
 " Don't deceive me, Gonzalo ! This duel cannot take 
 place. I have come determined to prevent it." 
 
 " There is nothing going on, uncle. Make yourself 
 easy." 
 
 " It is useless for you to deceive me. I won't leave 
 you for a moment. Here I will remain, I will sleep by 
 your side so that you don't escape me, and I will keep 
 guard over you from dawn, to mid-day, and till eve." 
 
 Gonzalo stood aghast, seeing that it was necessary to 
 confess all, and to face the matter. 
 
 " And if it were true, what of it, uncle ? Would 
 you dare to prevent your nephew doing what is ex- 
 acted by honor ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir — And don't speak to me of daring ! — 
 Yes, sir, I dare," returned the old man in a rage. 
 " Do you want me to give my consent to your losing 
 your life through a villain, a rogue, who crept into 
 your house to villainously betray your honor ? Kogues 
 like that are strung up, or shot, one does not fight 
 them. You are blind, Gonzalo. Stop a moment, man, 
 
 439 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 get to the bottom of the scandal and you will see that 
 it does not hold water." 
 
 "What would you have me do then ? Do you want 
 me to let him go off quietly to Madrid ? Do you want 
 me to see him off and wish him a pleasant journey, 
 and thank him for the kindness he has done me ? " 
 
 " No, he has been curse enough ; kill him if you like, 
 but don't lose your own life." 
 
 " That is very easy to say, uncle," replied Gonzalo 
 caustically. " Imagine that I go to Nieva, I seek him 
 out, I shoot him, or I kill him with a blow — then I am 
 taken off to prison, and however righteous my cause 
 was, I have to undergo some years' incarceration — 
 Allowing that the majority of men exonerate the deed, 
 they would not think it a very brave one." 
 
 Don Melchor stood some moments confounded, not 
 knowing what to reply, but he did not give in. 
 Finally he raised his head quickly, his eyes shining with 
 delight. 
 
 " I have found a solution ! " 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " You remain quietly at home. I will go myself to 
 Nieva, meet the duke, and kill him." 
 
 " Oh ! uncle, many thanks ! But it cannot be," re- 
 turned Gonzalo, unable to repress a smile. 
 
 "What are you laughing at, silly ?" exclaimed the 
 good old man, with his eyes blazing. "You think 
 perhaps your uncle is a useless old hulk, who cannot 
 handle a sword or a pistol ? The devil take it ! the 
 devil ! " he added, each time with more anger, and ges- 
 ticulating about the room like a madman — " I am the 
 same as I was at twenty years of age — I run upstairs 
 four steps at a time without any fatigue — I drink five 
 bottles of pale ale without it getting into my head — I 
 
 440 
 
T h e St r y Ends 
 
 can knock a bull down with a blow, and I can launch a 
 heavy boat. And is all this anything to laugh at, and 
 snap your fingers at in such a brutal fashion ?" 
 
 " I am not laughing at that, uncle ... I know, I 
 know." 
 
 " Let's see, then ; give me your hand and feel if I can 
 squeeze it or not." 
 
 Gronzalo gave him his hand, and the old sailor 
 squeezed it with all his strength, his face red and con- 
 torted. Although not much hurt, the young man 
 feigned most dreadful pain. 
 
 "My! my!" 
 
 " Eh, well ? " exclaimed the uncle with an air of tri- 
 umph. "Can I, or can I not free the world of a 
 villain?" 
 
 " I know you can ! you are stronger than I . . . But 
 that is not the question. The thing is to see what is 
 to be done ; if it would be right for you or for me. 
 Don't you see, uncle, that the disgrace of being a de- 
 ceived husband rests solely upon me, and it would be 
 made much, inconceivably worse, if you fought the duel 
 and not I ? I know that this disgrace must be wiped 
 out with blood, but it must be blood shed by my hand." 
 
 Don Melchor did not wish to concur in this opinion ; 
 he argued, he scolded, and he grew angry. Neverthe- 
 less it was evident that this density was assumed. Gon- 
 zalo's arguments began to take effect upon his mind, 
 and filled his soul with bitterness. At last he beat a 
 retreat, only asking for the duel to be postponed, for 
 him to travel for a time, and if on his return he still 
 wished to fight he should do so. 
 
 The discussion was still going on when Don Kosendo 
 called outside the door to ask them if they would have 
 luncheon there or come down to the dining-room. 
 
 441 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Gonzalo chose the latter coursej as he was anxious 
 to show no coldness towards his father-in-law and 
 sister-in-law. 
 
 The luncheon was melancholy. 
 
 In spite of the efforts made by all, Gonzalo included, 
 to seem unconcerned, a black cloud hung over the 
 party and overshadowed their faces. After taking 
 cofEee, and sitting quiet a little while, Gonzalo said : 
 
 "Uncle, you left your bed to come here. You can- 
 not feel well. Shall a room be got ready for you ? I 
 believe you ought to go to bed." Then Don Melchor, 
 seeing that his nephew wanted to be alone, said : 
 
 " No ; I am going back to Sarrio. Let them put to." 
 
 He then took leave of Belinchon and Cecilia, and 
 Gonzalo walked with him as far as the park gate. They 
 were both silent and gloomy ; and the old man was ex- 
 tremely pale. Before getting into the carriage, he gave 
 his nephew a long and affectionate embrace, and in a 
 broken voice he said in his ear : 
 
 " Give him a blow in the bulwarks, my boy." 
 
 When they parted, his face was bathed in tears, and 
 getting into the carriage, he hid himself in a corner 
 unable to say good-bye. 
 
 Gonzalo looked after the vehicle and stood for some 
 time motionless, holding by an iron bar of the gate. 
 
 Pablito returned from the town early in the evening. 
 After dinner, he found an opportunity to say quickly 
 to his brother-in-law : 
 
 " To-morrow at eight at Solde villa's place. Pistols. 
 Pefia and Don Rudesindo will go by here at six. Be 
 ready." 
 
 Gonzalo slept that night better than the previous 
 one. The fierce satisfaction of the certainty of meet- 
 ing the duke the following morning calmed his nerves. 
 
 442 
 
The Story Ends 
 
 At five in the morning he awoke active and fresh 
 with no recollection of dreams. He dressed himself 
 and sallied forth, with as little noise as possible, on 
 tiptoe as dawn was breaking. 
 
 " Are you going shooting, sir ? " asked a servant 
 whom he met. 
 
 " No, I am going to see the miller, to have the canal 
 kept low, as I want to fish this evening." 
 
 He passed on to the road, and went in the direction 
 of Nieva, waiting for the carriage with his seconds to 
 catch him up, which it did in about half an hour. 
 Pefia and Don Eudesindo were much excited. When 
 the young man entered the carriage they shook hands 
 with great warmth and acquainted him with the con- 
 ditions of the duel — they were to have twenty paces 
 between them, and to advance and retreat as they 
 pleased. This affair was by far the most serious one 
 they had taken part in. 
 
 Gonzalo listened quietly ; and he merely mentioned 
 that he would have preferred swords, as he would have 
 liked to have been nearer to his enemy. He did not 
 seem upset, for the fact was, the excitement of meeting 
 his foe face to face was an agreeable change from the 
 torment of the preceding days, when the picture of his 
 wife, in deshabille, cowering in a corner, never left his 
 mind's eye. 
 
 Besides, Gonzalo, like all those of an excessively 
 vigorous temperament, was born for dangers ; he rev- 
 elled in them as if he were certain that the life cours- 
 ing through his veins was inexhaustible. They did not 
 reach the Soldevilla estate before half-past eight. The 
 duke and his seconds had been waiting for some time. 
 The former was not visible, being within the house. 
 The marquis and Golarza escorted Pefia and Don 
 
 443 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Eudesindo indoors, whilst Gonzalo took a turn in the 
 garden. The Soldevilla place consisted of an old house 
 half in ruins, with scanty, very old furniture, covered 
 with dust ; a rather large garden, more cared for than 
 the house, and behind the garden an old orchard. The 
 place was surrounded by meadows and lands, also be- 
 longing to the marquis. 
 
 The seconds discussed in the house whether the 
 pistols brought by Pefia, or those of the duke, should 
 be used, and they decided upon those of the latter. 
 Then the conditions of the duel were written out with 
 a very bad pen of the major-domo's, for the marquis 
 only wrote about one letter a year there. The pistols 
 were loaded, and they sallied forth to seek a convenient 
 spot for the combat. 
 
 "Manuel," said the marquis, seeing a man busy 
 planting onions in one of the garden beds, " go away." 
 
 The servant looked at him in surprise. 
 
 "Be off, man," he reiterated with increased severity. 
 "Go somewhere else." 
 
 The servant then left the garden, casting looks of 
 astonishment and curiosity behind him. 
 
 A place was chosen in one of the narrowest paths in 
 the centre of the garden, and Soldevilla went to fetch 
 the duke. 
 
 Dawn broke that day in a clear sky ; but very early 
 after sunrise heavy, dark clouds gathered over that part 
 of the coast, threatening an early discharge of heavy 
 rain. 
 
 The light grew dimmer and dimmer to an extraor- 
 dinary degree until it waned to a misty gray. 
 
 The duke appeared in a black frock-coat and broad- 
 brimmed hat, rather paler than usual, but afEecting a 
 calm disdain, coupled with his usual courtesy. He had 
 
 444 
 
The Story Ends 
 
 a fragrant cigar in his mouth with which he enveloped 
 himself in light clouds of smoke as he walked by the 
 side of Soldevilla. 
 
 Arriving at the appointed spot he gave a cold cere- 
 monious greeting to the group of Gonzalo and his 
 seconds, and vouchsafed them no further glance. 
 After a few minutes' conference Pefla put Gonzalo in 
 position and handed him a loaded pistol. Soldevilla 
 did the same with the duke. They had both removed 
 their hats. The grandee retained his cigar in his left 
 hand, and with an impassibility which savored of the 
 theatrical, he gave long puffs at it. Great drops of rain, 
 heralding a sharp shower, began to fall ; and Pefla 
 finally called out : 
 
 " Gentleman, prepare — one, two, three." 
 
 The duke inclined his pistol and aimed. Gonzalo, 
 also aiming, came forward with a pale face and with 
 his eyes starting with fury. 
 
 His opponent waited until he arrived within fifteen 
 paces with calmness, and moreover with the certainty of 
 victory, for he was a consummate shot, and then fired. 
 
 The ball grazed the young man's cheek, piercing his 
 skin and making it bleed ; he stopped an instant, and 
 then continued advancing. The seconds turned terribly 
 pale. The duke dropped his pistol and stood awaiting his 
 death with a bravery tinged with affectation and pride. 
 
 Gonzalo came forward precipitately until within two 
 steps from his adversary. At that moment a rush of 
 blood blinded him ; his athletic temperament overcame 
 his reason, his eyes shone with the glaring look of a 
 wild beast, his lips trembled, his face contracted in a 
 fearful manner, and, casting the pistol far from him, he 
 leaped upon the traitor like a tiger. The duke, unable 
 to resist the shock of the Colossus, was levelled to the 
 
 445 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 ground. Then, roaring with rage, Gonzalo proceeded 
 to kick him in the ribs. The seconds rushed to stop 
 him, and the choleric Golarza caught him a blow on the 
 head, to which G-onzalo seemed quite oblivious. Pefla^ 
 indignant, raised his stick and directed a blow at 
 Golarza. The Marquis of Soldevilla, zas ! then gave 
 another to PeQa ; and the whole party, mad with fury, 
 began a hand-to-hand fight, whilst Gonzalo, satiating 
 his pent-up thirst for vengeance, revelled in pummelling 
 the well-nigh inert form of the duke. 
 
 At that moment the clouds burst in a downpour of 
 rain, which became so heavy that the Marquis of Solde- 
 villa quitted the field and repaired to the house for 
 shelter. 
 
 The circle broke up as if by magic, for Don Rude- 
 sindo and Pefia and Golarza followed his example. 
 
 However, before going off, it occurred to them to 
 look round and see how their chiefs were getting on. 
 
 And by a unanimous movement of compassion, they 
 seized hold of Gonzalo, whose mad rage was not yet 
 exhausted. 
 
 The grip of the gentlemen brought him back to 
 reason. He gave one long, sinister, astonished look, 
 and then, without saying a word, he seized his hat and 
 turned to the gate of the estate, whilst the duke was 
 carried to the house in a dying condition. 
 
 The doctor summoned by Soldevilla (he had been 
 shut up in a room during the duel, so as to avoid being 
 present) now made a careful examination of the 
 wounds and contusions of the injured man, and then 
 declared his condition very serious. 
 
 Pefia and Don Rudesindo found Gonzalo in the car- 
 riage weeping in despair. 
 
 " I am a brute ! " he said ..." a brute ! What will 
 446 
 
The S t ry Ends 
 
 you think of me ? I have committed a shameful deed. 
 Forgive me." 
 
 The friends did their hest to calm him. In truth 
 neither of them was so shocked ; for, after all, the con- 
 duct of the duke had heen so villainous that it deserved 
 a villainous chastisement. 
 
 Pefla during the drive even cut jokes on the splendid 
 licking administered to the grandee. 
 
 " There is no doubt, my boy, that grandees of strength 
 can do more than grandees of rank," he said in his bell- 
 like voice, enunciating every letter. 
 
 Gonzalo, like a great child that he was, passed from 
 crying to laughing, and after the first smile he gave long 
 and loud gufEaws at his friends' jokes. 
 
 But the sight of his father-in-law's house plunged 
 him again into depression. He had satisfied his righte- 
 ous anger, but there remained a deep wound, of the 
 anguish of which he had not yet been conscious, as 
 long as it had been stifled by the excitement of the 
 rage which had consumed him during those two days. 
 Oh ! those grotesque little towers and minarets, wit- 
 nesses of his honeymoon ; they made him so melancholy 
 that it seemed as if some cruel hand were clutching at 
 his heart within his breast. His friends, divining his wish 
 to be alone, went on to Sarrio. Pablito was waiting for 
 him at the house gate, and embraced him effusively 
 and enthusiastically. 
 
 "Have you killed him ?" he asked in a low voice. 
 
 "1 don't know — I think so," returned the young 
 man in a still lower tone. " And your father ? " 
 
 " My father — he was here an instant ago — as soon as 
 he saw you get out of the carriage safe and sound he 
 got into the landau, which was waiting, ready, and 
 went off to Sarrio." 
 
 447 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Gonzalo guessed the purport of Don Eosendo's 
 journey, and his gloominess increased. 
 
 The two brothers-in-law then proceeded in silence to 
 the house, and straight up to Gonzalo's room. 
 
 At the end of some moments, after throwing himself 
 on the sofa and remaining motionless with his head 
 sunk on his chest, he said to Pablito : 
 
 " Forgive me Pablo — but I want to be left alone, I 
 am not equal to talking now." 
 
 So the brother-in-law withdrew. 
 
 At the end of some time, the door was re-opened 
 without the young man noticing it, and a shadow slipped 
 towards him and placed upon the nearest chair a tray 
 with a cup and some plates. 
 
 "Oh, is that you, Cecilia ?" 
 
 "Whether you like it or not, you must take some- 
 thing, for I am certain you have not broken your fast," 
 said the girl, dragging a little table forward and placing 
 the steaming soup upon it. 
 
 " How good you are, Cecilia ! " he exclaimed, seizing 
 one of her hands. That exclamation was a cry of 
 affection and enthusiasm, mingled with remorse that 
 he had ever been able to doubt her. 
 
 "How good you are! How good you are!" he 
 repeated with tears in his eyes. " What you did that 
 night ! Oh ! Nobody else would have done it, nobody 
 else ! A saint descended from Heaven would not have 
 done it — none of those living about you are worthy to 
 kiss the dust from your feet." 
 
 And the young man, moved by his own words, sobbed 
 bitterly whilst covering the hand he held with tears 
 and kisses. 
 
 Cecilia, after turning first deep scarlet and then 
 pale, said in a somewhat cold and distant tone : 
 
 448 
 
The Story Ends 
 
 " Let gOj let go," and at the same time quickly -with- 
 drew her hand. Seeing that her brother-in-law was 
 somewhat hurt, she hastened to add : 
 
 " Look here, the less we talk of these things, and, if 
 possible, the less we think of them, the better. The 
 thing is now for you to take the soup. Then I will 
 bring you some biscuits and a sandwich — you will like 
 that ? " 
 
 " I have no appetite, Cecilia," he replied, making an 
 effort to control his emotion. 
 
 " You must try — — " 
 
 " !N"o, no ; really I cannot swallow anything just now." 
 
 " But if I ask you ? " said the girl, and as she spoke 
 a flush suffused her face. 
 
 "Then, well then, I'll take it — ^nobody can refuse 
 you anything," he replied, taking the cup. 
 
 That gallant reply had a painful effect on Cecilia, 
 and to avoid it being noticed she quickly left the room. 
 
 The Duke of Tornos lay for two or three days be- 
 tween life and death. But finally the fever left him, 
 and the danger was over, although the recovery was 
 very long, because he had two ribs and a jawbone 
 fractured, besides terrible contusions in various parts 
 of his body. 
 
 At the end of a month he was able to be moved to 
 Madrid. 
 
 Gonzalo did not leave his father-in-law's house ; and 
 at the end of five or six days after the duel, Don Eo- 
 sendo returned from taking Ventura to the Ocafia 
 Convent. But his life was sad and depressed. He 
 declined Pablo's persuasions to go shooting or walk- 
 ing, and the thousand pretexts made by his father-in- 
 law and his friends, who came to see him at Tejada, 
 to induce him to get out, proved fruitless. 
 39 449 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 Although Gonzalo did not openly refuse to accom- 
 pany his friends, he managed to elude them and re- 
 mained at home, where he sat alone. 
 
 His uncle, Don Melchor, came to see him, and ad- 
 vised him to travel for a time ; Gonzalo did not reject 
 the idea, but he always postponed it on the pretext of 
 want of health. 
 
 Don Kosendo, under the advice of las Cuevas and 
 other friends, decided to move to Sarrio to see if the 
 society of acquaintances might cheer the young man 
 up a little. But all attempts to rouse him proved fail- 
 ures. Gonzalo let himself be taken to town without 
 offering any objection, but he continued just as anxious 
 to be alone, and to live retired from social life. 
 
 He only went out early in the morning and took a 
 few turns at the end of the landing-stage, where he 
 contemplated the sea with far-away eyes, sometimes so 
 full of sadness that they would have alarmed any on- 
 looker. As soon as the place became frequented, and 
 the town awoke from its sleep, he hastily returned 
 home. 
 
 Why did he not leave Sarrio, the scene of his 
 troubles, and go for a time to Madrid, Paris, or Lon- 
 don ? This was the question asked by all the people 
 of the town, without receiving any satisfactory answer, 
 nor was it easy for one to be found. There are very 
 few competent to explain the secret origin, the final 
 cause of human actions, because very few study psy- 
 chology, deeming it useless, and those who are endowed 
 with an understanding, both subtle and perspicacious, 
 devote it solely to the study of self-interest, so that 
 hardly anybody sounds this magic casket of feelings, 
 desires, hopes, and contradictions called the human 
 heart. 
 
 450 
 
The Story Ends 
 
 How ashamed Gonzalo would have been if any one 
 had told him that he did not leave Sarrio because he 
 did not wish to quit the place associated with his wife, 
 whom he still adored in secret, whilst feigning to hate 
 her before the world ! And nevertheless it was cer- 
 tainly so. As long as he remained in that house, all 
 the bonds uniting him to her did not seem to be 
 broken. The people about him were of her flesh and 
 blood; they loved her still, culpable as she was, and 
 they did not abuse her in his presence. 
 
 Ventura seemed to have left part of herself in the 
 rooms and in the furniture ; the bottles of essences 
 and pots of pomades still stood half-used on the dress- 
 ing-table ; some of her cloaks and hats were still hang- 
 ing on the pegs, and it seemed as if her fair, sunny 
 head might appear at any moment from behind the 
 curtains, whilst the air was still sweet with her favorite 
 perfume. The husband, who had been disgrace- 
 fully outraged, inhaled with delight this atmosphere 
 of his wife, and lived in the shadow of her life, un- 
 willing as he would have been to acknowledge it ; and 
 he lived, moreover, in the hope of one day pardoning 
 her. This nobody knew — he had probably not formu- 
 lated it to himself — ^nobody knew it but Cecilia, whose 
 eyes, sharpened by love, divined her brother-in-law's 
 most secret thoughts ; and he evinced such an affec- 
 tionate, enthusiastic, venerating feeling for her that it 
 might easily have been confounded with love. Every- 
 body's companionship, even that of his uncle, bored 
 him more than hers. 
 
 However cast down he was with sad thoughts, which 
 made scalding tears flow down his cheeks, the appear- 
 ance of Cecilia in his room had a calming, soothing 
 effect upon his grief. 
 
 451 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 He followed her counsels with respect, and let him- 
 self be guided and coaxed by her like a sick child. 
 When she delayed coming to him he grew impatient 
 and made tender complaints about it, as if he had been 
 a devoted lover. 
 
 When she was in the room his eyes never left her for 
 an instant, so great was the influence of the charm or 
 fascination she exercised on him ; those eyes expressed 
 deep affection, admiration, respect, enthusiasm; ex- 
 pressed, indeed, everything but love. 
 
 Cecilia read it all, but she could not see it without 
 feeling the old pain and bitterness. Her gentle spirit 
 was occasionally momentarily disturbed, and she 
 seemed at times cold, irritable, and enigmatical, to 
 the great surprise and sorrow of Gonzalo, who tried 
 to cheer her up, and that with success. For the sad 
 thought had had the same effect upon her mind as the 
 fall of a stone on the peaceful waters of a lake, but, 
 like the lake, her mind soon regained its purity and 
 tranquillity. 
 
 One day, on suddenly entering the room of her 
 brother-in-law, she found him examining a revolver. 
 
 When he saw her he turned red, and tried to hide it 
 in the table drawer, which was open. 
 
 "What are you doing ? " 
 
 " Nothing ; looking for some papers in this drawer, 
 I came across this revolver, which I did not know I 
 had, and so I am looking at it." 
 
 Cecilia did not believe what he said, and the anxiety 
 caused her by the incident made her keep a stricter 
 watch on him. 
 
 Two months went by. Although the young man 
 still persisted in his isolated, gloomy sort of life, there 
 were a few faint signs of improvement. Once or twice 
 
 452 
 
The Story Ends 
 
 he went out on horseback, and he talked to his father- 
 in-law of going to Italy, as he had never been there. 
 
 The fresh impulse given to his depressed being was 
 due to a pleasant thought, as pleasant as it was de- 
 ceptive, and which he carefully kept from everybody. 
 
 Nevertheless, one night, on taking an affectionate 
 leave of his sister-in-law, when retiring to rest, after 
 much circumlocution and turning crimson, he asked 
 after Ventura. 
 
 " What news is there of her ? " 
 
 Cecilia gave him a chilly answer in as few words as 
 possible. 
 
 Poor Gronzalo I If he had known that the treacher- 
 ous wife, after whom he was asking, far from repent- 
 ing, was furious against her family, covering them all 
 with opprobrium, and threatening to go off with the 
 first man at hand as soon as she came out of retreat, 
 and shocking the Superior of the Convent with her 
 language and pride. 
 
 From that day Gonzalo lost his aversion of referring 
 to his wife, asking sometimes after her, and liking to 
 mention her in conversation, but Cecilia still main- 
 tained the cold tone of her replies, quickly changing 
 the subject. 
 
 What Don Eosendo had feared from the letters from 
 Ocafla, at last happened. 
 
 The Superior of the Convent informed him one day 
 that Ventura had escaped from the retreat, and, ac- 
 cording to all reports, it was with the Duke of Tornos. 
 
 " The great humanitarian " (as he was termed by 
 " The Light," on a certain occasion) received the 
 news with stoical fortitude. In fact, what did any 
 purely individual sorrow signify in comparison with 
 universal sorrow in the slow and sure march of hu- 
 
 4S3 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 manity to its destiny ? He had recently read a cele- 
 brated pamphlet called, " The March of the "World," 
 from the pen of a French writer, and with his brain 
 refreshed and illuminated with its grand historical 
 synthesis, he found strength to bear the blow. 
 
 Nevertheless, he tried to keep the news from his son- 
 in-law, as he had not the same confidence in the lofti- 
 ness of his spirit and the width of his views. It was 
 therefore kept secret for some days, but suddenly it 
 became current news in the town, without any one 
 knowing who started it. Gronzalo, who always went 
 early in the morning to the club, tead it in a para- 
 graph in " The Youth of Sarrio," which was as in- 
 famous as it was hypocritical. 
 
 " It is said in the town," it ran, " that a lady, the 
 heroine of a certain romantic drama, enacted not long 
 ago, has fled with her lover from the asylum in which 
 her family had secluded her. We shall be sorry if this 
 report be true, as it will affect certain persons who are 
 well known and much esteemed in Sarriensan society." 
 
 Gonzalo felt that his heart was broken — the last ray 
 of hope was gone. 
 
 He let the paper fall, and with a nervous smile, and in 
 a strange, sharp voice, said to old Feliciano Gomez, 
 who was the only person present : 
 
 " Do you know that my brute of a wife has gone ofE 
 with her lover ? " 
 
 Don Feliciano looked at him in surprise, for although 
 little versed in smiles, he was taken aback at seeing 
 the young man smile like that, and he replied sadly : 
 
 "Yes, Gonzalin ; yes, I knew that it wasn't all over 
 so soon — But, really, after wliat happened, this final 
 blow ought not to cause you surprise. Once the rein is 
 broken you can always imagine what will be the end." 
 
 454 
 
The Story Ends 
 
 "And what for me. What — ?" exclaimed the un- 
 happy man, with the same smile, which expressed the 
 ill-restrained excitement of body — . " Let her go — 
 Very well! — let her go with God's blessing — I have 
 nothing against it — Ah ! if the law only permitted me 
 to marry ! — A month wonld not elapse without my do- 
 ing so. — And why not ? we will see, and why can I not 
 do so ? — Anyhow, if I can't marry for good, I can take 
 up with somebody. I will carry on with some pretty 
 girl, eh, Don Feliciano ? And the devil take the rest ! 
 — for if she be bad by profession, my wife is so from 
 choice. " 
 
 "Whilst making these ugly remarks, he walked up and 
 down the room, threw off his hat, shrugged his shoul- 
 ders, and gesticulated wildly. 
 
 Finally he roared with laughter. 
 
 "Look here Gonzalin," said Don Feliciano — "you 
 have just weathered a storm ; better weather is in 
 store. — There is always good after bad. The things of 
 the world have to be taken easily, my dear. — What is the 
 good of putting oneself out, and upsetting one's diges- 
 tion ? Look at me. Last month I lost a ship. — Every- 
 body came to condole with me, thinking I must be in 
 despair, and I said to them : 
 
 " ' It is true I lost the " Juanita," but if I had lost 
 the " Carmen," wouldn't it be much worse ? for it might 
 have been the one as much as the other, as both were 
 afloat.' You have had a great blow — but keep up. 
 Would it not be much worse if you were ill ? You must 
 think of that, my boy. Health is the first thing — you 
 eat well, drink well, and those are the first things ; the 
 rest will all come right." 
 
 Gonzalo left the club without taking leave of the 
 good Feliciano, who was still speaking. 
 
 456 
 
The Fourth Estate 
 
 At home he told Don Eosendo of Ventura's flight, 
 and, contrary to everybody's expectation, he did not 
 seem to feel it much. On the contrary, from that day 
 he showed signs of cheering up, and of going a little 
 into society, which caused some surprise in the place. 
 
 He began paying visits to his friends, going out to 
 coffee, walking in the streets, joking and discussing. 
 There was no more talk of going away. To the aston- 
 ishment of the town, at one of the balls of the Lyceum, 
 he danced all night like a young fellow at his first 
 dance. 
 
 Nevertheless Cecilia was very anxious. The anima- 
 tion of her brother-in-law was so strange, that it seemed 
 more like an attack of nerves. Above all, this strange 
 smile seemed like a grimace that had not left his lips 
 since reading the paragraph in " The Youth of Sarrio," 
 and it sometimes made her shudder. 
 
 The natural reaction came : after the days of insane 
 excitement, he became a prey to a profound and gloomy 
 depression. He remained three days in his room, hardly 
 touching anything that Cecilia brought him, and what 
 was worse still, without being able to sleep. With open, 
 vacant eyes, he passed hours and hours stretched on 
 his bed gazing into the dark. 
 
 On the third night he struck a light, dressed him- 
 self, wrote a long letter to his uncle, and one to 
 Cecilia. When they were sealed, and laid on the table 
 so as to be easily seen, he took out an Havana and, 
 after lighting it at the candle, began walking up and 
 down the room. 
 
 Before finishing the cigar he threw it away, opened 
 the table-drawer and drew out the revolver which he 
 kept there. On taking it to the light, he saw it was 
 unloaded, which fact surprised him, because he was 
 
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The Story Ends 
 
 certain he had loaded it about a month before. What 
 a strange thing ! Then he recollected that Cecilia had 
 seen it in his hand, and a smile wreathed his lips. He 
 then took up the cartridge box, and found it empty; 
 the cartridges were all gone ! 
 
 He stood pensive and motionless for some time. 
 Then, as if awaking from a sleep, he shook his head 
 and gave a sigh. After this, he put on his hat, opened 
 the door, and very cautiously descended the staircase. 
 On passing the door of the first floor he put his ear to 
 it, and stood listening for a moment with his face con- 
 vulsed and his hair on end. He thought he heard the 
 voice of his wife calling him from within. The hallu- 
 cination having passed, he descended the stairs, opened 
 the outside door with the key hanging in the passage, 
 and passed into the street. 
 
 It was not yet dawn, but in the east there was a little 
 line of light that heralded the day. The morning was 
 fresh, a sea-mist of fine rain was falling. He walked 
 to the harbor without any hesitation, mounted the 
 upper wall and looked out to sea, the horizon not 
 being very extensive just then owing to the fog. 
 
 A northeast wind had been blowing for the past few 
 days, which had made the sea very rough. Great, grand 
 waves came rolling in from a distance, and dashed 
 their gigantic forms against the end of the mole, and 
 the foam flew straight up. 
 
 The eyes of the young man were soon directed to a 
 launch about to enter the harbor, as it danced like 
 a walnut shell upon the waves. Its entrance interested 
 him, and he followed all its peripatetics with as much 
 attention as if he were concerned in it. 
 
 At the end of a quarter of an hour, when the 
 entrance to the harbor was effected, his thoughts 
 
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The Fourth Estate 
 
 resumed their course, and sighing and murmuring 
 " Come/' he went forward and leant against the wall. 
 As the tide rose higher, a larger wave than the rest 
 drenched him with its foam. The unexpected bath 
 was agreeable to him, as it refreshed him physically. 
 He stood waiting for some time to see if another would 
 come with equal force, but none came, so he continued 
 his walk. 
 
 Arriving at the end of the mole he threw himself 
 down on the mole and fixed his melancholy gaze on 
 the waves coming in. 
 
 It was the same spot where, a few years previously, 
 he had had the conversation with his uncle about 
 breaking off his engagement with Cecilia and marrying 
 Ventura. 
 
 The stern, severe words of the old man seemed now 
 to reecho in his ears : 
 
 " God cannot help the man who breaks his word. 
 The journey is long, the sea wide and powerful, and 
 what is merely pretty is soon submerged in the swell." 
 
 "How right my uncle was!" thought the young 
 man, without turning his eyes from the sea. 
 
 " Bah ! " he muttered at the end of a few minutes, 
 " if I had been a hundred times in the same position 
 I should have done the same. There are fatalities. 
 That woman has inoculated my blood with poison 
 which can only be ejected with its last drop." 
 
 He stood some time again lost in thought. The sea 
 water, which had immersed him, and the rain, which 
 still incessantly fell, chilled him to the bone. The 
 morning dawned damp and foggy. It was not like 
 that beautiful night when, after talking with his uncle, 
 he had then also been plunged in thought. Then the 
 magnificent splendor of the heavens spangled with 
 
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The Story Ends 
 
 stars, the crystal clearness of the water, in which the 
 light of the moon was reflected, and the soft breeze 
 whispered to him of death — yea, hut it was in sweet, 
 harmonious, friendly strains, like the voice of a friend 
 calling him to rest. But now it was as if he heard a 
 cry of desolation, a threat : " Come, come, death is 
 very sad, but life is the saddest of all ! " 
 
 " We must make an end of this," he said, raising his 
 head. He moved forward and stretched out his arms. 
 
 But at the moment, fearing that the instinct of 
 self-preservation would certainly make him swim, he 
 stopped. 
 
 He looked all round in search of some weight, and 
 his eyes fell upon the anchor of a smack, which lay 
 below on the lower wall. He jumped down, seized it, 
 cut a piece of rope from a launch with his knife, lashed 
 it to the anchor, and, like a gymnast anxious to exhibit 
 to the public the prodigious power of his muscles, he 
 scaled the steps with his burden. Once there he tied 
 the cord to his neck, put his foot upon the wall, and, 
 with the anchor in his arms, he precipitated himself 
 into the deep. His colossal form made a great vacuum 
 in the waters, which closed immediately over him. 
 The deep sea extinguished that spark of life with the 
 same indifference as it had so many others. 
 
 A sailor, seeing him from a distance, ran crying : 
 
 "A man in the water ! " 
 
 Three or four others from boats at hand followed, 
 and in a few minutes there was a crowd of twenty or 
 thirty at the end of the landing-stage. 
 
 "Who was it ? Do you know him ?" was asked of 
 him who had seen him. 
 
 " I think it was Don Gonzalo." 
 
 "The alcalde?" 
 
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The Fourth Estate 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Very likely, very likely. . . . Oh ! these women ! " 
 
 The news spread rapidly through the town, and a 
 crowd of people hastened to the port. Two men in a 
 boat prodded with a pole in the water's depths, without 
 encountering the body of the unhappy young man. At 
 last they came across it, and with the help of a hook 
 they brought it to light, just as Melchor, upset, excited, 
 and hatless, arrived at the port to receive the terrible 
 blow. 
 
 " Son of my heart ! " cried the poor old man when 
 he saw his nephew's body in the water ; then utterly 
 collapsing, he fell unconscious into the arms of the 
 people about him. 
 
 The corpse of the suicide was laid in the town hall 
 awaiting the arrival of the magistrate, and the spec- 
 tacle made a profound impression upon the bystanders, 
 who numbered amongst them persons from the rival 
 parties. 
 
 After the arrival of the Justice of the Peace, due 
 instructions were given and the body was placed on a 
 truck and carried to its home, as Don Eosendo claimed 
 it on hearing the news. It was a very sad procession 
 that passed through the town, the people crowded the 
 windows with pale and sad faces, for Gonzalo was a 
 universal favorite. 
 
 Don Eosendo was overwhelmed with grief, and not 
 wishing to see the corpse of his son-in-law, he shut 
 himself in his room, but he gave orders to have the 
 body placed in the best drawing-room on a table cov- 
 ered with velvet, and flowers and wreaths to be sent 
 from all parts, and preparations for a grand funeral 
 to be made. 
 
 Cecilia, with one of those heroic efforts over body 
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The Story Ends 
 
 and mind which characterized her, managed to bury 
 her grief in the depths of her own heart. She was 
 seen looking livid, but tranquil, going about the house, 
 doing what was necessary for the reception of her 
 brother-in-law's body. When it arrived she herself 
 helped to arrange it after it had been shrouded in 
 its winding-sheet. She covered it with flowers, she 
 lighted the candles, and she draped the room with 
 black. Then she arranged for a Sister of Charity to 
 share the watch by the corpse with herself. 
 
 At last they were left alone. They prayed for a long 
 time on their knees ; and when the orisons were over, 
 Cecilia asked the Sister to go to the kitchen to order 
 tea, as she was quite faint. 
 
 As soon as the Sister left the room, Cecilia rose 
 quickly, drew out some scissors, cut a lock of her 
 brother-in-law's hair and hid it in her bosom ; then 
 she cut a tress from her own head, and trembling with 
 agitation, she placed it between the crossed hands of 
 the dead man. 
 
 Then, after gazing at him for an instant, she lowered 
 her head and covered the inanimate face with kisses — 
 the first and the last that she ever gave him. 
 
 Then the wife, the man's true and only wife, power- 
 less to cope with such a sorrow, fell senseless to the 
 ground. 
 
 The End. 
 
 461