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Aunt Isabel fell on her knees weeping and reciting the Kyrie eleyson; Capitan Tiago, pale and trembling, carried on his fork a chicken-liver which he offered tearfully to the Virgin of Antipolo; Linares with his mouth full of food was armed with a case-knife; Sinang and Maria Clara were in each other's arms; while the only one that remained motionless, as if petrified, was Crisostomo, whose paleness was indescribable.
But the youth was unable to advance, the smile froze on his lips, words failed him. Standing on the balcony at the side of Maria Clara was Linares, arranging bouquets of flowers and leaves. Roses and sampaguitas were scattered about on the floor. Reclining in a big chair, pale, with a sad and pensive air, Maria Clara toyed with an ivory fan which was not whiter than her shapely fingers.
What a shame that little Clara did not fall sick before!" exclaimed she, in real sorrow. And directing herself to Linares: "Do you hear, cousin? His Excellency was here! You see De Espadaña was right when he told you that we were not going to the house of a miserable native. "It amounts to the same thing. Do you think you can tell me that "
"Come, sit down and tell me your little troubles as you used to do when you were a child, when you wanted tapers to make wax dolls, You know that I've always loved you, I've never been cross with you." His voice was now no longer brusque, and even became tenderly modulated. Maria Clara began to weep. "You're crying, little girl? Why do you cry? Have you quarreled with Linares?"
The doctor has never been called upon again to attend any one and the servants see him many days in the week without teeth, which, as our readers know, is a very bad sign. Linares, the only defender of the hapless doctor, has long been at rest in Paco cemetery, the victim of dysentery and the harsh treatment of his cousin-in-law.
"Would I find Father Dámaso in town to-day?" interrupted Linares, turning to Father Salví. "They have told me that he is near here." "He is, precisely, and will come here in a little while," replied the curate. "How glad I am! I have a letter for him," exclaimed the young man. "And if it had not been for this happy chance which brought me here, I would have come expressly to visit him."
You, you stay here to challenge him or else I'll tell Don Santiago that all we're told him is a lie, I'll tell him " "But, Doña Victorina, Doña Victorina," interrupted the now pallid Linares, going up to her, "be calm, don't call up " Then he added in a whisper, "Don't be imprudent, especially just now."
They wrote to him, then, sending him in advance money for the passage, and, when the dream was dispelled, the young man was already on his way. These are the three persons who had just arrived. While they were eating their breakfast, Father Salví arrived, and, as the husband and wife had already met the friar, they presented him to the young Linares, with all his titles. The young man blushed.
The truth probably is that General Linares was intimidated by the great show made by our fleet and transports sixty steam-vessels in all; that he credited us with a much larger army than we really had; and that it seemed to him better to make the decisive fight at once on the commanding hills just east of Santiago than to lose perhaps one third of his small available force in the woods on the Siboney road, and then be driven back to the city at last with wearied and discouraged troops.
She was listening to all that was going on but without taking her eyes off the music in spite of the concealed pinches which Sinang gave her to express her joy. Had she been alone, she would have danced. "Father Dámaso?" asked Linares without finishing the sentence. "Yes," continued the curate.
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