CHAPTER IX
Local Affairs
Ibarra had not been mistaken about the occupant of the victoria,for it was indeed Padre Damaso, and he was on his way to the housewhich the youth had just left.
"Where are you going?" asked the friar of Maria Clara and Aunt Isabel,who were about to enter a silver-mounted carriage. In the midst ofhis preoccupation Padre Damaso stroked the maiden's cheek lightly.
"To the convent to get my things," answered the latter.
"Ahaa! Aha! We'll see who's stronger, we'll see," muttered the friarabstractedly, as with bowed head and slow step he turned to thestairway, leaving the two women not a little amazed.
"He must have a sermon to preach and is memorizing it," commentedAunt Isabel. "Get in, Maria, or we'll be late."
Whether or not Padre Damaso was preparing a sermon we cannot say,but it is certain that some grave matter filled his mind, for he didnot extend his hand to Capitan Tiago, who had almost to get down onhis knees to kiss it.
"Santiago," said the friar at once, "I have an important matter totalk to you about. Let's go into your office."
Capitan Tiago began to feel uneasy, so much so that he did not knowwhat to say; but he obeyed, following the heavy figure of the priest,who closed the door behind him.
While they confer in secret, let us learn what Fray Sibyla hasbeen doing. The astute Dominican is not at the rectory, for verysoon after celebrating mass he had gone to the convent of his order,situated just inside the gate of Isabel II, or of Magellan, accordingto what family happened to be reigning in Madrid. Without paying anyattention to the rich odor of chocolate, or to the rattle of boxesand coins which came from the treasury, and scarcely acknowledgingthe respectful and deferential salute of the procurator-brother,he entered, passed along several corridors, and knocked at a door.
"Come in," sighed a weak voice.
"May God restore health to your Reverence," was the young Dominican'sgreeting as he entered.
Seated in a large armchair was an aged priest, wasted and rathersallow, like the saints that Rivera painted. His eyes were sunken intheir hollow sockets, over which his heavy eyebrows were almost alwayscontracted, thus accentuating their brilliant gleam. Padre Sibyla,with his arms crossed under the venerable scapulary of St. Dominic,gazed at him feelingly, then bowed his head and waited in silence.
"Ah," sighed the old man, "they advise an operation, an operation,Hernando, at my age! This country, O this terrible country! Takewarning from my ease, Hernando!"
Fray Sibyla raised his eyes slowly and fixed them on the sick man'sface. "What has your Reverence decided to do?" he asked.
"To die! Ah, what else can I do? I am suffering too much, but--Ihave made many suffer, I am paying my debt! And how are you? Whathas brought you here?"
"I've come to talk about the business which you committed to my care."
"Ah! What about it?"
"Pish!" answered the young man disgustedly, as he seated himselfand turned away his face with a contemptuous expression, "They'vebeen telling us fairy tales. Young Ibarra is a youth of discernment;he doesn't seem to be a fool, but I believe that he is a good lad."
"You believe so?"
"Hostilities began last night."
"Already? How?"
Fray Sibyla then recounted briefly what had taken place between PadreDamaso and Ibarra. "Besides," he said in conclusion, "the young manis going to marry Capitan Tiago's daughter, who was educated in thecollege of our Sisterhood. He's rich, and won't care to make enemiesand to run the risk of ruining his fortune and his happiness."
The sick man nodded in agreement. "Yes, I think as you do. With a wifelike that and such a father-in-law, we'll own him body and soul. Ifnot, so much the better for him to declare himself an enemy of ours."
Fray Sibyla looked at the old man in surprise.
"For the good of our holy Order, I mean, of course," he added,breathing heavily. "I prefer open attacks to the silly praises andflatteries of friends, which are really paid for."
"Does your Reverence think--"
The old man regarded him sadly. "Keep it clearly before you," heanswered, gasping for breath. "Our power will last as long as itis believed in. If they attack us, the government will say, 'Theyattack them because they see in them an obstacle to their liberty,so then let us preserve them.'"
"But if it should listen to them? Sometimes the government--"
"It will not listen!"
"Nevertheless, if, led on by cupidity, it should come to wish foritself what we are taking in--if there should be some bold anddaring one--"
"Then woe unto that one!"
Both remained silent for a time, then the sick man continued:"Besides, we need their attacks, to keep us awake; that makes us seeour weaknesses so that we may remedy them. Exaggerated flattery willdeceive us and put us to sleep, while outside our walls we shall belaughed at, and the day in which we become an object of ridicule, weshall fall as we fell in Europe. Money will not flow into our churches,no one will buy our scapularies or girdles or anything else, and whenwe cease to be rich we shall no longer be able to control consciences."
"But we shall always have our estates, our property."
"All will be lost as we lost them in Europe! And the worst of it isthat we are working toward our own ruin. For example, this unrestrainedeagerness to raise arbitrarily the rents on our lands each year,this eagerness which I have so vainly combated in all the chapters,this will ruin us! The native sees himself obliged to purchase farmsin other places, which bring him as good returns as ours, or better. Ifear that we are already on the decline; _quos vult perdere Jupiterdementat prius_. [49] For this reason we should not increase ourburden; the people are already murmuring. You have decided well:let us leave the others to settle their accounts in that quarter;let us preserve the prestige that remains to us, and as we shall soonappear before God, let us wash our hands of it--and may the God ofmercy have pity on our weakness!"
"So your Reverence thinks that the rent or tax--"
"Let's not talk any more about money," interrupted the sick man withsigns of disgust. "You say that the lieutenant threatened to PadreDamaso that--"
"Yes, Padre," broke in Fray Sibyla with a faint smile, "but thismorning I saw him and he told me that he was sorry for what occurredlast night, that the sherry had gone to his head, and that he believedthat Padre Damaso was in the same condition. 'And your threat?' Iasked him jokingly. 'Padre,' he answered me, 'I know how to keep myword when my honor is affected, but I am not nor have ever been aninformer--for that reason I wear only two stars.'"
After they had conversed a while longer on unimportant subjects,Fray Sibyla took his departure.
It was true that the lieutenant had not gone to the Palace, but theCaptain-General heard what had occurred. While talking with someof his aides about the allusions that the Manila newspapers weremaking to him under the names of comets and celestial apparitions,one of them told him about the affair of Padre Damaso, with a somewhatheightened coloring although substantially correct as to matter.
"From whom did you learn this?" asked his Excellency, smiling.
"From Laruja, who was telling it this morning in the office."
The Captain-General again smiled and said: "A woman or a friar can'tinsult one. I contemplate living in peace for the time that I shallremain in this country and I don't want any more quarrels with men whowear skirts. Besides, I've learned that the Provincial has scoffedat my orders. I asked for the removal of this friar as a punishmentand they transferred him to a better town 'monkish tricks,' as wesay in Spain."
But when his Excellency found himself alone he stopped smiling. "Ah,if this people were not so stupid, I would put a curb on theirReverences," he sighed to himself. "But every people deserves its fate,so let's do as everybody else does."
Capitan Tiago, meanwhile, had concluded his interview with PadreDamaso, or rather, to speak more exactly, Padre Damaso had concludedwith him.
"So now you are warned!" said the Franci
scan on leaving. "All thiscould have been avoided if you had consulted me beforehand, if you hadnot lied when I asked you. Try not to play any more foolish tricks,and trust your protector."
Capitan Tiago walked up and down the sala a few times, meditatingand sighing. Suddenly, as if a happy thought had occurred to him,he ran to the oratory and extinguished the candles and the lamp thathad been lighted for Ibarra's safety. "The way is long and there'syet time," he muttered.