CHAPTER XXXVII
THE MYSTERY
Todo se sabe
Notwithstanding so many precautions, rumors reached the public,even though quite changed and mutilated. On the following nightthey were the theme of comment in the house of Orenda, a rich jewelmerchant in the industrious district of Santa Cruz, and the numerousfriends of the family gave attention to nothing else. They were notindulging in cards, or playing the piano, while little Tinay, theyoungest of the girls, became bored playing _chongka_ by herself,without being able to understand the interest awakened by assaults,conspiracies, and sacks of powder, when there were in the seven holesso many beautiful cowries that seemed to be winking at her in unisonand smiled with their tiny mouths half-opened, begging to be carriedup to the _home_. Even Isagani, who, when he came, always used toplay with her and allow himself to be beautifully cheated, did notcome at her call, for Isagani was gloomily and silently listening tosomething Chichoy the silversmith was relating. Momoy, the betrothedof Sensia, the eldest of the daughters--a pretty and vivacious girl,rather given to joking--had left the window where he was accustomedto spend his evenings in amorous discourse, and this action seemed tobe very annoying to the lory whose cage hung from the eaves there,the lory endeared to the house from its ability to greet everybodyin the morning with marvelous phrases of love. Capitana Loleng,the energetic and intelligent Capitana Loleng, had her account-bookopen before her, but she neither read nor wrote in it, nor was herattention fixed on the trays of loose pearls, nor on the diamonds--shehad completely forgotten herself and was all ears. Her husband himself,the great Capitan Toringoy,--a transformation of the name Domingo,--thehappiest man in the district, without other occupation than to dresswell, eat, loaf, and gossip, while his whole family worked and toiled,had not gone to join his coterie, but was listening between fear andemotion to the hair-raising news of the lank Chichoy.
Nor was reason for all this lacking. Chichoy had gone to deliver somework for Don Timoteo Pelaez, a pair of earrings for the bride, at thevery time when they were tearing down the kiosk that on the previousnight had served as a dining-room for the foremost officials. HereChichoy turned pale and his hair stood on end.
"_Naku_!" he exclaimed, "sacks and sacks of powder, sacks of powderunder the floor, in the roof, under the table, under the chairs,everywhere! It's lucky none of the workmen were smoking."
"Who put those sacks of powder there?" asked Capitana Loleng, who wasbrave and did not turn pale, as did the enamored Momoy. But Momoy hadattended the wedding, so his posthumous emotion can be appreciated:he had been near the kiosk.
"That's what no one can explain," replied Chichoy. "Who would have anyinterest in breaking up the fiesta? There couldn't have been more thanone, as the celebrated lawyer Senor Pasta who was there on a visitdeclared--either an enemy of Don Timoteo's or a rival of Juanito's."
The Orenda girls turned instinctively toward Isagani, who smiledsilently.
"Hide yourself," Capitana Loleng advised him. "They may accuseyou. Hide!"
Again Isagani smiled but said nothing.
"Don Timoteo," continued Chichoy, "did not know to whom to attributethe deed. He himself superintended the work, he and his friend Simoun,and nobody else. The house was thrown into an uproar, the lieutenantof the guard came, and after enjoining secrecy upon everybody, theysent me away. But--"
"But--but--" stammered the trembling Momoy.
"_Naku!_" ejaculated Sensia, gazing at her fiance and tremblingsympathetically to remember that he had been at the fiesta. "Thisyoung man--If the house had blown up--" She stared at her sweetheartpassionately and admired his courage.
"If it had blown up--"
"No one in the whole of Calle Anloague would have been left alive,"concluded Capitan Toringoy, feigning valor and indifference in thepresence of his family.
"I left in consternation," resumed Chichoy, "thinking about how, if amere spark, a cigarette had fallen, if a lamp had been overturned, atthe present moment we should have neither a General, nor an Archbishop,nor any one, not even a government clerk! All who were at the fiestalast night--annihilated!"
"_Virgen Santisima!_ This young man--"
"_'Susmariosep!_" exclaimed Capitana Loleng. "All our debtors werethere, _'Susmariosep!_ And we have a house near there! Who could ithave been?"
"Now you may know about it," added Chichoy in a whisper, "but youmust keep it a secret. This afternoon I met a friend, a clerk in anoffice, and in talking about the affair, he gave me the clue to themystery--he had it from some government employees. Who do you supposeput the sacks of powder there?"
Many shrugged their shoulders, while Capitan Toringoy merely lookedaskance at Isagani.
"The friars?"
"Quiroga the Chinaman?"
"Some student?"
"Makaraig?"
Capitan Toringoy coughed and glanced at Isagani, while Chichoy shookhis head and smiled.
"The jeweler Simoun."
"Simoun!!"
The profound silence of amazement followed these words. Simoun, theevil genius of the Captain-General, the rich trader to whose housethey had gone to buy unset gems, Simoun, who had received the Orendagirls with great courtesy and had paid them fine compliments! Forthe very reason that the story seemed absurd it was believed. "_Credoquia absurdum,_" said St. Augustine.
"But wasn't Simoun at the fiesta last night?" asked Sensia.
"Yes," said Momoy. "But now I remember! He left the house just as wewere sitting down to the dinner. He went to get his wedding-gift."
"But wasn't he a friend of the General's? Wasn't he a partner ofDon Timoteo's?"
"Yes, he made himself a partner in order to strike the blow and killall the Spaniards."
"Aha!" cried Sensia. "Now I understand!"
"What?"
"You didn't want to believe Aunt Tentay. Simoun is the devil and hehas bought up the souls of all the Spaniards. Aunt Tentay said so!"
Capitana Loleng crossed herself and looked uneasily toward the jewels,fearing to see them turn into live coals, while Capitan Toringoy tookoff the ring which had come from Simoun.
"Simoun has disappeared without leaving any traces," addedChichoy. "The Civil Guard is searching for him."
"Yes," observed Sensia, crossing herself, "searching for the devil."
Now many things were explained: Simoun's fabulous wealth and thepeculiar smell in his house, the smell of sulphur. Binday, anotherof the daughters, a frank and lovely girl, remembered having seenblue flames in the jeweler's house one afternoon when she and hermother had gone there to buy jewels. Isagani listened attentively,but said nothing.
"So, last night--" ventured Momoy.
"Last night?" echoed Sensia, between curiosity and fear.
Momoy hesitated, but the face Sensia put on banished his fear. "Lastnight, while we were eating, there was a disturbance, the light inthe General's dining-room went out. They say that some unknown personstole the lamp that was presented by Simoun."
"A thief? One of the Black Hand?"
Isagani arose to walk back and forth.
"Didn't they catch him?"
"He jumped into the river before anybody recognized him. Some say hewas a Spaniard, some a Chinaman, and others an Indian."
"It's believed that with the lamp," added Chichoy, "he was going toset fire to the house, then the powder--"
Momoy again shuddered but noticing that Sensia was watching him triedto control himself. "What a pity!" he exclaimed with an effort. "Howwickedly the thief acted. Everybody would have been killed."
Sensia stared at him in fright, the women crossed themselves, whileCapitan Toringoy, who was afraid of politics, made a move to go away.
Momoy turned to Isagani, who observed with an enigmatic smile: "It'salways wicked to take what doesn't belong to you. If that thief hadknown what it was all about and had been able to reflect, surely hewouldn't have done as he did."
Then, after a pause, he added, "For nothing in the world would I wantto be in his place!"
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So they continued their comments and conjectures until an hour later,when Isagani bade the family farewell, to return forever to hisuncle's side.