CHAPTER XXVII
In the Twilight
In Capitan Tiago's house also great preparations had been made. Weknow its owner, whose love of ostentation and whose pride as aManilan imposed the necessity of humiliating the provincials with hissplendor. Another reason, too, made it his duty to eclipse all others:he had his daughter Maria Clara with him, and there was present hisfuture son-in-law, who was attracting universal attention.
In fact one of the most serious newspapers in Manila had devoted toIbarra an article on its front page, entitled, "Imitate him!" heapinghim with praise and giving him some advice. It had called him, "Thecultivated young gentleman and rich capitalist;" two lines furtheron, "The distinguished philanthropist;" in the following paragraph,"The disciple of Minerva who had gone to the mother country topay his respects to the true home of the arts and sciences;" anda little further on, "The Filipino Spaniard." Capitan Tiago burnedwith generous zeal to imitate him and wondered whether he ought notto erect a convento at his own expense.
Some days before there had arrived at the house where Maria Claraand Aunt Isabel were staying a profusion of eases of European winesand food-stuffs, colossal mirrors, paintings, and Maria Clara'spiano. Capitan Tiago had arrived on the day before the fiesta and ashis daughter kissed his hand, had presented her with a beautiful locketset with diamonds and emeralds, containing a sliver from St. Peter'sboat, in which Our Savior sat during the fishing. His first interviewwith his future son-in-law could not have been more cordial. Naturally,they talked about the school, and Capitan Tiago wanted it named"School of St. Francis." "Believe me," he said, "St. Francis is a goodpatron. If you call it 'School of Primary Instruction,' you will gainnothing. Who is Primary Instruction, anyhow?"
Some friends of Maria Clara came and asked her to go for a walk. "Butcome back quickly," said Capitan Tiago to his daughter, when she askedhis permission, "for you know that Padre Damaso, who has just arrived,will dine with us."
Then turning to Ibarra, who had become thoughtful, he said, "You dinewith us also, you'll be all alone in your house."
"I would with the greatest pleasure, but I have to be at home incase visitors come," stammered the youth, as he avoided the gaze ofMaria Clara.
"Bring your friends along," replied Capitan Tiago heartily. "In myhouse there's always plenty to eat. Also, I want you and Padre Damasoto get on good terms."
"There'll be time enough for that," answered Ibarra with a forcedsmile, as he prepared to accompany the girls.
They went downstairs, Maria Clara in the center between Victoriaand Iday, Aunt Isabel following. The people made way for themrespectfully. Maria Clara was startling in her beauty; her pallorwas all gone, and if her eyes were still pensive, her mouth on thecontrary seemed to know only smiles. With maiden friendliness thehappy young woman greeted the acquaintances of her childhood, nowthe admirers of her promising youth. In less than a fortnight she hadsucceeded in recovering that frank confidence, that childish prattle,which seemed to have been benumbed between the narrow walls of thenunnery. It might be said that on leaving the cocoon the butterflyrecognized all the flowers, for it seemed to be enough for her tospread her wings for a moment and warm herself in the sun's rays tolose all the stiffness of the chrysalis. This new life manifesteditself in her whole nature. Everything she found good and beautiful,and she showed her love with that maiden modesty which, having neverbeen conscious of any but pure thoughts, knows not the meaning of falseblushes. While she would cover her face when she was teased, still hereyes smiled, and a light thrill would course through her whole being.
The houses were beginning to show lights, and in the streets wherethe music was moving about there were lighted torches of bamboo andwood made in imitation of those in the church. From the streetsthe people in the houses might be seen through the windows in anatmosphere of music and flowers, moving about to the sounds of piano,harp, or orchestra. Swarming in the streets were Chinese, Spaniards,Filipinos, some dressed in European style, some in the costumesof the country. Crowding, elbowing, and pushing one another, walkedservants carrying meat and chickens, students in white, men and women,all exposing themselves to be knocked down by the carriages which,in spite of the drivers' cries, made their way with difficulty.
In front of Capitan Basilio's house some young women called to ouracquaintances and invited them to enter. The merry voice of Sinang asshe ran down the stairs put an end to all excuses. "Come up a momentso that I may go with you," she said. "I'm bored staying here amongso many strangers who talk only of game-cocks and cards."
They were ushered into a large room filled with people, some of whomcame forward to greet Ibarra, for his name was now well known. Allgazed in ecstasy at the beauty of Maria Clara and some old womenmurmured, as they chewed their buyo, "She looks like the Virgin!"
There they had to have chocolate, as Capitan Basilio had become a warmfriend and defender of Ibarra since the day of the picnic. He hadlearned from the half of the telegram given to his daughter Sinangthat Ibarra had known beforehand about the court's decision in thelatter's favor, so, not wishing to be outdone in generosity, he hadtried to set aside the decision of the chess-match. But when Ibarrawould not consent to this, he had proposed that the money which wouldhave been spent in court fees should be used to pay a teacher in thenew school. In consequence, the orator employed all his eloquence tothe end that other litigants should give up their extravagant claims,saying to them, "Believe me, in a lawsuit the winner is left withouta camisa." But he had succeeded in convincing no one, even though hecited the Romans.
After drinking the chocolate our young people had to listen topiano-playing by the town organist. "When I listen to him in thechurch," exclaimed Sinang, pointing to the organist, "I want to dance,and now that he's playing here I feel like praying, so I'm going outwith you."
"Don't you want to join us tonight?" whispered Capitan Basilio intoIbarra's ear as they were leaving. "Padre Damaso is going to set upa little bank." Ibarra smiled and answered with an equivocal shakeof his head.
"Who's that?" asked Maria Clara of Victoria, indicating with a rapidglance a youth who was following them.
"He's--he's a cousin of mine," she answered with some agitation.
"And the other?"
"He's no cousin of mine," put in Sinang merrily. "He's my uncle's son."
They passed in front of the parish rectory, which was not one of theleast animated buildings. Sinang was unable to repress an exclamationof surprise on seeing the lamps burning, those lamps of antiquepattern which Padre Salvi had never allowed to be lighted, in ordernot to waste kerosene. Loud talk and resounding bursts of laughtermight be heard as the friars moved slowly about, nodding their headsin unison with the big cigars that adorned their lips. The laymenwith them, who from their European garments appeared to be officialsand employees of the province, were endeavoring to imitate whateverthe good priests did. Maria Clara made out the rotund figure of PadreDamaso at the side of the trim silhouette of Padre Sibyla. Motionlessin his place stood the silent and mysterious Fray Salvi.
"He's sad," observed Sinang, "for he's thinking about how much somany visitors are going to cost. But you'll see how he'll not payit himself, but the sacristans will. His visitors always eat atother places."
"Sinang!" scolded Victoria.
"I haven't been able to endure him since he tore up the _Wheel ofFortune_. I don't go to confession to him any more."
Of all the houses one only was to be noticed without lights and withall the windows closed--that of the alferez. Maria Clara expressedsurprise at this.
"The witch! The Muse of the Civil Guard, as the old man says,"exclaimed the irrepressible Sinang. "What has she to do with ourmerrymakings? I imagine she's raging! But just let the cholera comeand you'd see her give a banquet."
"But, Sinang!" again her cousin scolded.
"I never was able to endure her and especially since she disturbed ourpicnic with her civil-guards. If I were the Archbishop I'd marry Herto Padre Salvi--then think what c
hildren! Look how she tried to arrestthe poor pilot, who threw himself into the water simply to please--"
She was not allowed to finish, for in the corner of the plazawhere a blind man was singing to the accompaniment of a guitar,a curious spectacle was presented. It was a man miserably dressed,wearing a broad salakot of palm leaves. His clothing consisted of aragged coat and wide pantaloons, like those worn by the Chinese, tornin many places. Wretched sandals covered his feet. His countenanceremained hidden in the shadow of his wide hat, but from this shadowthere flashed intermittently two burning rays. Placing a flat basketon the ground, he would withdraw a few paces and utter strange,incomprehensible sounds, remaining the while standing entirely alone asif he and the crowd were mutually avoiding each other. Then some womenwould approach the basket and put into it fruit, fish, or rice. Whenno one any longer approached, from the shadows would issue sadderbut less pitiful sounds, cries of gratitude perhaps. Then he wouldtake up the basket and make his way to another place to repeat thesame performance.
Maria Clara divined that there must be some misfortune there, andfull of interest she asked concerning the strange creature.
"He's a leper," Iday told her. "Four years ago he contracted thedisease, some say from taking care of his mother, others from lyingin a damp prison. He lives in the fields near the Chinese cemetery,having intercourse with no one, because all flee from him for fear ofcontagion. If you might only see his home! It's a tumbledown shack,through which the wind and rain pass like a needle through cloth. Hehas been forbidden to touch anything belonging to the people. One daywhen a little child fell into a shallow ditch as he was passing,he helped to get it out. The child's father complained to thegobernadorcillo, who ordered that the leper be flogged through thestreets and that the rattan be burned afterwards. It was horrible! Theleper fled with his flogger in pursuit, while the gobernadorcillocried, 'Catch him! Better be drowned than get the disease you have!'"
"Can it be true!" murmured Maria Clara, then, without saying what shewas about to do, went up to the wretch's basket and dropped into itthe locket her father had given her.
"What have you done?" her friends asked.
"I hadn't anything else," she answered, trying to conceal her tearswith a smile.
"What is he going to do with your locket?" Victoria asked her. "Oneday they gave him some money, but he pushed it away with a stick;why should he want it when no one accepts anything that comes fromhim? As if the locket could be eaten!"
Maria Clara gazed enviously at the women who were selling food-stuffsand shrugged her shoulders. The leper approached the basket, pickedup the jeweled locket, which glittered in his hands, then fell uponhis knees, kissed it, and taking off his salakot buried his foreheadin the dust where the maiden had stepped. Maria Clara hid her facebehind her fan and raised her handkerchief to her eyes.
Meanwhile, a poor woman had approached the leper, who seemed to bepraying. Her long hair was loose and unkempt, and in the light ofthe torches could be recognized the extremely emaciated features ofthe crazy Sisa. Feeling the touch of her hand, the leper jumped upwith a cry, but to the horror of the onlooker's Sisa caught him bythe arm and said:
"Let us pray, let us pray! Today is All Souls' day! Those lights arethe souls of men! Let us pray for my sons!"
"Separate them! Separate them! The madwoman will get thedisease!" cried the crowd, but no one dared to go near them.
"Do you see that light in the tower? That is my son Basilio slidingdown a rope! Do you see that light in the convento? That is my sonCrispin! But I'm not going to see them because the curate is sickand had many gold pieces and the gold pieces are lost! Pray, let uspray for the soul of the curate! I took him the finest fruits, formy garden was full of flowers and I had two sons! I had a garden,I used to take care of my flowers, and I had two sons!"
Then releasing her hold of the leper, she ran away singing, "I hada garden and flowers, I had two sons, a garden, and flowers!"
"What have you been able to do for that poor woman?" Maria Claraasked Ibarra.
"Nothing! Lately she has been missing from the totem and wasn't tobe found," answered the youth, rather confusedly. "Besides, I havebeen very busy. But don't let it trouble you. The curate has promisedto help me, but advised that I proceed with great tact and caution,for the Civil Guard seems to be mixed up in it. The curate is greatlyinterested in her case."
"Didn't the alferez say that he would have search made for her sons?"
"Yes, but at the time he was somewhat--drunk." Scarcely had he saidthis when they saw the crazy woman being led, or rather dragged along,by a soldier. Sisa was offering resistance.
"Why are you arresting her? What has she done?" asked Ibarra.
"Why, haven't you seen how she's been raising a disturbance?" wasthe reply of the guardian of the public peace.
The leper caught up his basket hurriedly and ran away.
Maria Clara wanted to go home, as she had lost all her mirth and goodhumor. "So there are people who are not happy," she murmured. Arrivingat her door, she felt her sadness increase when her fiance declinedto go in, excusing himself on the plea of necessity. Maria Clara wentupstairs thinking what a bore are the fiesta days, when strangersmake their visits.