oss the little plaza [25] in front of the old
Customs building, exclaimed, "Now I think of it, I'm appointed to
take up the collection."

"What collection?"

"For the monument."

"What monument?"

"Get out! For Padre Balthazar, you know."

"And who was Padre Balthazar?"

"Fool! A Dominican, of course--that's why the padres call on the
students. Come on now, loosen up with three or four pesos, so that they
may see we are sports. Don't let them say afterwards that in order
to erect a statue they had to dig down into their own pockets. Do,
Placido, it's not money thrown away."

He accompanied these words with a significant wink. Placido recalled
the case of a student who had passed through the entire course by
presenting canary-birds, so he subscribed three pesos.

"Look now, I'll write your name plainly so that the professor will read
it, you see--Placido Penitente, three pesos. Ah, listen! In a couple
of weeks comes the nameday of the professor of natural history. You
know that he's a good fellow, never marks absences or asks about the
lesson. Man, we must show our appreciation!"

"That's right!"

"Then don't you think that we ought to give him a celebration? The
orchestra must not be smaller than the one you had for the professor
of physics."

"That's right!"

"What do you think about making the contribution two pesos? Come,
Placido, you start it, so you'll be at the head of the list."

Then, seeing that Placido gave the two pesos without hesitation,
he added, "Listen, put up four, and afterwards I'll return you
two. They'll serve as a decoy."

"Well, if you're going to return them to me, why give them to
you? It'll be sufficient, for you to write four."

"Ah, that's right! What an ass I am! Do you know, I'm getting to be
a regular ass! But let me have them anyhow, so that I can show them."

Placido, in order not to give the lie to the priest who christened him,
gave what was asked, just as they reached the University.

In the entrance and along the walks on each side of it were gathered
the students, awaiting the appearance of the professors. Students of
the preparatory year of law, of the fifth of the secondary course,
of the preparatory in medicine, formed lively groups. The latter
were easily distinguished by their clothing and by a certain air
that was lacking in the others, since the greater part of them came
from the Ateneo Municipal. Among them could be seen the poet Isagani,
explaining t