ith all your
love of justice, with all your kind sentiments, have been restraining
yourself by a great effort while I have been telling you bitter truths,
you yourself, Padre Fernandez! What good has been secured by him among
us who has tried to inculcate other ideas? What evils have not fallen
upon you because you have tried to be just and perform your duty?"

"Senor Isagani," said the Dominican, extending his hand, "although it
may seem that nothing practical has resulted from this conversation,
yet something has been gained. I'll talk to my brethren about what
you have told me and I hope that something can be done. Only I fear
that they won't believe in your existence."

"I fear the same," returned Isagani, shaking the Dominican's hand. "I
fear that my friends will not believe in your existence, as you have
revealed yourself to me today." [57]

Considering the interview at an end, the young man took his leave.

Padre Fernandez opened the door and followed him with his gaze until
he disappeared around a corner in the corridor. For some time he
listened to the retreating footsteps, then went back into his cell
and waited for the youth to appear in the street.

He saw him and actually heard him say to a friend who asked where he
was going: "To the Civil Government! I'm going to see the pasquinades
and join the others!"

His startled friend stared at him as one would look at a person who
is about to commit suicide, then moved away from him hurriedly.

"Poor boy!" murmured Padre Fernandez, feeling his eyes moisten. "I
grudge you to the Jesuits who educated you."

But Padre Fernandez was completely mistaken; the Jesuits repudiated
Isagani [58] when that afternoon they learned that he had been
arrested, saying that he would compromise them. "That young man has
thrown himself away, he's going to do us harm! Let it be understood
that he didn't get those ideas here."

Nor were the Jesuits wrong. No! Those ideas come only from God through
the medium of Nature.

CHAPTER XXVIII

TATAKUT

With prophetic inspiration Ben-Zayb had been for some days past
maintaining in his newspaper that education was disastrous, very
disastrous for the Philippine Islands, and now in view of the events of
that Friday of pasquinades, the writer crowed and chanted his triumph,
leaving belittled and overwhelmed his adversary _Horatius_, who in
the _Pirotecnia_ had dared to ridicule him in the following manner:

From our