ify His acts, and man never; instead of these reflections,
Basilio merely interposed a cant reflection.

"What will the world say at the sight of such butchery?"

"The world will applaud, as usual, conceding the right of
the strongest, the most violent!" replied Simoun with his cruel
smile. "Europe applauded when the western nations sacrificed millions
of Indians in America, and not by any means to found nations much more
moral or more pacific: there is the North with its egotistic liberty,
its lynch-law, its political frauds--the South with its turbulent
republics, its barbarous revolutions, civil wars, pronunciamientos,
as in its mother Spain! Europe applauded when the powerful Portugal
despoiled the Moluccas, it applauds while England is destroying the
primitive races in the Pacific to make room for its emigrants. Europe
will applaud as the end of a drama, the close of a tragedy, is
applauded, for the vulgar do not fix their attention on principles,
they look only at results. Commit the crime well, and you will be
admired and have more partizans than if you had carried out virtuous
actions with modesty and timidity."

"Exactly," rejoined the youth, "what does it matter to me, after all,
whether they praise or censure, when this world takes no care of the
oppressed, of the poor, and of weak womankind? What obligations have
I to recognize toward society when it has recognized none toward me?"

"That's what I like to hear," declared the tempter triumphantly. He
took a revolver from a case and gave it to Basilio, saying, "At
ten o'clock wait for me in front of the church of St. Sebastian to
receive my final instructions. Ah, at nine you must be far, very far
from Calle Anloague."

Basilio examined the weapon, loaded it, and placed it in the inside
pocket of his coat, then took his leave with a curt, "I'll see
you later."

CHAPTER XXXIV

THE WEDDING

Once in the street, Basilio began to consider how he might spend the
time until the fatal hour arrived, for it was then not later than seven
o'clock. It was the vacation period and all the students were back in
their towns, Isagani being the only one who had not cared to leave,
but he had disappeared that morning and no one knew his whereabouts--so
Basilio had been informed when after leaving the prison he had gone
to visit his friend and ask him for lodging. The young man did not
know where to go, for he had no money, nothing but the revolver. The
memory