nd
paling visibly.

"Wherever he may be found--" The sentence was completed with an
expressive pantomime. Don Custodio raised both arms to the height of
his face, with the right more bent than the left, turned the palms
of his hands toward the floor, closed one eye, and made two movements
in advance. "Ssh! Ssh!" he hissed.

"And the diamonds?" inquired Ben-Zayb.

"If they find him--" He went through another pantomime with the
fingers of his right hand, spreading them out and clenching them
together like the closing of a fan, clutching out with them somewhat
in the manner of the wings of a wind-mill sweeping imaginary objects
toward itself with practised skill. Ben-Zayb responded with another
pantomime, opening his eyes wide, arching his eyebrows and sucking in
his breath eagerly as though nutritious air had just been discovered.

"Sssh!"

CHAPTER XXXVII

THE MYSTERY

Todo se sabe

Notwithstanding so many precautions, rumors reached the public,
even though quite changed and mutilated. On the following night
they were the theme of comment in the house of Orenda, a rich jewel
merchant in the industrious district of Santa Cruz, and the numerous
friends of the family gave attention to nothing else. They were not
indulging in cards, or playing the piano, while little Tinay, the
youngest 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 holes
so many beautiful cowries that seemed to be winking at her in unison
and smiled with their tiny mouths half-opened, begging to be carried
up to the _home_. Even Isagani, who, when he came, always used to
play with her and allow himself to be beautifully cheated, did not
come at her call, for Isagani was gloomily and silently listening to
something Chichoy the silversmith was relating. Momoy, the betrothed
of Sensia, the eldest of the daughters--a pretty and vivacious girl,
rather given to joking--had left the window where he was accustomed
to spend his evenings in amorous discourse, and this action seemed to
be very annoying to the lory whose cage hung from the eaves there,
the lory endeared to the house from its ability to greet everybody
in the morning with marvelous phrases of love. Capitana Loleng,
the energetic and intelligent Capitana Loleng, had her account-book
open before her, but she neither read nor wrote in it, n