re unable to agree, they scattered
about, each kneeling where he thought best. Others, who had niches
for their deceased relatives, lighted candles and fell to praying
devoutly. Exaggerated or suppressed sighs and sobs were heard amid
the hum of prayers, _orapreo, orapreiss, requiem-aeternams_, that
arose from all sides.

A little old man with bright eyes entered bareheaded. Upon seeing
him many laughed, and some women knitted their eyebrows. The old man
did not seem to pay any attention to these demonstrations as he went
toward a pile of skulls and knelt to look earnestly for something
among the bones. Then he carefully removed the skulls one by one, but
apparently without finding what he sought, for he wrinkled his brow,
nodded his head from side to side, looked all about him, and finally
rose and approached the grave-digger, who raised his head when the
old man spoke to him.

"Do you know where there is a beautiful skull, white as the meat of a
coconut, with a complete set of teeth, which I had there at the foot
of the cross under those leaves?"

The grave-digger shrugged his shoulders.

"Look!" added the old man, showing a silver coin, "I have only this,
but I'll give it to you if you find the skull for me."

The gleam of the silver caused the grave-digger to consider, and
staring toward the heap of bones he said, "Isn't it there? No? Then
I don't know where it is."

"Don't you know? When those who owe me pay me, I'll give you more,"
continued the old man. "It was the skull of my wife, so if you find
it for me--"

"Isn't it there? Then I don't know! But if you wish, I can give
you another."

"You're like the grave you're digging," apostrophized the old man
nervously. "You don't know the value of what you lose. For whom is
that grave?"

"How should I know?" replied the other in bad humor.

"For a corpse!"

"Like the grave, like the grave!" repeated the old man with a dry
smile. "You don't know what you throw away nor what you receive! Dig,
dig on!" And he turned away in the direction of the gate.

Meanwhile, the grave-digger had completed his task, attested by the
two mounds of fresh red earth at the sides of the grave. He took some
buyo from his salakot and began to chew it while he stared stupidly
at what was going on around him.

CHAPTER XIII

Signs of Storm

As the old man was leaving the cemetery there stopped at the head
of the path a carriage which, from its dust-covered appearanc