n article, so the child made a wry face, closed its eyes,
and disappeared. The window slammed shut.

But an example had been set. That opening and shutting of the window
had no doubt been heard on all sides, for soon another window opened
slowly and there appeared cautiously the head of a wrinkled and
toothless old woman: it was the same Sister Pute who had raised such a
disturbance while Padre Damaso was preaching. Children and old women
are the representatives of curiosity in this world: the former from
a wish to know things and the latter from a desire to recollect them.

Apparently there was no one to apply a slipper to Sister Pute, for she
remained gazing out into the distance with wrinkled eyebrows. Then she
rinsed out her mouth, spat noisily, and crossed herself. In the house
opposite, another window was now timidly opened to reveal Sister Rufa,
she who did not wish to cheat or be cheated. They stared at each other
for a moment, smiled, made some signs, and again crossed themselves.

"_Jesus_, it seemed like a thanksgiving mass, regular
fireworks!" commented Sister Rufa.

"Since the town was sacked by Balat, I've never seen another night
equal to it," responded Sister Pute.

"What a lot of shots! They say that it was old Pablo's band."

"Tulisanes? That can't be! They say that it was the cuadrilleros
against the civil-guards. That's why Don Filipo has been arrested."

"_Sanctus Deus!_ They say that at least fourteen were killed."

Other windows were now opened and more faces appeared to exchange
greetings and make comments. In the clear light, which promised a
bright day, soldiers could be seen in the distance, coming and going
confusedly like gray silhouettes.

"There goes one more corpse!" was the exclamation from a window.

"One? I see two."

"And I--but really, can it be you don't know what it was?" asked a
sly-featured individual.

"Oh, the cuadrilleros!"

"No, sir, it was a mutiny in the barracks!"

"What kind of mutiny? The curate against the alferez?"

"No, it was nothing of the kind," answered the man who had asked the
first question. "It was the Chinamen who have rebelled." With this
he shut his window.

"The Chinamen!" echoed all in great astonishment. "That's why not
one of them is to be seen!" "They've probably killed them all!"

"I thought they were going to do something bad. Yesterday--"

"I saw it myself. Last night--"

"What a pity!" exclaimed Sister Rufa. "To get killed ju