suits. Father Martin Lafuerza was getting
possession of too much land in Castro, and wanted everything to belong
to his monastery. The Jesuits had learned of this and were sending young
Moncada to undo the Franciscan friar's combinations and establish the
reign of the Loyolists.

In another place, named Villavieja, Caesar found that the four or five
persons interested in Castrian politics were against him. It seemed that
the Conservative candidate they wanted was the one protected by Father
Martin, who had promised them results greatly to their advantage.

In general, the people in the towns were not up on politics; when Caesar
asked them what they thought about the different questions that interest
a country, they shrugged their shoulders.

In the outlying hamlets they didn't know either who the king was or what
his name was.

The only way in which the trip was of service to the future candidate
was by giving him an idea of how elections were carried on, by teaching
him who carried the returns to Don. Calixto, and showing him which of
these people could be warranted to be honourable and which were rascals.

INDIFFERENCE IN CASTRO

Three days before the election Caesar appeared in Castro and went to
stay at Don Calixto's house. Nobody knew about his expedition in the
environs. There were no preparations whatever. People said they were
going to change Deputies; but really this was of no great moment in the
life of the town.

Saturday night the party committee met in the Casino at seven. Caesar
arrived a few minutes early; no one was there. He was shown into a
shabby salon, lighted by an oil lamp.

It was cold in the room, and Caesar walked about while he waited. On the
ceiling a complete canopy of spider-webs, like dusty silver, trembled in
every draught.

At half-past eight the first members of the committee arrived; the
others kept on coming lazily in. Each one had some pretext to excuse his
being late.

The fact was that the matter interested nobody; the politics of the
district were going to go on as formerly, and really it wasn't worth
while thinking about. Caesar was a decorative figure with no background.

At nine all the members of the committee were in the Casino. Don Calixto
made a speech which he prolonged in an alarming manner. Caesar answered
him in another speech, which was heard with absolute coldness.

Then a frantic gabbling let loose; everybody wanted to talk. They
abandoned themselve