k of the habits of the birds
and of the influence of the winds. He knew how the gold-finches,
yellow-hammers, and linnets make their nests, and the preference some of
them have for coltsfoot cotton, and others for wool or for cow's hair.
He told Caesar a lot of things, many of which could have existed only in
his imagination, but which were entertaining.

ONE DAY AT CHRISTMASTIME

One day at Christmastime Alzugaray went in the morning to look for
Caesar. He knew where to find him and walked direct to the Calle de
Galileo. At the house, they told him that Caesar was eating in a tavern
close at hand.

Alzugaray went into the place and found his friend the Deputy seated
in a coner eating. He had the appearance of a superior workman, an
electrician, carver, or something of the sort.

"If people find out you behave so extravagantly, they will think you are
crazy," said Alzugaray.

"Pshaw! Nobody comes here," replied Caesar. "The political world and
this are separate worlds. This one belongs to the people who have to
shoulder the load of everything, and the other is a world of villains,
robbers, idiots, and fools. Really, it is difficult to find anything
so vile, so inept, and so useless as a Spanish politician. The Spanish
middle class is a warren of rogues and villains. I feel an enormous
repugnance to brushing against it. That is why I came here now and then
to talk to these people; not because these are good, no; the first and
the last of them are riff-raff, but at least they say what they mean and
they blaspheme naively."

"What are you going to do after lunch?" Alzugaray asked him. "Have you
got a sweetheart in one of the old-clothes shops of the quarter?"

"No. I was thinking of taking a walk; that's all."

"Then come along."

They left the tavern and went along a street between sides of sand cut
straight down, and started up the Cerro del Pimiento. The soft, vague
mist allowed the Guadarrama to stand out visible.

"This landscape enchants me," said Caesar.

"It seems hard and gloomy," responded Alzugaray.

"Yes, that is true; hard and gloomy, but noble. When one is drenched
with a miserable political life, when one actually forms a part of
that Olympus of madmen called Congress, one needs to be purified. How
miserable, how vile that political life is! How many faces pale with
envy there are! What low and repugnant hatreds! When I come out
nauseated by seeing those people; when I am soaked with repug