triking their eyes--only at that
moment, I repeat, and not before, does Xenophon appear in his own
person; then he emerges from the ranks to speak with Cyrus, and explains
to him the cry that ran from Greek to Greek; it was no other than what
in our day we call the watchword; and on that occasion it was "_Jupiter
the Savior, and victory!_"

The reverend dean, who was a man of taste, and very well versed in the
classics, would not be likely to fall into the error of introducing
himself into the narrative, and mixing himself up with it, under pretext
of being the uncle or tutor of the hero; and of vexing the reader by
coming out at every step a little difficult or slippery, with a "Stop
there!" or "What are you about to do?" or, "Take care you do not fall,
unhappy boy!" or other warnings of a like sort. Not to open his lips,
on the other hand, or manifest disapprobation in any way whatever, he
being present at least in spirit, would, in the case of some of the
incidents related, have been but little becoming. In view of these
facts, the reverend dean, with the discretion which was characteristic
of him, may possibly have composed the _paralipomena_, without
disclosing his identity to the reader. This much is certain, however--he
added notes and comments of an edifying and profitable character, where
such or such a passage seemed to require them. But these I have
suppressed, for the reason that notes and comments are now out of
fashion, and because this little book would be beyond measure voluminous
if it were printed with these additions.

I shall insert here, however, in the body of the text, the comment of
the reverend dean on the rapid transformation of Don Luis from
spiritual-mindedness to the reverse, as it is curious and throws much
light on the whole matter.

"This change of purpose of my nephew," he says, "does not disappoint me.
I foresaw it from the time he wrote me his first letters. I was deceived
in regard to Luisito in the beginning. I believed him to have a true
religious vocation; but I soon recognized the fact that his was a vain
poetic spirit. Mysticism was the form his poetic imaginings took, only
until a more adequate form presented itself.

"Praised be God, who has willed that Luisito should be undeceived in
time! A bad priest he would have made, if Pepita Ximenez had not so
opportunely presented herself. His very impatience to attain to
perfection at a single bound would have caused me to suspect