f
the bundle of papers left at his death by the reverend dean, although we
refrain from publishing it entire, we shall at least give a sample of
it.

No one can entertain the least doubt that Don Luis and Pepita, united by
an irresistible love, almost of the same age, she beautiful, he brave
and handsome, both intelligent and full of goodness, would enjoy during
a long life as much peace and happiness as falls to the lot of mortals.
And this supposition, which, for those who have read the preceding
narrative, is a logically drawn deduction from it, is converted into a
certainty for him who reads the epilogue.

The epilogue gives, besides, some information respecting the secondary
personages of the narrative, in whose fate the reader may possibly be
interested. It consists of a collection of letters addressed by Don
Pedro de Vargas to his brother the dean, dating from the day of his
son's marriage to four years later.

Without prefixing to them the dates, although following their
chronological order, we shall transcribe here a few short extracts from
these letters, and thus bring our task to an end:

* * * * *

Luis manifests the most lively gratitude toward Antonona, without whose
services he would not now possess Pepita. But this woman, the accomplice
of the sole fault of which either he or Pepita had been guilty in their
lives, living as she did on the most familiar footing in the house, and
fully acquainted with all that had taken place, could not but be in the
way. To get rid of her, then, and at the same time to do her a service,
Luis set to work to bring about a reconciliation between her and her
husband, whose daily fits of drunkenness she had refused to put up with.
The son of Master Cencias gave his promise that he would get drunk
_hardly ever_; but he would not venture on an absolute and
uncompromising _never_. Confiding in this half-promise, however,
Antonona consented to return to the conjugal roof. Husband and wife
being thus reunited, it occurred to Luis that a homeopathic principle of
treatment might prove efficacious with the son of Master Cencias, in
curing him radically of his vice; for, having heard it affirmed that
confectioners detest sweets, he concluded that, on the same principle,
tavern-keepers ought to detest whisky; and he sent Antonona and her
husband to the capital of the province, where, at his own cost, he set
them up in a fine tavern. Both live there t