'What
if he has gone to make love to some one else?' She replied to me:
'Would to God that he had!' and then began to cry."

Ibarra was serious.

"Tell Maria that I want to speak with her alone."

"Alone?" asked Sinang, knitting her eyebrows and looking at him.

"Entirely alone, no. But so that we may not be seen by that other
senor."

"It is difficult, but don't worry. I will tell her."

"And when will I know the answer?"

"To-morrow come to the house early. Maria never wants to be alone. We
keep her company. Victoria sleeps by her side one night, and I
the next. To-morrow night it is my turn. But listen: What is the
secret? You are going without telling me the principal thing."

"That is true. I was in the town of Los Banos. I went up there to do
some business in cocoanut trees, since I am thinking of building a
factory. Your father will be my partner."

"Nothing more than that? Give us the secret!" exclaimed Sinang in a
loud voice and in the tone of a defrauded usurer. "I thought----"

"Take care. I don't want you to tell it."

"I have no desire to!" replied Sinang, sticking up her nose. "If it
were something more important, I would tell it to my friends. But to
buy cocoanuts! cocoanuts! Who is interested in cocoanuts?"

And she went away in haste to find her girl friends.

A few moments afterward, Ibarra seeing that the conversation was
lagging, took leave of the gathering. Captain Tiago's expression
was between sweet and sour; Linares was silent and observing; and
the curate, feigning to be joyful, was telling stories. None of the
girls had returned.

CHAPTER XXXIII

PLAYING CARDS WITH THE SHADES.

A cloudy sky hides the moon, and a cold wind, the omen of approaching
December, whirls the dry leaves and dust in the narrow path leading
to the cemetery.

Under the gate, three forms are conversing in a low tone.

"Have you spoken to Elias?" asked a voice.

"No; you know he is very odd and discreet. But he ought to be with
us. Don Crisostomo saved his life."

"I accepted the offer for the same reason," said the first voice. "Don
Crisostomo is having my wife treated at a doctor's house in Manila. I
have agreed to take charge of the convent in the attack, so that I
can settle my accounts with the curate."

"And we, we will have charge of the attack on the cuartel, so that we
can say to the members of the Guardia Civil that our father had sons."

"How many will there be of you?"