lame for all of this," sighed a woman.

The school teacher also was wandering about in the crowd. Nor Juan
was no longer rubbing his hands, nor was he carrying his yard stick
and plumb line. He had heard the bad news and, faithful to his custom
of seeing the future as a thing that had already happened, he was
dressed in mourning, mourning for the death of Ibarra.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, an uncovered cart, drawn by two oxen,
stopped in front of the tribunal.

The cart was surrounded by the crowd. They wanted to destroy it.

"Don't do that!" said Capitana Maria. "Do you want them to walk?"

This remark stopped the relatives of the prisoners. Twenty soldiers
came out and surrounded the cart. Then came the prisoners.

The first was Don Filipo; he was tied. He greeted his wife with a
smile. Doray broke into a bitter lamentation and two soldiers had to
work hard to keep her from embracing her husband. Antonio, the son of
Captain Tinay, next appeared, crying like a child--a fact which made
the family cry all the more. The imbecile, Andong, broke out in a wail
when he saw his mother-in-law, the cause of his misfortune. Albino,
the former seminary student, came out with his hands tied, as did
also the twin sons of Capitana Maria. These three youths were serious
and grave. The last who came was Ibarra. The young man was pale. He
looked about for the face of Maria Clara.

"That is the one who is to blame!" cried many voices. "He is to blame
and he will go free."

"My son-in-law has done nothing and he is handcuffed."

Ibarra turned to the guards.

"Tie me, and tie me well, elbow to elbow," said he.

"We have no orders."

"Tie me!"

The soldiers obeyed.

The alferez appeared on horse-back, armed to the teeth. Ten or fifteen
more soldiers followed him.

Each of the prisoners had there in the crowd his family praying
for him, weeping for him, and calling him by the most affectionate
names. Ibarra was the only exception. Even Nor Juan himself and the
school-teacher had disappeared.

"What have you done to my husband and my son?" said Doray to Ibarra,
crying. "See my poor boy! You have deprived him of a father!"

The grief of the people was changed to wrath against the young man,
accused of having provoked the riot. The alferez gave orders to depart.

"You are a coward!" cried the mother-in-law of Andong to Ibarra. "While
the others were fighting for you, you were hiding. Coward!"

"Curses upon you!" s