t was unfortunate that war should happen to come when they had so
little money. Argensola was hating the banks even more than the Central
Powers, distinguishing with special antipathy the trust company which
was delaying payment of Julio's check. How lovely it would have been
with this sum available, to have forestalled events by laying in every
class of commodity! In order to supplement the domestic scrimping,
he again had to solicit the aid of Dona Luisa. War had lessened Don
Marcelo's precautions, and the family was now living in generous
unconcern. The mother, like other house mistresses, had stored up
provisions for months and months to come, buying whatever eatables she
was able to lay hands on. Argensola took advantage of this abundance,
repeating his visits to the home in the avenue Victor Hugo, descending
its service stairway with great packages which were swelling the
supplies in the studio.

He felt all the joys of a good housekeeper in surveying the treasures
piled up in the kitchen--great tins of canned meat, pyramids of butter
crocks, and bags of dried vegetables. He had accumulated enough there to
maintain a large family. The war had now offered a new pretext for him
to visit Don Marcelo's wine-vaults.

"Let them come!" he would say with a heroic gesture as he took stock
of his treasure trove. "Let them come when they will! We are ready for
them!"

The care and increase of his provisions, and the investigation of news
were the two functions of his existence. It seemed necessary to procure
ten, twelve, fifteen papers a day; some because they were reactionary,
and the novelty of seeing all the French united filled him with
enthusiasm; others because they were radical and must be better informed
of the news received from the government. They generally appeared at
midday, at three, at four and at five in the afternoon. An half hour's
delay in the publication of the sheet raised great hopes in the public,
on the qui vive for stupendous news. All the last supplements were
snatched up; everybody had his pockets stuffed with papers, waiting
anxiously the issue of extras in order to buy them, too. Yet all the
sheets were saying approximately the same thing.

Argensola was developing a credulous, enthusiastic soul, capable of
admitting many improbable things. He presumed that this same spirit
was probably animating everybody around him. At times, his old critical
attitude would threaten to rebel, but doubt was