ace the appearance of a pasteboard mask. "But, my dear boy, between
thinking things and showing them in that irreverent manner, there is a
distance which a man of good sense and good breeding should never cross.
I am well aware that your ideas are----Now, don't get angry! If you
get angry, I will be silent. I say that it is one thing to have certain
ideas about religion and another thing to express them. I will take good
care not to reproach you because you believe that God did not create us
in his image and likeness, but that we are descended from the monkeys;
nor because you deny the existence of the soul, asserting that it is a
drug, like the little papers of rhubarb and magnesia that are sold at
the apothecary's--"

"Senora, for Heaven's sake!" exclaimed Pepe, with annoyance. "I see that
I have a very bad reputation in Orbajosa."

The others remained silent.

"As I said, I will not reproach you for entertaining those ideas. And,
besides, I have not the right to do so. If I should undertake to argue
with you, you, with your wonderful talents, would confute me a thousand
times over. No, I will not attempt any thing of that kind. What I say
is that these poor and humble inhabitants of Orbajosa are pious and
good Christians, although they know nothing about German philosophy, and
that, therefore, you ought not publicly to manifest your contempt for
their beliefs."

"My dear aunt," said the engineer gravely, "I have shown no contempt for
any one, nor do I entertain the ideas which you attribute to me. Perhaps
I may have been a little wanting in reverence in the church. I am
somewhat absent-minded. My thoughts and my attention were engaged
with the architecture of the building and, frankly speaking, I did not
observe----But this was no reason for the bishop to think of putting me
out of the church, nor for you to suppose me capable of attributing to
a paper from the apothecary's the functions of the soul. I may tolerate
that as a jest, but only as a jest."

The agitation of Pepe Rey's mind was so great that, notwithstanding his
natural prudence and moderation, he was unable to conceal it.

"There! I see that you are angry," said Dona Perfecta, casting down her
eyes and clasping her hands. "I am very sorry. If I had known that you
would have taken it in that way, I should not have spoken to you. Pepe,
I ask your pardon."

Hearing these words and seeing his kind aunt's deprecating attitude,
Pepe felt ashamed of the