persecuted pitilessly.
Favored then by his boldness, by bribery, or by we know not what,
Caballuco entered Orbajosa, gained new recruits, and collected arms and
money. Either for the great security of his person or in order to save
appearances, he did not set foot in his own house; he entered Dona
Perfecta's only for the purpose of treating of important affairs, and
he usually supped in the house of some friend, preferring always the
respected domicile of some priest, and especially that of Don Inocencio,
where he had taken refuge on the fateful morning of the arrests.

Meanwhile Batalla had telegraphed to the Government the information
that a plot of the rebels having been discovered its authors had been
imprisoned, and the few who had succeeded in escaping had fled in
various directions and were being actively pursued by the military.

CHAPTER XXVI

MARIA REMEDIOS

There is nothing more entertaining than to search for the cause of
some interesting event which surprises or agitates us, and nothing more
satisfactory than to discover it. When, seeing violent passions in open
or concealed conflict, and led by the natural intuitive impulse which
always accompanies human observation we succeed in discovering the
hidden source from which that turbulent river had derived its waters,
we experience a sensation very similar to the delight of the explorer or
the discoverer of an unknown land.

This delight Providence has now bestowed upon us; for, exploring
the hidden recesses of the hearts which beat in this story, we have
discovered an event that is assuredly the source of the most important
events that we have narrated; a passion which is the first drop of water
of the impetuous current whose course we are observing.

Let us go on with our story, then. To do so, let us leave Senora de
Polentinos, without concerning ourselves in regard to what may have
happened to her on the morning of her conversation with Maria Remedios.
Returning to her house, full of anxiety, she found herself obliged to
endure the apologies and the civilities of Senor Pinzon, who assured
her that while he lived her house should not be searched. Dona Perfecta
responded haughtily, without deigning to look at him, for which reason
he asked her politely for an explanation of her coldness, to which
she replied requesting Senor Pinzon to leave her house, deferring to a
future occasion the explanation which she would require from him of his
perfidious