reality to get away from Santiago,
where the social atmosphere was not agreeable, and to settle in some
more advantageous place.

That new place was found at Havana. Since the burning of it by French
buccaneers that city had been rebuilt in a much more attractive style
than Santiago, and society there was more hospitable to the governor's
wife. A plausible excuse for settling there was, moreover, readily
found. It was necessary, for the protection of the place against another
French attack, that the valiant governor should remain there in person.
For the furtherance of this purpose, he procured the free granting to
him of a choice tract of land, and also the free gift of materials for
building him a fine mansion. Whether the citizens of Havana gave the
materials willingly, for the sake of having the governor of the island
living among them, or under some sort of compulsion, may not certainly
be declared. Two traditions have been extant. One was, that they gave
the materials under compulsion, and that for that reason the governor's
mansion was called the "House of Fear." The other was, that they gave
them willingly, even eagerly, because of actual dread of another French
descent; thinking that if the governor himself lived there, he would
take all possible measures for the defence of the place; and that it was
for that reason that it was called the "House of Fear."

After completing the house and living there for some time, however, De
Avila deemed it politic to return to Santiago. His absence from the
latter place had given rise to great dissatisfaction there and
throughout all the eastern part of the island, where of course the
majority of the population, of wealth and of political and other
influence were still to be found. Indeed, protests had been lodged with
the crown against what was described as the governor's abandonment of
the lawful seat of government of the island. Suspicions of his
unworthiness had already strongly arisen at court, and orders were sent
for the Supreme Court of Hispaniola, which still had jurisdiction in
Cuba, to investigate his conduct. The report was unfavorable, and in
consequence the crown summarily appointed Antonio Chaves to succeed him
as governor; directing Chaves to conduct a searching inquest into De
Avila's administration without regard to the report already made by the
agent of the supreme court of Hispaniola.

The sequel was the greatest public scandal that had thus far marred