d been recently acquiring. This sudden
attack of obstreperous joy formed a lovely contrast with the usual
seriousness of her character. Miguel, who knew the reason of it, looked
at her with delight.

When he was entirely recovered, it was incumbent upon them to attend
mass at San Sebastian. Maximina suggested it, and asked him with so much
humility that he hadn't the heart to object.

The former _colegiala_ of the convent of Vergara could not help mixing
religion with all the acts of her life. Miguel, in spite of his own lack
of faith, found his wife's piety so poetical, so innocent, that it never
once passed through his mind to disaffect her of it. "If ever it became
hypocritical, it would be quite another thing," he said to himself.

Consequently he was not at all averse to going with her every Sunday to
mass; besides, Maximina for many months could not bring herself to set
foot in the street alone.

After a while, however, the brigadier's son began to forget his duty,
and under the pretext that San Sebastian was near at hand, he would stay
at home Sunday mornings, while Maximina, with heroic courage, would
assume the terrible risk of going to church all by herself.

Still she suffered greatly; she imagined that everybody despised her,
that they were going to say impudent things to her; the unfriendly
glances so much in fashion among the natives of Madrid filled her with
terror; she could have wished to be invisible!

But she did not venture to tell her fears to Miguel, lest she should vex
him, and cause him to go to mass with her against his inclinations.

One morning, a little while after she had started out for church, Miguel
heard the bell ring violently; then the library door was flung open, and
Maximina came in, pale as a sheet.

"What has happened?" he demanded, rising.

Maximina dropped into a chair, hid her face in her hands, and began to
weep.

Miguel anxiously insisted: "Did you feel ill?"

The young wife made an affirmative gesture.

"How was it? Tell me."

"I don't know," she replied, in a weak and hesitating voice. "I had been
in church but a few minutes.... I begun to feel sick. Then the pictures
of the saints began to waver before my eyes.... I felt as though my
sight were leaving me.... And without knowing what I was doing I started
to run.... And before I knew it I found myself near the grand altar....
I heard the people saying: 'What is it? what is it?' and that there was
a confusion