e to a private
mad-house in Paris. Dona Martina and her family had also gone there to
look after him. Enrique was not in the condition to lend it to him. His
step-mother was out of town, and she had barely enough to live decently;
moreover, it caused him an invincible repugnance to ask back what he had
once given. No one of the family was left of whom he could ask it,
except his Uncle Manolo.

To him he went.

Uncle Manolo, a grave man and of excellent charity, although he knew
about his nephew's ruin, had not realized that it was so complete. He
stood with his mouth open at hearing his request. He took out of his
drawer the forty duros which he had requested and handed them to him.
Miguel, through certain words that escaped him, perceived that he was
undergoing a greater sacrifice than any one could have imagined. He
suspected, or rather he felt, almost certain, that his uncle was
subjected to a shameful servitude. _La intendenta_ apparently had no
thought of abandoning the care of her property, and she allowed him each
month a certain sum of money for his private wants, which were, as
always, large and perfectly indispensable.

Accordingly, Miguel went away greatly disturbed at the interview, and
convinced that to borrow money of Uncle Manolo in such circumstances was
equivalent to giving him a very great annoyance.

After this episode, convinced that he had no right to expect aid from
his relatives, he put forth double zeal in his search for work of any
kind. But all his attempts met with the bad luck which pitilessly
followed him. In some places there was no vacancy; in others, finding
that he was a senorito, and had never been in any counting-house, they
distrusted him.

At the editorial offices he was most kindly received; but, as at that
time, and even now, the pecuniary affairs of the press were rather
upset, willing as the directors would have been, they did not find it
easy to give him a position. The most that any of them promised was to
give him a place as soon as there was a vacancy. But what he needed now,
at this very moment, was some money to buy food, and the days were
passing, and it did not come. Without Maximina knowing about it, he
pawned a set of gold studs and a ring which had belonged to his father.

Finally the owner of an afternoon paper gave his absolute promise that
he should have forty duros a month, as soon as a month was past: during
the actual month, on account of certain difficult