privations upon
himself. He scarcely ever bathes or eats pork, because, according to
him, the Spaniards don't do those things, and for the same reason he
doesn't eat rice and dried fish, although he may be watering at the
mouth and dying of hunger. Anything that comes from Europe, rotten
or preserved, he considers divine--a month ago Basilio cured him of
a severe attack of gastritis, for he had eaten a jar of mustard to
prove that he's a European."

At that moment the orchestra struck up a waltz.

"You see that gentleman--that hypochondriac who goes along turning
his head from side to side, seeking salutes? That's the celebrated
governor of Pangasinan, a good man who loses his appetite whenever any
Indian fails to salute him. He would have died if he hadn't issued the
proclamation about salutes to which he owes his celebrity. Poor fellow,
it's only been three days since he came from the province and look how
thin he has become! Oh, here's the great man, the illustrious--open
your eyes!"

"Who? That man with knitted brows?"

"Yes, that's Don Custodio, the liberal, Don Custodio. His brows are
knit because he's meditating over some important project. If the
ideas he has in his head were carried out, this would be a different
world! Ah, here comes Makaraig, your housemate."

It was in fact Makaraig, with Pecson, Sandoval, and Isagani. Upon
seeing them, Tadeo advanced and spoke to them.

"Aren't you coming in?" Makaraig asked him.

"We haven't been able to get tickets."

"Fortunately, we have a box," replied Makaraig. "Basilio couldn't
come. Both of you, come in with us."

Tadeo did not wait for the invitation to be repeated, but the novice,
fearing that he would intrude, with the timidity natural to the
provincial Indian, excused himself, nor could he be persuaded to enter.

CHAPTER XXII

THE PERFORMANCE

The interior of the theater presented a lively aspect. It was filled
from top to bottom, with people standing in the corridors and in
the aisles, fighting to withdraw a head from some hole where they
had inserted it, or to shove an eye between a collar and an ear. The
open boxes, occupied for the most part by ladies, looked like baskets
of flowers, whose petals--the fans--shook in a light breeze, wherein
hummed a thousand bees. However, just as there are flowers of strong
or delicate fragrance, flowers that kill and flowers that console,
so from our baskets were exhaled like emanations: there wer