ation may be due to a disease," said Alzugaray.

"No, because the mutation, after taking place, persists from generation
to generation, not with pathological characteristics, but with
completely normal ones."

"It is most curious."

"These experiments have produced Neo-Darwinism. The Neo-Darwinists, with
Hugo de Vries at their head, believe that species are not generally
gradually transformed, but that they produce new forms in a sudden,
brusque way, having children different from the fathers. And if such
brusque variations can take place in a characteristic so fixed as
physiological form, what may not happen in a thing so unstable as the
manner of thinking? Thus, it is very possible that the men of the
Italian Renaissance or the French Revolution were mentally distinct from
their predecessors and their successors, and they may even have been
organically distinct."

"But this overthrows the whole doctrine of evolution," said Alzugaray.

"No. The only thing it has done is to distinguish two forms of change:
one, the slow variation already verified by everybody, the other the
brusque variation pointed out by Hugo de Vries. We see now that the
impulses, which in politics are called evolution and revolution, are
only reflexions of Nature's movements."

"So then, we may hope that Castro Duro will change into an Athens?"
asked Alzugaray.

"We may hope so," said Caesar.

"All right, let's hope sleeping."

They ordered the porter to prepare two berths in the car, and they both
lay down.

THE RECEPTION

In the morning Caesar went to the dressing-room, and a short while later
came back clean and dressed up as if he were at a ball.

"How spruce you are!" Alzugaray said to him.

"Yes, that's because they will come to receive me at the station."

"Honestly?"

"Yes."

"Ha... ha... ha...!" laughed Alzugaray.

"What are you laughing at?" asked Caesar, smiling.

"At your having arranged a reception and brought me along for a
witness."

"No, man, no," said Caesar; "I have arranged nothing. The workmen of the
Club will come down out of gratitude."

"Ah, that's it! Then there will be only a few."

At this juncture the car door opened and a man in the dirty clothes of a
mechanic appeared.

"Don Caesar Moncada?" he inquired.

"What is it?" said Caesar.

"I belong to the Castro Workmen's Club and I have come to welcome you
ahead of anybody else," and he held out his hand. "Greetings!"

"Greetings! Regard