home presided over by
religion, that should be at once the asylum of the needy, the center of
culture and friendly conviviality, and the clear mirror in which the
domestic virtues should be reflected; joining in one, finally, conjugal
love and the love of God, in order that God might sanctify and be
present in their dwelling, making it the temple in which both should be
his ministers, until, by the will of Heaven, they should be called to a
better life.

Two obstacles must first be removed, however, before all this could be
realized, and Don Luis began to consider with himself how he might best
remove them.

The one was the displeasure, perhaps the anger, of his father, whom he
had defrauded of his dearest hopes. The other was of a very different
and, in a certain sense, of a much more serious character. Don Luis,
while he entertained the purpose of becoming a priest, was right in
defending Pepita from the gross insults of the Count of Genazahar by the
weapons of argument only, and in taking no vengeance for the scorn and
contempt with which those arguments were listened to. But, having now
determined to lay aside the cassock, and obliged, as he was, to declare
immediately that he was betrothed to Pepita and was going to marry her,
Don Luis, notwithstanding his peaceable disposition, his dreams of human
brotherhood, and his religious belief, all of which remained intact in
his soul, and all of which were alike opposed to violent measures, could
not succeed in reconciling it with his dignity to refrain from breaking
the head of the insolent count. He knew well that dueling is a barbarous
practice; that Pepita had no need of the blood of the count to wash
from her name the stain of calumny; and even that the count himself had
uttered the insults he had uttered, not because he believed them, nor
perhaps through an excess of hatred, but through stupidity and want of
breeding. Notwithstanding all these reflections, however, Don Luis was
conscious that he would never again be able to respect himself, and, as
a consequence, would never be able to perform to his taste the _role_ of
Philemon, if he did not begin with that of Furabras, by giving the count
his deserts; asking God, meantime, never again to place him in a similar
position.

This matter, then, being decided upon, he resolved to bring it to an end
as soon as possible. And as it appeared to him that it would be
inexpedient, as well as in bad taste, to arrange the a