of a barber is somewhat less important
than it used to be when cleanliness required of a man that he should
appear at early mass on the Sunday well shaved; but in Spain,
cleanliness of the face is a great recommendation, for a rough chin
never earned kisses. Therefore is a barber still held in great respect
in the land of the Cid; and although Don Pedro Moreno was known by the
name of "El Macho," no one would have dared address him thus.

One day the archbishop called on El Macho to request of him to come and
look at the image of St. James in the cathedral, to whom the edifice is
dedicated, because this miraculous figure, who had wrought so many
miracles, had, strange to say, commenced letting his beard grow, much to
the astonishment of all the priesthood and of the common people, and to
the dismay of several knights who had been knighted at the altar of St.
James, because in those days knights did not use beards.

The barber, seeing the archbishop enter his house, advanced, knelt, and
kissed his ring; and, knowing on what errand he was come, he was so
solicitous of securing the archbishop's favour, that he put aside his
guitar, and respectfully awaited the prelate's commands.

The archbishop having informed Pedro of the state of St. James's chin,
proceeded to inform him that it had been decided, at a meeting of the
clergy, to entrust the shaving of the saint to him, Pedro Moreno; but
that, as this growth of hair was most exceptional, seeing that the image
was of wood, it was probable that the usual process of shaving might not
be sufficient.

"And you are quite right, most excellent sir, in your supposition,"
exclaimed the barber; "for unless I obtain some of the holy water in
which the good saint was baptized, and a piece of the soap with which
Judas Iscariot greased the rope with which he hanged himself, it will be
useless to try and shave him, for the hair will grow as fast as it is
taken off."

"But that is impossible," answered the archbishop; "for we do not even
know where the good saint was baptized; and as for the soap last used by
the arch-traitor, I should not be astonished to hear that Satan had
taken it away with him when he came to fetch Judas. No, good Pedro; you
must help me out of this difficulty in some other manner."

"Then we must do with St. James of Compostella what the men of Burgos
did with their alcaide, who persisted in getting drunk when he ought to
have been getting sober. They got anot