ra stepped back.

"My enemies? Have I enemies?"

"All of us have, sir, all from the lowest insect to man, from the
poorest to the richest and most powerful. Enmity is the law of
life. You have enemies in the highest and in the lowest ranks. You
are planning a great undertaking; you have a past; your father, your
grandfather had enemies because they had passion. In life it is not
criminals who provoke the most hatred, but rather honorable men."

"Do you know my enemies?"

Elias did not reply at once, but meditated.

"I knew one, the one who has died," he replied. "Last night I
discovered that something was being plotted against you, through some
words that were exchanged between him and an unknown man who lost
himself in the crowd. 'The fish will not eat this one as they did
his father; you will see to-morrow,' said he. These words attracted
my attention, not only on account of their meaning but because they
were spoken by this man, who only a few days ago had presented himself
to the superintendent of the work with the express desire that he be
given charge of the work of placing the corner stone. He did not ask
for a large wage, but made a great show of his knowledge. I had no
sufficient reasons to attribute evil designs to him, but something
told me that my suspicions were right. For this reason, in order to
warn you, I chose a moment and an occasion when you could not ask me
any questions. You already know the rest."

Elias was then silent for some moments; yet Ibarra did not reply nor
utter a word. He was meditating.

"I am sorry that the man is dead," he replied at last. "We might have
been able to learn something more about it from him."

"If he had lived he would have escaped from the trembling hand of
blind, human justice. God has now judged him! God has killed him! Let
God be the only judge!"

Crisostomo looked a moment at the man who was speaking to him in this
manner. He noticed that his muscular arms were covered with bruises
and black and blue spots.

"Do you also believe in the miracle version of the affair?" he said,
smiling--"this miracle of which the people speak?"

"If I believed in miracles, I would not believe in God. I would believe
in a deified man. In fact, I would believe that man had created God
after his image and likeness," he replied solemnly. "But I believe
in Him. More than once I have felt His hand. When all was falling
headlong, threatening destruction for everything which w