ndoy shall be a priest. It is true,
we are poor; but Father Mateo says Pope Sixtu was once a keeper
of carabaos at Batanzas! Look at my Andoy; hasn't he a face like
St. Vincent?" and the good mother's mouth watered at the sight of
her son with his fork in both hands!

"God help us!" said the old man, munching his sapa. "If Andoy gets
to be pope, we will go to Rome! I can walk yet! Ho! Ho!"

Another peasant came up.

"It's decided, neighbor," he said, "my son is to be a doctor."

"A doctor! Don't speak of it!" replied Petra. "There's nothing
like being a curate! He has only to make two or three turns and say
'deminos pabiscum' and he gets his money."

"And isn't it work to confess?"

"Work! Think of the trouble we take to find out the affairs of
our neighbors! The curate has only to sit down, and they tell him
everything!"

"And preaching? Don't you call that work?"

"Preaching? Where is your head? To scold half a day from the pulpit
without any one's daring to reply and be paid for it into the
bargain! Look, look at Father Damaso! See how fat he gets with his
shouting and pounding!"

In truth, Father Damaso was that moment passing the children's booth in
the gait peculiar to men of his size. As he entered the other booth,
he was half smiling, but so maliciously that at sight of it Ibarra,
who was talking, lost the thread of his speech.

The guests were astonished to see the father, but every one except
Ibarra received him with signs of pleasure. They were at the dessert,
and the champagne was sparkling in the cups.

Father Damaso's smile became nervous when he saw Maria Clara sitting
next Crisostomo, but, taking a chair beside the alcalde, he said in
the midst of a significant silence:

"You were talking of something, senores; continue!"

"We had come to the toasts," said the alcalde. "Senor Ibarra was
mentioning those who had aided him in his philanthropic enterprise,
and he was speaking of the architect when your reverence----"

"Ah, well! I know nothing about architecture," interrupted Father
Damaso, "but I scorn architects and the simpletons who make use
of them."

"Nevertheless," said the alcalde, as Ibarra was silent, "when certain
buildings are in question, like a school, for example, an expert
is needed----"

"An expert!" cried the father, with sarcasm. "One needs be more
stupid than the Indians, who build their own houses, not to know how
to raise four walls and put a roof on them. Nothing