that!" cried Dona Victorina.

"Senora," said the alferez, furious, "it is fortunate that I remember
you are a woman; if I didn't, I should trample you down, with all
your curls and ribbons!"

"Se--senor alferez!"

"Move on, charlatan! It's not you who wear the breeches!"

Armed with words and gestures, with cries, insults, and injuries,
the two women hurled at each other all there was in them of soil
and shame. All four talked at once, and in the multitude of words
numerous verities were paraded in the light. If they did not hear
all, the crowd of the curious did not fail to be diverted. They were
looking forward to battle, but, unhappily for these amateurs of sport,
the curate came by and established peace.

"Senoras! senoras! what a scandal! Senor alferez!"

"What are you doing here, hypocrite, carlist!"

"Don Tiburcio, take away your wife! Senora, restrain your tongue!"

Little by little the dictionary of sounding epithets became
exhausted. The shameless shrews found nothing left to say to each
other, and still threatening, the two couples drew slowly apart,
the curate going from one to the other, lavishing himself on both.

"We shall leave for Manila this very day and present ourselves to
the captain-general!" said the infuriated Dona Victorina to her
husband. "You are no man!"

"But--but, wife, the guards, and I am lame."

"You are to challenge him, with swords or pistols, or else--or
else----" And she looked at his teeth.

"Woman, I've never handled----"

Dona Victorina let him go no farther; with a sublime movement she
snatched out his teeth, threw them in the dust, and trampled them
under her feet. The doctor almost crying, the doctora pelting him
with sarcasms, they arrived at the house of Captain Tiago. Linares,
who was talking with Maria Clara, was no little disquieted by the
abrupt arrival of his cousins. Maria, amid the pillows of her fauteuil,
was not less surprised at the new physiognomy of her doctor.

"Cousin," said Dona Victorina, "you are to go and challenge the
alferez this instant; if not----"

"Why?" demanded the astonished Linares.

"You are to go and challenge him this instant; if not, I shall say
here, and to everybody, who you are."

"Dona Victorina!"

The three friends looked at each other.

"The alferez has insulted us. The old sorceress came down with a whip
to assault us, and this creature did nothing to prevent it! A man!"

"Hear that!" said Sinang regretfully. "T