ure that his tendencies were--bibulous, and our meeting-place was a
tavern; but when we arrived they told us that don Felipe--such was his
name--had been taken his morning dram and gone; however, if we went to
another inn we should doubtless find him. But there we heard he had not
yet arrived, he was not due till half-past five. To pass the time we
drank a mouthful of _aguardiente_ and smoked a cigarette, and eventually
the medico was espied in the distance. We went towards him--a round, fat
person with a red face and a redder nose, somewhat shabbily dressed.

He looked at me pointedly and said:

'I'm dry. _Vengo seco._'

It was a hint not to be neglected, and we returned to the tavern where
don Felipe had his nip.

'It's very good for the stomach,' he assured me.

We sallied forth together, and as we walked he told me the number of
prisoners, the sort of crimes for which they were detained--ranging from
man-slaughter to petty larceny--and finally, details of his own career.
He was an intelligent man, and when we came to the prison door insisted
on drinking my health.

The prison is an old convent, and it is a little startling to see the
church facade, with a statue of the Madonna over the central porch. At
the steps a number of women stood waiting with pots and jars and
handkerchiefs full of food for their relatives within; and when the
doctor appeared several rushed up to ask about a father or a son that
lay sick. We went in and there was a melodramatic tinkling of keys and
an unlocking of heavy doors.

The male prisoners, the adults, were in the _patio_ of the convent,
where in olden days the nuns had wandered on summer evenings, watering
their roses. The iron door was opened and shut behind us; there was a
movement of curiosity at the sight of a stranger, and many turned to
look at me. Such as had illnesses came to the doctor, and he looked at
their tongues and felt their pulse, giving directions to an assistant
who stood beside him with a note-book. Don Felipe was on excellent terms
with his patients, laughing and joking; a malingerer asked if he could
not have a little wine because his throat was sore; the doctor jeered
and the man began to laugh; they bandied repartees with one another.

There were about two hundred in the _patio_, and really they did not
seem to have so bad a time. There was one large group gathered round a
man who read a newspaper aloud; it was Monday morning, and all listened
intently