Part 65

The curate approached him and spoke low.

"Do you--know--of nothing--new?"

The alférez shrugged his shoulders.

"Are you speaking of Elias?"

"No, no! I'm speaking of a great peril!"

"Well, finish then!" cried the exasperated alférez.

The curate lowered his voice mysteriously:

"I have discovered a conspiracy!"

The alférez gave a spring and looked at the curate in stupefaction.

"A terrible conspiracy, well organized, that is to break out to-night!"

The alférez rushed across the room, took down his sabre from the wall, and grasped his revolver.

"Whom shall I arrest?" he cried.

"Be calm! There is plenty of time, thanks to the haste with which I came. At eight o'clock----"

"They shall be shot, all of them!"

"Listen! It is a secret of the confessional, discovered to me by a woman. At eight o'clock they are to surprise the barracks, sack the convent, and assassinate all the Spaniards."

The alférez stood dumbfounded.

"Be ready for them; ambush your soldiers; send me four guards for the convent! You will earn your promotion to-night! I only ask you to make it known that it was I who warned you."

"It shall be known, father; it shall be known, and, perhaps, it will bring down a mitre!" replied the alférez, his eyes on the sleeves of his uniform.

While this conversation was in progress, Elias was running toward the house of Ibarra. He entered and was shown to the laboratory, where Crisóstomo was passing the time until the hour of his appointment with Maria Clara.

"Ah! It is you, Elias?" he said, without noticing the tremor of the helmsman. "See here! I've just made a discovery: this piece of bamboo is non-combustible."

"Señor, there is no time to talk of that; take your papers and flee!"

Ibarra looked up amazed, and, seeing the gravity of the helmsman's face, let fall the piece of bamboo.

"Leave nothing behind that could compromise you, and may an hour from this time find you in a safer place than this!"

"What does all this mean?"

"That there is a conspiracy on foot which will be attributed to you. I have this moment been talking with a man hired to take part in it."

"Did he tell you who paid him?"

"He said it was you."

Ibarra stared in stupid amazement.