it must not be supposed that in the meantime the flight of don jose and his follower was unattended by any commotion at the rancho of the blessed innocents. at the end of three hours' deliberation, in which the retainers were severally examined, the corral searched, and the well in the courtyard sounded, scouts were dispatched in different directions, who returned with the surprising information that the fugitives were not in the vicinity. a trustworthy messenger was sent to monterey for "custom-house paper," on which to draw up a formal declaration of the affair. the archbishop was summoned from san luis, and don victor and don vincente sepulvida, with the donas carmen and inez alvarado, and a former alcalde, gathered at a family council the next day. in this serious conclave the good father felipe once more expounded the alienated condition and the dangerous reading of the absent man. in the midst of which the ordinary post brought a letter from don jose, calmly inviting the family to dine with him and roberto at san mateo on the following wednesday. the document was passed gravely from hand to hand. was it a fresh evidence of mental aberration—an audacity of frenzy—or a trick of the vaquero? the archbishop and alcalde shook their heads—it was without doubt a lawless, even a sacrilegious and blasphemous fete. but a certain curiosity of the ladies and of father felipe carried the day. without formally accepting the invitation it was decided that the family should examine the afflicted man, with a view of taking active measures hereafter. on the day appointed, the traveling carriage of the sepulvidas, an equipage coeval with the beginning of the century, drawn by two white mules gaudily caparisoned, halted before the hotel at san mateo and disgorged father felipe, the donas carmen and inez alvarado and maria sepulvida, while don victor and don vincente sepulvida, their attendant cavaliers on fiery mustangs, like outriders, drew rein at the same time. a slight thrill of excitement, as of the advent of a possible circus, had preceded them through the little town; a faint blending of cigarette smoke and garlic announced their presence on the veranda.
ushered into the parlor of the hotel, apparently set apart for their reception, they were embarrassed at not finding their host present. but they were still more disconcerted when a tall full-bearded stranger, with a shrewd amused-looking face, rose from a chair by the window, and stepping forward, saluted them in fluent spanish with a slight american accent.
"i have to ask you, gentlemen and ladies," he began, with a certain insinuating ease and frankness that alternately aroused and lulled their suspicions, "to pardon the absence of our friend don jose sepulvida at this preliminary greeting. for to be perfectly frank with you, although the ultimate aim and object of our gathering is a social one, you are doubtless aware that certain infelicities and misunderstandings—common to most families—have occurred, and a free, dispassionate, unprejudiced discussion and disposal of them at the beginning will only tend to augment the goodwill of our gathering."
"the senor without doubt is"—suggested the padre, with a polite interrogative pause.
"pardon me! i forgot to introduce myself. colonel parker—entirely at your service and that of these charming ladies."
the ladies referred to allowed their eyes to rest with evident prepossession on the insinuating stranger. "ah, a soldier," said don vincente.
"formerly," said the american lightly; "at present a lawyer, the counsel of don jose."
a sudden rigor of suspicion stiffened the company; the ladies withdrew their eyes; the priest and the sepulvidas exchanged glances.
"come," said colonel parker, with apparent unconsciousness of the effect of his disclosure, "let us begin frankly. you have, i believe, some anxiety in regard to the mental condition of don jose."
"we believe him to be mad," said padre felipe promptly, "irresponsible, possessed!"
"that is your opinion; good," said the lawyer quietly.
"and ours too," clamored the party, "without doubt."
"good," returned the lawyer with perfect cheerfulness. "as his relations, you have no doubt had superior opportunities for observing his condition. i understand also that you may think it necessary to have him legally declared non compos, a proceeding which, you are aware, might result in the incarceration of our distinguished friend in a mad-house."
"pardon, senor," interrupted dona maria proudly, "you do not comprehend the family. when a sepulvida is visited of god we do not ask the government to confine him like a criminal. we protect him in his own house from the consequences of his frenzy."
"from the machinations of the worldly and heretical," broke in the priest, "and from the waste and dispersion of inherited possessions."
"very true," continued colonel parker, with unalterable good-humor; "but i was only about to say that there might be conflicting evidence of his condition. for instance, our friend has been here three days. in that time he has had three interviews with three individuals under singular circumstances." colonel parker then briefly recounted the episodes of the landlord, the gambler, miss jenkinson and the poetess, as they had been related to him. "yet," he continued, "all but one of these individuals are willing to swear that they not only believe don jose perfectly sane, but endowed with a singularly sound judgment. in fact, the testimony of mr. hamlin and miss jenkinson is remarkably clear on that subject."
the company exchanged a supercilious smile. "do you not see, o senor advocate," said don vincente compassionately, "that this is but a conspiracy to avail themselves of our relative's weakness. of a necessity they find him sane who benefits them."
"i have thought of that, and am glad to hear you say so," returned the lawyer still more cheerfully, "for your prompt opinion emboldens me to be at once perfectly frank with you. briefly then, don jose has summoned me here to make a final disposition of his property. in the carrying out of certain theories of his, which it is not my province to question, he has resolved upon comparative poverty for himself as best fitted for his purpose, and to employ his wealth solely for others. in fact, of all his vast possessions he retains for himself only an income sufficient for the bare necessaries of life."
"and you have done this?" they asked in one voice.
"not yet," said the lawyer.
"blessed san antonio, we have come in time!" ejaculated dona carmen. "another day and it would have been too late; it was an inspiration of the blessed innocents themselves," said dona maria, crossing herself. "can you longer doubt that this is the wildest madness?" said father felipe with flashing eyes.
"yet," returned the lawyer, caressing his heavy beard with a meditative smile, "the ingenious fellow actually instanced the vows of your own order, reverend sir, as an example in support of his theory. but to be brief. conceiving, then, that his holding of property was a mere accident of heritage, not admitted by him, unworthy his acceptance, and a relic of superstitious ignorance"—
"this is the very sacrilege of satanic prepossession," broke in the priest indignantly.
"he therefore," continued the lawyer composedly, "makes over and reverts the whole of his possessions, with the exceptions i have stated, to his family and the church."
a breathless and stupefying silence fell upon the company. in the dead hush the sound of polly jenkinson's piano, played in a distant room, could be distinctly heard. with their vacant eyes staring at him the speaker continued:
"that deed of gift i have drawn up as he dictated it. i don't mind saying that in the opinion of some he might be declared non compos upon the evidence of that alone. i need not say how relieved i am to find that your opinion coincides with my own."
"but," gasped father felipe hurriedly, with a quick glance at the others, "it does not follow that it will be necessary to resort to these legal measures. care, counsel, persuasion—"
"the general ministering of kinship—nursing, a woman's care—the instincts of affection," piped dona maria in breathless eagerness.
"any light social distraction—a harmless flirtation—a possible attachment," suggested dona carmen shyly.
"change of scene—active exercise—experiences—even as those you have related," broke in don vincente.
"i for one have ever been opposed to legal measures," said don victor. "a mere consultation of friends—in fact, a fete like this is sufficient."
"good friends," said father felipe, who had by this time recovered himself, taking out his snuff-box portentously, "it would seem truly, from the document which this discreet caballero has spoken of, that the errors of our dear don jose are rather of method than intent, and that while we may freely accept the one"—
"pardon," interrupted colonel parker with bland persistence, "but i must point out to you that what we call in law 'a consideration' is necessary to the legality of a conveyance, even though that consideration be frivolous and calculated to impair the validity of the document."
"truly," returned the good padre insinuatingly; "but if a discreet advocate were to suggest the substitution of some more pious and reasonable consideration"—
"but that would be making it a perfectly sane and gratuitous document, not only glaringly inconsistent with your charges, my good friends, with don jose's attitude towards you and his flight from home, but open to the gravest suspicion in law. in fact, its apparent propriety in the face of these facts would imply improper influence."
the countenances of the company fell. the lawyer's face, however, became still more good-humored and sympathizing. "the case is simply this. if in the opinion of judge and jury don jose is declared insane, the document is worthless except as a proof of that fact or a possible indication of the undue influence of his relations, which might compel the court to select his guardians and trustees elsewhere than among them."
"friend abogado," said father felipe with extraordinary deliberation, "the document thou hast just described so eloquently convinces me beyond all doubt that don jose is not only perfectly sane but endowed with a singular discretion. i consider it as a delicate and high-spirited intimation to us, his friends and kinsmen, of his unalterable and logically just devotion to his family and religion, whatever may seem to be his poetical and imaginative manner of declaring it. i think there is not one here," continued the padre, looking around him impressively, "who is not entirely satisfied of don jose's reason and competency to arrange his own affairs."
"entirely," "truly," "perfectly," eagerly responded the others with affecting spontaneity.
"nay, more. to prevent any misconception, we shall deem it our duty to take every opportunity of making our belief publicly known," added father felipe.
the padre and colonel parker gazed long and gravely into each other's eyes. it may have been an innocent touch of the sunlight through the window, but a faint gleam seemed to steal into the pupil of the affable lawyer at the same moment that, probably from the like cause, there was a slight nervous contraction of the left eyelid of the pious father. but it passed, and the next instant the door opened to admit don jose sepulvida.
he was at once seized and effusively embraced by the entire company with every protest of affection and respect. not only mr. hamlin and mr. jenkinson, who accompanied him as invited guests, but roberto, in a new suit of clothes and guiltless of stain or trace of dissipation, shared in the pronounced friendliness of the kinsmen. padre felipe took snuff, colonel parker blew his nose gently.
nor were they less demonstrative of their new convictions later at the banquet. don jose, with jenkinson and the padre on his right and left, preserved his gentle and half-melancholy dignity in the midst of the noisy fraternization. even padre felipe, in a brief speech or exhortation proposing the health of their host, lent himself in his own tongue to this polite congeniality. "we have had also, my friends and brothers," he said in peroration, "a pleasing example of the compliment of imitation shown by our beloved don jose. no one who has known him during his friendly sojourn in this community but will be struck with the conviction that he has acquired that most marvelous faculty of your great american nation, the exhibition of humor and of the practical joke."
every eye was turned upon the imperturbable face of don jose as he slowly rose to reply. "in bidding you to this fete, my friends and kinsmen," he began calmly, "it was with the intention of formally embracing the habits, customs, and spirit of american institutions by certain methods of renunciation of the past, as became a caballero of honor and resolution. those methods may possibly be known to some of you." he paused for a moment as if to allow the members of his family to look unconscious. "since then, in the wisdom of god, it has occurred to me that my purpose may be as honorably effected by a discreet blending of the past and the present—in a word, by the judicious combination of the interests of my native people and the american nation. in consideration of that purpose, friends and kinsmen, i ask you to join me in drinking the good health of my host senor jenkinson, my future father-in-law, from whom i have to-day had the honor to demand the hand of the peerless polly, his daughter, as the future mistress of the rancho of the blessed innocents."
the marriage took place shortly after. nor was the free will and independence of don jose sepulvida in the least opposed by his relations. whether they felt they had already committed themselves, or had hopes in the future, did not transpire. enough that the escapade of a week was tacitly forgotten. the only allusion ever made to the bridegroom's peculiarities was drawn from the demure lips of the bride herself on her installation at the "blessed innocents."
"and what, little one, didst thou find in me to admire?" don jose had asked tenderly.
"oh, you seemed to be so much like that dear old don quixote, you know," she answered demurely.
"don quixote," repeated don jose with gentle gravity. "but, my child, that was only a mere fiction—a romance, of one cervantes. believe me, of a truth there never was any such person!"
