become quite imbecile.  Ay, nephew!  I also have felt it greatly, even though you see me so happy, and so satisfied with life, every now and then the remembrance of that unhappy girl strikes me here, in my head, and I eat badly and sleep worse, thinking that a girl who, after all, is of our own blood, is wandering lost over the world, a plaything for men, without anyone sheltering her, as though she were all alone, as though she had no family.”

The Senora Tomasa wiped her eye with the point of her forefinger, her voice shook and the tears fell over her wrinkled old cheeks.

“Aunt, you are very kind,” said Gabriel, “but you ought to have searched more for this poor girl; you ought to have recovered her, to have saved her, to have brought her back here.  We must be merciful to the weakness of others, especially when that other is one of our own flesh.”

“Ay, son!  Who do you say it to?  A thousand times I have thought this, but I was afraid of your brother.  He is like a bit of dough, but he turns into a wild beast if you speak to him of his daughter.  Even if we found her and brought her here he would not receive her; he would be as angry as if you were proposing some sacrilege to him.  He could not calmly bear her presence in the house which was that of your forefathers.  Besides, though he does not say so, he fears the scandal among the neighbours in the Claverias who know what had happened.  This is the easiest part to arrange, as they would be very careful not to open their mouths when I am among them.  But your brother frightens me, and I do not dare.”

“I will help you,” said Gabriel firmly.  “Let us seek for the child, and once we have found her I will undertake to manage Esteban.”

“It will be most difficult to find her.  For a long time we have heard nothing.  Doubtless those who do see her are careful to say nothing for fear of paining us.  But I will try and find out—­we will see, Gabriel—­we will think about her.”

“And the canons? and the cardinal?  Will they not oppose the return of the poor girl to the Claverias?”

“Bah!  The thing happened some time ago, and few of them will remember it; besides, we might place the girl in a convent, where she would be looked after and quiet, and cause scandal to no one.”

“No, not that, aunt.  It is a cruel remedy.  We have no right to try and save this poor girl at the cost of her liberty.”

“You are right,” said the old woman, after a few moments’ reflection.  “I don’t care much for these nuns myself.  Where would she be more likely to follow a good example than in the heart of her own family?  We will bring her back to this house if she repents and wishes for peace.  And I will scratch out the eyes of the first woman in the Claverias who dares to say anything against her.  My son-in-law will probably pretend to be scandalised, but I will settle him.  It would be much better if he did not wink at the walks that Juanito,