with a paternal smile, and listened to her without winking.  A friend of mine, one of the pages who was present, told me about it.  She came to complain to the cardinal that his nephew, the cadet, had entertained her for two days without giving her a farthing.  His Eminence smiled modestly:  ’Lady, the Church is poor, but I do not wish that for this misfortune the good name of the family should suffer.  Take this and it will be remedied,’ and he handed her two duros.  The Portuguese, encouraged by her good reception, began to bawl and complain, thinking she would terrify Don Sebastian by making a scandal.  But you should have seen the fury of His Eminence as he shouted to the page, ’Boy, call the police’; and the look on his face was such that the Portuguese lady vanished as quickly as she could, leaving the two pieces of silver on the table.”

Gabriel laughed, listening to the story.

“He is a strong man, believe me, uncle.  I like him because he holds the Chapter in his fist.  He is not like his predecessor, who was like a sop in milk, who only knew how to pray, and trembled before the last-made canon.  He is quite capable of going down into the choir one evening and turning them all out with blows from his crozier.  It is more than two months since he has been down into the Cathedral, neither has he seen the canons.  The last time they sent a deputation to the palace everybody trembled.  They went to propose I know not what reform to the Primate, and they began by saying, ’My lord, the Chapter thinks—.’  Don Sebastian, turned into a basilisk, interrupted them, ‘The Chapter cannot think anything; the Chapter has not common sense,’ and he turned his back, leaving them petrified.  Afterwards, he began shouting, and thumping the furniture with his fists, saying he would fill all the vacancies in the Cathedral with the dregs of the clergy, that he would fill the Chapter with drunkards, with impostors, etc.  ’I will harass the Chapter,’ he shouted, ’I will dirty it; I will teach them to talk less of me; I will cover them, yes, sir, I will cover them with....’  And you may guess, uncle, with what His Eminence wished to cover the canons.  And the poor man was right.  Why should those in the choir interfere with this way or that way that Don Sebastian lives, or if he has those bonds or others?  Does not he let them live as they choose?  Does he ever say a word to them about their scandalous visits, although all Toledo knows of them?”

“And what do the canons say about the cardinal?”

“They say Juanito is his grandson, and that his father, who died, and who passed as nephew of His Eminence, was really his son by a certain lady when he was bishop in Andalusia.  But this does not seem to irritate Don Sebastian much; but what does irritate him and makes him behave like a fiend is when they speak of Dona Visitacion.”

“And who is that lady?”