"So he refuses to furnish any more data?" Don Telmo was asking.
"Absolutely," said the student. "And he assures me that the reason for
the name of Fermin de Nunez de Latona not appearing in the parish
register was--forgery; that this was effected by a certain Shaphter,
one of Bandon's agents, and that afterwards the curates took advantage
of it to acquire possession of some chaplaincies. I am certain that
the town where Fermin Nunez was born was either Arnedo or Autol."
Don Telmo carefully inspected a large folio document: the genealogy of
Roberto's family.
"What course do you think I ought to pursue?" asked the student.
"You need money; but it's so hard to find that!" muttered the old man.
"Why don't you marry?"
"And what good would that do?"
"I mean some wealthy woman...."
Here Don Telmo lowered his voice to an inaudible pitch and after a few
words they separated.
The espionage of the boarders became so obstructive to the men spied
upon that the Biscayan and Don Telmo served notice on the landlady of
their removal. Dona Casiana's desolation, when she learned of their
decision, was exceedingly great; several times she had to resort to
the closet and surrender herself to the consolations of the beverage
of her own concoction.
The boarders were so disappointed at the flight of the Biscayan and of
Don Telmo that neither the altercations between Irene and Celia nor
the stories told by the priest Don Jacinto, who stressed the smutty
note, were potent enough to draw them from their silence.
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