“After that, Spallo and José went away, but now another strange thing happened. When they had gone (so Pablo says) the ghost of Estifanio’s father came in and sat beside him. He never spoke, but whenever Pablo tried to run from the room, this ghost slid in front of him.”
“What happened then?”
“Pablo said that he ‘burned the ghost away, with matches and texts of Scripture.’ When the ghost was gone he ran into the street; but it was worse there, he said, because Estifanio kept looking through the windows at him.
“I got a doctor to give him an opiate; now he’s asleep in Chacon’s house.”
“God give us mercy,” Donna Emilia said. “Is there to be no measure to the wickedness of this time?”
“When will General Chavez know of this?” Carlotta asked.
“Now. He’ll be in town by six. Congress meets at eight. We will arraign the palace on this question.”
“God help this unhappy land,” Donna Emilia said.
“God is helping this land,” Don Manuel said. “He gives us this sword against the Lopez gang; now we shall end them.”
“I am not so sure, Manuel,” Carlotta said. “There is much shrewdness in the men about Lopez. They would be only too glad to get rid of Don José. This case may rid the land of Don José; but I do not think that Lopez will be involved. His hands may even be strengthened.”