With his thoughts thus confused he lay down, and tried to fall asleep.
On the following morning Placido listened submissively, with a smile on his lips, to his mother’s preachment. When she spoke of her plan of interesting the Augustinian procurator he did not protest or object, but on the contrary offered himself to carry it out, in order to save trouble for [[186]]his mother, whom he begged to return at once to the province, that very day, if possible. Cabesang Andang asked him the reason for such haste.
“Because—because if the procurator learns that you are here he won’t do anything until you send him a present and order some masses.” [[187]]
[1] The Malay method of kissing is quite different from the Occidental. The mouth is placed close to the object and a deep breath taken, often [[178]]without actually touching the object, being more of a sniff than a kiss.—Tr. [↑]
[2] Now Calle Tetuan, Santa Cruz. The other names are still in use.—Tr. [↑]
Chapter XX
The Arbiter
True it was that Padre Irene had said: the question of the academy of Castilian, so long before broached, was on the road to a solution. Don Custodio, the active Don Custodio, the most active of all the arbiters in the world, according to Ben-Zayb, was occupied with it, spending his days reading the petition and falling asleep without reaching any decision, waking on the following day to repeat the same performance, dropping off to sleep again, and so on continuously.