“An unfortunate woman who has become insane from fear and sorrow,” answered Don Filipo. “For four days now she has been so.”
“Is her name Sisa?” asked Ibarra with interest.
“Your soldiers arrested her,” continued the teniente-mayor, rather bitterly, to the alferez. “They marched her through the town on account of something about her sons which isn’t very clearly known.”
“What!” exclaimed the alferez, turning to the curate, “she isn’t the mother of your two sacristans?”
The curate nodded in affirmation.
“They disappeared and nobody made any inquiries about them,” added Don Filipo with a severe look at the gobernadorcillo, who dropped his eyes.
“Look for that woman,” Crisostomo ordered the servants. “I promised to try to learn where her sons are.”
“They disappeared, did you say?” asked the alferez. “Your sacristans disappeared, Padre?”
The friar emptied the glass of wine before him and again nodded.
“Caramba, Padre!” exclaimed the alferez with a sarcastic laugh, pleased at the thought of a little revenge. “A few pesos of your Reverence’s disappear and my sergeant is routed out early to hunt for them—two sacristans disappear and your Reverence says nothing—and you, señor capitan—It’s also true that you—”