She would have prayed; but who can pray without hope? "O God!" her heart complained. "Why refuse a man the love of others? Thou givest him the sunshine and the air; thou dost not hide from him the sight of heaven. Why take away that love without which he cannot live?"
The poor child, who had never known a mother of her own, had brought her grief to that pure heart which knew only filial and maternal love, to that divine image of womanhood of whose tenderness we dream, whom we call Mary.
Aunt Isabel came to find her; her friends were there, and the governor-general had asked for her.
"Dear aunt, tell them I am ill!" she begged in terror. "They will want me to play and sing!"
"Your father has promised. Would you make your father break his word?"
Maria Clara rose, looked at her aunt, threw out her beautiful arms with a sob, then stood still till she was outwardly calm, and went to obey.
"I want to talk with that young man," said the general to one of his aids; "he rouses all my interest."
"He has been sent for, my general; but there is here another young man of Manila who insists upon seeing you. We told him you have not the time; that you did not come to give audiences. He replied that Your Excellency has always the time to do justice."
The general, perplexed, turned to the alcalde.
"If I am not mistaken," said the alcalde, with an inclination of the head, "it is a student who this morning had trouble with Father Dámaso about the sermon."
"Another still? Has this monk started out to put the province to revolt, or does he think he commands here? Admit the young man!" And the governor got up and walked nervously back and forth.
In the ante-chamber some Spanish officers and all the functionaries of the pueblo were talking in groups. All the monks, too, except Father Dámaso, had come to pay their respects to the governor.
"His Excellency begs your reverences to attend a moment," said the aide-de-camp. "Enter, young man!"
The young Manilian who confounded the Tagalo with the Greek entered, trembling.
Every one was greatly astonished. His Excellency must be much annoyed to make the monks wait this way. Said Brother Sibyla:
"I have nothing to say to him, and I'm wasting my time here."
"I also," said an Augustin. "Shall we go?"