CHAPTER XII
IN THE WOODS.
Very early that morning Father Salví had said mass, cleaning, according
to his custom, a dozen dirty souls in a few minutes. The reading of a
few letters, which had arrived well sealed with wax, seemed to cause
the worthy curate to lose his appetite, for he allowed his chocolate
to get cold.
"The Father is ill," said the cook as he prepared another cup. "It
is several days since he has eaten anything; of six dishes which I
put on the table for him, he has not touched two."
"It must be that he does not sleep well," replied the servant. "He
has nightmare since he changed his bedroom. Every day his eyes are
sinking deeper, he grows gradually thinner, and is very yellow."
As a matter of fact, it was a pitiful sight to behold Father Salví. He
did not care to touch his second cup of chocolate, nor to taste the
Cebu cakes. He walked pensively to and fro in the spacious sala,
crumpling between his bony fingers some letters which he would read
from time to time. Finally, he called for his carriage, got ready
and ordered the coachman to take him to the woods where the picnic
was to be held. Arriving at the place, Father Salví dismissed the
carriage and all alone, entered the forest.
A shady but difficult path runs through the thicket and leads to the
brook which is formed by the hot springs so plentiful at the base of
Mount Makiling.
For some time, Father Salví was wandering among the thick underbrush,
here trying to evade the thorns which entangled his habit of guingon
as if to detain him; there trying to step over the roots of the trees
which stuck up through the ground and made the inexperienced traveler
stumble again and again. Suddenly he stopped. Mirthful laughter and the
sound of young voices reached his ears. The voices and the laughter
seemed to come from the direction of the brook and each time seemed
to be coming nearer.
"I am going to see if I can find a heron's nest," said a voice,
beautiful and sweet, and at once recognized by the curate. "You know
they say that if a person possesses one of those nests he can make
himself invisible to everybody. How I would like to see him and not
have him see me! I could follow him everywhere."
Father Salví hid behind the thick trunk of an old tree and listened.
"That is to say, you want to do with him what the curate does with
you: watch him everywhere?" replied the merry voice. "Be careful,
