"Now I understand!" exclaimed the old man calmly.
"They would make of their festivals watch-meetings, and the Pope would order them to throw their food into the sea so that they might commit no sin.

But, in spite of all that, your plan is inadmissible, impossible, a piece of foolishness!" Being so stoutly opposed, Don Filipo had to withdraw his proposal.

Now that their chief rival had been defeated, even the worst of the irreconcilable insurgents looked on with calmness while a young cabeza de barangay asked for the floor.
"I beg that you excuse the boldness of one so young as I am in daring to speak before so many persons respected for their age and prudence and judgment in affairs, but since the eloquent orator, Capitan Basilio, has requested every one to express his opinion, let the authoritative words spoken by him excuse my insignificance." The conservatives nodded their heads with satisfaction, remarking to one another: "This young man talks sensibly." "He's modest." "He reasons admirably." "What a pity that he doesn't know very well how to gesticulate," observed Capitan Basilio.

"But there's time yet! He hasn't studied Cicero and he's still a young man!" "If I present to you, gentlemen, any program or plan," the young man continued, "I don't do so with the thought that you will find it perfect or that you will accept it, but at the same time that I once more bow to the judgment of all of you, I wish to prove to our elders that our thoughts are always like theirs, since we take as our own those ideas so eloquently expressed by Capitan Basilio." "Well spoken! Well spoken!" cried the flattered conservatives.

Capitan Basilio made signs to the speaker showing him how he should stand and how he ought to move his arm.