Days passed. In addition to the natural disgust which the social customs of the episcopal city produced in him， various causes， all of them disagreeable， began to develop in his mind a profound sadness， chief among these causes being the crowd of litigants that swarmed about him like voracious ants. Many others of the neighboring landowners besides Uncle Licurgo claimed damages from him， or asked him to render accounts for lands managed by his grandfather. A claim was also brought against him because of a certain contract of partnership entered into by his mother and which， as it appeared， had not been fulfilled； and he was required in the same way to acknowledge a mortgage on the estate of The Poplars executed in an irregular form by his uncle. Claims swarmed around him， multiplying with ant-like rapidity. He had come to the determination to renounce the ownership of his lands， but meanwhile his dignity required that he should not yield to the wily manoeuvres of the artful rustics； and as the town-council brought a claim against him also on account of a pretended confusion of the boundary lines of his estate with those of an adjoining wood belonging to the town-lands， the unfortunate young man found himself at every step obliged to prove his rights， which were being continually called in question. His honor was engaged， and he had no alternative but to defend his rights to the death.
Dona Perfecta had promised in her magnanimity to help him to free himself from these disgraceful plots by means of an amicable arrangement； but the days passed， and the good offices of the exemplary lady had produced no result whatever. The claims multiplied with the dangerous swiftness of a violent disease. Pepe Rey passed hour after hour at court， making declarations and answering the same questions over and over again， and when he returned home tired and angry， there appeared before him the sharp features and grotesque face of the notary， who had brought him a thick bundle of stamped papers full of horrible formulas--that he might be studying the question.
It will be easily understood that Pepe Rey was not a man to endure such annoyances when he might escape from them by leaving the town. His mother's noble city appeared to his imagination like a horrible monster which had fastened its ferocious claws in him and was drinking his blood. To free himself from this monster nothing more was necessary， he believed， than flight. But a weighty interest--an interest in which his heart was concerned--kept him where he was； binding him to the rock of his martyrdom with very strong bonds. Nevertheless， he had come to feel so dissatisfied with his position； he had come to regard himself as so utterly a stranger， so to say， in that gloomy city of lawsuits， of old-fashioned customs and ideas， of envy and of slander， that he resolved to leave it without further delay， without， however， abandoning the project which had brought him to it. One morning， finding a favorable occasion， he opened his mind to Dona Perfecta on this point.
"Nephew，" responded that lady， with her accustomed gentleness， "don't be rash. Why！ you are like fire. Your father was just the same--what a man he was！ You are like a flash--I have already told you that I will be very glad to call you my son. Even if you did not possess the good qualities and the talents which distinguish you (in spite of some little defects， for you have those， too)； even if you were not as good as you are； it is enough that this union has been proposed by your father， to whom both my daughter and myself owe so much， for me to accept it. And Rosarito will not oppose it since I wish it. What is wanting， then？ Nothing； there is nothing wanting but a little time. The marriage cannot be concluded with the haste you desire and which might， perhaps， give ground for interpretations discreditable to my dear daughter's reputation. But as you think of nothing but machines， you want every thing done by steam. Wait， man， wait； what hurry are you in？
This hatred that you have taken to our poor Orbajosa is nothing but a caprice. But of course you can only live among counts and marquises and orators and diplomats--all you want is to get married and separate me forever from my daughter，" she added， wiping away a tear. "Since that is the case， inconsiderate boy， at least have the charity to delay for a little this marriage， for which you are so eager. What impatience！
What ardent love！ I did not suppose that a poor country girl like my daughter could inspire so violent a passion."
The arguments of his aunt did not convince Pepe Rey， but he did not wish to contradict her. A fresh cause of anxiety was soon added to those which already embittered his existence. He had now been in Orbajosa for two weeks， and during that time he had received no letter from his father. This could not be attributed to carelessness on the part of the officials of the post-office of Orbajosa， for the functionary who had charge of that service being the friend and /prot間？ of Dona Perfecta， the latter every day recommended him to take the greatest care that the letters addressed to her nephew did not go astray. The letter-carrier， named Cristoval Ramos， and nicknamed Caballuco--a personage whose acquaintance we have already made--also visited the house， and to him Dona Perfecta was accustomed to address warnings and reprimands as energetic as the following：
"A pretty mail service you have！ How is it that my nephew has not received a single letter since he has been in Orbajosa？ When the carrying of the mail is entrusted to such a giddy-pate， how can things be expected to go well？ I will speak to the governor of the province so that he may be careful what kind of people he puts in the post-office."
Caballuco， shrugging his shoulders， looked at Rey with the most complete indifference.
One day he entered the house with a letter in his hand.
