"Who are 'them'?" he asked with surprise. "Those who have gone out in order to avoid contact with you." "To avoid contact with me? Contact with me?" "Yes, they say that you are excommunicated." Ibarra, surprised, did not know what to say and looked around him. He saw Maria Clara, who was hiding her face behind her fan. "But is it possible?" he exclaimed at last. "Are we still in the darkness of the Middle Ages? So that----" And turning to the young women and changing his tone, he said: "Excuse me; I have forgotten an appointment. I will return to accompany you home." "Stay!" said Sinang. "Yeyeng is going to dance in the 'La Calandria.' She dances divinely." "I cannot, my little friend, but I will certainly return." The murmurs increased. While Yeyeng, dressed in the style of the lower class of Madrid, was coming on the stage with the remark: "Da Usté su permiso?" (Do you give your permission?) and as Carvajal was replying to her "Pase usté adelante" (Pass forward), two soldiers of the Civil Guard approached Don Filipo, asking him to suspend the performance. "And what for?" asked he, surprised at the request. "Because the alferez and his Señora have been fighting and they cannot sleep." "You tell the alferez that we have permission from the Alcalde, and that no one in the town has any authority over him, not even the gobernadorcillo, who is my on-ly su-per-ior." "Well, you will have to suspend the performance," repeated the soldiers. Don Filipo turned his back to them. The guards marched off. In order not to disturb the general tranquillity, Don Filipo said not a word about the matter to any one. After a piece of light opera, which was heartily applauded, the Prince Villardo presented himself on the stage, and challenged all the Moros, who had imprisoned his father, to a fight. The hero threatened to cut off all their heads at a single blow and to send them all to the moon. Fortunately for the Moros, who were making ready to fight to the tune of the "Riego Hymn," [15] a tumult intervened. All of a sudden, the orchestra stopped playing and the musicians made a rush for the stage, throwing their instruments in all directions. The brave Villardo was not expecting such a move, and, taking them for allies of the Moros he also threw down his sword and shield and began to run. The Moros, seeing this terrible giant fleeing, found it convenient to imitate him. Cries, sighs, imprecations and blasphemies filled the air. The people ran, trampled over each other, the lights were put out, and the glass lamps with their cocoanut oil and little wicks were flying through the air. "Tulisanes! Tulisanes!" cried some. "Fire! Fire! Ladrones!" cried others. Women and children wept, chairs and spectators were rolled over on the floor in the midst of the confusion, rush and tumult. "What has happened?"