"You remember the conversation we had with my grandfather and Don Alfonso that day we were at the quinta?" "Perfectly," replied Gordon. "Now tell me again what made your colonies in North America revolt against England?" "Government wanted to tax them for imperial purposes," said Gordon. "Then formerly none of their revenues went to England?" "No, the colonial revenues were applied to colonial purposes, but of course they had to pay the English officials." "And they had their own laws and their own municipal institutions, and would have been perfectly content to remain colonies until now if England had only left them as they were?" "I believe they would. I don't think that King George had anywhere more loyal subjects than in those colonies until the English Parliament began to tax them by its own authority." "What the English wanted to force upon the Americans of the United States is what Spain has always forced upon us. Americans had a right to rebel against the English, we have a right to rebel against Spain?" "I think so," replied Gordon. "But the Americans would have been content enough with King George if the English Parliament had left them alone, and we would be content enough with King Charles if he would let us have our own laws, as your colonies had before their War of Independence." "Dismiss any such idea from your mind, Marcelino, it is folly, and you know it," said Evaña, rising to his feet. "Why you should try to believe that we can ever enjoy the rights of free-born men by any procedure short of an absolute rupture with Spain I cannot imagine." "But I can imagine it very easily," said Gordon. Then Evaña, looking earnestly at Marcelino, saw a deep shade of anxious sorrow come over his still worn features. "Ah! my friend," he said, "I see that you have some reason of your own for wishing that we could achieve our freedom and yet preserve our connection with Spain, but again I tell you that it is impossible." "Oh! Carlos, do you not see why it is that I am so anxious to preserve our connection with Spain?" exclaimed Marcelino. "I see only that freedom and Spanish rule are incompatible," replied Evaña. "And my father? Do you never think of him?" "He is a Spaniard," replied Evaña; then as he spoke the sadness which clouded Marcelino's face was reflected in his own. "Yes, he is a Spaniard," said Marcelino, "and there are other Spaniards like him though not many; men of liberal minds, who would gladly see Spain herself free from the rule of bigoted priests and ignorant nobles, who would gladly see the colonies of Spain ruled by their own laws, but they as sternly as any other Spaniards assert the supremacy of the royal house of Spain." "I wish I could think any pacific revolution possible," said Evaña with a sigh. "But we have power in our own hands now, let us make use of it. Why are you going to the Consulado?"