"Come now, I see that there is nothing definitely arranged. If persons are lacking to stand up with them, I shall take the greatest pleasure in being one of them. That's for the purpose of ridding myself of the feeling of disgust which the many weddings I've heretofore taken part in have given me," he added, turning to the alcalde. "Yes, sir," answered Capitan Tiago with a smile that would move to pity. Ibarra almost ran in search of Maria Clara--he had so many things to tell her. Hearing merry voices in one of the rooms, he knocked lightly on the door. "Who's there?" asked the voice of Maria Clara. "I!" The voices became hushed and the door--did not open. "It's I, may I come in?" called the young man, his heart beating violently. The silence continued. Then light footsteps approached the door and the merry voice of Sinang murmured through the keyhole, "Crisostomo, we're going to the theater tonight. Write what you have to say to Maria." The footsteps retreated again as rapidly as they approached. "What does this mean?" murmured Ibarra thoughtfully as he retired slowly from the door. CHAPTER XXXVIII The Procession At nightfall, when all the lanterns in the windows had been lighted, for the fourth time the procession started amid the ringing of bells and the usual explosions of bombs. The Captain-General, who had gone out on foot in company with his two aides, Capitan Tiago, the alcalde, the alferez, and Ibarra, preceded by civil-guards and officials who opened the way and cleared the street, was invited to review the procession from the house of the gobernadorcillo, in front of which a platform had been erected where a _loa_ [104] would be recited in honor of the Blessed Patron. Ibarra would gladly have renounced the pleasure of hearing this poetical composition, preferring to watch the procession from Capitan Tiago's house, where Maria Clara had remained with some of her friends, but his Excellency wished to hear the _loa_, so he had no recourse but to console himself with the prospect of seeing her at the theater. The procession was headed by the silver candelabra borne by three begloved sacristans, behind whom came the school children in charge of their teacher, then boys with paper lanterns of varied shapes and colors placed on the ends of bamboo poles of greater or less length and decorated according to the caprice of each boy, since this illumination was furnished by the children of the barrios, who gladly performed this service, imposed by the _matanda sa nayon_, [105] each one designing and fashioning his own lantern, adorning it as his fancy prompted and his finances permitted with a greater or less number of frills and little streamers, and lighting it with a piece of candle if he had a friend or relative who was a sacristan, or if he could buy one of the small red tapers such as the Chinese burn before their altars.