Three days before the election Cæsar appeared in Castro and went to
stay at Don Calixto’s house. Nobody knew about his expedition in the
environs. There were no preparations whatever. People said they were
going to change Deputies; but really this was of no great moment in the
life of the town.
Saturday night the party committee met in the Casino at seven. Cæsar
arrived a few minutes early; no one was there. He was shown into a
shabby salon, lighted by an oil lamp.
It was cold in the room, and Cæsar walked about while he waited. On the
ceiling a complete canopy of spider-webs, like dusty silver, trembled in
every draught.
At half-past eight the first members of the committee arrived; the
others kept on coming lazily in. Each one had some pretext to excuse his
being late.
The fact was that the matter interested nobody; the politics of the
district were going to go on as formerly, and really it wasn’t worth
while thinking about. Cæsar was a decorative figure with no background.
At nine all the members of the committee were in the Casino. Don Calixto
made a speech which he prolonged in an alarming manner. Cæsar answered
him in another speech, which was heard with absolute coldness.
Then a frantic gabbling let loose; everybody wanted to talk. They
abandoned themselves fruitfully to distinctions. “If it is certain
that.... Although it is true.... Not so much because...” and they
eulogized one another as orators, with great gravity.
The next day, Sunday, the proclamation of the candidates took place.
They were three: Moncada, Governmental; Garcia Padilla, Liberal; and San
Román, Republican.
San Román was the old Republican bookseller; it was sure beforehand that
he couldn’t win, but it suited Cæsar that he should run, so that the
Workmen’s Club elements should not vote for the Liberal candidate.
Two days before the election Cæsar went to Cidones and entered the Café
Español.
He asked for Uncle Chinaman, and told him that he was the future Deputy.
Uncle Chinaman recognized the young man with whom he had talked some
months previous in his café, he remembered him with pleasure, and
received him with great demonstrations.
“Man,” Cæsar said to him, “I want you to do me a favour.”
“Only tell me.”
“It is a question about the election.”
“Good. Let’s hear what it is.”
“There are several towns where Padilla’s adherents are ready, after
the count, to change the real returns for forged ones. Everything is
prepared for it. As I have sent people to their voting-places, they
intend to make the change on the road, taking the returns from the
messengers and giving them forged ones instead. I want twenty or thirty
reliable men to send, four by four, to accompany the messengers that
come with the returns, or else to carry them themselves.”
“All right, I will get them for you,” said Uncle Chinaman.
“How much money do you need?”
“Twenty dollars will do me.”
“Take forty.”
“All right. Which towns are they?”
Cæsar told him the names of the towns where he feared substitution.
Then he warned him:
“You will say nothing about this.”
“Nothing.”
Cæsar gave precise instructions to the landlord of the café, and on
bidding Uncle Chinaman good-bye, he told him:
“I know already that you are really on my side.”
“You believe so?”
“Yes.” On Sunday the elections began with absolute inanimation. In
the city the Republicans were getting the majority, especially in the
suburbs. Padilla was far behind. Nevertheless, it was said at the Casino
that it was possible Padilla would finally win the election, because he
might have an overwhelming majority in five or six rural wards.
At four in the afternoon the results in the city gave the victory to
Moncada. Next to him came San Román, and in the last place Padilla.
The returns began to come in from the villages. In all of them the
results were similar. It was found that the official element voted
for the Government candidate, and those who had been attached to the
preceding town-council for the Liberal.
At eight in the evening the returns arrived from the first village where
Padilla expected a victory. The messenger, surrounded by four men from
Cidones, was in a terrified condition. He handed over the returns and
left. The result was the same as in all the other rural districts.
In one village alone, the presiding officer had been able to evade the
vigilance of the guards sent by Cæsar and Uncle Chinaman, and change
the number of votes in the returns; but despite this, the election was
won for Cæsar.
The next day the exact result of the election was known. It stood:
Moncada, 3705. García Padilla, 1823. San Román, 750.
When it was known that Cæsar had played a trick on his enemies under
their noses, he came into great estimation.
The judge said:
“I believe you were all deceived. You supposed Don Cæsar to be a
sucking dove, and he is going to turn out to be a vulture for us.”
Cæsar listened to felicitations and accepted congratulations smiling,
and some days later returned to Madrid.