The smatteringly read in books about France and the United States, for which he was hardly and strictly chastised and admonished by his father, who was so conservative and so old-fashioned just like the hispano-friar type, that the boy stopped it all hopelessly. But this Oscar was radical—thinking that he wanted to engage in the business field rather than in educational or professional life, firmly believing that business men nowadays earn more money and are looked upon with more dignity than so many ne'er-do-well professionals. Oscar, in short, was of the aristocratic set.
And it came to pass that, in one or more than two occasions, Camilo took Lucio to the home of Rosa, his friend and neighbor. There they met Oscar. It was during the birthday of Rosa when she informally entertained her close friends with tea and rice cakes and puddings and other native dainties and sweets. She had just finished her schooling.
Lucio and Rosa met in the ordinary course of human events, and they were happy to be acquainted.
When Lucio departed, his mind felt uneasy, knowing not why. He suffered an unknown pang of heart and uneasiness of mind. Lucio became more and more inquisitive of things pertaining to Rosa after that. She, Camilo told him, had been a dilligent and bright classmate of his in the intermediate school.
Camilo, the observer, took note of Lucio's change of thoughts from peaceful and studious occupation to
