The Social Cancer, by José Rizal - Home
The Social Cancer, by José Rizal - Home
The Social Cancer, by José Rizal - Home
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CHAPTER XXXIX 186<br />
with a loud kick. <strong>The</strong> alferez appeared pale and gloomy, and when he saw what was going on he threw a<br />
terrible glance at his wife, who did not move from her place but stood smiling at him cynically.<br />
<strong>The</strong> alferez put his hand as gently as he could on the shoulder of the strange dancer and made her stop. <strong>The</strong><br />
crazy woman sighed and sank slowly to the floor covered with her own blood.<br />
<strong>The</strong> silence continued. <strong>The</strong> alferez breathed heavily, while his wife watched him with questioning eyes. She<br />
picked up the whip and asked in a smooth, soft voice, "What's the matter with you? You haven't even wished<br />
me good evening."<br />
<strong>The</strong> alferez did not answer, but instead called the boy and said to him, "Take this woman away and tell Marta<br />
to get her some other clothes and attend to her. You give her something to eat and a good bed. Take care that<br />
she isn't ill-treated! Tomorrow she'll be taken to Señor Ibarra's house."<br />
<strong>The</strong>n he closed the door carefully, bolted it, and approached his wife. "You're tempting me to kill you!" he<br />
exclaimed, doubling up his fists.<br />
"What's the matter with you?" she asked, rising and drawing away from him.<br />
"What's the matter with me!" he yelled in a voice of thunder, letting out an oath and holding up before her a<br />
sheet of paper covered with scrawls. "Didn't you write this letter to the alcalde saying that I'm bribed to permit<br />
gambling, huh? I don't know why I don't beat you to death."<br />
"Let's see you! Let's see you try it if you dare!" she replied with a jeering laugh. "<strong>The</strong> one who beats me to<br />
death has got to be more of a man than you are!"<br />
He heard the insult, but saw the whip. Catching up a plate from the table, he threw it at her head, but she,<br />
accustomed to such fights, dodged quickly and the plate was shattered against the wall. A cup and saucer met<br />
with a similar fate.<br />
"Coward!" she yelled; "you're afraid to come near me!" And to exasperate him the more, she spat upon him.<br />
<strong>The</strong> alferez went blind from rage and with a roar attempted to throw himself upon her, but she, with<br />
astonishing quickness, hit him across the face with the whip and ran hurriedly into an inner room, shutting and<br />
bolting the door violently behind her. Bellowing with rage and pain, he followed, but was only able to run<br />
against the door, which made him vomit oaths.<br />
"Accursed be your offspring, you sow! Open, open, or I'll break your head!" he howled, beating the door with<br />
his hands and feet.<br />
No answer was heard, but instead the scraping of chairs and trunks as if she was building a barricade with the<br />
furniture. <strong>The</strong> house shook under the kicks and curses of the alferez.<br />
"Don't come in, don't come in!" called the sour voice inside. "If you show yourself, I'll shoot you."<br />
By degrees he appeared to become calm and contented himself with walking up and down the room like a<br />
wild beast in its cage.<br />
"Go out into the street and cool off your head!" the woman continued to jeer at him, as she now seemed to<br />
have completed her preparations for defense.<br />
"I swear that if I catch you, even God won't save you, you old sow!"