But how to set about it? If he followed his inclination to beat Alberuque to a pulp, then denounce him to the police that might it an end to the conspiracy. But if Ramon and General Gomez were right it would not, because they believed him to be only a front' for the higher clergy who were at the bottom of the business. Adam doubted that to be true, but admitted to himself that was up to him to try to find out, and he certainly would stand no chance of doing so if he used violence on the Monsignor.
At about nine o'clock the lay brother brought him a pot of weak chocolate, plain, cold tortillas and fruit. Adam tried the chocolate and found it to be a thin, bitter drink, quite unlike the rich, sweet brew that his mother had at times made for her family when he was a boy in Scotland. For the past week he had been unable to take his Enteroviaform pills and had at first feared that tummy trouble, or even dysentery, might result from the prison food. But he had taken the precaution of eating only fruit that could be peeled, and suffered no ill effects from the cooked messes that had been his staple diet. Now he left the tortillas and ate only a big orange and two mandarines.
His gaoler had not brought him any hot water; so, on getting up, he made do with the cold in the china jug and washed as well as he could with a small square of yellow kitchen soap. Then, having dressed, he sat down to await events.
As his watch, together with all his other belongings, had been taken from him when he had first been arrested, he had no means of telling the time. Actually an hour and a half elapsed, although it seemed much longer, before the lay brother returned and signed to him to follow him downstairs.
On his way down he passed four monks. Their heads were downcast and they deliberately avoided looking at him. Earlier, a chapel bell had reinforced his belief that the place was a monastery. But in the hall two very unmonastic characters were lounging. They were Indians and both of them were wearing soiled leather belts from which hung pistol holsters. On seeing Adam they went down on their knees, but, even so, he had little doubt that they had orders to stop him if he attempted to walk out, and would have obeyed them.
The lay brother opened a door at one side of the hall, bowed to Adam and signed to him to enter. The room into which he walked was long and lofty. Two thirds of the walls were lined with bookshelves. The books on them were old, their calf bindings faded and, in many cases torn. Behind a desk at the far end of the room sat Monsignor Don Alberuque.
Although for just on a month he had been frequently in Adam's thoughts, this was only the second time they had met; so he took stock of his enemy with special interest. Alberuque was wearing clerical clothes a black, satin vest and a white lawn cravat which, with the darkish, high nosed face framed in the sleekly falling silver hair, gave him an air of distinction. Under the bushy black eyebrows his eyes seemed curiously dead and fishlike. His lips parted, showing slightly uneven teeth, in a smile of welcome; but the smile did not reach his eyes. The effect was almost is though he had been a Zombie.
Again Adam had the queer sensation that his hackles were rising in the presence of a spirit which reeked of evil. How Chela could remain insensitive to it, and regard Alberuque as almost a saint, Adam could not conceive. Fighting down his intense dislike, he managed to greet the priest with a civil `Buenos dias'.
Rising from his chair, Alberuque returned the greeting and, as he continued to speak, it was borne in on Adam that his voice must account for much of the influence he wielded over people. Its tones were extraordinarily harmonious and, coupled with his charm of manner, gave him an almost hypnotic attraction. It must be, Adam thought, that my dislike of him is a personal thing, not felt by others. Meanwhile the Monsignor was saying:
`Senor Gordon, please accept my apologies for receiving you in such an austere abode. I do not live here but my home is not unlike it. Few foreigners, other than scholars, realise that Spain escaped large numbers of her people being suborned by the Protestant heresy because our Church had already been cleansed by Queen Isabella's great adviser, Cardinal Ximenez de Cisneros. He put a stop to the sale of indulgences and other unethical practices, purged the priesthood of its drones and lechers and gave preferment only to those who led useful, saintly lives. In Mexico the clergy have followed that fine tradition, so you must excuse the poor accommodation and indifferent food with which you have been provided.'
Impatiently, Adam heard him out, but he could not resist remarking acidly, `That may apply to the lower orders here; but you showed no reluctance to lap up the caviare and champagne when we were together at Cuernavaca.'
`When in Rome, my son. When in Rome… you must know the rest of that quotation. It would ill become me to embarrass my flock by refusing the good things offered at their tables. But that is of no moment. I am most happy to welcome you to this poor house where, at least, you can remain safely concealed; and I rejoice that my endeavours resulted in my restoring you to freedom.'
Adam had meant to keep his temper, but at that it flared and he burst out, `Happy! Your endeavours! My freedom! Do you realise that a score, perhaps two score, men were killed or grievously injured to achieve it?'
`Indeed I do,' Alberuque replied quietly. `But the revolution must go on. And you have become an essential element in its fulfillment. That you should continue to play your part as
Quetzalcoatl is imperative. To ensure your being able to do so, the loss of a few lives, however regrettable, is unimportant.'
`But damn it, man,' Adam shouted, `how can you calmly sit there and say that? If you thought it an ace high priority to get me out, it is just possible to understand your having squared it with your conscience to be the cause of the death of a few unfortunate warders. But that gang of mixed coloured hoodlums you let loose on the place murdered every white man they could lay their hands on: prisoners as well as prison officers.'
`You must make allowances.' The Monsignor spread out his hands and hunched his shoulders. `For centuries, in spite of the Church doing her best to protect them, the coloured people of Mexico have endured great suffering at the hands of the gachupines and their descendants. Given an opportunity, it is only to be expected that they would take their revenge.'
His eyes gone hard, Adam demanded, `Am I to understand that what happened last night at the prison is the pattern for the revolution you are planning? That there is to be a wholesale massacre of the white population?'
Alberuque shook his head and the silver locks falling about his ears danced a little. `I trust not. Once we have triumphed, we shall do our utmost to prevent excesses.'
Adam said scathingly, `What chance will you have against tens of thousands of Indians and half breeds gone berserk? Go on with this and I'll tell you how it will end. They will string you up to a lamp post. And serve you damn' well right.'