582 Lhe Fortune-Hunters : [June, 
of payment. All will be seen through in that hour, and woe to the 
robber of the church, or church-man. But tell me, Senor, how much 
may be the revenue of one of those chapels?”—“ Have you or have 
you not seen my purse ?” said the student, in a passion—“ if not, I will 
go and have it tolled in the streets.”—“ Not a bad idea,” observed Cos- 
tado, “ but take great care not to forget any of the tokens of the purse, 
and the exact quantity of the money it contained; for if you make the 
mistake of one real, never will you set your eyes on it while you live, 
I can assure you.”—“ There is no fear on that score,” replied the stu- 
dent, “ I never forget a sol.” He drew from his pocket a silk hand- 
kerchief to wipe away the perspiration which stood in great drops on 
his face ; and Costado no sooner cast his eyes on it, than he set it down 
as hisown. The student departed ; Costado followed him, and having 
come up with him on the steps, took him aside, and repeated to him 
such an overflow of verbiage on the loss of his purse, and the means of 
recovering it, that the poor student was in the clouds, requiring the 
same thing to be said a dozen times over: all the while Costado and 
he looking each other stedfastly in the face—of the which bewilder- 
ment of the student, Costado profited so well, as to finish his work by 
adroitly stealing the silk handkerchief out of his pocket. On quitting 
him, the youth appointed to meet him on the same spot that evening, 
having strong suspicion, he said, of a lad of about his own appearance, 
who stood in the market, and had somewhat the reputation of being a 
pickpocket, and that he would force him to give back the purse if he 
had stolen it. This assurance more or less consoled the student, who 
took leave of Costado, whom Bincon now joined, having seen aside the 
whole of what passed. A young man of the same trade, who stood a 
little distant, had also been a spectator of it; and when Costado had 
given the handkerchief to Bincon, approaching them, he said— 
“ Senor, are you of the company or not ?”—“ We do not comprehend 
you, Senor,” replied Bincon. “ Are we not comrades, Senors of Mur- 
cia?” returned the other—“ We are neither of Thebes nor of Murcia,” 
said Costado ; “ if thou hast aught to say to us, say it at once—if not, 
go to your own place.”——“ You understand me not,” replied the youth, 
“ but it will be your own fault if you do not, and your loss, likewise. 
I ask of you, Senors, if you are not thieves? But need I ask, when I 
know you are—tell me, have not you been to the custom-house of 
the Senor Monopadis ?”—*“ Do they pay dues in this town, then, for 
leave to thieve, gallant Senor?” said Bincon.—“ If they do not pay 
dues,” replied the lad, “ at least it is necessary that all pickpockets 
register themselves with Senor Monopadis, who is their father, their 
master, and their refuge. It is for this reason that I counsel you to. 
come with me to swear allegiance to him ; for if you are bold enough 
to thieve without serving under his standard, it may cost you dear.”— 
“IT have always,” said Costado, “ considered thieving to be a free 
trade, without tax or imposition—and that if one did pay, it was once 
for all; but as it is not so here, and that each town has its own customs, 
we shall not be the first to alter those of this city, which, as being one 
of the first in the world, must, without doubt, have also the best 
usages: so we will accompany you to the dwelling of this cavalier who, 
from all I have heard of him, must be a man of consideration, 
ability, generosity, and expertness in his profession.”—“ You may well 
say all that,” replied the other, “ for these four years past that he has 
