A DINNER PARTY. 331 



good opera companies ; regretted that I could not play- 

 some national airs, and entertained himself and the 

 company with several of their own. 



In the mean time the padre of Palenque was still 

 missing, but, after being sent for twice, made his ap- 

 pearance. The dinner was in fact his ; but, on ac- 

 count of want of conveniences in the convent from his 

 careless housekeeping, was given by his friend Don 

 Santiago on his behalf, and the answer of the boy sent 

 to call him was that he had forgotten all about it. He 

 was absent and eccentric enough for a genius, though 

 he made no pretensions to that character. Don San- 

 tiago told us that he once went to the padre's house, 

 where he found inside a cow and a calf; the cura, in 

 great perplexity, apologized, saying that he could not 

 help himself, they would come in ; and considered it a 

 capital idea when Don Santiago suggested to him the 

 plan of driving them out. 



As soon as he appeared the other padres rallied him 

 upon his forgetfulness, which they insisted was all feign- 

 ed ; they had won sixteen dollars of him the night be- 

 fore, and said that he was afraid to come. He answer- 

 ed in the same strain that he was a ruined man. They 

 offered him his revenge, and forthwith the table was 

 brought out, cards and grains of corn were spread 

 upon it as before, and while the padre of Tumbala 

 played the violin, the other three played Monte. Being 

 Sunday, in some places this would be considered rather 

 irregular ; at least, to do so with open doors would be 

 considered setting a bad example to children and ser- 

 vants ; and, in fact, considering myself on a pretty so- 

 ciable footing, I could not help telling them that in my 

 country they would all be read out of Church. The 

 padre Congressman had met an Englishman in Mexico 



