four in the afternoon
It was the game of the old carbineers , in slipping contraband cigars and tobacco-leaves under a house , in order to pretend a search and force the unfortunate owner to bribery or fines , only now the art had been perfected and , the tobacco monopoly abolished , resort was had to the prohibited arms . But Simoun refused to see any one and sent word to the Chinese that he should leave things as they were , whereupon he went to see Don Custodio to inquire whether he should fortify his bazaar , but neither would Don Custodio receive him , being at the time engaged in the study of a project for defense in case of a siege . He thought of Ben-Zayb as a source of information , but finding the writer armed to the teeth and using two loaded revolvers for paper-weights , took his leave in the shortest possible time , to shut himself up in his house and take to his bed under pretense of illness . At four in the afternoon the talk was no longer of simple pasquinades . There were whispered rumors of an understanding between the students and the outlaws of San Mateo , it was certain that in the _ pansitería _ they had conspired to surprise the city , there was talk of German ships outside the bay to support the movement , of a band of young men who under the pretext of protesting and demonstrating their Hispanism had gone to the Palace to place themselves at the General 's orders but had been arrested because it was discovered that they were armed . Providence had saved his Excellency , preventing him from receiving those precocious criminals , as he was at the time in conference with the Provincials , the Vice-Rector , and with Padre Irene , Padre Salvi 's representative . There was considerable truth in these rumors , if we have to believe Padre Irene , who in the afternoon went to visit Capitan Tiago .