Marta; and now, no matter
what were the dark passages of his history, as the medical officer of
the San Tome mine he became a recognized personality. He was recognized,
but not unreservedly accepted. So much defiant eccentricity and such
an outspoken scorn for mankind seemed to point to mere recklessness of
judgment, the bravado of guilt. Besides, since he had become again of
some account, vague whispers had been heard that years ago, when fallen
into disgrace and thrown into prison by Guzman Bento at the time of the
so-called Great Conspiracy, he had betrayed some of his best friends
amongst the conspirators. Nobody pretended to believe that whisper; the
whole story of the Great Conspiracy was hopelessly involved and obscure;
it is admitted in Costaguana that there never had been a conspiracy
except in the diseased imagination of the Tyrant; and, therefore,
nothing and no one to betray; though the most distinguished
Costaguaneros had been imprisoned and executed upon that accusation. The
procedure had dragged on for years, decimating the better class like
a pestilence.
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