A student, Roberto Zepeda, unhappy with the grade by which Fernando had rated his idleness, thought it was a good idea to mention to his mother that the teacher—in a mathematics course which obviously did not lend itself to such high-flown pronunciations—maintained that all men were equal, that Indians were men, and that therefore they deserved to enjoy the same privileges and advantages as Ladinos.

Señora Zepeda listened to this nonsense in horror and immediately communicated her dismay to Señor Zepeda. But he preferred to take the whole thing as a joke, declaring that neither the harangues of a sanctimonious old woman nor the affectations of a spoiled boy who was still clinging to his mother’s petticoats were worth paying any attention to.

Allied by this condemnatory ruling, mother and son turned to someone who could make their complaints resonate: a priest.

Padre Balcázar, bored with the moral insignificance of his parishioners, paid inordinate attention to the whisperings of Señora and young master Zepeda. He initiated inquiries among the other students and found them to be in agreement with Roberto. He decided that Fernando’s reputation and sobriquet were well-founded, and, once in possession of those elements, he dusted off his books, compared the opinions of various authorities, and applied himself to such a degree that he managed to transform a vague nebula of irrelevant or very sketchy facts into a full-fledged accusation: if Fernando was a Communist—of which there was not the slightest doubt—he was also a sworn enemy of the Church, a threat to the established order and a corruptor of youth.

These arguments in hand, Padre Balcázar paid a visit to the director of the Instituto, Dr. Palacios, a man whose respect for the clergy was well known.

In heart-rending phrases, the priest pointed out to the doctor that both he and the school he was in charge of were throwing themselves into an abyss. His imprudence, for Padre Balcázar exempted him from any guilty premeditation, would be justly punished by the heavens if, having been warned, he did not cast the diseased sheep from the fold.

Palacios defended himself with a few weak allegations. He resisted the idea of giving in without a fight to the consequences of this chat, which were obvious: after hearing Padre Balcázar’s admonitions, he would have no other option but to request Fernando Ulloa’s resignation.

The priest did not understand how his will could possibly encounter the least resistance in Palacios. They were from the same town, of the same race, their backgrounds were identical. He did not realize that Palacios was a young man and that the air of Mexico (where he had received his medical education) had blown away many of his former prejudices.