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.Don Jaime took them from their hiding place."Above all, Don Agapito, I trust in your honor as a friend and a gentleman to treat this whole matter with the utmost discretion." He spoke gravely, and he could see that his tone of voice appeared to impress the journalist."Do I have your word?"Cárceles solemnly raised a hand to his breast."Of course you do."Don Jaime thought that perhaps he was, after all, wrong to trust him in that way, but there was no turning back.He spread the contents of the folder on the table."These documents have come into my possession for reasons that I am not at liberty to explain, since the secret is not mine to reveal.They contain some hidden meaning that I cannot uncover and that, because it is of great importance to me, I must understand." There was now a look of absorbed attention on Cárceles's face as he listened to his friend's somewhat faltering words."Perhaps the problem lies in my lack of knowledge of political matters in this country, but the fact is that I am incapable of making any sense of what obviously does possess sense.That is why I decided to ask you, since you know about these things.I would like you to read the documents, try to deduce what it is all about, and then give me your expert opinion."Cárceles did not move for a few moments, looking hard at Don Jaime, who could see that his companion was impressed.Cárceles licked his lips and looked at the documents on the table."Don Jaime," he said at last, with barely concealed admiration."I would never have imagined that you.""Nor would I," said Don Jaime, cutting him short."And to be absolutely honest, I must tell you that these papers are in my hands quite against my will.I have no choice now, however, and I must know what they mean."Cárceles looked at the documents again, uncertain whether or not to touch them.He understood that some grave matter lay behind them.At last, as if coming to a decision, he sat down at the table and picked them up.Don Jaime remained standing, next to him.Given the situation, he abandoned his usual politeness and reread the contents of the folder over his friend's shoulder.The journalist, when he saw the letter headings and the signatures on the first letters, swallowed hard.A couple of times he turned around to look incredulously at Don Jaime, but made no comment.He read on in silence, carefully turning the pages, pausing now and then with a finger on one of the names in the lists.When he was halfway through his reading, he suddenly stopped, as if an idea had come to him, and hurriedly leafed back to an earlier page.A faint grimace, resembling a smile, appeared on his ill-shaven face.He then continued with his reading, while Don Jaime, who did not dare to interrupt, waited on tenterhooks."Can you make anything of it?" he asked at last, unable to contain himself any longer.The journalist made a cautious gesture."Possibly.But at the moment it's only a hunch.I need to be quite certain that we're on the right track." He plunged back into his reading, frowning in concentration.After a moment, he slowly nodded, as if he had found the certainty he was looking for.He stopped again, and looked up at the ceiling, as if trying to remember."There was something.," he said in a somber voice, as if to himself."I don't quite remember, but it must have been.at the beginning of last year.Yes, mines.There was a campaign against Narváez; people said he was in on the deal.Now what was that.?"Don Jaime could not remember ever having felt so nervous.Suddenly, Cárceles's face lit up."Of course, how could I have been so stupid!" he exclaimed, striking the table with the palm of his hand."But I need to check the name.Could it be that.?" He leafed rapidly back through the pages."Good God, Don Jaime, did you really not see it? What you have here is an unprecedented scandal! I swear that.!"Someone knocked at the door.Cárceles stopped speaking and looked fearfully toward the hall."Are you expecting anyone?"Don Jaime shook his head, as disconcerted as Cárceles was by the interruption.With unexpected presence of mind, the journalist picked up the documents, looked about him, then jumped nimbly to his feet and stuffed the papers under the sofa.He turned to Don Jaime."Get rid of them, whoever they are!" he whispered in his ear."You and I must talk."Perplexed, Don Jaime automatically straightened his tie and went to the front door.The knowledge that he was about to have revealed to him the mystery that had brought Adela de Otero to him and had cost Luis de Ayala his life was gradually sinking in, provoking in him a feeling of unreality.For a moment, he wondered if he would suddenly wake up and find that it had all been an absurd joke, the fruit of his imagination.There was a policeman at the door."Don Jaime Astarloa?"Don Jaime felt the hairs prickle on the back of his neck."That's right
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