Noli Me Tangere

Chapter 55-57
Chapter 55-57
Chapter 55 : The Catastrophe

Chapter 56 : Rumors and Beliefs

Chapter 57 : Woe to the Vanquished

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 Chapter 55 : The Catastrophe
In Captain Tiago’s house, Father Salví paces nervously back and forth, not wanting
to leave. María Clara and Sinang whisper, acknowledging that he is clearly in love.
Ibarra then arrives dressed in mourning, and shots begin to ring out in the street.
“Bandits! Bandits!” yell people outside as chaos takes hold of the town. Ibarra runs
into the street and to the barracks, where guards have captured the rebels. He goes
to the court, and the ensign declares that nobody is permitted to leave town that
night.

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Ibarra makes haste to his home and goes into his study, where he puts his
belongings in a pile to be burned. Before he can light this pile on fire, though,
guards arrive and arrest him, and he goes with them without protest. After
leaving Ibarra’s house in a fit, Elías ran to the forests and mountains, delirious
and enraged. He saw visions of his grandfather and his sister’s ghost rising
above the lake. Wading into the water now, he approaches his sister’s
apparition. When he’s chest-deep, a large explosion yanks him from his
revelries.

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Realizing suddenly that he’s in the lake, he runs to shore and
back to San Diego. He goes to Ibarra’s house and burns the pile
of papers and belongings that Ibarra himself didn’t have time to
destroy. Just as he’s doing so, soldiers from the Civil Guard arrive
to confiscate these items. Before they can do so, though, the
house goes up in flames and Elías escapes out in the window.

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 Chapter 56 : Rumors and Beliefs
Gossip and rumors fly throughout San Diego. Eventually the
townspeople learn that Don Filipo and Ibarra have been
imprisoned. Bruno one of the brothers whom Lucas convinced
to sack the barracks has confessed that Ibarra organized the
revolt in order to get revenge on Captain Tiago for calling off
his wedding and engaging María Clara to Linares.
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Elsewhere, Lucas’s body is found hanging from an apple tree.
Disguised as a peasant, Elías inspects Lucas’s body and sees
the seeds of a certain kind of tree stuck to the man’s collar. He
then goes to the church and sees the chief sexton, noting that
the same seeds are attached to his shirtsleeves.

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 Chapter 57 : Woe To The Vanquished
In the courthouse, Doña Consolación is delighted to witness the
interrogation and torture of the prisoners. The court which
includes the ensign, the mayor, and Father Salvi brings out
Társilo for questioning. He says that Ibarra never contacted him
or his peers, insisting that the only reason he attacked was to
revenge his father’s death.
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Refusing to change his story, Társilo accepts multiple
beatings, eventually looking up to see Doña Consolación,
at whom he laughs and says: “I’ve never seen an uglier
woman.” The ensign then sets to work beating him
severely before lowering him into a well to drown.

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