151
«Significado y forma de Misericordia», PMLA, 59 (1944), 1104-10; reprinted in Vida y obra de Galdós, 2nd ed., (Madrid: Gredos, 1961). References are to this edition. (N. del A.)
152
Benito Pérez Galdós, Misericordia, in Obras completas, III (Madrid: Aguilar, 1971), 766. Subsequent references are to this edition. (N. del A.)
153
Benina's basic attitude towards accepting alms or credit is conveyed in her conversation with Doña Paca (pp. 699-700). She adheres firmly to the principle elsewhere that there is no shame in receiving charity, which is a legitimate part of God's Providence. (N. del A.)
154
This duro is to figure later as an important element in Galdós's network of temporal cross-references when Juliana alludes to it again after Benina's release from detention. (N. del A.)
155
There are many instances of Benina's scrupulous attention to detail where the welfare of others is concerned. Galdós comments specifically on this trait in Chapter XXVII, when Benina remembers to advise Frasquito Ponte's employers that he is ill (p. 758). (N. del A.)
156
Don Romualdo, it must be remembered, had paid a second visit to Doña Paca on the day immediately following his return from Guadalajara (p. 766). (N. del A.)
157
Frasquito Ponte is in Obdulia's flat when their first meeting takes place and could not have seen them on that occasion. Galdós does not give any indication that more than two meetings in the Plaza del Progreso between Benina and Almudena occurred. (N. del A.)
158
This device of backtracking in time to make the events of a subsequent chapter partly contemporaneous with those of a previous one has a precedent in the early chapters of the novel before overt dating ceases. In Chapter IV, Galdós takes the narrative forward briefly to the morning of Thursday, 25th March, when the beggards at San Sebastián speculate on the unwonted absence of Benina and Almudena and the significance of Carlos Trujillo's invitation to the former to visit his house at 8:30 A.M. Benina's meeting with Trujillo, which is going on at the same time as the beggars' discussion, is described in Chapter XI. (In Chapters V, VI, X and the opening of XI, Galdós reverts to Wednesday, 24th March to recount intervening prior incidents which shed light on that discussion as well as on Benina's movements and actions for the rest of that day. Chapters VII, VIII and IX are taken up with a biography of Doña Paca and the history of her family and her relations with Benina.) (N. del A.)
159
J. E. Varey, «Charity in Misericordia», in J. E. Varey, ed., Galdós Studies (London: Tamesis, 1970), is surely wrong when he states (pp. 185, 188) that «although repeatedly asked by doña Paca to bring her the account-book which she has improbably sworn to use, he [Ponte] always forgets the errand». The text of Misericordia clearly affirms: «El galán manido se disculpaba con la muchedumbre de sus ocupaciones, hasta que una tarde entró con diversos paquetes de compras, y la dama rondeña vio entre éstos el libro, del cual se apoderó al instante con ganas de inaugurar en él la cuenta y razón de su porvenir dichoso. -Pasaré en seguida todo lo que tengo apuntado en este papelito- dijo» (p. 783). (N. del A.)
160
As was the case with the earlier apparent break in continuity around the time of Benina's arrest, here also Galdós supplements his network of cross-references with additional commonsense grounds for the timetabling they presuppose. For instance, Antoñito states, on the Monday after Benina is detained, that she has sent him a note asking him to help, secure her release. It is probable that he would neither consciously wish Benina to remain in custody longer than necessary nor delay in acting on her behalf. It would follow that Benina's release on the Sunday which falls some eight days after her arrest is a strong likelihood. (N. del A.)