Chapter 37 Chapter Seventeen The Last Night

Yaquita came to visit with her daughter, and as usual, the couple stayed together for a few hours.Joam D'Acosta's heart was overwhelmed at the sight of two persons so dear to him.However, as a husband and father, he restrained himself.Instead, he was encouraging the two poor women, telling them that there was still a glimmer of hope, even though he himself felt the end of the rope.The two of them came to visit the prison to cheer up the prisoner.well!They themselves needed more support than he did; but seeing him so steadfast, seeing him face so many trials with his head held high, gave them confidence again.

On that same day, too, Joam D'Acosta spoke many encouraging words to them.He has such an indomitable will, not only because he has a clear conscience, but also because he believes in God, who has sowed his justice partly in the hearts of men, and that Joam D'Acosta will not represent the case of Tijuca. People have suffered! Besides, he said almost nothing about documents.Whether the document was a forgery or not, whether it was written by Torres or the real murderer, whether it contained evidence that people were looking for, Joam D'Acosta did not want to rely on this dubious Assume reversal.No!He sees himself as a powerful testimony to win this lawsuit, and he wants to use his hardworking and upright life to defend himself!

And so, that night, these sonorous words touched both mother and daughter to the deepest recesses of their hearts, and they departed with confidence that neither of them had ever felt since Joam Dacosta's imprisonment. So confident, the prisoner embraced them one last time with doubly tenderness.They seem to have a premonition that this matter will have a result, no matter what the outcome is. Joam D'Acosta remained motionless for a long time alone.Arms resting on a small table, hands holding head. What was he thinking about?Do you deeply believe in the justice of the world, after the wrong judgment last time, will finally give him justice this time?

yes!He is looking forward to it!He knew that the petition report written by himself with full confidence, together with the report on his identity written by Judge Jarry Gates, should have reached the hands of the president of the Supreme Court of Rio de Janeiro. As you know, this report describes all his experiences during the period from the time he entered the diamond office to the time when the raft stopped at the gate of Manao. Joam D'Acosta recalled his life at this time.He went back to the past, when he came to Tijuka alone, alone, where he worked hard, entered the office of the steward at a very young age, and rose through the ranks.He has a bright future and could have sat in a high position! ...However, disasters suddenly struck: the diamond escort team was robbed, and the escort guards were killed. Finally, he was suspected because he was the only employee who could reveal the secret of the diamond escort team's departure. Later, he was arrested and imprisoned, and appeared in court for trial; Despite the efforts of his lawyers, he was finally sentenced to death; after spending his last hours in the death row cell of Villa Rica, he escaped with superhuman courage; The owner of the Galaes manor took him in, a penniless, starving fugitive!

These past events that ruthlessly ruined his life emerged one after another before the prisoner's eyes!At this time, he was immersed in thoughts and memories, and he did not hear a strange sound outside the wall of the old monastery, nor did he hear the vibration of the rope hanging on the iron window fence, and the sound of the steel file filing the iron fence. Could have gotten the attention of someone who wasn't so engrossed. Joam D'Acosta heard nothing, and went on recalling the years of his youth after his arrival in Peru.He saw himself working as a man on the estate again, and then working with the old Portuguese man to revive the property of the Iquitos estate.

well!Why didn't he tell his benefactor everything from the start!He will not doubt himself!This is the only mistake in his life that he should blame himself for!Why did he neither confess where he came from nor explain his parentage - especially when Magalaes entrusted his daughter to him, she would never want to see herself such a terrible murder murderer! At this time, there was a loud noise outside, which attracted the attention of the prisoners. Joam Dacosta looked up.He looked out of the window, but with a vacant look, like a man delirious, and presently buried his head in his hands again.His thoughts took him back to Iquitos.

There, the old manor owner was dying.As he was dying, he hoped that his daughter's future would be secure, and that he would become the sole owner of the manor, which had prospered day by day under the management of his partner.Would Joam D'Acosta speak at this moment? ...maybe? ...but he didn't dare! ...he thought back to the happy days he had lived with Yaquita, the birth of his children, all the happiness of his life, only the memory of the events in Tijuca, disturbed by guilt for keeping this terrible secret this happiness. This series of past events reappeared in Joam Dacosta's mind, clearly and vividly.

Now he thought of the marriage of his daughters Mina and Manoel!Could he marry Mina to Manoel under a false name and hide from the young man the secrets of his life?cannot!Therefore, according to the opinion of Judge Ribeiro, he decided to come and ask for a new trial of his case, demanding that the grievances be avenged.He set off with the whole family, but on the way a torres came out, the scoundrel offered a dirty deal, the enraged father refused to use his daughter to preserve his honor and life, then he was accused, then he was arrested ! ... At this time, the window was suddenly pushed open from the outside.Joam Dacosta stood up, and the memories of the past disappeared like a shadow.

Benito has jumped into the cell and stood in front of his father.After a while, Manoel also came in through the gap sawed in the iron fence and appeared in front of Joam D'Acosta. Joam D'Acosta was about to scream, but Benito had no time for him. "Father," he said, "the window bars have been sawn! . . . A rope is hanging down to the ground! . . . A canoe is waiting for you in the canal, a hundred paces away! Then sail away from Manao, to the other side of the Amazon, where no one can trace you! . . . Father, you must flee at once! . . . The judge himself advised us to do so!"

"It should be done!" added Manoel. "Escape! I!...Escape for the second time!...Escape!..." With arms folded and head held high, Joam D'Acosta backed away slowly, all the way to the other end of the cell. "Never!" His voice was so firm that both Benito and Manoel froze. The two young men did not expect him to refuse.They never imagined that the obstacle to escape would come from the prisoner himself. Benito walked towards his father, fixed his eyes on him, and took his hands, not to drag him away, but to talk to him and persuade him. "You mean never, father?"

"never." "Father," said Manoel, "I have a right to call you that, too—father, listen to us! We tell you not to lose a moment, but to run away, because if you stay here, you will be punished." If others are guilty, you are also guilty!" "To stay is to die, father!" Benito said again, "the order of execution may come at any time! If you think that the law of mankind can rehabilitate a wrongful case, if you think it can make a case for a sentence sentenced twenty years ago If the criminal is cleared of his crimes, then you are wrong! There is no hope! You must run away! . . . Run away!" Benito grabbed his father violently and dragged him towards the window. Joam D'Acosta wrenched his son free and backed away again.He said in a determined and unshakable tone: "Run away! This is going to disgrace me, and let you embarrass me! This is tantamount to admitting that I am guilty! Since I voluntarily return to China to wait for the judge to deal with it, I should wait for them to make a decision. No matter what decision they make, I will Wait!" "However, your arrogance alone is not enough," continued Manoel, "and until today there is a lack of physical evidence to prove your innocence! The reason we keep telling you to run away is because Judge Jarry Gates himself told Ours! Now you have only one chance to escape from death!" "Then, I shall die!" replied Joam D'Acosta calmly. "I shall die in protest of my decision to impose the death sentence! For the first time, a few hours before the execution, I escaped Yes! I was very young at the time, and I still had a long life to fight against human injustice! But now I run away and continue to live a miserable life as a criminal. Twenty-three years of worrying about life has made you suffer along with me, waiting to be exposed every day, it is a matter of time, and then waiting for someone to extradite me from abroad! Is this life? No! Absolutely not!" "Father," continued Benito, driven mad by his obstinacy, "run away! I want you to run away! . . . " He seized Joam D'Acosta and tried to pull him hard to the window. "no no!……" "Then you're trying to drive me crazy!" "Child," cried Joam D'Acosta, "let go of me! . . . I have escaped from Villa Rica once, and I must have escaped under the impression that I should indeed be condemned to death! Yes! Someone else must have thought so! Now, for the honor of your surname, I won't do it!" Benito knelt before his father!Reaching out to him...begging him... "But the order, father," he repeated, "the order is coming today... at any moment... there will be a death sentence!" "Until the order comes, my resolve will not change! It will not change, my boy! The guilty Joam D'Acosta may flee! The innocent Joam D'Acosta will not!" As soon as the words came out, the scene was really heartbreaking.Benito tried desperately to convince his father.Manoel was standing at the window in bewilderment, about to forcefully take the prisoner away, when the door of the cell opened. The chief of police appeared at the door with the warden and some soldiers. The chief of police understood that there had just been a prison escape attempt, but he also immediately understood that the prisoner's attitude was that he did not want to escape!The director didn't say a word, and his face showed deep sympathy.Maybe, like Judge Jarry Gates, he wanted Joam D'Acosta to escape from this prison? But it was too late! The chief of police, holding a piece of paper in his hand, approached the prisoner. "First," said Joam D'Acosta to the Director, "let me declare to you that the escape concerns only me, and I do not want to escape!" The Chief of Police bowed his head and paused for a moment, then tried in vain to make his voice firmer: "Joam D'Acosta, the order has just come here from the Attorney General of Rio de Janeiro." "Ah! Father!" Manoel and Benito screamed at the same time. "This order," asked Joam D'Acosta, folding his arms across his chest, "is this order to execute a sentence?" "yes!" "when?" "tomorrow!" Benito threw himself on his father.Wanting to drag his father out of this cell again... the soldiers had to pull the prisoner out of Benito's arms. Benito and Manoel were then led out at the behest of the chief of police.It was time for this pathetic scene to end, it had gone on for too long. "Sir," said the prisoner, "may I see Father Passana before the execution tomorrow morning? Would you please inform him?" "He will be notified." "Can I see my family and give my wife and kids one last hug?" "Can." "Thank you, sir," said Joam D'Acosta, "and now, please, have this window guarded! lest I be taken from here by force!" Having said this, the police chief bowed to him, and withdrew with the warden and the soldiers. The prisoner is left alone in the cell, and now he has only a few hours left.