Here his
astonishment reached a climax: he rubbed his eyes--let's see--
slowly, now! F-i-l-i-p-i-n-a-s, Filipinas! So all the well-printed
books gave it--neither he nor his wife was right!
"How's this?" he murmured. "Can history lie? Doesn't this book say that
Alonso Saavedra gave the country that name in honor of the prince,
Don Felipe? How was that name corrupted? Can it be that this Alonso
Saavedra was an Indian?" [110]
With these doubts he went to consult the sergeant Gomez, who, as a
youth, had wanted to be a curate. Without deigning to look at the
corporal the sergeant blew out a mouthful of smoke and answered
with great pompousness, "In ancient times it was pronounced Filipi
instead of Felipe. But since we moderns have become Frenchified we
can't endure two i's in succession, so cultured people, especially in
Madrid--you've never been in Madrid?--cultured people, as I say,
have begun to change the first i to e in many words. This is called
modernizing yourself."
The poor corporal had never been in Madrid--here was the cause
of his failure to understand the riddle: what things are learned in
Madrid! "So now it's proper to say--"
"In the ancient style, man! This country's not yet cultured! In the
ancient style, Filipinas!" exclaimed Gomez disdainfully.
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