111
Juan Bruil, who was Minister of Finance in 1855, was the last one to praise Villaamil's «cuatro memorias» (563). Nonetheless, since Villaamil's promotions through 1855 were granted on the basis of his work -as opposed to bureaucratic politics-, it may be supposed that it was his work that kept him advancing until 1868-69.
112
See note 13.
113
Villaamil's plan is censured by critics who cite articles by Galdós in newspapers that seem to be opposed to Viliaamil's position. But in Miau people of responsibility such as ministers of finance and influential representatives to Cortes favor the plan; it is the likes of Guillén that scoff at it. All the same, it is interesting to note that Villaamil, who finds little good will shown toward him 1878, bases part of his plan «en la buena fe del contribuyente» (634). Hence, if Galdós is criticizing anybody in Miau, it is not only Villaamil, but also a certain philosophy of government finance which had important adherents at the ministerial level. (Of course, it could be suggested that what Galdós thought on the subject one way or another is unimportant, that to confuse the opinions of Galdós with those of the apparently ironic narrator is to commit the intentional fallacy.)
114
For an indication of what the Villaamils think of Víctor see Obras completas, V, 578.
115
I say «end of April» because of references to budding flowers and plans for Abelarda's wedding to Ponce on May 3 (675, 667); a few days after Víctor's appointment, Villaamil kills himself on a fine spring day, but thinks of the wedding as still some little time off in the future.
116
Véase Trafalgar, en las Obras completas, Madrid, Aguilar, T. I (1970), 183a. Todas las citas de los Episodios corresponden a este tomo. Se indicará el título del episodio seguido de la página.
117
Véase La batalla de los Arapiles, 1187a.
118
La corte de Carlos IV, 356a.
119
Véase la escena (36), 297b-299b.
120
Véase la escena (56), 324b-325a.