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Zeferino delivered the reply with the proud gesture of a man who served as the link between the landowner and the supposed king. Cerveira was puzzled by the wrapper calling him Count of Quadros and general of the royal army, and said that the letter was not for him. 'It is for Your Excellency,' Zeferino assured him, claiming that he had seen Dom Miguel write those words the previous night, between nine and ten. He added that he himself was now sergeant-major of Lamelas and that Gaspar had been promoted to colonel. 'Your father, a colonel?' Cerveira repeated, more offended than impressed.
For a moment, his judgement distrusted a Dom Miguel who made a mason a sergeant-major and a former militia ensign a colonel. The general's commission and the count's coronet seemed natural for him; it was the honours bestowed on the two commoners that he found hard to accept. He opened the letter without much enthusiasm and read it with difficulty, moving the paper closer to and farther from his eyes. Little by little, his brow cleared and his eyes brightened with the pleasant warmth of conviction. Cerveira believed that he recognised the handwriting and the signature 'Miguel, Rei', mistaking memory and desire for evidence. One passage suddenly changed his expression, and he slowly folded the paper. Despite Zeferino's new title, he continued to see him as the mason who had built his maize stores and repaired his kitchen. He was not yet drunk enough to entrust him with the contents of the letter.
He ordered him to relate what had happened and, as he sat down, opened a bottle of gin. Zeferino described everything in detail: the king's appearance, his imposing beard and the measured movement of his hand as he spoke. He repeated, in a clumsier form, the compliments paid to Cerveira and said that the supposed king had asked about the new count's children. Cerveira, who was very thirsty, mixed the gin in equal parts with sugared water. As the alcohol lit up his fantastic world, the last shadows of reason disappeared. He asked again for details that had already been explained and ended with no doubt at all that the old friend was at São Gens de Calvos. He explained the promotions of the two commoners as a courtesy intended to please him. Zeferino informed him that His Majesty wished to see him return with another letter, until he could embrace Cerveira in person. Cerveira ordered him to return early the next day and, on his way home, to summon Father Rocha from Pombais.
Father Rocha preferred to go in the morning, before the lieutenant-colonel's patriotic transports began. Cerveira's drunkenness repelled him, but he felt sincere compassion for the man. He wanted to save his neighbour from a trap set for his money or discover whether the exiled prince was really in the district. Shortly after sunrise, he reached Quadros, but Cerveira had already dosed himself generously with gin against a vice that little drink could drown. 'There is no doubt, Father Rocha, the man is here!' the landowner exclaimed. When the alcoholic breath struck him full in the face, Rocha thought that matters were beginning badly and asked whether the news was certain. Cerveira corrected the form of address: he was no longer a lieutenant-colonel, but a general and a count. Rocha offered him many congratulations with ceremonial delight and began to read the wrapper. At Cerveira's request, he opened the letter and asked whether that fine handwriting was Dom Miguel's own. The landowner claimed to know that signature very well and offered him a drink. Rocha refused because he had to celebrate Mass for Dona Andresa at ten o'clock. Cerveira praised the learning of the man he believed to be king and declared that he would never send him a carelessly written letter.
With impatient curiosity, Father Rocha drew up his chair and began to read aloud. The document had been produced by the false court and signed in the name of 'Miguel, Rei', although Rocha and Cerveira did not yet know its origin. 'Old, honourable and loyal friend, Vasco da Cerveira Lobo, Count of Quadros and general of my armies, I, the king, send you many greetings.' The letter said that its author had felt enormous pleasure on hearing Cerveira's name and finding it at the end of that most precious message. Cerveira interrupted the reading to ask whether the priest could now see that he had been right. Rocha continued: during eleven years of exile, the text claimed, the supposed king had often remembered the friend who had shared the pleasures of his youth. 'Did I not tell you that the king and I used to have great revels as young men?' Cerveira exclaimed. Father Rocha confirmed that he had heard the story before and asked permission to continue.
The text claimed that its author had arrived in Portugal at the summons of important friends and had immediately asked whether Cerveira was still alive. It said that European negotiations and instructions from the Lisbon Junta had prevented him from writing to his old companion before then. That mixture of political secrecy, criticism from his own supporters and old affection struck Cerveira with full force. The landowner began to sob, and tears shone on his flushed face. When Rocha asked whether they were tears of joy, Cerveira replied that he wept because he was old and could no longer do anything for the king. He thrust out his arm to display his strength, alarming the priest with this new burst of physical enthusiasm. Rocha looked at him with pity, restrained the impulse to comfort him and continued reading.
The letter recalled Cerveira as lieutenant-colonel of the Chaves dragoons and commander of a charge against Liberal troops coming out of Porto. It also praised him for refusing a pardon after the end of his squadrons and declaring himself a prisoner of war. Cerveira suddenly rose and swore that it had happened exactly like that. In his version, Saldanha tried to make him a Liberal and promised to return his sword, but he consigned the weapon to the depths of Hell. He declared that his sword had come from Dom Miguel and that he would accept another only from him when it was needed. Rocha laughed and asked permission to go on, for the time of Mass was drawing near. The false document lamented that so few had imitated Cerveira's heroism and said that the loss of the crown had been less than the loss of friends like him. Cerveira ordered the sentence to be repeated, and Rocha thought that either the king wrote with sentimental skill or the impostor was no fool.
At last came the answer to the offer of resources, which the author pretended to accept with sadness and reluctance. The letter claimed that the king had lived for twelve years on his subjects' generosity and now needed further help. It also said that Infanta Dona Isabel Maria had provided fifty contos to begin the movement. Yet, the document asked, what were fifty contos when a hundred thousand men had to be fed, clothed and armed? The powerful and the rich must therefore assist the Infanta, according to that manufactured rhetoric. The writer claimed that he could raise twelve thousand men within a small area, but said that he dared not do so without sufficient resources. Then came the decisive request: the supposed king accepted exactly three contos de réis from his beloved count's fortune as a loan. He promised to repay him with what was worth less, money, and what was worth more, eternal gratitude. The letter ended with a blessing, the date 12 May 1845 at São Gens de Calvos, and the signature 'Miguel, Rei'.
The reading neither confirmed nor dispelled Father Rocha's suspicions. When Cerveira asked what he thought, he folded the paper, shrugged and replied, 'In truth, I do not know.' Cerveira declared that he would take the money and give his friend everything he possessed, even the shirt off his back. Rocha observed that, if the author truly was Dom Miguel, Cerveira would be doing his duty, but it was prudent to obtain certainty. The landowner protested that he would not hand over the money without first seeing the man with his own eyes and hearing him speak. Nevertheless, he swore that Dom Miguel's presence at Calvos was as certain as God's presence in Heaven.
He said that it was Tuesday, that his clothes would arrive from Braga on Friday and that he would leave for Calvos on Saturday. Until then, he wanted to send Zeferino with a second note, announcing that he would kiss the supposed king's hand and bring the three contos. Rocha wrote the requested two lines, but no delivery or transfer of the money took place at that moment.
He left deeply worried, celebrated Mass for Dona Andresa and asked her permission to be absent for three days. He told the lady that he feared a trap aimed at Cerveira's credulity, perhaps even an armed robbery, and felt it his duty to protect him. Dona Andresa asked whether it might truly be Dom Miguel asking for the money. 'That is what I am going to find out,' Rocha replied, determined to seek the truth while still lacking proof.