able to get his brother Valeriano a government pension as an art painter of "Spanish regional folk costumes and traditions". During this period, the poet concentrated on finishing his compilations of poems Rimas (Rhymes) and Libro de los gorriones (Book of the Sparrows), so he did not publish a great deal of his works. A completed manuscript of his poems was given for its publication to Luis González Bravo, (President of Spain for a second time in 1868), as he had supportively offered so to Bécquer, but regrettably it was lost during the political revolution of 1868, which hastily exiled President Luis González Bravo and Queen Isabella II of Spain to France. It was at this time that the poet left Spain for Paris, although he returned not long after. By 1869, the poet and his brother went back to Madrid together, along with Gustavo's sons. Here, he started re-writing the book that had gone missing, due to his loyal benefactor Luis González Bravo's forced exile to France the year before. Gustavo was, by then, living a bohemian life, as his friends later described. With the sole purpose of putting bread on the table, Bécquer went back to writing for El museo universal, and then left to take the job of literary director of a new artistic magazine called La ilustración de Madrid. Valeriano also collaborated with this project. Gustavo's publications in this magazine consisted mostly of short texts to accompany his brother's illustrations. Around this time, between 1868 and 1869, the two brothers published a book of satiric and erotic illustrations under a pseudonym, which humorously critiqued the life of royalty in Spain, called Los Borbones en pelotas. In 1870, Valeriano fell ill and died on September 23. This had a terrible impact on Gustavo, who suffered a serious depression as a result. After publishing a few short works in the magazine, the poet also became gravely ill and died in poverty in Madrid, on December 22, almost three months after his beloved brother. The cause of death is debated: while his friends described symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis, a later study indicates that he may have died of liver complications. Some of his last words are said to be "Acordaos de mis niños" ("remember-don't forget- my children".) After his death, his friend Rodríguez Correa, with the collaboration of Campillo, Nombela, and Augusto Ferrán, collected and organized his manuscripts for