百年孤独(英文版)-第56部分

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　Brown。　Meme　swallowed　her　blush；　absorbed　her　tribulation；　and　even　managed　a　natural　smile　as　she　asked　him　the　favor　of　leaving　it　on　the　railing　because　her　hands　were　dirty　from　the　garden。　The　only　thing　that　Fernanda　noted　in　the　man　whom　a　few　months　later　she　was　to　expel　from　the　house　without　remembering　where　she　had　seen　him　was　the　bilious　texture　of　his　skin。
　　　“He’s　a　very　strange　man；？Fernanda　said。　“You　can　see　in　his　face　that　he’s　going　to　die。？
　　　Meme　thought　that　her　mother　had　been　impressed　by　the　butterflies　When　they　finished　pruning　the　row　bushes　she　washed　her　hands　and　took　the　package　to　her　bedroom　to　open　it。　It　was　a　kind　of　Chinese　toy；　made　up　of　five　concentric　boxes；　and　in　the　last　one　there　was　a　card　laboriously　inscribed　by　someone　who　could　barely　write：　We’ll　get　together　Saturday　at　the　movies。　Meme　felt　with　an　aftershock　that　the　box　had　been　on　the　railing　for　a　long　time　within　reach　of　Fernanda’s　curiosity；　and　although　she　was　flattered　by　the　audacity　and　ingenuity　of　Mauricio　Babilonia；　she　was　moved　by　his　Innocence　in　expecting　that　she　would　keep　the　date。　Meme　knew　at　that　time　that　Aureliano　Segundo　had　an　appointment　on　Saturday　night。　Nevertheless；　the　fire　of　anxiety　burned　her　so　much　during　the　course　of　the　week　that　on　Saturday　she　convinced　her　father　to　leave　her　alone　in　the　theater　and　e　back　for　her　after　the　show。　A　nocturnal　butterfly　fluttered　about　her　head　while　the　lights　were　on。　And　then　it　happened。　When　the　lights　went　out；　Mauricio　Babilonia　sat　down　beside　her。　Meme　felt　herself　splashing　in　a　bog　of　hesitation　from　which　she　could　only　be　rescued；　as　had　occurred　in　her　dreams；　by　that　man　smelling　of　grease　whom　she　could　barely　see　in　the　shadows。
　　　“If　you　hadn’t　e；？he　said；　“You　never　would　have　seen　me　again。？
　　　Meme　felt　the　weight　of　his　hand　on　her　knee　and　she　knew　that　they　were　both　arriving　at　the　other　side　of　abandonment　at　that　instant。
　　　“What　shocks　me　about　you；？she　said；　smiling；　“is　that　you　always　say　exactly　what　you　shouldn’t　be　saying。？
　　　She　lost　her　mind　over　him。　She　could　not　sleep　and　she　lost　her　appetite　and　sank　so　deeply　into　solitude　that　even　her　father　became　an　annoyance。　She　worked　out　an　intricate　web　of　false　dates　to　throw　Fernanda　off　the　track；　lost　sight　of　her　girl　friends；　leaped　over　conventions　to　be　with　Mauricio　Babilonia　at　any　time　and　at　any　place。　At　first　his　crudeness　bothered　her。　The　first　time　that　they　were　alone　on　the　deserted　fields　behind　the　garage　he　pulled　her　mercilessly　into　an　animal　state　that　left　her　exhausted。　It　took　her　time　to　realize　that　it　was　also　a　form　of　tenderness　and　it　was　then　that　she　lost　her　calm　and　lived　only　for　him；　upset　by　the　desire　to　sink　into　his　stupefying　odor　of　grease　washed　off　by　lye。　A　short　time　before　the　death　of　Amaranta　she　suddenly　stumbled　into　in　open　space　of　lucidity　within　the　madness　and　she　trembled　before　the　uncertainty　of　the　future。　Then　she　heard　about　a　woman　who　made　predictions　from　cards　and　went　to　see　her　in　secret。　It　was　Pilar　Ternera。　As　soon　as　Pilar　saw　her　e　in　she　was　aware　of　Meme’s　hidden　motives。　“Sit　down；？she　told　her。　“I　don’t　need　cards　to　tell　the　future　of　a　Buendía；？Meme　did　not　know　and　never　would　that　the　centenarian　witch　was　her　great…grandmother。　Nor　would　she　have　believed　it　after　the　aggressive　realism　with　which　she　revealed　to　her　that　the　anxiety　of　falling　in　love　could　not　find　repose　except　in　bed。　It　was　the　same　point　of　view　as　Mauricio　Babilonia’s；　but　Meme　resisted　believing　it　because　underneath　it　all　she　imagined　that　it　had　been　inspired　by　the　poor　judgment　of　a　mechanic。　She　thought　then　that　love　on　one　side　was　defeating　love　on　the　other；　because　it　was　characteristic　of　men　to　deny　hunger　once　their　appetites　were　satisfied。　Pilar　Ternera　not　only　cleared　up　that　mistake；　she　also　offered　the　old　canopied　bed　where　she　had　conceived　Arcadio；　Meme’s　grandfather；　and　where　afterward　she　conceived　Aureliano　Jos？　She　also　taught　her　how　to　avoid　an　unwanted　conception　by　means　of　the　evaporation　of　mustard　plasters　and　gave　her　recipes　for　potions　that　in　cases　of　trouble　could　expel　“even　the　remorse　of　conscience。？That　interview　instilled　In　Meme　the　same　feeling　of　bravery　that　she　had　felt　on　the　drunken　evening。　Amaranta’s　death；　however；　obliged　her　to　postpone　the　decision。　While　the　nine　nights　lasted　she　did　not　once　leave　the　side　of　Mauricio　Babilonia；　who　mingled　with　the　crowd　that　invaded　the　house。　Then　came　the　long　period　of　mourning　and　the　obligatory　withdrawal　and　they　separated　for　a　time。　Those　were　days　of　such　inner　agitation；　such　irrepressible　anxiety；　and　so　many　repressed　urges　that　on　the　first　evening　that　Meme　was　able　to　get　out　she　went　straight　to　Pilar　Ternera’s。　She　surrendered　to　Mauricio　Babilonia；　without　resistance；　without　shyness；　without　formalities；　and　with　a　vocation　that　was　so　fluid　and　an　intuition　that　was　so　wise　that　a　more　suspicious　man　than　hers　would　have　confused　them　with　obvious　experience。　They　made　love　twice　a　week　for　more　than　three　months；　protected　by　the　innocent　plicity　of　Aureliano　Segundo；　who　believed　without　suspicion　in　his　daughter’s　alibis　simply　in　order　to　set　her　free　from　her　mother’s　rigidity。
　　　On　the　night　that　Fernanda　surprised　them　in　the　movies　Aureliano　Segundo　felt　weighted　down　by　the　burden　of　his　conscience　and　he　visited　Meme　in　the　bedroom　where　Fernanda　kept　her　locked　up；　trusting　that　she　would　reveal　to　him　the　confidences　that　she　owed　him。　But　Meme　denied　everything。　She　was　so　sure　of　herself；　so　anchored　in　her　solitude　that　Aureliano　Segundo　had　the　impression　that　no　link　existed　between　them　anymore；　that　the　radeship　and　the　plicity　were　nothing　but　an　illusion　of　the　past。　He　thought　of　speaking　to　Mauricio　Babilonia；　thinking　that　his　authority　as　his　former　boss　would　make　him　desist　from　his　plans；　but　Petra　Cotes　convinced　him　that　it　was　a　woman’s　business；　so　he　was　left　floating　in　a　limbo　of　indecision；　barely　sustained　by　the　hope　that　the　confinement　would　put　an　end　to　his　daughter’s　troubles。
　　　Meme　showed　no　signs　of　affliction。　On　the　contrary；　from　the　next　room　？rsula　perceived　the　peaceful　rhythm　of　her　sleep；　the　serenity　of　her　tasks；　the　order　of　her　meals；　and　the　good　health　of　her　digestion。　The　only　thing　that　intrigued　？rsula　after　almost　two　months　of　punishment　was　that　Meme　did　not　take　a　bath　in　the　morning　like　everyone　else；　but　at　seven　in　the　evening。　Once　she　thought　of　warning　her　about　the　scorpions；　but　Meme　was　so　distant；　convinced　that　she　had　given　her　away；　that　she　preferred　not　to　disturb　her　with　the　impertinences；　of　a　great…great…grandmother。　The　yellow　butterflies　would　invade　the　house　at　dusk。　Every　night　on　her　way　back　from　her　bath　Meme　would　find　a　desperate　Fernanda　killing　butterflies　with　an　insecticide　bomb。　“This　is　terrible；？she　would　say；　“All　my　life　they　told　me　that　butterflies　at　night　bring　bad　luck。？One　night　while　Meme　was　in　the　bathroom；　Fernanda　went　into　her　bedroom　by　chance　and　there　were　so　many　butterflies　that　she　could　scarcely　breathe。　She　grabbed　for　the　nearest　piece　of　cloth　to　shoo　them　away　and　her　heart　froze　with　terror　as　she　connected　her　daughter’s　evening　baths　with　the　mustard　plasters　that　rolled　onto　the　floor。　She　did　not　wait　for　an　opportune　moment　as　she　had　the　first　time。　On　the　following　day　she　invited　the　new　mayor　to　lunch。　Like　her；　he　had　e　down　from　the　highlands；　and　she　asked　him　to　station　a　guard　in　the　backyard　because　she　had　the　impression　that　hens　were　being　stolen。　That　night　the　guard　brought　down　Mauricio　Babilonia　as　he　was　lifting　up　the　tiles　to　get　into　the　bathroom　where　Meme　was　waiting　for　him；　naked　and　trembling　with　love　among　the　scorpions　and　butterflies　as　she　had　done　almost　every　night　for　the　past　few　months。　A　bullet　lodged　in　his　spinal　column　reduced　him　to　his　bed　for　the　rest　of　his　life。　He　died　of　old　age　in　solitude；　without　a　moan；　without　a　protest；　without　a　single　moment　of　betrayal；　tormented　by　memories　and　by　the　yellow　butterflies；　who　did　not　give　him　a　moment’s　peace；　and　ostracized　as　a　chicken　thief。

Chapter　15
THE　EVENTS　that　would　deal　Macondo　its　fatal　blow　were　just　showing　themselves　when　they　brought　Meme　Buendía’s　son　home。　The　public　situation　was　so　uncertain　then　that　no　one　had　sufficient　spirit　to　bee　involved　with　private　scandals；　so　that　Fernanda　was　able　to　count　on　an　atmosphere　that　enabled　her　to　keep　the　child　hidden　as　if　he　had　never　existed。　She　had　to　take　him　in　because　the　circumstances　under　which　they　brought　him　made　rejection　impossible。　She　had　to　tolerate　him　against　her　will　for　the　rest　of　her　life　because　at　the　moment　of　truth　she　lacked　the　courage　to　go　through　with　her　inner　determination　to　drown　him　in　the　bathroom　cistern。　She　locked　him　up　in　Colonel　Aureliano　Buendía’s　old　workshop。　She　succeeded　in　convincing　Santa　Sofía　de　la　Piedad　that　she　had　found　him　floating　in　a　basket。　？rsula　would　die　without　ever　knowing　his　origin。　Little　Amaranta　？rsula；　who　went　into　the　workshop　once　when　Fernanda　was　feeding　the　child；　also　believed　the　version　of　the　floating　basket。　Aureliano　Segundo；　having　broken　finally　with　his　wife　because　of　the　irrational　way　in　which　she　handled　Meme’s　tragedy；　did　not　know　of　the　existence　of　his　grandson　until　three　years　after　they　brought　him　home；　when　the　child　escaped　from　captivity　through　an　oversight　on　Fernanda’s　part　and　appeared　on　the　porch　for　a　fraction　of　a　second；　naked；　with　matted　hair；　and　with　an　impressive　sex　organ　that　was　like　a　turkey’s　wattles；　as　if　he　were　not　a　human　child　but　the　encyclopedia　definition　of　a　cannibal。
　　　Fernanda　had　not　counted　on　that　nasty　trick　of　her　incorrigible　fate。　The　child　was　like　the　return　of　a　shame　that　she　had　thought　exiled　by　her　from　the　house　forever。　As　soon　as　they　carried　off　Mauricio　Babilonia　with　his　shattered　spinal　column；　Fernanda　had　worked　out　the　most　minute　details　of　a　plan　destined　to　wipe　out　all　traces　of　the　burden。　Without　consulting　her　husband；　she　packed　her　bags；　put　the　three　changes　of　clothing　that　her　daughter　w