百年孤独(英文版)-第67部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


cars　which　took　a　whole　afternoon　to　pass　by。　The　ecclesiastical　delegates　who　had　e　to　investigate　the　report　of　the　strange　death　of　the　birds　and　the　sacrifice　of　the　Wandering　Jew　found　Father　Antonio　Isabel　playing　blind　man’s　buff　with　the　children；　and　thinking　that　his　report　was　the　product　of　a　hallucination；　they　took　him　off　to　an　asylum。　A　short　time　later　they　sent　Father　Augusto　Angel；　a　crusader　of　the　new　breed；　intransigent；　audacious；　daring；　who　personally　rang　the　bells　several　times　a　day　so　that　the　peoples　spirits　would　not　get　drowsy；　and　who　went　from　house　to　house　waking　up　the　sleepers　to　go　to　mass　but　before　a　year　was　out　he　too　was　conquered　by　the　negligence　that　one　breathed　in　with　the　air；　by　the　hot　dust　that　made　everything　old　and　clogged　up；　and　by　the　drowsiness　caused　by　lunchtime　meatballs　in　the　unbearable　heat　of　siesta　time。
　　　With　？rsula’s　death　the　house　again　fell　into　a　neglect　from　which　it　could　not　be　rescued　even　by　a　will　as　resolute　and　vigorous　as　that　of　Amaranta　？rsula；　who　many　years　later；　being　a　happy；　modern　woman　without　prejudices；　with　her　feet　on　the　ground；　opened　doors　and　windows　in　order　to　drive　away　the　rain；　restored　the　garden；　exterminated　the　red　ants　who　were　already　walking　across　the　porch　in　broad　daylight；　and　tried　in　vain　to　reawaken　the　forgotten　spirit　of　hospitality。　Fernanda’s　cloistered　passion　built　in　impenetrable　dike　against　？rsula’s　torrential　hundred　years。　Not　only　did　she　refuse　to　open　doors　when　the　arid　wind　passed　through；　but　she　had　the　windows　nailed　shut　with　boards　in　the　shape　of　a　cross；　obeying　the　paternal　order　of　being　buried　alive。　The　expensive　correspondence　with　the　invisible　doctors　ended　in　failure。　After　numerous　postponements；　she　shut　herself　up　in　her　room　on　the　date　and　hour　agreed　upon；　covered　only　by　a　white　sheet　and　with　her　head　pointed　north；　and　at　one　o’clock　in　the　morning　she　felt　that　they　were　covering　her　head　with　a　handkerchief　soaked　in　a　glacial　liquid。　When　she　woke　up　the　sun　was　shining　in　the　window　and　she　had　a　barbarous　stitch　in　the　shape　of　an　arc　that　began　at　her　crotch　and　ended　at　her　sternum。　But　before　she　could　plete　the　prescribed　rest　she　received　a　disturbed　letter　from　the　invisible　doctors；　who　mid　they　had　inspected　her　for　six　hours　without　finding　anything　that　corresponded　to　the　symptoms　so　many　times　and　so　scrupulously　described　by　her。　Actually；　her　pernicious　habit　of　not　calling　things　by　their　names　had　brought　about　a　new　confusion；　for　the　only　thing　that　the　telepathic　surgeons　had　found　was　a　drop　in　the　uterus　which　could　be　corrected　by　the　use　of　a　pessary。　The　disillusioned　Fernanda　tried　to　obtain　more　precise　information；　but　the　unknown　correspondents　did　not　answer　her　letters　any　more。　She　felt　so　defeated　by　the　weight　of　an　unknown　word　that　she　decided　to　put　shame　behind　her　and　ask　what　a　pessary　was；　and　only　then　did　she　discover　that　the　French　doctor　had　hanged　himself　to　a　beam　three　months　earlier　and　had　been　buried　against　the　wishes　of　the　townspeople　by　a　former　panion　in　arms　of　Colonel　Aureliano　Buendía。　Then　she　confided　in　her　son　Jos？Arcadio　and　the　latter　sent　her　the　pessaries　from　Rome　along　with　a　pamphlet　explaining　their　use；　which　she　flushed　down　the　toilet　after　mitting　it　to　memory　so　that　no　one　would　learn　the　nature　of　her　troubles。　It　was　a　useless　precaution　because　the　only　people　who　lived　in　the　house　scarcely　paid　any　attention　to　her。　Santa　Sofía　de　la　Piedad　was　wandering　about　in　her　solitary　old　age；　cooking　the　little　that　they　ate　and　almost　pletely　dedicated　to　the　care　of　Jos？Arcadio　Segundo。　Amaranta　？rsula；　who　had　inherited　certain　attractions　of　Remedios　the　Beauty；　spent　the　time　that　she　had　formerly　wasted　tormenting　？rsula　at　her　schoolwork；　and　she　began　to　show　good　judgment　and　a　dedication　to　study　that　brought　back　to　Aureliano　Segundo　the　high　hopes　that　Meme　had　inspired　in　him。　He　had　promised　her　to　send　her　to　finish　her　studies　in　Brussels；　in　accord　with　a　custom　established　during　the　time　of　the　banana　pany；　and　that　illusion　had　brought　him　to　attempt　to　revive　the　lands　devastated　by　the　deluge。　The　few　times　that　he　appeared　at　the　house　were　for　Amaranta　？rsula；　because　with　time　he　had　bee　a　stranger　to　Fernanda　and　little　Aureliano　was　being　withdrawn　as　he　approached　puberty。　Aureliano　Segundo　had　faith　that　Fernanda’s　heart　would　soften　with　old　age　so　that　the　child　could　join　in　the　life　of　the　town　where　no　one　certainly　would　make　any　effort　to　speculate　suspiciously　about　his　origins。　But　Aureliano　himself　seemed　to　prefer　the　cloister　of　solitude　and　he　did　not　show　the　least　desire　to　know　the　world　that　began　at　the　street　door　of　the　house。　When　？rsula　had　the　door　of　Melquíades？room　opened　he　began　to　linger　about　it；　peeping　through　the　half…opened　door；　and　no　one　knew　at　what　moment　he　became　close　to　Jos？Arcadio　Segundo　in　a　link　of　mutual　affection。　Aureliano　Segundo　discovered　that　friendship　a　long　time　after　it　had　begun；　when　he　heard　the　child　talking　about　the　killing　at　the　station。　It　happened　once　when　someone　at　the　table　plained　about　the　ruin　into　which　the　town　had　sunk　when　the　banana　pany　had　abandoned　it；　and　Aureliano　contradicted　him　with　maturity　and　with　the　vision　of　a　grown　person。　His　point　of　view；　contrary　to　the　general　interpretation；　was　that　Macondo　had　been　a　prosperous　place　and　well　on　its　way　until　it　was　disordered　and　corrupted　and　suppressed　by　the　banana　pany；　whose　engineers　brought　on　the　deluge　as　a　pretext　to　avoid　promises　made　to　the　workers。　Speaking　with　such　good　sense　that　to　Fernanda　he　was　like　a　sacrilegious　parody　of　Jews　among　the　wise　men；　the　child　described　with　precise　and　convincing　details　how　the　army　had　machine…gunned　more　than　three　thousand　workers　penned　up　by　the　station　and　how　they　loaded　the　bodies　onto　a　two…hundred…car　train　and　threw　them　into　the　sea。　Convinced　as　most　people　were　by　the　official　version　that　nothing　had　happened；　Fernanda　was　scandalized　with　the　idea　that　the　child　had　inherited　the　anarchist　ideas　of　Colonel　Aureliano　Buendía　and　told　him　to　be　quiet。　Aureliano　Segundo；　on　the　other　hand；　recognized　his　twin　brother’s　version。　Actually；　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　everyone　considered　him　mad；　Jos？Arcadio　Segundo　was　at　that　time　the　most　lucid　inhabitant　of　the　house。　He　taught　little　Aureliano　how　to　read　and　write；　initiated　him　in　the　study　of　the　parchments；　and　he　inculcated　him　with　such　a　personal　interpretation　of　what　the　banana　pany　had　meant　to　Macondo　that　many　years　later；　when　Aureliano　became　part　of　the　world；　one　would　have　thought　that　he　was　telling　a　hallucinated　version；　because　it　was　radically　opposed　to　the　false　one　that　historians　had　created　and　consecrated　in　the　schoolbooks。　In　the　small　isolated　room　where　the　arid　air　never　penetrated；　nor　the　dust；　nor　the　heat；　both　had　the　atavistic　vision　of　an　old　man；　his　back　to　the　window；　wearing　a　hat　with　a　brim　like　the　wings　of　a　crow　who　spoke　about　the　world　many　years　before　they　had　been　born。　Both　described　at　the　same　time　how　it　was　always　March　there　and　always　Monday；　and　then　they　understood　that　Jos？Arcadio　Buendía　was　not　as　crazy　as　the　family　said；　but　that　he　was　the　only　one　who　had　enough　lucidity　to　sense　the　truth　of　the　fact　that　time　also　stumbled　and　had　accidents　and　could　therefore　splinter　and　leave　an　eternalized　fragment　in　a　room。　Jos？Arcadio　Segundo　had　managed；　furthermore；　to　classify　the　cryptic　letters　of　the　parchments。　He　was　certain　that　they　corresponded　to　an　alphabet　of　forty…seven　to　fifty…three　characters；　which　when　separated　looked　like　scratching　and　scribbling；　and　which　in　the　fine　hand　of　Melquíades　looked　like　pieces　of　clothing　put　out　to　dry　on　a　line。　Aureliano　remembered　having　seen　a　similar　table　in　the　English　encyclopedia；　so　he　brought　it　to　the　room　to　pare　it　with　that　of　Jos？Arcadio　Segundo。　They　were　indeed　the　same。
　　　Around　the　time　of　the　riddle　lottery；　Aureliano　Segundo　began　waking　up　with　a　knot　in　his　throat；　as　if　he　were　repressing　a　desire　to　weep。　Petra　Cotes　interpreted　it　as　one　more　of　so　many　upsets　brought　on　by　the　bad　situation；　and　every　morning　for　over　a　year　she　would　touch　his　palate　with　a　dash　of　honey　and　give　him　some　radish　syrup。　When　the　knot　in　his　throat　became　so　oppressive　that　it　was　difficult　for　him　to　breathe；　Aureliano　Segundo　visited　Pilar　Ternera　to　see　if　she　knew　of　some　herb　that　would　give　him　relief。　The　dauntless　grandmother；　who　had　reached　a　hundred　years　of　age　managing　a　small；　clandestine　brothel；　did　not　trust　therapeutic　superstitions；　so　she　turned　the　matter　over　to　her　cards。　She　saw　the　queen　of　diamonds　with　her　throat　wounded　by　the　steel　of　the　jack　of　spades；　and　she　deduced　that　Fernanda　was　trying　to　get　her　husband　back　home　by　means　of　the　discredited　method　of　sticking　pins　into　his　picture　but　that　she　had　brought　on　an　internal　tumor　because　of　her　clumsy　knowledge　of　the　black　arts。　Since　Aureliano　Segundo　had　no　other　pictures　except　those　of　his　wedding　and　the　copies　were　all　in　the　family　album；　he　kept　searching　all　through　the　house　when　his　wife　was　not　looking；　and　finally；　in　the　bottom　of　the　dresser；　he　came　across　a　half…dozen　pessaries　in　their　original　boxes。　Thinking　that　the　small　red　rubber　rings　were　objects　of　witchcraft　he　put　them　in　his　pocket　so　that　Pilar　Ternera　could　have　a　look　at　them。　She　could　not　determine　their　nature；　but　they　looked　so　suspicious　to　her　that　in　any　case　she　burned　them　in　a　bonfire　she　built　in　the　courtyard。　In　order　to　conjure　away　Fernanda’s　alleged　curse；　she　told　Aureliano　Segundo　that　he　should　soak　a　broody　hen　and　bury　her　alive　under　the　chestnut　tree；　and　he　did　it　with　such　good　faith　that　when　he　finished　hiding　the　turned…up　earth　with　dried　leaves　he　already　felt　that　he　was　breathing　better。　For　her　part；　Fernanda　interpreted　the　disappearance　as　a　reprisal　by　the　invisible　doctors　and　she　sewed　a　pocket　of　casing　to　the　inside　of　her　camisole　where　she　kept　the　new　pessaries　that　her　son　sent　her。
　　　Six　months　after　he　had　buried　the　hen；　Aureliano　Segundo　woke　up　at　midnight　with　an　att