百年孤独(英文版)-第57部分

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s　of　ash　inspired　a　sacred　respect；　as　if　they　were　caste　marks；　stamps　of　invulnerability。　Remedios　the　Beauty　did　not　tell　anyone　that　one　of　the　men；　taking　advantage　of　the　tumult；　had　managed　to　attack　her　stomach　with　a　hand　that　was　more　like　the　claw　of　an　eagle　clinging　to　the　edge　of　a　precipice。　She　faced　the　attacker　in　a　kind　of　instantaneous　flash　and　saw　the　disconsolate　eyes；　which　remained　stamped　on　her　heart　like　the　hot　coals　of　pity。　That　night　the　man　boasted　of　his　audacity　and　swaggered　over　his　good　luck　on　the　Street　of　the　Turks　a　few　minutes　before　the　kick　of　a　horse　crushed　his　chest　and　a　crowd　of　outsiders　saw　him　die　in　the　middle　of　the　street；　drowned　in　his　own　bloody　vomiting。
　　　The　supposition　that　Remedios　the　Beauty　Possessed　powers　of　death　was　then　borne　out　by　four　irrefutable　events。　Although　some　men　who　were　easy　with　their　words　said　that　it　was　worth　sacrificing　one’s　life　for　a　night　of　love　with　such　an　arousing　woman；　the　truth　was　that　no　one　made　any　effort　to　do　so。　Perhaps；　not　only　to　attain　her　but　also　to　conjure　away　her　dangers；　all　that　was　needed　was　a　feeling　as　primitive　and　as　simple　as　that　of　love；　but　that　was　the　only　thing　that　did　not　occur　to　anyone。　？rsula　did　not　worry　about　her　any　more。　On　another　occasion；　when　she　had　not　yet　given　up　the　idea　of　saving　her　for　the　world；　she　had　tried　to　get　her　interested　in　basic　domestic　affairs。　“Men　demand　much　more　than　you　think；？she　would　tell　her　enigmatically。　“There’s　a　lot　of　cooking；　a　lot　of　sweeping；　a　lot　of　suffering　over　little　things　beyond　what　you　think。？She　was　deceiving　herself　within；　trying　to　train　her　for　domestic　happiness　because　she　was　convinced　that　once　his　passion　was　satisfied　them　would　not　be　a　man　on　the　face　of　the　earth　capable　of　tolerating　even　for　a　day　a　negligence　that　was　beyond　all　understanding。　The　birth　of　the　latest　Jos？Arcadio　and　her　unshakable　will　to　bring　him　up　to　be　Pope　finally　caused　her　to　cease　worrying　about　her　greatgranddaughter。　She　abandoned　her　to　her　fate；　trusting　that　sooner　or　later　a　miracle　would　take　place　and　that　in　this　world　of　everything　there　would　also　be　a　man　with　enough　sloth　to　put　up　with　her。　For　a　long　time　already　Amaranta　had　given　up　trying　to　make　her　into　a　useful　woman。　Since　those　fotten　afternoons　when　her　niece　barely　had　enough　interest　to　turn　the　crank　on　the　sewing　machine；　she　had　reached　the　conclusion　that　she　was　simpleminded。　“Were　going　to　have　to　raffle　you　off；？she　would　tell　her；　perplexed　at　the　fact　that　men’s　words　would　not　penetrate　her。　Later　on；　when　？rsula　insisted　that　Remedios　the　Beauty　go　to　mass　with　her　face　covered　with　a　shawl；　Amaranta　thought　that　a　mysterious　recourse　like　that　would　turn　out　to　be　so　provoking　that　soon　a　man　would　e　who　would　be　intrigued　enough　to　search　out　patiently　for　the　weak　point　of　her　heart。　But　when　she　saw　the　stupid　way　in　which　she　rejected　a　pretender　who　for　many　reasons　was　more　desirable　than　a　prince；　she　gave　up　all　hope。　Fernanda　did　not　even　make　any　attempt　to　understand　her。　When　she　saw　Remedios　the　Beauty　dressed　as　a　queen　at　the　bloody　carnival　she　thought　that　she　was　an　extraordinary　creature。　But　when　she　saw　her　eating　with　her　hands；　incapable　of　giving　an　answer　that　was　not　a　miracle　of　simplemindedness；　the　only　thing　that　she　lamented　was　the　fact　that　the　idiots　in　the　family　lived　so　long。　In　spite　of　the　fact　that　Colonel　Aureliano　Buendía　kept　on　believing　and　repeating　that　Remedios　the　Beauty　was　in　reality　the　most　lucid　being　that　he　had　ever　known　and　that　she　showed　it　at　every　moment　with　her　startling　ability　to　put　things　over　on　everyone；　they　let　her　go　her　own　way。　Remedios　the　Beauty　stayed　there　wandering　through　the　desert　of　solitude；　bearing　no　cross　on　her　back；　maturing　in　her　dreams　without　nightmares；　her　interminable　baths；　her　unscheduled　meals；　her　deep　and　prolonged　silences　that　had　no　memory　until　one　afternoon　in　March；　when　Fernanda　wanted　to　fold　her　brabant　sheets　in　the　garden　and　asked　the　women　in　the　house　for　help。　She　had　just　begun　when　Amaranta　noticed　that　Remedios　the　Beauty　was　covered　all　over　by　an　intense　paleness。
　　　“Don’t　you　feel　well？？she　asked　her。
　　　Remedios　the　Beauty；　who　was　clutching　the　sheet　by　the　other　end；　gave　a　pitying　smile。
　　　“Quite　the　opposite；？she　said；　“I　never　felt　better。？
　　　She　had　just　finished　saying　it　when　Fernanda　felt　a　delicate　wind　of　light　pull　the　sheets　out　of　her　hands　and　open　them　up　wide。　Amaranta　felt　a　mysterious　trembling　in　the　lace　on　her　petticoats　and　she　tried　to　grasp　the　sheet　so　that　she　would　not　fall　down　at　the　instant　in　which　Remedios　the　Beauty　began　to　rise。　？rsula；　almost　blind　at　the　time；　was　the　only　person　who　was　sufficiently　calm　to　identify　the　nature　of　that　determined　wind　and　she　left　the　sheets　to　the　mercy　of　the　light　as　she　watched　Remedios　the　Beauty　waving　goodbye　in　the　midst　of　the　flapping　sheets　that　rose　up　with　her；　abandoning　with　her　the　environment　of　beetles　and　dahlias　and　passing　through　the　air　with　her　as　four　o’clock　in　the　afternoon　came　to　an　end；　and　they　were　lost　forever　with　her　in　the　upper　atmosphere　where　not　even　the　highestflying　birds　of　memory　could　reach　her。
　　　The　outsiders；　of　course；　thought　that　Remedios　the　Beauty　had　finally　succumbed　to　her　irrevocable　fate　of　a　queen　bee　and　that　her　family　was　trying　to　save　her　honor　with　that　tale　of　levitation。　Fernanda；　burning　with　envy；　finally　accepted　the　miracle；　and　for　a　long　time　she　kept　on　praying　to　God　to　send　her　back　her　sheets。　Most　people　believed　in　the　miracle　and　they　even　lighted　candles　and　celebrated　novenas。　Perhaps　there　might　have　been　talk　of　nothing　else　for　a　long　time　if　the　barbarous　extermination　of　the　Aurelianos　had　not　replaced　amazement　with　honor。　Although　he　had　never　thought　of　it　as　an　omen；　Colonel　Aureliano　Buendía　had　foreseen　the　tragic　end　of　his　sons　in　a　certain　way。　When　Aureliano　Serrador　and　Aureliano　Arcaya；　the　two　who　arrived　during　the　tumult；　expressed　a　wish　to　stay　in　Macondo；　their　father　tried　to　dissuade　them。　He　could　not　understand　what　they　were　going　to　do　in　a　town　that　had　been　transformed　into　a　dangerous　place　overnight。　But　Aureliano　Centeno　and　Aureliano　Triste；　backed　by　Aureliano　Segundo。　gave　them　work　in　their　businesses。　Colonel　Aureliano　Buendía　had　reasons　that　were　still　very　confused　and　were　against　that　determination。　When　he　saw　Mr。　Brown　in　the　first　automobile　to　reach　Macondo—an　orange　convertible　with　a　horn　that　frightened　dogs　with　its　bark—the　old　soldier　grew　indignant　with　the　servile　excitement　of　the　people　and　he　realized　that　something　had　changed　in　the　makeup　of　the　men　since　the　days　when　they　would　leave　their　wives　and　children　and　toss　a　shotgun　on　their　shoulders　to　go　off　to　war。　The　local　authorities；　after　the　armistice　of　Neerlandia；　were　mayors　without　initiative；　decorative　judges　picked　from　among　the　peaceful　and　tired　Conservatives　of　Macondo。　“This　is　a　regime　of　wretches；？Colonel　Aureliano　Buendía　would　ment　when　he　saw　the　barefoot　policemen　armed　with　wooden　clubs　pass。　“We　fought　all　those　wars　and　all　of　it　just　so　that　we　didn’t　have　to　paint　our　houses　blue。？When　the　banana　pany　arrived；　however；　the　local　functionaries　were　replaced　by　dictatorial　foreigners　whom　Mr。　Brown　brought　to　live　in　the　electrified　chicken　yard　so　that　they　could　enjoy；　as　he　explained　it；　the　dignity　that　their　status　warranted　and　so　that　they　would　not　suffer　from　the　heat　and　the　mosquitoes　and　the　countless　disforts　and　privations　of　the　town。　The　old　policemen　were　replaced　by　hired　assassins　with　machetes。　Shut　up　in　his　workshop；　Colonel　Aureliano　Buendía　thought　about　those　changes　and　for　the　first　time　in　his　quiet　years　of　solitude　he　was　tormented　by　the　definite　certainty　that　it　had　been　a　mistake　not　to　have　continued　the　war　to　its　final　conclusion。　During　that　time　a　brother　of　the　fotten　Colonel　Magnífico　Visbal　was　taking　his　sevenyearold　grandson　to　get　a　soft　drink　at　one　of　the　pushcarts　on　the　square　and　because　the　child　accidentally　bumped　into　a　corporal　of　police　and　spilled　the　drink　on　his