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5 / ^ V y ^ e didn't hav e th e courag e t o ris k a fourth unbecomin g ^ftr^ incident . A stain had blemished hi s reputation an d he was ^ S \_y astonishe d at such an unusual display of resistance, an aversion so unequivocally demonstrated . H e had suffered a humiliating rebuff . For some time, he went around anxiously, his ear to the ground, to try and detect any insinuating comment recalling the unhappy incident. But he concluded wit h relie f tha t nothin g ha d filtere d throug h t o 'hi s folk' . H e avoided Cheo k Chai Un and when he left hi s house, he would walk down the Calcada do Gaio before prudently catching a rickshaw. The rigours of winter came, the humid months of February through to April, and then summe r arrive d i n May, with its heat and its crickets an d swallows. All this while, he maintained his reputation. He finally adde d an Englishwoman to his conquests. She would arrive on Saturday and leave on Monday, an d woul d sta y a t the Hotel Bel a Vista, no t the woman h e ha d glimpsed o n the balcony o f the Riviera, but another even more appetisin g one, all rosy and with hair the colour of old gold. At th e sam e time , he kept u p hi s affai r wit h th e wido w fro m Baix o Monte, who was beginning to trouble him because she thought she now had a right to get married. She was a real match, with a solid fortune left by her husband, wh o had taken goo d care of his profits, an d any other man, les s fussy an d less of a libertine, would be only too happy to settle down wit h her. Sh e gave him moments o f indescribable pleasure , but then, once the passion had subsided, she would moan and weep, complaining tearfully o r flying of f int o sudden fits o f rage, asking him when he was going to make up his mind, fo r sh e couldn't kee p things quie t for muc h longer, an d he r reputation a s an inconsolable widow was at risk. His fathe r ha d alread y ha d a long talk wit h him . It was now tim e t o come to his senses. He would, o f course, prefer anothe r daughter-in-law , but he had no objection t o the widow. She had money, was beautiful an d presentable, maybe a bit too impulsive for his liking. The rest of the famil y THEBEWITCHINGBRAI D2 9 raised objections, especially Cousin Catarina, who was particularly vicious. His mother wanted a virgin bride, a woman who hadn't belonged to anyone else, and in this she was supported by his grandmother and aunts. Adozindo didn't give anything away, distancing himself from the incessant discussions, as i f nothin g o f i t concerne d him . Onl y h e kne w ho w overbearin g an d tiresome the widow could be. In spite of everything, he had not forgotten th e water-seller although he told himself tha t he had banished her from hi s mind as a bad memory. The thorn o f hi s defea t wa s stil l present , needlin g hi s pride . I f eve n a n Englishwoman, a chosen and cherished daughter of the British Empire had fallen int o his arms, how was it possible for a water-seller, without shoes or education, to have the nerve to reject him? For the sake of his vanity, suc h a fact wa s simply intolerable . Whenever he saw a young girl carrying buckets or baskets, with a pole over her shoulder, his heart would race and the now hazy image of the girl dance before hi s eyes , her gleamin g brai d shakin g thi s way an d that. H e adored tha t braid, fel t a fire insid e him when he imagined caressin g it , a feeling he never experienced with other women's hair. For that reason alone, he would willingly return to Cheok Chai Un. But he was scared of the pole. One night a s he slept , wit h...
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