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9 f^f//'/* e U' ^ n a d b e e n hard , but he had achieved what he set out to ^^//// do . H e ha d prove d worth y o f hi s titl e an d wa s stil l th e ir - ^ ^ / resistibl e Handsome Adozindo. He could now perfectly wel l cast off the defeated water-selle r and devote himself completely to the adorable, wealthy widow , for th e good o f his social standin g an d pocket. That wa s what social convention and cold logic dictated . But h e wa s paralyse d b y a reluctance t o tak e suc h a cruel, drasti c decision. H e told himself tha t he hadn't ye t satiated himself o n A-Leng's gentleness o r her physical attractions, and he hated the idea of letting he r fall int o th e hand s o f som e ruffian fro m Cheo k Cha i Un . Moreover, th e braid that burned his hands as he caressed it, would be lost for ever to another woman who wanted more hair for herself, an old face i n search of its los t youth. He returned, taking the same precautions as before, like a thief, cursing the dog on the corner that never failed t o detect his presence with its loud bark. And h e enjoye d night s o f simila r pleasur e an d tenderness . B y thi s time, sh e received hi m a s would a young wife , al l homely an d intent o n satisfying he r man, who was rapidly becoming king in that poverty-stricken house. She might be illiterate, a barefoot water-seller , bu t she possessed th e female instinct in which, by making him king, she sought to bind him to her dominion an d her charm. She thus played on her gentleness, her physica l attributes and her braid. At th e sam e time , Lucreci a wen t o n th e offensive , impatien t an d determined. Sh e couldn' t understan d th e reaso n fo r furthe r delay . He r reputation was at stake, in a place where gossip chastised her, with malicious and sarcastic insinuation, invariably behind her back of course, but whic h those 'upright souls', her friends, then communicated to her with venomous intent. Florencio, a diligent confidant wit h an insatiable desire to please, took 52HENRIQU EDESENNAFERNANDES Adozindo to task. Dedicated t o his mission, he put pressure on him at the very time when his friend wa s spending his happiest moments with A-Leng. He would offer hi m sensible advice: 'If you've go t another slipper apart from Lucrecia , you'd better mak e it clear. You can't possibl y have two.' But Lucrecia didn't rely totally on the comings and goings of Florencio. She boldly visited Adozindo's papa, Aurelio, and was honest with him. She wasn't a woman wh o would passively pu t up with indecision. Sh e didn' t have to. Either Adozindo took her seriously — she had already placed herself in a compromising position — or it was all over between them . With the money she possessed, and as she was no plain jane, she would have no lack of marriage proposals. Her clear preference was for Adozindo, of whom she was very fond, but... She was asking him to talk to his son, to present him with the facts o f the matter, to talk to him man to man. Papa Aurelio was flabbergasted. Lucrecia' s audacity shocke d him, but her beauty won him over. And it must be said too, her fortune wasn' t to be sniffed at . Adozindo would look a fool if he didn't grab her while he could. She was the daughter of an army corporal and, rumour had it, a country girl from th e lowlands of the Portas do Cerco. What did that matter if sh e was the widow of the wealthy Sa n terra, who had died a timely death? When i t came to property and capital, one's origins were overlooked . Papa Aurelio pondered. It was time for his son to settle down. Among the repertoire that society could offer a t the time, there was no one else who combined th e tw o...
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