Giacobbe walked past the rows of men, who followed him with their eyes. The men were leaning against the walls, while the women sat on the floor. Silence fell. In the middle of the church stood a kind of wooden bed, painted blue. Lit up by a pearly beam, it was guarded at each corner by a rosy cherub with butterfly wings. On its brocade cushions lay a small Madonna with closed eyes. Golden rings, earrings, and necklaces shone against her blue satin robe. She was the Virgin of the Assumption.

The young priest climbed into the pulpit. Giacobbe Dejas stared at him and then, as if to hear better, he turned his head and cupped his right ear.

‘People of Orlei, brothers and sisters,’ the priest said in a childlike but resonant voice, ‘I have been asked to preach a short sermon on this solemn day.’

Giacobbe liked to pretend to be deaf. He did not need to strain his ears as he could hear perfectly well. Turning to the congregation but not missing a word of the sermon, he began in his mind to address the assembly.

‘Here we have that old devil Isidoro Pane in a new suit, of all things. Is he hoping to get married? That young man with the red face at the back there laughed at me because I look happy in my new clothes. They all say I’m going to be married. What if I am? What business is it of yours, you gnawing dogs? Is there something wrong with that? I’ve got a house now and cattle too. My sister, God bless her, will die without heirs. She wants me to marry. All right, I’ll get married, but who to? I’m hard to please. Also, I’m afraid. There’s my young master – look at him – with mortal sin all over his face. What’s he doing here? Why don’t you give him a beating? Why don’t you kick him out? And what about that old hawk, his mother. She’s here too. Why don’t you kick her out?’