Dona Benedita thought this wise advice, and held on to her money. Her daughter smiled secretly. Perhaps she was repeating to herself the same words she had spoken at the window: “This can’t go on.” Her mother went to make arrangements, choosing clothes, making lists of things she needed to buy, a present for her husband, and so on. Oh, he would be so happy! In the afternoon, they went out to place orders, pay visits, buy tickets—four tickets, since they would each take a slave-woman with them. Eulália tried again to dissuade her, proposing that they delay the journey, but Dona Benedita declared that this was out of the question. At the offices of the steamship company, she was informed that the northbound steamer would leave on Friday of the following week. She asked for four tickets, opened her purse, pulled out a banknote, then two, then thought for a moment.

“We could just buy our tickets the day before, couldn’t we?”

“You could, but there might not be any tickets left.”

“All right, what if you set aside four tickets for us, and I’ll send for them.”

“Your name?”

“My name? No, better not take my name. We’ll come back three days before the steamer leaves. There are sure to be tickets then.”

“Possibly.”

“No, there will be.”

Once out in the street, Eulália remarked that it would be better to buy the tickets straightaway; and, since we know that she did not wish to travel either North or South, save on the frigate carrying the man we saw in that portrait the previous evening, one must assume that the young lady’s comment was profoundly Machiavellian. It wouldn’t surprise me. Dona Benedita, meanwhile, informed her friends and acquaintances of their forthcoming journey and none of them was surprised. One did ask if, this time, she really was going. Dona Maria dos Anjos had heard about the proposed trip from the canon, but the only thing that alarmed her when her friend came to say goodbye was Dona Benedita’s icy demeanor, her silence and indifference, and the way she kept her gaze fixed on the floor. A visit of barely ten minutes, during which Dona Benedita said only six words at the beginning: “We are going to the North.” And one at the end: “Farewell.” Followed by three sad, corpse-like kisses.

Chapter IV