Mariana had no choice but to look at the minister of justice. He was bravely enduring a speech by a government supporter, in which the speaker was extolling the merits of the criminal justice system and, along the way, painstakingly summarizing all the old colonial legislation on the subject. There were no interruptions; just a polite, resigned, cautious silence. Mariana’s eyes drifted from one side to the other, utterly bored; Sofia was constantly saying things to her, as an excuse for making all kinds of elegant gestures. After fifteen minutes, the Chamber stirred into life, thanks to a remark made by the speaker and an objection from the opposition. Heckles were exchanged, the temperature rose, and there ensued an uproar that lasted nearly a quarter of an hour.

Mariana did not find this diversion in the least diverting; indeed, her placid, equable nature was thrown into a spin by such unexpected commotion. She even got up to leave, then sat down again. She was ready now to stay until the end, repentant and resolved to keep her marital woes to herself. Doubts began to creep in. She had been right to ask her husband to change his hat, but was it worth all this heartache? Was it reasonable to make such a fuss? He had been cruel and sarcastic, but it was, after all, the first time she had put her foot down and, naturally, the novelty had irritated him. At any rate, it had been a mistake to spill the beans to her friend. Sofia might go and tell others . . . The thought sent a chill down Mariana’s spine; her friend’s indiscretion was assured; she herself had heard Sofia tell many tales about hats, male and female, engaged in much more than a simple marital tiff. Mariana felt the need to flatter her, and covered up her impatience and annoyance with a mask of hypocritical docility. She, too, began to smile and make random observations about this or that deputy, and in this uneasy truce they reached the end of the speech and the session.

It was gone four o’clock. “Time for home,” said Sofia. Mariana agreed, although she seemed in no hurry, and they made their way back along Rua do Ouvidor. Walking up the street and catching the streetcar completed Mariana’s mental exhaustion, and she only began to breathe more easily when she saw that she really was on her way home. Shortly before Sofia got off, Mariana asked her keep to herself what she had told her, and Sofia promised that she would.