I stress this because it is the best possible proof of Dr. Valença’s intelligence. As soon as he had completed his law degree, he realized that the one quality guaranteed to earn other people’s respect was gravity; and on inquiring into the nature of gravity, it seemed to him that it had nothing to do with profound thoughts or seriousness of mind, but with a certain “mystery of the body,” as La Rochefoucauld calls it, and, the reader will add, mystery is like the flag carried by neutral forces in time of war, ensuring that no one dares to examine the cargo it conceals.

Anyone discovering so much as a wrinkle in Dr. Valença’s tailcoat could feel well pleased with himself. His vest had only three buttons and formed a kind of heart-shaped opening from chest to neck. An elegant collapsible top hat completed Dr. Valença’s toilette. He was not handsome in the effeminate sense that some apply to male beauty, but there was a certain correctness about the lines of his face, which was covered with a veil of serenity that suited him perfectly.

Once Dr. Valença and his sister had arrived, José Lemos asked after the bridegroom, but Dr. Valença said he hadn’t seen him. It was five o’clock by then. The guests, who assumed they had arrived too late for the ceremony, were unpleasantly surprised by this delay, and Justiniano Vilela whispered to his wife that he regretted not having had something to eat beforehand. This was precisely what young Rodrigo Lemos was doing, having realized that supper would not start until seven.

Dr. Valença’s sister—of whom I said but little before because she was one of the most insignificant creatures ever produced by the race of Eve—immediately wanted to go and see the bride, and Dona Beatriz went with her, leaving her husband free to strike up a conversation with Senhor Vilela’s very attractive wife.

“Bridegrooms today do seem to take their time,” Justiniano remarked philosophically. “When I got married, I was the first to arrive at the bride’s house.”

To this comment—which was entirely the child of Vilela’s implacable stomach—Dr. Valença replied:

“I can perfectly understand the delay and the nervousness one must feel in the presence of one’s bride.”

Everyone smiled at this defense of the absent groom, and the conversation grew more animated.

At the very moment when Vilela was discussing with Dr. Valença the advantages of the old days over the present, and the young women were talking about the latest fashions, the bride entered the room, escorted by her mother and godmother, with, bringing up the rear, the very attractive Luísa, accompanied by her little brother, Antonico.

It would be both inexact of me and in poor taste if I, as narrator, were not to mention that an admiring murmur filled the room.