"ECCENTRICITIES OF A BLONDE-HAIRED GIRL" "A tribute to the family of Eça de Queiroz, the author of this story" "Adapted and updated by Manoel de Oliveira" "What you would not tell your wife, what you would not tell your friend  tell it to a stranger." "Madam..." "I..." "I'm going..." "I'm going..." " Where are you going?" " I'm sorry, madam..." "I spoke to you without introducing myself first." "That doesn't matter at all." "In fact, it's very nice to have someone to talk to on such a long journey." " I suppose you're going to the Algarve?" " Yes, I am also going..." "But I am going there in a desperate state, madam." "In fact, it was my uncle who sent me on this short holiday to the Algarve..." "Because of the great shock I suffered." " And who is your uncle?" " My uncle is called Francisco and he manages an office in Lisbon, above the store where I work." "You can't imagine what happened to me..." "How can I imagine what happened to someone I don't know?" "With your permission, I'll tell you everything." " Tell me!" "I'm very curious to hear it." " I really need to get it off my chest." "So tell me about it." "Talk as much as you like." "When I walked into that office for the first time and looked outside..." "What do I see?" "That lady must have been captivating at the age of twenty, full of verve." "An active temperament with a passionate imagination." "She had a very noble profile." "Like that of a medal...." "What romantic poets would have called... a dove of ermine, snow and gold." "It's the daughter." "Yes, I wondered if she was the daughter of the other lady." "She waved her fan so gracefully that you cannot even begin to imagine it." "And you fell in love with her, didn't you?" "That..." "That was my great misfortune." "Those curtains probably dated from the time of Goethe." "They would have played an interesting role in romances:" "Pinning a flower to them, shaking them to feel a face." "These are ancient ways in which romance begins in art and reality." "I see you are very bitter, my dear sir." "I am." "But what a fan..." "I have never seen another one like it." "Yes." "It must really be a beautiful fan." "Yes." "A beautiful fan." "But you weren't seduced by the fan." "You know..." "You're arousing my curiosity." "So tell me, what happened after that?" "Two weeks later..." "Luisa, look at this cashmere." "It's very beautiful." "How much does it cost per metre, please?" "It's strange to find you here." "An accountant wanting to look after sales at the counter." "I came to see..." "I came to see if they were being served well." "That is none of your concern." "These meatballs are wonderful." "Listen..." "Do you habitually allow poor people into the store?" "One hundred and fifty euros worth of handkerchiefs are missing." " Enter it to my account, please." " Yes, uncle." " I finally found you, my dear friend." " How are you?" "To get straight to the point:" "Who is that woman you greeted today in front of the store?" " It's Mrs. Vilaca." "A beautiful woman." " Is that her daughter?" " Her daughter?" " Yes." " A fair blonde with a Chinese fan." " Ah, yes." "She's the daughter." "That's what I thought..." "Yes and so?" " She's pretty." " She's pretty." " They're fine people, huh?" " Yes." "Fine people." "All right." " Do you know them very well?" " Not very well." "We used to meet at Madame Claudia's house." "Why do you ask?" "Do you want to be introduced to them?" "See if you can find a way to introduce me." "Every Saturday, they usually visit a retired and very wealthy notary." "He lives in the Rua dos Calafates." "Perhaps something could be arranged." "But I'm surprised to see you here." "Are you a member as well?" "No." "But this gentleman accompanied me to find you." "Then you must see something of the Literary Circle." "This is Francisco Santos." "He knows everything about the Circle far better than anyone else." " Would you mind?" " Not at all sir, it would be a pleasure." "This here is a bust of the founder of the Eça de Queiroz Literary Circle," "Mr. Antcnio Ferro, who was appointed by Salazar as Minister for Information and who was the founder of the NSI, the National Secretariat for Information." "Here, those diverse figures represent various characters from the novels of" "Eça de Queiroz." "This notary is a very cultured man, a Latin scholar and a patron of museums." "He used to write for the Jornal de Letras and since he was so gallant he called himself "Venus' Young Squire"." "Look at that, "Venus' Young Squire" in these modern and turbulent times!" " Is he really very wealthy?" " Yes he is." "And what do you think of the current economic situation?" "What do I think?" "I can tell you that I'm poor." "Like the banks today." "Let's go." "Miss." " Miss?" " Yes, miss..." "Because you are so young and like a breath of fresh air." "Did you like the cashmeres the other day?" "Very much." "I'd have come closer and stayed longer by your side, but my uncle came and..." " And who is your uncle?" " He's the store's owner, where I saw you looking at the cashmeres." " So you are the man on the veranda?" " Exactly." "I was admiring you." "Your fan is delightful." "It was a gift from an aunt who travels a lot." "It's charming, but it's no match for..." "Can I call you Miss?" "So you liked the cashmeres the other day?" "Very much." "But what a beautiful fan!" "I have never seen another like it." "We have just heard a magnificent piece by Debussy, superbly played on the harp by the talented Ana Paula Miranda." "Now it is my pleasure to present our beloved Luis Miguel Cintra, who will recite part of a poem by one of Fernando Pessoa's heteronyms, Alberto Caeiro." "Here is the wonderful Luis Miguel Cintra." ""The Keeper of Sheep." "Canto 32" "Yesterday afternoon a city was talking at the inn's doorway." "He was also talking to me." "He spoke of justice and of the struggle forjustice." "And of workers who suffer, and of constant labour, and of those who go hungry, and of the wealthy who turn a blind eye to it." "And, looking at me, he saw tears in my eyes, and he smiled, contentedly, thinking I was feeling the hate he was feeling, and the compassion he claimed to be feeling." "But I was barely listening." "What do I care for men, for what they suffer or think they suffer?" "Let them be like me..." "and they won't suffer." "All the woes of the world stem from our caring about each other." "To do good as to do evil, all we need is our soul and heaven and earth." "Wanting more is to lose all this, it is to be unhappy." "And I thought to myself, while the man of the people was speaking" "(which moved me to tears)." "It was like a distant whisper of bells in that late afternoon..." "Yet perhaps not the bells of a tiny chapel... where to mass might go flowers and streams and simple souls like mine." "Praise God that I am not good and that I have the natural egotism of the flowers and rivers which blithely continue on their way with no cares other than to bloom and to flow." "That is the only mission in the World." "Which is to exist clearly." "And to know how to do so without thinking about it." "And the man had stopped talking and was looking at the sunset." "But what does someone who hates and loves have to do with the sunset?"" "Canto 33" ""The poor flowers arranged so neatly in the flowerbeds of landscaped gardens seem to be afraid of the police!" "But they are so good that they bloom nevertheless and they have the same ancient smile that they had when early man first gazed upon them, who saw them appear and touched them lightly to see whether they would speak..."" " I didn't hear it clink on the floor." " Neither did I." " Nor I." " There are no holes in the floor." ""Oh Richard, oh my king, the world has abandoned you."" "Beautiful girls, beautiful lasses." ""Oh Richard, oh my king, the world has abandoned you."" "Kings!" "Vipers!" "Dear Gaudêncio, you always were a democrat and a great admirer of Robespierre." "I hope that you will honour this humble cottage, neighbour." "Cottage!" "You mean castle, my beautiful lady." "You are always so kind, sir." "I'm so sorry about the poker chip on the night that we met at the notary's house." " That now, is a grand house!" " Yes..." "It is also a beautiful house." "Madame Vilaca, I didn't even remember that poker chip." "I would like to ask your permission to get married." "I would like to ask your permission to get married." "No." "I beg your pardon, Uncle Francisco?" " No." " But listen, Uncle Francisco..." " No!" " I'll get married anyway!" " I'll throw you out!" " I'll leave." "Don't doubt it." " Today." " Today." "Stop right there!" "Pass me the box of cigars." " Uncle Francisco..." " Enough." "Today's the 12th." "You'll get your salary for the whole month." "Now go." "I would love to help, my friend." "I wish I could have you here, but it would affect my twenty-year old friendship with your uncle." "He told me so in no uncertain terms." "So you see..." " I'm very sorry." " I'm no longer working with him." "I need to work to be able to survive on my own." "And you are so familiar with my work." " It's extremely urgent, Mr. Faleiro." " I understand and I'm very sorry." "But I can't do anything." "Why don't you go to younger traders, who have no ties with your uncle?" "People who aren't friends with your uncle." "It's difficult because they don't know me." "They'll know that I was dismissed and without knowing the reason why it will be even worse." "And when they find out that it was because of a blonde girl..." "Commerce shuns a sentimental accountant." "I'll take the room." "Very well." "Good night." " My mother already knows." " I love you very much." " Why don't you ask her for my hand?" " Darling, I cannot." "I have no job." "Wait, it will perhaps..." "It will perhaps be a month more." "I have some business on the way." " We would die of hunger, my darling!" " Yes, I know." "But at least, until I signal to you from the window, don't come back, OK?" "Don't cry so loudly!" "How could I?" "I no longer work in the office." "I will only come back after I have arranged something." "All right, I'll wait for you." "I can't find my hat, which I left here just a while ago." "I think it was in that very spot." "You haven't seen it by any chance, have you?" "Aren't you going to say anything?" "I'm asking you:" "Have you seen my hat?" "Perhaps it was this chap, the moron!" "And now I've lost my hat, which I loved so much." "Three euros." "It's all that I have." "I have no clothes." "I pawned the watch that you gave me, and I have sold everything I owned." "In a little while I will be starving." "Your office is there." "You can stay single." " Listen to me, Uncle Francisco..." " Single, I said." "I can't." "Then get out!" "Listen!" "Come here!" "What the devil!" "I've been looking for you since morning." " It's you." " Of course, who else would it be?" "I didn't even know you owned this shop." "It isn't my shop." "I come here sometimes to meet my friends." "I've just come from the country and heard you're no longer with your uncle." "I can help you." " Do you want me to?" " Everything." "There is a trading house that needs a capable, determined and tough man, to go to Cape Verde on a very difficult and very profitable assignment." "Go to Cape Verde?" "To Cape Verde." "I'm ready for it!" "Tomorrow!" " Did you get my letter?" " I did and here I am." " You cannot imagine how happy I am." " I can imagine." "But I am not so happy." " But why?" " Why?" "I won't be able to see you for so long and you are leaving tomorrow itself." "I have to go." "You are doing the right thing." "You could earn some money." "I hope so." "And we will then finally be happy." " Until you get back." " See you soon." ""I arrived yesterday in cape Verde on the TAP flight. "" ""It was a long but comfortable journey and here I am, already in my room which is quite comfortable, on the island of São Vicente. "" ""Cape Verde is a group of volcanic islands. "" ""The climate is warm and pleasant, but it rains very little, which makes for poor harvests, so essential for the local people. "" ""And the rivers continue to flow calmly and indifferent. "" ""I hope to settle my assignment soon and to be able to return. "" ""I miss you very much and I never tire of gazing at the portrait you gave me. "" ""Lots of love." "A big kiss and an enormous hug, from your Macário. "" "Finally, I returned to Lisbon with a fair amount of savings which gave me some chance of being able to build a new future." "That was good!" "Not really." "You'll see why shortly." "I immediately went to meet Luisa who was already waiting for me, so fair and like a breath of fresh air, with her Chinese fan." "In short, I came back with solid finances." "But why did you say, "Not really"?" "You'll see why shortly." "Impatiently, I went to ask for Luisa's hand, after explaining my current position." "And I was clean-shaven, like you are seeing me now." "And you did well, you have the face of an honest lad." "And the other day..." "I have just returned from Cape Verde, where I made a significant amount of money." "I know, we heard all about it here." "And we, Luisa and me, were anxiously awaiting the day." " Believe me, Madame Vilaca..." " Please, do sit down." "Please, do sit down!" "Believe me, when I say that I poured all my passion into my work." "However, the profits from Cape Verde are not a definitive capital, they are just a capital that will enable me to get started." "I brought back the seeds of serious business from Cape Verde." "I will work heroically to be able to raise a family comfortably." "I'm sure you will, I'm sure you will." "Madame Vilaca bestowed her daughter's hand upon me." "Today is a wonderful day!" "I am very happy to hear that." " So what did you want from me?" " You know, it's just that..." "I have a chance to set myself up with a hardware store..." "And..." "My dear friend, whatever I can do to help, you only need ask." "Exactly." "My dear friend, I only want you to be my guarantor and I can thus set up my hardware store." "You can count on me." "Thank you." "What happened next, you cannot even image..." " So what did happen?" " The unimaginable." "That friend of mine, the man with the straw hat, the newspaper reported that he had disappeared with the wife of an ensign." "I was the guarantor." "And I had no option other than to pay the debt." "I was poor once more and came back to my shelter completely disheartened." "You were right when you said, "Not really"." "Who is it?" "I've come on behalf of Peres Company." "What?" "I've come on behalf of Peres  Company." "Just a moment, I'll just open the door." " A good morning to you, Mr. Macário." " Good morning." "Sorry, I was still in bed." "No problem." "I apologise for the hour, but I wanted to make sure I found you." "And to what do I owe your visit?" "I've come on behalf of Peres  Company." "Please come in." "Please sit down." "Mr. Eleutêrio Peres, from Peres  Company, do you remember him?" "Perfectly." "Please continue." " He sent you to Cape Verde..." " I know." "Mr. Eleutêrio Peres would like to propose another trip" " and other profits to you." " Go back to Cape Verde again!" "Go back..." "Make another fortune, man." "Mr. Eleutêrio says that you're the Devil." "Think it over and then give him an answer." "Now if you will excuse me, I must be going." "Go back!" "Recommence everything, go back to fearing past despairs, sweat the old cold sweats..." " Go back?" "!" " Yes, go back." "With another fortune." "Think about it carefully." "Think about it carefully." "Here, I was seized with fear." "Too cowardly to reveal the disaster..." "The tremulous fear of a separation." "The terror of her refusing." "I didn't dare speak to her, to explain everything." "And I came back to my old office." "I saw Luisa many times from there, and the graceful movement of her Chinese fan." "Who is it?" " It's me, Uncle Francisco." " Come on up." " I don't have a key." " Then wait." "Here you are." "What do you want?" "I have come to say goodbye." "I'm going back to Cape Verde." "Have a good trip." " Where are you going, you fool?" " I'm going away." "Sit down there!" "Your friend is a scoundrel!" "A hardware store!" "Not bad!" "Your friend is a scoundrel." "You are a good man." "You went to Cape Verde." "I know that." "You paid everything, there it is." "I know that too." "Tomorrow, please, I'd like you back at your desk." "I have ordered new upholstery for the chair." "And the bills will now read "Macário  Nephew"." "And get married." "Get married and I will lend you money." "Take some money." "You are going to need furniture and linen." "Put it on my account." "Your bed is made." "Goodbye." "Where are you going, you fool?" "Now you want to leave this house?" "Come on." "You need to eat something." " It's a beautiful day." " It is." "That one there, what do you think?" "Shall we go in?" " Good morning." " Good morning." " I'd like to see rings." " With stones and the prettiest one." "With stones, amethyst, garnets..." "In short, the best you have." "Please come with me." "Look, Luisa." "It's ugly, heavy and big." "Look at this one." " It's beautiful." "It's lovely!" " Let's see if it fits you." "Oh what a pity, it's too big." "It can be made smaller." "It can be ready for you by tomorrow." "What a good idea!" "It's really very beautiful." "Isn't it, Luisa?" "Perhaps some earrings to match, with pearls..." "Certainly." "Please come with me." " How much does it cost?" " Five hundred euros." "We will pick up the ring tomorrow." "At what time?" "At noon." "Luisa, shall we go?" "Shall we go, Luisa?" " All right." "Well, goodbye." " You have not yet paid, sir." "Of course not." "I will come to collect the ring tomorrow and will pay for it then." " What about the other one?" " What other one?" "The other ring." "Madam knows about it." "Pardon, if it is an old bill..." "No." "Madam knows about it." "The diamond ring that she took from there." "What are you trying to say?" "Madam knows what I'm talking about." "She knows what she took from there." "Luisa, tell..." "Please don't hurt me." "You are right." "She had obviously forgotten." " Please." " Just a moment please." " How much does it cost?" " The same as the earrings." "Five hundred Euros?" "Thank you very much." "Sorry." "I'm sorry." " Go away." " But listen..." " Go away!" "You're a thief!" " Listen to me, Jesus!" " Go away." " Please don't hit me here." "Go away!" "I'm going to call the police!" "Go away!"