"LEON HIRSZMAN PROJECT" "HIGH RESOLUTION PICTURE(2K) AND SOUND DIGITALLY RESTORED FROM THE ORIGINAL 35mm NEGATIVE" "RESTORATION SPONSORED BY THE PETROBRÁS CULTURAL PROGRAM" "S. BERNARDO" "To continue." "I want to tell my story." "It's difficult." "I might omit superfluous details... that seem indispensable." "Also, being used to deal with peasants," "I might not trust the reader's understanding... and repeat insignificant events." "Besides, none of this is ordered, as can be seen." "It doesn't matter." "The half-breeds around me say... all roads lead to a pub." "My aim in life was to get the lands of São Bernardo." "To build this house, to grow cotton, castor oil plants, to build a saw-mill and a cotton-gin." "To introduce pomiculture and aviculture in this wilderness." "Get a regular stock of cattle." "All this sounds easy... after it's done." "But if you look around and... don't know where to begin... the difficulties are terrible." "If I tried to tell you about my childhood" "I'd have to lie." "I was just knocking about, I suppose." "I remember a blind man who pulled my ears and old Margarida who sold sweets." "The blind man is gone." "Old Margarida lives here in São Bernardo... in a clean little house." "Nobody bothers her." "When I turned 18 I had worn out many hoes getting 5 cents for 12 hours of labor." "Then I did my first memorable act." "During a watch that turned free-for-all" "I grabbed Germana, quite a juice morsel, and gave her a big pinch on her rounded bum." "She liked it so much she piddled." "But then she took off and hitched up with João Fagundes." "As a result of that I boxed Germana's ear and slipped my knife into João Fagundes." "So I was arrested." "I got a sound spanking and all that and was put away for 3 years 9 months and 15 days." "In jail, Joaquim Cobbler taught me to read from a small Protestant bible." "Joaquim Cobbler died." "Germana went bad." "When I got out, she was a cheap whore - and a sick one." "By then I didn't think of her any more..." "I thought about making money." "I got registered as a voter." "And Mr. Pereira, loan-shark and big wheel in politics, lend me 1OO Mil Reis at 5% interest per month." "I paid him back and got 2OO with the interest reduced to 3%." "It didn't get less than that." "I learned arithmetic in order not to be robbed more than convenient." "At first, money ran away from me." "I restlessly hunted it, traveling the wilderness." "Trading in hammocks, cattle, hole statues and rosaries... small things, here making money, there losing it... working with borrowed money, signing promissory notes." "Highly complicated transactions." "I went hungry and thirsty, slept in dry river beds... quarreled with people who talk shouting... some deals were wound up, cocked guns in hand." "What do you mean, justice?" "There's no such thing!" "You have no religion!" "You must pay the 30 Contos." "And 6 months interest!" "Pay, or I'll skin you slowly!" "I decided to settle here, in Viçosa, Alagoas." "And I planned to buy the farm São Bernardo where I used to work for 5 cents a day." "Without letting on I went to see Luis Padilha, the owner of São Bernardo." "Excuse me." "Why don't you work São Bernardo?" "Perdon?" "With tractors, ploughs, decent agriculture." "You never thought of that?" "How much you think this will yield, worked as it should?" "It's horrible, Mr. Paulo." "A disgrace." "Ploughs." "There's nothing like ploughs." "I've thought of ploughs." "A manioc plantation." "A modern flour mill." "Money." "If I only had money!" "This Pereira is an idiot, an idiot!" "I made a minute exposition... demonstrating that it'd be a great business." "He understood nothing!" "The idiot!" "There's nobody to understand anything here, Mr. Paulo!" "This land is poor." "Here you find only politics and shamelessness." "Mr. Paulo... maybe this del interests you." "20 Contos." "I need 20 Contos." "Padilha... did you ever make a cigarette?" "It's easier to by them ready made." "But it's more expensive." "If you had made one, you'd know it's more difficult to make a thousand." "Now, it's more difficult to earn 10 Cents than to make a cigarette." "One Conto of Reis is worth a thousand bill of 10 Cents." "20 Contos of Reis... are worth 20,000 bills of 10 Cents." "You seem to ignore that." "You say 20 Contos... as if you meant just dirty paper!" " Money is money!" " I can count, Mr. Paulo." "But the ploughs cost..." "Do you think I'm a capitalist?" " Do you want to ruin me?" " No, no." "And the mortgage of São Bernardo?" "Nonsense..." "São Bernardo isn't worth chicken feed." "Pereira is right." "The father" "ruined the property." "20 Contos, Mr. Paulo." "Everybody will profit." "We'll see, Padilha." "We'll see." "Money is money." "Padilha got the 2O Contos less what he owed me and the interest." "He bought a printing plant and founded a newspaper." "The independent "Correio de Viçosa"" "which folded after only four editions." "As regards agriculture he was expecting... machinery catalogues that never came." "He started to hide from me." "When we met, he tried not to see me." "The lest bill came due on a winter day." "You're here?" "How are you?" "Fine, thank you." "I thought about the business." "I thought about it a lot." "I can't even sleep any more." "I wanted to see you yesterday but couldn't." "With this rain." "Forget the rain." "I have serious troubles." "I wanted to ask you for a deferment with interest." " Resources I don't have." " And the flour mill?" "And the ploughs?" "A winter like this spoils everything." "Resources I don't have." "Deferment with interest... isn't worth while." "We'll liquidate." "What you mean, liquidate!" "I told you I can't!" "Only if you take the printing plant." "What printing plant?" "You're an ass!" "One does what one can - using what one has." "Sure, I owe you." "But I can't pay like that." "If you stand me on my head... you won't find a cent." "I'm broke." "That's not the way to talk." "Look, Padilha, the promissory notes are due." "I already told you I'm broke." "Want me to steal?" "I can't and finish!" "What is finished?" "It's just starting!" "I'll take everything, you dog!" "I'll leave you in your underwear!" "Patience, Mr. Paulo." "With noise we get nowhere." " I'll pay, wait a few days." " I'll wait not even for an hour." "I'm serious and you talk nonsense!" "You want an amicable solution?" "Make a price for your property." "For him, São Bernardo was an useless thing... but he held it in regard." "There he hid bitterness and poverty." "Bird-hunting, swimming and sleeping." "He slept too much, afraid to meet Mendonça." "Make your price!" "I always wanted to keep the farm, Mr. Paulo." "What for?" "São Bernardo is worthless!" "I talk as a friend, as a friend." "I don't like to see a man with a rope round his neck." "Those lawyers are as hungry as wolves!" "If I sick Nogueira at you you'll end up with a just bundle on your back!" "Lots of expenses, Mr. Padilha." "Lots of expenses!" "Come on, give you price!" " 80 Contos." " You're crazy." "A long time ago your father wanted 50, and that was too much." "Much too much." "To-day the mill is in ruins." "The neighbors' cattle broke the gates." "The houses are decayed." "And Mendonça?" "What's for him?" "I'll give you 30 Contos." "70, Mr. Paulo." "32." " Mr. Paulo, please... 66." " Not more than 32." "We haggled for hours and came to an agreement." "I promised to pay in cash... and with the house I had..." "1O Contos." "Padilha put 7 Contos on the house and 43 for São Bernardo." "I wrest another 2 Contos. 42 for the property and 8 for the house." "Early next day, he put his tail into the trap and signed the deed." "I deducted the debt, interest, the price of the house and gave him 7 Contos, 55O Mil Reis." "And I didn't regret it!" "You did wrong!" "You shouldn't have bought the property without consulting me." "Why?" "The old owner wasn't of age?" "Of course." "But you should have made an investigation first." "I don't want to investigate." "That's for you." "The old boundaries are only provisory, did you know?" "We better straighten this out!" "Each one in his place!" "Don't bother fixing the fence, I'll throw it down again!" "To make sure about the border." "The fence stays." "If you want to, Mr. Mendonça, you may send for cedar wood good wood for your building." "Thanks, no." "Wood one always finds." "There's always some around." "But, look, if you want to barter some cattle..." "Mr. Mendonça, about the boundaries" "I think we can discuss them some other day..." " at leisure." " Sure." "In this 2nd year there where some terrible difficulties." "Torturing work... days and days, in sun and rain, with machete, gun and cartridge-belt... eating, during the rest periods, some fried codfish... and a hand-full of flour." "Casimiro." "I was visiting old Mendonça." "I promised him a sheep." "Sunday is a holiday." "Elections." "I invited Mendonça too." "We go to town." "We must give him a hot welcome." "This business of men snooping round the house each night... is just not right." "You know what you have to do." "Sunday night, on his way back from the election" "Mendonça fetched a bullet in the small of the back... he kicked the bucket right there on the Bonsucesso road." "At the hour of the crime I was in town talking with the vicar about the church" "I was planning to build in São Bernardo." "How terrible, my God!" " Mendonça had enemies?" " Did he have enemies!" "He had enemies like ticks!" "To continue, Padre Silvestre." "How much costs a bell?" "The tough guy" "I met one day in Mendonça's house also came to a bad end." "A clean-up... this sort of people almost never dies well." "Poison snakes take them..." "or drink... others get themselves shot." "One I lost at the stone-quarry." "The crow-bar slipped, hit his chest, and that was that." "He left a widow and small children." "They got lost." "One of the boys fell into the fire... one got eaten up by worms... the last one got angina..." "and the woman hanged herself." "In those 5 years I often wanted to give up... by-passing difficulties..." "so many curves!" "Do you think I did wrong?" "The truth is..." "I never knew which were my good deeds... and which were my bad ones." "For doing a lot of good things I suffered losses... an I profited from many bad things." "Since I always wanted to own the lands of São Bernardo," "I considered legitimate any acts helping me to do so." "With your permission, Excellency, we want you to know that we are very proud of your visit here." "Your Excellency will remember..." "I liked your property very much." " Excellent real estate." " Thank you, Excellency." "The school?" "Where is this school?" "It's been taken care of, your Excellency." "I already asked Dr. Nogueira to file the necessary papers." "School!" "What did I care if people could read of if they were analphabets?" "These government people are all cracked." "Take an educated picker of beans... and watch the result!" "Send me Padilha here tomorrow." "After he cures his hangover." "I must talk to him, urgently." "Don't forget!" "All devils!" "This visit brings me a lot of benefits!" "A capital!" "I want to see how much it will pay me." "All devils!" "The school will be a capital." "The church-funding was also a capital." "All devils!" "A capital." " What legs!" "Greek columns!" " And the breasts!" "And her breasts!" "She's an educated woman." "We came with our Padilha, here." "Such a nice holiday, so we came on foot." " Whose legs?" " Madalena's." " Who?" " A teacher." "You don't know her?" " She's pretty!" " Educated." "A brunette, about 30." " 30 years, more or less." " 20... if that much!" "You never saw her closely," " or you wouldn't say that!" " What?" "I saw her... at Marcela's birthday party." "20!" "You saw her from afar!" "At night, it's different at day." " 30!" " 25..." "Very well, Padilha, 25 so close the matter." "You'll have supper with me." "You can return by car." "Padilha, I must talk to you." "It's like this, I'm thinking of opening a school." "Very well." "So you decided to follow my advice." "Good." "I was thinking about the school." "Get Madalena, Mr. Paulo." "Excellent acquisition." "Learned..." "An ornament for the house, Mr. Paulo." "Nonsense!" "Am I looking for ornaments?" "I didn't say I didn't want her." "But that I was a very busy man." "But I asked about the salary." "I asked about the salary." "That depends." "I don't know how much you're worth." "100 Mil Reis a month." "Let's say 150, as a trial." "Room... board... good conversation... 150 Mil Reis a month, and 8 hours of work a day." "Agreed?" "But let me tell you:" "Work is work" "Nobody drinks here." " Only guests drink here." " I understand." "I'll think it over." "As regards drinking, no need to tell me:" "I don't drink." "Sometimes during meal, but not always." "And from time to time, if a friend offers me one." "I might accept." "That morning I found myself thinking about marriage." "I got the idea without having seen any girl." "I don't bother with love, you must have noticed." "I always thought that females are strange creatures." "Difficult to govern." "So I didn't feel inclined to anyone." "What I wanted was to get an heir... for the lands of São Bernardo." "Robbery!" "That's what is categorically demonstrated by the philosophers in all the books." "More than 3,5 miles of land, with houses, weirs, cattle, woods... all belonging to one man." "That's wrong!" "That's right." "Mr. Padilha is right." "I don't understand, I'm stupid, but I lose sleep thinking." "One kills oneself working for strangers." "Right, Casimiro?" "Nonsense." "The land has owners since time began." "What you mean, owners!" "One kills oneself working to enrich others." "Working at what?" "What are you working at, parasite?" " Idler!" "Scullion!" " It's nothing, Mr. Paulo!" "I was just explaining some theories to the people." "Not on my land!" "Get lost!" "Behind my gates, nobody pisses out of line." "Get your asses out of here!" "With a teacher like that I'm fucked!" "Fucked!" "What are you teaching your pupils, you scoundrel?" "E eu meto a mão em cumbuca?" "Would I propagate subversive ideas?" "Ungrateful dunce!" "Chicken brain!" "You got the wrong boat!" "This time I'll let it pass... but if I catch you again, like jumping flies" "I'll call the Police." "This is not Russia!" "Hear me?" "And get lose!" "Sorry." "Excuse me." " Thank you." " You're welcome, Dona Gloria." "This Great Western us rubbish." "A mess." "This isn't a coach, it's a chicken coop." " They're no good?" " The worst there is, Dona Gloria." "I think we met before." "I don't remember." "I have very bad memory." "At the judge's, last month." "You were with a girl whose eyes..." "Oh, right." "Here is a very good article about agriculture." "The author knows his stuff." "Now I remember." "You were with Mr. Nogueira, discussing politics." "That's it." " Do you live in the capital?" " No, in the hinterland." " Viçosa?" "So do I. Recently." "Small town." " An ugly small town, isn't it?" " Small town?" "And the big ones?" "All ugly." "I like the country..." "understand?" "My God, the country is for animals." " Do you live there?" " São Bernardo." "It's a nice farm." "There's none of the dirty water one drinks around here." "Mud?" "No, madam..." "There's all comfort." "Hygiene." "I don't like it." "I was brought up in town." "Leaving it, I'm like a fish on dry land." "I was hoping for a transference to a school at the capital." "But I don't know" " any influential people." " You're a school-teacher?" "No, my niece is." "That girl that was with you at Dr. Magalhães'?" "What's the name of you niece, Dona Gloria?" "Madalena." "She was a brilliant student, you see." "Wait, Nogueira and Gondim were telling me about her." "Attractive girl, beautiful..." "Of course..." "Gondim talked a lot..." "He is a boring fine talker." "A girl like that, hiding away in a hole, Mr..." "Paulo Honório, Dona Gloria." "It's a pity." "It's silly to teach the ABC." "Excuse my indiscretion." "How much does your niece make teaching the ABC?" " 180 Mil Reis." " How much?" "180 Mil Reis." "That's a disgraceful, Madame." "How the devil can a Christian live with that?" "You want me to tell you?" "It makes one angry to see decent folk subjected to such misery." "I have servants who never went to school and who make more than that." "Why don't you advise your niece to abandon this profession?" "Pleased to meet you." "I already knew you by sight." "But I didn't know you were alone." " We met some days ago, didn't we?" " A month ago." "Exactly." "By the way, I was telling this to your aunt." "A great traveling companion." "Dona Marcela told me that you have a beautiful farm." "Beautiful?" "I didn't notice." "It might be beautiful." "What I know is, it's quite a good farm." "The invitation stands." "And you promise that you'll stay a few days at the farm." "I hope you bring the teacher." "It's only 10 minutes by car." "No." "No, why?" "With the holidays..." "Excursions..." "that's for rich people." "And then what would your family say to have two strangers?" "Family?" "What family, Madame?" "I never had one." " I live alone with God." " Then it's worse." "Inconvenient." "Pity." "It's such a nice place to rest." "Well, so it's over." "If it's inconvenient, I haven't said a word." "But now, why inconvenient?" "I'd like to show the Peking dukes to Dona Gloria." "Do you know Peking ducks, Dona Madalena?" "Not yet." "That's it, one studies a lot, I wonder what for?" "Carrier?" " Shall we rest a while?" " Thank you." "I'll get to the hotel." "You're very badly installed here, ladies." "Good bye." "If you want to see São Bernardo I'll send you a car." "Of course." "And thank you for your company." "You're very welcome." "Let's go." "Dr. Nogueira," " who is this Dona Gloria?" " The teacher's aunt?" " Yes." "How's her family?" " In which sense?" "In general." "I traveled with her in the train today." "She's sympathetic." "But what's your interest?" "She indirectly touched on an ambition of hers:" "Her niece's transference." " I never saw the director of..." " Public Instruction?" "I know Silveira, who makes the rules." "Perhaps this transference won't be difficult." " Lf they deserve it, of course." " But she's an excellent teacher." "Noble character." "And you want to take her away." "Cheers." "If she leaves, do you know what will happen?" "They'll send us and old analphabet." "Yes, you're right." "Gondim, some time ago you spoke to me about a teacher." "Madalena?" "I met her the other day." "I liked her." "Is she serious?" "A great girl." "Only the articles she writes for the "Cruzeiro"..." " So she writes?" " Very educated." "Do you have anything to do with her?" "Projects." "I want her to teach in São Bernardo." "She might not accept." "To live in the wilderness..." "That's the aunt, an old fool." "But the other one, if she's as bright as you say..." "Yes, it might be advantageous for her." "More money, right?" " Of course." " Did you already speak to her?" "No." "If I had, I wouldn't consult you." "Gondim... do me a favor." "Sound her out." "I hardly know her." "You do it yourself." "No." "I must get back to São Bernardo today." "And then I wouldn't know how to treat people like that." "Complicated." "Gondim... talk to her, please." "All right." "I'll talk about the landscape, country poetry... the simplicity of the pupils and if she's not convinced yet" "I'll hit her with patriotism!" "How are you?" " Fine, thanks, and you?" " How is the farm?" " I can't complain." "And your school and Dona Gloria?" "Nothing new?" "Of course you're not interested in the farm." "I'm here for another reason." "The offer you made me through Gondim?" "More or less." "I should have told you that I can't accept." "The Devil!" "And the pay rise, what about that?" "It's not convenient." "I'm a public teacher 6 years now." "I won't lose my security like that." "Those private schools are open today and closed tomorrow." "Congratulations for your prudence." "We really would have taken chances." " Lf you say so yourself..." " I do." "I have another offer for you." "To be frank, that school business was a pretext..." "What I have to say is very difficult..." "You must agree..." "But let me come to the point." "Let me be frank, heart in hand." "Here it is:" "I decided to get married." "You please me." "I liked you the fist time I saw you." "It's clear that I'm not the ideal man you've dreamt of." "I'm 40 years old." "You must be 20." "27." "Twenty-seven?" "Nobody's give you more than 20." "Very well..." "We're getting closer." "With a bit of good will... we can be in church next week." "Your proposal is very advantageous for me." "Very advantageous." "But I must think it over." "Anyway I'm very grateful to you." "It's true I'm as poor as Job, and all alone." "Don't say that, girl." "And your education?" "And your person?" "You don't count that?" "Do you want to know something?" "If we reach an agreement it's me who gets the swell deal." "How are you, Dona Madalena?" " Very well, thanks, and you?" "I found the keys." "Mr. Paulo Honório, you here?" "Good to see you." " Congratulations." " What's that?" "Your marriage." "Everybody talks of it." "You didn't tell." "When is it going to be?" "You're drunk!" "I didn't think it a secret." "Everybody knows." "Idiot!" "You see?" "They're talking about it." "It's all they talk about, according to Gondim." "I'll never come back here." "In the first place, I don't want to aggrieve you." "And then, it's ridiculous." "Of course you've thought it over." "I always wanted to live in the country." "Awake early, take care of the garden." "You have a garden there, don't you?" "Why don't you wait a little more?" "To be frank with you, I don't love you." "Now listen to that!" "I wouldn't believe you if you had told me you did." "I don't like people who just fall in love and make rash decisions." "Especially one like this." "Let's set the day." "There's no hurry." "In a year, perhaps." "I must prepare mylself." "A year?" "A business after a year is no good." "What's missing?" "A white dress one can make in 24 hours." "Can we tell your aunt?" "All right." "Dona Gloria, let me inform you that I and your niece will be hitched up in a week." "To speak property, we are going to be married." "Of course you'll come with us." "It's a big house." "There's a lot of shacks too, and where 2 can eat, 3 can." "Starting a new life, right, Paulo?" "Very well." "Quite a woman." "How much do you make, Mr. Ribeiro?" "200 Mil Reis." "That's very little indeed." "When he was working for Brito, he got 150 a month." "So, 200, bed and board, washing included, isn't bad." "That's true." "I'm all right." "I get enough money." "And if you had 10 children?" "That's enough." "You too?" "Take care of your Romans." "Don't be angry." "We all have our opinions." "Sure." "But it's stupid to voice opinions about things one doesn't understand." "The Devil!" "I'm not discussing grammar!" "The business of my farm" "I understand." "You make me lose patience!" "That was imprudent." "It was." "Inconsiderate." "One must think before one speaks." "Certainly." "I forgot they were employees." "Sorry I was inconvenient." "Very inconvenient!" "Now you exaggerate." "Why?" "It was a misunderstanding." "Thank you." "Little sugar." "That's the word:" "Misunderstanding." "Things here are different from outside." "Cinema, bars, invitations, shouting, billiards - the Devil!" "Here there is nothing of that." "And sometimes on doesn't know how to spend the money." "Do you want me to tell you something?" "I started out in life with 100 Mil Reis." "Yes, Ma'am, 100 Mil Reis, and borrowed." "Well, they went a long way." "I believe you." "I still don't know how things are here." "I'll get used to it." "What I feel..." "I never regret anything." "What's done is done." "But then, a sad face never helped anybody." "If you want to join Dona Gloria..." "She didn't pay attention to our talk, poor thing." "It was just talk." "It was on for the Devil." "Will you do me a favor?" "Talk to her, tell her" "I didn't mean to hurt her." "An elderly lady, respectable." "That I didn't mean to, do you hear?" "I'm like that, rather ill-tempered." "Madalena," "why don't you take care of the correspondence?" "Do you want a salary?" "Of course." "Later we talk about that." "Mr. Ribeiro will open an account for you." "But then, in spite of all precautions, all the asbestos we used to isolate our attritions... new discords arose." "Then, there were many..." "In the morning, Madalena worked at the office but in the afternoon she went out and visited the huts of the tenants." "That's bad." "Marciano!" "Marciano!" "Marciano!" "Go to work!" " I've already finished, Mr. Paulo." " Finished, nothing!" "Yes I did." "I swear it by this light that shines on us." "You lie!" "The cattle are starving!" "Gnawing wood!" "Just now it was filled." "I never saw cattle eat more." "Nobody can live here any more." "No rest..." "Are you getting cute, you bastard?" "To work, you tramp!" "You are to blame." "Filling their block-heads with stories." "I wasn't filling anything, Mr. Paulo." "That's injustice." "He came to complain, truly." "I even told him:" ""You better feed the cattle, Marciano."" "He didn't believe me and hung around, twaddling." "I was sick of it." "By God, I can't stand the face of his." "Insolence..." "You give the foot and they want the hand." "Taking fresh air?" "It's horrible." "Pardon?" " It's horrible." " What?" "Your behavior." "How barbarous." "Preposterous." "What a story, the Devil." "I don't understand." "Explain." "How can you beat a human being like that?" "Ah, yes, because of Marciano." "I thought it was something serious." "It frightened me." "To beat a man like that!" "How terrible!" "That was nothing." "You're drowning in a puddle." "Those people only work if they must." "One must kick them." "And then, Marciano is not really a man." " Why?" " Who knows." "God's will." " He's weakling." " Sure." "You're always humiliating him." "I protest!" "When I met him, he was already a weaking." "I suppose he always was kicked around." "Nonsense." "He was born a weakling." "That's cruelty..." "Why did you do that?" "Because I thought it should be done." "And I'm not used to explain my actions, understand?" "Big deal!" "A guy got boxed 2 or 3 times." "What the devil have you with Marciano to care so much?" "We must help Dr. Caetano." "If I could convince Madalena that she's not right..." "If I explained that we must live in peace." "She doesn't understand me." "We don't understand each other." "What will happen not be what me hope for." "Absurdity!" "Not to hear the tic tac of the clock." "What time is it?" "When I sat down here I heard the pendulum." "I heard it very well." "It would be convenient to wind the clock." "But I'm unable to get up." "Look at that!" "Are you sleeping?" "Wake up!" "Houses, church, road, weir, pastures... are like new." "The cotton field is almost 3,5 miles by 2." "The woods are rich." "Yellow-trees, cedars..." "See the cotton-gin, the saw mill..." "All this just grew here, all by itself..." "To hell and gone, to the pest-house!" "Go see that brat." "Must things be that way?" "Let the world come down!" "The boy screams his head off!" "Madalena got a baby." "A boy." "Really, it must be delicious to live in São Bernardo." "It's beautiful for outsiders." "We here get used to it." "I don't keep this as an ornament." "It's to be sold." " The flowers too?" " Everything!" " Flowers, vegetables, fruits..." " There, that's common-sense." "If all Brazilians would only think like that" " we wouldn't have so much misery." " Politics, Padre Silvestre?" "Why not?" "You must agree that we're at the brink of an abyss." "Very well said." " What abyss?" " The system... dishonesty... villainy..." "Who're the villains?" "I'm not to accuse anybody." "But facts are facts." " Look around." " It's best to point out." "Whom to point out?" "The dominant class are rotten." "The country is going down." "What happened to you for you to talk like that?" "You sound as if your income didn't pay your expenses." "I suppose business goes very well." "But it's not about me." "State finances are sick." "And are getting worse." "But don't make a mistake, a revolution will come." "That would do it!" "Spoil everything!" " Why?" " Are you also a revolutionary?" "I only wonder why?" "Why!" "No credits, money devaluation." "Imported merchandises get deadly expensive." "And then, this political complication." "That would be great!" "Then everything would get well." "I wonder why Padre Silvestre wants a revolution." " What advantage would you have?" " None." "No advantage at all." "But I think the collectivity would gain with this." "Just wait." "They're already building a fire to fry you in." " Literature." " Literature no." "But something good might come out of it." "Fascism." "That's what you think." "We'd get communism." "God beware!" " Afraid." "Mr. Ribeiro?" " I already saw many changes   all to the worse." " None of this." "Those absurd doctrines don't prosper amongst us." "Communism is misery, degradation of society." "At Dom Pedro's time there was little money and a Conto of Reis made you rich." "But there was abundance." "Pumpkins rotting on the land." "Castor beans, cotton seed, were worthless." "After the proclamation of the Republic, they became dear." "That's why I say changes are always for the worse." "A Nation without God!" "They shot all the priests." "Not one got away." "And the drunken soldatesca broke images and danced on the altars." "Madness!" "Is that possible?" "On the altars?" "Thy did not!" "Anti-revolutionary propaganda!" "Do you work for them, Padre Silvestre?" "No." "I stay quietly in my corner." "But I do think that the Government is no good." "I do think there must be a reform." "As for those ideas, this communism " "I don't believe they could prosper here amongst us." "The people has religion." "The people is Catholic." "I don't think so." "Nobody knows the doctrine." "If a Protestant preaches the gospel all the devotees from our processions will listen." "Others preach Spiritsm." "And the rabble believes in witchcraft." "Some even worship trees." "Many enter Catholicism as if it were a hotel." "They chose their dish with great fastidiousness." "The more advanced ones are sceptics." "You're wrong, Padre Silvestre." "They hear the Mass, but they are no Catholics." "You can look at it from one side - or from the other." "In this case... what would you lose, Mr. Ribeiro?" "I don't konw." "I might." "All that disgrace." "At least here I have a piece of bread." "If this disgrace come, I'd get not even this." "No, Mr. Ribeiro, you're wrong." "Madalena tried to convince him." "But I didn't understand what she was saying." "All of a sudden I felt a suspicion." "I had felt a sentiment like this before." "When?" "When?" "It got clear in a moment!" "It was that same day in the office when Madalena gave me the letters to sign." "A plot with Padilha to spoil the good employees." "Yes, Sir!" "A Communist!" "I building - she tearing down!" "Corruption!" "Dissolution of society!" "Padre Silvestre is right." "Religion is a bridle." "Nonsense!" "Who's a horse to need a bridle?" "What would be Madalena's religion?" "None, perhaps." "She'd never spoken of this." "Materialist!" "I remembered Costa talk about historical materialism." "What did this mean?" "I truly worry little about the other world." "I'm for God, heavenly paymaster of my workers so badly rewarded here on earth and for the Devil future torturer of the thief of a priced cow of mine." "I therefore have a little religion... albeit I think it is partly dispensable in a man." "But a woman without religion." "Horrible!" "Communist!" "Materialist!" "A nice marriage!" "Friendship with this imbecile Padilha." "What were they talking about?" "I have confidence " "But I magnified Nogueira's beautiful eyes... his well-made clothes, his insinuating voice... mixing it with Madalena's materialsm and communism and I started to get jealous." "Madalena, Dona Gloria, Padilha... what a crowd!" "I wanted do grab Madalena and kick even her palate." "An educated woman." "All I needed was proof." "To find her in bed with another man." "Please show me this." "There's nothing to show." "It's only for me." "All right." "But please show me." "I already told you it is of interest only for myself!" "Will you please show me this letter?" "Go to hell!" "Look after your own affairs!" "Give me this letter, you cow!" "People hear you outside." "Damn, fuck yourself!" "This girl, face like a saint..." "Fuck yourself." "If you're not satisfied, get lost." "You and your niece." "Go away both of you." "Fuck yourself, both of you." " Give me this letter, you bitch!" " Wretch!" " Give me this letter, bitch!" " Wretch!" " Murderer!" " Bitch!" "Madalena, Dona Gloria and Padilha go all fuck yourself!" "Murderer!" "What did she know of my life?" "I never confided in her, everybody has his secrets." "It would be interesting if one would tell everything." "Everybody has his vices." "Madalena, coming from a school, must have many." "Could I know her past?" "Her present was bad." "She didn't call Casimiro a murderer, but me!" "Nex she would insist that" "Casimiro and I were one." "Madalena, Dona Glória, Padilha..." "Go fuck yourselves!" "Go fuck yourselves!" "After calming down I changed my mind." "Madalena was honest, of course." "She didn't show the paper because of her strong will." "Dignity." "Of couse." "Stupid jealousy." "Better behaved than her, only in a monastery." "And good even to the wild animals." "After the morning's violence, I felt full of optimism." "And my inherent brutality turned against Padilha." "Scoundrel!" "Fire him." "At your service, Mr. Paulo Honório." "Bad news for you." "I don't need your services any more." "Why?" "What did I do?" "You ask me that?" "You should know what you did!" "I didn't do anything." "What have I done wrong?" "I'm worse off than a prisoner in jail." "I don't go out." "If I try, Casimiro follows me." "What have I done?" "Show me one thing!" "I don't give explications." "All right." "Always busy, and now this." "Year in, year out the stupid employee works." "Doing his duty, trying to please." "When one expects a raise, there comes a kick-out." "Give me at least a few days, to get my affairs in order." "I can't leave like this, with empty hands." " You have a month." " Thanks very much." "And one must be grateful on top." "Well done!" "If I hadn't helped your wife, this wouldn't have happened." " What?" "!" " Very helpful, yes!" ""Go get me a book, Mr. Padilha" and there I'd go." ""Get me a paper, Mr. Padilha" I'd get it." ""Copy this page, Mr. Padilha" I'd copy." ""Some oranges, Mr. Padilha" I even got her oranges!" "Helpful." "That woman was the reason for my disgrace." " Watch your tongue!" " What did I say?" "I was helpful." "That's why you send me away." "No." "That's not it!" "It's because you were intriguing." " Making trouble!" " What intrigues?" "Which trouble?" "You can't show me one!" "Am I to blame if your wife has advanced ideas?" " It's not because of that." " Then I don't know." "Listen, Padilha..." "I see a lot of things and close my eyes." "Now when I say that you were making trouble it's because you were making trouble!" "Say it then." "My conscience is clear." "Say it!" "If one knows, one tells." "Don't come me like this." "You told Madalena lies." "Didn't you talk badly about me?" "Did you?" "Tell me!" "I did not, Mr. Paulo." "I don't know anything." "Don't give me that, man." "I heard you." "All right, if you heard me, one can't argue." "Of course you heard what I didn't say." "I heard what you said." "I hear well!" "Or you heard about Mendonça's death." "Dona Madalena knew." " Knew what?" " What the people say." "Slander." "I explained everything and defended you." ""Dona Madalena, that's an old story."" ""To mess with it doesn't give his life back"." ""Old Mendonça was a blighter who went about stealing other people's land."" ""Now don't believe everything they tell you around here."" ""Mr. Paulo has a good heart, he wouldn't kill a bird"." "Padilha... why did you say Madalena was your disgrace?" "What do you want?" "Didn't I lose my job because of her?" "It was her." "And look here, I don't like that." "Many times I said, openly." ""Dona Madalena, Mr. Paulo is set against socialism."" ""You better leave this sort of talk"." "There you are." "I'm blameless." "I'm blameless!" "Damn..." "What were you talking about so much?" "Literature, politics..." "Art, religion..." "An educated woman, Dona Madalena." "Intelligent." "A library." "Well, all this is no news." "You know better then I what sort of wife you have." "You know the wife you have." "I knew nothing." "That was exactly what spoiled my appetite." "To live with somebody in the same house to eat at the same table to sleep in the same bed and to discover years later" "that she was a stranger." "Who's there?" "Flesh and blood or a ghost?" "Won't you answer?" "What was it?" "Your partners surround the house." "But be sure any day now... one of them will get dropped dead." "He whistled, didn't he?" "Did you fix an encounter here, right on top of me?" "That's all I needed!" "Do you want me to leave?" "Do you want me to leave, your cow?" "Don't be shy!" "Stop that crying." "Just because they whistle in the orchard or walk about in the garden" "you don't have to be awash in tears." "You better stop this magic." "If I had proof that Madalena was innocent" "I'd give her a life she couldn't imagine." "I'd buy her dresses to last for ever." "Expensive hats dozens of silk stockings..." "I'd be attentive" "I'd call the best doctors to cure her paleness..." "I'd let her give clothes to the women of the workers." "If I knew that she betrayed me..." "Ah, if I knew that she betrayed me..." "I'd kill her!" "I'd open a vein in her throat, slowly... so she'd bleed a whole day." "Another one, Mr. Paulo!" "What the hell!" "If that fly were any good, if she were smart she would be here to enjoy all this beauty." "In spite of being only reasonably impressionable" "I'm convinced that this is not a bad world." "8 meters over the ground one has the vague sensation of being 8 meters tall." "And when, that tall, we see cattle herds at our feet plantations covering large tracts of land..." "All ours." "And we see the smoke that rises from our houses." "Where there live people who respect us, fear us." "They might even love us, since they depend on us." "A great calm involves us." "And we feel good, we feel strong." "And if there are enemies nearby, dying... even if they are unimportant enemies that a boy could finish off with a club... our feeling of power becomes steady and augments." "In the face of this a doll that traces invisible lines on paper that's just only visible deserves little consideration." "So I came down in peace with God and with mankind." "Son of a bitch!" "A letter, man!" "Am I some sort of Marciano?" "Goddamn band of sons of bitches!" "Turn around." "We've got business." "Still?" "What were you doing here?" "Praying?" "You might just say you were praying!" "Still?" "You wrote a letter." "That's the way it is." "Go away!" "Go away!" "Let me come see it, Mr. Paulo." "Of course." "I'll come back later." "It's still early." "There's a letter." "I must know, do you understand?" "So?" "I read it." "Say something." "What for?" "Three years we lead this horrible life." "When we try to understand each other" "I'm certain that we will end up fighting." "This letter." "The rest is in the office on my desk." "This leaf probably was blown into the garden" "Whom to?" "You'll see." "It's on the desk." "It's not a big deal, you'll see." "Well..." "Will you forgive me for the troubles I cause you, Paulo?" " I had my reasons, I suppose." " That's not the point." "Will you forgive me?" "What spoilt everything was your jealousy." "Be a friend to my aunt, Paulo." "When all this fighting has passed you'll recognize that she's a good person." "This misunderstanding." "She's to blame too." "A bit sour." "Ribeiro is an honest working man, don't you think?" "Yes." "Once he was a gambler cards hark... today he's garbage." "An honest fellow!" "Poor devil!" " And Padilha..." " No, no." "This is cheating." "It's not right for you to be on his side." " A scoundrel!" "Marciano... you're rude to Marciano..." "Oh well..." "That's bullshit..." "Don't be angry..." " What I wanted..." " What did you want?" "I don't know!" "If I should die suddenly..." "What's that for a story, woman?" " That's really too fast." " No." "You know very well how my end will be." "If I should suddenly die..." "Will you stop this, woman." "Why talk like this?" "Give my dresses to the family of Caetano and to Rosa." "Give my books to Ribeiro, Padilha and Gondim." "What a stupid way to talk!" "I feel like going on a trip." "After the harvest, Ribeiro can take care of my farm - we go to Bahia, to Rio de Janeiro, let's stay away a few months and rest." "You take care of your stomach, have fun, fill up..." "It's good to get new air." "The whole time in this hole, working like a Negro..." "The we'll have a look at São Paulo." "All right?" "This morning, there were flowers in the forest." "I counted four." "In a week they'll be beautiful." "Pity they fall so fast." "What do you tell me about the trip?" "Yes, I was praying." "Not quite praying, I don't know how to pray." "No time." "I wrote so much that my fingers hurt." "Small letters, to economize paper." "Before exams I only slept 2, 3 hours a night." "I didn't have any protection, understand?" "In spite of everything, our house was humid and cold." "In the winter I took my books into the kitchen." "I could go to church..." "I studies always, always, afraid not to pass the exams." "The houses of the workers here are also humid and cold." "It was so sad." "I was praying for them." "For all of you." "Praying!" "I was just talking." "My God, it's so late, and here I'm talking." "Farewell, Paulo." "I will rest." "For God, nothing is impossible." "For God, nothing is impossible." "For two years Madalena is dead now." "Two difficult years." "I'm a crushed man." "Ill?" "No." "I'm in perfect health." "Thanks God, I never needed a doctor." "I don't suffer from disease." "It's evident that, once this crisis is past, the farm could go back to normal business." "Everybody killing themselves working again, eating flour and dried cod-fish." "Trucks could roll again, loaded with merchandise." "The farm could resurrect with busy noises." "But what for?" ""What for?", you'll ask me." "Behind this noisy bustle there would be many tears and curses." "Little children, devoured by vermin, would die slowly in the humid, cold huts." "And Madalena wouldn't be here any more, to send them medicines." "Men and women would be but sad beasts." "Beasts!" "Because the people who worked for me were just beasts." "There were some trained ones, like Padilha... and wild ones, like Casimiro Lopes." "And the others, harmless ones, who worked the plantations," "Tame calves." "I raised myself above my own class." "I think I raised quite high." "I'm sure that the manuals for commerce, agriculture and cattle raising, which constitutes the base for my instruction, didn't make me a better man than I was before." "Then, at least," "I didn't dream to be this ferocious exploiter I have become." "I think I lost my way." "To-day," "I don't sing and I don't laugh." "I always think of Madalena." "If it were possible to start over again..." "If it were possible to start over again... everything would happen just the same way." "I simply can't change myself and that distresses me most of all." "Madalena came here filled with good feelings... and intentions." "They shattered on my brutality and my egotism." "I don't think I was always a brutal egotist." "But my job brought out those bad qualities of mine." "Mu terrible suspiciousness makes me see only enemies." "This suspiciousness is also a consequence of my job." "This way of life that destroyed me." "I'm a cripple." "My heart must be very small, my brain full of empty spaces, my nerves different from those of other people." "And a enormous nose... an enormous mouths... enormous fingers..." "It's horrible." "If only somebody would come!" "But they're all asleep." "If only my son would cry!" "But not even for my son I feel friendship." "What misery!" "Casimiro Lopes sleeps." "Marciano sleeps." "Scoundrels!" "And I'll stay here, in the dark, till I don't know what time." "Till, dead-tired, my head will rest on the table," "and I may sleep a few minutes."