Dom Casmurro

by Machado de Assis

LXX - After Mass

I prayed again, crossed myself, closed the book of Mass, and walked to the door. We hand was a lot, but the church is not big, and I could not leave soon, but slowly. There were men and women, old and young, silks and cheetahs, and probably ugly and beautiful eyes, but I did not see either one or the other. He was walking toward the door, the wave, listening to greetings and whispers. In the churchyard, where it became clear, I stopped and looked at all. Then I saw a girl and a man coming out of the church and stopped; and the girl would look at me talking to the man, and the man would look at me, listening to the girl. And these words came to me:

-What do you want?

-I wanted to know about her; Daddy ask.

It was Sancha, Sancho's companion at Capitú's college, who wanted news from my mother. The father came to me; I told her I was reinstated. Then we went out, showed me his house, and as I came in the same direction, we came together. Gurgel was a man of forty or so, with a tendency to thicken his belly; was very obsequious; arriving at the door of the house, forcing me to go and have lunch with him.

-Thank you; Mommy is waiting for me.

"Tell him to tell you that you're having lunch, and you'll come later."

-I came another day.