attention and said to her “You’re a woman； little sister。？Rebeca lost control of herself。 She went back to eating earth and the whitewash on the walls with the avidity of previous days； and she sucked her finger with so much anxiety that she developed a callus on her thumb。 She vomited up a green liquid with dead leeches in it。 She spent nights awake shaking with fever； fighting against delirium； waiting until the house shook with the return of Jos？Arcadio at dawn。 One afternoon； when everyone was having a siesta； she could no longer resist and went to his bedroom。 She found him in his shorts； lying in the hammock that he had hung from the beams with a ship’s hawser。 She was so impressed by his enormous motley nakedness that she felt an impulse to retreat。 “Excuse me；？she said； “I didn’t know you were here。？But she lowered her voice so as not to wake anyone up。 “e here；？he said。 Rebeca obeyed。 She stopped beside the hammock in an icy sweat； feeling knots forming in her intestines； while Jos？Arcadio stroked her ankles with the tips of his fingers； then her calves； then her thighs； murmuring： “Oh； little sister； little sister。？She had to make a supernatural effort not to die when a startlingly regulated cyclonic power lifted her up by the waist and despoiled her of her intimacy with three clashes of its claws and quartered her like a little bird。 She managed to thank God for having been born before she lost herself in the inconceivable pleasure of that unbearable pain； splashing in the steaming marsh of the hammock which absorbed the explosion of blood like a blotter。
Three days later they were married during the five…o’clock mass。 Jos？Arcadio had gone to Pietro Crespi’s store the day before。 He found him giving a zither lesson and did not draw him aside to speak to him。 “I’m going to marry Rebeca；？he told him。 Pietro Crespi turned pale； gave the zither to one of his pupils； and dismissed the class。 When they were alone in the room that was crowded with musical instruments and mechanical toys； Pietro Crespi said：
“She’s your sister。？
“I don’t care；？Jos？Arcadio replied。
Pietro Crespi mopped his brow with the handkerchief that was soaked in lavender。
“It’s against nature；？he explained； “and besides； it’s against the law。？
Jos？Arcadio grew impatient； not so much at the argument as over Pietro Crespi’s paleness。
“Fuck nature two times over；？he said。 “And I’ve e to tell you not to bother going to ask Rebeca anything。？
But his brutal deportment broke down when he saw Pietro Crespi’s eyes grow moist。
“Now；？he said to him in a different tone； “if you really like the family； there’s Amaranta for you。？
Father Nicanor revealed in his Sunday sermon that Jos？Arcadio and Rebeca were not brother and sister。 ？rsula never forgave what she considered an inconceivable lack of respect and when they came back from church she forbade the newlyweds to set foot in the house again。 For her it was as if they were dead。 So they rented a house across from the cemetery and established themselves there with no other furniture but Jos？Arcadio’s hammock。 On their wedding night a scorpion that had got into her slipper bit Rebeca on the foot。 Her tongue went to sleep； but that did not stop them from spending a scandalous honeymoon。 The neighbors were startled by the cries that woke up the whole district as many as eight times in a single night and three times during siesta； and they prayed that such wild passion would not disturb the peace of the dead。
Aureliano was the only one who was concerned about them。 He bought them some furniture and gave them some money until Jos？Arcadio recovered his sense of reality and began to work the no…man’s…land that bordered the courtyard of the house。 Amaranta； on the other hand； never did overe her rancor against Rebeca； even though life offered her a satisfaction of which she had not dreamed： at the initiative of ？rsula； who did not know how to repair the shame； Pietro Crespi continued having lunch at the house on Tuesdays； rising above his defeat with a serene dignity。 He still wore the black ribbon on his hat as a sign of respect for the family； and he took pleasure in showing his affection for ？rsula by bringing her exotic gifts： Portuguese sardines； Turkish rose marmalade； and on one occasion a lovely Manila shawl。 Amaranta looked after him with a loving diligence。 She anticipated his wants； pulled out the threads on the cuffs of his shirt； and embroidered a dozen handkerchiefs with his initials for his birthday。 On Tuesdays； after lunch； while she would embroider on the porch； he would keep her happy pany。 For Pietro Crespi； that woman whom he always had considered and treated as a child was a revelation。 Although her temperament lacked grace； she had a rare sensibility for appreciating the things of the world and had a secret tenderness。 One Tuesday； when no one doubted that sooner or later it had to happen； Pietro Crespi asked her to marry him。 She did not stop her work。 She waited for the hot blush to leave her ears and gave her voice a serene stress of maturity。
“Of course； Crespi；？she said。 “But when we know each other better。 It’s never good to be hasty in things。？
？rsula was confused。 In spite of the esteem she had for Pietro Crespi； she could not tell whether his decision was good or bad from the moral point of view after his prolonged and famous engagement to Rebeca。 But she finally accepted it as an unqualified fact because no one shared her doubts。 Aureliano； who was the man of the house； confused her further with his enigmatic and final opinion：
“These are not times to go around thinking about weddings。？
That opinion； which ？rsula understood only some months later； was the only sincere one that Aureliano could express at that moment； not only with respect to marriage； but to anything that was not war。 He himself； facing a firing squad； would not understand too well the concatenation of the series of subtle but irrevocable accidents that brought him to that point。 The death of Remedios had not produced the despair that he had feared。 It was； rather； a dull feeling of rage that grades ally dissolved in a solitary and passive frustration similar to the one he had felt during the time he was resigned to living without a woman。 He plunged into his work again； but he kept up the custom of playing dominoes with his father…in…law。 In a house bound up in mourning； the nightly conversations consolidated the friendship between the two men。 “Get married again。 Aurelito；？his father…in…law would tell him。 “I have six daughters for you to choose from。？On one occasion on the eve of the elections； Don Apolinar Moscote returned from one of his frequent trips worried about the political situation in the country。 The Liberals were determined to go to war。 Since Aureliano at that time had very confused notions about the difference between Conservatives and Liberals； his father…in…law gave him some schematic lessons。 The Liberals； he said； were Freemasons； bad people； wanting to hang priests； to institute civil marriage and divorce； to recognize the rights of illegitimate children as equal to those of legitimate ones； and to cut the country up into a federal system that would take power away from the supreme authority。 The Conservatives； on the other hand； who had received their power directly from God； proposed the establishment of public order and family morality。 They were the defenders of the faith of Christ； of the principle of authority； and were not prepared to permit the country to be broken down into autonomous entities。 Because of his humanitarian feelings Aureliano sympathized with the Liberal attitude with respect to the rights of natural children； but in any case； he could not understand how people arrived at the extreme of waging war over things that could not be touched with the hand。 It seemed an exaggeration to him that for the elections his father…in…law had them send six soldiers armed with rifles under the mand of a sergeant to a town with no political passions。 They not only arrived； but they went from house to house confiscating hunting weapons； machetes； and even kitchen knives before they distributed among males over twenty…one the blue ballots with the names of the Conservative candidates and the red ballots with the names of the Liberal candidates。 On the eve of the elections Don Apolinar Moscote himself read a decree that prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages and the gathering together of more than three people who were not of the same family。 The elections took place without incident。 At eight o’clock on Sunday morning a wooden ballot box was set up in the square； which was watched over by the six soldiers。 The voting was absolutely free； as Aureliano himself was able to attest since he spent almost the entire day with his father…in…law seeing that no one voted more than once。 At four in the afternoon a roll of drums in the square announced the closing of the polls and Don Apolinar Moscote sealed the ballot box with a label crossed by his signature。 That night； while he played dominoes with Aureliano； he ordered the sergeant to break the seal in order to count the votes。 There were almost as many red ballots as blue； but the sergeant left only ten red ones and made up the difference with blue ones。 Then they sealed the box again with a new label and the first thing on the following day it was taken to the capital of the province。 “The Liberals will go to war；？Aureliano said。 Don Apolinar concentrated on his domino pieces。 “If you’re saying that because of the switch in ballots； they won’t；？he said。 “We left a few red ones in so there won’t be any plaints。？Aureliano understood the disadvantages of being in the opposition。 “If I were a Liberal；？he said； “I’d go to war because of those ballots。？His father…in…law looked at him over his glasses。
“e now； Aurelito；？he said； “if you were a Liberal； even though you’re my son…in…law； you wouldn’t have seen the switching of the ballots。？
What really caused indignation in the town was。 not the results of the elections but the fact that the soldiers had not returned the weapons。 A group of women spoke with Aureliano so that he could obtain the return of their