as a； that she was a； just the opposite of her； who was a lady in a palace or a pigsty； at the table or in bed； a lady of breeding； God…fearing； obeying His laws and submissive to His wishes； and with whom he could not perform； naturally； the acrobatics and trampish antics that he did with the other one； who； of course； was ready for anything like the French matrons； and even worse； if one considers well； because they at least had the honesty to put a red light at their door； swinishness like that； just imagine； and that was all that was needed by the only and beloved daughter of Do？a Renata Argote and Don Fernando del Carpio； and especially the latter； an upright man； a fine Christian； a Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher； those who receive direct from God the privilege of remaining intact in their graves with their skin smooth like the cheeks of a bride and their eyes alive and clear like emeralds。
“That’s not true；？Aureliano Segundo interrupted her。 “He was already beginning to smell when they brought him here。？
He had the patience to listen to her for a whole day until he caught her in a slip。 Fernanda did not pay him any mind； but she lowered her voice。 That night at dinner the exasperating buzzing of the singsong had conquered the sound of the rain。 Aureliano； Segundo ate very little； with his head down； and he went to his room early。 At breakfast on the following day Fernanda was trembling； with a look of not having slept well； and she seemed pletely exhausted by her rancor。 Nevertheless； when her husband asked if it was not possible to have a soft…boiled egg； she did not answer simply that they had run out of eggs the week before； but she worked up a violent diatribe against men who spent their time contemplating their navels and then had the gall to ask for larks？livers at the table。 Aureliano Segundo took the children to look at the encyclopedia； as always； and Fernanda pretended to straighten out Meme’s room just so that he could listen to her muttering； of course； that it certainly took cheek for him to tell the poor innocents that there was a picture of Colonel Aureliano Buendía in the encyclopedia。 During the afternoon； while the children were having their nap； Aureliano Segundo sat on the porch and Fernanda pursued him even there； provoking him； tormenting him； hovering about him with her implacable horsefly buzzing； saying that； of course； while there was nothing to eat except stones； her husband was sitting there like a sultan of Persia； watching it rain； because that was all he was； a slob； a sponge； a good…for…nothing； softer than cotton batting； used to living off women and convinced that he had married Jonah’s wife； who was so content with the story of the whale。 Aureliano Segundo listened to her for more than two hours； impassive； as if he were deaf。 He did not interrupt her until late in the afternoon； when he could no longer bear the echo of the bass drum that was tormenting his head。
“Please shut up；？he begged。
Fernanda； quite the contrary； raised her pitch。 “I don’t have any reason to shut up；？she said。 “Anyone who doesn’t want to listen to me can go someplace else。？Then Aureliano Segundo lost control。 He stood up unhurriedly； as if he only intended to stretch； and with a perfectly regulated and methodical fury he grabbed the pots with the begonias one after the other； those with the ferns； the oregano； and one after the other he smashed them onto the floor。 Fernanda was frightened because until then she had really not had a clear indication of the tremendous inner force of her singsong； but it was too late for any attempt at rectification。 Intoxicated by the uncontained torrent of relief； Aureliano Segundo broke the glass on the china closet and piece by piece； without hurrying； he took out the chinaware and shattered it on the floor。 Systematically； serenely； in the same parsimonious way in which he had papered the house with banknotes； he then set about smashing the Bohemian crystal ware against the walls； the hand…painted vases； the pictures of maidens in flower…laden boats； the mirrors in their gilded frames； everything that was breakable； from parlor to pantry； and he finished with the large earthen jar in the kitchen； which exploded in the middle of the courtyard with a hollow boom。 Then he washed his hands； threw the oilcloth over himself； and before midnight he returned with a few strings of dried meat； several bags of rice； corn with weevils； and some emaciated bunches of bananas。 From then on there was no more lack of food。
Amaranta ？rsula and little Aureliano would remember the rains as a happy time。 In spite of Fernanda’s strictness； they would splash in the puddles in the courtyard； catch lizards and dissect them； and pretend that they were poisoning the soup with dust from butterfly wings when Santa Sofía de la Piedad was not looking ？rsula was their most amusing plaything。 They looked upon her as a big；。 broken…down doll that they carried back and forth from one corner to another wrapped in colored cloth and with her face painted with soot and annatto； and once they were on the point of plucking out her eyes with the pruning shears as they had done with the frogs。 Nothing gave them as much excitement as the wanderings of her mind。 Something； indeed； must have happened to her mind during the third year of the rain； for she was gradually losing her sense of reality and confusing present time with remote periods of her life to the point where； on one occasion； she spent three days weeping deeply over the death of Petronila Iguarán； her great…grandmother； buried for over a century。 She sank into such an insane state of confusion that she thought little Aureliano was her son the colonel during the time he was taken to see ice； and that the Jos？Arcadio who was at that time in the seminary was her firstborn who had gone off with the gypsies。 She spoke so much about the family that the children learned to make up imaginary visits with beings who had not only been dead for a long time； but who had existed at different times。 Sitting on the bed； her hair covered with ashes and her face wrapped in a red kerchief； ？rsula was happy in the midst of the unreal relatives whom the children described in all detail； as if they had really known them。 ？rsula would converse with her forebears about events that took place before her own existence； enjoying the news they gave her； and she would weep with them over deaths that were much more recent than the guests themselves。 The children did not take long to notice that in the course of those ghostly visits ？rsula would always ask a question destined to establish the one who had brought a life…size plaster Saint Joseph to the house to be kept until the rains stopped。 It was in that way that Aureliano Segundo remembered the fortune buried in some place that only ？rsula knew； but the questions and astute maneuvering that occurred to him were of no use because in the labyrinth of her madness she seemed to preserve enough of a margin of lucidity to keep the secret which she would reveal only to the one who could prove that he was the real owner of the buried gold。 She was so skillful and strict that when Aureliano Segundo instructed one of his carousing panions to pass himself off as the owner of the fortune； she got him all caught up in a minute interrogation sown with subtle traps。
Convinced that ？rsula would carry the secret to her grave； Aureliano Segundo hired a crew of diggers under the pretext that they were making some drainage canals in the courtyard and the backyard； and he himself took soundings in the earth with iron bars and all manner of metal…detectors without finding anything that resembled gold in three months of exhaustive exploration。 Later on he went to Pilar Ternera with the hope that the cards would we more than the diggers； but she began by explaining that any attempt would be useless unless ？rsula cut the cards。 On the other hand； she confirmed the existence of the treasure with the precision of its consisting of seven thousand two hundred fourteen coins buried in three canvas sacks reinforced with copper wire within a circle with a radius of three hundred eighty…eight feet with ？rsula’s bed as the center； but she warned that it would not be found until it stopped raining and the suns of three consecutive Junes had changed the piles of mud into dust。 The profusion and meticulous vagueness of the information seemed to Aureliano Segundo so similar to the tales of spiritualists that he kept on with his enterprise in spite of the fact that they were in August and they would have to wait at least three years in order to satisfy the conditions of the prediction。 The first thing that startled him； even though it increased his confusion at the same time； was the fact that it was precisely three hundred eighty…eight feet from ？rsula’s bed to the backyard wall。 Fernanda feared that he was as crazy as his twin brother when she saw him taking the measurements； and even more when he told the digging crew to make the ditches three feet deeper。 Overe by an exploratory delirium parable only to that of his great…grandfather when he was searching for the route of inventions； Aureliano Segundo lost the last layers of fat that he had left and the old resemblance to his twin brother was being accentuated again； not only because of his slim figure； but also because of the distant air and the withdrawn attitude。 He no longer bothered with the children。 He ate at odd hours； muddled from head to toe； and he did so in a corner in the kitchen； barely answering the occasional questions asked by Santa Sofía de la Piedad。 Seeing him work that way； as she had never dreamed him capable of doing； Fernanda thought that his stubbornness was diligence； his greed abnegation； and his thick…headedness perseverance； and her insides tightened with remorse over the virulence with which she had attacked his idleness。 But Aureliano Segundo was in no mood for merciful reconciliations at that time。 Sunk up to his neck in a morass of dead brandies and rotting flowers； he flung the dirt of the garden all about after having finished with the courtyard and the backyard； and he excavated so deeply under the foundations of the east wing of the house that one