百年孤独(英文版)-第56部分
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Remedios the Beauty was the only one who was immune to the banana plague。 She was becalmed in a magnificent adolescence； more and more impenetrable to formality； more and more indifferent to malice and suspicion； happy in her own world of simple realities。 She did not understand why women plicated their lives with corsets and petticoats； so she sewed herself a coarse cassock that she simply put over her and without further difficulties resolved the problem of dress； without taking away the feeling of being naked； which according to her lights was the only decent way to be when at home。 They bothered her so much to cut the rain of hair that already reached to her thighs and to make rolls with bs and braids with red ribbons that she simply shaved her head and used the hair to make wigs for the saints。 The startling thing about her simplifying instinct was that the more she did away with fashion in a search for fort and the more she passed over conventions as she obeyed spontaneity； the more disturbing her incredible beauty became and the more provocative she became to men。 When the sons of Colonel Aureliano Buendía were in Macondo for the first time； ？rsula remembered that in their veins they bore the same blood as her great…granddaughter and she shuddered with a forgotten fright。 “Keep your eyes wide open；？she warned her。 “With any of them your children will e out with the tail of a pig。？The girl paid such little attention to the warning that she dressed up as a man and rolled around in the sand in order to climb the greased pole； and she was at the point of bringing on a tragedy among the seventeen cousins； who were driven mad by the unbearable spectacle。 That was why none of them slept at the house when they visited the town and the four who had stayed lived in rented rooms at ？rsula’s insistence。 Remedios the Beauty； however； would have died laughing if she had known about that precaution。 Until her last moment on earth she was unaware that her irreparable fate as a disturbing woman was a daily disaster。 Every time she appeared in the dining room； against ？rsula’s orders； she caused a panic of exasperation among the outsiders。 It was all too evident that she was pletely naked underneath her crude nightshirt and no one could understand that her shaved and perfect skull was not some kind of challenge； and that the boldness with which she uncovered her thighs to cool off was not a criminal provocation； nor was her pleasure when she sucked her fingers after。 eating。 What no member of the family ever knew was that the strangers did not take long to realize that Remedios the Beauty gave off a breath of perturbation； a tormenting breeze that was still perceptible several hours after she had passed by。 Men expert in the disturbances of love； experienced all over the world； stated that they had never suffered an anxiety similar to the one produced by the natural smell of Remedios the Beauty。 On the porch with the begonias； in the parlor； in any place in the house； it was possible to point out the exact place where she had been and the time that had passed since she had left it。 It was a definite； unmistakable trace that no one in the family could distinguish because it had been incorporated into the daily odors for a long time； but it was one that the outsiders identified immediately。 They were the only ones； therefore； who understood how the young mander of the guard had died of love and how a gentleman from a faraway land had been plunged into desperation。 Unaware of the restless circle in which she moved； of the unbearable state of intimate calamity that she provoked as she passed by； Remedios the Beauty treated the men without the least bit of malice and in the end upset them with her innocent plaisance。 When ？rsula succeeded in imposing the mand that she eat with Amaranta in the kitchen so that the outsiders would not see her； she felt more fortable； because； after all； she was beyond all discipline。 In reality； it made no difference to her where she ate； and not at regular hours but according to the whims of her appetite。 Sometimes she would get up to have lunch at three in the morning； sleep all day long； and she spent several months with her timetable all in disarray until some casual incident would bring her back into the order of things。 When things were going better she would get up at eleven o’clock in the morning and shut herself up until two o’clock； pletely nude； in the bathroom； killing scorpions as she came out of her dense and prolonged sleep。 Then she would throw water from the cistern over herself with a gourd。 It was an act so prolonged； so meticulous； so rich in ceremonial aspects that one who did not know her well would have thought that she was given over to the deserved adoration of her own body。 For her； however； that solitary rite lacked all sensuality and was simply a way of passing the time until she was hungry。 One day； as she began to bathe herself； a stranger lifted a tile from the roof and was breathless at the tremendous spectacle of her nudity。 She saw his desolate eyes through the broken tiles and had no reaction of shame but rather one of alarm。
“Be careful；？she exclaimed。 “You’ll fall。？
“I just wanted to see you；？the foreigner murmured。
“Oh； all right；？she said。 “But be careful； those tiles are rotten。？
The stranger’s face had a pained expression of stupor and he seemed to be battling silently against his primary instincts so as not to break up the mirage。 Remedios the Beauty thought that he was suffering from the fear that the tiles would break and she bathed herself more quickly than usual so that the man would not be in danger。 While she was pouring water from the； cistern she told him that the roof was in that state because she thought that the bed of leaves had been rotted by the rain and that was what was filling the bathroom with scorpions。 The stranger thought that her small talk was a way of covering her plaisance； so that when she began to soap herself he gave into temptation and went a step further。
“Let me soap you；？he murmured。
“Thank you for your good intentions；？she said； “but my two hands are quite enough。？
“Even if it’s just your back；？the foreigner begged。
“That would be silly；？she said。 “People never soap their backs。？
Then； while she was drying herself； the stranger begged her； with his eyes full of tears； to marry him。 She answered him sincerely that she would never marry a man who was so simple that he had wasted almost an hour and even went without lunch just to see a woman taking a bath。 Finally； when she put on her cassock； the man could not bear the proof that； indeed； she was not wearing anything underneath； as everyone had suspected； and he felt himself marked forever with the white…hot iron of that secret。 Then he took two more tiles off in order to drop down into the bathroom。
“It’s very high；？she warned him in fright。 “You’ll kill yourself！？
The rotten tiles broke with a noise of disaster and the man barely had time to let out a cry of terror as he cracked his skull and was killed outright on the cement floor。 The foreigners who heard the noise in the dining room and hastened to remove the body noticed the suffocating odor of Remedios the Beauty on his skin。 It was so deep in his body that the cracks in his skull did not give off blood but an amber…colored oil that was impregnated with that secret perfume； and then they understood that the smell of Remedios the Beauty kept on torturing men beyond death； right down to the dust of their bones。 Nevertheless； they did not relate that horrible accident to the other two men who had died because of Remedios the Beauty。 A victim was still needed before the outsiders and many of the old inhabitants of Macondo would credit the legend that Remedios Buendía did not give off a breath of love but a fatal emanation。 The occasion for the proof of it came some months later on one afternoon when Remedios the Beauty went with a group of girl friends to look at the new plantings。 For the girls of Macondo that novel game was reason for laughter and surprises； frights and jokes； and at night they would talk about their walk as if it had been an experience in a dream。 Such w
