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s of ash inspired a sacred respect； as if they were caste marks； stamps of invulnerability。 Remedios the Beauty did not tell anyone that one of the men； taking advantage of the tumult； had managed to attack her stomach with a hand that was more like the claw of an eagle clinging to the edge of a precipice。 She faced the attacker in a kind of instantaneous flash and saw the disconsolate eyes； which remained stamped on her heart like the hot coals of pity。 That night the man boasted of his audacity and swaggered over his good luck on the Street of the Turks a few minutes before the kick of a horse crushed his chest and a crowd of outsiders saw him die in the middle of the street； drowned in his own bloody vomiting。
The supposition that Remedios the Beauty Possessed powers of death was then borne out by four irrefutable events。 Although some men who were easy with their words said that it was worth sacrificing one’s life for a night of love with such an arousing woman； the truth was that no one made any effort to do so。 Perhaps； not only to attain her but also to conjure away her dangers； all that was needed was a feeling as primitive and as simple as that of love； but that was the only thing that did not occur to anyone。 ？rsula did not worry about her any more。 On another occasion； when she had not yet given up the idea of saving her for the world； she had tried to get her interested in basic domestic affairs。 “Men demand much more than you think；？she would tell her enigmatically。 “There’s a lot of cooking； a lot of sweeping； a lot of suffering over little things beyond what you think。？She was deceiving herself within； trying to train her for domestic happiness because she was convinced that once his passion was satisfied them would not be a man on the face of the earth capable of tolerating even for a day a negligence that was beyond all understanding。 The birth of the latest Jos？Arcadio and her unshakable will to bring him up to be Pope finally caused her to cease worrying about her greatgranddaughter。 She abandoned her to her fate； trusting that sooner or later a miracle would take place and that in this world of everything there would also be a man with enough sloth to put up with her。 For a long time already Amaranta had given up trying to make her into a useful woman。 Since those fotten afternoons when her niece barely had enough interest to turn the crank on the sewing machine； she had reached the conclusion that she was simpleminded。 “Were going to have to raffle you off；？she would tell her； perplexed at the fact that men’s words would not penetrate her。 Later on； when ？rsula insisted that Remedios the Beauty go to mass with her face covered with a shawl； Amaranta thought that a mysterious recourse like that would turn out to be so provoking that soon a man would e who would be intrigued enough to search out patiently for the weak point of her heart。 But when she saw the stupid way in which she rejected a pretender who for many reasons was more desirable than a prince； she gave up all hope。 Fernanda did not even make any attempt to understand her。 When she saw Remedios the Beauty dressed as a queen at the bloody carnival she thought that she was an extraordinary creature。 But when she saw her eating with her hands； incapable of giving an answer that was not a miracle of simplemindedness； the only thing that she lamented was the fact that the idiots in the family lived so long。 In spite of the fact that Colonel Aureliano Buendía kept on believing and repeating that Remedios the Beauty was in reality the most lucid being that he had ever known and that she showed it at every moment with her startling ability to put things over on everyone； they let her go her own way。 Remedios the Beauty stayed there wandering through the desert of solitude； bearing no cross on her back； maturing in her dreams without nightmares； her interminable baths； her unscheduled meals； her deep and prolonged silences that had no memory until one afternoon in March； when Fernanda wanted to fold her brabant sheets in the garden and asked the women in the house for help。 She had just begun when Amaranta noticed that Remedios the Beauty was covered all over by an intense paleness。
“Don’t you feel well？？she asked her。
Remedios the Beauty； who was clutching the sheet by the other end； gave a pitying smile。
“Quite the opposite；？she said； “I never felt better。？
She had just finished saying it when Fernanda felt a delicate wind of light pull the sheets out of her hands and open them up wide。 Amaranta felt a mysterious trembling in the lace on her petticoats and she tried to grasp the sheet so that she would not fall down at the instant in which Remedios the Beauty began to rise。 ？rsula； almost blind at the time； was the only person who was sufficiently calm to identify the nature of that determined wind and she left the sheets to the mercy of the light as she watched Remedios the Beauty waving goodbye in the midst of the flapping sheets that rose up with her； abandoning with her the environment of beetles and dahlias and passing through the air with her as four o’clock in the afternoon came to an end； and they were lost forever with her in the upper atmosphere where not even the highestflying birds of memory could reach her。
The outsiders； of course； thought that Remedios the Beauty had finally succumbed to her irrevocable fate of a queen bee and that her family was trying to save her honor with that tale of levitation。 Fernanda； burning with envy； finally accepted the miracle； and for a long time she kept on praying to God to send her back her sheets。 Most people believed in the miracle and they even lighted candles and celebrated novenas。 Perhaps there might have been talk of nothing else for a long time if the barbarous extermination of the Aurelianos had not replaced amazement with honor。 Although he had never thought of it as an omen； Colonel Aureliano Buendía had foreseen the tragic end of his sons in a certain way。 When Aureliano Serrador and Aureliano Arcaya； the two who arrived during the tumult； expressed a wish to stay in Macondo； their father tried to dissuade them。 He could not understand what they were going to do in a town that had been transformed into a dangerous place overnight。 But Aureliano Centeno and Aureliano Triste； backed by Aureliano Segundo。 gave them work in their businesses。 Colonel Aureliano Buendía had reasons that were still very confused and were against that determination。 When he saw Mr。 Brown in the first automobile to reach Macondo—an orange convertible with a horn that frightened dogs with its bark—the old soldier grew indignant with the servile excitement of the people and he realized that something had changed in the makeup of the men since the days when they would leave their wives and children and toss a shotgun on their shoulders to go off to war。 The local authorities； after the armistice of Neerlandia； were mayors without initiative； decorative judges picked from among the peaceful and tired Conservatives of Macondo。 “This is a regime of wretches；？Colonel Aureliano Buendía would ment when he saw the barefoot policemen armed with wooden clubs pass。 “We fought all those wars and all of it just so that we didn’t have to paint our houses blue。？When the banana pany arrived； however； the local functionaries were replaced by dictatorial foreigners whom Mr。 Brown brought to live in the electrified chicken yard so that they could enjoy； as he explained it； the dignity that their status warranted and so that they would not suffer from the heat and the mosquitoes and the countless disforts and privations of the town。 The old policemen were replaced by hired assassins with machetes。 Shut up in his workshop； Colonel Aureliano Buendía thought about those changes and for the first time in his quiet years of solitude he was tormented by the definite certainty that it had been a mistake not to have continued the war to its final conclusion。 During that time a brother of the fotten Colonel Magnífico Visbal was taking his sevenyearold grandson to get a soft drink at one of the pushcarts on the square and because the child accidentally bumped into a corporal of police and spilled the drink on his