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wer the window of the second…class coach to hear Fernanda’s last piece of advice。 She was wearing a pink silk dress with a corsage of artificial pansies pinned to her left shoulder； her cordovan shoes with buckles and low heels； and sateen stockings held up at the thighs with elastic garters。 Her body was slim； her hair loose and long； and she had the lively eyes that ？rsula had had at her age and the way in which she said good…bye； without crying but without smiling either； revealed the same strength of character。 Walking beside the coach as it picked up speed and holding Fernanda by the arm so that she would not stumble； Aureliano scarcely had time to wave at his daughter as she threw him a kiss with the tips of her fingers。 The couple stood motionless under the scorching sun； looking at the train as it merged with the black strip of the horizon； linking arms for the first time since the day of their wedding。
On the ninth of August； before they received the first letter from Brussels； Jos？Arcadio Segundo was speaking to Aureliano in Melquíades？room and； without realizing it； he said：
“Always remember that they were more than three thousand and that they were thrown into the sea。？
Then he fell back on the parchments and died with his eyes open。 At that same instant； in Fernanda’s bed； his twin brother came to the end of the prolonged and terrible martyrdom of the steel crabs that were eating his throat away。 One week previously he had returned home； without any voice； unable to breathe； and almost skin and bones； with his wandering trunks and his wastrel’s accordion； to fulfill the promise of dying beside his wife。 Petra Cotes helped him pack his clothes and bade him farewell without shedding a tear； but she forgot to give him the patent leather shoes that he wanted to wear in his coffin。 So when she heard that he had died； she dressed in black； wrapped the shoes up in a newspaper； and asked Fernanda for permission to see the body。 Fernanda would not let her through the door。
“Put yourself in my place；？Petra Cotes begged。 “Imagine how much I must have loved him to put up with this humiliation。？
“There is no humiliation that a concubine does not deserve；？Fernanda replied。 “So wait until another one of your men dies and put the shoes on him。？
In fulfillment of her promise； Santa Sofía de la Piedad cut the throat of Jos？Arcadio Segundo’s corpse with a kitchen knife to be sure that they would not bury him alive。 The bodies were placed in identical coffins； and then it could be seen that once more in death they had bee as Identical as they had been until adolescence。 Aureliano Segundo’s old carousing rades laid on his casket a wreath that had a purple ribbon with the words： Cease； cows； life is short。 Fernanda was so indignant with such irreverence that she had the wreath thrown onto the trash heap。 In the tumult of the last moment； the sad drunkards who carried them out of the house got the coffins mixed up and buried them in the wrong graves。
Chapter 18
AURELIANO DID NOT leave Melquíades？room for a long time。 He learned by heart the fantastic legends of the crumbling books； the synthesis of the studies of Hermann the Cripple； the notes on the science of demonology； the keys to the philosopher’s stone； the Centuries of Nostradamus and his research concerning the plague； so that he reached adolescence without knowing a thing about his own time but with the basic knowledge of a medieval man。 Any time that Santa Sofía de la Piedad would go into his room she would find him absorbed in his reading。 At dawn she would bring him a mug of coffee without sugar and at noon a plate of rice and slices of fried plantain； which were the only things eaten in the house since the death of Aureliano Segundo。 She saw that his hair was cut； picked off the nits； took in to his size the old clothing that she found in forgotten trunks； and when his mustache began to appear the brought him Colonel Aureliano Buendía’s razor and the small gourd he had used as a shaving mug。 None of the latter’s children had looked so much like him； not even Aureliano Jos？ particularly in respect to the prominent cheekbones and the firm and rather pitiless line of the lips。 As had happened to ？rsula with Aureliano Segundo when the latter was studying in the room； Santa Sofía de la Piedad thought that Aureliano was talking to himself。 Actually； he was talking to Melquíades。 One burning noon； a short time after the death of the twins； against the light of the window he saw the gloomy old man with his crow’s…wing hat like the materialization of a memory that had been in his head since long before he was born。 Aureliano had finished classifying the alphabet of the parchments； so that when Melquíades asked him if he had discovered the language in which they had been written he did not hesitate to answer。
“Sanskrit；？he said。
Melquíades revealed to him that his opportunities to return to the room were limited。 But he would go in peace to the meadows of the ultimate death because Aureliano would have time to learn Sanskrit during the years remaining until the parchments became one hundred years old； when they could be deciphered。 It was he who indicated to Aureliano that on the narrow street going down to the river； where dreams had been interpreted during the time of the banana pany； a wise Catalonian had a bookstore where there was a Sanskrit primer； which would be eaten by the moths within six years if he did not hurry to buy it。 For the first time in her long life Santa Sofía de la Piedad let a feeling show through； and it was a feeling of wonderment when Aureliano asked her to bring him the book that could be found between Jerusalem Delivered and Milton’s poems on the extreme right…hand side of the second shelf of the bookcases。 Since she could not read； she memorized what he had said and got some money by selling one of the seventeen little gold fishes left in the workshop； the whereabouts of which； after being hidden the night the soldiers searched the house； was known only by her and Aureliano。
Aureliano made progress in his studies of Sanskrit as Melquíades？visits became less and less frequent and he was more distant； fading away in the radiant light of noon。 The last time that Aureliano sensed him he was only an invisible presence who murmured： “I died of fever on the sands of Singapore。？The room then became vulnerable to dust； heat； termites； red ants； and moths； who would turn the wisdom of the parchments into sawdust。
There was no shortage of food in the house。 The day after the death of Aureliano Segundo； one of the friends who had brought the wreath with the irreverent inscription offered to pay Fernanda some money that he had owed her husband。 After that every Wednesday a delivery boy brought a basket of food that was quite sufficient for a week。 No one ever knew that those provisions were being sent by Petra Cotes with the idea that the continuing charity was a way of humiliating the person who had humiliated her。 Nevertheless； the rancor disappeared much sooner than she herself had expected； and then she continued sending the food out of pride and finally out of passion。 Several times； when she had no animals to raffle off and people lost interest in the lottery； she went without food so that Fernanda could have something to eat； and she continued fulfilling the pledge to herself until she saw Fernanda’s funeral procession pass by。
For Santa Sofía de la Piedad the reduction in the number of inhabitants of the house should have meant the rest she deserved after more than half a century of work。 Never a lament had been heard from that stealthy； impenetrable woman who had sown in the family the angelic seed of Remedios the Beauty and the mysterious solemnity of Jos？Arcadio Segundo； who dedicated a whole life of solitude and diligence to the rearing of children although she could barely remember whether they were her children or grandchildren； and who took care of Aureliano as if he had e out of her womb； not knowing herself that she was his great…grandmother。 Only in a house like that was it conceivable for her always to sleep on a mat she laid out on the pantry floor in the midst of the nocturnal noise of the rats； and without telling anyone that one night she had awakened with the frightened feeling that someone was looking at her in the darkness and that it was a poisonous snake crawling over her stomach。 She knew that if she had told ？rsula； the latter would have made her sleep in her own bed； but those were times when no one was aware of anything unless it was shouted on the porch； because with the bustle of the bakery； the surprises of the war； the care of the children； there was not much room for thinking about other peoples happiness。 Petra Cotes whom she had never seen； was the only one who remembered her。 She saw to it that she had a good pair of shoes for street wear； that she always had clothing； even during the times when the raffles were working only through some miracle。 When Fernanda arrived at the house she had good reason to think that she was an ageless servant； and even though she heard it said several times that she was her husband’s mother it was so incredible that it took her lo