Dom Casmurro

by Machado de Assis

CXXXI - Before the Previous

It was the case that my life in another time sweet and placid, the bank of the lawyer yielded me enough, Capitú was more beautiful, Ezekiel was growing. The year of 1872 began.

"Have you noticed that Ezekiel has exquisite expression in his eyes?" Captain asked me. I only saw two people like that, a friend of papae and the deceased Escobar. Look, Ezekiel; he looks steady, so he turns to papa's side, does not have to roll his eyes, like this ...

It was after dinner; we were still at the table, Capitú played with his son, or he with her, or with one another, because, in truth, they loved each other, but it is also true that he loved me even more. I approached Ezekiel, I thought that Capitú was right; They were Escobar's eyes, but they did not look exquisite to me. After all, there would be only half a dozen expressions in the world, and many similarities would naturally occur. Ezekiel understood nothing, looked at her and me in amazement, and at last jumped into my lap:

"Let's go for a walk, Papa?"

-Logo, my son.

Capitú, oblivious to both, was now staring at the other edge of the table; but I told him that, in the beauty, Ezekiel's eyes were on his mother's side, he smiled shaking his head with an air that I never found in any woman, probably because I did not like the others so much. The people are worth what is worth the affinity of people, and that is where Master Povo took that adage that the ugly loves beautiful hands. Capitú had half a dozen unique gestures on earth. That one entered through my soul within. Thus it is explained that I ran to my wife and friend and filled her face with kisses; but this other incident is not radically necessary to the understanding of the past and future chapter; let us remain in the eyes of Ezekiel.