Capitu was finding her way into my mother’s heart. They spent most of the time together, talking about me apropos of the sun and the rain, or apropos of nothing at all; Capitu went there to sew in the mornings; sometimes she stayed for dinner.
Cousin Justina did not go along with my mother where such kindnesses were concerned, but she did not treat my young friend entirely badly. She was honest enough to tell you what a low opinion she had of anyone, and she had a high opinion of no one. Maybe of her husband, but her husband was dead; in any case, there had never been anyone to compete with him for affection, industry, and honesty, for manners and wit. This opinion, according to Uncle Cosme, was posthumous, since when he was alive they were always quarreling, and for the last six months they lived apart. All the more honor to her sense of justice; praising the dead is a way of praying for them. She was probably also fond of my mother, or if she thought any ill of her it was kept a secret between her and her pillow. Naturally, on the surface Justina gave her all due respect. I don’t think she aspired to a legacy; people who think that way become more solicitous than is natural, more cheerful, more assiduous, multiplying their attentions and outshining the servants. All this was against cousin Justina’s nature, which was a mixture of bitterness and rancor. As she lived with us as a favor, it can be understood that she would show no disrespect for the lady of the house, and would keep her resentment quiet, or would only speak ill of her to God and the devil.
If she felt resentful of my mother, this was not another reason to detest Capitu, for she had no need of extra reasons. However, Capitu’s intimacy made her all the more annoying to my cousin. If at first she did not treat Capitu badly, with time she changed her manner and ended up avoiding her. Capitu, attentive as always, when she noticed she was not there, asked after her and went to look for her. Cousin Justina put up with this concern. Life is full of obligations that we fulfil, however much we may want to flout them. Moreover, Capitu was able to deploy a certain captivating magic; cousin Justina ended up smiling, however sourly, but when she was alone with my mother she would find a bad word to say about the girl.
When my mother fell ill of a fever which put her at death’s door, she wanted Capitu to be her nurse. Cousin Justina, even though this relieved her of troublesome chores, never forgave my young friend for her intervention. One day, she asked her if she had nothing to do at home; on another occasion, laughing, she unleashed this witticism on her: “You’ve no need to be in such a hurry; you’ll get what you want in the fullness of time.”