oors off their hinges； and the family menaced by a spirit of resignation and despair that was inconceivable in her time。 Feeling her way along through the empty bedrooms she perceived the continuous rumble of the termites as they carved the wood； the snipping of the moths in the clothes closets； and the devastating noise of the enormous red ants that had prospered during the deluge and were undermining the foundations of the house。 One day she opened the trunk with the saints and had to ask Santa Sofía de la Piedad to get off her body the cockroaches that jumped out and that had already turned the clothing to dust。 “A person can’t live in neglect like this；？she said。 “If we go on like this we’ll be devoured by animals。？From then on she did not have a moment of repose。 Up before dawn； she would use anybody available； even the children。 She put the few articles of clothing that were still usable out into the sun； she drove the cockroaches off with powerful insecticide attacks； she scratched out the veins that the termites had made on doors and windows and asphyxiated the ants in their anthills with quicklime。 The fever of restoration finally brought her to the forgotten rooms。 She cleared out the rubble and cobwebs in the room where Jos？Arcadio Buendía had lost his wits looking for the Philosopher’s stone； she put the silver shop which had been upset by the soldiers in order； and lastly she asked for the keys to Melquíades？room to see what state it was in。 Faithful to the wishes of Jos？Arcadio Segundo； who had forbidden anyone to e in unless there was a clear indication that he had died； Santa Sofía de la Piedad tried all kinds of subterfuges to throw ？rsula off the track。 But so inflexible was her determination not to surrender even the most remote corner of the house to the insects that she knocked down every obstacle in her path； and after three days of insistence she succeeded in getting them to open the door for her。 She had to hold on to the doorjamb so that the stench would not knock her over； but she needed only two seconds to remember that the schoolgirls？seventy…two chamberpots were in there and that on one of the rainy nights a patrol of soldiers had searched the house looking for Jos？Arcadio Segundo and had been unable to find him。
“Lord save us！？she exclaimed； as if she could see everything。 “So much trouble teaching you good manners and you end up living like a pig。？
Jos？Arcadio Segundo was still reading over the parchments。 The only thing visible in the intricate tangle of hair was the teeth striped with green dime and his motionless eyes。 When he recognized his great…grandmother’s voice he turned his head toward the door； tried to smile； and without knowing it repeated an old phrase of ？rsula’s。
“What did you expect？？he murmured。 “Time passes。？
“That’s how it goes；？？rsula said； “but not so much。？
When she said it she realized that she was giving the same reply that Colonel Aureliano Buendía had given in his death cell； and once again she shuddered with the evidence that time was not passing； as she had just admitted； but that it was turning in a circle。 But even then she did not give resignation a chance。 She scolded Jos？Arcadio Segundo as if he were a child and insisted that he take a bath and shave and lend a hand in fixing up the house。 The simple idea of abandoning the room that had given him peace terrified Jos？Arcadio Segundo。 He shouted that there was no human power capable of making him go out because he did not want to see the train with two hundred cars loaded with dead people which left Macondo every day at dusk on its way to the sea。 “They were all of those who were at the station；？he shouted。 “Three thousand four hundred eight。？Only then did ？rsula realize that he was in a world of shadows more impenetrable than hers； as unreachable and solitary as that of his great…grandfather。 She left him in the room； but she succeeded in getting them to leave the padlock off； clean it every day； throw the chamberpots away except for one； and to keep Jos？Arcadio Segundo as clean and presentable as his great…grandfather had been during his long captivity under the chestnut tree。 At first Fernanda interpreted that bustle as an attack of senile madness and it was difficult for her to suppress her exasperation。 But about that time Jos？Arcadio told her that he planned to e to Macondo from Rome before taking his final vows； and the good news filled her with such enthusiasm that from morning to night she would be seen watering the flowers four times a day so that her son would not have a bad impression of the house。 It was that same incentive which induced her to speed up her correspondence with the invisible doctors and to replace the pots of ferns and oregano and the begonias on the porch even before ？rsula found out that they had been destroyed by Aureliano Segundo’s exterminating fury。 Later on she sold the silver service and bought ceramic dishes； pewter bowls and soup spoons； and alpaca tablecloths； and with them brought poverty to the cupboards that had been accustomed to India pany chinaware and Bohemian crystal。 ？rsula always tried to go a step beyond。 “Open the windows and the doors；？she shouted。 “Cook some meat and fish； buy the largest turtles around； let strangers e and spread their mats in the corners and urinate in the rose bushes and sit down to eat as many times as they want and belch and rant and muddy everything with their boots； and let them do whatever they want to us； because that’s the only way to drive off rain。？But it was a vain illusion。 She was too old then and living on borrowed time to repeat the miracle of the little candy animals； and none of her descendants had inherited her strength。 The house stayed closed on Fernanda’s orders。
Aureliano Segundo； who had taken his trunks back to the house of Petra Cotes； barely had enough means to see that the family did not starve to death。 With the raffling of the mule； Petra Cotes and he bought some more animals with which they managed to set up a primitive lottery business。 Aureliano Segundo would go from house to house selling the tickets that he himself painted with colored ink to make them more attractive and convincing； and perhaps he did not realize that many people bought them out of gratitude and most of them out of pity。 Nevertheless； even the most pitying purchaser was getting a chance to win a pig for twenty cents or a calf for thirty…two； and they became so hopeful that on Tuesday nights Petra Cotes’s courtyard overflowed with people waiting for the moment when a child picked at random drew the winning number from a bag。 It did not take long to bee a weekly fair； for at dusk food and drink stands would be set up in the courtyard and many of those who were favored would slaughter the animals they had won right there on the condition that someone else supply the liquor and music； so that without having wanted to； Aureliano Segundo suddenly found himself playing the accordion again and participating in modest tourneys of voracity。 Those humble replicas of the revelry of former times served to show Aureliano Segundo himself how much his spirits had declined and to what a degree his skill as a mast