The House of the Spirits Page #3

any tenderness.

Forgive me. It's just...

I'm so...

confused and...

relieved.

Thank you,

dear Clara.

Dear sister Ferula.

Sister.

Wilt thou,

Esteban Trueba,

take Clara del Valle,

to be your lawful wedded wife,

to have and to hold,

in sickness and in health,

for richer or poorer,

till death do you part?

I will.

And wilt thou, Clara del Valle,

take Esteban Trueba,

to be your lawful wedded husband,

to have and to hold,

in sickness and in health,

for richer or poorer,

till death do you part?

I will.

Yes, I will.

It's so beautiful.

Oh, it's beautiful!

Welcome to Tres marias.

Remember my sister Ferula?

You must be tired.

I'll make you hot chocolate.

No, I'm not tired.

Was it a good trip?

She's not a child.

Don't treat her like one.

My dear Esteban!

Bless me, Father. I have sinned.

It's a week since my last confession.

Father,

I think I've committed

a terrible sin.

Of the flesh?

My flesh is withered,

but not my spirit.

The devil is tormenting me.

God's mercy is infinite.

You don't know the thoughts that run

through the mind of a lonely women.

A virgin who has never

been with a man.

Not for lack of opportunity,

but because God

sent my mother an illness and

I had to be her nurse.

That sacrifice is recorded

in Heaven.

Even if I've sinned in

my thoughts, Father?

Well, it depends on your thoughts.

Sometimes,

at night,

I can't sleep.

I feel as if I'm choking.

To calm down, I get up,

walk around the house.

I go to my sister-in-law's room

and put my ear to her door.

Sometimes,

I tiptoe in and watch her

while she's sleeping.

I used to think she was

stupid and incompetent.

Now I know she's of another world.

Maybe her time on Earth is...

just a small part of her.

She might be...

closer to God than we are,

Father Antonio.

She looks like the Angel of Light.

I want to climb into her bed,

and feel...

the warmth of her skin,

and her gentle breathing.

Pray, my child.

Prayers help.

Wait, I'm not finished.

When my brother sometimes

sleeps with her,

it's even worse.

My prayers are useless.

I can't sleep.

I sweat. My whole body shakes.

Finally, I get up and walk

through the dark house.

I glide down the corridor,

very carefully, so the floor

won't squeak.

I listen to them,

through their bedroom door.

And once I even saw them,

because their door was ajar.

What I saw,

I can't tell you Father.

It's too big a sin.

It's not Clara's fault.

She's as innocent a child.

My brother lead her into it.

He desires more than her body.

He wants to own the most secret

thing she holds inside her.

He's eternally damned.

Only God can judge,

and damn, my child.

But,

what were they doing?

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