Ariza began his secret

It was supposed that Lorenzo Daza was a man of means, because he lived well with noknown employment and had paid hard cash for the Park of the Evangels house, whose restorationmust have cost him at least twice the purchase price of two hundred gold pesos. His daughter wasstudying at the Academy of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin, where for two centuries youngladies of society had learned the art and technique of being diligent and submissive wives. Duringthe colonial period and the early years of the Republic, the school had accepted only thosestudents with great family names. But the old families, ruined by Independence, had to submit tothe realities of a new time, and the Academy opened its doors to all applicants who could pay thetuition, regardless of the colour of their blood, on the essential condition that they were legitimatedaughters of Catholic marriages. In any event, it was an expensive school, and the fact thatFermina Daza studied there was sufficient indication of her family's economic situation, if not ofits social position. This news encouraged Florentino Ariza, since it indicated to him that thebeautiful adolescent with the almond-shaped eyes was within reach of his dreams. But her father's strict regime soon provided an irremediable difficulty. Unlike the other students, who walked toschool in groups or accompanied by an older servant, Fermina Daza always walked with herspinster aunt, and her behaviour indicated that she was permitted no distraction　HKUE ENG　. It was in this innocent way that Florentino Ariza began his secret life as a solitary hunter. From seven o'clock in the morning, he sat on the most hidden bench in the little park, pretendingto read a book of verse in the shade of the almond trees, until he saw the impossible maiden walkby in her blue-striped uniform, stockings that reached to her knees, masculine laced oxfords, and asingle thick braid with a bow at the end, which hung down her back to her waist. She walked withnatural haughtiness, her head high, her eyes unmoving, her step rapid, her nose pointing straightahead, her bag of books held against her chest with crossed arms, her doe's gait making her seemimmune to gravity　HKUE ENG 　. At her side, struggling to keep up with her, the aunt with the brown habit andrope of St. Francis did not allow him the slightest opportunity to approach. Florentino Ariza sawthem pass back and forth four times a day and once on Sundays when they came out of HighMass, and just seeing the girl was enough for him. Little by little he idealised her, endowing herwith improbable virtues and imaginary sentiments, and after two weeks he thought of nothing elsebut her. So he decided to send Fermina Daza a simple note written on both sides of the paper in hisexquisite notary's hand. But he kept it in his pocket for several days, thinking about how to hand itto her, and while he thought he wrote several more pages before going to bed, so that the originalletter was turning into a dictionary of compliments, inspired by books he had learned by heartbecause he read them so often during his vigils in the park　HKUE ENG . Searching for a way to give her the letter, he tried to make the acquaintance of some of theother students at Presentation Academy, but they were too distant from his world. Besides, aftermuch thought, it did not seem prudent to let anyone else know of his intentions. Still, he managedto find out that Fermina Daza had been invited to a Saturday dance a few days after their arrival inthe city, and her father had not allowed her to go, with a conclusive: "Everything in due course."By the time the letter contained more than sixty pages written on both sides, Florentino Arizacould no longer endure the weight of his secret, and he unburdened himself to his mother, the onlyperson with whom he allowed himself any confidences. Tr醤sito Ariza was moved to tears by herson's innocence in matters of love, and she tried to guide him with her own knowledge. She beganby convincing him not to deliver the lyrical sheaf of papers, since it would only frighten the girl ofhis dreams, who she supposed was as green as he in matters of the heart. The first step, she said,was to make her aware of his interest so that his declaration would not take her so much bysurprise and she would have time to think.