Clavis Libri
Plans Sign in

Quincas Borba · Chapters LXVIII to LXXVI

Ball, society, and the declaration

Appearance and RealityDesireMoney and WealthLoyalty and Betrayal

Chapter LXVIII: Maria Benedita Learns Her Accomplishments

Section summary

Maria Benedita resisted learning French and piano, saying that a country girl has no need of city accomplishments, until one evening Carlos Maria asks her to play and she turns red, with nothing to show for it; Sofia lies on her behalf, and the next day Maria Benedita tells her cousin she is ready to learn even Russian. The mother, Dona Maria Augusta, protests, and Cristiano Palha wins her over with the promise of a good husband and the reminder that her finances are in a muddle. Sofia introduces her cousin to city life; she learns quickly, longs for Iguaçu, and refuses to waltz, and one night she counts off fifteen minutes of Sofia's waltz with Carlos Maria.

Analysis

Maria Benedita resisted French and piano until Carlos Maria asked her to play and she blushed, with nothing to show; Sofia lies on her behalf. The next day she declares herself ready to learn even Russian. The text does not give the reason, but the order of events points to the young man. Palha overcomes the aunt with the promise of a good husband and her troubled finances.

Chapter LXIX: Commercial Partnership and a Declaration at the Ball

Money and WealthLoyalty and Betrayal

Section summary

Eight months later, at a ball, Maria Benedita, beside Rubião, times the fifteen minutes of Sofia's waltz with Carlos Maria on his watch and asks him whether her cousin is not quite beautiful. Rubião has become a partner of Cristiano Palha in the firm Palha & Cia, and he accepted after hesitating, without understanding the figures, for several reasons: the interest on the capital, the respectable position for the election, the fear of offending Palha, who had paid him part of the debt, and, without his admitting it, Sofia. Carlos Maria, strolling with Sofia, declares himself to her, saying that the night before he had spent an hour between the sea and her house. Sofia is disturbed and asks to be taken to her cousin.

Analysis

Rubião hesitates before figures he does not understand and then gives in for reasons the narrator lists, each on its own: the interest on the capital, a respectable position for the election, the fear of offending Palha, who had paid him part of the debt. Sofia "appeared only at the end, though she had been in him from the start": the one hidden cause. The partnership made the frequency of his visits legitimate.

Unlock with a subscription

Subscription

The complete analysis of every section of Quincas Borba comes with a subscription, along with the explanation of each quote, the quiz, the PDF guide, and the study workbook.

See the plansAlready subscribed? Sign in

Chapter LXX: Rubião Sounds Out the Rival

Section summary

At the birthday ball of Camacho's wife, Rubião accompanies Carlos Maria to the cloakroom to sound him out, tormented by the jealousy of a rival. The men talk politics; the young man leaves sleepy, and Rubião is left uneasy.

Analysis

Unlock with a subscription

Chapter LXXI: Sofia at Home, in the Morning

Section summary

At home, Sofia calls the soirée tedious, but accepts her husband's affection, who praises Carlos Maria's waltz. In the morning, at the window, she looks in the street for signs of the man from the beach.

Analysis

Unlock with a subscription

Chapter LXXII: Farewell at the Window

Section summary

Cristiano Palha goes out into the city and commends Maria Benedita, who woke up annoyed and wanting to go back to the countryside. Sofia straightens her husband's tie, and the two part with the customary wave of the hand.

Analysis

Unlock with a subscription

Chapter LXXIII: The Phrase That Returns

Desire

Section summary

When she manages to tear herself away from the window, Sofia, angry and regretful, swears to herself, by her mother's soul, not to think of the episode again, and blames herself for having let the young man reach the end of his boldness. At the same time, she recalls that she thus avoided a scandal, since he could have accompanied her to her chair and said the rest in front of other people. The declaration, however, keeps repeating itself in her memory like a stubborn musical phrase.

Analysis

Unlock with a subscription

Chapter LXXIV: Carlos Maria Rebuilds the Night Before

Appearance and Reality

Section summary

In bed, Carlos Maria reconstructs the ball and feels the confession as both commitment and burden. He laughs at the lie about the beach, since he never even went there, and he is downcast. He concludes that it is not worth correcting, and he thinks of Sofia's upbringing as a flaw.

Analysis

Unlock with a subscription

Chapter LXXV: Other Women and the Horseback Ride

Section summary

Among the women who, in the imagination of Carlos Maria, come to surround his bed, the last is the recent Sofia, who loses importance next to the other fine ladies. The lie about having spent an hour on the beach in front of Sofia's house returns, and he wants to set the truth straight, for lying is for lackeys. He goes out on horseback, thinks of passing by her house on the Praia do Flamengo, and turns back, because it would mean going too fast after her.

Analysis

Unlock with a subscription

Chapter LXXVI: The Admiring Gentleman

Section summary

Carlos Maria rides well, and everyone who passes or stands at their doorways gazes at the elegance and the regal ease with which he lets himself go. He gathers in every admiration, however slight, and the narrator says that, in order to adore him, all men were part of humanity.

Analysis

Unlock with a subscription

Reading of the block of chapters

Analysis

Unlock with a subscription