y, he had never left it for a day. Though the sight of the Amazon,
with its waters gently flowing to the east, invited him to follow its
course; though Joam every year sent rafts of wood to Manaos, to Belem,
and the seacoast of Para; though he had seen each year Benito leave
after his holidays to return to his studies, yet the thought seemed
never to have occurred to him to go with him.

The products of the farm, of the forest, and of the fields, the fazender
sold on the spot. He had no wish, either with thought or look, to go
beyond the horizon which bounded his Eden.

From this it followed that for twenty-five years Joam Garral had never
crossed the Brazilian frontier, his wife and daughter had never set
foot on Brazilian soil. The longing to see something of that beautiful
country of which Benito was often talking was not wanting, nevertheless.
Two or three times Yaquita had sounded her husband in the matter. But
she had noticed that the thought of leaving the fazenda, if only for a
few weeks, brought an increase of sadness to his face. His eyes would
close, and in a tone of mild reproach he would answer:

"Why leave our home? Are we not comfortable here?"

And Yaquita, in the presence of the man whose active kindness and
unchangeable tenderness rendered her so happy, had not the courage to
persist.

This time, however, there was a serious reason to make it worth while.
The marriage of Minha afforded an excellent opportunity, it being so
natural for them to accompany her to Belem, where she was going to live
with her husband. She would there see and learn to love the mother
of Manoel Valdez. How could Joam Garral hesitate in the face of so
praiseworthy a desire? Why, on the other hand, did he not participate
in this desire to become acquainted with her who was to be the second
mother of his child?

Yaquita took her husband's hand, and with that gentle voice which had
been to him all the music of his life:

"Joam," she said, "I am going to talk to you about something which we
ardently wish, and which will make you as happy as we are."

"What is it about, Yaquita?" asked Joam.

"Manoel loves your daughter, he is loved by her, and in this union they
will find the happiness----"

At the first words of Yaquita Joam Garral had risen, without being able
to control a sudden start. His eyes were immediately cast down, and he
seemed to designedly avoid the look of his wife.

"What is the matter with you?" asked sh