Aureliano Segundo himself how much his spirits had declined and to what a degree his skill as a masterful carouser had dried up。 He was a changed man。 The two hundred forty pounds that he had attained during the days when he had been challenged by The Elephant had been reduced to one hundred fifty…six； the glowing and bloated tortoise face had turned into that of an iguana； and he was always on the verge of boredom and fatigue。 For Petra Cotes； however； he had never been a better man than at that time； perhaps because the pity that he inspired was mixed with love； and because of the feeling of solidarity that misery aroused in both of them。 The broken…down bed ceased to be the scene of wild activities and was changed into an intimate refuge。 Freed of the repetitious mirrors； which had been auctioned off to buy animals for the lottery； and from the lewd damasks and velvets； which the mule had eaten； they would stay up very late with the innocence of two sleepless grandparents； taking advantage of the time to draw up accounts and put away pennies which they formerly wasted just for the sake of it。 Sometimes the cock’s crow would find them piling and unpiling coins； taking a bit away from here to put there； to that this bunch would be enough to keep Fernanda happy and that would be for Amaranta ？rsula’s shoes； and that other one for Santa Sofía de la Piedad； who had not had a new dress since the time of all the noise； and this to order the coffin if ？rsula died； and this for the coffee which was going up a cent a pound in price every three months； and this for the sugar which sweetened less every day； and this for the lumber which was still wet from the rains； and this other one for the paper and the colored ink to make tickets with； and what was left over to pay off the winner of the April calf whose hide they had miraculously saved when it came down with a symptomatic carbuncle just when all of the numbers in the raffle had already been sold。 Those rites of poverty were so pure that they nearly always set aside the largest share for Fernanda； and they did not do so out of remorse or charity； but because her well…being was more important to them than their own。 What was really happening to them； although neither of them realized it； was that they both thought of Fernanda as the daughter that they would have liked to have and never did； to the point where on a certain occasion they resigned themselves to eating crumbs for three days； so that she could buy a Dutch tablecloth。 Nevertheless； no matter how much they killed themselves with work； no matter how much money they eked out； and no matter how many schemes they thought of； their guardian angels were asleep with fatigue while they put in coins and took them out trying to get just enough to live with。 During the waking hours when the accounts were bad。 they wondered what had happened in the world for the animals not to breed with the same drive as before； why money slipped through their fingers； and why people who a short time before had burned rolls of bills in the carousing considered it highway robbery to charge twelve cents for a raffle of six hens。 Aureliano Segundo thought without saying so that the evil was not in the world but in some hidden place in the mysterious heart of Petra Cotes； where something had happened during the deluge that had turned the animals sterile and made money scarce。 Intrigued by that enigma； he dug so deeply into her sentiments that in search of interest he found love； because by trying to make her love him he ended up falling in love with her。 Petra Cotes； for her part； loved him more and more as she felt his love increasing； and that was how in the ripeness of autumn she began to believe once more in the youthful superstition that poverty was the servitude of love。 Both looked back then on the wild revelry； the gaudy wealth； and the unbridled fornication as an annoyance and they lamented that it had cost them so much of their lives to fund the paradise of shared solitude。 Madly in love after so many years of sterile plicity； they enjoyed the miracle of loving each other as much at the table as in bed； and they grew to be so happy that even when they were two worn…out old people they kept on blooming like little children and playing together like dogs。
The raffles never got very far。 At first Aureliano Segundo would spend three days of the week shut up in what had been his rancher’s office drawing ticket after ticket； Painting with a fair skill a red cow； a green pig； or a group of blue hens； according to the animal being raffled； and he would sketch out a good imitation of printed numbers and the name that Petra Cotes thought good to call the business： Divine Providence Raffles。 But with time he felt so tired after drawing up to two thousand tickets a week that he had the animals； the name； and the numbers put on rubber stamps； and then the work was reduced to moistening them on pads of different colors。 In his last years it occurred to him to substitute riddles for the numbers so that the prize could be shared by all of those who guessed it； but the system turned out to be so plicated and was open to so much suspicion that he gave it up after the second attempt。
Aureliano Segundo was so busy trying to maintain the prestige of his raffles that he barely had time to see the children。 Fernanda put Amaranta ？rsula in a small private school where they admitted only six girls； but she refused to allow Aureliano to go to public school。 She considered that she had already relented too much in letting him leave the room。 Besides； the schools in those days accepted only the legitimate offspring of Catholic marriages and on the birth certificate that had been pinned to Aureliano’s clothing when they brought him to the house he was registered as a foundling。 So he remained shut In at the mercy of Santa Sofía de la Piedad’s loving eyes and ？rsula’s mental quirks； learning in the narrow world of the house whatever his grandmothers explained to him。 He was delicate； thin； with a curiosity that unnerved the adults； but unlike the inquisitive and sometimes clairvoyant look that the colonel had at his age； his look was blinking and somewhat distracted。 While Amaranta ？rsula was in kindergarten； he would hunt earthworms and torture insects in the garden。 But once when Fernanda caught him putting scorpions in a box to put in ？rsula’s bed； she locked him up in Meme’s old room； where he spent his solitary hours looking through the pictures in the encyclopedia。 ？rsula found him there one afternoon when she was going about sprinkling the house with distilled water and a bunch of nettles； and in spite of the fact that she had been with him many times she asked him who he was。
“I’m Aureliano Buendía；？he said。
“That’s right？she replied。 “And now it’s time for you to start learning how to be a silversmith。？
She had confused him with her son again； because the hot wind that came after the deluge and had brought occasional waves of lucidity to ？rsula’s brain had passed。 She never got her reason back。 When she went into the bedroom she found Petronila Iguarán there with the bothersome crinolines and the beaded jacket that she put on for f