Aura

Felipe starts reading the General’s papers. He learns that the deceased grew up on a hacienda in Oaxaca, went to France, returned with Maximilian I, and after the French army’s defeat, he was exiled to Paris in 1867.

The following morning Felipe is woken up by the sun at six. He notices that all his belongings are present and unpacked. While getting ready for the day, he hears cats yowling and, in an attempt to find out what is happening, he climbs up on the furniture and opens the skylight window. He takes a quick look and sees seven cats writhing in flames in a side garden.

Aura comes to announce breakfast. After eating, Felipe goes to see Consuelo. He asks her about the side garden, but the old woman denies any knowledge of it, insisting that the only open space is the converted patio.

Felipe works on the General’s papers all morning, rewriting some of the poorly phrased passages and editing others. The work is not too difficult, and he decides to take his time and prolong the assignment as much as possible. His goal is to save 12,000 pesos so he can spend an entire year working on his own research concerning the Spanish Golden Age and the colonization of South America.

At lunch, the old woman comes out of her room and joins Felipe and Aura at the table. She keeps talking while Aura remains silent. It seems as if the young woman is under Consuelo’s power and imitates the old woman’s behavior. After lunch, the two women retire to the widow’s bedroom. Felipe explores Aura’s room, but it is empty of decorations except for an enormous black Christ. Felipe decides that Aura needs to be rescued and that his passion for her makes him her savior.

That night Felipe has disturbing dreams of cadaverous hands. He is woken up by a soft body getting into his bed which he assumes is Aura. He makes love to her, and before she leaves at daybreak, she calls him her husband.

Felipe has a hard time waking up the following morning, as he feels drained. After breakfast, the old woman gives him the second part of her husband’s papers. He leaves the widow’s bedroom but goes back, intending to tell her that he wants to take Aura away. When he pushes the door slightly open, Felipe sees Consuelo hugging, biting, and kissing a military jacket. He leaves quietly and returns to his room.

In the second part of the papers, the General describes meeting and falling in love with his young wife, who was 16 at the time. She has beautiful green eyes and always dresses in green. One day, he sees her torturing a cat, but instead of being revolted, the General is aroused and makes passionate love to her because Consuelo says she is making a sacrifice to preserve their love.