Aura

Aura takes Felipe to his room on the top floor. Because of the perpetual darkness inside the house, he must rely on his hearing rather than his sight to get around. Unlike the rest of the building, his room is flooded with light because of a large skylight. The space is decorated in an old-fashioned manner, with wooden paneling and antique furniture. Looking in the mirror, Felipe sees himself and, through his eyes, the reader can examine his features: “heavy eyebrows and wide thick lips,” “black eyes,” “dark, limp hair,” “fine profile,” and “lean cheeks” (33).

After exploring the room and smoking for a while, Felipe goes back down for dinner. He briefly hears what he believes are cats mewling, but the sound dies down. Aura is waiting for him in the dining room. The table is set for four people, but it is only Felipe and the young woman who eat there. She serves the food and tells him that a servant has gone to retrieve his belongings.

Felipe finds it difficult not to stare at Aura, as he cannot fix her face in his memory. When he takes her hand to give her a key to the drawer where he keeps his personal documents, the young woman does not withdraw from him, which leads Felipe to believe his attraction might be reciprocated. He begins fantasizing about taking Aura away and saving her from her dreary life.

After dinner, Filipe goes to see Consuelo. He finds her kneeling and praying before a group of religious images. She looks as if she is doing battle with the paintings in front of her. He helps her back to bed, and she gives him a key to a chest where she keeps various papers. He takes the first bundle of the General’s memoirs and informs the widow that there is a rat’s nest in the room’s corner. The old woman does not seem to mind.