Praise or blame of her
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Se se falava nella, em minha casa, prestava mais atenção que d'antes,
If she was spoken of, in my house, I paid more attention than before,
When Capitú is spoken of at home, he listens harder than before.
Love sharpens the ear toward a single name. The moment Capitú is mentioned in the Santiago household, Bento's attention spikes above its old level — 'prestava mais atenção que d'antes.' The change is measured, as ever, against a former self who did not care, so that the very act of caring becomes visible to him as new information about himself.
The setting matters: 'em minha casa,' among his mother, Uncle Cosme, Cousin Justina, José Dias — the household that will weigh Capitú, and whose verdicts on her Bento will absorb his whole life. Already he is straining to hear how his family judges the neighbour's daughter. The listening boy is learning that his love has an audience, and that its fate depends on what that audience decides to say.
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