Dom Casmurro 3.24 · 3.24

'Mas não me atrevia' — but I didn't dare. The imperfect stretches the hesitation over time, a long-held scruple now heroically overcome. Of course the daring is cheap; what José Dias risks by speaking is nothing next to what he gains by being the one who saw the danger first. Machado's economy is merciless: four words that flatter the speaker's courage while advancing his influence, and the reader feels both at once.

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