Chapter 3 - Clara the Clairvoyant

At the age of ten Clara begins her prolonged period of silence. Her parents, alarmed at teh fact that their daughter refuese to speak, take her to Dr. Cuevas and subsequently a Rumanian named Rostipov. Both are unable to treat Clara and Rostipov suggests that it is untreatabledue to the fact that Clara does not wish to speak. Her parents try household remedies while Nana tries to scare her into speaking with scary costumes, but to no avail. Nivea forbids Nana to continue scaring Clara, but Nana continues anyway, despite the fact that her costumes frighten Barabas, who accompanies Clara everywhere. Clara discontinues private school adn is instead tutored by instructors who come to the house. THe first two governesses cannot stand teh climate, and the third one becomes pregnant wiht Luis’s child. Severo makes them marry, and they have a happy marriage. Niveal decides for Clara to continue piano and ewing lessons instead of learning foreign languages. Clara reads a wide array of books, ranging from Uncle MArcos’s books to Liberal Party documents. She wrote in numeorus bookswith her observations. SHe could also interpret dreams, and after she interpreted the gardener’s dream a myriad of people came to see her against her mother’s wishes. Clara can even predict the future, predicting the death of her uncle, ehr father’s hernia, earthquakes, snowfall, and even the fact that one of her fathe’rs business parterns’ was crooked. Clara honed her telepathic skills during this time. Her father dicourages these extravagant persuits; nevertheless, she continues. Clara continues to pass thorugh her adolescence, and rumors of her powers begin to spread throughout town. Nivea attempts to tell Clara stories in hopes that she will talk, but this does not work. SHe tells Clara the story of the dell Valle family tree that young men used to climb to prove their manhood, until one day Jeronimo the blind cousin fell off the top and died, forcing them to cut down the tree. On her nineteenth birthday, Clara states that she will be married to Eseteban Trueba, who shows up two months later too ask for Clara’s hand.
	Esteban returns to a city that is unfamiliar to him in order to visit his dying mother. He arrives at home to find his motehr ina decrepit state and eventually breaks down into tears. his mother tell shim that she wants Esteban to marry to continue the Trueba line. Esteban’s mother dieswhile Esteban is at the del Valle residence. THe courted for a few months and announced their engagment around Christmas time. tHe party was very extravagant. Durign th eparty Clara realizes that she cannot find Barabas, and suddenly she sees him with a butcher’s knife stuck in his back. Barabas falls into Clara’s lap, and Clara stays with Barabas as all of the guess flee. The next year  is spent preparing for the wedding. Esteban starts at building “the house”, sparing no expense. WIth her mother dead, Ferula convinces Clara that she should move in with her and Esteban. Clara kisses Ferula on the cheek, which causes Ferula to break out in tears. 
	Clara adn Esteban were marreid in a modest ceremony. Esetban gave his new bride diamond jewelyr which seh put in a shoebox and forgot about. They spent their honeymoon in Italy and later on a boat at sea. They return to the house three months later, and Ferula shows Clara the house. Clara finds it, like all other material objects, “quite lovely”. When Clara sees Barrabas’ skin on the floor, she faints. They find out that Clara is pregnant, and Esteban returns to Tres Marias.