Part 3: Pero no era ésta la verdadera madre del ternero.

Question

Pero no era ésta la verdadera madre del ternero. La negativa nacía de que don Raimundo no quería ser suegro de un pobretón: y así hubo de decirlo en confianza a sus amigos, uno de los que fue con el chisme a don Honorato, que así se llamaba el tío aragonés. éste, que era más altivo que el Cid, trinó de rabia y dijo:

--¡Como se entiende! ¡Desairar a mi sobrino! Muchos se darían con un canto en el pecho por emparentar con el muchacho, que no le hay más gallardo en todo Lima. ¡Habráse visto insolencia de la laya! Pero ¿adónde ha de ir conmigo ese colectorcito de mala muerte?

Margarita, que se anticipaba a su siglo, pues era nerviosa como una damisela de hoy, gimoteó, y se arrancó el pelo, y tuvo pataleta, y si no amenazó con envenarse fue porque todavía no se habían inventado los fósforos.

I don't quite understand, having just peeked in...perhaps this is an ongoing thing (I read: Part in your "question") But what is the question exactly? I feel I am missing something fundamental. - Janice, FEB 6, 2010

I am reading it and just want to thoroughly understand it :) - sunshinzmommie, FEB 6, 2010

Kudos to you for even attempting to read a book of this difficulty :) - alba3, FEB 6, 2010

Answer 1

Understood! Slighting my nephew! Many would feel a song in their chest to have the boy marry into their family. There is not one more dashing in all of Lima. Will insolence of this sort be seen?

I'm not sure about the sentence that includes "laya" but I'm fairly certain that it would not mean "spade". The following is from http://www.wordreference.com/

laya 2 f. Calidad, especie, clase de personas o de cosas: son de la misma laya.

I'm also not clear on the last sentence but "de mala muerte" is also at http://www.wordreference.com

de mala muerte loc. adj. col. De poco valor o mal aspecto: bar de mala muerte.

Margarita, ahead of her time, was nervous like a lady of today. She whined, pulled out her hair and had a tantrum and if she didn't threaten to poison herself it was because they had not yet invented matches.

Phosphorus could be used as a poison so maybe that would make more sense than "matches" though I suppose that swallowing match heads could do the trick as well

Answer 2

But this was not the real reason for the decision. The refusal was because don Raimundo did not want to be the father-in-law of a pauper: and thus (written in the 1800’s “thus” is probably a good translation for así which I would normally translate as “so” ) it had been said in confidence to his friends, one of whom went to don Honorato with the gossip, who thus called his uncle from Aragon. He, who was more proud that the Cid, shook with rage and said:

Answer 3

But this wasn't the real reason for the decision. The refusal was because don Raimundo didn't want to be father-in-law to a pauper: so it was said in confidence to his friends, one of whom went to don Honorato to gossip, who called his uncle from Aragon. He, who was more proud than the Cid, shook with rage and said:

Answer 4

Help with the rest?

Answer 5

Margarita, ahead of her time, was nervous like a lady of today, whining, pulled her hair and had a tantrum.and she didn't threaten to poison herself because they had not yet invented matches.

Answer 6

As understood! Slighting my nephew! Many would give a song in the chest to marry that boy, there is not one more handsome in all of Lima. Has insolence ever heard of the spade? (I don't understand the next sentence.)

Answer 7

But this was not the real reason for the decision. The refusal was born from don Raimundo did not want to be the father-in-law to a pauper: and there it had been said in confidence to his friends, one of which was the gossiper don Honorato, that there called his uncle from Aragon. This, it was more proud that the Cid, his voice shaking with rage and said: