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In 1845, six years after Honorata's escape, Cerveira was still at Quadros with the five children. His habits had changed little: he was very fat, looked healthy and vomited every day. The narrator uses this strange health to make an ironic point about alcohol. Teresinha had run away to marry, and the other daughters had lovers but could not find husbands. Cerveira refused to provide dowries and said they were not his daughters. The daughters still spoke about their mother among themselves, but the sons scarcely remembered her. Heitor and Egas drank, showed off at fairs and stole their father's property. Despite the disorder, the household remained wealthy, and the wine cellar was Cerveira's only luxury. Before dinner, he became gloomy; after drinking, he returned to his bright visions. The narrator does not know what Cerveira thought about Honorata.
Cerveira received almost no visitors, but he admitted Zeferino, the stonemason from Lamelas. The two men often spoke about Dom Miguel's return. Cerveira dreamt of commanding the Dragoons of Chaves and acted out a battle on an imaginary horse. The scene was sad and ridiculous; Zeferino was afraid, and Zeferino's father blamed the wine.
On returning from Santa Marta de Bouro, Zeferino told him the news. Cerveira wanted to leave for Lanhoso, but he had no suitable clothes. His uniforms were rotten and gnawed by rats, so he summoned a tailor. Zeferino reported that Barrimão and Friar Gervásio had doubts. It might be a trick to obtain money, and the generals knew nothing about it. Cerveira lost his enthusiasm and thought that his old friend would have summoned him already. Then Cristóvão Bezerra claimed that he had kissed the king's hand. Cerveira and Zeferino chose to believe him, but the account does not confirm Dom Miguel's presence. Cerveira sent Zeferino with the letter to Cristóvão Bezerra, who would take him to the abbot at Calvos. Zeferino was to kneel, deliver the letter and bring back a reply. Cerveira expected a new uniform and dreamt of gathering five or six thousand men. Zeferino told neither his godfather nor his father, to avoid delays caused by drinking.
Father Rocha was Dona Andresa's chaplain, and Cerveira asked him for help in writing to the supposed king. He promised the priest an abbacy or a canon's post. Rocha was a royalist, but he was also sensible, intelligent and honest. At first, he thought that Cerveira was drunk. Then he suspected an illness caused by alcohol. Finally, he concluded that someone was deceiving and humiliating the poor man. He felt compassion for Cerveira and his ruined household. Dona Andresa condemned Adolfo's conduct and considered disinheriting his children with Honorata. It was reported that Adolfo was a judge in the Azores and lived with a beautiful mistress and three boys.
Cerveira added that, if the king needed money, he should say how much he wanted. He placed his property at the service of that supposed king. Rocha wrote the letter carefully, without confirming that the king was at Calvos. The letter became so grand that Cerveira asked for explanations.
Cerveira offered six pintos, but Rocha refused them and suggested using them for Dom Miguel's needs. The landowner called him a true royalist, put the coins away and served him wine from 1817. Rocha asked to see the reply because he wanted to follow that possible deception. Cerveira promised to show it to him and invited him to go along. Rocha pretended to be delighted and asked whether he might still become an archbishop. Cerveira guaranteed him the post, returned to his imaginary war and drank until he spilt his glass. When Cerveira began to stagger, Rocha took his leave.