Chapters 4, 5 and 6 Summary

At the age of nineteen, Maria finishes school and takes a job at draper's shop, where she flirts with the men in hopes that one of them will be the answer to her prayers. Maria's boss falls in love with the coquettish Maria, who entices the man but never lets him close. Judging by the reactions of all the men, Maria knows that she is beautiful but is always cognizant of her mother's warning that beauty fades and that Maria should take advantage of her assets while she is young.

Maria continues to flirt with her boss and uses the unspoken promise of sex in order to secure pay increases and a favorable work environment. After working for two years, Maria has saved enough money to go on a week's vacation. She leaves for Rio de Janeiro despite the pleas of...