Chapter Two Summary

It is October of 1936, in the town of San Ximene, Spain. The Aguilar family and its descendents have owned all the property for centuries. In July, there had been a revolution, and now the Aguilar family is held under house arrest and the village is governed by an uneasy alliance between the socialists/communists and the Marxists. Not much is being accomplished, but there are many meetings. A convalescing, wealthy draftsman named Andres, who has business in Tarragona, is allowed to continue his business without interruption because the government needs the funds he brings to the town. Often, two of his clerks from Tarragona come by car to consult with him. Most of the town think these two men are French, but one of the communists knows they are Russian. The surrounding area is a hard scrabble sort of land, where...