Old house is a novel by Machado de Assis, published in serials in the Rio magazine A Estação, from January 1885 to February 1886. Although it was published in the author's so-called realistic phase, it is assumed that Machado de Assis took advantage of unpublished material from his romantic phase. The work remained forgotten for decades, until it was rescued by John Gledson, in "Machado de Assis - fiction and history". Plot The Text has no revealed speech time; however, the time of diegesis takes place in the years 1838 and 1839. In order to write a book on the history of the First Reign, a canon seeks to visit a house where a former minister lived, in which there were papers that would help him in your research. During this research, the canon became a great friend of the family, becoming intimate with her, even. In this way, he sees in the friendship of Félix-son of the owner of the house, D. Antônia-e Lalau-practically, aggregate of the house-a possible passion. As the plot unfolds, he finds that his observation was correct and the two really loved each other. However, this union was not possible, as D. Antônia, although she considered Lalau as a daughter, did not accept that they were together due to the social relationship of both. In order to obtain the separation of the couple, D. Antônia even asks the canon to take his son, Félix, to visit Europe (using his personal training as an excuse). D. Antônia's last attempt was to reveal - falsely - that Lalau was the daughter of the late minister, Félix's father. With this revelation, there is great astonishment on the part of everyone, including the priest, who then helps D. Antônia to separate the couple; for this, he reveals to both of Lalau's paternity. In revealing this false truth to Lalau's aunt - with whom she lived due to the death of her parents as a child - she reveals the truth to him, that Lalau's real father was not the ex-minister; but she also says that there was a relationship between him and Lalau's mother, generating a son who died at 2 months of age. The canon, therefore, goes to D. Antônia, who says that she really invented paternity, and that, even, she never suspected suspicion of betrayal on the part of her husband. And that by discovering this the way she discovered it, he saw that he should serve time for making a false disclosure. According to her, part of the sentence was fulfilled (finding herself betrayed), the other half would be to marry her son to Lalau. With this news, the canon feels very happy, although a little sad that he has revealed the betrayal; when contacting the main people involved in the story, the canon is surprised to realize that Lalau would not marry Félix in the same way. This one has not changed her idea even through the intervention of her aunt, Félix, and neither D. Antônia. Félix and Lalau marry other people, this being the closing of the book: "If he and Lalau were happy, I don't know; but they were honest, and that's enough." The book implies a perfectly correct language narrated in the first person.