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diff --git a/old/mbova11h.htm b/old/mbova11h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 4ad79c5..0000000 --- a/old/mbova11h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,17859 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> -<html> -<head> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" - content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> -<meta content="pg2html (binary version 0.12a)" - name="generator"> -<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of - Madame Bovary, - by Gustave Flaubert. -</title> -<style type="text/css"> - <!-- - * { font-family: Times; - } - P { text-indent: 1em; - margin: 10%; - margin-top: .75em; - font-size: 14pt; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .75em; } - H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; } - HR { width: 33%; } - PRE { font-family: Courier, monospaced; margin-left: 10%;} - .toc { margin-left: 15%; font-size: 14pt; margin-bottom: 0em;} - CENTER { padding: 10px;} - // --> -</style> - -</head> -<body> -<h1> - <a href="#start">MADAME BOVARY - By Gustave Flaubert</a> -</h1> -<br /> -<pre> -Project Gutenberg's etext, Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert -#4 in our series by Gustave Flaubert - -Copyright laws are changing all over the world, be sure to check -the copyright laws for your country before posting these files!! - -Please take a look at the important information in this header. -We encourage you to keep this file on your own disk, keeping an -electronic path open for the next readers. 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FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.04.29.93*END* - - - - - -</pre> -<a name="start"></a> - -<br /><br /> -<h1> - MADAME BOVARY -</h1> -<h2> - By Gustave Flaubert -</h2> -<br /><br /> -<h3> - Translated from the French by Eleanor Marx-Aveling -</h3> - - - -<br /><br /> -<hr> -<br /><br /> - - -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - -<br /> - -<center> -<table summary=""> -<tr><td> - - - -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HPAR1"> -<big>Part I</big> -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH2"> -Chapter One -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH3"> -Chapter Two -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH4"> -Chapter Three -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH5"> -Chapter Four -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH6"> -Chapter Five -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH7"> -Chapter Six -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH8"> -Chapter Seven -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH9"> -Chapter Eight -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH10"> -Chapter Nine -</a></p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -</td><td> - -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HPAR11"> -<big>Part II</big> -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH12"> -Chapter One -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH13"> -Chapter Two -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH14"> -Chapter Three -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH15"> -Chapter Four -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH16"> -Chapter Five -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH17"> -Chapter Six -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH18"> -Chapter Seven -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH19"> -Chapter Eight -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH20"> -Chapter Nine -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH21"> -Chapter Ten -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH22"> -Chapter Eleven -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH23"> -Chapter Twelve -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH24"> -Chapter Thirteen -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH25"> -Chapter Fourteen -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH26"> -Chapter Fifteen -</a></p> - - -</td><td> - -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HPAR27"> -<big>Part III</big> -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH28"> -Chapter One -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH29"> -Chapter Two -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH30"> -Chapter Three -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH31"> -Chapter Four -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH32"> -Chapter Five -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH33"> -Chapter Six -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH34"> -Chapter Seven -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH35"> -Chapter Eight -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH36"> -Chapter Nine -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH37"> -Chapter Ten -</a></p> -<p class="toc"><a href="#2HCH38"> -Chapter Eleven -</a></p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - - -</td></tr> -</table> -</center> - - -<br /><br /> -<hr> -<br /><br /> - - -<a name="2H_TOC"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<p> - To Marie-Antoine-Jules Senard - Member of the Paris Bar, Ex-President of the National Assembly, - and Former Minister of the Interior - Dear and Illustrious Friend, - Permit me to inscribe your name at the head of this book, and - above its dedication; for it is to you, before all, that I owe - its publication. Reading over your magnificent defence, my work - has acquired for myself, as it were, an unexpected authority. -</p> -<p> - Accept, then, here, the homage of my gratitude, which, how great - soever it is, will never attain the height of your eloquence and - your devotion. -</p> -<p> - Gustave Flaubert - Paris, 12 April 1857 -</p> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h1> - MADAME BOVARY -</h1> -<a name="2HPAR1"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Part I -</h2> -<a name="2HCH2"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter One -</h2> -<p> - We were in class when the head-master came in, followed by a "new - fellow," not wearing the school uniform, and a school servant - carrying a large desk. Those who had been asleep woke up, and - every one rose as if just surprised at his work. -</p> -<p> - The head-master made a sign to us to sit down. Then, turning to - the class-master, he said to him in a low voice— -</p> -<p> - "Monsieur Roger, here is a pupil whom I recommend to your care; - he'll be in the second. If his work and conduct are satisfactory, - he will go into one of the upper classes, as becomes his age." -</p> -<p> - The "new fellow," standing in the corner behind the door so that - he could hardly be seen, was a country lad of about fifteen, and - taller than any of us. His hair was cut square on his forehead - like a village chorister's; he looked reliable, but very ill at - ease. Although he was not broad-shouldered, his short school - jacket of green cloth with black buttons must have been tight - about the arm-holes, and showed at the opening of the cuffs red - wrists accustomed to being bare. His legs, in blue stockings, - looked out from beneath yellow trousers, drawn tight by braces, - He wore stout, ill-cleaned, hob-nailed boots. -</p> -<p> - We began repeating the lesson. He listened with all his ears, as - attentive as if at a sermon, not daring even to cross his legs or - lean on his elbow; and when at two o'clock the bell rang, the - master was obliged to tell him to fall into line with the rest of - us. -</p> -<p> - When we came back to work, we were in the habit of throwing our - caps on the ground so as to have our hands more free; we used - from the door to toss them under the form, so that they hit - against the wall and made a lot of dust: it was "the thing." -</p> -<p> - But, whether he had not noticed the trick, or did not dare to - attempt it, the "new fellow," was still holding his cap on his - knees even after prayers were over. It was one of those - head-gears of composite order, in which we can find traces of the - bearskin, shako, billycock hat, sealskin cap, and cotton - night-cap; one of those poor things, in fine, whose dumb ugliness - has depths of expression, like an imbecile's face. Oval, - stiffened with whalebone, it began with three round knobs; then - came in succession lozenges of velvet and rabbit-skin separated - by a red band; after that a sort of bag that ended in a cardboard - polygon covered with complicated braiding, from which hung, at - the end of a long thin cord, small twisted gold threads in the - manner of a tassel. The cap was new; its peak shone. -</p> -<p> - "Rise," said the master. -</p> -<p> - He stood up; his cap fell. The whole class began to laugh. He - stooped to pick it up. A neighbor knocked it down again with his - elbow; he picked it up once more. -</p> -<p> - "Get rid of your helmet," said the master, who was a bit of a - wag. -</p> -<p> - There was a burst of laughter from the boys, which so thoroughly - put the poor lad out of countenance that he did not know whether - to keep his cap in his hand, leave it on the ground, or put it on - his head. He sat down again and placed it on his knee. -</p> -<p> - "Rise," repeated the master, "and tell me your name." -</p> -<p> - The new boy articulated in a stammering voice an unintelligible - name. -</p> -<p> - "Again!" -</p> -<p> - The same sputtering of syllables was heard, drowned by the - tittering of the class. -</p> -<p> - "Louder!" cried the master; "louder!" -</p> -<p> - The "new fellow" then took a supreme resolution, opened an - inordinately large mouth, and shouted at the top of his voice as - if calling someone in the word "Charbovari." -</p> -<p> - A hubbub broke out, rose in crescendo with bursts of shrill - voices (they yelled, barked, stamped, repeated "Charbovari! - Charbovari"), then died away into single notes, growing quieter - only with great difficulty, and now and again suddenly - recommencing along the line of a form whence rose here and there, - like a damp cracker going off, a stifled laugh. -</p> -<p> - However, amid a rain of impositions, order was gradually - re-established in the class; and the master having succeeded in - catching the name of "Charles Bovary," having had it dictated to - him, spelt out, and re-read, at once ordered the poor devil to go - and sit down on the punishment form at the foot of the master's - desk. He got up, but before going hesitated. -</p> -<p> - "What are you looking for?" asked the master. -</p> -<p> - "My c-a-p," timidly said the "new fellow," casting troubled looks - round him. -</p> -<p> - "Five hundred lines for all the class!" shouted in a furious - voice stopped, like the Quos ego*, a fresh outburst. "Silence!" - continued the master indignantly, wiping his brow with his - handkerchief, which he had just taken from his cap. "As to you, - 'new boy,' you will conjugate 'ridiculus sum'** twenty times." -</p> -<p> - Then, in a gentler tone, "Come, you'll find your cap again; it - hasn't been stolen." -</p> -<p> - *A quotation from the Aeneid signifying a threat. -</p> -<p> - **I am ridiculous. -</p> -<p> - Quiet was restored. Heads bent over desks, and the "new fellow" - remained for two hours in an exemplary attitude, although from - time to time some paper pellet flipped from the tip of a pen came - bang in his face. But he wiped his face with one hand and - continued motionless, his eyes lowered. -</p> -<p> - In the evening, at preparation, he pulled out his pens from his - desk, arranged his small belongings, and carefully ruled his - paper. We saw him working conscientiously, looking up every word - in the dictionary, and taking the greatest pains. Thanks, no - doubt, to the willingness he showed, he had not to go down to the - class below. But though he knew his rules passably, he had little - finish in composition. It was the cure of his village who had - taught him his first Latin; his parents, from motives of economy, - having sent him to school as late as possible. -</p> -<p> - His father, Monsieur Charles Denis Bartolome Bovary, retired - assistant-surgeon-major, compromised about 1812 in certain - conscription scandals, and forced at this time to leave the - service, had taken advantage of his fine figure to get hold of a - dowry of sixty thousand francs that offered in the person of a - hosier's daughter who had fallen in love with his good looks. A - fine man, a great talker, making his spurs ring as he walked, - wearing whiskers that ran into his moustache, his fingers always - garnished with rings and dressed in loud colours, he had the dash - of a military man with the easy go of a commercial traveller. -</p> -<p> - Once married, he lived for three or four years on his wife's - fortune, dining well, rising late, smoking long porcelain pipes, - not coming in at night till after the theatre, and haunting - cafes. The father-in-law died, leaving little; he was indignant - at this, "went in for the business," lost some money in it, then - retired to the country, where he thought he would make money. -</p> -<p> - But, as he knew no more about farming than calico, as he rode his - horses instead of sending them to plough, drank his cider in - bottle instead of selling it in cask, ate the finest poultry in - his farmyard, and greased his hunting-boots with the fat of his - pigs, he was not long in finding out that he would do better to - give up all speculation. -</p> -<p> - For two hundred francs a year he managed to live on the border of - the provinces of Caux and Picardy, in a kind of place half farm, - half private house; and here, soured, eaten up with regrets, - cursing his luck, jealous of everyone, he shut himself up at the - age of forty-five, sick of men, he said, and determined to live - at peace. -</p> -<p> - His wife had adored him once on a time; she had bored him with a - thousand servilities that had only estranged him the more. Lively - once, expansive and affectionate, in growing older she had become - (after the fashion of wine that, exposed to air, turns to - vinegar) ill-tempered, grumbling, irritable. She had suffered so - much without complaint at first, until she had seem him going - after all the village drabs, and until a score of bad houses sent - him back to her at night, weary, stinking drunk. Then her pride - revolted. After that she was silent, burying her anger in a dumb - stoicism that she maintained till her death. She was constantly - going about looking after business matters. She called on the - lawyers, the president, remembered when bills fell due, got them - renewed, and at home ironed, sewed, washed, looked after the - workmen, paid the accounts, while he, troubling himself about - nothing, eternally besotted in sleepy sulkiness, whence he only - roused himself to say disagreeable things to her, sat smoking by - the fire and spitting into the cinders. -</p> -<p> - When she had a child, it had to be sent out to nurse. When he - came home, the lad was spoilt as if he were a prince. His mother - stuffed him with jam; his father let him run about barefoot, and, - playing the philosopher, even said he might as well go about - quite naked like the young of animals. As opposed to the maternal - ideas, he had a certain virile idea of childhood on which he - sought to mould his son, wishing him to be brought up hardily, - like a Spartan, to give him a strong constitution. He sent him to - bed without any fire, taught him to drink off large draughts of - rum and to jeer at religious processions. But, peaceable by - nature, the lad answered only poorly to his notions. His mother - always kept him near her; she cut out cardboard for him, told him - tales, entertained him with endless monologues full of melancholy - gaiety and charming nonsense. In her life's isolation she - centered on the child's head all her shattered, broken little - vanities. She dreamed of high station; she already saw him, tall, - handsome, clever, settled as an engineer or in the law. She - taught him to read, and even, on an old piano, she had taught him - two or three little songs. But to all this Monsieur Bovary, - caring little for letters, said, "It was not worth while. Would - they ever have the means to send him to a public school, to buy - him a practice, or start him in business? Besides, with cheek a - man always gets on in the world." Madame Bovary bit her lips, and - the child knocked about the village. -</p> -<p> - He went after the labourers, drove away with clods of earth the - ravens that were flying about. He ate blackberries along the - hedges, minded the geese with a long switch, went haymaking - during harvest, ran about in the woods, played hop-scotch under - the church porch on rainy days, and at great fetes begged the - beadle to let him toll the bells, that he might hang all his - weight on the long rope and feel himself borne upward by it in - its swing. Meanwhile he grew like an oak; he was strong on hand, - fresh of colour. -</p> -<p> - When he was twelve years old his mother had her own way; he began - lessons. The cure took him in hand; but the lessons were so short - and irregular that they could not be of much use. They were given - at spare moments in the sacristy, standing up, hurriedly, between - a baptism and a burial; or else the cure, if he had not to go - out, sent for his pupil after the Angelus*. They went up to his - room and settled down; the flies and moths fluttered round the - candle. It was close, the child fell asleep, and the good man, - beginning to doze with his hands on his stomach, was soon snoring - with his mouth wide open. On other occasions, when Monsieur le - Cure, on his way back after administering the viaticum to some - sick person in the neighbourhood, caught sight of Charles playing - about the fields, he called him, lectured him for a quarter of an - hour and took advantage of the occasion to make him conjugate his - verb at the foot of a tree. The rain interrupted them or an - acquaintance passed. All the same he was always pleased with him, - and even said the "young man" had a very good memory. -</p> -<p> - *A devotion said at morning, noon, and evening, at the sound of a - bell. Here, the evening prayer. -</p> -<p> - Charles could not go on like this. Madame Bovary took strong - steps. Ashamed, or rather tired out, Monsieur Bovary gave in - without a struggle, and they waited one year longer, so that the - lad should take his first communion. -</p> -<p> - Six months more passed, and the year after Charles was finally - sent to school at Rouen, where his father took him towards the - end of October, at the time of the St. Romain fair. -</p> -<p> - It would now be impossible for any of us to remember anything - about him. He was a youth of even temperament, who played in - playtime, worked in school-hours, was attentive in class, slept - well in the dormitory, and ate well in the refectory. He had in - loco parentis* a wholesale ironmonger in the Rue Ganterie, who - took him out once a month on Sundays after his shop was shut, - sent him for a walk on the quay to look at the boats, and then - brought him back to college at seven o'clock before supper. Every - Thursday evening he wrote a long letter to his mother with red - ink and three wafers; then he went over his history note-books, - or read an old volume of "Anarchasis" that was knocking about the - study. When he went for walks he talked to the servant, who, like - himself, came from the country. -</p> -<p> - *In place of a parent. -</p> -<p> - By dint of hard work he kept always about the middle of the - class; once even he got a certificate in natural history. But at - the end of his third year his parents withdrew him from the - school to make him study medicine, convinced that he could even - take his degree by himself. -</p> -<p> - His mother chose a room for him on the fourth floor of a dyer's - she knew, overlooking the Eau-de-Robec. She made arrangements for - his board, got him furniture, table and two chairs, sent home for - an old cherry-tree bedstead, and bought besides a small cast-iron - stove with the supply of wood that was to warm the poor child. -</p> -<p> - Then at the end of a week she departed, after a thousand - injunctions to be good now that he was going to be left to - himself. -</p> -<p> - The syllabus that he read on the notice-board stunned him; - lectures on anatomy, lectures on pathology, lectures on - physiology, lectures on pharmacy, lectures on botany and clinical - medicine, and therapeutics, without counting hygiene and materia - medica—all names of whose etymologies he was ignorant, and that - were to him as so many doors to sanctuaries filled with - magnificent darkness. -</p> -<p> - He understood nothing of it all; it was all very well to listen— - he did not follow. Still he worked; he had bound note-books, he - attended all the courses, never missed a single lecture. He did - his little daily task like a mill-horse, who goes round and round - with his eyes bandaged, not knowing what work he is doing. -</p> -<p> - To spare him expense his mother sent him every week by the - carrier a piece of veal baked in the oven, with which he lunched - when he came back from the hospital, while he sat kicking his - feet against the wall. After this he had to run off to lectures, - to the operation-room, to the hospital, and return to his home at - the other end of the town. In the evening, after the poor dinner - of his landlord, he went back to his room and set to work again - in his wet clothes, which smoked as he sat in front of the hot - stove. -</p> -<p> - On the fine summer evenings, at the time when the close streets - are empty, when the servants are playing shuttle-cock at the - doors, he opened his window and leaned out. The river, that makes - of this quarter of Rouen a wretched little Venice, flowed beneath - him, between the bridges and the railings, yellow, violet, or - blue. Working men, kneeling on the banks, washed their bare arms - in the water. On poles projecting from the attics, skeins of - cotton were drying in the air. Opposite, beyond the roots spread - the pure heaven with the red sun setting. How pleasant it must be - at home! How fresh under the beech-tree! And he expanded his - nostrils to breathe in the sweet odours of the country which did - not reach him. -</p> -<p> - He grew thin, his figure became taller, his face took a saddened - look that made it nearly interesting. Naturally, through - indifference, he abandoned all the resolutions he had made. Once - he missed a lecture; the next day all the lectures; and, enjoying - his idleness, little by little, he gave up work altogether. He - got into the habit of going to the public-house, and had a - passion for dominoes. To shut himself up every evening in the - dirty public room, to push about on marble tables the small sheep - bones with black dots, seemed to him a fine proof of his freedom, - which raised him in his own esteem. It was beginning to see life, - the sweetness of stolen pleasures; and when he entered, he put - his hand on the door-handle with a joy almost sensual. Then many - things hidden within him came out; he learnt couplets by heart - and sang them to his boon companions, became enthusiastic about - Beranger, learnt how to make punch, and, finally, how to make - love. -</p> -<p> - Thanks to these preparatory labours, he failed completely in his - examination for an ordinary degree. He was expected home the same - night to celebrate his success. He started on foot, stopped at - the beginning of the village, sent for his mother, and told her - all. She excused him, threw the blame of his failure on the - injustice of the examiners, encouraged him a little, and took - upon herself to set matters straight. It was only five years - later that Monsieur Bovary knew the truth; it was old then, and - he accepted it. Moreover, he could not believe that a man born of - him could be a fool. -</p> -<p> - So Charles set to work again and crammed for his examination, - ceaselessly learning all the old questions by heart. He passed - pretty well. What a happy day for his mother! They gave a grand - dinner. -</p> -<p> - Where should he go to practice? To Tostes, where there was only - one old doctor. For a long time Madame Bovary had been on the - look-out for his death, and the old fellow had barely been packed - off when Charles was installed, opposite his place, as his - successor. -</p> -<p> - But it was not everything to have brought up a son, to have had - him taught medicine, and discovered Tostes, where he could - practice it; he must have a wife. She found him one—the widow of - a bailiff at Dieppe—who was forty-five and had an income of - twelve hundred francs. Though she was ugly, as dry as a bone, her - face with as many pimples as the spring has buds, Madame Dubuc - had no lack of suitors. To attain her ends Madame Bovary had to - oust them all, and she even succeeded in very cleverly baffling - the intrigues of a port-butcher backed up by the priests. -</p> -<p> - Charles had seen in marriage the advent of an easier life, - thinking he would be more free to do as he liked with himself and - his money. But his wife was master; he had to say this and not - say that in company, to fast every Friday, dress as she liked, - harass at her bidding those patients who did not pay. She opened - his letter, watched his comings and goings, and listened at the - partition-wall when women came to consult him in his surgery. -</p> -<p> - She must have her chocolate every morning, attentions without - end. She constantly complained of her nerves, her chest, her - liver. The noise of footsteps made her ill; when people left her, - solitude became odious to her; if they came back, it was - doubtless to see her die. When Charles returned in the evening, - she stretched forth two long thin arms from beneath the sheets, - put them round his neck, and having made him sit down on the edge - of the bed, began to talk to him of her troubles: he was - neglecting her, he loved another. She had been warned she would - be unhappy; and she ended by asking him for a dose of medicine - and a little more love. -</p> -<a name="2HCH3"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Two -</h2> -<p> - One night towards eleven o'clock they were awakened by the noise - of a horse pulling up outside their door. The servant opened the - garret-window and parleyed for some time with a man in the street - below. He came for the doctor, had a letter for him. Natasie came - downstairs shivering and undid the bars and bolts one after the - other. The man left his horse, and, following the servant, - suddenly came in behind her. He pulled out from his wool cap with - grey top-knots a letter wrapped up in a rag and presented it - gingerly to Charles, who rested on his elbow on the pillow to - read it. Natasie, standing near the bed, held the light. Madame - in modesty had turned to the wall and showed only her back. -</p> -<p> - This letter, sealed with a small seal in blue wax, begged - Monsieur Bovary to come immediately to the farm of the Bertaux to - set a broken leg. Now from Tostes to the Bertaux was a good - eighteen miles across country by way of Longueville and - Saint-Victor. It was a dark night; Madame Bovary junior was - afraid of accidents for her husband. So it was decided the - stable-boy should go on first; Charles would start three hours - later when the moon rose. A boy was to be sent to meet him, and - show him the way to the farm, and open the gates for him. -</p> -<p> - Towards four o'clock in the morning, Charles, well wrapped up in - his cloak, set out for the Bertaux. Still sleepy from the warmth - of his bed, he let himself be lulled by the quiet trot of his - horse. When it stopped of its own accord in front of those holes - surrounded with thorns that are dug on the margin of furrows, - Charles awoke with a start, suddenly remembered the broken leg, - and tried to call to mind all the fractures he knew. The rain had - stopped, day was breaking, and on the branches of the leafless - trees birds roosted motionless, their little feathers bristling - in the cold morning wind. The flat country stretched as far as - eye could see, and the tufts of trees round the farms at long - intervals seemed like dark violet stains on the cast grey - surface, that on the horizon faded into the gloom of the sky. -</p> -<p> - Charles from time to time opened his eyes, his mind grew weary, - and, sleep coming upon him, he soon fell into a doze wherein, his - recent sensations blending with memories, he became conscious of - a double self, at once student and married man, lying in his bed - as but now, and crossing the operation theatre as of old. The - warm smell of poultices mingled in his brain with the fresh odour - of dew; he heard the iron rings rattling along the curtain-rods - of the bed and saw his wife sleeping. As he passed Vassonville he - came upon a boy sitting on the grass at the edge of a ditch. -</p> -<p> - "Are you the doctor?" asked the child. -</p> -<p> - And on Charles's answer he took his wooden shoes in his hands and - ran on in front of him. -</p> -<p> - The general practitioner, riding along, gathered from his guide's - talk that Monsieur Rouault must be one of the well-to-do farmers. -</p> -<p> - He had broken his leg the evening before on his way home from a - Twelfth-night feast at a neighbour's. His wife had been dead for - two years. There was with him only his daughter, who helped him - to keep house. -</p> -<p> - The ruts were becoming deeper; they were approaching the Bertaux. -</p> -<p> - The little lad, slipping through a hole in the hedge, - disappeared; then he came back to the end of a courtyard to open - the gate. The horse slipped on the wet grass; Charles had to - stoop to pass under the branches. The watchdogs in their kennels - barked, dragging at their chains. As he entered the Bertaux, the - horse took fright and stumbled. -</p> -<p> - It was a substantial-looking farm. In the stables, over the top - of the open doors, one could see great cart-horses quietly - feeding from new racks. Right along the outbuildings extended a - large dunghill, from which manure liquid oozed, while amidst - fowls and turkeys, five or six peacocks, a luxury in Chauchois - farmyards, were foraging on the top of it. The sheepfold was - long, the barn high, with walls smooth as your hand. Under the - cart-shed were two large carts and four ploughs, with their - whips, shafts and harnesses complete, whose fleeces of blue wool - were getting soiled by the fine dust that fell from the - granaries. The courtyard sloped upwards, planted with trees set - out symmetrically, and the chattering noise of a flock of geese - was heard near the pond. -</p> -<p> - A young woman in a blue merino dress with three flounces came to - the threshold of the door to receive Monsieur Bovary, whom she - led to the kitchen, where a large fire was blazing. The servant's - breakfast was boiling beside it in small pots of all sizes. Some - damp clothes were drying inside the chimney-corner. The shovel, - tongs, and the nozzle of the bellows, all of colossal size, shone - like polished steel, while along the walls hung many pots and - pans in which the clear flame of the hearth, mingling with the - first rays of the sun coming in through the window, was mirrored - fitfully. -</p> -<p> - Charles went up the first floor to see the patient. He found him - in his bed, sweating under his bed-clothes, having thrown his - cotton nightcap right away from him. He was a fat little man of - fifty, with white skin and blue eyes, the forepart of his head - bald, and he wore earrings. By his side on a chair stood a large - decanter of brandy, whence he poured himself a little from time - to time to keep up his spirits; but as soon as he caught sight of - the doctor his elation subsided, and instead of swearing, as he - had been doing for the last twelve hours, began to groan freely. -</p> -<p> - The fracture was a simple one, without any kind of complication. -</p> -<p> - Charles could not have hoped for an easier case. Then calling to - mind the devices of his masters at the bedsides of patients, he - comforted the sufferer with all sorts of kindly remarks, those - Caresses of the surgeon that are like the oil they put on - bistouries. In order to make some splints a bundle of laths was - brought up from the cart-house. Charles selected one, cut it into - two pieces and planed it with a fragment of windowpane, while the - servant tore up sheets to make bandages, and Mademoiselle Emma - tried to sew some pads. As she was a long time before she found - her work-case, her father grew impatient; she did not answer, but - as she sewed she pricked her fingers, which she then put to her - mouth to suck them. Charles was surprised at the whiteness of her - nails. They were shiny, delicate at the tips, more polished than - the ivory of Dieppe, and almond-shaped. Yet her hand was not - beautiful, perhaps not white enough, and a little hard at the - knuckles; besides, it was too long, with no soft inflections in - the outlines. Her real beauty was in her eyes. Although brown, - they seemed black because of the lashes, and her look came at you - frankly, with a candid boldness. -</p> -<p> - The bandaging over, the doctor was invited by Monsieur Rouault - himself to "pick a bit" before he left. -</p> -<p> - Charles went down into the room on the ground floor. Knives and - forks and silver goblets were laid for two on a little table at - the foot of a huge bed that had a canopy of printed cotton with - figures representing Turks. There was an odour of iris-root and - damp sheets that escaped from a large oak chest opposite the - window. On the floor in corners were sacks of flour stuck upright - in rows. These were the overflow from the neighbouring granary, - to which three stone steps led. By way of decoration for the - apartment, hanging to a nail in the middle of the wall, whose - green paint scaled off from the effects of the saltpetre, was a - crayon head of Minerva in gold frame, underneath which was - written in Gothic letters "To dear Papa." -</p> -<p> - First they spoke of the patient, then of the weather, of the - great cold, of the wolves that infested the fields at night. -</p> -<p> - Mademoiselle Rouault did not at all like the country, especially - now that she had to look after the farm almost alone. As the room - was chilly, she shivered as she ate. This showed something of her - full lips, that she had a habit of biting when silent. -</p> -<p> - Her neck stood out from a white turned-down collar. Her hair, - whose two black folds seemed each of a single piece, so smooth - were they, was parted in the middle by a delicate line that curved - slightly with the curve of the head; and, just showing the tip of - the ear, it was joined behind in a thick chignon, with a wavy - movement at the temples that the country doctor saw now for the - first time in his life. The upper part of her cheek was - rose-coloured. She had, like a man, thrust in between two buttons - of her bodice a tortoise-shell eyeglass. -</p> -<p> - When Charles, after bidding farewell to old Rouault, returned to - the room before leaving, he found her standing, her forehead - against the window, looking into the garden, where the bean props - had been knocked down by the wind. She turned round. "Are you - looking for anything?" she asked. -</p> -<p> - "My whip, if you please," he answered. -</p> -<p> - He began rummaging on the bed, behind the doors, under the - chairs. It had fallen to the floor, between the sacks and the - wall. Mademoiselle Emma saw it, and bent over the flour sacks. -</p> -<p> - Charles out of politeness made a dash also, and as he stretched - out his arm, at the same moment felt his breast brush against the - back of the young girl bending beneath him. She drew herself up, - scarlet, and looked at him over her shoulder as she handed him - his whip. -</p> -<p> - Instead of returning to the Bertaux in three days as he had - promised, he went back the very next day, then regularly twice a - week, without counting the visits he paid now and then as if by - accident. -</p> -<p> - Everything, moreover, went well; the patient progressed - favourably; and when, at the end of forty-six days, old Rouault - was seen trying to walk alone in his "den," Monsieur Bovary began - to be looked upon as a man of great capacity. Old Rouault said - that he could not have been cured better by the first doctor of - Yvetot, or even of Rouen. -</p> -<p> - As to Charles, he did not stop to ask himself why it was a - pleasure to him to go to the Bertaux. Had he done so, he would, - no doubt, have attributed his zeal to the importance of the case, - or perhaps to the money he hoped to make by it. Was it for this, - however, that his visits to the farm formed a delightful - exception to the meagre occupations of his life? On these days he - rose early, set off at a gallop, urging on his horse, then got - down to wipe his boots in the grass and put on black gloves - before entering. He liked going into the courtyard, and noticing - the gate turn against his shoulder, the cock crow on the wall, - the lads run to meet him. He liked the granary and the stables; - he liked old Rouault, who pressed his hand and called him his - saviour; he like the small wooden shoes of Mademoiselle Emma on - the scoured flags of the kitchen—her high heels made her a - little taller; and when she walked in front of him, the wooden - soles springing up quickly struck with a sharp sound against the - leather of her boots. -</p> -<p> - She always accompanied him to the first step of the stairs. When - his horse had not yet been brought round she stayed there. They - had said "Good-bye"; there was no more talking. The open air - wrapped her round, playing with the soft down on the back of her - neck, or blew to and fro on her hips the apron-strings, that - fluttered like streamers. Once, during a thaw the bark of the - trees in the yard was oozing, the snow on the roofs of the - outbuildings was melting; she stood on the threshold, and went to - fetch her sunshade and opened it. The sunshade of silk of the - colour of pigeons' breasts, through which the sun shone, lighted - up with shifting hues the white skin of her face. She smiled - under the tender warmth, and drops of water could be heard - falling one by one on the stretched silk. -</p> -<p> - During the first period of Charles's visits to the Bertaux, - Madame Bovary junior never failed to inquire after the invalid, - and she had even chosen in the book that she kept on a system of - double entry a clean blank page for Monsieur Rouault. But when - she heard he had a daughter, she began to make inquiries, and she - learnt the Mademoiselle Rouault, brought up at the Ursuline - Convent, had received what is called "a good education"; and so - knew dancing, geography, drawing, how to embroider and play the - piano. That was the last straw. -</p> -<p> - "So it is for this," she said to herself, "that his face beams - when he goes to see her, and that he puts on his new waistcoat at - the risk of spoiling it with the rain. Ah! that woman! That - woman!" -</p> -<p> - And she detested her instinctively. At first she solaced herself - by allusions that Charles did not understand, then by casual - observations that he let pass for fear of a storm, finally by - open apostrophes to which he knew not what to answer. "Why did he - go back to the Bertaux now that Monsieur Rouault was cured and - that these folks hadn't paid yet? Ah! it was because a young lady - was there, some one who know how to talk, to embroider, to be - witty. That was what he cared about; he wanted town misses." And - she went on— -</p> -<p> - "The daughter of old Rouault a town miss! Get out! Their - grandfather was a shepherd, and they have a cousin who was almost - had up at the assizes for a nasty blow in a quarrel. It is not - worth while making such a fuss, or showing herself at church on - Sundays in a silk gown like a countess. Besides, the poor old - chap, if it hadn't been for the colza last year, would have had - much ado to pay up his arrears." -</p> -<p> - For very weariness Charles left off going to the Bertaux. Heloise - made him swear, his hand on the prayer-book, that he would go - there no more after much sobbing and many kisses, in a great - outburst of love. He obeyed then, but the strength of his desire - protested against the servility of his conduct; and he thought, - with a kind of naive hypocrisy, that his interdict to see her - gave him a sort of right to love her. And then the widow was - thin; she had long teeth; wore in all weathers a little black - shawl, the edge of which hung down between her shoulder-blades; - her bony figure was sheathed in her clothes as if they were a - scabbard; they were too short, and displayed her ankles with the - laces of her large boots crossed over grey stockings. -</p> -<p> - Charles's mother came to see them from time to time, but after a - few days the daughter-in-law seemed to put her own edge on her, - and then, like two knives, they scarified him with their - reflections and observations. It was wrong of him to eat so much. -</p> -<p> - Why did he always offer a glass of something to everyone who - came? What obstinacy not to wear flannels! In the spring it came - about that a notary at Ingouville, the holder of the widow - Dubuc's property, one fine day went off, taking with him all the - money in his office. Heloise, it is true, still possessed, - besides a share in a boat valued at six thousand francs, her - house in the Rue St. Francois; and yet, with all this fortune - that had been so trumpeted abroad, nothing, excepting perhaps a - little furniture and a few clothes, had appeared in the - household. The matter had to be gone into. The house at Dieppe - was found to be eaten up with mortgages to its foundations; what - she had placed with the notary God only knew, and her share in - the boat did not exceed one thousand crowns. She had lied, the - good lady! In his exasperation, Monsieur Bovary the elder, - smashing a chair on the flags, accused his wife of having caused - misfortune to the son by harnessing him to such a harridan, whose - harness wasn't worth her hide. They came to Tostes. Explanations - followed. There were scenes. Heloise in tears, throwing her arms - about her husband, implored him to defend her from his parents. -</p> -<p> - Charles tried to speak up for her. They grew angry and left the - house. -</p> -<p> - But "the blow had struck home." A week after, as she was hanging - up some washing in her yard, she was seized with a spitting of - blood, and the next day, while Charles had his back turned to her - drawing the window-curtain, she said, "O God!" gave a sigh and - fainted. She was dead! What a surprise! When all was over at the - cemetery Charles went home. He found no one downstairs; he went - up to the first floor to their room; say her dress still hanging - at the foot of the alcove; then, leaning against the - writing-table, he stayed until the evening, buried in a sorrowful - reverie. She had loved him after all! -</p> -<a name="2HCH4"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Three -</h2> -<p> - One morning old Rouault brought Charles the money for setting his - leg—seventy-five francs in forty-sou pieces, and a turkey. He - had heard of his loss, and consoled him as well as he could. -</p> -<p> - "I know what it is," said he, clapping him on the shoulder; "I've - been through it. When I lost my dear departed, I went into the - fields to be quite alone. I fell at the foot of a tree; I cried; - I called on God; I talked nonsense to Him. I wanted to be like - the moles that I saw on the branches, their insides swarming with - worms, dead, and an end of it. And when I thought that there were - others at that very moment with their nice little wives holding - them in their embrace, I struck great blows on the earth with my - stick. I was pretty well mad with not eating; the very idea of - going to a cafe disgusted me—you wouldn't believe it. Well, - quite softly, one day following another, a spring on a winter, - and an autumn after a summer, this wore away, piece by piece, - crumb by crumb; it passed away, it is gone, I should say it has - sunk; for something always remains at the bottom as one would - say—a weight here, at one's heart. But since it is the lot of - all of us, one must not give way altogether, and, because others - have died, want to die too. You must pull yourself together, - Monsieur Bovary. It will pass away. Come to see us; my daughter - thinks of you now and again, d'ye know, and she says you are - forgetting her. Spring will soon be here. We'll have some - rabbit-shooting in the warrens to amuse you a bit." -</p> -<p> - Charles followed his advice. He went back to the Bertaux. He - found all as he had left it, that is to say, as it was five - months ago. The pear trees were already in blossom, and Farmer - Rouault, on his legs again, came and went, making the farm more - full of life. -</p> -<p> - Thinking it his duty to heap the greatest attention upon the - doctor because of his sad position, he begged him not to take his - hat off, spoke to him in an undertone as if he had been ill, and - even pretended to be angry because nothing rather lighter had - been prepared for him than for the others, such as a little - clotted cream or stewed pears. He told stories. Charles found - himself laughing, but the remembrance of his wife suddenly coming - back to him depressed him. Coffee was brought in; he thought no - more about her. -</p> -<p> - He thought less of her as he grew accustomed to living alone. The - new delight of independence soon made his loneliness bearable. He - could now change his meal-times, go in or out without - explanation, and when he was very tired stretch himself at full - length on his bed. So he nursed and coddled himself and accepted - the consolations that were offered him. On the other hand, the - death of his wife had not served him ill in his business, since - for a month people had been saying, "The poor young man! what a - loss!" His name had been talked about, his practice had - increased; and moreover, he could go to the Bertaux just as he - liked. He had an aimless hope, and was vaguely happy; he thought - himself better looking as he brushed his whiskers before the - looking-glass. -</p> -<p> - One day he got there about three o'clock. Everybody was in the - fields. He went into the kitchen, but did not at once catch sight - of Emma; the outside shutters were closed. Through the chinks of - the wood the sun sent across the flooring long fine rays that - were broken at the corners of the furniture and trembled along - the ceiling. Some flies on the table were crawling up the glasses - that had been used, and buzzing as they drowned themselves in the - dregs of the cider. The daylight that came in by the chimney made - velvet of the soot at the back of the fireplace, and touched with - blue the cold cinders. Between the window and the hearth Emma was - sewing; she wore no fichu; he could see small drops of - perspiration on her bare shoulders. -</p> -<p> - After the fashion of country folks she asked him to have - something to drink. He said no; she insisted, and at last - laughingly offered to have a glass of liqueur with him. So she - went to fetch a bottle of curacao from the cupboard, reached down - two small glasses, filled one to the brim, poured scarcely - anything into the other, and, after having clinked glasses, - carried hers to her mouth. As it was almost empty she bent back - to drink, her head thrown back, her lips pouting, her neck on the - strain. She laughed at getting none of it, while with the tip of - her tongue passing between her small teeth she licked drop by - drop the bottom of her glass. -</p> -<p> - She sat down again and took up her work, a white cotton stocking - she was darning. She worked with her head bent down; she did not - speak, nor did Charles. The air coming in under the door blew a - little dust over the flags; he watched it drift along, and heard - nothing but the throbbing in his head and the faint clucking of a - hen that had laid an egg in the yard. Emma from time to time - cooled her cheeks with the palms of her hands, and cooled these - again on the knobs of the huge fire-dogs. -</p> -<p> - She complained of suffering since the beginning of the season - from giddiness; she asked if sea-baths would do her any good; she - began talking of her convent, Charles of his school; words came - to them. They went up into her bedroom. She showed him her old - music-books, the little prizes she had won, and the oak-leaf - crowns, left at the bottom of a cupboard. She spoke to him, too, - of her mother, of the country, and even showed him the bed in the - garden where, on the first Friday of every month, she gathered - flowers to put on her mother's tomb. But the gardener they had - never knew anything about it; servants are so stupid! She would - have dearly liked, if only for the winter, to live in town, - although the length of the fine days made the country perhaps - even more wearisome in the summer. And, according to what she was - saying, her voice was clear, sharp, or, on a sudden all languor, - drawn out in modulations that ended almost in murmurs as she - spoke to herself, now joyous, opening big naive eyes, then with - her eyelids half closed, her look full of boredom, her thoughts - wandering. -</p> -<p> - Going home at night, Charles went over her words one by one, - trying to recall them, to fill out their sense, that he might - piece out the life she had lived before he knew her. But he never - saw her in his thoughts other than he had seen her the first - time, or as he had just left her. Then he asked himself what - would become of her—if she would be married, and to whom! Alas! - Old Rouault was rich, and she!—so beautiful! But Emma's face - always rose before his eyes, and a monotone, like the humming of - a top, sounded in his ears, "If you should marry after all! If - you should marry!" At night he could not sleep; his throat was - parched; he was athirst. He got up to drink from the water-bottle - and opened the window. The night was covered with stars, a warm - wind blowing in the distance; the dogs were barking. He turned - his head towards the Bertaux. -</p> -<p> - Thinking that, after all, he should lose nothing, Charles - promised himself to ask her in marriage as soon as occasion - offered, but each time such occasion did offer the fear of not - finding the right words sealed his lips. -</p> -<p> - Old Rouault would not have been sorry to be rid of his daughter, - who was of no use to him in the house. In his heart he excused - her, thinking her too clever for farming, a calling under the ban - of Heaven, since one never saw a millionaire in it. Far from - having made a fortune by it, the good man was losing every year; - for if he was good in bargaining, in which he enjoyed the dodges - of the trade, on the other hand, agriculture properly so called, - and the internal management of the farm, suited him less than - most people. He did not willingly take his hands out of his - pockets, and did not spare expense in all that concerned himself, - liking to eat well, to have good fires, and to sleep well. He - liked old cider, underdone legs of mutton, glorias* well beaten - up. He took his meals in the kitchen alone, opposite the fire, on - a little table brought to him all ready laid as on the stage. -</p> -<p> - *A mixture of coffee and spirits. -</p> -<p> - When, therefore, he perceived that Charles's cheeks grew red if - near his daughter, which meant that he would propose for her one - of these days, he chewed the cud of the matter beforehand. He - certainly thought him a little meagre, and not quite the - son-in-law he would have liked, but he was said to be well - brought-up, economical, very learned, and no doubt would not make - too many difficulties about the dowry. Now, as old Rouault would - soon be forced to sell twenty-two acres of "his property," - as he owed a good deal to the mason, to the harness-maker, and as - the shaft of the cider-press wanted renewing, "If he asks for - her," he said to himself, "I'll give her to him." -</p> -<p> - At Michaelmas Charles went to spend three days at the Bertaux. -</p> -<p> - The last had passed like the others in procrastinating from hour - to hour. Old Rouault was seeing him off; they were walking along - the road full of ruts; they were about to part. This was the - time. Charles gave himself as far as to the corner of the hedge, - and at last, when past it— -</p> -<p> - "Monsieur Rouault," he murmured, "I should like to say something - to you." -</p> -<p> - They stopped. Charles was silent. -</p> -<p> - "Well, tell me your story. Don't I know all about it?" said old - Rouault, laughing softly. -</p> -<p> - "Monsieur Rouault—Monsieur Rouault," stammered Charles. -</p> -<p> - "I ask nothing better", the farmer went on. "Although, no doubt, - the little one is of my mind, still we must ask her opinion. So - you get off—I'll go back home. If it is "yes", you needn't - return because of all the people about, and besides it would - upset her too much. But so that you mayn't be eating your heart, - I'll open wide the outer shutter of the window against the wall; - you can see it from the back by leaning over the hedge." -</p> -<p> - And he went off. -</p> -<p> - Charles fastened his horse to a tree; he ran into the road and - waited. Half an hour passed, then he counted nineteen minutes by - his watch. Suddenly a noise was heard against the wall; the - shutter had been thrown back; the hook was still swinging. -</p> -<p> - The next day by nine o'clock he was at the farm. Emma blushed as - he entered, and she gave a little forced laugh to keep herself in - countenance. Old Rouault embraced his future son-in-law. The - discussion of money matters was put off; moreover, there was - plenty of time before them, as the marriage could not decently - take place till Charles was out of mourning, that is to say, - about the spring of the next year. -</p> -<p> - The winter passed waiting for this. Mademoiselle Rouault was busy - with her trousseau. Part of it was ordered at Rouen, and she made - herself chemises and nightcaps after fashion-plates that she - borrowed. When Charles visited the farmer, the preparations for - the wedding were talked over; they wondered in what room they - should have dinner; they dreamed of the number of dishes that - would be wanted, and what should be entrees. -</p> -<p> - Emma would, on the contrary, have preferred to have a midnight - wedding with torches, but old Rouault could not understand such - an idea. So there was a wedding at which forty-three persons were - present, at which they remained sixteen hours at table, began - again the next day, and to some extent on the days following. -</p> -<a name="2HCH5"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Four -</h2> -<p> - The guests arrived early in carriages, in one-horse chaises, - two-wheeled cars, old open gigs, waggonettes with leather hoods, - and the young people from the nearer villages in carts, in which - they stood up in rows, holding on to the sides so as not to fall, - going at a trot and well shaken up. Some came from a distance of - thirty miles, from Goderville, from Normanville, and from Cany. -</p> -<p> - All the relatives of both families had been invited, quarrels - between friends arranged, acquaintances long since lost sight of - written to. -</p> -<p> - From time to time one heard the crack of a whip behind the hedge; - then the gates opened, a chaise entered. Galloping up to the foot - of the steps, it stopped short and emptied its load. They got - down from all sides, rubbing knees and stretching arms. The - ladies, wearing bonnets, had on dresses in the town fashion, gold - watch chains, pelerines with the ends tucked into belts, or - little coloured fichus fastened down behind with a pin, and that - left the back of the neck bare. The lads, dressed like their - papas, seemed uncomfortable in their new clothes (many that day - hand-sewed their first pair of boots), and by their sides, - speaking never a work, wearing the white dress of their first - communion lengthened for the occasion were some big girls of - fourteen or sixteen, cousins or elder sisters no doubt, rubicund, - bewildered, their hair greasy with rose pomade, and very much - afraid of dirtying their gloves. As there were not enough - stable-boys to unharness all the carriages, the gentlemen turned - up their sleeves and set about it themselves. According to their - different social positions they wore tail-coats, overcoats, - shooting jackets, cutaway-coats; fine tail-coats, redolent of - family respectability, that only came out of the wardrobe on - state occasions; overcoats with long tails flapping in the wind - and round capes and pockets like sacks; shooting jackets of - coarse cloth, generally worn with a cap with a brass-bound peak; - very short cutaway-coats with two small buttons in the back, - close together like a pair of eyes, and the tails of which seemed - cut out of one piece by a carpenter's hatchet. Some, too (but - these, you may be sure, would sit at the bottom of the table), - wore their best blouses—that is to say, with collars turned down - to the shoulders, the back gathered into small plaits and the - waist fastened very low down with a worked belt. -</p> -<p> - And the shirts stood out from the chests like cuirasses! Everyone - had just had his hair cut; ears stood out from the heads; they - had been close-shaved; a few, even, who had had to get up before - daybreak, and not been able to see to shave, had diagonal gashes - under their noses or cuts the size of a three-franc piece along - the jaws, which the fresh air en route had enflamed, so that the - great white beaming faces were mottled here and there with red - dabs. -</p> -<p> - The mairie was a mile and a half from the farm, and they went - thither on foot, returning in the same way after the ceremony in - the church. The procession, first united like one long coloured - scarf that undulated across the fields, along the narrow path - winding amid the green corn, soon lengthened out, and broke up - into different groups that loitered to talk. The fiddler walked - in front with his violin, gay with ribbons at its pegs. Then came - the married pair, the relations, the friends, all following - pell-mell; the children stayed behind amusing themselves plucking - the bell-flowers from oat-ears, or playing amongst themselves - unseen. Emma's dress, too long, trailed a little on the ground; - from time to time she stopped to pull it up, and then delicately, - with her gloved hands, she picked off the coarse grass and the - thistledowns, while Charles, empty handed, waited till she had - finished. Old Rouault, with a new silk hat and the cuffs of his - black coat covering his hands up to the nails, gave his arm to - Madame Bovary senior. As to Monsieur Bovary senior, who, heartily - despising all these folk, had come simply in a frock-coat of - military cut with one row of buttons—he was passing compliments - of the bar to a fair young peasant. She bowed, blushed, and did - not know what to say. The other wedding guests talked of their - business or played tricks behind each other's backs, egging one - another on in advance to be jolly. Those who listened could - always catch the squeaking of the fiddler, who went on playing - across the fields. When he saw that the rest were far behind he - stopped to take breath, slowly rosined his bow, so that the - strings should sound more shrilly, then set off again, by turns - lowering and raising his neck, the better to mark time for - himself. The noise of the instrument drove away the little birds - from afar. -</p> -<p> - The table was laid under the cart-shed. On it were four sirloins, - six chicken fricassees, stewed veal, three legs of mutton, and in - the middle a fine roast suckling pig, flanked by four - chitterlings with sorrel. At the corners were decanters of - brandy. Sweet bottled-cider frothed round the corks, and all the - glasses had been filled to the brim with wine beforehand. Large - dishes of yellow cream, that trembled with the least shake of the - table, had designed on their smooth surface the initials of the - newly wedded pair in nonpareil arabesques. A confectioner of - Yvetot had been intrusted with the tarts and sweets. As he had - only just set up on the place, he had taken a lot of trouble, and - at dessert he himself brought in a set dish that evoked loud - cries of wonderment. To begin with, at its base there was a - square of blue cardboard, representing a temple with porticoes, - colonnades, and stucco statuettes all round, and in the niches - constellations of gilt paper stars; then on the second stage was - a dungeon of Savoy cake, surrounded by many fortifications in - candied angelica, almonds, raisins, and quarters of oranges; and - finally, on the upper platform a green field with rocks set in - lakes of jam, nutshell boats, and a small Cupid balancing himself - in a chocolate swing whose two uprights ended in real roses for - balls at the top. -</p> -<p> - Until night they ate. When any of them were too tired of sitting, - they went out for a stroll in the yard, or for a game with corks - in the granary, and then returned to table. Some towards the - finish went to sleep and snored. But with the coffee everyone - woke up. Then they began songs, showed off tricks, raised heavy - weights, performed feats with their fingers, then tried lifting - carts on their shoulders, made broad jokes, kissed the women. At - night when they left, the horses, stuffed up to the nostrils with - oats, could hardly be got into the shafts; they kicked, reared, - the harness broke, their masters laughed or swore; and all night - in the light of the moon along country roads there were runaway - carts at full gallop plunging into the ditches, jumping over yard - after yard of stones, clambering up the hills, with women leaning - out from the tilt to catch hold of the reins. -</p> -<p> - Those who stayed at the Bertaux spent the night drinking in the - kitchen. The children had fallen asleep under the seats. -</p> -<p> - The bride had begged her father to be spared the usual marriage - pleasantries. However, a fishmonger, one of their cousins (who - had even brought a pair of soles for his wedding present), began - to squirt water from his mouth through the keyhole, when old - Rouault came up just in time to stop him, and explain to him that - the distinguished position of his son-in-law would not allow of - such liberties. The cousin all the same did not give in to these - reasons readily. In his heart he accused old Rouault of being - proud, and he joined four or five other guests in a corner, who - having, through mere chance, been several times running served - with the worst helps of meat, also were of opinion they had been - badly used, and were whispering about their host, and with - covered hints hoping he would ruin himself. -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary, senior, had not opened her mouth all day. She had - been consulted neither as to the dress of her daughter-in-law nor - as to the arrangement of the feast; she went to bed early. Her - husband, instead of following her, sent to Saint-Victor for some - cigars, and smoked till daybreak, drinking kirsch-punch, a - mixture unknown to the company. This added greatly to the - consideration in which he was held. -</p> -<p> - Charles, who was not of a facetious turn, did not shine at the - wedding. He answered feebly to the puns, doubles entendres*, - compliments, and chaff that it was felt a duty to let off at him - as soon as the soup appeared. -</p> -<p> - *Double meanings. -</p> -<p> - The next day, on the other hand, he seemed another man. It was he - who might rather have been taken for the virgin of the evening - before, whilst the bride gave no sign that revealed anything. The - shrewdest did not know what to make of it, and they looked at her - when she passed near them with an unbounded concentration of - mind. But Charles concealed nothing. He called her "my wife", - tutoyed* her, asked for her of everyone, looked for her - everywhere, and often he dragged her into the yards, where he - could be seen from far between the trees, putting his arm around - her waist, and walking half-bending over her, ruffling the - chemisette of her bodice with his head. -</p> -<p> - *Used the familiar form of address. -</p> -<p> - Two days after the wedding the married pair left. Charles, on - account of his patients, could not be away longer. Old Rouault - had them driven back in his cart, and himself accompanied them as - far as Vassonville. Here he embraced his daughter for the last - time, got down, and went his way. When he had gone about a - hundred paces he stopped, and as he saw the cart disappearing, - its wheels turning in the dust, he gave a deep sigh. Then he - remembered his wedding, the old times, the first pregnancy of his - wife; he, too, had been very happy the day when he had taken her - from her father to his home, and had carried her off on a - pillion, trotting through the snow, for it was near - Christmas-time, and the country was all white. She held him by - one arm, her basket hanging from the other; the wind blew the - long lace of her Cauchois headdress so that it sometimes flapped - across his mouth, and when he turned his head he saw near him, on - his shoulder, her little rosy face, smiling silently under the - gold bands of her cap. To warm her hands she put them from time - to time in his breast. How long ago it all was! Their son would - have been thirty by now. Then he looked back and saw nothing on - the road. He felt dreary as an empty house; and tender memories - mingling with the sad thoughts in his brain, addled by the fumes - of the feast, he felt inclined for a moment to take a turn - towards the church. As he was afraid, however, that this sight - would make him yet more sad, he went right away home. -</p> -<p> - Monsieur and Madame Charles arrived at Tostes about six o'clock. -</p> -<p> - The neighbors came to the windows to see their doctor's new wife. -</p> -<p> - The old servant presented herself, curtsied to her, apologised - for not having dinner ready, and suggested that madame, in the - meantime, should look over her house. -</p> -<a name="2HCH6"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Five -</h2> -<p> - The brick front was just in a line with the street, or rather the - road. Behind the door hung a cloak with a small collar, a bridle, - and a black leather cap, and on the floor, in a corner, were a - pair of leggings, still covered with dry mud. On the right was - the one apartment, that was both dining and sitting room. A - canary yellow paper, relieved at the top by a garland of pale - flowers, was puckered everywhere over the badly stretched canvas; - white calico curtains with a red border hung crossways at the - length of the window; and on the narrow mantelpiece a clock with - a head of Hippocrates shone resplendent between two plate - candlesticks under oval shades. On the other side of the passage - was Charles's consulting room, a little room about six paces - wide, with a table, three chairs, and an office chair. Volumes of - the "Dictionary of Medical Science," uncut, but the binding - rather the worse for the successive sales through which they had - gone, occupied almost along the six shelves of a deal bookcase. -</p> -<p> - The smell of melted butter penetrated through the walls when he - saw patients, just as in the kitchen one could hear the people - coughing in the consulting room and recounting their histories. -</p> -<p> - Then, opening on the yard, where the stable was, came a large - dilapidated room with a stove, now used as a wood-house, cellar, - and pantry, full of old rubbish, of empty casks, agricultural - implements past service, and a mass of dusty things whose use it - was impossible to guess. -</p> -<p> - The garden, longer than wide, ran between two mud walls with - espaliered apricots, to a hawthorn hedge that separated it from - the field. In the middle was a slate sundial on a brick pedestal; - four flower beds with eglantines surrounded symmetrically the - more useful kitchen garden bed. Right at the bottom, under the - spruce bushes, was a cure in plaster reading his breviary. -</p> -<p> - Emma went upstairs. The first room was not furnished, but in the - second, which was their bedroom, was a mahogany bedstead in an - alcove with red drapery. A shell box adorned the chest of - drawers, and on the secretary near the window a bouquet of orange - blossoms tied with white satin ribbons stood in a bottle. It was - a bride's bouquet; it was the other one's. She looked at it. - Charles noticed it; he took it and carried it up to the attic, - while Emma seated in an arm-chair (they were putting her things - down around her) thought of her bridal flowers packed up in a - bandbox, and wondered, dreaming, what would be done with them if - she were to die. -</p> -<p> - During the first days she occupied herself in thinking about - changes in the house. She took the shades off the candlesticks, - had new wallpaper put up, the staircase repainted, and seats made - in the garden round the sundial; she even inquired how she could - get a basin with a jet fountain and fishes. Finally her husband, - knowing that she liked to drive out, picked up a second-hand - dogcart, which, with new lamps and splashboard in striped - leather, looked almost like a tilbury. -</p> -<p> - He was happy then, and without a care in the world. A meal - together, a walk in the evening on the highroad, a gesture of her - hands over her hair, the sight of her straw hat hanging from the - window-fastener, and many another thing in which Charles had - never dreamed of pleasure, now made up the endless round of his - happiness. In bed, in the morning, by her side, on the pillow, he - watched the sunlight sinking into the down on her fair cheek, - half hidden by the lappets of her night-cap. Seen thus closely, - her eyes looked to him enlarged, especially when, on waking up, - she opened and shut them rapidly many times. Black in the shade, - dark blue in broad daylight, they had, as it were, depths of - different colours, that, darker in the centre, grew paler towards - the surface of the eye. His own eyes lost themselves in these - depths; he saw himself in miniature down to the shoulders, with - his handkerchief round his head and the top of his shirt open. He - rose. She came to the window to see him off, and stayed leaning - on the sill between two pots of geranium, clad in her dressing - gown hanging loosely about her. Charles, in the street buckled - his spurs, his foot on the mounting stone, while she talked to - him from above, picking with her mouth some scrap of flower or - leaf that she blew out at him. Then this, eddying, floating, - described semicircles in the air like a bird, and was caught - before it reached the ground in the ill-groomed mane of the old - white mare standing motionless at the door. Charles from - horseback threw her a kiss; she answered with a nod; she shut the - window, and he set off. And then along the highroad, spreading - out its long ribbon of dust, along the deep lanes that the trees - bent over as in arbours, along paths where the corn reached to - the knees, with the sun on his back and the morning air in his - nostrils, his heart full of the joys of the past night, his mind - at rest, his flesh at ease, he went on, re-chewing his happiness, - like those who after dinner taste again the truffles which they - are digesting. -</p> -<p> - Until now what good had he had of his life? His time at school, - when he remained shut up within the high walls, alone, in the - midst of companions richer than he or cleverer at their work, who - laughed at his accent, who jeered at his clothes, and whose - mothers came to the school with cakes in their muffs? Later on, - when he studied medicine, and never had his purse full enough to - treat some little work-girl who would have become his mistress? - Afterwards, he had lived fourteen months with the widow, whose - feet in bed were cold as icicles. But now he had for life this - beautiful woman whom he adored. For him the universe did not - extend beyond the circumference of her petticoat, and he - reproached himself with not loving her. He wanted to see her - again; he turned back quickly, ran up the stairs with a beating - heart. Emma, in her room, was dressing; he came up on tiptoe, - kissed her back; she gave a cry. -</p> -<p> - He could not keep from constantly touching her comb, her ring, - her fichu; sometimes he gave her great sounding kisses with all - his mouth on her cheeks, or else little kisses in a row all along - her bare arm from the tip of her fingers up to her shoulder, and - she put him away half-smiling, half-vexed, as you do a child who - hangs about you. -</p> -<p> - Before marriage she thought herself in love; but the happiness - that should have followed this love not having come, she must, - she thought, have been mistaken. And Emma tried to find out what - one meant exactly in life by the words felicity, passion, - rapture, that had seemed to her so beautiful in books. -</p> -<a name="2HCH7"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Six -</h2> -<p> - She had read "Paul and Virginia," and she had dreamed of the - little bamboo-house, the nigger Domingo, the dog Fiddle, but - above all of the sweet friendship of some dear little brother, - who seeks red fruit for you on trees taller than steeples, or who - runs barefoot over the sand, bringing you a bird's nest. -</p> -<p> - When she was thirteen, her father himself took her to town to - place her in the convent. They stopped at an inn in the St. - Gervais quarter, where, at their supper, they used painted plates - that set forth the story of Mademoiselle de la Valliere. The - explanatory legends, chipped here and there by the scratching of - knives, all glorified religion, the tendernesses of the heart, - and the pomps of court. -</p> -<p> - Far from being bored at first at the convent, she took pleasure - in the society of the good sisters, who, to amuse her, took her - to the chapel, which one entered from the refectory by a long - corridor. She played very little during recreation hours, knew - her catechism well, and it was she who always answered Monsieur - le Vicaire's difficult questions. Living thus, without every - leaving the warm atmosphere of the classrooms, and amid these - pale-faced women wearing rosaries with brass crosses, she was - softly lulled by the mystic languor exhaled in the perfumes of - the altar, the freshness of the holy water, and the lights of the - tapers. Instead of attending to mass, she looked at the pious - vignettes with their azure borders in her book, and she loved the - sick lamb, the sacred heart pierced with sharp arrows, or the - poor Jesus sinking beneath the cross he carries. She tried, by - way of mortification, to eat nothing a whole day. She puzzled her - head to find some vow to fulfil. -</p> -<p> - When she went to confession, she invented little sins in order - that she might stay there longer, kneeling in the shadow, her - hands joined, her face against the grating beneath the whispering - of the priest. The comparisons of betrothed, husband, celestial - lover, and eternal marriage, that recur in sermons, stirred - within her soul depths of unexpected sweetness. -</p> -<p> - In the evening, before prayers, there was some religious reading - in the study. On week-nights it was some abstract of sacred - history or the Lectures of the Abbe Frayssinous, and on Sundays - passages from the "Genie du Christianisme," as a recreation. How - she listened at first to the sonorous lamentations of its - romantic melancholies reechoing through the world and eternity! - If her childhood had been spent in the shop-parlour of some - business quarter, she might perhaps have opened her heart to - those lyrical invasions of Nature, which usually come to us only - through translation in books. But she knew the country too well; - she knew the lowing of cattle, the milking, the ploughs. -</p> -<p> - Accustomed to calm aspects of life, she turned, on the contrary, - to those of excitement. She loved the sea only for the sake of - its storms, and the green fields only when broken up by ruins. -</p> -<p> - She wanted to get some personal profit out of things, and she - rejected as useless all that did not contribute to the immediate - desires of her heart, being of a temperament more sentimental - than artistic, looking for emotions, not landscapes. -</p> -<p> - At the convent there was an old maid who came for a week each - month to mend the linen. Patronized by the clergy, because she - belonged to an ancient family of noblemen ruined by the - Revolution, she dined in the refectory at the table of the good - sisters, and after the meal had a bit of chat with them before - going back to her work. The girls often slipped out from the - study to go and see her. She knew by heart the love songs of the - last century, and sang them in a low voice as she stitched away. -</p> -<p> - She told stories, gave them news, went errands in the town, and - on the sly lent the big girls some novel, that she always carried - in the pockets of her apron, and of which the good lady herself - swallowed long chapters in the intervals of her work. They were - all love, lovers, sweethearts, persecuted ladies fainting in - lonely pavilions, postilions killed at every stage, horses ridden - to death on every page, sombre forests, heartaches, vows, sobs, - tears and kisses, little skiffs by moonlight, nightingales in - shady groves, "gentlemen" brave as lions, gentle as lambs, - virtuous as no one ever was, always well dressed, and weeping - like fountains. For six months, then, Emma, at fifteen years of - age, made her hands dirty with books from old lending libraries. -</p> -<p> - Through Walter Scott, later on, she fell in love with historical - events, dreamed of old chests, guard-rooms and minstrels. She - would have liked to live in some old manor-house, like those - long-waisted chatelaines who, in the shade of pointed arches, - spent their days leaning on the stone, chin in hand, watching a - cavalier with white plume galloping on his black horse from the - distant fields. At this time she had a cult for Mary Stuart and - enthusiastic veneration for illustrious or unhappy women. Joan of - Arc, Heloise, Agnes Sorel, the beautiful Ferroniere, and Clemence - Isaure stood out to her like comets in the dark immensity of - heaven, where also were seen, lost in shadow, and all - unconnected, St. Louis with his oak, the dying Bayard, some - cruelties of Louis XI, a little of St. Bartholomew's Day, the - plume of the Bearnais, and always the remembrance of the plates - painted in honour of Louis XIV. -</p> -<p> - In the music class, in the ballads she sang, there was nothing - but little angels with golden wings, madonnas, lagunes, - gondoliers;-mild compositions that allowed her to catch a glimpse - athwart the obscurity of style and the weakness of the music of - the attractive phantasmagoria of sentimental realities. Some of - her companions brought "keepsakes" given them as new year's gifts - to the convent. These had to be hidden; it was quite an - undertaking; they were read in the dormitory. Delicately handling - the beautiful satin bindings, Emma looked with dazzled eyes at - the names of the unknown authors, who had signed their verses for - the most part as counts or viscounts. -</p> -<p> - She trembled as she blew back the tissue paper over the engraving - and saw it folded in two and fall gently against the page. Here - behind the balustrade of a balcony was a young man in a short - cloak, holding in his arms a young girl in a white dress wearing - an alms-bag at her belt; or there were nameless portraits of - English ladies with fair curls, who looked at you from under - their round straw hats with their large clear eyes. Some there - were lounging in their carriages, gliding through parks, a - greyhound bounding along in front of the equipage driven at a - trot by two midget postilions in white breeches. Others, dreaming - on sofas with an open letter, gazed at the moon through a - slightly open window half draped by a black curtain. The naive - ones, a tear on their cheeks, were kissing doves through the bars - of a Gothic cage, or, smiling, their heads on one side, were - plucking the leaves of a marguerite with their taper fingers, - that curved at the tips like peaked shoes. And you, too, were - there, Sultans with long pipes reclining beneath arbours in the - arms of Bayaderes; Djiaours, Turkish sabres, Greek caps; and you - especially, pale landscapes of dithyrambic lands, that often show - us at once palm trees and firs, tigers on the right, a lion to - the left, Tartar minarets on the horizon; the whole framed by a - very neat virgin forest, and with a great perpendicular sunbeam - trembling in the water, where, standing out in relief like white - excoriations on a steel-grey ground, swans are swimming about. -</p> -<p> - And the shade of the argand lamp fastened to the wall above - Emma's head lighted up all these pictures of the world, that - passed before her one by one in the silence of the dormitory, and - to the distant noise of some belated carriage rolling over the - Boulevards. -</p> -<p> - When her mother died she cried much the first few days. She had a - funeral picture made with the hair of the deceased, and, in a - letter sent to the Bertaux full of sad reflections on life, she - asked to be buried later on in the same grave. The goodman - thought she must be ill, and came to see her. Emma was secretly - pleased that she had reached at a first attempt the rare ideal of - pale lives, never attained by mediocre hearts. She let herself - glide along with Lamartine meanderings, listened to harps on - lakes, to all the songs of dying swans, to the falling of the - leaves, the pure virgins ascending to heaven, and the voice of - the Eternal discoursing down the valleys. She wearied of it, - would not confess it, continued from habit, and at last was - surprised to feel herself soothed, and with no more sadness at - heart than wrinkles on her brow. -</p> -<p> - The good nuns, who had been so sure of her vocation, perceived - with great astonishment that Mademoiselle Rouault seemed to be - slipping from them. They had indeed been so lavish to her of - prayers, retreats, novenas, and sermons, they had so often - preached the respect due to saints and martyrs, and given so much - good advice as to the modesty of the body and the salvation of - her soul, that she did as tightly reined horses; she pulled up - short and the bit slipped from her teeth. This nature, positive - in the midst of its enthusiasms, that had loved the church for - the sake of the flowers, and music for the words of the songs, - and literature for its passional stimulus, rebelled against the - mysteries of faith as it grew irritated by discipline, a thing - antipathetic to her constitution. When her father took her from - school, no one was sorry to see her go. The Lady Superior even - thought that she had latterly been somewhat irreverent to the - community. -</p> -<p> - Emma, at home once more, first took pleasure in looking after the - servants, then grew disgusted with the country and missed her - convent. When Charles came to the Bertaux for the first time, she - thought herself quite disillusioned, with nothing more to learn, - and nothing more to feel. -</p> -<p> - But the uneasiness of her new position, or perhaps the - disturbance caused by the presence of this man, had sufficed to - make her believe that she at last felt that wondrous passion - which, till then, like a great bird with rose-coloured wings, - hung in the splendour of the skies of poesy; and now she could - not think that the calm in which she lived was the happiness she - had dreamed. -</p> -<a name="2HCH8"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Seven -</h2> -<p> - She thought, sometimes, that, after all, this was the happiest - time of her life—the honeymoon, as people called it. To taste - the full sweetness of it, it would have been necessary doubtless - to fly to those lands with sonorous names where the days after - marriage are full of laziness most suave. In post chaises behind - blue silken curtains to ride slowly up steep road, listening to - the song of the postilion re-echoed by the mountains, along with - the bells of goats and the muffled sound of a waterfall; at - sunset on the shores of gulfs to breathe in the perfume of lemon - trees; then in the evening on the villa-terraces above, hand in - hand to look at the stars, making plans for the future. It seemed - to her that certain places on earth must bring happiness, as a - plant peculiar to the soil, and that cannot thrive elsewhere. Why - could not she lean over balconies in Swiss chalets, or enshrine - her melancholy in a Scotch cottage, with a husband dressed in a - black velvet coat with long tails, and thin shoes, a pointed hat - and frills? Perhaps she would have liked to confide all these - things to someone. But how tell an undefinable uneasiness, - variable as the clouds, unstable as the winds? Words failed - her—the opportunity, the courage. -</p> -<p> - If Charles had but wished it, if he had guessed it, if his look - had but once met her thought, it seemed to her that a sudden - plenty would have gone out from her heart, as the fruit falls - from a tree when shaken by a hand. But as the intimacy of their - life became deeper, the greater became the gulf that separated - her from him. -</p> -<p> - Charles's conversation was commonplace as a street pavement, and - everyone's ideas trooped through it in their everyday garb, - without exciting emotion, laughter, or thought. He had never had - the curiosity, he said, while he lived at Rouen, to go to the - theatre to see the actors from Paris. He could neither swim, nor - fence, nor shoot, and one day he could not explain some term of - horsemanship to her that she had come across in a novel. -</p> -<p> - A man, on the contrary, should he not know everything, excel in - manifold activities, initiate you into the energies of passion, - the refinements of life, all mysteries? But this one taught - nothing, knew nothing, wished nothing. He thought her happy; and - she resented this easy calm, this serene heaviness, the very - happiness she gave him. -</p> -<p> - Sometimes she would draw; and it was great amusement to Charles - to stand there bolt upright and watch her bend over her - cardboard, with eyes half-closed the better to see her work, or - rolling, between her fingers, little bread-pellets. As to the - piano, the more quickly her fingers glided over it the more he - wondered. She struck the notes with aplomb, and ran from top to - bottom of the keyboard without a break. Thus shaken up, the old - instrument, whose strings buzzed, could be heard at the other end - of the village when the window was open, and often the bailiff's - clerk, passing along the highroad bare-headed and in list - slippers, stopped to listen, his sheet of paper in his hand. -</p> -<p> - Emma, on the other hand, knew how to look after her house. She - sent the patients' accounts in well-phrased letters that had no - suggestion of a bill. When they had a neighbour to dinner on - Sundays, she managed to have some tasty dish—piled up pyramids - of greengages on vine leaves, served up preserves turned out into - plates—and even spoke of buying finger-glasses for dessert. From - all this much consideration was extended to Bovary. -</p> -<p> - Charles finished by rising in his own esteem for possessing such - a wife. He showed with pride in the sitting room two small pencil - sketched by her that he had had framed in very large frames, and - hung up against the wallpaper by long green cords. People - returning from mass saw him at his door in his wool-work - slippers. -</p> -<p> - He came home late—at ten o'clock, at midnight sometimes. Then he - asked for something to eat, and as the servant had gone to bed, - Emma waited on him. He took off his coat to dine more at his - ease. He told her, one after the other, the people he had met, - the villages where he had been, the prescriptions ha had written, - and, well pleased with himself, he finished the remainder of the - boiled beef and onions, picked pieces off the cheese, munched an - apple, emptied his water-bottle, and then went to bed, and lay on - his back and snored. -</p> -<p> - As he had been for a time accustomed to wear nightcaps, his - handkerchief would not keep down over his ears, so that his hair - in the morning was all tumbled pell-mell about his face and - whitened with the feathers of the pillow, whose strings came - untied during the night. He always wore thick boots that had two - long creases over the instep running obliquely towards the ankle, - while the rest of the upper continued in a straight line as if - stretched on a wooden foot. He said that "was quite good enough - for the country." -</p> -<p> - His mother approved of his economy, for she came to see him as - formerly when there had been some violent row at her place; and - yet Madame Bovary senior seemed prejudiced against her - daughter-in-law. She thought "her ways too fine for their - position"; the wood, the sugar, and the candles disappeared as - "at a grand establishment," and the amount of firing in the - kitchen would have been enough for twenty-five courses. She put - her linen in order for her in the presses, and taught her to keep - an eye on the butcher when he brought the meat. Emma put up with - these lessons. Madame Bovary was lavish of them; and the words - "daughter" and "mother" were exchanged all day long, accompanied - by little quiverings of the lips, each one uttering gentle words - in a voice trembling with anger. -</p> -<p> - In Madame Dubuc's time the old woman felt that she was still the - favorite; but now the love of Charles for Emma seemed to her a - desertion from her tenderness, an encroachment upon what was - hers, and she watched her son's happiness in sad silence, as a - ruined man looks through the windows at people dining in his old - house. She recalled to him as remembrances her troubles and her - sacrifices, and, comparing these with Emma's negligence, came to - the conclusion that it was not reasonable to adore her so - exclusively. -</p> -<p> - Charles knew not what to answer: he respected his mother, and he - loved his wife infinitely; he considered the judgment of the one - infallible, and yet he thought the conduct of the other - irreproachable. When Madam Bovary had gone, he tried timidly and - in the same terms to hazard one or two of the more anodyne - observations he had heard from his mamma. Emma proved to him with - a word that he was mistaken, and sent him off to his patients. -</p> -<p> - And yet, in accord with theories she believed right, she wanted - to make herself in love with him. By moonlight in the garden she - recited all the passionate rhymes she knew by heart, and, - sighing, sang to him many melancholy adagios; but she found - herself as calm after as before, and Charles seemed no more - amorous and no more moved. -</p> -<p> - When she had thus for a while struck the flint on her heart - without getting a spark, incapable, moreover, of understanding - what she did not experience as of believing anything that did not - present itself in conventional forms, she persuaded herself - without difficulty that Charles's passion was nothing very - exorbitant. His outbursts became regular; he embraced her at - certain fixed times. It was one habit among other habits, and, - like a dessert, looked forward to after the monotony of dinner. -</p> -<p> - A gamekeeper, cured by the doctor of inflammation of the lungs, - had given madame a little Italian greyhound; she took her out - walking, for she went out sometimes in order to be alone for a - moment, and not to see before her eyes the eternal garden and the - dusty road. She went as far as the beeches of Banneville, near - the deserted pavilion which forms an angle of the wall on the - side of the country. Amidst the vegetation of the ditch there are - long reeds with leaves that cut you. -</p> -<p> - She began by looking round her to see if nothing had changed - since last she had been there. She found again in the same places - the foxgloves and wallflowers, the beds of nettles growing round - the big stones, and the patches of lichen along the three - windows, whose shutters, always closed, were rotting away on - their rusty iron bars. Her thoughts, aimless at first, wandered - at random, like her greyhound, who ran round and round in the - fields, yelping after the yellow butterflies, chasing the - shrew-mice, or nibbling the poppies on the edge of a cornfield. -</p> -<p> - Then gradually her ideas took definite shape, and, sitting on the - grass that she dug up with little prods of her sunshade, Emma - repeated to herself, "Good heavens! Why did I marry?" -</p> -<p> - She asked herself if by some other chance combination it would - have not been possible to meet another man; and she tried to - imagine what would have been these unrealised events, this - different life, this unknown husband. All, surely, could not be - like this one. He might have been handsome, witty, distinguished, - attractive, such as, no doubt, her old companions of the convent - had married. What were they doing now? In town, with the noise of - the streets, the buzz of the theatres and the lights of the - ballroom, they were living lives where the heart expands, the - senses bourgeon out. But she—her life was cold as a garret whose - dormer window looks on the north, and ennui, the silent spider, - was weaving its web in the darkness in every corner of her heart. -</p> -<p> - She recalled the prize days, when she mounted the platform to - receive her little crowns, with her hair in long plaits. In her - white frock and open prunella shoes she had a pretty way, and - when she went back to her seat, the gentlemen bent over her to - congratulate her; the courtyard was full of carriages; farewells - were called to her through their windows; the music master with - his violin case bowed in passing by. How far all of this! How far - away! She called Djali, took her between her knees, and smoothed - the long delicate head, saying, "Come, kiss mistress; you have no - troubles." -</p> -<p> - Then noting the melancholy face of the graceful animal, who - yawned slowly, she softened, and comparing her to herself, spoke - to her aloud as to somebody in trouble whom one is consoling. -</p> -<p> - Occasionally there came gusts of winds, breezes from the sea - rolling in one sweep over the whole plateau of the Caux country, - which brought even to these fields a salt freshness. The rushes, - close to the ground, whistled; the branches trembled in a swift - rustling, while their summits, ceaselessly swaying, kept up a - deep murmur. Emma drew her shawl round her shoulders and rose. -</p> -<p> - In the avenue a green light dimmed by the leaves lit up the short - moss that crackled softly beneath her feet. The sun was setting; - the sky showed red between the branches, and the trunks of the - trees, uniform, and planted in a straight line, seemed a brown - colonnade standing out against a background of gold. A fear took - hold of her; she called Djali, and hurriedly returned to Tostes - by the high road, threw herself into an armchair, and for the - rest of the evening did not speak. -</p> -<p> - But towards the end of September something extraordinary fell - upon her life; she was invited by the Marquis d'Andervilliers to - Vaubyessard. -</p> -<p> - Secretary of State under the Restoration, the Marquis, anxious to - re-enter political life, set about preparing for his candidature - to the Chamber of Deputies long beforehand. In the winter he - distributed a great deal of wood, and in the Conseil General - always enthusiastically demanded new roads for his - arrondissement. During the dog-days he had suffered from an - abscess, which Charles had cured as if by miracle by giving a - timely little touch with the lancet. The steward sent to Tostes - to pay for the operation reported in the evening that he had seen - some superb cherries in the doctor's little garden. Now cherry - trees did not thrive at Vaubyessard; the Marquis asked Bovary for - some slips; made it his business to thank his personally; saw - Emma; thought she had a pretty figure, and that she did not bow - like a peasant; so that he did not think he was going beyond the - bounds of condescension, nor, on the other hand, making a - mistake, in inviting the young couple. -</p> -<p> - On Wednesday at three o'clock, Monsieur and Madame Bovary, seated - in their dog-cart, set out for Vaubyessard, with a great trunk - strapped on behind and a bonnet-box in front of the apron. - Besides these Charles held a bandbox between his knees. -</p> -<p> - They arrived at nightfall, just as the lamps in the park were - being lit to show the way for the carriages. -</p> -<a name="2HCH9"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Eight -</h2> -<p> - The chateau, a modern building in Italian style, with two - projecting wings and three flights of steps, lay at the foot of - an immense green-sward, on which some cows were grazing among - groups of large trees set out at regular intervals, while large - beds of arbutus, rhododendron, syringas, and guelder roses bulged - out their irregular clusters of green along the curve of the - gravel path. A river flowed under a bridge; through the mist one - could distinguish buildings with thatched roofs scattered over - the field bordered by two gently sloping, well timbered hillocks, - and in the background amid the trees rose in two parallel lines - the coach houses and stables, all that was left of the ruined old - chateau. -</p> -<p> - Charles's dog-cart pulled up before the middle flight of steps; - servants appeared; the Marquis came forward, and, offering his - arm to the doctor's wife, conducted her to the vestibule. -</p> -<p> - It was paved with marble slabs, was very lofty, and the sound of - footsteps and that of voices re-echoed through it as in a church. -</p> -<p> - Opposite rose a straight staircase, and on the left a gallery - overlooking the garden led to the billiard room, through whose - door one could hear the click of the ivory balls. As she crossed - it to go to the drawing room, Emma saw standing round the table - men with grave faces, their chins resting on high cravats. They - all wore orders, and smiled silently as they made their strokes. -</p> -<p> - On the dark wainscoting of the walls large gold frames bore at - the bottom names written in black letters. She read: - "Jean-Antoine d'Andervilliers d'Yvervonbille, Count de la - Vaubyessard and Baron de la Fresnay, killed at the battle of - Coutras on the 20th of October, 1857." And on another: - "Jean-Antoine-Henry-Guy d'Andervilliers de la Vaubyessard, - Admiral of France and Chevalier of the Order of St. Michael, - wounded at the battle of the Hougue-Saint-Vaast on the 29th of - May, 1692; died at Vaubyessard on the 23rd of January 1693." One - could hardly make out those that followed, for the light of the - lamps lowered over the green cloth threw a dim shadow round the - room. Burnishing the horizontal pictures, it broke up against - these in delicate lines where there were cracks in the varnish, - and from all these great black squares framed in with gold stood - out here and there some lighter portion of the painting—a pale - brow, two eyes that looked at you, perukes flowing over and - powdering red-coated shoulders, or the buckle of a garter above a - well-rounded calf. -</p> -<p> - The Marquis opened the drawing room door; one of the ladies (the - Marchioness herself) came to meet Emma. She made her sit down by - her on an ottoman, and began talking to her as amicably as if she - had known her a long time. She was a woman of about forty, with - fine shoulders, a hook nose, a drawling voice, and on this - evening she wore over her brown hair a simple guipure fichu that - fell in a point at the back. A fair young woman sat in a - high-backed chair in a corner; and gentlemen with flowers in - their buttonholes were talking to ladies round the fire. -</p> -<p> - At seven dinner was served. The men, who were in the majority, - sat down at the first table in the vestibule; the ladies at the - second in the dining room with the Marquis and Marchioness. -</p> -<p> - Emma, on entering, felt herself wrapped round by the warm air, a - blending of the perfume of flowers and of the fine linen, of the - fumes of the viands, and the odour of the truffles. The silver - dish covers reflected the lighted wax candles in the candelabra, - the cut crystal covered with light steam reflected from one to - the other pale rays; bouquets were placed in a row the whole - length of the table; and in the large-bordered plates each - napkin, arranged after the fashion of a bishop's mitre, held - between its two gaping folds a small oval shaped roll. The red - claws of lobsters hung over the dishes; rich fruit in open - baskets was piled up on moss; there were quails in their plumage; - smoke was rising; and in silk stockings, knee-breeches, white - cravat, and frilled shirt, the steward, grave as a judge, - offering ready carved dishes between the shoulders of the guests, - with a touch of the spoon gave you the piece chosen. On the large - stove of porcelain inlaid with copper baguettes the statue of a - woman, draped to the chin, gazed motionless on the room full of - life. -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary noticed that many ladies had not put their gloves - in their glasses. -</p> -<p> - But at the upper end of the table, alone amongst all these women, - bent over his full plate, and his napkin tied round his neck like - a child, an old man sat eating, letting drops of gravy drip from - his mouth. His eyes were bloodshot, and he wore a little queue - tied with black ribbon. He was the Marquis's father-in-law, the - old Duke de Laverdiere, once on a time favourite of the Count - d'Artois, in the days of the Vaudreuil hunting-parties at the - Marquis de Conflans', and had been, it was said, the lover of - Queen Marie Antoinette, between Monsieur de Coigny and Monsieur - de Lauzun. He had lived a life of noisy debauch, full of duels, - bets, elopements; he had squandered his fortune and frightened - all his family. A servant behind his chair named aloud to him in - his ear the dishes that he pointed to stammering, and constantly - Emma's eyes turned involuntarily to this old man with hanging - lips, as to something extraordinary. He had lived at court and - slept in the bed of queens! Iced champagne was poured out. Emma - shivered all over as she felt it cold in her mouth. She had never - seen pomegranates nor tasted pineapples. The powdered sugar even - seemed to her whiter and finer than elsewhere. -</p> -<p> - The ladies afterwards went to their rooms to prepare for the - ball. -</p> -<p> - Emma made her toilet with the fastidious care of an actress on - her debut. She did her hair according to the directions of the - hairdresser, and put on the barege dress spread out upon the bed. -</p> -<p> - Charles's trousers were tight across the belly. -</p> -<p> - "My trouser-straps will be rather awkward for dancing," he said. -</p> -<p> - "Dancing?" repeated Emma. -</p> -<p> - "Yes!" -</p> -<p> - "Why, you must be mad! They would make fun of you; keep your - place. Besides, it is more becoming for a doctor," she added. -</p> -<p> - Charles was silent. He walked up and down waiting for Emma to - finish dressing. -</p> -<p> - He saw her from behind in the glass between two lights. Her black - eyes seemed blacker than ever. Her hair, undulating towards the - ears, shone with a blue lustre; a rose in her chignon trembled on - its mobile stalk, with artificial dewdrops on the tip of the - leaves. She wore a gown of pale saffron trimmed with three - bouquets of pompon roses mixed with green. -</p> -<p> - Charles came and kissed her on her shoulder. -</p> -<p> - "Let me alone!" she said; "you are tumbling me." -</p> -<p> - One could hear the flourish of the violin and the notes of a - horn. She went downstairs restraining herself from running. -</p> -<p> - Dancing had begun. Guests were arriving. There was some crushing. -</p> -<p> - She sat down on a form near the door. -</p> -<p> - The quadrille over, the floor was occupied by groups of men - standing up and talking and servants in livery bearing large - trays. Along the line of seated women painted fans were - fluttering, bouquets half hid smiling faces, and gold stoppered - scent-bottles were turned in partly-closed hands, whose white - gloves outlined the nails and tightened on the flesh at the - wrists. Lace trimmings, diamond brooches, medallion bracelets - trembled on bodices, gleamed on breasts, clinked on bare arms. -</p> -<p> - The hair, well-smoothed over the temples and knotted at the nape, - bore crowns, or bunches, or sprays of mytosotis, jasmine, - pomegranate blossoms, ears of corn, and corn-flowers. Calmly - seated in their places, mothers with forbidding countenances were - wearing red turbans. -</p> -<p> - Emma's heart beat rather faster when, her partner holding her by - the tips of the fingers, she took her place in a line with the - dancers, and waited for the first note to start. But her emotion - soon vanished, and, swaying to the rhythm of the orchestra, she - glided forward with slight movements of the neck. A smile rose to - her lips at certain delicate phrases of the violin, that - sometimes played alone while the other instruments were silent; - one could hear the clear clink of the louis d'or that were being - thrown down upon the card tables in the next room; then all - struck again, the cornet-a-piston uttered its sonorous note, feet - marked time, skirts swelled and rustled, hands touched and - parted; the same eyes falling before you met yours again. -</p> -<p> - A few men (some fifteen or so), of twenty-five to forty, - scattered here and there among the dancers or talking at the - doorways, distinguished themselves from the crowd by a certain - air of breeding, whatever their differences in age, dress, or - face. -</p> -<p> - Their clothes, better made, seemed of finer cloth, and their - hair, brought forward in curls towards the temples, glossy with - more delicate pomades. They had the complexion of wealth—that - clear complexion that is heightened by the pallor of porcelain, - the shimmer of satin, the veneer of old furniture, and that an - ordered regimen of exquisite nurture maintains at its best. Their - necks moved easily in their low cravats, their long whiskers fell - over their turned-down collars, they wiped their lips upon - handkerchiefs with embroidered initials that gave forth a subtle - perfume. Those who were beginning to grow old had an air of - youth, while there was something mature in the faces of the - young. In their unconcerned looks was the calm of passions daily - satiated, and through all their gentleness of manner pierced that - peculiar brutality, the result of a command of half-easy things, - in which force is exercised and vanity amused—the management of - thoroughbred horses and the society of loose women. -</p> -<p> - A few steps from Emma a gentleman in a blue coat was talking of - Italy with a pale young woman wearing a parure of pearls. -</p> -<p> - They were praising the breadth of the columns of St. Peter's, - Tivoly, Vesuvius, Castellamare, and Cassines, the roses of Genoa, - the Coliseum by moonlight. With her other ear Emma was listening - to a conversation full of words she did not understand. A circle - gathered round a very young man who the week before had beaten - "Miss Arabella" and "Romolus," and won two thousand louis jumping - a ditch in England. One complained that his racehorses were - growing fat; another of the printers' errors that had disfigured - the name of his horse. -</p> -<p> - The atmosphere of the ball was heavy; the lamps were growing dim. -</p> -<p> - Guests were flocking to the billiard room. A servant got upon a - chair and broke the window-panes. At the crash of the glass - Madame Bovary turned her head and saw in the garden the faces of - peasants pressed against the window looking in at them. Then the - memory of the Bertaux came back to her. She saw the farm again, - the muddy pond, her father in a blouse under the apple trees, and - she saw herself again as formerly, skimming with her finger the - cream off the milk-pans in the dairy. But in the refulgence of - the present hour her past life, so distinct until then, faded - away completely, and she almost doubted having lived it. She was - there; beyond the ball was only shadow overspreading all the - rest. She was just eating a maraschino ice that she held with her - left hand in a silver-gilt cup, her eyes half-closed, and the - spoon between her teeth. -</p> -<p> - A lady near her dropped her fan. A gentlemen was passing. -</p> -<p> - "Would you be so good," said the lady, "as to pick up my fan that - has fallen behind the sofa?" -</p> -<p> - The gentleman bowed, and as he moved to stretch out his arm, Emma - saw the hand of a young woman throw something white, folded in a - triangle, into his hat. The gentleman, picking up the fan, - offered it to the lady respectfully; she thanked him with an - inclination of the head, and began smelling her bouquet. -</p> -<p> - After supper, where were plenty of Spanish and Rhine wines, soups - a la bisque and au lait d'amandes*, puddings a la Trafalgar, and - all sorts of cold meats with jellies that trembled in the dishes, - the carriages one after the other began to drive off. Raising the - corners of the muslin curtain, one could see the light of their - lanterns glimmering through the darkness. The seats began to - empty, some card-players were still left; the musicians were - cooling the tips of their fingers on their tongues. Charles was - half asleep, his back propped against a door. -</p> -<p> - *With almond milk -</p> -<p> - At three o'clock the cotillion began. Emma did not know how to waltz. - Everyone was waltzing, Mademoiselle d'Andervilliers herself and the - Marquis; only the guests staying at the castle were still there, - about a dozen persons. -</p> -<p> - One of the waltzers, however, who was familiarly called Viscount, - and whose low cut waistcoat seemed moulded to his chest, came a - second time to ask Madame Bovary to dance, assuring her that he - would guide her, and that she would get through it very well. -</p> -<p> - They began slowly, then went more rapidly. They turned; all - around them was turning—the lamps, the furniture, the - wainscoting, the floor, like a disc on a pivot. On passing near - the doors the bottom of Emma's dress caught against his trousers. -</p> -<p> - Their legs commingled; he looked down at her; she raised her eyes - to his. A torpor seized her; she stopped. They started again, and - with a more rapid movement; the Viscount, dragging her along - disappeared with her to the end of the gallery, where panting, - she almost fell, and for a moment rested her head upon his - breast. And then, still turning, but more slowly, he guided her - back to her seat. She leaned back against the wall and covered - her eyes with her hands. -</p> -<p> - When she opened them again, in the middle of the drawing room - three waltzers were kneeling before a lady sitting on a stool. -</p> -<p> - She chose the Viscount, and the violin struck up once more. -</p> -<p> - Everyone looked at them. They passed and re-passed, she with - rigid body, her chin bent down, and he always in the same pose, - his figure curved, his elbow rounded, his chin thrown forward. - That woman knew how to waltz! They kept up a long time, and tired - out all the others. -</p> -<p> - Then they talked a few moments longer, and after the goodnights, - or rather good mornings, the guests of the chateau retired to - bed. -</p> -<p> - Charles dragged himself up by the balusters. His "knees were - going up into his body." He had spent five consecutive hours - standing bolt upright at the card tables, watching them play - whist, without understanding anything about it, and it was with a - deep sigh of relief that he pulled off his boots. -</p> -<p> - Emma threw a shawl over her shoulders, opened the window, and - leant out. -</p> -<p> - The night was dark; some drops of rain were falling. She breathed - in the damp wind that refreshed her eyelids. The music of the - ball was still murmuring in her ears. And she tried to keep - herself awake in order to prolong the illusion of this - luxurious life that she would soon have to give up. -</p> -<p> - Day began to break. She looked long at the windows of the - chateau, trying to guess which were the rooms of all those she - had noticed the evening before. She would fain have known their - lives, have penetrated, blended with them. But she was shivering - with cold. She undressed, and cowered down between the sheets - against Charles, who was asleep. -</p> -<p> - There were a great many people to luncheon. The repast lasted ten - minutes; no liqueurs were served, which astonished the doctor. -</p> -<p> - Next, Mademoiselle d'Andervilliers collected some pieces of roll - in a small basket to take them to the swans on the ornamental - waters, and they went to walk in the hot-houses, where strange - plants, bristling with hairs, rose in pyramids under hanging - vases, whence, as from over-filled nests of serpents, fell long - green cords interlacing. The orangery, which was at the other - end, led by a covered way to the outhouses of the chateau. The - Marquis, to amuse the young woman, took her to see the stables. -</p> -<p> - Above the basket-shaped racks porcelain slabs bore the names of - the horses in black letters. Each animal in its stall whisked its - tail when anyone went near and said "Tchk! tchk!" The boards of - the harness room shone like the flooring of a drawing room. The - carriage harness was piled up in the middle against two twisted - columns, and the bits, the whips, the spurs, the curbs, were - ranged in a line all along the wall. -</p> -<p> - Charles, meanwhile, went to ask a groom to put his horse to. The - dog-cart was brought to the foot of the steps, and, all the - parcels being crammed in, the Bovarys paid their respects to the - Marquis and Marchioness and set out again for Tostes. -</p> -<p> - Emma watched the turning wheels in silence. Charles, on the - extreme edge of the seat, held the reins with his two arms wide - apart, and the little horse ambled along in the shafts that were - too big for him. The loose reins hanging over his crupper were - wet with foam, and the box fastened on behind the chaise gave - great regular bumps against it. -</p> -<p> - They were on the heights of Thibourville when suddenly some - horsemen with cigars between their lips passed laughing. Emma - thought she recognized the Viscount, turned back, and caught on - the horizon only the movement of the heads rising or falling with - the unequal cadence of the trot or gallop. -</p> -<p> - A mile farther on they had to stop to mend with some string the - traces that had broken. -</p> -<p> - But Charles, giving a last look to the harness, saw something on - the ground between his horse's legs, and he picked up a - cigar-case with a green silk border and beblazoned in the centre - like the door of a carriage. -</p> -<p> - "There are even two cigars in it," said he; "they'll do for this - evening after dinner." -</p> -<p> - "Why, do you smoke?" she asked. -</p> -<p> - "Sometimes, when I get a chance." -</p> -<p> - He put his find in his pocket and whipped up the nag. -</p> -<p> - When they reached home the dinner was not ready. Madame lost her - temper. Nastasie answered rudely. -</p> -<p> - "Leave the room!" said Emma. "You are forgetting yourself. I give - you warning." -</p> -<p> - For dinner there was onion soup and a piece of veal with sorrel. -</p> -<p> - Charles, seated opposite Emma, rubbed his hands gleefully. -</p> -<p> - "How good it is to be at home again!" -</p> -<p> - Nastasie could be heard crying. He was rather fond of the poor - girl. She had formerly, during the wearisome time of his - widowhood, kept him company many an evening. She had been his - first patient, his oldest acquaintance in the place. -</p> -<p> - "Have you given her warning for good?" he asked at last. -</p> -<p> - "Yes. Who is to prevent me?" she replied. -</p> -<p> - Then they warmed themselves in the kitchen while their room was - being made ready. Charles began to smoke. He smoked with lips - protruding, spitting every moment, recoiling at every puff. -</p> -<p> - "You'll make yourself ill," she said scornfully. -</p> -<p> - He put down his cigar and ran to swallow a glass of cold water at - the pump. Emma seizing hold of the cigar case threw it quickly to - the back of the cupboard. -</p> -<p> - The next day was a long one. She walked about her little garden, - up and down the same walks, stopping before the beds, before the - espalier, before the plaster curate, looking with amazement at - all these things of once-on-a-time that she knew so well. How far - off the ball seemed already! What was it that thus set so far - asunder the morning of the day before yesterday and the evening - of to-day? Her journey to Vaubyessard had made a hole in her - life, like one of those great crevices that a storm will - sometimes make in one night in mountains. Still she was resigned. - She devoutly put away in her drawers her beautiful dress, down to - the satin shoes whose soles were yellowed with the slippery wax - of the dancing floor. Her heart was like these. In its friction - against wealth something had come over it that could not be - effaced. -</p> -<p> - The memory of this ball, then, became an occupation for Emma. -</p> -<p> - Whenever the Wednesday came round she said to herself as she - awoke, "Ah! I was there a week—a fortnight—three weeks ago." -</p> -<p> - And little by little the faces grew confused in her remembrance. -</p> -<p> - She forgot the tune of the quadrilles; she no longer saw the - liveries and appointments so distinctly; some details escaped - her, but the regret remained with her. -</p> -<a name="2HCH10"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Nine -</h2> -<p> - Often when Charles was out she took from the cupboard, between - the folds of the linen where she had left it, the green silk - cigar case. She looked at it, opened it, and even smelt the odour - of the lining—a mixture of verbena and tobacco. Whose was it? - The Viscount's? Perhaps it was a present from his mistress. It - had been embroidered on some rosewood frame, a pretty little - thing, hidden from all eyes, that had occupied many hours, and - over which had fallen the soft curls of the pensive worker. A - breath of love had passed over the stitches on the canvas; each - prick of the needle had fixed there a hope or a memory, and all - those interwoven threads of silk were but the continuity of the - same silent passion. And then one morning the Viscount had taken - it away with him. Of what had they spoken when it lay upon the - wide-mantelled chimneys between flower-vases and Pompadour - clocks? She was at Tostes; he was at Paris now, far away! What - was this Paris like? What a vague name! She repeated it in a low - voice, for the mere pleasure of it; it rang in her ears like a - great cathedral bell; it shone before her eyes, even on the - labels of her pomade-pots. -</p> -<p> - At night, when the carriers passed under her windows in their - carts singing the "Marjolaine," she awoke, and listened to the - noise of the iron-bound wheels, which, as they gained the country - road, was soon deadened by the soil. "They will be there - to-morrow!" she said to herself. -</p> -<p> - And she followed them in thought up and down the hills, - traversing villages, gliding along the highroads by the light of - the stars. At the end of some indefinite distance there was - always a confused spot, into which her dream died. -</p> -<p> - She bought a plan of Paris, and with the tip of her finger on the - map she walked about the capital. She went up the boulevards, - stopping at every turning, between the lines of the streets, in - front of the white squares that represented the houses. At last - she would close the lids of her weary eyes, and see in the - darkness the gas jets flaring in the wind and the steps of - carriages lowered with much noise before the peristyles of - theatres. -</p> -<p> - She took in "La Corbeille," a lady's journal, and the "Sylphe des - Salons." She devoured, without skipping a word, all the accounts - of first nights, races, and soirees, took interest in the debut - of a singer, in the opening of a new shop. She knew the latest - fashions, the addresses of the best tailors, the days of the Bois - and the Opera. In Eugene Sue she studied descriptions of - furniture; she read Balzac and George Sand, seeking in them - imaginary satisfaction for her own desires. Even at table she had - her book by her, and turned over the pages while Charles ate and - talked to her. The memory of the Viscount always returned as she - read. Between him and the imaginary personages she made - comparisons. But the circle of which he was the centre gradually - widened round him, and the aureole that he bore, fading from his - form, broadened out beyond, lighting up her other dreams. -</p> -<p> - Paris, more vague than the ocean, glimmered before Emma's eyes in - an atmosphere of vermilion. The many lives that stirred amid this - tumult were, however, divided into parts, classed as distinct - pictures. Emma perceived only two or three that hid from her all - the rest, and in themselves represented all humanity. The world - of ambassadors moved over polished floors in drawing rooms lined - with mirrors, round oval tables covered with velvet and - gold-fringed cloths. There were dresses with trains, deep - mysteries, anguish hidden beneath smiles. Then came the society - of the duchesses; all were pale; all got up at four o'clock; the - women, poor angels, wore English point on their petticoats; and - the men, unappreciated geniuses under a frivolous outward - seeming, rode horses to death at pleasure parties, spent the - summer season at Baden, and towards the forties married - heiresses. In the private rooms of restaurants, where one sups - after midnight by the light of wax candles, laughed the motley - crowd of men of letters and actresses. They were prodigal as - kings, full of ideal, ambitious, fantastic frenzy. This was an - existence outside that of all others, between heaven and earth, - in the midst of storms, having something of the sublime. For the - rest of the world it was lost, with no particular place and as if - non-existent. The nearer things were, moreover, the more her - thoughts turned away from them. All her immediate surroundings, - the wearisome country, the middle-class imbeciles, the mediocrity - of existence, seemed to her exceptional, a peculiar chance that - had caught hold of her, while beyond stretched, as far as eye - could see, an immense land of joys and passions. She confused in - her desire the sensualities of luxury with the delights of the - heart, elegance of manners with delicacy of sentiment. Did not - love, like Indian plants, need a special soil, a particular - temperature? Signs by moonlight, long embraces, tears flowing - over yielded hands, all the fevers of the flesh and the languors - of tenderness could not be separated from the balconies of great - castles full of indolence, from boudoirs with silken curtains and - thick carpets, well-filled flower-stands, a bed on a raised dias, - nor from the flashing of precious stones and the shoulder-knots - of liveries. -</p> -<p> - The lad from the posting house who came to groom the mare every - morning passed through the passage with his heavy wooden shoes; - there were holes in his blouse; his feet were bare in list - slippers. And this was the groom in knee-britches with whom she - had to be content! His work done, he did not come back again all - day, for Charles on his return put up his horse himself, - unsaddled him and put on the halter, while the servant-girl - brought a bundle of straw and threw it as best she could into the - manger. -</p> -<p> - To replace Nastasie (who left Tostes shedding torrents of tears) - Emma took into her service a young girl of fourteen, an orphan - with a sweet face. She forbade her wearing cotton caps, taught - her to address her in the third person, to bring a glass of water - on a plate, to knock before coming into a room, to iron, starch, - and to dress her—wanted to make a lady's-maid of her. The new - servant obeyed without a murmur, so as not to be sent away; and - as madame usually left the key in the sideboard, Felicite every - evening took a small supply of sugar that she ate alone in her - bed after she had said her prayers. -</p> -<p> - Sometimes in the afternoon she went to chat with the postilions. -</p> -<p> - Madame was in her room upstairs. She wore an open dressing gown - that showed between the shawl facings of her bodice a pleated - chamisette with three gold buttons. Her belt was a corded girdle - with great tassels, and her small garnet coloured slippers had a - large knot of ribbon that fell over her instep. She had bought - herself a blotting book, writing case, pen-holder, and envelopes, - although she had no one to write to; she dusted her what-not, - looked at herself in the glass, picked up a book, and then, - dreaming between the lines, let it drop on her knees. She longed - to travel or to go back to her convent. She wished at the same - time to die and to live in Paris. -</p> -<p> - Charles in snow and rain trotted across country. He ate omelettes - on farmhouse tables, poked his arm into damp beds, received the - tepid spurt of blood-lettings in his face, listened to - death-rattles, examined basins, turned over a good deal of dirty - linen; but every evening he found a blazing fire, his dinner - ready, easy-chairs, and a well-dressed woman, charming with an - odour of freshness, though no one could say whence the perfume - came, or if it were not her skin that made odorous her chemise. -</p> -<p> - She charmed him by numerous attentions; now it was some new way - of arranging paper sconces for the candles, a flounce that she - altered on her gown, or an extraordinary name for some very - simple dish that the servant had spoilt, but that Charles - swallowed with pleasure to the last mouthful. At Rouen she saw - some ladies who wore a bunch of charms on the watch-chains; she - bought some charms. She wanted for her mantelpiece two large blue - glass vases, and some time after an ivory necessaire with a - silver-gilt thimble. The less Charles understood these - refinements the more they seduced him. They added something to - the pleasure of the senses and to the comfort of his fireside. It - was like a golden dust sanding all along the narrow path of his - life. -</p> -<p> - He was well, looked well; his reputation was firmly established. -</p> -<p> - The country-folk loved him because he was not proud. He petted - the children, never went to the public house, and, moreover, his - morals inspired confidence. He was specially successful with - catarrhs and chest complaints. Being much afraid of killing his - patients, Charles, in fact only prescribed sedatives, from time - to time and emetic, a footbath, or leeches. It was not that he - was afraid of surgery; he bled people copiously like horses, and - for the taking out of teeth he had the "devil's own wrist." -</p> -<p> - Finally, to keep up with the times, he took in "La Ruche - Medicale," a new journal whose prospectus had been sent him. He - read it a little after dinner, but in about five minutes the - warmth of the room added to the effect of his dinner sent him to - sleep; and he sat there, his chin on his two hands and his hair - spreading like a mane to the foot of the lamp. Emma looked at him - and shrugged her shoulders. Why, at least, was not her husband - one of those men of taciturn passions who work at their books all - night, and at last, when about sixty, the age of rheumatism sets - in, wear a string of orders on their ill-fitting black coat? She - could have wished this name of Bovary, which was hers, had been - illustrious, to see it displayed at the booksellers', repeated in - the newspapers, known to all France. But Charles had no ambition. -</p> -<p> - An Yvetot doctor whom he had lately met in consultation had - somewhat humiliated him at the very bedside of the patient, - before the assembled relatives. When, in the evening, Charles - told her this anecdote, Emma inveighed loudly against his - colleague. Charles was much touched. He kissed her forehead with - a tear in his eyes. But she was angered with shame; she felt a - wild desire to strike him; she went to open the window in the - passage and breathed in the fresh air to calm herself. -</p> -<p> - "What a man! What a man!" she said in a low voice, biting her - lips. -</p> -<p> - Besides, she was becoming more irritated with him. As he grew - older his manner grew heavier; at dessert he cut the corks of the - empty bottles; after eating he cleaned his teeth with his tongue; - in taking soup he made a gurgling noise with every spoonful; and, - as he was getting fatter, the puffed-out cheeks seemed to push - the eyes, always small, up to the temples. -</p> -<p> - Sometimes Emma tucked the red borders of his under-vest unto his - waistcoat, rearranged his cravat, and threw away the dirty gloves - he was going to put on; and this was not, as he fancied, for - himself; it was for herself, by a diffusion of egotism, of - nervous irritation. Sometimes, too, she told him of what she had - read, such as a passage in a novel, of a new play, or an anecdote - of the "upper ten" that she had seen in a feuilleton; for, after - all, Charles was something, an ever-open ear, and ever-ready - approbation. She confided many a thing to her greyhound. She - would have done so to the logs in the fireplace or to the - pendulum of the clock. -</p> -<p> - At the bottom of her heart, however, she was waiting for - something to happen. Like shipwrecked sailors, she turned - despairing eyes upon the solitude of her life, seeking afar off - some white sail in the mists of the horizon. She did not know - what this chance would be, what wind would bring it her, towards - what shore it would drive her, if it would be a shallop or a - three-decker, laden with anguish or full of bliss to the - portholes. But each morning, as she awoke, she hoped it would - come that day; she listened to every sound, sprang up with a - start, wondered that it did not come; then at sunset, always more - saddened, she longed for the morrow. -</p> -<p> - Spring came round. With the first warm weather, when the pear - trees began to blossom, she suffered from dyspnoea. -</p> -<p> - From the beginning of July she counted how many weeks there were - to October, thinking that perhaps the Marquis d'Andervilliers - would give another ball at Vaubyessard. But all September passed - without letters or visits. -</p> -<p> - After the ennui of this disappointment her heart once more - remained empty, and then the same series of days recommenced. So - now they would thus follow one another, always the same, - immovable, and bringing nothing. Other lives, however flat, had - at least the chance of some event. One adventure sometimes - brought with it infinite consequences and the scene changed. But - nothing happened to her; God had willed it so! The future was a - dark corridor, with its door at the end shut fast. -</p> -<p> - She gave up music. What was the good of playing? Who would hear - her? Since she could never, in a velvet gown with short sleeves, - striking with her light fingers the ivory keys of an Erard at a - concert, feel the murmur of ecstasy envelop her like a breeze, it - was not worth while boring herself with practicing. Her drawing - cardboard and her embroidery she left in the cupboard. What was - the good? What was the good? Sewing irritated her. "I have read - everything," she said to herself. And she sat there making the - tongs red-hot, or looked at the rain falling. -</p> -<p> - How sad she was on Sundays when vespers sounded! She listened - with dull attention to each stroke of the cracked bell. A cat - slowly walking over some roof put up his back in the pale rays of - the sum. The wind on the highroad blew up clouds of dust. Afar - off a dog sometimes howled; and the bell, keeping time, continued - its monotonous ringing that died away over the fields. -</p> -<p> - But the people came out from church. The women in waxed clogs, - the peasants in new blouses, the little bare-headed children - skipping along in front of them, all were going home. And till - nightfall, five or six men, always the same, stayed playing at - corks in front of the large door of the inn. -</p> -<p> - The winter was severe. The windows every morning were covered - with rime, and the light shining through them, dim as through - ground-glass, sometimes did not change the whole day long. At - four o'clock the lamp had to be lighted. -</p> -<p> - On fine days she went down into the garden. The dew had left on - the cabbages a silver lace with long transparent threads - spreading from one to the other. No birds were to be heard; - everything seemed asleep, the espalier covered with straw, and - the vine, like a great sick serpent under the coping of the wall, - along which, on drawing hear, one saw the many-footed woodlice - crawling. Under the spruce by the hedgerow, the curie in the - three-cornered hat reading his breviary had lost his right foot, - and the very plaster, scaling off with the frost, had left white - scabs on his face. -</p> -<p> - Then she went up again, shut her door, put on coals, and fainting - with the heat of the hearth, felt her boredom weigh more heavily - than ever. She would have liked to go down and talk to the - servant, but a sense of shame restrained her. -</p> -<p> - Every day at the same time the schoolmaster in a black skullcap - opened the shutters of his house, and the rural policeman, - wearing his sabre over his blouse, passed by. Night and morning - the post-horses, three by three, crossed the street to water at - the pond. From time to time the bell of a public house door rang, - and when it was windy one could hear the little brass basins that - served as signs for the hairdresser's shop creaking on their two - rods. This shop had as decoration an old engraving of a - fashion-plate stuck against a windowpane and the wax bust of a - woman with yellow hair. He, too, the hairdresser, lamented his - wasted calling, his hopeless future, and dreaming of some shop in - a big town—at Rouen, for example, overlooking the harbour, near - the theatre—he walked up and down all day from the mairie to the - church, sombre and waiting for customers. When Madame Bovary - looked up, she always saw him there, like a sentinel on duty, - with his skullcap over his ears and his vest of lasting. -</p> -<p> - Sometimes in the afternoon outside the window of her room, the - head of a man appeared, a swarthy head with black whiskers, - smiling slowly, with a broad, gentle smile that showed his white - teeth. A waltz immediately began and on the organ, in a little - drawing room, dancers the size of a finger, women in pink - turbans, Tyrolians in jackets, monkeys in frock coats, gentlemen - in knee-breeches, turned and turned between the sofas, the - consoles, multiplied in the bits of looking glass held together - at their corners by a piece of gold paper. The man turned his - handle, looking to the right and left, and up at the windows. Now - and again, while he shot out a long squirt of brown saliva - against the milestone, with his knee raised his instrument, whose - hard straps tired his shoulder; and now, doleful and drawling, or - gay and hurried, the music escaped from the box, droning through - a curtain of pink taffeta under a brass claw in arabesque. They - were airs played in other places at the theatres, sung in drawing - rooms, danced to at night under lighted lustres, echoes of the - world that reached even to Emma. Endless sarabands ran through - her head, and, like an Indian dancing girl on the flowers of a - carpet, her thoughts leapt with the notes, swung from dream to - dream, from sadness to sadness. When the man had caught some - coppers in his cap, he drew down an old cover of blue cloth, - hitched his organ on to his back, and went off with a heavy - tread. She watched him going. -</p> -<p> - But it was above all the meal-times that were unbearable to her, - in this small room on the ground floor, with its smoking stove, - its creaking door, the walls that sweated, the damp flags; all - the bitterness in life seemed served up on her plate, and with - smoke of the boiled beef there rose from her secret soul whiffs - of sickliness. Charles was a slow eater; she played with a few - nuts, or, leaning on her elbow, amused herself with drawing lines - along the oilcloth table cover with the point of her knife. -</p> -<p> - She now let everything in her household take care of itself, and - Madame Bovary senior, when she came to spend part of Lent at - Tostes, was much surprised at the change. She who was formerly so - careful, so dainty, now passed whole days without dressing, wore - grey cotton stockings, and burnt tallow candles. She kept saying - they must be economical since they were not rich, adding that she - was very contented, very happy, that Tostes pleased her very - much, with other speeches that closed the mouth of her - mother-in-law. Besides, Emma no longer seemed inclined to follow - her advice; once even, Madame Bovary having thought fit to - maintain that mistresses ought to keep an eye on the religion of - their servants, she had answered with so angry a look and so cold - a smile that the good woman did not interfere again. -</p> -<p> - Emma was growing difficult, capricious. She ordered dishes for - herself, then she did not touch them; one day drank only pure - milk, the next cups of tea by the dozen. Often she persisted in - not going out, then, stifling, threw open the windows and put on - light dresses. After she had well scolded her servant she gave - her presents or sent her out to see neighbours, just as she - sometimes threw beggars all the silver in her purse, although she - was by no means tender-hearted or easily accessible to the - feelings of others, like most country-bred people, who always - retain in their souls something of the horny hardness of the - paternal hands. -</p> -<p> - Towards the end of February old Rouault, in memory of his cure, - himself brought his son-in-law a superb turkey, and stayed three - days at Tostes. Charles being with his patients, Emma kept him - company. He smoked in the room, spat on the firedogs, talked - farming, calves, cows, poultry, and municipal council, so that - when he left she closed the door on him with a feeling of - satisfaction that surprised even herself. Moreover she no longer - concealed her contempt for anything or anybody, and at times she - set herself to express singular opinions, finding fault with that - which others approved, and approving things perverse and immoral, - all of which made her husband open his eyes widely. -</p> -<p> - Would this misery last for ever? Would she never issue from it? - Yet she was as good as all the women who were living happily. She - had seen duchesses at Vaubyessard with clumsier waists and - commoner ways, and she execrated the injustice of God. She leant - her head against the walls to weep; she envied lives of stir; - longed for masked balls, for violent pleasures, with all the - wildness that she did not know, but that these must surely yield. -</p> -<p> - She grew pale and suffered from palpitations of the heart. -</p> -<p> - Charles prescribed valerian and camphor baths. Everything that - was tried only seemed to irritate her the more. -</p> -<p> - On certain days she chatted with feverish rapidity, and this - over-excitement was suddenly followed by a state of torpor, in - which she remained without speaking, without moving. What then - revived her was pouring a bottle of eau-de-cologne over her arms. -</p> -<p> - As she was constantly complaining about Tostes, Charles fancied - that her illness was no doubt due to some local cause, and fixing - on this idea, began to think seriously of setting up elsewhere. -</p> -<p> - From that moment she drank vinegar, contracted a sharp little - cough, and completely lost her appetite. -</p> -<p> - It cost Charles much to give up Tostes after living there four - years and "when he was beginning to get on there." Yet if it must - be! He took her to Rouen to see his old master. It was a nervous - complaint: change of air was needed. -</p> -<p> - After looking about him on this side and on that, Charles learnt - that in the Neufchatel arrondissement there was a considerable - market town called Yonville-l'Abbaye, whose doctor, a Polish - refugee, had decamped a week before. Then he wrote to the chemist - of the place to ask the number of the population, the distance - from the nearest doctor, what his predecessor had made a year, - and so forth; and the answer being satisfactory, he made up his - mind to move towards the spring, if Emma's health did not - improve. -</p> -<p> - One day when, in view of her departure, she was tidying a drawer, - something pricked her finger. It was a wire of her wedding - bouquet. The orange blossoms were yellow with dust and the silver - bordered satin ribbons frayed at the edges. She threw it into the - fire. It flared up more quickly than dry straw. Then it was, like - a red bush in the cinders, slowly devoured. She watched it burn. -</p> -<p> - The little pasteboard berries burst, the wire twisted, the gold - lace melted; and the shriveled paper corollas, fluttering like - black butterflies at the back of the stove, at least flew up the - chimney. -</p> -<p> - When they left Tostes at the month of March, Madame Bovary was - pregnant. -</p> -<a name="2HPAR11"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Part II -</h2> -<a name="2HCH12"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter One -</h2> -<p> - Yonville-l'Abbaye (so called from an old Capuchin abbey of which - not even the ruins remain) is a market-town twenty-four miles - from Rouen, between the Abbeville and Beauvais roads, at the foot - of a valley watered by the Rieule, a little river that runs into - the Andelle after turning three water-mills near its mouth, where - there are a few trout that the lads amuse themselves by fishing - for on Sundays. -</p> -<p> - We leave the highroad at La Boissiere and keep straight on to the - top of the Leux hill, whence the valley is seen. The river that - runs through it makes of it, as it were, two regions with - distinct physiognomies—all on the left is pasture land, all of - the right arable. The meadow stretches under a bulge of low hills - to join at the back with the pasture land of the Bray country, - while on the eastern side, the plain, gently rising, broadens - out, showing as far as eye can follow its blond cornfields. The - water, flowing by the grass, divides with a white line the colour - of the roads and of the plains, and the country is like a great - unfolded mantle with a green velvet cape bordered with a fringe - of silver. -</p> -<p> - Before us, on the verge of the horizon, lie the oaks of the - forest of Argueil, with the steeps of the Saint-Jean hills - scarred from top to bottom with red irregular lines; they are - rain tracks, and these brick-tones standing out in narrow streaks - against the grey colour of the mountain are due to the quantity - of iron springs that flow beyond in the neighboring country. -</p> -<p> - Here we are on the confines of Normandy, Picardy, and the - Ile-de-France, a bastard land whose language is without accent - and its landscape is without character. It is there that they - make the worst Neufchatel cheeses of all the arrondissement; and, - on the other hand, farming is costly because so much manure is - needed to enrich this friable soil full of sand and flints. -</p> -<p> - Up to 1835 there was no practicable road for getting to Yonville, - but about this time a cross-road was made which joins that of - Abbeville to that of Amiens, and is occasionally used by the - Rouen wagoners on their way to Flanders. Yonville-l'Abbaye has - remained stationary in spite of its "new outlet." Instead of - improving the soil, they persist in keeping up the pasture lands, - however depreciated they may be in value, and the lazy borough, - growing away from the plain, has naturally spread riverwards. It - is seem from afar sprawling along the banks like a cowherd taking - a siesta by the water-side. -</p> -<p> - At the foot of the hill beyond the bridge begins a roadway, - planted with young aspens, that leads in a straight line to the - first houses in the place. These, fenced in by hedges, are in the - middle of courtyards full of straggling buildings, wine-presses, - cart-sheds and distilleries scattered under thick trees, with - ladders, poles, or scythes hung on to the branches. The thatched - roofs, like fur caps drawn over eyes, reach down over about a - third of the low windows, whose coarse convex glasses have knots - in the middle like the bottoms of bottles. Against the plaster - wall diagonally crossed by black joists, a meagre pear-tree - sometimes leans and the ground-floors have at their door a small - swing-gate to keep out the chicks that come pilfering crumbs of - bread steeped in cider on the threshold. But the courtyards grow - narrower, the houses closer together, and the fences disappear; a - bundle of ferns swings under a window from the end of a - broomstick; there is a blacksmith's forge and then a - wheelwright's, with two or three new carts outside that partly - block the way. Then across an open space appears a white house - beyond a grass mound ornamented by a Cupid, his finger on his - lips; two brass vases are at each end of a flight of steps; - scutcheons* blaze upon the door. It is the notary's house, and - the finest in the place. -</p> -<p> - *The panonceaux that have to be hung over the doors of notaries. -</p> -<p> - The Church is on the other side of the street, twenty paces - farther down, at the entrance of the square. The little cemetery - that surrounds it, closed in by a wall breast high, is so full of - graves that the old stones, level with the ground, form a - continuous pavement, on which the grass of itself has marked out - regular green squares. The church was rebuilt during the last - years of the reign of Charles X. The wooden roof is beginning to - rot from the top, and here and there has black hollows in its - blue colour. Over the door, where the organ should be, is a loft - for the men, with a spiral staircase that reverberates under - their wooden shoes. -</p> -<p> - The daylight coming through the plain glass windows falls - obliquely upon the pews ranged along the walls, which are adorned - here and there with a straw mat bearing beneath it the words in - large letters, "Mr. So-and-so's pew." Farther on, at a spot where - the building narrows, the confessional forms a pendant to a - statuette of the Virgin, clothed in a satin robe, coifed with a - tulle veil sprinkled with silver stars, and with red cheeks, like - an idol of the Sandwich Islands; and, finally, a copy of the - "Holy Family, presented by the Minister of the Interior," - overlooking the high altar, between four candlesticks, closes in - the perspective. The choir stalls, of deal wood, have been left - unpainted. -</p> -<p> - The market, that is to say, a tiled roof supported by some twenty - posts, occupies of itself about half the public square of - Yonville. The town hall, constructed "from the designs of a Paris - architect," is a sort of Greek temple that forms the corner next - to the chemist's shop. On the ground-floor are three Ionic - columns and on the first floor a semicircular gallery, while the - dome that crowns it is occupied by a Gallic cock, resting one - foot upon the "Charte" and holding in the other the scales of - Justice. -</p> -<p> - But that which most attracts the eye is opposite the Lion d'Or - inn, the chemist's shop of Monsieur Homais. In the evening - especially its argand lamp is lit up and the red and green jars - that embellish his shop-front throw far across the street their - two streams of colour; then across them as if in Bengal lights is - seen the shadow of the chemist leaning over his desk. His house - from top to bottom is placarded with inscriptions written in - large hand, round hand, printed hand: "Vichy, Seltzer, Barege - waters, blood purifiers, Raspail patent medicine, Arabian - racahout, Darcet lozenges, Regnault paste, trusses, baths, - hygienic chocolate," etc. And the signboard, which takes up all - the breadth of the shop, bears in gold letters, "Homais, - Chemist." Then at the back of the shop, behind the great scales - fixed to the counter, the word "Laboratory" appears on a scroll - above a glass door, which about half-way up once more repeats - "Homais" in gold letters on a black ground. -</p> -<p> - Beyond this there is nothing to see at Yonville. The street (the - only one) a gunshot in length and flanked by a few shops on - either side stops short at the turn of the highroad. If it is - left on the right hand and the foot of the Saint-Jean hills - followed the cemetery is soon reached. -</p> -<p> - At the time of the cholera, in order to enlarge this, a piece of - wall was pulled down, and three acres of land by its side - purchased; but all the new portion is almost tenantless; the - tombs, as heretofore, continue to crowd together towards the - gate. The keeper, who is at once gravedigger and church beadle - (thus making a double profit out of the parish corpses), has - taken advantage of the unused plot of ground to plant potatoes - there. From year to year, however, his small field grows smaller, - and when there is an epidemic, he does not know whether to - rejoice at the deaths or regret the burials. -</p> -<p> - "You live on the dead, Lestiboudois!" the curie at last said to - him one day. This grim remark made him reflect; it checked him - for some time; but to this day he carries on the cultivation of - his little tubers, and even maintains stoutly that they grow - naturally. -</p> -<p> - Since the events about to be narrated, nothing in fact has - changed at Yonville. The tin tricolour flag still swings at the - top of the church-steeple; the two chintz streamers still flutter - in the wind from the linen-draper's; the chemist's fetuses, like - lumps of white amadou, rot more and more in their turbid alcohol, - and above the big door of the inn the old golden lion, faded by - rain, still shows passers-by its poodle mane. -</p> -<p> - On the evening when the Bovarys were to arrive at Yonville, Widow - Lefrancois, the landlady of this inn, was so very busy that she - sweated great drops as she moved her saucepans. To-morrow was - market-day. The meat had to be cut beforehand, the fowls drawn, - the soup and coffee made. Moreover, she had the boarders' meal to - see to, and that of the doctor, his wife, and their servant; the - billiard-room was echoing with bursts of laughter; three millers - in a small parlour were calling for brandy; the wood was blazing, - the brazen pan was hissing, and on the long kitchen table, amid - the quarters of raw mutton, rose piles of plates that rattled - with the shaking of the block on which spinach was being chopped. -</p> -<p> - From the poultry-yard was heard the screaming of the fowls whom - the servant was chasing in order to wring their necks. -</p> -<p> - A man slightly marked with small-pox, in green leather slippers, - and wearing a velvet cap with a gold tassel, was warming his back - at the chimney. His face expressed nothing but self-satisfaction, - and he appeared to take life as calmly as the goldfinch suspended - over his head in its wicker cage: this was the chemist. -</p> -<p> - "Artemise!" shouted the landlady, "chop some wood, fill the water - bottles, bring some brandy, look sharp! If only I knew what - dessert to offer the guests you are expecting! Good heavens! - Those furniture-movers are beginning their racket in the - billiard-room again; and their van has been left before the front - door! The 'Hirondelle' might run into it when it draws up. Call - Polyte and tell him to put it up. Only think, Monsieur Homais, - that since morning they have had about fifteen games, and drunk - eight jars of cider! Why, they'll tear my cloth for me," she went - on, looking at them from a distance, her strainer in her hand. -</p> -<p> - "That wouldn't be much of a loss," replied Monsieur Homais. "You - would buy another." -</p> -<p> - "Another billiard-table!" exclaimed the widow. -</p> -<p> - "Since that one is coming to pieces, Madame Lefrancois. I tell - you again you are doing yourself harm, much harm! And besides, - players now want narrow pockets and heavy cues. Hazards aren't - played now; everything is changed! One must keep pace with the - times! Just look at Tellier!" -</p> -<p> - The hostess reddened with vexation. The chemist went on— -</p> -<p> - "You may say what you like; his table is better than yours; and - if one were to think, for example, of getting up a patriotic pool - for Poland or the sufferers from the Lyons floods—" -</p> -<p> - "It isn't beggars like him that'll frighten us," interrupted the - landlady, shrugging her fat shoulders. "Come, come, Monsieur - Homais; as long as the 'Lion d'Or' exists people will come to it. - We've feathered our nest; while one of these days you'll find the - 'Cafe Francais' closed with a big placard on the shutters. Change - my billiard-table!" she went on, speaking to herself, "the table - that comes in so handy for folding the washing, and on which, in - the hunting season, I have slept six visitors! But that dawdler, - Hivert, doesn't come!" -</p> -<p> - "Are you waiting for him for your gentlemen's dinner?" -</p> -<p> - "Wait for him! And what about Monsieur Binet? As the clock - strikes six you'll see him come in, for he hasn't his equal under - the sun for punctuality. He must always have his seat in the - small parlour. He'd rather die than dine anywhere else. And so - squeamish as he is, and so particular about the cider! Not like - Monsieur Leon; he sometimes comes at seven, or even half-past, - and he doesn't so much as look at what he eats. Such a nice young - man! Never speaks a rough word!" -</p> -<p> - "Well, you see, there's a great difference between an educated - man and an old carabineer who is now a tax-collector." -</p> -<p> - Six o'clock struck. Binet came in. -</p> -<p> - He wore a blue frock-coat falling in a straight line round his - thin body, and his leather cap, with its lappets knotted over the - top of his head with string, showed under the turned-up peak a - bald forehead, flattened by the constant wearing of a helmet. He - wore a black cloth waistcoat, a hair collar, grey trousers, and, - all the year round, well-blacked boots, that had two parallel - swellings due to the sticking out of his big-toes. Not a hair - stood out from the regular line of fair whiskers, which, - encircling his jaws, framed, after the fashion of a garden - border, his long, wan face, whose eyes were small and the nose - hooked. Clever at all games of cards, a good hunter, and writing - a fine hand, he had at home a lathe, and amused himself by - turning napkin rings, with which he filled up his house, with the - jealousy of an artist and the egotism of a bourgeois. -</p> -<p> - He went to the small parlour, but the three millers had to be got - out first, and during the whole time necessary for laying the - cloth, Binet remained silent in his place near the stove. Then he - shut the door and took off his cap in his usual way. -</p> -<p> - "It isn't with saying civil things that he'll wear out his - tongue," said the chemist, as soon as he was along with the - landlady. -</p> -<p> - "He never talks more," she replied. "Last week two travelers in - the cloth line were here—such clever chaps who told such jokes - in the evening, that I fairly cried with laughing; and he stood - there like a dab fish and never said a word." -</p> -<p> - "Yes," observed the chemist; "no imagination, no sallies, nothing - that makes the society-man." -</p> -<p> - "Yet they say he has parts," objected the landlady. -</p> -<p> - "Parts!" replied Monsieur Homais; "he, parts! In his own line it - is possible," he added in a calmer tone. And he went on— -</p> -<p> - "Ah! That a merchant, who has large connections, a jurisconsult, - a doctor, a chemist, should be thus absent-minded, that they - should become whimsical or even peevish, I can understand; such - cases are cited in history. But at least it is because they are - thinking of something. Myself, for example, how often has it - happened to me to look on the bureau for my pen to write a label, - and to find, after all, that I had put it behind my ear!" -</p> -<p> - Madame Lefrancois just then went to the door to see if the - "Hirondelle" were not coming. She started. A man dressed in black - suddenly came into the kitchen. By the last gleam of the twilight - one could see that his face was rubicund and his form athletic. -</p> -<p> - "What can I do for you, Monsieur le Curie?" asked the landlady, - as she reached down from the chimney one of the copper - candlesticks placed with their candles in a row. "Will you take - something? A thimbleful of Cassis*? A glass of wine?" -</p> -<p> - *Black currant liqueur. -</p> -<p> - The priest declined very politely. He had come for his umbrella, - that he had forgotten the other day at the Ernemont convent, and - after asking Madame Lefrancois to have it sent to him at the - presbytery in the evening, he left for the church, from which the - Angelus was ringing. -</p> -<p> - When the chemist no longer heard the noise of his boots along the - square, he thought the priest's behaviour just now very - unbecoming. This refusal to take any refreshment seemed to him - the most odious hypocrisy; all priests tippled on the sly, and - were trying to bring back the days of the tithe. -</p> -<p> - The landlady took up the defence of her curie. -</p> -<p> - "Besides, he could double up four men like you over his knee. - Last year he helped our people to bring in the straw; he carried - as many as six trusses at once, he is so strong." -</p> -<p> - "Bravo!" said the chemist. "Now just send your daughters to - confess to fellows which such a temperament! I, if I were the - Government, I'd have the priests bled once a month. Yes, Madame - Lefrancois, every month—a good phlebotomy, in the interests of - the police and morals." -</p> -<p> - "Be quiet, Monsieur Homais. You are an infidel; you've no - religion." -</p> -<p> - The chemist answered: "I have a religion, my religion, and I even - have more than all these others with their mummeries and their - juggling. I adore God, on the contrary. I believe in the Supreme - Being, in a Creator, whatever he may be. I care little who has - placed us here below to fulfil our duties as citizens and fathers - of families; but I don't need to go to church to kiss silver - plates, and fatten, out of my pocket, a lot of good-for-nothings - who live better than we do. For one can know Him as well in a - wood, in a field, or even contemplating the eternal vault like - the ancients. My God! Mine is the God of Socrates, of Franklin, - of Voltaire, and of Beranger! I am for the profession of faith of - the 'Savoyard Vicar,' and the immortal principles of '89! And I - can't admit of an old boy of a God who takes walks in his garden - with a cane in his hand, who lodges his friends in the belly of - whales, dies uttering a cry, and rises again at the end of three - days; things absurd in themselves, and completely opposed, - moreover, to all physical laws, which prove to us, by the way, - that priests have always wallowed in turpid ignorance, in which - they would fain engulf the people with them." -</p> -<p> - He ceased, looking round for an audience, for in his bubbling - over the chemist had for a moment fancied himself in the midst of - the town council. But the landlady no longer heeded him; she was - listening to a distant rolling. One could distinguish the noise - of a carriage mingled with the clattering of loose horseshoes - that beat against the ground, and at last the "Hirondelle" - stopped at the door. -</p> -<p> - It was a yellow box on two large wheels, that, reaching to the - tilt, prevented travelers from seeing the road and dirtied their - shoulders. The small panes of the narrow windows rattled in their - sashes when the coach was closed, and retained here and there - patches of mud amid the old layers of dust, that not even storms - of rain had altogether washed away. It was drawn by three horses, - the first a leader, and when it came down-hill its bottom jolted - against the ground. -</p> -<p> - Some of the inhabitants of Yonville came out into the square; - they all spoke at once, asking for news, for explanations, for - hampers. Hivert did not know whom to answer. It was he who did - the errands of the place in town. He went to the shops and - brought back rolls of leather for the shoemaker, old iron for the - farrier, a barrel of herrings for his mistress, caps from the - milliner's, locks from the hair-dresser's and all along the road - on his return journey he distributed his parcels, which he threw, - standing upright on his seat and shouting at the top of his - voice, over the enclosures of the yards. -</p> -<p> - An accident had delayed him. Madame Bovary's greyhound had run - across the field. They had whistled for him a quarter of an hour; - Hivert had even gone back a mile and a half expecting every - moment to catch sight of her; but it had been necessary to go on. -</p> -<p> - Emma had wept, grown angry; she had accused Charles of this - misfortune. Monsieur Lheureux, a draper, who happened to be in - the coach with her, had tried to console her by a number of - examples of lost dogs recognizing their masters at the end of - long years. One, he said had been told of, who had come back to - Paris from Constantinople. Another had gone one hundred and fifty - miles in a straight line, and swum four rivers; and his own - father had possessed a poodle, which, after twelve years of - absence, had all of a sudden jumped on his back in the street as - he was going to dine in town. -</p> -<a name="2HCH13"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Two -</h2> -<p> - Emma got out first, then Felicite, Monsieur Lheureux, and a - nurse, and they had to wake up Charles in his corner, where he - had slept soundly since night set in. -</p> -<p> - Homais introduced himself; he offered his homages to madame and - his respects to monsieur; said he was charmed to have been able - to render them some slight service, and added with a cordial air - that he had ventured to invite himself, his wife being away. -</p> -<p> - When Madame Bovary was in the kitchen she went up to the chimney. -</p> -<p> - With the tips of her fingers she caught her dress at the knee, - and having thus pulled it up to her ankle, held out her foot in - its black boot to the fire above the revolving leg of mutton. The - flame lit up the whole of her, penetrating with a crude light the - woof of her gowns, the fine pores of her fair skin, and even her - eyelids, which she blinked now and again. A great red glow passed - over her with the blowing of the wind through the half-open door. -</p> -<p> - On the other side of the chimney a young man with fair hair - watched her silently. -</p> -<p> - As he was a good deal bored at Yonville, where he was a clerk at - the notary's, Monsieur Guillaumin, Monsieur Leon Dupuis (it was - he who was the second habitue of the "Lion d'Or") frequently put - back his dinner-hour in hope that some traveler might come to the - inn, with whom he could chat in the evening. On the days when his - work was done early, he had, for want of something else to do, to - come punctually, and endure from soup to cheese a tete-a-tete - with Binet. It was therefore with delight that he accepted the - landlady's suggestion that he should dine in company with the - newcomers, and they passed into the large parlour where Madame - Lefrancois, for the purpose of showing off, had had the table - laid for four. -</p> -<p> - Homais asked to be allowed to keep on his skull-cap, for fear of - coryza; then, turning to his neighbour— -</p> -<p> - "Madame is no doubt a little fatigued; one gets jolted so - abominably in our 'Hirondelle.'" -</p> -<p> - "That is true," replied Emma; "but moving about always amuses me. - I like change of place." -</p> -<p> - "It is so tedious," sighed the clerk, "to be always riveted to - the same places." -</p> -<p> - "If you were like me," said Charles, "constantly obliged to be in - the saddle"— -</p> -<p> - "But," Leon went on, addressing himself to Madame Bovary, - "nothing, it seems to me, is more pleasant—when one can," he - added. -</p> -<p> - "Moreover," said the druggist, "the practice of medicine is not - very hard work in our part of the world, for the state of our - roads allows us the use of gigs, and generally, as the farmers - are prosperous, they pay pretty well. We have, medically - speaking, besides the ordinary cases of enteritis, bronchitis, - bilious affections, etc., now and then a few intermittent fevers - at harvest-time; but on the whole, little of a serious nature, - nothing special to note, unless it be a great deal of scrofula, - due, no doubt, to the deplorable hygienic conditions of our - peasant dwellings. Ah! you will find many prejudices to combat, - Monsieur Bovary, much obstinacy of routine, with which all the - efforts of your science will daily come into collision; for - people still have recourse to novenas, to relics, to the priest, - rather than come straight to the doctor or the chemist. The - climate, however, is not, truth to tell, bad, and we even have a - few nonagenarians in our parish. The thermometer (I have made - some observations) falls in winter to 4 degrees Centigrade at the - outside, which gives us 24 degrees Reaumur as the maximum, or - otherwise 54 degrees Fahrenheit (English scale), not more. And, - as a matter of fact, we are sheltered from the north winds by the - forest of Argueil on the one side, from the west winds by the St. - Jean range on the other; and this heat, moreover, which, on - account of the aqueous vapours given off by the river and the - considerable number of cattle in the fields, which, as you know, - exhale much ammonia, that is to say, nitrogen, hydrogen and - oxygen (no, nitrogen and hydrogen alone), and which sucking up - into itself the humus from the ground, mixing together all those - different emanations, unites them into a stack, so to say, and - combining with the electricity diffused through the atmosphere, - when there is any, might in the long run, as in tropical - countries, engender insalubrious miasmata—this heat, I say, - finds itself perfectly tempered on the side whence it comes, or - rather whence it should come—that is to say, the southern side— - by the south-eastern winds, which, having cooled themselves - passing over the Seine, reach us sometimes all at once like - breezes from Russia." -</p> -<p> - "At any rate, you have some walks in the neighbourhood?" - continued Madame Bovary, speaking to the young man. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, very few," he answered. "There is a place they call La - Pature, on the top of the hill, on the edge of the forest. - Sometimes, on Sundays, I go and stay there with a book, watching - the sunset." -</p> -<p> - "I think there is nothing so admirable as sunsets," she resumed; - "but especially by the side of the sea." -</p> -<p> - "Oh, I adore the sea!" said Monsieur Leon. -</p> -<p> - "And then, does it not seem to you," continued Madame Bovary, - "that the mind travels more freely on this limitless expanse, the - contemplation of which elevates the soul, gives ideas of the - infinite, the ideal?" -</p> -<p> - "It is the same with mountainous landscapes," continued Leon. "A - cousin of mine who travelled in Switzerland last year told me - that one could not picture to oneself the poetry of the lakes, - the charm of the waterfalls, the gigantic effect of the glaciers. - One sees pines of incredible size across torrents, cottages - suspended over precipices, and, a thousand feet below one, whole - valleys when the clouds open. Such spectacles must stir to - enthusiasm, incline to prayer, to ecstasy; and I no longer marvel - at that celebrated musician who, the better to inspire his - imagination, was in the habit of playing the piano before some - imposing site." -</p> -<p> - "You play?" she asked. -</p> -<p> - "No, but I am very fond of music," he replied. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! don't you listen to him, Madame Bovary," interrupted Homais, - bending over his plate. "That's sheer modesty. Why, my dear - fellow, the other day in your room you were singing 'L'Ange - Gardien' ravishingly. I heard you from the laboratory. You gave - it like an actor." -</p> -<p> - Leon, in fact, lodged at the chemist's where he had a small room - on the second floor, overlooking the Place. He blushed at the - compliment of his landlord, who had already turned to the doctor, - and was enumerating to him, one after the other, all the - principal inhabitants of Yonville. He was telling anecdotes, - giving information; the fortune of the notary was not known - exactly, and "there was the Tuvache household," who made a good - deal of show. -</p> -<p> - Emma continued, "And what music do you prefer?" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, German music; that which makes you dream." -</p> -<p> - "Have you been to the opera?" -</p> -<p> - "Not yet; but I shall go next year, when I am living at Paris to - finish reading for the bar." -</p> -<p> - "As I had the honour of putting it to your husband," said the - chemist, "with regard to this poor Yanoda who has run away, you - will find yourself, thanks to his extravagance, in the possession - of one of the most comfortable houses of Yonville. Its greatest - convenience for a doctor is a door giving on the Walk, where one - can go in and out unseen. Moreover, it contains everything that - is agreeable in a household—a laundry, kitchen with offices, - sitting-room, fruit-room, and so on. He was a gay dog, who didn't - care what he spent. At the end of the garden, by the side of the - water, he had an arbour built just for the purpose of drinking - beer in summer; and if madame is fond of gardening she will be - able—" -</p> -<p> - "My wife doesn't care about it," said Charles; "although she has - been advised to take exercise, she prefers always sitting in her - room reading." -</p> -<p> - "Like me," replied Leon. "And indeed, what is better than to sit - by one's fireside in the evening with a book, while the wind - beats against the window and the lamp is burning?" -</p> -<p> - "What, indeed?" she said, fixing her large black eyes wide open - upon him. -</p> -<p> - "One thinks of nothing," he continued; "the hours slip by. - Motionless we traverse countries we fancy we see, and your - thought, blending with the fiction, playing with the details, - follows the outline of the adventures. It mingles with the - characters, and it seems as if it were yourself palpitating - beneath their costumes." -</p> -<p> - "That is true! That is true?" she said. -</p> -<p> - "Has it ever happened to you," Leon went on, "to come across some - vague idea of one's own in a book, some dim image that comes back - to you from afar, and as the completest expression of your own - slightest sentiment?" -</p> -<p> - "I have experienced it," she replied. -</p> -<p> - "That is why," he said, "I especially love the poets. I think - verse more tender than prose, and that it moves far more easily - to tears." -</p> -<p> - "Still in the long run it is tiring," continued Emma. Now I, on - the contrary, adore stories that rush breathlessly along, that - frighten one. I detest commonplace heroes and moderate - sentiments, such as there are in nature." -</p> -<p> - "In fact," observed the clerk, "these works, not touching the - heart, miss, it seems to me, the true end of art. It is so sweet, - amid all the disenchantments of life, to be able to dwell in - thought upon noble characters, pure affections, and pictures of - happiness. For myself, living here far from the world, this is my - one distraction; but Yonville affords so few resources." -</p> -<p> - "Like Tostes, no doubt," replied Emma; "and so I always - subscribed to a lending library." -</p> -<p> - "If madame will do me the honour of making use of it", said the - chemist, who had just caught the last words, "I have at her - disposal a library composed of the best authors, Voltaire, - Rousseau, Delille, Walter Scott, the 'Echo des Feuilletons'; and - in addition I receive various periodicals, among them the 'Fanal - de Rouen' daily, having the advantage to be its correspondent for - the districts of Buchy, Forges, Neufchatel, Yonville, and - vicinity." -</p> -<p> - For two hours and a half they had been at table; for the servant - Artemis, carelessly dragging her old list slippers over the - flags, brought one plate after the other, forgot everything, and - constantly left the door of the billiard-room half open, so that - it beat against the wall with its hooks. -</p> -<p> - Unconsciously, Leon, while talking, had placed his foot on one of - the bars of the chair on which Madame Bovary was sitting. She - wore a small blue silk necktie, that kept up like a ruff a - gauffered cambric collar, and with the movements of her head the - lower part of her face gently sunk into the linen or came out - from it. Thus side by side, while Charles and the chemist - chatted, they entered into one of those vague conversations where - the hazard of all that is said brings you back to the fixed - centre of a common sympathy. The Paris theatres, titles of - novels, new quadrilles, and the world they did not know; Tostes, - where she had lived, and Yonville, where they were; they examined - all, talked of everything till to the end of dinner. -</p> -<p> - When coffee was served Felicite went away to get ready the room - in the new house, and the guests soon raised the siege. Madame - Lefrancois was asleep near the cinders, while the stable-boy, - lantern in hand, was waiting to show Monsieur and Madame Bovary - the way home. Bits of straw stuck in his red hair, and he limped - with his left leg. When he had taken in his other hand the cure's - umbrella, they started. -</p> -<p> - The town was asleep; the pillars of the market threw great - shadows; the earth was all grey as on a summer's night. But as - the doctor's house was only some fifty paces from the inn, they - had to say good-night almost immediately, and the company - dispersed. -</p> -<p> - As soon as she entered the passage, Emma felt the cold of the - plaster fall about her shoulders like damp linen. The walls were - new and the wooden stairs creaked. In their bedroom, on the first - floor, a whitish light passed through the curtainless windows. -</p> -<p> - She could catch glimpses of tree tops, and beyond, the fields, - half-drowned in the fog that lay reeking in the moonlight along - the course of the river. In the middle of the room, pell-mell, - were scattered drawers, bottles, curtain-rods, gilt poles, with - mattresses on the chairs and basins on the ground—the two men - who had brought the furniture had left everything about - carelessly. -</p> -<p> - This was the fourth time that she had slept in a strange place. -</p> -<p> - The first was the day of her going to the convent; the second, of - her arrival at Tostes; the third, at Vaubyessard; and this was - the fourth. And each one had marked, as it were, the inauguration - of a new phase in her life. She did not believe that things could - present themselves in the same way in different places, and since - the portion of her life lived had been bad, no doubt that which - remained to be lived would be better. -</p> -<a name="2HCH14"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Three -</h2> -<p> - The next day, as she was getting up, she saw the clerk on the - Place. She had on a dressing-gown. He looked up and bowed. She - nodded quickly and reclosed the window. -</p> -<p> - Leon waited all day for six o'clock in the evening to come, but - on going to the inn, he found no one but Monsieur Binet, already - at table. The dinner of the evening before had been a - considerable event for him; he had never till then talked for two - hours consecutively to a "lady." How then had he been able to - explain, and in such language, the number of things that he could - not have said so well before? He was usually shy, and maintained - that reserve which partakes at once of modesty and dissimulation. -</p> -<p> - At Yonville he was considered "well-bred." He listened to the - arguments of the older people, and did not seem hot about - politics—a remarkable thing for a young man. Then he had some - accomplishments; he painted in water-colours, could read the key - of G, and readily talked literature after dinner when he did not - play cards. Monsieur Homais respected him for his education; - Madame Homais liked him for his good-nature, for he often took - the little Homais into the garden—little brats who were always - dirty, very much spoilt, and somewhat lymphatic, like their - mother. Besides the servant to look after them, they had Justin, - the chemist's apprentice, a second cousin of Monsieur Homais, who - had been taken into the house from charity, and who was useful at - the same time as a servant. -</p> -<p> - The druggist proved the best of neighbours. He gave Madame Bovary - information as to the trades-people, sent expressly for his own - cider merchant, tasted the drink himself, and saw that the casks - were properly placed in the cellar; he explained how to set about - getting in a supply of butter cheap, and made an arrangement with - Lestiboudois, the sacristan, who, besides his sacerdotal and - funeral functions, looked after the principal gardens at Yonville - by the hour or the year, according to the taste of the customers. -</p> -<p> - The need of looking after others was not the only thing that - urged the chemist to such obsequious cordiality; there was a plan - underneath it all. -</p> -<p> - He had infringed the law of the 19th Ventose, year xi., article - I, which forbade all persons not having a diploma to practise - medicine; so that, after certain anonymous denunciations, Homais - had been summoned to Rouen to see the procurer of the king in his - own private room; the magistrate receiving him standing up, - ermine on shoulder and cap on head. It was in the morning, before - the court opened. In the corridors one heard the heavy boots of - the gendarmes walking past, and like a far-off noise great locks - that were shut. The druggist's ears tingled as if he were about - to have an apoplectic stroke; he saw the depths of dungeons, his - family in tears, his shop sold, all the jars dispersed; and he - was obliged to enter a cafe and take a glass of rum and seltzer - to recover his spirits. -</p> -<p> - Little by little the memory of this reprimand grew fainter, and - he continued, as heretofore, to give anodyne consultations in his - back-parlour. But the mayor resented it, his colleagues were - jealous, everything was to be feared; gaining over Monsieur - Bovary by his attentions was to earn his gratitude, and prevent - his speaking out later on, should he notice anything. So every - morning Homais brought him "the paper," and often in the - afternoon left his shop for a few moments to have a chat with the - Doctor. -</p> -<p> - Charles was dull: patients did not come. He remained seated for - hours without speaking, went into his consulting room to sleep, - or watched his wife sewing. Then for diversion he employed - himself at home as a workman; he even tried to do up the attic - with some paint which had been left behind by the painters. But - money matters worried him. He had spent so much for repairs at - Tostes, for madame's toilette, and for the moving, that the whole - dowry, over three thousand crowns, had slipped away in two years. -</p> -<p> - Then how many things had been spoilt or lost during their - carriage from Tostes to Yonville, without counting the plaster - cure, who falling out of the coach at an over-severe jolt, had - been dashed into a thousand fragments on the pavements of - Quincampoix! A pleasanter trouble came to distract him, namely, - the pregnancy of his wife. As the time of her confinement - approached he cherished her the more. It was another bond of the - flesh establishing itself, and, as it were, a continued sentiment - of a more complex union. When from afar he saw her languid walk, - and her figure without stays turning softly on her hips; when - opposite one another he looked at her at his ease, while she took - tired poses in her armchair, then his happiness knew no bounds; - he got up, embraced her, passed his hands over her face, called - her little mamma, wanted to make her dance, and half-laughing, - half-crying, uttered all kinds of caressing pleasantries that - came into his head. The idea of having begotten a child delighted - him. Now he wanted nothing. He knew human life from end to end, - and he sat down to it with serenity. -</p> -<p> - Emma at first felt a great astonishment; then was anxious to be - delivered that she might know what it was to be a mother. But not - being able to spend as much as she would have liked, to have a - swing-bassinette with rose silk curtains, and embroidered caps, - in a fit of bitterness she gave up looking after the trousseau, - and ordered the whole of it from a village needlewoman, without - choosing or discussing anything. Thus she did not amuse herself - with those preparations that stimulate the tenderness of mothers, - and so her affection was from the very outset, perhaps, to some - extent attenuated. -</p> -<p> - As Charles, however, spoke of the boy at every meal, she soon - began to think of him more consecutively. -</p> -<p> - She hoped for a son; he would be strong and dark; she would call - him George; and this idea of having a male child was like an - expected revenge for all her impotence in the past. A man, at - least, is free; he may travel over passions and over countries, - overcome obstacles, taste of the most far-away pleasures. But a - woman is always hampered. At once inert and flexible, she has - against her the weakness of the flesh and legal dependence. Her - will, like the veil of her bonnet, held by a string, flutters in - every wind; there is always some desire that draws her, some - conventionality that restrains. -</p> -<p> - She was confined on a Sunday at about six o'clock, as the sun was - rising. -</p> -<p> - "It is a girl!" said Charles. -</p> -<p> - She turned her head away and fainted. -</p> -<p> - Madame Homais, as well as Madame Lefrancois of the Lion d'Or, - almost immediately came running in to embrace her. The chemist, - as man of discretion, only offered a few provincial felicitations - through the half-opened door. He wished to see the child and - thought it well made. -</p> -<p> - Whilst she was getting well she occupied herself much in seeking - a name for her daughter. First she went over all those that have - Italian endings, such as Clara, Louisa, Amanda, Atala; she liked - Galsuinde pretty well, and Yseult or Leocadie still better. -</p> -<p> - Charles wanted the child to be called after her mother; Emma - opposed this. They ran over the calendar from end to end, and - then consulted outsiders. -</p> -<p> - "Monsieur Leon," said the chemist, "with whom I was talking about - it the other day, wonders you do not chose Madeleine. It is very - much in fashion just now." -</p> -<p> - But Madame Bovary, senior, cried out loudly against this name of - a sinner. As to Monsieur Homais, he had a preference for all - those that recalled some great man, an illustrious fact, or a - generous idea, and it was on this system that he had baptized his - four children. Thus Napoleon represented glory and Franklin - liberty; Irma was perhaps a concession to romanticism, but - Athalie was a homage to the greatest masterpiece of the French - stage. For his philosophical convictions did not interfere with - his artistic tastes; in him the thinker did not stifle the man of - sentiment; he could make distinctions, make allowances for - imagination and fanaticism. In this tragedy, for example, he - found fault with the ideas, but admired the style; he detested - the conception, but applauded all the details, and loathed the - characters while he grew enthusiastic over their dialogue. When - he read the fine passages he was transported, but when he thought - that mummers would get something out of them for their show, he - was disconsolate; and in this confusion of sentiments in which he - was involved he would have liked at once to crown Racine with both - his hands and discuss with him for a good quarter of an hour. -</p> -<p> - At last Emma remembered that at the chateau of Vaubyessard she - had heard the Marchioness call a young lady Berthe; from that - moment this name was chosen; and as old Rouault could not come, - Monsieur Homais was requested to stand godfather. His gifts were - all products from his establishment, to wit: six boxes of - jujubes, a whole jar of racahout, three cakes of marshmallow - paste, and six sticks of sugar-candy into the bargain that he had - come across in a cupboard. On the evening of the ceremony there - was a grand dinner; the cure was present; there was much - excitement. Monsieur Homais towards liqueur-time began singing - "Le Dieu des bonnes gens." Monsieur Leon sang a barcarolle, and - Madame Bovary, senior, who was godmother, a romance of the time - of the Empire; finally, M. Bovary, senior, insisted on having the - child brought down, and began baptizing it with a glass of - champagne that he poured over its head. This mockery of the first - of the sacraments made the Abbe Bournisien angry; old Bovary - replied by a quotation from "La Guerre des Dieux"; the cure - wanted to leave; the ladies implored, Homais interfered; and they - succeeded in making the priest sit down again, and he quietly - went on with the half-finished coffee in his saucer. -</p> -<p> - Monsieur Bovary, senior, stayed at Yonville a month, dazzling the - natives by a superb policeman's cap with silver tassels that he - wore in the morning when he smoked his pipe in the square. Being - also in the habit of drinking a good deal of brandy, he often - sent the servant to the Lion d'Or to buy him a bottle, which was - put down to his son's account, and to perfume his handkerchiefs - he used up his daughter-in-law's whole supply of eau-de-cologne. -</p> -<p> - The latter did not at all dislike his company. He had knocked - about the world, he talked about Berlin, Vienna, and Strasbourg, - of his soldier times, of the mistresses he had had, the grand - luncheons of which he had partaken; then he was amiable, and - sometimes even, either on the stairs, or in the garden, would - seize hold of her waist, crying, "Charles, look out for - yourself." -</p> -<p> - Then Madame Bovary, senior, became alarmed for her son's - happiness, and fearing that her husband might in the long-run - have an immoral influence upon the ideas of the young woman, took - care to hurry their departure. Perhaps she had more serious - reasons for uneasiness. Monsieur Bovary was not the man to - respect anything. -</p> -<p> - One day Emma was suddenly seized with the desire to see her - little girl, who had been put to nurse with the carpenter's wife, - and, without looking at the calendar to see whether the six weeks - of the Virgin were yet passed, she set out for the Rollets' - house, situated at the extreme end of the village, between the - highroad and the fields. -</p> -<p> - It was mid-day, the shutters of the houses were closed and the - slate roofs that glittered beneath the fierce light of the blue - sky seemed to strike sparks from the crest of the gables. A heavy - wind was blowing; Emma felt weak as she walked; the stones of the - pavement hurt her; she was doubtful whether she would not go home - again, or go in somewhere to rest. -</p> -<p> - At this moment Monsieur Leon came out from a neighbouring door - with a bundle of papers under his arm. He came to greet her, and - stood in the shade in front of the Lheureux's shop under the - projecting grey awning. -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary said she was going to see her baby, but that she - was beginning to grow tired. -</p> -<p> - "If—" said Leon, not daring to go on. -</p> -<p> - "Have you any business to attend to?" she asked. -</p> -<p> - And on the clerk's answer, she begged him to accompany her. That - same evening this was known in Yonville, and Madame Tuvache, the - mayor's wife, declared in the presence of her servant that - "Madame Bovary was compromising herself." -</p> -<p> - To get to the nurse's it was necessary to turn to the left on - leaving the street, as if making for the cemetery, and to follow - between little houses and yards a small path bordered with privet - hedges. They were in bloom, and so were the speedwells, - eglantines, thistles, and the sweetbriar that sprang up from the - thickets. Through openings in the hedges one could see into the - huts, some pigs on a dung-heap, or tethered cows rubbing their - horns against the trunk of trees. The two, side by side walked - slowly, she leaning upon him, and he restraining his pace, which - he regulated by hers; in front of them a swarm of midges - fluttered, buzzing in the warm air. -</p> -<p> - They recognized the house by an old walnut-tree which shaded it. -</p> -<p> - Low and covered with brown tiles, there hung outside it, beneath - the dormer-window of the garret, a string of onions. Faggots - upright against a thorn fence surrounded a bed of lettuce, a few - square feet of lavender, and sweet peas strung on sticks. Dirty - water was running here and there on the grass, and all round were - several indefinite rags, knitted stockings, a red calico jacket, - and a large sheet of coarse linen spread over the hedge. At the - noise of the gate the nurse appeared with a baby she was suckling - on one arm. With her other hand she was pulling along a poor puny - little fellow, his face covered with scrofula, the son of a Rouen - hosier, whom his parents, too taken up with their business, left - in the country. -</p> -<p> - "Go in," she said; "your little one is there asleep." -</p> -<p> - The room on the ground-floor, the only one in the dwelling, had - at its farther end, against the wall, a large bed without - curtains, while a kneading-trough took up the side by the window, - one pane of which was mended with a piece of blue paper. In the - corner behind the door, shining hob-nailed shoes stood in a row - under the slab of the washstand, near a bottle of oil with a - feather stuck in its mouth; a Matthieu Laensberg lay on the dusty - mantelpiece amid gunflints, candle-ends, and bits of amadou. -</p> -<p> - Finally, the last luxury in the apartment was a "Fame" blowing - her trumpets, a picture cut out, no doubt, from some perfumer's - prospectus and nailed to the wall with six wooden shoe-pegs. -</p> -<p> - Emma's child was asleep in a wicker-cradle. She took it up in the - wrapping that enveloped it and began singing softly as she rocked - herself to and fro. -</p> -<p> - Leon walked up and down the room; it seemed strange to him to see - this beautiful woman in her nankeen dress in the midst of all - this poverty. Madam Bovary reddened; he turned away, thinking - perhaps there had been an impertinent look in his eyes. Then she - put back the little girl, who had just been sick over her collar. -</p> -<p> - The nurse at once came to dry her, protesting that it wouldn't - show. -</p> -<p> - "She gives me other doses," she said: "I am always a-washing of - her. If you would have the goodness to order Camus, the grocer, - to let me have a little soap, it would really be more convenient - for you, as I needn't trouble you then." -</p> -<p> - "Very well! very well!" said Emma. "Good morning, Madame Rollet," - and she went out, wiping her shoes at the door. -</p> -<p> - The good woman accompanied her to the end of the garden, talking - all the time of the trouble she had getting up of nights. -</p> -<p> - "I'm that worn out sometimes as I drop asleep on my chair. I'm - sure you might at least give me just a pound of ground coffee; - that'd last me a month, and I'd take it of a morning with some - milk." -</p> -<p> - After having submitted to her thanks, Madam Bovary left. She had - gone a little way down the path when, at the sound of wooden - shoes, she turned round. It was the nurse. -</p> -<p> - "What is it?" -</p> -<p> - Then the peasant woman, taking her aside behind an elm tree, - began talking to her of her husband, who with his trade and six - francs a year that the captain— -</p> -<p> - "Oh, be quick!" said Emma. -</p> -<p> - "Well," the nurse went on, heaving sighs between each word, "I'm - afraid he'll be put out seeing me have coffee alone, you know - men—" -</p> -<p> - "But you are to have some," Emma repeated; "I will give you some. - You bother me!" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, dear! my poor, dear lady! you see in consequence of his - wounds he has terrible cramps in the chest. He even says that - cider weakens him." -</p> -<p> - "Do make haste, Mere Rollet!" -</p> -<p> - "Well," the latter continued, making a curtsey, "if it weren't - asking too much," and she curtsied once more, "if you would"—and - her eyes begged—"a jar of brandy," she said at last, "and I'd - rub your little one's feet with it; they're as tender as one's - tongue." -</p> -<p> - Once rid of the nurse, Emma again took Monsieur Leon's arm. She - walked fast for some time, then more slowly, and looking straight - in front of her, her eyes rested on the shoulder of the young - man, whose frock-coat had a black-velvety collar. His brown hair - fell over it, straight and carefully arranged. She noticed his - nails which were longer than one wore them at Yonville. It was - one of the clerk's chief occupations to trim them, and for this - purpose he kept a special knife in his writing desk. -</p> -<p> - They returned to Yonville by the water-side. In the warm season - the bank, wider than at other times, showed to their foot the - garden walls whence a few steps led to the river. It flowed - noiselessly, swift, and cold to the eye; long, thin grasses - huddled together in it as the current drove them, and spread - themselves upon the limpid water like streaming hair; sometimes - at the tip of the reeds or on the leaf of a water-lily an insect - with fine legs crawled or rested. The sun pierced with a ray the - small blue bubbles of the waves that, breaking, followed each - other; branchless old willows mirrored their grey backs in the - water; beyond, all around, the meadows seemed empty. It was the - dinner-hour at the farms, and the young woman and her companion - heard nothing as they walked but the fall of their steps on the - earth of the path, the words they spoke, and the sound of Emma's - dress rustling round her. -</p> -<p> - The walls of the gardens with pieces of bottle on their coping - were hot as the glass windows of a conservatory. Wallflowers had - sprung up between the bricks, and with the tip of her open - sunshade Madame Bovary, as she passed, made some of their faded - flowers crumble into a yellow dust, or a spray of overhanging - honeysuckle and clematis caught in its fringe and dangled for a - moment over the silk. -</p> -<p> - They were talking of a troupe of Spanish dancers who were - expected shortly at the Rouen theatre. -</p> -<p> - "Are you going?" she asked. -</p> -<p> - "If I can," he answered. -</p> -<p> - Had they nothing else to say to one another? Yet their eyes were - full of more serious speech, and while they forced themselves to - find trivial phrases, they felt the same languor stealing over - them both. It was the whisper of the soul, deep, continuous, - dominating that of their voices. Surprised with wonder at this - strange sweetness, they did not think of speaking of the - sensation or of seeking its cause. Coming joys, like tropical - shores, throw over the immensity before them their inborn - softness, an odorous wind, and we are lulled by this intoxication - without a thought of the horizon that we do not even know. -</p> -<p> - In one place the ground had been trodden down by the cattle; they - had to step on large green stones put here and there in the mud. -</p> -<p> - She often stopped a moment to look where to place her foot, and - tottering on a stone that shook, her arms outspread, her form - bent forward with a look of indecision, she would laugh, afraid - of falling into the puddles of water. -</p> -<p> - When they arrived in front of her garden, Madame Bovary opened - the little gate, ran up the steps and disappeared. -</p> -<p> - Leon returned to his office. His chief was away; he just glanced - at the briefs, then cut himself a pen, and at last took up his - hat and went out. -</p> -<p> - He went to La Pature at the top of the Argueil hills at the - beginning of the forest; he threw himself upon the ground under - the pines and watched the sky through his fingers. -</p> -<p> - "How bored I am!" he said to himself, "how bored I am!" -</p> -<p> - He thought he was to be pitied for living in this village, with - Homais for a friend and Monsieru Guillaumin for master. The - latter, entirely absorbed by his business, wearing gold-rimmed - spectacles and red whiskers over a white cravat, understood - nothing of mental refinements, although he affected a stiff - English manner, which in the beginning had impressed the clerk. -</p> -<p> - As to the chemist's spouse, she was the best wife in Normandy, - gentle as a sheep, loving her children, her father, her mother, - her cousins, weeping for other's woes, letting everything go in - her household, and detesting corsets; but so slow of movement, - such a bore to listen to, so common in appearance, and of such - restricted conversation, that although she was thirty, he only - twenty, although they slept in rooms next each other and he spoke - to her daily, he never thought that she might be a woman for - another, or that she possessed anything else of her sex than the - gown. -</p> -<p> - And what else was there? Binet, a few shopkeepers, two or three - publicans, the cure, and finally, Monsieur Tuvache, the mayor, - with his two sons, rich, crabbed, obtuse persons, who farmed - their own lands and had feasts among themselves, bigoted to boot, - and quite unbearable companions. -</p> -<p> - But from the general background of all these human faces Emma's - stood out isolated and yet farthest off; for between her and him - he seemed to see a vague abyss. -</p> -<p> - In the beginning he had called on her several times along with - the druggist. Charles had not appeared particularly anxious to - see him again, and Leon did not know what to do between his fear - of being indiscreet and the desire for an intimacy that seemed - almost impossible. -</p> -<a name="2HCH15"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Four -</h2> -<p> - When the first cold days set in Emma left her bedroom for the - sitting-room, a long apartment with a low ceiling, in which there - was on the mantelpiece a large bunch of coral spread out against - the looking-glass. Seated in her arm chair near the window, she - could see the villagers pass along the pavement. -</p> -<p> - Twice a day Leon went from his office to the Lion d'Or. Emma - could hear him coming from afar; she leant forward listening, and - the young man glided past the curtain, always dressed in the same - way, and without turning his head. But in the twilight, when, her - chin resting on her left hand, she let the embroidery she had - begun fall on her knees, she often shuddered at the apparition of - this shadow suddenly gliding past. She would get up and order the - table to be laid. -</p> -<p> - Monsieur Homais called at dinner-time. Skull-cap in hand, he came - in on tiptoe, in order to disturb no one, always repeating the - same phrase, "Good evening, everybody." Then, when he had taken - his seat at the table between the pair, he asked the doctor about - his patients, and the latter consulted his as to the probability - of their payment. Next they talked of "what was in the paper." -</p> -<p> - Homais by this hour knew it almost by heart, and he repeated it - from end to end, with the reflections of the penny-a-liners, and - all the stories of individual catastrophes that had occurred in - France or abroad. But the subject becoming exhausted, he was not - slow in throwing out some remarks on the dishes before him. -</p> -<p> - Sometimes even, half-rising, he delicately pointed out to madame - the tenderest morsel, or turning to the servant, gave her some - advice on the manipulation of stews and the hygiene of seasoning. -</p> -<p> - He talked aroma, osmazome, juices, and gelatine in a bewildering - manner. Moreover, Homais, with his head fuller of recipes than - his shop of jars, excelled in making all kinds of preserves, - vinegars, and sweet liqueurs; he knew also all the latest - inventions in economic stoves, together with the art of - preserving cheese and of curing sick wines. -</p> -<p> - At eight o'clock Justin came to fetch him to shut up the shop. -</p> -<p> - Then Monsieur Homais gave him a sly look, especially if Felicite - was there, for he half noticed that his apprentice was fond of - the doctor's house. -</p> -<p> - "The young dog," he said, "is beginning to have ideas, and the - devil take me if I don't believe he's in love with your servant!" -</p> -<p> - But a more serious fault with which he reproached Justin was his - constantly listening to conversation. On Sunday, for example, one - could not get him out of the drawing-room, whither Madame Homais - had called him to fetch the children, who were falling asleep in - the arm-chairs, and dragging down with their backs calico - chair-covers that were too large. -</p> -<p> - Not many people came to these soirees at the chemist's, his - scandal-mongering and political opinions having successfully - alienated various respectable persons from him. The clerk never - failed to be there. As soon as he heard the bell he ran to meet - Madame Bovary, took her shawl, and put away under the - shop-counter the thick list shoes that she wore over her boots - when there was snow. -</p> -<p> - First they played some hands at trente-et-un; next Monsieur - Homais played ecarte with Emma; Leon behind her gave her advice. -</p> -<p> - Standing up with his hands on the back of her chair he saw the - teeth of her comb that bit into her chignon. With every movement - that she made to throw her cards the right side of her dress was - drawn up. From her turned-up hair a dark colour fell over her - back, and growing gradually paler, lost itself little by little - in the shade. Then her dress fell on both sides of her chair, - puffing out full of folds, and reached the ground. When Leon - occasionally felt the sole of his boot resting on it, he drew - back as if he had trodden upon some one. -</p> -<p> - When the game of cards was over, the druggist and the Doctor - played dominoes, and Emma, changing her place, leant her elbow on - the table, turning over the leaves of "L'Illustration". She had - brought her ladies' journal with her. Leon sat down near her; - they looked at the engravings together, and waited for one - another at the bottom of the pages. She often begged him to read - her the verses; Leon declaimed them in a languid voice, to which - he carefully gave a dying fall in the love passages. But the - noise of the dominoes annoyed him. Monsieur Homais was strong at - the game; he could beat Charles and give him a double-six. Then - the three hundred finished, they both stretched themselves out in - front of the fire, and were soon asleep. The fire was dying out - in the cinders; the teapot was empty, Leon was still reading. -</p> -<p> - Emma listened to him, mechanically turning around the lampshade, - on the gauze of which were painted clowns in carriages, and - tight-rope dances with their balancing-poles. Leon stopped, - pointing with a gesture to his sleeping audience; then they - talked in low tones, and their conversation seemed the more sweet - to them because it was unheard. -</p> -<p> - Thus a kind of bond was established between them, a constant - commerce of books and of romances. Monsieur Bovary, little given - to jealousy, did not trouble himself about it. -</p> -<p> - On his birthday he received a beautiful phrenological head, all - marked with figures to the thorax and painted blue. This was an - attention of the clerk's. He showed him many others, even to - doing errands for him at Rouen; and the book of a novelist having - made the mania for cactuses fashionable, Leon bought some for - Madame Bovary, bringing them back on his knees in the - "Hirondelle," pricking his fingers on their hard hairs. -</p> -<p> - She had a board with a balustrade fixed against her window to - hold the pots. The clerk, too, had his small hanging garden; they - saw each other tending their flowers at their windows. -</p> -<p> - Of the windows of the village there was one yet more often - occupied; for on Sundays from morning to night, and every morning - when the weather was bright, one could see at the dormer-window - of the garret the profile of Monsieur Binet bending over his - lathe, whose monotonous humming could be heard at the Lion d'Or. -</p> -<p> - One evening on coming home Leon found in his room a rug in velvet - and wool with leaves on a pale ground. He called Madame Homais, - Monsieur Homais, Justin, the children, the cook; he spoke of it - to his chief; every one wanted to see this rug. Why did the - doctor's wife give the clerk presents? It looked queer. They - decided that she must be his lover. -</p> -<p> - He made this seem likely, so ceaselessly did he talk of her - charms and of her wit; so much so, that Binet once roughly - answered him— -</p> -<p> - "What does it matter to me since I'm not in her set?" -</p> -<p> - He tortured himself to find out how he could make his declaration - to her, and always halting between the fear of displeasing her - and the shame of being such a coward, he wept with discouragement - and desire. Then he took energetic resolutions, wrote letters - that he tore up, put it off to times that he again deferred. -</p> -<p> - Often he set out with the determination to dare all; but this - resolution soon deserted him in Emma's presence, and when - Charles, dropping in, invited him to jump into his chaise to go - with him to see some patient in the neighbourhood, he at once - accepted, bowed to madame, and went out. Her husband, was he not - something belonging to her? As to Emma, she did not ask herself - whether she loved. Love, she thought, must come suddenly, with - great outbursts and lightnings—a hurricane of the skies, which - falls upon life, revolutionises it, roots up the will like a - leaf, and sweeps the whole heart into the abyss. She did not know - that on the terrace of houses it makes lakes when the pipes are - choked, and she would thus have remained in her security when she - suddenly discovered a rent in the wall of it. -</p> -<a name="2HCH16"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Five -</h2> -<p> - It was a Sunday in February, an afternoon when the snow was - falling. -</p> -<p> - They had all, Monsieur and Madame Bovary, Homais, and Monsieur - Leon, gone to see a yarn-mill that was being built in the valley - a mile and a half from Yonville. The druggist had taken Napoleon - and Athalie to give them some exercise, and Justin accompanied - them, carrying the umbrellas on his shoulder. -</p> -<p> - Nothing, however, could be less curious than this curiosity. A - great piece of waste ground, on which pell-mell, amid a mass of - sand and stones, were a few break-wheels, already rusty, - surrounded by a quadrangular building pierced by a number of - little windows. The building was unfinished; the sky could be - seen through the joists of the roofing. Attached to the - stop-plank of the gable a bunch of straw mixed with corn-ears - fluttered its tricoloured ribbons in the wind. -</p> -<p> - Homais was talking. He explained to the company the future - importance of this establishment, computed the strength of the - floorings, the thickness of the walls, and regretted extremely - not having a yard-stick such as Monsieur Binet possessed for his - own special use. -</p> -<p> - Emma, who had taken his arm, bent lightly against his shoulder, - and she looked at the sun's disc shedding afar through the mist - his pale splendour. She turned. Charles was there. His cap was - drawn down over his eyebrows, and his two thick lips were - trembling, which added a look of stupidity to his face; his very - back, his calm back, was irritating to behold, and she saw - written upon his coat all the platitude of the bearer. -</p> -<p> - While she was considering him thus, tasting in her irritation a - sort of depraved pleasure, Leon made a step forward. The cold - that made him pale seemed to add a more gentle languor to his - face; between his cravat and his neck the somewhat loose collar - of his shirt showed the skin; the lobe of his ear looked out from - beneath a lock of hair, and his large blue eyes, raised to the - clouds, seemed to Emma more limpid and more beautiful than those - mountain-lakes where the heavens are mirrored. -</p> -<p> - "Wretched boy!" suddenly cried the chemist. -</p> -<p> - And he ran to his son, who had just precipitated himself into a - heap of lime in order to whiten his boots. At the reproaches with - which he was being overwhelmed Napoleon began to roar, while - Justin dried his shoes with a wisp of straw. But a knife was - wanted; Charles offered his. -</p> -<p> - "Ah!" she said to herself, "he carried a knife in his pocket like - a peasant." -</p> -<p> - The hoar-frost was falling, and they turned back to Yonville. -</p> -<p> - In the evening Madame Bovary did not go to her neighbour's, and - when Charles had left and she felt herself alone, the comparison - re-began with the clearness of a sensation almost actual, and - with that lengthening of perspective which memory gives to - things. Looking from her bed at the clean fire that was burning, - she still saw, as she had down there, Leon standing up with one - hand behind his cane, and with the other holding Athalie, who was - quietly sucking a piece of ice. She thought him charming; she - could not tear herself away from him; she recalled his other - attitudes on other days, the words he had spoken, the sound of - his voice, his whole person; and she repeated, pouting out her - lips as if for a kiss— -</p> -<p> - "Yes, charming! charming! Is he not in love?" she asked herself; - "but with whom? With me?" -</p> -<p> - All the proofs arose before her at once; her heart leapt. The - flame of the fire threw a joyous light upon the ceiling; she - turned on her back, stretching out her arms. -</p> -<p> - Then began the eternal lamentation: "Oh, if Heaven had out willed - it! And why not? What prevented it?" -</p> -<p> - When Charles came home at midnight, she seemed to have just - awakened, and as he made a noise undressing, she complained of a - headache, then asked carelessly what had happened that evening. -</p> -<p> - "Monsieur Leon," he said, "went to his room early." -</p> -<p> - She could not help smiling, and she fell asleep, her soul filled - with a new delight. -</p> -<p> - The next day, at dusk, she received a visit from Monsieur - Lherueux, the draper. He was a man of ability, was this - shopkeeper. Born a Gascon but bred a Norman, he grafted upon his - southern volubility the cunning of the Cauchois. His fat, flabby, - beardless face seemed dyed by a decoction of liquorice, and his - white hair made even more vivid the keen brilliance of his small - black eyes. No one knew what he had been formerly; a pedlar said - some, a banker at Routot according to others. What was certain - was that he made complex calculations in his head that would have - frightened Binet himself. Polite to obsequiousness, he always - held himself with his back bent in the position of one who bows - or who invites. -</p> -<p> - After leaving at the door his hat surrounded with crape, he put - down a green bandbox on the table, and began by complaining to - madame, with many civilities, that he should have remained till - that day without gaining her confidence. A poor shop like his was - not made to attract a "fashionable lady"; he emphasized the - words; yet she had only to command, and he would undertake to - provide her with anything she might wish, either in haberdashery - or linen, millinery or fancy goods, for he went to town regularly - four times a month. He was connected with the best houses. You - could speak of him at the "Trois Freres," at the "Barbe d'Or," or - at the "Grand Sauvage"; all these gentlemen knew him as well as - the insides of their pockets. To-day, then he had come to show - madame, in passing, various articles he happened to have, thanks - to the most rare opportunity. And he pulled out half-a-dozen - embroidered collars from the box. -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary examined them. "I do not require anything," she - said. -</p> -<p> - Then Monsieur Lheureux delicately exhibited three Algerian - scarves, several packets of English needles, a pair of straw - slippers, and finally, four eggcups in cocoanut wood, carved in - open work by convicts. Then, with both hands on the table, his - neck stretched out, his figure bent forward, open-mouthed, he - watched Emma's look, who was walking up and down undecided amid - these goods. From time to time, as if to remove some dust, he - filliped with his nail the silk of the scarves spread out at full - length, and they rustled with a little noise, making in the green - twilight the gold spangles of their tissue scintillate like - little stars. -</p> -<p> - "How much are they?" -</p> -<p> - "A mere nothing," he replied, "a mere nothing. But there's no - hurry; whenever it's convenient. We are not Jews." -</p> -<p> - She reflected for a few moments, and ended by again declining - Monsieur Lheureux's offer. He replied quite unconcernedly— -</p> -<p> - "Very well. We shall understand one another by and by. I have - always got on with ladies—if I didn't with my own!" -</p> -<p> - Emma smiled. -</p> -<p> - "I wanted to tell you," he went on good-naturedly, after his - joke, "that it isn't the money I should trouble about. Why, I - could give you some, if need be." -</p> -<p> - She made a gesture of surprise. -</p> -<p> - "Ah!" said he quickly and in a low voice, "I shouldn't have to go - far to find you some, rely on that." -</p> -<p> - And he began asking after Pere Tellier, the proprietor of the - "Cafe Francais," whom Monsieur Bovary was then attending. -</p> -<p> - "What's the matter with Pere Tellier? He coughs so that he shakes - his whole house, and I'm afraid he'll soon want a deal covering - rather than a flannel vest. He was such a rake as a young man! - Those sort of people, madame, have not the least regularity; he's - burnt up with brandy. Still it's sad, all the same, to see an - acquaintance go off." -</p> -<p> - And while he fastened up his box he discoursed about the doctor's - patients. -</p> -<p> - "It's the weather, no doubt," he said, looking frowningly at the - floor, "that causes these illnesses. I, too, don't feel the - thing. One of these days I shall even have to consult the doctor - for a pain I have in my back. Well, good-bye, Madame Bovary. At - your service; your very humble servant." And he closed the door - gently. -</p> -<p> - Emma had her dinner served in her bedroom on a tray by the - fireside; she was a long time over it; everything was well with - her. -</p> -<p> - "How good I was!" she said to herself, thinking of the scarves. -</p> -<p> - She heard some steps on the stairs. It was Leon. She got up and - took from the chest of drawers the first pile of dusters to be - hemmed. When he came in she seemed very busy. -</p> -<p> - The conversation languished; Madame Bovary gave it up every few - minutes, whilst he himself seemed quite embarrassed. Seated on a - low chair near the fire, he turned round in his fingers the ivory - thimble-case. She stitched on, or from time to time turned down - the hem of the cloth with her nail. She did not speak; he was - silent, captivated by her silence, as he would have been by her - speech. -</p> -<p> - "Poor fellow!" she thought. -</p> -<p> - "How have I displeased her?" he asked himself. -</p> -<p> - At last, however, Leon said that he should have, one of these - days, to go to Rouen on some office business. -</p> -<p> - "Your music subscription is out; am I to renew it?" -</p> -<p> - "No," she replied. -</p> -<p> - "Why?" -</p> -<p> - "Because—" -</p> -<p> - And pursing her lips she slowly drew a long stitch of grey - thread. -</p> -<p> - This work irritated Leon. It seemed to roughen the ends of her - fingers. A gallant phrase came into his head, but he did not risk - it. -</p> -<p> - "Then you are giving it up?" he went on. -</p> -<p> - "What?" she asked hurriedly. "Music? Ah! yes! Have I not my house - to look after, my husband to attend to, a thousand things, in - fact, many duties that must be considered first?" -</p> -<p> - She looked at the clock. Charles was late. Then, she affected - anxiety. Two or three times she even repeated, "He is so good!" -</p> -<p> - The clerk was fond of Monsieur Bovary. But this tenderness on his - behalf astonished him unpleasantly; nevertheless he took up on - his praises, which he said everyone was singing, especially the - chemist. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! he is a good fellow," continued Emma. -</p> -<p> - "Certainly," replied the clerk. -</p> -<p> - And he began talking of Madame Homais, whose very untidy - appearance generally made them laugh. -</p> -<p> - "What does it matter?" interrupted Emma. "A good housewife does - not trouble about her appearance." -</p> -<p> - Then she relapsed into silence. -</p> -<p> - It was the same on the following days; her talks, her manners, - everything changed. She took interest in the housework, went to - church regularly, and looked after her servant with more - severity. -</p> -<p> - She took Berthe from nurse. When visitors called, Felicite - brought her in, and Madame Bovary undressed her to show off her - limbs. She declared she adored children; this was her - consolation, her joy, her passion, and she accompanied her - caresses with lyrical outburst which would have reminded anyone - but the Yonville people of Sachette in "Notre Dame de Paris." -</p> -<p> - When Charles came home he found his slippers put to warm near the - fire. His waistcoat now never wanted lining, nor his shirt - buttons, and it was quite a pleasure to see in the cupboard the - night-caps arranged in piles of the same height. She no longer - grumbled as formerly at taking a turn in the garden; what he - proposed was always done, although she did not understand the - wishes to which she submitted without a murmur; and when Leon saw - him by his fireside after dinner, his two hands on his stomach, - his two feet on the fender, his two cheeks red with feeding, his - eyes moist with happiness, the child crawling along the carpet, - and this woman with the slender waist who came behind his - arm-chair to kiss his forehead: "What madness!" he said to - himself. "And how to reach her!" -</p> -<p> - And thus she seemed so virtuous and inaccessible to him that he - lost all hope, even the faintest. But by this renunciation he - placed her on an extraordinary pinnacle. To him she stood outside - those fleshly attributes from which he had nothing to obtain, and - in his heart she rose ever, and became farther removed from him - after the magnificent manner of an apotheosis that is taking - wing. It was one of those pure feelings that do not interfere - with life, that are cultivated because they are rare, and whose - loss would afflict more than their passion rejoices. -</p> -<p> - Emma grew thinner, her cheeks paler, her face longer. With her - black hair, her large eyes, her aquiline nose, her birdlike walk, - and always silent now, did she not seem to be passing through - life scarcely touching it, and to bear on her brow the vague - impress of some divine destiny? She was so sad and so calm, at - once so gentle and so reserved, that near her one felt oneself - seized by an icy charm, as we shudder in churches at the perfume - of the flowers mingling with the cold of the marble. The others - even did not escape from this seduction. The chemist said— -</p> -<p> - "She is a woman of great parts, who wouldn't be misplaced in a - sub-prefecture." -</p> -<p> - The housewives admired her economy, the patients her politeness, - the poor her charity. -</p> -<p> - But she was eaten up with desires, with rage, with hate. That - dress with the narrow folds hid a distracted fear, of whose - torment those chaste lips said nothing. She was in love with - Leon, and sought solitude that she might with the more ease - delight in his image. The sight of his form troubled the - voluptuousness of this mediation. Emma thrilled at the sound of - his step; then in his presence the emotion subsided, and - afterwards there remained to her only an immense astonishment - that ended in sorrow. -</p> -<p> - Leon did not know that when he left her in despair she rose after - he had gone to see him in the street. She concerned herself about - his comings and goings; she watched his face; she invented quite - a history to find an excuse for going to his room. The chemist's - wife seemed happy to her to sleep under the same roof, and her - thoughts constantly centered upon this house, like the "Lion - d'Or" pigeons, who came there to dip their red feet and white - wings in its gutters. But the more Emma recognised her love, the - more she crushed it down, that it might not be evident, that she - might make it less. She would have liked Leon to guess it, and - she imagined chances, catastrophes that should facilitate this. -</p> -<p> - What restrained her was, no doubt, idleness and fear, and a sense - of shame also. She thought she had repulsed him too much, that - the time was past, that all was lost. Then, pride, and joy of - being able to say to herself, "I am virtuous," and to look at - herself in the glass taking resigned poses, consoled her a little - for the sacrifice she believed she was making. -</p> -<p> - Then the lusts of the flesh, the longing for money, and the - melancholy of passion all blended themselves into one suffering, - and instead of turning her thoughts from it, she clave to it the - more, urging herself to pain, and seeking everywhere occasion for - it. She was irritated by an ill-served dish or by a half-open - door; bewailed the velvets she had not, the happiness she had - missed, her too exalted dreams, her narrow home. -</p> -<p> - What exasperated her was that Charles did not seem to notice her - anguish. His conviction that he was making her happy seemed to - her an imbecile insult, and his sureness on this point - ingratitude. For whose sake, then was she virtuous? Was it not - for him, the obstacle to all felicity, the cause of all misery, - and, as it were, the sharp clasp of that complex strap that - bucked her in on all sides. -</p> -<p> - On him alone, then, she concentrated all the various hatreds that - resulted from her boredom, and every effort to diminish only - augmented it; for this useless trouble was added to the other - reasons for despair, and contributed still more to the separation - between them. Her own gentleness to herself made her rebel - against him. Domestic mediocrity drove her to lewd fancies, - marriage tenderness to adulterous desires. She would have liked - Charles to beat her, that she might have a better right to hate - him, to revenge herself upon him. She was surprised sometimes at - the atrocious conjectures that came into her thoughts, and she - had to go on smiling, to hear repeated to her at all hours that - she was happy, to pretend to be happy, to let it be believed. -</p> -<p> - Yet she had loathing of this hypocrisy. She was seized with the - temptation to flee somewhere with Leon to try a new life; but at - once a vague chasm full of darkness opened within her soul. -</p> -<p> - "Besides, he no longer loves me," she thought. "What is to become - of me? What help is to be hoped for, what consolation, what - solace?" -</p> -<p> - She was left broken, breathless, inert, sobbing in a low voice, - with flowing tears. -</p> -<p> - "Why don't you tell master?" the servant asked her when she came - in during these crises. -</p> -<p> - "It is the nerves," said Emma. "Do not speak to him of it; it - would worry him." -</p> -<p> - "Ah! yes," Felicite went on, "you are just like La Guerine, Pere - Guerin's daughter, the fisherman at Pollet, that I used to know - at Dieppe before I came to you. She was so sad, so sad, to see - her standing upright on the threshold of her house, she seemed to - you like a winding-sheet spread out before the door. Her illness, - it appears, was a kind of fog that she had in her head, and the - doctors could not do anything, nor the priest either. When she - was taken too bad she went off quite alone to the sea-shore, so - that the customs officer, going his rounds, often found her lying - flat on her face, crying on the shingle. Then, after her - marriage, it went off, they say." -</p> -<p> - "But with me," replied Emma, "it was after marriage that it - began." -</p> -<a name="2HCH17"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Six -</h2> -<p> - One evening when the window was open, and she, sitting by it, had - been watching Lestiboudois, the beadle, trimming the box, she - suddenly heard the Angelus ringing. -</p> -<p> - It was the beginning of April, when the primroses are in bloom, - and a warm wind blows over the flower-beds newly turned, and the - gardens, like women, seem to be getting ready for the summer - fetes. Through the bars of the arbour and away beyond, the river - seen in the fields, meandering through the grass in wandering - curves. The evening vapours rose between the leafless poplars, - touching their outlines with a violet tint, paler and more - transparent than a subtle gauze caught athwart their branches. In - the distance cattle moved about; neither their steps nor their - lowing could be heard; and the bell, still ringing through the - air, kept up its peaceful lamentation. -</p> -<p> - With this repeated tinkling the thoughts of the young woman lost - themselves in old memories of her youth and school-days. She - remembered the great candlesticks that rose above the vases full - of flowers on the altar, and the tabernacle with its small - columns. She would have liked to be once more lost in the long - line of white veils, marked off here and there by the stuff black - hoods of the good sisters bending over their prie-Dieu. At mass - on Sundays, when she looked up, she saw the gentle face of the - Virgin amid the blue smoke of the rising incense. Then she was - moved; she felt herself weak and quite deserted, like the down of - a bird whirled by the tempest, and it was unconsciously that she - went towards the church, included to no matter what devotions, so - that her soul was absorbed and all existence lost in it. -</p> -<p> - On the Place she met Lestivoudois on his way back, for, in order - not to shorten his day's labour, he preferred interrupting his - work, then beginning it again, so that he rang the Angelus to - suit his own convenience. Besides, the ringing over a little - earlier warned the lads of catechism hour. -</p> -<p> - Already a few who had arrived were playing marbles on the stones - of the cemetery. Others, astride the wall, swung their legs, - kicking with their clogs the large nettles growing between the - little enclosure and the newest graves. This was the only green - spot. All the rest was but stones, always covered with a fine - powder, despite the vestry-broom. -</p> -<p> - The children in list shoes ran about there as if it were an - enclosure made for them. The shouts of their voices could be - heard through the humming of the bell. This grew less and less - with the swinging of the great rope that, hanging from the top of - the belfry, dragged its end on the ground. Swallows flitted to - and fro uttering little cries, cut the air with the edge of their - wings, and swiftly returned to their yellow nests under the tiles - of the coping. At the end of the church a lamp was burning, the - wick of a night-light in a glass hung up. Its light from a - distance looked like a white stain trembling in the oil. A long - ray of the sun fell across the nave and seemed to darken the - lower sides and the corners. -</p> -<p> - "Where is the cure?" asked Madame Bovary of one of the lads, who - was amusing himself by shaking a swivel in a hole too large for - it. -</p> -<p> - "He is just coming," he answered. -</p> -<p> - And in fact the door of the presbytery grated; Abbe Bournisien - appeared; the children, pell-mell, fled into the church. -</p> -<p> - "These young scamps!" murmured the priest, "always the same!" -</p> -<p> - Then, picking up a catechism all in rags that he had struck with - is foot, "They respect nothing!" But as soon as he caught sight - of Madame Bovary, "Excuse me," he said; "I did not recognise - you." -</p> -<p> - He thrust the catechism into his pocket, and stopped short, - balancing the heavy vestry key between his two fingers. -</p> -<p> - The light of the setting sun that fell full upon his face paled - the lasting of his cassock, shiny at the elbows, unravelled at - the hem. Grease and tobacco stains followed along his broad chest - the lines of the buttons, and grew more numerous the farther they - were from his neckcloth, in which the massive folds of his red - chin rested; this was dotted with yellow spots, that disappeared - beneath the coarse hair of his greyish beard. He had just dined - and was breathing noisily. -</p> -<p> - "How are you?" he added. -</p> -<p> - "Not well," replied Emma; "I am ill." -</p> -<p> - "Well, and so am I," answered the priest. "These first warm days - weaken one most remarkably, don't they? But, after all, we are - born to suffer, as St. Paul says. But what does Monsieur Bovary - think of it?" -</p> -<p> - "He!" she said with a gesture of contempt. -</p> -<p> - "What!" replied the good fellow, quite astonished, doesn't he - prescribe something for you?" -</p> -<p> - "Ah!" said Emma, "it is no earthly remedy I need." -</p> -<p> - But the cure from time to time looked into the church, where the - kneeling boys were shouldering one another, and tumbling over - like packs of cards. -</p> -<p> - "I should like to know—" she went on. -</p> -<p> - "You look out, Riboudet," cried the priest in an angry voice; - "I'll warm your ears, you imp!" Then turning to Emma, "He's - Boudet the carpenter's son; his parents are well off, and let him - do just as he pleases. Yet he could learn quickly if he would, - for he is very sharp. And so sometimes for a joke I call him - Riboudet (like the road one takes to go to Maromme) and I even - say 'Mon Riboudet.' Ha! Ha! 'Mont Riboudet.' The other day I - repeated that just to Monsignor, and he laughed at it; he - condescended to laugh at it. And how is Monsieur Bovary?" -</p> -<p> - She seemed not to hear him. And he went on— -</p> -<p> - "Always very busy, no doubt; for he and I are certainly the - busiest people in the parish. But he is doctor of the body," he - added with a thick laugh, "and I of the soul." -</p> -<p> - She fixed her pleading eyes upon the priest. "Yes," she said, - "you solace all sorrows." -</p> -<p> - "Ah! don't talk to me of it, Madame Bovary. This morning I had to - go to Bas-Diauville for a cow that was ill; they thought it was - under a spell. All their cows, I don't know how it is—But pardon - me! Longuemarre and Boudet! Bless me! Will you leave off?" -</p> -<p> - And with a bound he ran into the church. -</p> -<p> - The boys were just then clustering round the large desk, climbing - over the precentor's footstool, opening the missal; and others on - tiptoe were just about to venture into the confessional. But the - priest suddenly distributed a shower of cuffs among them. Seizing - them by the collars of their coats, he lifted them from the - ground, and deposited them on their knees on the stones of the - choir, firmly, as if he meant planting them there. -</p> -<p> - "Yes," said he, when he returned to Emma, unfolding his large - cotton handkerchief, one corner of which he put between his - teeth, "farmers are much to be pitied." -</p> -<p> - "Others, too," she replied. -</p> -<p> - "Assuredly. Town-labourers, for example." -</p> -<p> - "It is not they—" -</p> -<p> - "Pardon! I've there known poor mothers of families, virtuous - women, I assure you, real saints, who wanted even bread." -</p> -<p> - "But those," replied Emma, and the corners of her mouth twitched - as she spoke, "those, Monsieur le Cure, who have bread and have - no—" -</p> -<p> - "Fire in the winter," said the priest. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, what does that matter?" -</p> -<p> - "What! What does it matter? It seems to me that when one has - firing and food—for, after all—" -</p> -<p> - "My God! my God!" she sighed. -</p> -<p> - "It is indigestion, no doubt? You must get home, Madame Bovary; - drink a little tea, that will strengthen you, or else a glass of - fresh water with a little moist sugar." -</p> -<p> - "Why?" And she looked like one awaking from a dream. -</p> -<p> - "Well, you see, you were putting your hand to your forehead. I - thought you felt faint." Then, bethinking himself, "But you were - asking me something? What was it? I really don't remember." -</p> -<p> - "I? Nothing! nothing!" repeated Emma. -</p> -<p> - And the glance she cast round her slowly fell upon the old man in - the cassock. They looked at one another face to face without - speaking. -</p> -<p> - "Then, Madame Bovary," he said at last, "excuse me, but duty - first, you know; I must look after my good-for-nothings. The - first communion will soon be upon us, and I fear we shall be - behind after all. So after Ascension Day I keep them recta* an - extra hour every Wednesday. Poor children! One cannot lead them - too soon into the path of the Lord, as, moreover, he has himself - recommended us to do by the mouth of his Divine Son. Good health - to you, madame; my respects to your husband." -</p> -<p> - *On the straight and narrow path. -</p> -<p> - And he went into the church making a genuflexion as soon as he - reached the door. -</p> -<p> - Emma saw him disappear between the double row of forms, walking - with a heavy tread, his head a little bent over his shoulder, and - with his two hands half-open behind him. -</p> -<p> - Then she turned on her heel all of one piece, like a statue on a - pivot, and went homewards. But the loud voice of the priest, the - clear voices of the boys still reached her ears, and went on - behind her. -</p> -<p> - "Are you a Christian?" -</p> -<p> - "Yes, I am a Christian." -</p> -<p> - "What is a Christian?" -</p> -<p> - "He who, being baptized-baptized-baptized—" -</p> -<p> - She went up the steps of the staircase holding on to the - banisters, and when she was in her room threw herself into an - arm-chair. -</p> -<p> - The whitish light of the window-panes fell with soft undulations. -</p> -<p> - The furniture in its place seemed to have become more immobile, - and to lose itself in the shadow as in an ocean of darkness. The - fire was out, the clock went on ticking, and Emma vaguely - marvelled at this calm of all things while within herself was - such tumult. But little Berthe was there, between the window and - the work-table, tottering on her knitted shoes, and trying to - come to her mother to catch hold of the ends of her - apron-strings. -</p> -<p> - "Leave me alone," said the latter, putting her from her with her - hand. -</p> -<p> - The little girl soon came up closer against her knees, and - leaning on them with her arms, she looked up with her large blue - eyes, while a small thread of pure saliva dribbled from her lips - on to the silk apron. -</p> -<p> - "Leave me alone," repeated the young woman quite irritably. -</p> -<p> - Her face frightened the child, who began to scream. -</p> -<p> - "Will you leave me alone?" she said, pushing her with her elbow. -</p> -<p> - Berthe fell at the foot of the drawers against the brass handle, - cutting her cheek, which began to bleed, against it. Madame - Bovary sprang to lift her up, broke the bell-rope, called for the - servant with all her might, and she was just going to curse - herself when Charles appeared. It was the dinner-hour; he had - come home. -</p> -<p> - "Look, dear!" said Emma, in a calm voice, "the little one fell - down while she was playing, and has hurt herself." -</p> -<p> - Charles reassured her; the case was not a serious one, and he - went for some sticking plaster. -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary did not go downstairs to the dining-room; she - wished to remain alone to look after the child. Then watching her - sleep, the little anxiety she felt gradually wore off, and she - seemed very stupid to herself, and very good to have been so - worried just now at so little. Berthe, in fact, no longer sobbed. -</p> -<p> - Her breathing now imperceptibly raised the cotton covering. Big - tears lay in the corner of the half-closed eyelids, through whose - lashes one could see two pale sunken pupils; the plaster stuck on - her cheek drew the skin obliquely. -</p> -<p> - "It is very strange," thought Emma, "how ugly this child is!" -</p> -<p> - When at eleven o'clock Charles came back from the chemist's shop, - whither he had gone after dinner to return the remainder of the - sticking-plaster, he found his wife standing by the cradle. -</p> -<p> - "I assure you it's nothing." he said, kissing her on the - forehead. "Don't worry, my poor darling; you will make yourself - ill." -</p> -<p> - He had stayed a long time at the chemist's. Although he had not - seemed much moved, Homais, nevertheless, had exerted himself to - buoy him up, to "keep up his spirits." Then they had talked of - the various dangers that threaten childhood, of the carelessness - of servants. Madame Homais knew something of it, having still - upon her chest the marks left by a basin full of soup that a cook - had formerly dropped on her pinafore, and her good parents took - no end of trouble for her. The knives were not sharpened, nor the - floors waxed; there were iron gratings to the windows and strong - bars across the fireplace; the little Homais, in spite of their - spirit, could not stir without someone watching them; at the - slightest cold their father stuffed them with pectorals; and - until they were turned four they all, without pity, had to wear - wadded head-protectors. This, it is true, was a fancy of Madame - Homais'; her husband was inwardly afflicted at it. Fearing the - possible consequences of such compression to the intellectual - organs. He even went so far as to say to her, "Do you want to - make Caribs or Botocudos of them?" -</p> -<p> - Charles, however, had several times tried to interrupt the - conversation. "I should like to speak to you," he had whispered - in the clerk's ear, who went upstairs in front of him. -</p> -<p> - "Can he suspect anything?" Leon asked himself. His heart beat, - and he racked his brain with surmises. -</p> -<p> - At last, Charles, having shut the door, asked him to see himself - what would be the price at Rouen of a fine daguerreotypes. It was - a sentimental surprise he intended for his wife, a delicate - attention—his portrait in a frock-coat. But he wanted first to - know "how much it would be." The inquiries would not put Monsieur - Leon out, since he went to town almost every week. -</p> -<p> - Why? Monsieur Homais suspected some "young man's affair" at the - bottom of it, an intrigue. But he was mistaken. Leon was after no - love-making. He was sadder than ever, as Madame Lefrancois saw - from the amount of food he left on his plate. To find out more - about it she questioned the tax-collector. Binet answered roughly - that he "wasn't paid by the police." -</p> -<p> - All the same, his companion seemed very strange to him, for Leon - often threw himself back in his chair, and stretching out his - arms. Complained vaguely of life. -</p> -<p> - "It's because you don't take enough recreation," said the - collector. -</p> -<p> - "What recreation?" -</p> -<p> - "If I were you I'd have a lathe." -</p> -<p> - "But I don't know how to turn," answered the clerk. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! that's true," said the other, rubbing his chin with an air - of mingled contempt and satisfaction. -</p> -<p> - Leon was weary of loving without any result; moreover he was - beginning to feel that depression caused by the repetition of the - same kind of life, when no interest inspires and no hope sustains - it. He was so bored with Yonville and its inhabitants, that the - sight of certain persons, of certain houses, irritated him beyond - endurance; and the chemist, good fellow though he was, was - becoming absolutely unbearable to him. Yet the prospect of a new - condition of life frightened as much as it seduced him. -</p> -<p> - This apprehension soon changed into impatience, and then Paris - from afar sounded its fanfare of masked balls with the laugh of - grisettes. As he was to finish reading there, why not set out at - once? What prevented him? And he began making home-preparations; - he arranged his occupations beforehand. He furnished in his head - an apartment. He would lead an artist's life there! He would take - lessons on the guitar! He would have a dressing-gown, a Basque - cap, blue velvet slippers! He even already was admiring two - crossed foils over his chimney-piece, with a death's head on the - guitar above them. -</p> -<p> - The difficulty was the consent of his mother; nothing, however, - seemed more reasonable. Even his employer advised him to go to - some other chambers where he could advance more rapidly. Taking a - middle course, then, Leon looked for some place as second clerk - at Rouen; found none, and at last wrote his mother a long letter - full of details, in which he set forth the reasons for going to - live at Paris immediately. She consented. -</p> -<p> - He did not hurry. Every day for a month Hivert carried boxes, - valises, parcels for him from Yonville to Rouen and from Rouen to - Yonville; and when Leon had packed up his wardrobe, had his three - arm-chairs restuffed, bought a stock of neckties, in a word, had - made more preparations than for a voyage around the world, he put - it off from week to week, until he received a second letter from - his mother urging him to leave, since he wanted to pass his - examination before the vacation. -</p> -<p> - When the moment for the farewells had come, Madame Homais wept, - Justin sobbed; Homais, as a man of nerve, concealed his emotion; - he wished to carry his friend's overcoat himself as far as the - gate of the notary, who was taking Leon to Rouen in his carriage. -</p> -<p> - The latter had just time to bid farewell to Monsieur Bovary. -</p> -<p> - When he reached the head of the stairs, he stopped, he was so out - of breath. As he came in, Madame Bovary arose hurriedly. -</p> -<p> - "It is I again!" said Leon. -</p> -<p> - "I was sure of it!" -</p> -<p> - She bit her lips, and a rush of blood flowing under her skin made - her red from the roots of her hair to the top of her collar. She - remained standing, leaning with her shoulder against the - wainscot. -</p> -<p> - "The doctor is not here?" he went on. -</p> -<p> - "He is out." She repeated, "He is out." -</p> -<p> - Then there was silence. They looked at one another and their - thoughts, confounded in the same agony, clung close together like - two throbbing breasts. -</p> -<p> - "I should like to kiss Berthe," said Leon. -</p> -<p> - Emma went down a few steps and called Felicite. -</p> -<p> - He threw one long look around him that took in the walls, the - decorations, the fireplace, as if to penetrate everything, carry - away everything. But she returned, and the servant brought - Berthe, who was swinging a windmill roof downwards at the end of - a string. Leon kissed her several times on the neck. -</p> -<p> - "Good-bye, poor child! good-bye, dear little one! good-bye!" And - he gave her back to her mother. -</p> -<p> - "Take her away," she said. -</p> -<p> - They remained alone—Madame Bovary, her back turned, her face - pressed against a window-pane; Leon held his cap in his hand, - knocking it softly against his thigh. -</p> -<p> - "It is going to rain," said Emma. -</p> -<p> - "I have a cloak," he answered. -</p> -<p> - "Ah!" -</p> -<p> - She turned around, her chin lowered, her forehead bent forward. -</p> -<p> - The light fell on it as on a piece of marble, to the curve of the - eyebrows, without one's being able to guess what Emma was seeing - on the horizon or what she was thinking within herself. -</p> -<p> - "Well, good-bye," he sighed. -</p> -<p> - She raised her head with a quick movement. -</p> -<p> - "Yes, good-bye—go!" -</p> -<p> - They advanced towards each other; he held out his hand; she - hesitated. -</p> -<p> - "In the English fashion, then," she said, giving her own hand - wholly to him, and forcing a laugh. -</p> -<p> - Leon felt it between his fingers, and the very essence of all his - being seemed to pass down into that moist palm. Then he opened - his hand; their eyes met again, and he disappeared. -</p> -<p> - When he reached the market-place, he stopped and hid behind a - pillar to look for the last time at this white house with the - four green blinds. He thought he saw a shadow behind the window - in the room; but the curtain, sliding along the pole as though no - one were touching it, slowly opened its long oblique folds that - spread out with a single movement, and thus hung straight and - motionless as a plaster wall. Leon set off running. -</p> -<p> - From afar he saw his employer's gig in the road, and by it a man - in a coarse apron holding the horse. Homais and Monsieur - Guillaumin were talking. They were waiting for him. -</p> -<p> - "Embrace me," said the druggist with tears in his eyes. "Here is - your coat, my good friend. Mind the cold; take care of yourself; - look after yourself." -</p> -<p> - "Come, Leon, jump in," said the notary. -</p> -<p> - Homais bend over the splash-board, and in a voice broken by sobs - uttered these three sad words— -</p> -<p> - "A pleasant journey!" -</p> -<p> - "Good-night," said Monsieur Guillaumin. "Give him his head." They - set out, and Homais went back. -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary had opened her window overlooking the garden and - watched the clouds. They gathered around the sunset on the side - of Rouen and then swiftly rolled back their black columns, behind - which the great rays of the sun looked out like the golden arrows - of a suspended trophy, while the rest of the empty heavens was - white as porcelain. But a gust of wind bowed the poplars, and - suddenly the rain fell; it pattered against the green leaves. -</p> -<p> - Then the sun reappeared, the hens clucked, sparrows shook their - wings in the damp thickets, and the pools of water on the gravel - as they flowed away carried off the pink flowers of an acacia. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! how far off he must be already!" she thought. -</p> -<p> - Monsieur Homais, as usual, came at half-past six during dinner. -</p> -<p> - "Well," said he, "so we've sent off our young friend!" -</p> -<p> - "So it seems," replied the doctor. Then turning on his chair; - "Any news at home?" -</p> -<p> - "Nothing much. Only my wife was a little moved this afternoon. - You know women—a nothing upsets them, especially my wife. And we - should be wrong to object to that, since their nervous - organization is much more malleable than ours." -</p> -<p> - "Poor Leon!" said Charles. "How will he live at Paris? Will he - get used to it?" -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary sighed. -</p> -<p> - "Get along!" said the chemist, smacking his lips. "The outings at - restaurants, the masked balls, the champagne—all that'll be - jolly enough, I assure you." -</p> -<p> - "I don't think he'll go wrong," objected Bovary. -</p> -<p> - "Nor do I," said Monsieur Homais quickly; "although he'll have to - do like the rest for fear of passing for a Jesuit. And you don't - know what a life those dogs lead in the Latin quarter with - actresses. Besides, students are thought a great deal of in - Paris. Provided they have a few accomplishments, they are - received in the best society; there are even ladies of the - Faubourg Saint-Germain who fall in love with them, which - subsequently furnishes them opportunities for making very good - matches." -</p> -<p> - "But," said the doctor, "I fear for him that down there—" -</p> -<p> - "You are right," interrupted the chemist; "that is the reverse of - the medal. And one is constantly obliged to keep one's hand in - one's pocket there. Thus, we will suppose you are in a public - garden. An individual presents himself, well dressed, even - wearing an order, and whom one would take for a diplomatist. He - approaches you, he insinuates himself; offers you a pinch of - snuff, or picks up your hat. Then you become more intimate; he - takes you to a cafe, invites you to his country-house, introduces - you, between two drinks, to all sorts of people; and - three-fourths of the time it's only to plunder your watch or lead - you into some pernicious step. -</p> -<p> - "That is true," said Charles; "but I was thinking especially of - illnesses—of typhoid fever, for example, that attacks students - from the provinces." -</p> -<p> - Emma shuddered. -</p> -<p> - "Because of the change of regimen," continued the chemist, "and - of the perturbation that results therefrom in the whole system. - And then the water at Paris, don't you know! The dishes at - restaurants, all the spiced food, end by heating the blood, and - are not worth, whatever people may say of them, a good soup. For - my own part, I have always preferred plain living; it is more - healthy. So when I was studying pharmacy at Rouen, I boarded in a - boarding house; I dined with the professors." -</p> -<p> - And thus he went on, expounding his opinions generally and his - personal likings, until Justin came to fetch him for a mulled egg - that was wanted. -</p> -<p> - "Not a moment's peace!" he cried; "always at it! I can't go out - for a minute! Like a plough-horse, I have always to be moiling - and toiling. What drudgery!" Then, when he was at the door, "By - the way, do you know the news?" -</p> -<p> - "What news?" -</p> -<p> - "That it is very likely," Homais went on, raising his eyebrows - and assuming one of his most serious expression, "that the - agricultural meeting of the Seine-Inferieure will be held this - year at Yonville-l'Abbaye. The rumour, at all events, is going - the round. This morning the paper alluded to it. It would be of - the utmost importance for our district. But we'll talk it over - later on. I can see, thank you; Justin has the lantern." -</p> -<a name="2HCH18"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Seven -</h2> -<p> - The next day was a dreary one for Emma. Everything seemed to her - enveloped in a black atmosphere floating confusedly over the - exterior of things, and sorrow was engulfed within her soul with - soft shrieks such as the winter wind makes in ruined castles. It - was that reverie which we give to things that will not return, - the lassitude that seizes you after everything was done; that - pain, in fine, that the interruption of every wonted movement, - the sudden cessation of any prolonged vibration, brings on. -</p> -<p> - As on the return from Vaubyessard, when the quadrilles were - running in her head, she was full of a gloomy melancholy, of a - numb despair. Leon reappeared, taller, handsomer, more charming, - more vague. Though separated from her, he had not left her; he - was there, and the walls of the house seemed to hold his shadow. -</p> -<p> - She could not detach her eyes from the carpet where he had - walked, from those empty chairs where he had sat. The river still - flowed on, and slowly drove its ripples along the slippery banks. -</p> -<p> - They had often walked there to the murmur of the waves over the - moss-covered pebbles. How bright the sun had been! What happy - afternoons they had seen alone in the shade at the end of the - garden! He read aloud, bareheaded, sitting on a footstool of dry - sticks; the fresh wind of the meadow set trembling the leaves of - the book and the nasturtiums of the arbour. Ah! he was gone, the - only charm of her life, the only possible hope of joy. Why had - she not seized this happiness when it came to her? Why not have - kept hold of it with both hands, with both knees, when it was - about to flee from her? And she cursed herself for not having - loved Leon. She thirsted for his lips. The wish took possession - of her to run after and rejoin him, throw herself into his arms - and say to him, "It is I; I am yours." But Emma recoiled - beforehand at the difficulties of the enterprise, and her - desires, increased by regret, became only the more acute. -</p> -<p> - Henceforth the memory of Leon was the centre of her boredom; it - burnt there more brightly than the fire travellers have left on - the snow of a Russian steppe. She sprang towards him, she pressed - against him, she stirred carefully the dying embers, sought all - around her anything that could revive it; and the most distant - reminiscences, like the most immediate occasions, what she - experienced as well as what she imagined, her voluptuous desires - that were unsatisfied, her projects of happiness that crackled in - the wind like dead boughs, her sterile virtue, her lost hopes, - the domestic tete-a-tete—she gathered it all up, took - everything, and made it all serve as fuel for her melancholy. -</p> -<p> - The flames, however, subsided, either because the supply had - exhausted itself, or because it had been piled up too much. Love, - little by little, was quelled by absence; regret stifled beneath - habit; and this incendiary light that had empurpled her pale sky - was overspread and faded by degrees. In the supineness of her - conscience she even took her repugnance towards her husband for - aspirations towards her lover, the burning of hate for the warmth - of tenderness; but as the tempest still raged, and as passion - burnt itself down to the very cinders, and no help came, no sun - rose, there was night on all sides, and she was lost in the - terrible cold that pierced her. -</p> -<p> - Then the evil days of Tostes began again. She thought herself now - far more unhappy; for she had the experience of grief, with the - certainty that it would not end. -</p> -<p> - A woman who had laid on herself such sacrifices could well allow - herself certain whims. She bought a Gothic prie-dieu, and in a - month spent fourteen francs on lemons for polishing her nails; - she wrote to Rouen for a blue cashmere gown; she chose one of - Lheureux's finest scarves, and wore it knotted around her waist - over her dressing-gown; and, with closed blinds and a book in her - hand, she lay stretched out on a couch in this garb. -</p> -<p> - She often changed her coiffure; she did her hair a la Chinoise, - in flowing curls, in plaited coils; she parted in on one side and - rolled it under like a man's. -</p> -<p> - She wanted to learn Italian; she bought dictionaries, a grammar, - and a supply of white paper. She tried serious reading, history, - and philosophy. Sometimes in the night Charles woke up with a - start, thinking he was being called to a patient. "I'm coming," - he stammered; and it was the noise of a match Emma had struck to - relight the lamp. But her reading fared like her piece of - embroidery, all of which, only just begun, filled her cupboard; - she took it up, left it, passed on to other books. -</p> -<p> - She had attacks in which she could easily have been driven to - commit any folly. She maintained one day, in opposition to her - husband, that she could drink off a large glass of brandy, and, - as Charles was stupid enough to dare her to, she swallowed the - brandy to the last drop. -</p> -<p> - In spite of her vapourish airs (as the housewives of Yonville - called them), Emma, all the same, never seemed gay, and usually - she had at the corners of her mouth that immobile contraction - that puckers the faces of old maids, and those of men whose - ambition has failed. She was pale all over, white as a sheet; the - skin of her nose was drawn at the nostrils, her eyes looked at - you vaguely. After discovering three grey hairs on her temples, - she talked much of her old age. -</p> -<p> - She often fainted. One day she even spat blood, and, as Charles - fussed around her showing his anxiety— -</p> -<p> - "Bah!" she answered, "what does it matter?" -</p> -<p> - Charles fled to his study and wept there, both his elbows on the - table, sitting in an arm-chair at his bureau under the - phrenological head. -</p> -<p> - Then he wrote to his mother begging her to come, and they had - many long consultations together on the subject of Emma. -</p> -<p> - What should they decide? What was to be done since she rejected - all medical treatment? "Do you know what your wife wants?" - replied Madame Bovary senior. -</p> -<p> - "She wants to be forced to occupy herself with some manual work. - If she were obliged, like so many others, to earn her living, she - wouldn't have these vapours, that come to her from a lot of ideas - she stuffs into her head, and from the idleness in which she - lives." -</p> -<p> - "Yet she is always busy," said Charles. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! always busy at what? Reading novels, bad books, works - against religion, and in which they mock at priests in speeches - taken from Voltaire. But all that leads you far astray, my poor - child. Anyone who has no religion always ends by turning out - badly." -</p> -<p> - So it was decided to stop Emma reading novels. The enterprise did - not seem easy. The good lady undertook it. She was, when she - passed through Rouen, to go herself to the lending-library and - represent that Emma had discontinued her subscription. Would they - not have a right to apply to the police if the librarian - persisted all the same in his poisonous trade? The farewells of - mother and daughter-in-law were cold. During the three weeks that - they had been together they had not exchanged half-a-dozen words - apart from the inquiries and phrases when they met at table and - in the evening before going to bed. -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary left on a Wednesday, the market-day at Yonville. -</p> -<p> - The Place since morning had been blocked by a row of carts, - which, on end and their shafts in the air, spread all along the - line of houses from the church to the inn. On the other side - there were canvas booths, where cotton checks, blankets, and - woollen stockings were sold, together with harness for horses, - and packets of blue ribbon, whose ends fluttered in the wind. The - coarse hardware was spread out on the ground between pyramids of - eggs and hampers of cheeses, from which sticky straw stuck out. -</p> -<p> - Near the corn-machines clucking hens passed their necks through - the bars of flat cages. The people, crowding in the same place - and unwilling to move thence, sometimes threatened to smash the - shop front of the chemist. On Wednesdays his shop was never - empty, and the people pushed in less to buy drugs than for - consultations. So great was Homais' reputation in the - neighbouring villages. His robust aplomb had fascinated the - rustics. They considered him a greater doctor than all the - doctors. -</p> -<p> - Emma was leaning out at the window; she was often there. The - window in the provinces replaces the theatre and the promenade, - she was amusing herself with watching the crowd of boors when she - saw a gentleman in a green velvet coat. He had on yellow gloves, - although he wore heavy gaiters; he was coming towards the - doctor's house, followed by a peasant walking with a bent head - and quite a thoughtful air. -</p> -<p> - "Can I see the doctor?" he asked Justin, who was talking on the - doorsteps with Felicite, and, taking him for a servant of the - house—"Tell him that Monsieur Rodolphe Boulanger of La Huchette - is here." -</p> -<p> - It was not from territorial vanity that the new arrival added "of - La Huchette" to his name, but to make himself the better known. -</p> -<p> - La Huchette, in fact, was an estate near Yonville, where he had - just bought the chateau and two farms that he cultivated himself, - without, however, troubling very much about them. He lived as a - bachelor, and was supposed to have "at least fifteen thousand - francs a year." -</p> -<p> - Charles came into the room. Monsieur Boulanger introduced his - man, who wanted to be bled because he felt "a tingling all over." -</p> -<p> - "That'll purge me," he urged as an objection to all reasoning. -</p> -<p> - So Bovary ordered a bandage and a basin, and asked Justin to hold - it. Then addressing the peasant, who was already pale— -</p> -<p> - "Don't be afraid, my lad." -</p> -<p> - "No, no, sir," said the other; "get on." -</p> -<p> - And with an air of bravado he held out his great arm. At the - prick of the lancet the blood spurted out, splashing against the - looking-glass. -</p> -<p> - "Hold the basin nearer," exclaimed Charles. -</p> -<p> - "Lor!" said the peasant, "one would swear it was a little - fountain flowing. How red my blood is! That's a good sign, isn't - it?" -</p> -<p> - "Sometimes," answered the doctor, "one feels nothing at first, - and then syncope sets in, and more especially with people of - strong constitution like this man." -</p> -<p> - At these words the rustic let go the lancet-case he was twisting - between his fingers. A shudder of his shoulders made the - chair-back creak. His hat fell off. -</p> -<p> - "I thought as much," said Bovary, pressing his finger on the - vein. -</p> -<p> - The basin was beginning to tremble in Justin's hands; his knees - shook, he turned pale. -</p> -<p> - "Emma! Emma!" called Charles. -</p> -<p> - With one bound she came down the staircase. -</p> -<p> - "Some vinegar," he cried. "O dear! two at once!" -</p> -<p> - And in his emotion he could hardly put on the compress. -</p> -<p> - "It is nothing," said Monsieur Boulanger quietly, taking Justin - in his arms. He seated him on the table with his back resting - against the wall. -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary began taking off his cravat. The strings of his - shirt had got into a knot, and she was for some minutes moving - her light fingers about the young fellow's neck. Then she poured - some vinegar on her cambric handkerchief; she moistened his - temples with little dabs, and then blew upon them softly. The - ploughman revived, but Justin's syncope still lasted, and his - eyeballs disappeared in the pale sclerotics like blue flowers in - milk. -</p> -<p> - "We must hide this from him," said Charles. -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary took the basin to put it under the table. With the - movement she made in bending down, her dress (it was a summer - dress with four flounces, yellow, long in the waist and wide in - the skirt) spread out around her on the flags of the room; and as - Emma stooping, staggered a little as she stretched out her arms. -</p> -<p> - The stuff here and there gave with the inflections of her bust. -</p> -<p> - Then she went to fetch a bottle of water, and she was melting - some pieces of sugar when the chemist arrived. The servant had - been to fetch him in the tumult. Seeing his pupil's eyes staring - he drew a long breath; then going around him he looked at him - from head to foot. -</p> -<p> - "Fool!" he said, "really a little fool! A fool in four letters! A - phlebotomy's a big affair, isn't it! And a fellow who isn't - afraid of anything; a kind of squirrel, just as he is who climbs - to vertiginous heights to shake down nuts. Oh, yes! you just talk - to me, boast about yourself! Here's a fine fitness for practising - pharmacy later on; for under serious circumstances you may be - called before the tribunals in order to enlighten the minds of - the magistrates, and you would have to keep your head then, to - reason, show yourself a man, or else pass for an imbecile." -</p> -<p> - Justin did not answer. The chemist went on— -</p> -<p> - "Who asked you to come? You are always pestering the doctor and - madame. On Wednesday, moreover, your presence is indispensable to - me. There are now twenty people in the shop. I left everything - because of the interest I take in you. Come, get along! Sharp! - Wait for me, and keep an eye on the jars." -</p> -<p> - When Justin, who was rearranging his dress, had gone, they talked - for a little while about fainting-fits. Madame Bovary had never - fainted. -</p> -<p> - "That is extraordinary for a lady," said Monsieur Boulanger; "but - some people are very susceptible. Thus in a duel, I have seen a - second lose consciousness at the mere sound of the loading of - pistols." -</p> -<p> - "For my part," said the chemist, "the sight of other people's - blood doesn't affect me at all, but the mere thought of my own - flowing would make me faint if I reflected upon it too much." -</p> -<p> - Monsieur Boulanger, however, dismissed his servant, advising him - to calm himself, since his fancy was over. -</p> -<p> - "It procured me the advantage of making your acquaintance," he - added, and he looked at Emma as he said this. Then he put three - francs on the corner of the table, bowed negligently, and went - out. -</p> -<p> - He was soon on the other side of the river (this was his way back - to La Huchette), and Emma saw him in the meadow, walking under - the poplars, slackening his pace now and then as one who - reflects. -</p> -<p> - "She is very pretty," he said to himself; "she is very pretty, - this doctor's wife. Fine teeth, black eyes, a dainty foot, a - figure like a Parisienne's. Where the devil does she come from? - Wherever did that fat fellow pick her up?" -</p> -<p> - Monsieur Rodolphe Boulanger was thirty-four; he was of brutal - temperament and intelligent perspicacity, having, moreover, had - much to do with women, and knowing them well. This one had seemed - pretty to him; so he was thinking about her and her husband. -</p> -<p> - "I think he is very stupid. She is tired of him, no doubt. He has - dirty nails, and hasn't shaved for three days. While he is - trotting after his patients, she sits there botching socks. And - she gets bored! She would like to live in town and dance polkas - every evening. Poor little woman! She is gaping after love like a - carp after water on a kitchen-table. With three words of - gallantry she'd adore one, I'm sure of it. She'd be tender, - charming. Yes; but how to get rid of her afterwards?" -</p> -<p> - Then the difficulties of love-making seen in the distance made - him by contrast think of his mistress. She was an actress at - Rouen, whom he kept; and when he had pondered over this image, - with which, even in remembrance, he was satiated— -</p> -<p> - "Ah! Madame Bovary," he thought, "is much prettier, especially - fresher. Virginie is decidedly beginning to grow fat. She is so - finiky about her pleasures; and, besides, she has a mania for - prawns." -</p> -<p> - The fields were empty, and around him Rodolphe only heard the - regular beating of the grass striking against his boots, with a - cry of the grasshopper hidden at a distance among the oats. He - again saw Emma in her room, dressed as he had seen her, and he - undressed her. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, I will have her," he cried, striking a blow with his stick - at a clod in front of him. And he at once began to consider the - political part of the enterprise. He asked himself— -</p> -<p> - "Where shall we meet? By what means? We shall always be having - the brat on our hands, and the servant, the neighbours, and - husband, all sorts of worries. Pshaw! one would lose too much - time over it." -</p> -<p> - Then he resumed, "She really has eyes that pierce one's heart - like a gimlet. And that pale complexion! I adore pale women!" -</p> -<p> - When he reached the top of the Arguiel hills he had made up his - mind. "It's only finding the opportunities. Well, I will call in - now and then. I'll send them venison, poultry; I'll have myself - bled, if need be. We shall become friends; I'll invite them to my - place. By Jove!" added he, "there's the agricultural show coming - on. She'll be there. I shall see her. We'll begin boldly, for - that's the surest way." -</p> -<a name="2HCH19"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Eight -</h2> -<p> - At last it came, the famous agricultural show. On the morning of - the solemnity all the inhabitants at their doors were chatting - over the preparations. The pediment of the town hall had been - hung with garlands of ivy; a tent had been erected in a meadow - for the banquet; and in the middle of the Place, in front of the - church, a kind of bombarde was to announce the arrival of the - prefect and the names of the successful farmers who had obtained - prizes. The National Guard of Buchy (there was none at Yonville) - had come to join the corps of firemen, of whom Binet was captain. - On that day he wore a collar even higher than usual; and, tightly - buttoned in his tunic, his figure was so stiff and motionless - that the whole vital portion of his person seemed to have - descended into his legs, which rose in a cadence of set steps - with a single movement. As there was some rivalry between the - tax-collector and the colonel, both, to show off their talents, - drilled their men separately. One saw the red epaulettes and the - black breastplates pass and re-pass alternately; there was no end - to it, and it constantly began again. There had never been such a - display of pomp. Several citizens had scoured their houses the - evening before; tri-coloured flags hung from half-open windows; - all the public-houses were full; and in the lovely weather the - starched caps, the golden crosses, and the coloured neckerchiefs - seemed whiter than snow, shone in the sun, and relieved with the - motley colours the sombre monotony of the frock-coats and blue - smocks. The neighbouring farmers' wives, when they got off their - horses, pulled out the long pins that fastened around them their - dresses, turned up for fear of mud; and the husbands, for their - part, in order to save their hats, kept their handkerchiefs - around them, holding one corner between their teeth. -</p> -<p> - The crowd came into the main street from both ends of the - village. People poured in from the lanes, the alleys, the houses; - and from time to time one heard knockers banging against doors - closing behind women with their gloves, who were going out to see - the fete. What was most admired were two long lamp-stands covered - with lanterns, that flanked a platform on which the authorities - were to sit. Besides this there were against the four columns of - the town hall four kinds of poles, each bearing a small standard - of greenish cloth, embellished with inscriptions in gold letters. -</p> -<p> - On one was written, "To Commerce"; on the other, "To - Agriculture"; on the third, "To Industry"; and on the fourth, "To - the Fine Arts." -</p> -<p> - But the jubilation that brightened all faces seemed to darken - that of Madame Lefrancois, the innkeeper. Standing on her - kitchen-steps she muttered to herself, "What rubbish! what - rubbish! With their canvas booth! Do they think the prefect will - be glad to dine down there under a tent like a gipsy? They call - all this fussing doing good to the place! Then it wasn't worth - while sending to Neufchatel for the keeper of a cookshop! And for - whom? For cowherds! tatterdemalions!" -</p> -<p> - The druggist was passing. He had on a frock-coat, nankeen - trousers, beaver shoes, and, for a wonder, a hat with a low - crown. -</p> -<p> - "Your servant! Excuse me, I am in a hurry." And as the fat widow - asked where he was going— -</p> -<p> - "It seems odd to you, doesn't it, I who am always more cooped up - in my laboratory than the man's rat in his cheese." -</p> -<p> - "What cheese?" asked the landlady. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, nothing! nothing!" Homais continued. "I merely wished to - convey to you, Madame Lefrancois, that I usually live at home - like a recluse. To-day, however, considering the circumstances, - it is necessary—" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, you're going down there!" she said contemptuously. -</p> -<p> - "Yes, I am going," replied the druggist, astonished. "Am I not a - member of the consulting commission?" -</p> -<p> - Mere Lefrancois looked at him for a few moments, and ended by - saying with a smile— -</p> -<p> - "That's another pair of shoes! But what does agriculture matter - to you? Do you understand anything about it?" -</p> -<p> - "Certainly I understand it, since I am a druggist—that is to - say, a chemist. And the object of chemistry, Madame Lefrancois, - being the knowledge of the reciprocal and molecular action of all - natural bodies, it follows that agriculture is comprised within - its domain. And, in fact, the composition of the manure, the - fermentation of liquids, the analyses of gases, and the influence - of miasmata, what, I ask you, is all this, if it isn't chemistry, - pure and simple?" -</p> -<p> - The landlady did not answer. Homais went on— -</p> -<p> - "Do you think that to be an agriculturist it is necessary to have - tilled the earth or fattened fowls oneself? It is necessary - rather to know the composition of the substances in question—the - geological strata, the atmospheric actions, the quality of the - soil, the minerals, the waters, the density of the different - bodies, their capillarity, and what not. And one must be master - of all the principles of hygiene in order to direct, criticize - the construction of buildings, the feeding of animals, the diet - of domestics. And, moreover, Madame Lefrancois, one must know - botany, be able to distinguish between plants, you understand, - which are the wholesome and those that are deleterious, which are - unproductive and which nutritive, if it is well to pull them up - here and re-sow them there, to propagate some, destroy others; in - brief, one must keep pace with science by means of pamphlets and - public papers, be always on the alert to find out improvements." -</p> -<p> - The landlady never took her eyes off the "Cafe Francois" and the - chemist went on— -</p> -<p> - "Would to God our agriculturists were chemists, or that at least - they would pay more attention to the counsels of science. Thus - lately I myself wrote a considerable tract, a memoir of over - seventy-two pages, entitled, 'Cider, its Manufacture and its - Effects, together with some New Reflections on the Subject,' that - I sent to the Agricultural Society of Rouen, and which even - procured me the honour of being received among its - members—Section, Agriculture; Class, Pomological. - Well, if my work had been given to the public—" But the druggist - stopped, Madame Lefrancois seemed so preoccupied. -</p> -<p> - "Just look at them!" she said. "It's past comprehension! Such a - cookshop as that!" And with a shrug of the shoulders that - stretched out over her breast the stitches of her knitted bodice, - she pointed with both hands at her rival's inn, whence songs were - heard issuing. "Well, it won't last long," she added. "It'll be - over before a week." -</p> -<p> - Homais drew back with stupefaction. She came down three steps and - whispered in his ear— -</p> -<p> - "What! you didn't know it? There is to be an execution in next - week. It's Lheureux who is selling him out; he has killed him - with bills." -</p> -<p> - "What a terrible catastrophe!" cried the druggist, who always - found expressions in harmony with all imaginable circumstances. -</p> -<p> - Then the landlady began telling him the story that she had heard - from Theodore, Monsieur Guillaumin's servant, and although she - detested Tellier, she blamed Lheureux. He was "a wheedler, a - sneak." -</p> -<p> - "There!" she said. "Look at him! he is in the market; he is - bowing to Madame Bovary, who's got on a green bonnet. Why, she's - taking Monsieur Boulanger's arm." -</p> -<p> - "Madame Bovary!" exclaimed Homais. "I must go at once and pay her - my respects. Perhaps she'll be very glad to have a seat in the - enclosure under the peristyle." And, without heeding Madame - Lefrancois, who was calling him back to tell him more about it, - the druggist walked off rapidly with a smile on his lips, with - straight knees, bowing copiously to right and left, and taking up - much room with the large tails of his frock-coat that fluttered - behind him in the wind. -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe, having caught sight of him from afar, hurried on, but - Madame Bovary lost her breath; so he walked more slowly, and, - smiling at her, said in a rough tone— -</p> -<p> - "It's only to get away from that fat fellow, you know, the - druggist." She pressed his elbow. -</p> -<p> - "What's the meaning of that?" he asked himself. And he looked at - her out of the corner of his eyes. -</p> -<p> - Her profile was so calm that one could guess nothing from it. It - stood out in the light from the oval of her bonnet, with pale - ribbons on it like the leaves of weeds. Her eyes with their long - curved lashes looked straight before her, and though wide open, - they seemed slightly puckered by the cheek-bones, because of the - blood pulsing gently under the delicate skin. A pink line ran - along the partition between her nostrils. Her head was bent upon - her shoulder, and the pearl tips of her white teeth were seen - between her lips. -</p> -<p> - "Is she making fun of me?" thought Rodolphe. -</p> -<p> - Emma's gesture, however, had only been meant for a warning; for - Monsieur Lheureux was accompanying them, and spoke now and again - as if to enter into the conversation. -</p> -<p> - "What a superb day! Everybody is out! The wind is east!" -</p> -<p> - And neither Madame Bovary nor Rodolphe answered him, whilst at - the slightest movement made by them he drew near, saying, "I beg - your pardon!" and raised his hat. -</p> -<p> - When they reached the farrier's house, instead of following the - road up to the fence, Rodolphe suddenly turned down a path, - drawing with him Madame Bovary. He called out— -</p> -<p> - "Good evening, Monsieur Lheureux! See you again presently." -</p> -<p> - "How you got rid of him!" she said, laughing. -</p> -<p> - "Why," he went on, "allow oneself to be intruded upon by others? - And as to-day I have the happiness of being with you—" -</p> -<p> - Emma blushed. He did not finish his sentence. Then he talked of - the fine weather and of the pleasure of walking on the grass. A - few daisies had sprung up again. -</p> -<p> - "Here are some pretty Easter daisies," he said, "and enough of - them to furnish oracles to all the amorous maids in the place." -</p> -<p> - He added, "Shall I pick some? What do you think?" -</p> -<p> - "Are you in love?" she asked, coughing a little. -</p> -<p> - "H'm, h'm! who knows?" answered Rodolphe. -</p> -<p> - The meadow began to fill, and the housewives hustled you with - their great umbrellas, their baskets, and their babies. One had - often to get out of the way of a long file of country folk, - servant-maids with blue stockings, flat shoes, silver rings, and - who smelt of milk, when one passed close to them. They walked - along holding one another by the hand, and thus they spread over - the whole field from the row of open trees to the banquet tent. -</p> -<p> - But this was the examination time, and the farmers one after the - other entered a kind of enclosure formed by a long cord supported - on sticks. -</p> -<p> - The beasts were there, their noses towards the cord, and making a - confused line with their unequal rumps. Drowsy pigs were - burrowing in the earth with their snouts, calves were bleating, - lambs baaing; the cows, on knees folded in, were stretching their - bellies on the grass, slowly chewing the cud, and blinking their - heavy eyelids at the gnats that buzzed round them. Plough-men - with bare arms were holding by the halter prancing stallions that - neighed with dilated nostrils looking towards the mares. These - stood quietly, stretching out their heads and flowing manes, - while their foals rested in their shadow, or now and then came - and sucked them. And above the long undulation of these crowded - animals one saw some white mane rising in the wind like a wave, - or some sharp horns sticking out, and the heads of men running - about. Apart, outside the enclosure, a hundred paces off, was a - large black bull, muzzled, with an iron ring in its nostrils, and - who moved no more than if he had been in bronze. A child in rags - was holding him by a rope. -</p> -<p> - Between the two lines the committee-men were walking with heavy - steps, examining each animal, then consulting one another in a - low voice. One who seemed of more importance now and then took - notes in a book as he walked along. This was the president of the - jury, Monsieur Derozerays de la Panville. As soon as he - recognised Rodolphe he came forward quickly, and smiling amiably, - said— -</p> -<p> - "What! Monsieur Boulanger, you are deserting us?" -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe protested that he was just coming. But when the - president had disappeared— -</p> -<p> - "Ma foi!*" said he, "I shall not go. Your company is better than - his." -</p> -<p> - *Upon my word! -</p> -<p> - And while poking fun at the show, Rodolphe, to move about more easily, - showed the gendarme his blue card, and even stopped now and then in - front of some fine beast, which Madame Bovary did not at all admire. - He noticed this, and began jeering at the Yonville ladies and their - dresses; then he apologised for the negligence of his own. He had that - incongruity of common and elegant in which the habitually vulgar think - they see the revelation of an eccentric existence, of the - perturbations of sentiment, the tyrannies of art, and always a - certain contempt for social conventions, that seduces or - exasperates them. Thus his cambric shirt with plaited cuffs was - blown out by the wind in the opening of his waistcoat of grey - ticking, and his broad-striped trousers disclosed at the ankle - nankeen boots with patent leather gaiters. -</p> -<p> - These were so polished that they reflected the grass. He trampled - on horses's dung with them, one hand in the pocket of his jacket - and his straw hat on one side. -</p> -<p> - "Besides," added he, "when one lives in the country—" -</p> -<p> - "It's waste of time," said Emma. -</p> -<p> - "That is true," replied Rodolphe. "To think that not one of these - people is capable of understanding even the cut of a coat!" -</p> -<p> - Then they talked about provincial mediocrity, of the lives it - crushed, the illusions lost there. -</p> -<p> - "And I too," said Rodolphe, "am drifting into depression." -</p> -<p> - "You!" she said in astonishment; "I thought you very - light-hearted." -</p> -<p> - "Ah! yes. I seem so, because in the midst of the world I know how - to wear the mask of a scoffer upon my face; and yet, how many a - time at the sight of a cemetery by moonlight have I not asked - myself whether it were not better to join those sleeping there!" -</p> -<p> - "Oh! and your friends?" she said. "You do not think of them." -</p> -<p> - "My friends! What friends? Have I any? Who cares for me?" And he - accompanied the last words with a kind of whistling of the lips. -</p> -<p> - But they were obliged to separate from each other because of a - great pile of chairs that a man was carrying behind them. He was - so overladen with them that one could only see the tips of his - wooden shoes and the ends of his two outstretched arms. It was - Lestiboudois, the gravedigger, who was carrying the church chairs - about amongst the people. Alive to all that concerned his - interests, he had hit upon this means of turning the show to - account; and his idea was succeeding, for he no longer knew which - way to turn. In fact, the villagers, who were hot, quarreled for - these seats, whose straw smelt of incense, and they leant against - the thick backs, stained with the wax of candles, with a certain - veneration. -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary again took Rodolphe's arm; he went on as if - speaking to himself— -</p> -<p> - "Yes, I have missed so many things. Always alone! Ah! if I had - some aim in life, if I had met some love, if I had found someone! - Oh, how I would have spent all the energy of which I am capable, - surmounted everything, overcome everything!" -</p> -<p> - "Yet it seems to me," said Emma, "that you are not to be pitied." -</p> -<p> - "Ah! you think so?" said Rodolphe. -</p> -<p> - "For, after all," she went on, "you are free—" she hesitated, - "rich—" -</p> -<p> - "Do not mock me," he replied. -</p> -<p> - And she protested that she was not mocking him, when the report - of a cannon resounded. Immediately all began hustling one another - pell-mell towards the village. -</p> -<p> - It was a false alarm. The prefect seemed not to be coming, and - the members of the jury felt much embarrassed, not knowing if - they ought to begin the meeting or still wait. -</p> -<p> - At last at the end of the Place a large hired landau appeared, - drawn by two thin horses, which a coachman in a white hat was - whipping lustily. Binet had only just time to shout, "Present - arms!" and the colonel to imitate him. All ran towards the - enclosure; everyone pushed forward. A few even forgot their - collars; but the equipage of the prefect seemed to anticipate the - crowd, and the two yoked jades, trapesing in their harness, came - up at a little trot in front of the peristyle of the town hall at - the very moment when the National Guard and firemen deployed, - beating drums and marking time. -</p> -<p> - "Present!" shouted Binet. -</p> -<p> - "Halt!" shouted the colonel. "Left about, march." -</p> -<p> - And after presenting arms, during which the clang of the band, - letting loose, rang out like a brass kettle rolling downstairs, - all the guns were lowered. Then was seen stepping down from the - carriage a gentleman in a short coat with silver braiding, with - bald brow, and wearing a tuft of hair at the back of his head, of - a sallow complexion and the most benign appearance. His eyes, - very large and covered by heavy lids, were half-closed to look at - the crowd, while at the same time he raised his sharp nose, and - forced a smile upon his sunken mouth. He recognised the mayor by - his scarf, and explained to him that the prefect was not able to - come. He himself was a councillor at the prefecture; then he - added a few apologies. Monsieur Tuvache answered them with - compliments; the other confessed himself nervous; and they - remained thus, face to face, their foreheads almost touching, - with the members of the jury all round, the municipal council, - the notable personages, the National Guard and the crowd. The - councillor pressing his little cocked hat to his breast repeated - his bows, while Tuvache, bent like a bow, also smiled, stammered, - tried to say something, protested his devotion to the monarchy - and the honour that was being done to Yonville. -</p> -<p> - Hippolyte, the groom from the inn, took the head of the horses - from the coachman, and, limping along with his club-foot, led - them to the door of the "Lion d'Or", where a number of peasants - collected to look at the carriage. The drum beat, the howitzer - thundered, and the gentlemen one by one mounted the platform, - where they sat down in red utrecht velvet arm-chairs that had - been lent by Madame Tuvache. -</p> -<p> - All these people looked alike. Their fair flabby faces, somewhat - tanned by the sun, were the colour of sweet cider, and their - puffy whiskers emerged from stiff collars, kept up by white - cravats with broad bows. All the waist-coats were of velvet, - double-breasted; all the watches had, at the end of a long - ribbon, an oval cornelian seal; everyone rested his two hands on - his thighs, carefully stretching the stride of their trousers, - whose unsponged glossy cloth shone more brilliantly than the - leather of their heavy boots. -</p> -<p> - The ladies of the company stood at the back under the vestibule - between the pillars while the common herd was opposite, standing - up or sitting on chairs. As a matter of fact, Lestiboudois had - brought thither all those that he had moved from the field, and - he even kept running back every minute to fetch others from the - church. He caused such confusion with this piece of business that - one had great difficulty in getting to the small steps of the - platform. -</p> -<p> - "I think," said Monsieur Lheureux to the chemist, who was passing - to his place, "that they ought to have put up two Venetian masts - with something rather severe and rich for ornaments; it would - have been a very pretty effect." -</p> -<p> - "To be sure," replied Homais; "but what can you expect? The mayor - took everything on his own shoulders. He hasn't much taste. Poor - Tuvache! and he is even completely destitute of what is called - the genius of art." -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe, meanwhile, with Madame Bovary, had gone up to the first - floor of the town hall, to the "council-room," and, as it was - empty, he declared that they could enjoy the sight there more - comfortably. He fetched three stools from the round table under - the bust of the monarch, and having carried them to one of the - windows, they sat down by each other. -</p> -<p> - There was commotion on the platform, long whisperings, much - parleying. At last the councillor got up. They knew now that his - name was Lieuvain, and in the crowd the name was passed from one - to the other. After he had collated a few pages, and bent over - them to see better, he began— -</p> -<p> - "Gentlemen! May I be permitted first of all (before addressing - you on the object of our meeting to-day, and this sentiment will, - I am sure, be shared by you all), may I be permitted, I say, to - pay a tribute to the higher administration, to the government to - the monarch, gentle men, our sovereign, to that beloved king, to - whom no branch of public or private prosperity is a matter of - indifference, and who directs with a hand at once so firm and - wise the chariot of the state amid the incessant perils of a - stormy sea, knowing, moreover, how to make peace respected as - well as war, industry, commerce, agriculture, and the fine arts?" -</p> -<p> - "I ought," said Rodolphe, "to get back a little further." -</p> -<p> - "Why?" said Emma. -</p> -<p> - But at this moment the voice of the councillor rose to an - extraordinary pitch. He declaimed— -</p> -<p> - "This is no longer the time, gentlemen, when civil discord - ensanguined our public places, when the landlord, the - business-man, the working-man himself, falling asleep at night, - lying down to peaceful sleep, trembled lest he should be awakened - suddenly by the noise of incendiary tocsins, when the most - subversive doctrines audaciously sapped foundations." -</p> -<p> - "Well, someone down there might see me," Rodolphe resumed, "then - I should have to invent excuses for a fortnight; and with my bad - reputation—" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, you are slandering yourself," said Emma. -</p> -<p> - "No! It is dreadful, I assure you." -</p> -<p> - "But, gentlemen," continued the councillor, "if, banishing from - my memory the remembrance of these sad pictures, I carry my eyes - back to the actual situation of our dear country, what do I see - there? Everywhere commerce and the arts are flourishing; - everywhere new means of communication, like so many new arteries - in the body of the state, establish within it new relations. Our - great industrial centres have recovered all their activity; - religion, more consolidated, smiles in all hearts; our ports are - full, confidence is born again, and France breathes once more!" -</p> -<p> - "Besides," added Rodolphe, "perhaps from the world's point of - view they are right." -</p> -<p> - "How so?" she asked. -</p> -<p> - "What!" said he. "Do you not know that there are souls constantly - tormented? They need by turns to dream and to act, the purest - passions and the most turbulent joys, and thus they fling - themselves into all sorts of fantasies, of follies." -</p> -<p> - Then she looked at him as one looks at a traveller who has - voyaged over strange lands, and went on— -</p> -<p> - "We have not even this distraction, we poor women!" -</p> -<p> - "A sad distraction, for happiness isn't found in it." -</p> -<p> - "But is it ever found?" she asked. -</p> -<p> - "Yes; one day it comes," he answered. -</p> -<p> - "And this is what you have understood," said the councillor. -</p> -<p> - "You, farmers, agricultural labourers! you pacific pioneers of a - work that belongs wholly to civilization! you, men of progress - and morality, you have understood, I say, that political storms - are even more redoubtable than atmospheric disturbances!" -</p> -<p> - "It comes one day," repeated Rodolphe, "one day suddenly, and - when one is despairing of it. Then the horizon expands; it is as - if a voice cried, 'It is here!' You feel the need of confiding - the whole of your life, of giving everything, sacrificing - everything to this being. There is no need for explanations; they - understand one another. They have seen each other in dreams!" -</p> -<p> - (And he looked at her.) "In fine, here it is, this treasure so - sought after, here before you. It glitters, it flashes; yet one - still doubts, one does not believe it; one remains dazzled, as if - one went out iron darkness into light." -</p> -<p> - And as he ended Rodolphe suited the action to the word. He passed - his hand over his face, like a man seized with giddiness. Then he - let it fall on Emma's. She took hers away. -</p> -<p> - "And who would be surprised at it, gentlemen? He only who is so - blind, so plunged (I do not fear to say it), so plunged in the - prejudices of another age as still to misunderstand the spirit of - agricultural populations. Where, indeed, is to be found more - patriotism than in the country, greater devotion to the public - welfare, more intelligence, in a word? And, gentlemen, I do not - mean that superficial intelligence, vain ornament of idle minds, - but rather that profound and balanced intelligence that applies - itself above all else to useful objects, thus contributing to the - good of all, to the common amelioration and to the support of the - state, born of respect for law and the practice of duty—" -</p> -<p> - "Ah! again!" said Rodolphe. "Always 'duty.' I am sick of the - word. They are a lot of old blockheads in flannel vests and of - old women with foot-warmers and rosaries who constantly drone - into our ears 'Duty, duty!' Ah! by Jove! one's duty is to feel - what is great, cherish the beautiful, and not accept all the - conventions of society with the ignominy that it imposes upon - us." -</p> -<p> - "Yet—yet—" objected Madame Bovary. -</p> -<p> - "No, no! Why cry out against the passions? Are they not the one - beautiful thing on the earth, the source of heroism, of - enthusiasm, of poetry, music, the arts, of everything, in a - word?" -</p> -<p> - "But one must," said Emma, "to some extent bow to the opinion of - the world and accept its moral code." -</p> -<p> - "Ah! but there are two," he replied. "The small, the - conventional, that of men, that which constantly changes, that - brays out so loudly, that makes such a commotion here below, of - the earth earthly, like the mass of imbeciles you see down there. - But the other, the eternal, that is about us and above, like the - landscape that surrounds us, and the blue heavens that give us - light." -</p> -<p> - Monsieur Lieuvain had just wiped his mouth with a - pocket-handkerchief. He continued— -</p> -<p> - "And what should I do here gentlemen, pointing out to you the - uses of agriculture? Who supplies our wants? Who provides our - means of subsistence? Is it not the agriculturist? The - agriculturist, gentlemen, who, sowing with laborious hand the - fertile furrows of the country, brings forth the corn, which, - being ground, is made into a powder by means of ingenious - machinery, comes out thence under the name of flour, and from - there, transported to our cities, is soon delivered at the - baker's, who makes it into food for poor and rich alike. Again, - is it not the agriculturist who fattens, for our clothes, his - abundant flocks in the pastures? For how should we clothe - ourselves, how nourish ourselves, without the agriculturist? And, - gentlemen, is it even necessary to go so far for examples? Who - has not frequently reflected on all the momentous things that we - get out of that modest animal, the ornament of poultry-yards, - that provides us at once with a soft pillow for our bed, with - succulent flesh for our tables, and eggs? But I should never end - if I were to enumerate one after the other all the different - products which the earth, well cultivated, like a generous - mother, lavishes upon her children. Here it is the vine, - elsewhere the apple tree for cider, there colza, farther on - cheeses and flax. Gentlemen, let us not forget flax, which has - made such great strides of late years, and to which I will more - particularly call your attention." -</p> -<p> - He had no need to call it, for all the mouths of the multitude - were wide open, as if to drink in his words. Tuvache by his side - listened to him with staring eyes. Monsieur Derozerays from time - to time softly closed his eyelids, and farther on the chemist, - with his son Napoleon between his knees, put his hand behind his - ear in order not to lose a syllable. The chins of the other - members of the jury went slowly up and down in their waistcoats - in sign of approval. The firemen at the foot of the platform - rested on their bayonets; and Binet, motionless, stood with - out-turned elbows, the point of his sabre in the air. Perhaps he - could hear, but certainly he could see nothing, because of the - visor of his helmet, that fell down on his nose. His lieutenant, - the youngest son of Monsieur Tuvache, had a bigger one, for his - was enormous, and shook on his head, and from it an end of his - cotton scarf peeped out. He smiled beneath it with a perfectly - infantine sweetness, and his pale little face, whence drops were - running, wore an expression of enjoyment and sleepiness. -</p> -<p> - The square as far as the houses was crowded with people. One saw - folk leaning on their elbows at all the windows, others standing - at doors, and Justin, in front of the chemist's shop, seemed - quite transfixed by the sight of what he was looking at. In spite - of the silence Monsieur Lieuvain's voice was lost in the air. It - reached you in fragments of phrases, and interrupted here and - there by the creaking of chairs in the crowd; then you suddenly - heard the long bellowing of an ox, or else the bleating of the - lambs, who answered one another at street corners. In fact, the - cowherds and shepherds had driven their beasts thus far, and - these lowed from time to time, while with their tongues they tore - down some scrap of foliage that hung above their mouths. -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe had drawn nearer to Emma, and said to her in a low - voice, speaking rapidly— -</p> -<p> - "Does not this conspiracy of the world revolt you? Is there a - single sentiment it does not condemn? The noblest instincts, the - purest sympathies are persecuted, slandered; and if at length two - poor souls do meet, all is so organised that they cannot blend - together. Yet they will make the attempt; they will flutter their - wings; they will call upon each other. Oh! no matter. Sooner or - later, in six months, ten years, they will come together, will - love; for fate has decreed it, and they are born one for the - other." -</p> -<p> - His arms were folded across his knees, and thus lifting his face - towards Emma, close by her, he looked fixedly at her. She noticed - in his eyes small golden lines radiating from black pupils; she - even smelt the perfume of the pomade that made his hair glossy. -</p> -<p> - Then a faintness came over her; she recalled the Viscount who had - waltzed with her at Vaubyessard, and his beard exhaled like this - air an odour of vanilla and citron, and mechanically she - half-closed her eyes the better to breathe it in. But in making - this movement, as she leant back in her chair, she saw in the - distance, right on the line of the horizon, the old diligence, - the "Hirondelle," that was slowly descending the hill of Leux, - dragging after it a long trail of dust. It was in this yellow - carriage that Leon had so often come back to her, and by this - route down there that he had gone for ever. She fancied she saw - him opposite at his windows; then all grew confused; clouds - gathered; it seemed to her that she was again turning in the - waltz under the light of the lustres on the arm of the Viscount, - and that Leon was not far away, that he was coming; and yet all - the time she was conscious of the scent of Rodolphe's head by her - side. This sweetness of sensation pierced through her old - desires, and these, like grains of sand under a gust of wind, - eddied to and fro in the subtle breath of the perfume which - suffused her soul. She opened wide her nostrils several times to - drink in the freshness of the ivy round the capitals. She took - off her gloves, she wiped her hands, then fanned her face with - her handkerchief, while athwart the throbbing of her temples she - heard the murmur of the crowd and the voice of the councillor - intoning his phrases. He said—"Continue, persevere; listen - neither to the suggestions of routine, nor to the over-hasty - councils of a rash empiricism. -</p> -<p> - "Apply yourselves, above all, to the amelioration of the soil, to - good manures, to the development of the equine, bovine, ovine, - and porcine races. Let these shows be to you pacific arenas, - where the victor in leaving it will hold forth a hand to the - vanquished, and will fraternise with him in the hope of better - success. And you, aged servants, humble domestics, whose hard - labour no Government up to this day has taken into consideration, - come hither to receive the reward of your silent virtues, and be - assured that the state henceforward has its eye upon you; that it - encourages you, protects you; that it will accede to your just - demands, and alleviate as much as in it lies the burden of your - painful sacrifices." -</p> -<p> - Monsieur Lieuvain then sat down; Monsieur Derozerays got up, - beginning another speech. His was not perhaps so florid as that - of the councillor, but it recommended itself by a more direct - style, that is to say, by more special knowledge and more - elevated considerations. Thus the praise of the Government took - up less space in it; religion and agriculture more. He showed in - it the relations of these two, and how they had always - contributed to civilisation. Rodolphe with Madame Bovary was - talking dreams, presentiments, magnetism. Going back to the - cradle of society, the orator painted those fierce times when men - lived on acorns in the heart of woods. Then they had left off the - skins of beasts, had put on cloth, tilled the soil, planted the - vine. Was this a good, and in this discovery was there not more - of injury than of gain? Monsieur Derozerays set himself this - problem. From magnetism little by little Rodolphe had come to - affinities, and while the president was citing Cincinnatus and - his plough, Diocletian, planting his cabbages, and the Emperors - of China inaugurating the year by the sowing of seed, the young - man was explaining to the young woman that these irresistible - attractions find their cause in some previous state of existence. -</p> -<p> - "Thus we," he said, "why did we come to know one another? What - chance willed it? It was because across the infinite, like two - streams that flow but to unite; our special bents of mind had - driven us towards each other." -</p> -<p> - And he seized her hand; she did not withdraw it. -</p> -<p> - "For good farming generally!" cried the president. -</p> -<p> - "Just now, for example, when I went to your house." -</p> -<p> - "To Monsieur Bizat of Quincampoix." -</p> -<p> - "Did I know I should accompany you?" -</p> -<p> - "Seventy francs." -</p> -<p> - "A hundred times I wished to go; and I followed you—I remained." -</p> -<p> - "Manures!" -</p> -<p> - "And I shall remain to-night, to-morrow, all other days, all my - life!" -</p> -<p> - "To Monsieur Caron of Argueil, a gold medal!" -</p> -<p> - "For I have never in the society of any other person found so - complete a charm." -</p> -<p> - "To Monsieur Bain of Givry-Saint-Martin." -</p> -<p> - "And I shall carry away with me the remembrance of you." -</p> -<p> - "For a merino ram!" -</p> -<p> - "But you will forget me; I shall pass away like a shadow." -</p> -<p> - "To Monsieur Belot of Notre-Dame." -</p> -<p> - "Oh, no! I shall be something in your thought, in your life, - shall I not?" -</p> -<p> - "Porcine race; prizes—equal, to Messrs. Leherisse and - Cullembourg, sixty francs!" -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe was pressing her hand, and he felt it all warm and - quivering like a captive dove that wants to fly away; but, - whether she was trying to take it away or whether she was - answering his pressure; she made a movement with her fingers. He - exclaimed— -</p> -<p> - "Oh, I thank you! You do not repulse me! You are good! You - understand that I am yours! Let me look at you; let me - contemplate you!" -</p> -<p> - A gust of wind that blew in at the window ruffled the cloth on - the table, and in the square below all the great caps of the - peasant women were uplifted by it like the wings of white - butterflies fluttering. -</p> -<p> - "Use of oil-cakes," continued the president. He was hurrying on: - "Flemish manure-flax-growing-drainage-long leases-domestic - service." -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe was no longer speaking. They looked at one another. A - supreme desire made their dry lips tremble, and wearily, without - an effort, their fingers intertwined. -</p> -<p> - "Catherine Nicaise Elizabeth Leroux, of Sassetot-la-Guerriere, - for fifty-four years of service at the same farm, a silver - medal—value, twenty-five francs!" -</p> -<p> - "Where is Catherine Leroux?" repeated the councillor. -</p> -<p> - She did not present herself, and one could hear voices - whispering— -</p> -<p> - "Go up!" -</p> -<p> - "Don't be afraid!" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, how stupid she is!" -</p> -<p> - "Well, is she there?" cried Tuvache. -</p> -<p> - "Yes; here she is." -</p> -<p> - "Then let her come up!" -</p> -<p> - Then there came forward on the platform a little old woman with - timid bearing, who seemed to shrink within her poor clothes. On - her feet she wore heavy wooden clogs, and from her hips hung a - large blue apron. Her pale face framed in a borderless cap was - more wrinkled than a withered russet apple. And from the sleeves - of her red jacket looked out two large hands with knotty joints, - the dust of barns, the potash of washing the grease of wools had - so encrusted, roughened, hardened these that they seemed dirty, - although they had been rinsed in clear water; and by dint of long - service they remained half open, as if to bear humble witness for - themselves of so much suffering endured. Something of monastic - rigidity dignified her face. Nothing of sadness or of emotion - weakened that pale look. In her constant living with animals she - had caught their dumbness and their calm. It was the first time - that she found herself in the midst of so large a company, and - inwardly scared by the flags, the drums, the gentlemen in - frock-coats, and the order of the councillor, she stood - motionless, not knowing whether to advance or run away, nor why - the crowd was pushing her and the jury were smiling at her. -</p> -<p> - Thus stood before these radiant bourgeois this half-century of - servitude. -</p> -<p> - "Approach, venerable Catherine Nicaise Elizabeth Leroux!" said - the councillor, who had taken the list of prize-winners from the - president; and, looking at the piece of paper and the old woman - by turns, he repeated in a fatherly tone—"Approach! approach!" -</p> -<p> - "Are you deaf?" said Tuvache, fidgeting in his armchair; and he - began shouting in her ear, "Fifty-four years of service. A silver - medal! Twenty-five francs! For you!" -</p> -<p> - Then, when she had her medal, she looked at it, and a smile of - beatitude spread over her face; and as she walked away they could - hear her muttering "I'll give it to our cure up home, to say some - masses for me!" -</p> -<p> - "What fanaticism!" exclaimed the chemist, leaning across to the - notary. -</p> -<p> - The meeting was over, the crowd dispersed, and now that the - speeches had been read, each one fell back into his place again, - and everything into the old grooves; the masters bullied the - servants, and these struck the animals, indolent victors, going - back to the stalls, a green-crown on their horns. -</p> -<p> - The National Guards, however, had gone up to the first floor of - the town hall with buns spitted on their bayonets, and the - drummer of the battalion carried a basket with bottles. Madame - Bovary took Rodolphe's arm; he saw her home; they separated at - her door; then he walked about alone in the meadow while he - waited for the time of the banquet. -</p> -<p> - The feast was long, noisy, ill served; the guests were so crowded - that they could hardly move their elbows; and the narrow planks - used for forms almost broke down under their weight. They ate - hugely. Each one stuffed himself on his own account. Sweat stood - on every brow, and a whitish steam, like the vapour of a stream - on an autumn morning, floated above the table between the hanging - lamps. Rodolphe, leaning against the calico of the tent was - thinking so earnestly of Emma that he heard nothing. Behind him - on the grass the servants were piling up the dirty plates, his - neighbours were talking; he did not answer them; they filled his - glass, and there was silence in his thoughts in spite of the - growing noise. He was dreaming of what she had said, of the line - of her lips; her face, as in a magic mirror, shone on the plates - of the shakos, the folds of her gown fell along the walls, and - days of love unrolled to all infinity before him in the vistas of - the future. -</p> -<p> - He saw her again in the evening during the fireworks, but she was - with her husband, Madame Homais, and the druggist, who was - worrying about the danger of stray rockets, and every moment he - left the company to go and give some advice to Binet. -</p> -<p> - The pyrotechnic pieces sent to Monsieur Tuvache had, through an - excess of caution, been shut up in his cellar, and so the damp - powder would not light, and the principal set piece, that was to - represent a dragon biting his tail, failed completely. Now and - then a meagre Roman-candle went off; then the gaping crowd sent - up a shout that mingled with the cry of the women, whose waists - were being squeezed in the darkness. Emma silently nestled - against Charles's shoulder; then, raising her chin, she watched - the luminous rays of the rockets against the dark sky. Rodolphe - gazed at her in the light of the burning lanterns. -</p> -<p> - They went out one by one. The stars shone out. A few crops of - rain began to fall. She knotted her fichu round her bare head. -</p> -<p> - At this moment the councillor's carriage came out from the inn. -</p> -<p> - His coachman, who was drunk, suddenly dozed off, and one could - see from the distance, above the hood, between the two lanterns, - the mass of his body, that swayed from right to left with the - giving of the traces. -</p> -<p> - "Truly," said the druggist, "one ought to proceed most rigorously - against drunkenness! I should like to see written up weekly at - the door of the town hall on a board ad hoc* the names of all - those who during the week got intoxicated on alcohol. Besides, - with regard to statistics, one would thus have, as it were, - public records that one could refer to in case of need. But - excuse me!" -</p> -<p> - *Specifically for that. -</p> -<p> - And he once more ran off to the captain. The latter was going - back to see his lathe again. -</p> -<p> - "Perhaps you would not do ill," Homais said to him, "to send one - of your men, or to go yourself—" -</p> -<p> - "Leave me alone!" answered the tax-collector. "It's all right!" -</p> -<p> - "Do not be uneasy," said the druggist, when he returned to his - friends. "Monsieur Binet has assured me that all precautions have - been taken. No sparks have fallen; the pumps are full. Let us go - to rest." -</p> -<p> - "Ma foi! I want it," said Madame Homais, yawning at large. "But - never mind; we've had a beautiful day for our fete." -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe repeated in a low voice, and with a tender look, "Oh, - yes! very beautiful!" -</p> -<p> - And having bowed to one another, they separated. -</p> -<p> - Two days later, in the "Final de Rouen," there was a long article - on the show. Homais had composed it with verve the very next - morning. -</p> -<p> - "Why these festoons, these flowers, these garlands? Whither - hurries this crowd like the waves of a furious sea under the - torrents of a tropical sun pouring its heat upon our heads?" -</p> -<p> - Then he spoke of the condition of the peasants. Certainly the - Government was doing much, but not enough. "Courage!" he cried to - it; "a thousand reforms are indispensable; let us accomplish - them!" Then touching on the entry of the councillor, he did not - forget "the martial air of our militia;" nor "our most merry - village maidens;" nor the "bald-headed old men like patriarchs - who were there, and of whom some, the remnants of our phalanxes, - still felt their hearts beat at the manly sound of the drums." He - cited himself among the first of the members of the jury, and he - even called attention in a note to the fact that Monsieur Homais, - chemist, had sent a memoir on cider to the agricultural society. -</p> -<p> - When he came to the distribution of the prizes, he painted the - joy of the prize-winners in dithyrambic strophes. "The father - embraced the son, the brother the brother, the husband his - consort. More than one showed his humble medal with pride; and no - doubt when he got home to his good housewife, he hung it up - weeping on the modest walls of his cot. -</p> -<p> - "About six o'clock a banquet prepared in the meadow of Monsieur - Leigeard brought together the principal personages of the fete. - The greatest cordiality reigned here. Divers toasts were - proposed: Monsieur Lieuvain, the King; Monsieur Tuvache, the - Prefect; Monsieur Derozerays, Agriculture; Monsieur Homais, - Industry and the Fine Arts, those twin sisters; Monsieur - Leplichey, Progress. In the evening some brilliant fireworks on a - sudden illumined the air. One would have called it a veritable - kaleidoscope, a real operatic scene; and for a moment our little - locality might have thought itself transported into the midst of - a dream of the 'Thousand and One Nights.' Let us state that no - untoward event disturbed this family meeting." And he added "Only - the absence of the clergy was remarked. No doubt the priests - understand progress in another fashion. Just as you please, - messieurs the followers of Loyola!" -</p> -<a name="2HCH20"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Nine -</h2> -<p> - Six weeks passed. Rodolphe did not come again. At last one - evening he appeared. -</p> -<p> - The day after the show he had said to himself—"We mustn't go - back too soon; that would be a mistake." -</p> -<p> - And at the end of a week he had gone off hunting. After the - hunting he had thought it was too late, and then he reasoned - thus— -</p> -<p> - "If from the first day she loved me, she must from impatience to - see me again love me more. Let's go on with it!" -</p> -<p> - And he knew that his calculation had been right when, on entering - the room, he saw Emma turn pale. -</p> -<p> - She was alone. The day was drawing in. The small muslin curtain - along the windows deepened the twilight, and the gilding of the - barometer, on which the rays of the sun fell, shone in the - looking-glass between the meshes of the coral. -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe remained standing, and Emma hardly answered his first - conventional phrases. -</p> -<p> - "I," he said, "have been busy. I have been ill." -</p> -<p> - "Seriously?" she cried. -</p> -<p> - "Well," said Rodolphe, sitting down at her side on a footstool, - "no; it was because I did not want to come back." -</p> -<p> - "Why?" -</p> -<p> - "Can you not guess?" -</p> -<p> - He looked at her again, but so hard that she lowered her head, - blushing. He went on— -</p> -<p> - "Emma!" -</p> -<p> - "Sir," she said, drawing back a little. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! you see," replied he in a melancholy voice, "that I was - right not to come back; for this name, this name that fills my - whole soul, and that escaped me, you forbid me to use! Madame - Bovary! why all the world calls you thus! Besides, it is not your - name; it is the name of another!" -</p> -<p> - He repeated, "of another!" And he hid his face in his hands. -</p> -<p> - "Yes, I think of you constantly. The memory of you drives me to - despair. Ah! forgive me! I will leave you! Farewell! I will go - far away, so far that you will never hear of me again; and yet— - to-day—I know not what force impelled me towards you. For one - does not struggle against Heaven; one cannot resist the smile of - angels; one is carried away by that which is beautiful, charming, - adorable." -</p> -<p> - It was the first time that Emma had heard such words spoken to - herself, and her pride, like one who reposes bathed in warmth, - expanded softly and fully at this glowing language. -</p> -<p> - "But if I did not come," he continued, "if I could not see you, - at least I have gazed long on all that surrounds you. At - night-every night-I arose; I came hither; I watched your house, - its glimmering in the moon, the trees in the garden swaying - before your window, and the little lamp, a gleam shining through - the window-panes in the darkness. Ah! you never knew that there, - so near you, so far from you, was a poor wretch!" -</p> -<p> - She turned towards him with a sob. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, you are good!" she said. -</p> -<p> - "No, I love you, that is all! You do not doubt that! Tell me—one - word—only one word!" -</p> -<p> - And Rodolphe imperceptibly glided from the footstool to the - ground; but a sound of wooden shoes was heard in the kitchen, and - he noticed the door of the room was not closed. -</p> -<p> - "How kind it would be of you," he went on, rising, "if you would - humour a whim of mine." It was to go over her house; he wanted to - know it; and Madame Bovary seeing no objection to this, they both - rose, when Charles came in. -</p> -<p> - "Good morning, doctor," Rodolphe said to him. -</p> -<p> - The doctor, flattered at this unexpected title, launched out into - obsequious phrases. Of this the other took advantage to pull - himself together a little. -</p> -<p> - "Madame was speaking to me," he then said, "about her health." -</p> -<p> - Charles interrupted him; he had indeed a thousand anxieties; his - wife's palpitations of the heart were beginning again. Then - Rodolphe asked if riding would not be good. -</p> -<p> - "Certainly! excellent! just the thing! There's an idea! You ought - to follow it up." -</p> -<p> - And as she objected that she had no horse, Monsieur Rodolphe - offered one. She refused his offer; he did not insist. Then to - explain his visit he said that his ploughman, the man of the - blood-letting, still suffered from giddiness. -</p> -<p> - "I'll call around," said Bovary. -</p> -<p> - "No, no! I'll send him to you; we'll come; that will be more - convenient for you." -</p> -<p> - "Ah! very good! I thank you." -</p> -<p> - And as soon as they were alone, "Why don't you accept Monsieur - Boulanger's kind offer?" -</p> -<p> - She assumed a sulky air, invented a thousand excuses, and finally - declared that perhaps it would look odd. -</p> -<p> - "Well, what the deuce do I care for that?" said Charles, making a - pirouette. "Health before everything! You are wrong." -</p> -<p> - "And how do you think I can ride when I haven't got a habit?" -</p> -<p> - "You must order one," he answered. -</p> -<p> - The riding-habit decided her. -</p> -<p> - When the habit was ready, Charles wrote to Monsieur Boulanger - that his wife was at his command, and that they counted on his - good-nature. -</p> -<p> - The next day at noon Rodolphe appeared at Charles's door with two - saddle-horses. One had pink rosettes at his ears and a deerskin - side-saddle. -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe had put on high soft boots, saying to himself that no - doubt she had never seen anything like them. In fact, Emma was - charmed with his appearance as he stood on the landing in his - great velvet coat and white corduroy breeches. She was ready; she - was waiting for him. -</p> -<p> - Justin escaped from the chemist's to see her start, and the - chemist also came out. He was giving Monsieur Boulanger a little - good advice. -</p> -<p> - "An accident happens so easily. Be careful! Your horses perhaps - are mettlesome." -</p> -<p> - She heard a noise above her; it was Felicite drumming on the - windowpanes to amuse little Berthe. The child blew her a kiss; - her mother answered with a wave of her whip. -</p> -<p> - "A pleasant ride!" cried Monsieur Homais. "Prudence! above all, - prudence!" And he flourished his newspaper as he saw them - disappear. -</p> -<p> - As soon as he felt the ground, Emma's horse set off at a gallop. -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe galloped by her side. Now and then they exchanged a - word. Her figure slightly bent, her hand well up, and her right - arm stretched out, she gave herself up to the cadence of the - movement that rocked her in her saddle. At the bottom of the hill - Rodolphe gave his horse its head; they started together at a - bound, then at the top suddenly the horses stopped, and her large - blue veil fell about her. -</p> -<p> - It was early in October. There was fog over the land. Hazy clouds - hovered on the horizon between the outlines of the hills; others, - rent asunder, floated up and disappeared. Sometimes through a - rift in the clouds, beneath a ray of sunshine, gleamed from afar - the roots of Yonville, with the gardens at the water's edge, the - yards, the walls and the church steeple. Emma half closed her - eyes to pick out her house, and never had this poor village where - she lived appeared so small. From the height on which they were - the whole valley seemed an immense pale lake sending off its - vapour into the air. Clumps of trees here and there stood out - like black rocks, and the tall lines of the poplars that rose - above the mist were like a beach stirred by the wind. -</p> -<p> - By the side, on the turf between the pines, a brown light - shimmered in the warm atmosphere. The earth, ruddy like the - powder of tobacco, deadened the noise of their steps, and with - the edge of their shoes the horses as they walked kicked the - fallen fir cones in front of them. -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe and Emma thus went along the skirt of the wood. She - turned away from time to time to avoid his look, and then she saw - only the pine trunks in lines, whose monotonous succession made - her a little giddy. The horses were panting; the leather of the - saddles creaked. -</p> -<p> - Just as they were entering the forest the sun shone out. -</p> -<p> - "God protects us!" said Rodolphe. -</p> -<p> - "Do you think so?" she said. -</p> -<p> - "Forward! forward!" he continued. -</p> -<p> - He "tchk'd" with his tongue. The two beasts set off at a trot. -</p> -<p> - Long ferns by the roadside caught in Emma's stirrup. -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe leant forward and removed them as they rode along. At - other times, to turn aside the branches, he passed close to her, - and Emma felt his knee brushing against her leg. The sky was now - blue, the leaves no longer stirred. There were spaces full of - heather in flower, and plots of violets alternated with the - confused patches of the trees that were grey, fawn, or golden - coloured, according to the nature of their leaves. Often in the - thicket was heard the fluttering of wings, or else the hoarse, - soft cry of the ravens flying off amidst the oaks. -</p> -<p> - They dismounted. Rodolphe fastened up the horses. She walked on - in front on the moss between the paths. But her long habit got in - her way, although she held it up by the skirt; and Rodolphe, - walking behind her, saw between the black cloth and the black - shoe the fineness of her white stocking, that seemed to him as if - it were a part of her nakedness. -</p> -<p> - She stopped. "I am tired," she said. -</p> -<p> - "Come, try again," he went on. "Courage!" -</p> -<p> - Then some hundred paces farther on she again stopped, and through - her veil, that fell sideways from her man's hat over her hips, - her face appeared in a bluish transparency as if she were - floating under azure waves. -</p> -<p> - "But where are we going?" -</p> -<p> - He did not answer. She was breathing irregularly. Rodolphe looked - round him biting his moustache. They came to a larger space where - the coppice had been cut. They sat down on the trunk of a fallen - tree, and Rodolphe began speaking to her of his love. He did not - begin by frightening her with compliments. He was calm, serious, - melancholy. -</p> -<p> - Emma listened to him with bowed head, and stirred the bits of - wood on the ground with the tip of her foot. But at the words, - "Are not our destinies now one?" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, no!" she replied. "You know that well. It is impossible!" - She rose to go. He seized her by the wrist. She stopped. Then, - having gazed at him for a few moments with an amorous and humid - look, she said hurriedly— -</p> -<p> - "Ah! do not speak of it again! Where are the horses? Let us go - back." -</p> -<p> - He made a gesture of anger and annoyance. She repeated: -</p> -<p> - "Where are the horses? Where are the horses?" -</p> -<p> - Then smiling a strange smile, his pupil fixed, his teeth set, he - advanced with outstretched arms. She recoiled trembling. She - stammered: -</p> -<p> - "Oh, you frighten me! You hurt me! Let me go!" -</p> -<p> - "If it must be," he went on, his face changing; and he again - became respectful, caressing, timid. She gave him her arm. They - went back. He said— -</p> -<p> - "What was the matter with you? Why? I do not understand. You were - mistaken, no doubt. In my soul you are as a Madonna on a - pedestal, in a place lofty, secure, immaculate. But I need you to - live! I must have your eyes, your voice, your thought! Be my - friend, my sister, my angel!" -</p> -<p> - And he put out his arm round her waist. She feebly tried to - disengage herself. He supported her thus as they walked along. -</p> -<p> - But they heard the two horses browsing on the leaves. -</p> -<p> - "Oh! one moment!" said Rodolphe. "Do not let us go! Stay!" -</p> -<p> - He drew her farther on to a small pool where duckweeds made a - greenness on the water. Faded water lilies lay motionless between - the reeds. At the noise of their steps in the grass, frogs jumped - away to hide themselves. -</p> -<p> - "I am wrong! I am wrong!" she said. "I am mad to listen to you!" -</p> -<p> - "Why? Emma! Emma!" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, Rodolphe!" said the young woman slowly, leaning on his - shoulder. -</p> -<p> - The cloth of her habit caught against the velvet of his coat. She - threw back her white neck, swelling with a sigh, and faltering, - in tears, with a long shudder and hiding her face, she gave - herself up to him— -</p> -<p> - The shades of night were falling; the horizontal sun passing - between the branches dazzled the eyes. Here and there around her, - in the leaves or on the ground, trembled luminous patches, as it - hummingbirds flying about had scattered their feathers. Silence - was everywhere; something sweet seemed to come forth from the - trees; she felt her heart, whose beating had begun again, and the - blood coursing through her flesh like a stream of milk. Then far - away, beyond the wood, on the other hills, she heard a vague - prolonged cry, a voice which lingered, and in silence she heard - it mingling like music with the last pulsations of her throbbing - nerves. Rodolphe, a cigar between his lips, was mending with his - penknife one of the two broken bridles. -</p> -<p> - They returned to Yonville by the same road. On the mud they saw - again the traces of their horses side by side, the same thickets, - the same stones to the grass; nothing around them seemed changed; - and yet for her something had happened more stupendous than if - the mountains had moved in their places. Rodolphe now and again - bent forward and took her hand to kiss it. -</p> -<p> - She was charming on horseback—upright, with her slender waist, - her knee bent on the mane of her horse, her face somewhat flushed - by the fresh air in the red of the evening. -</p> -<p> - On entering Yonville she made her horse prance in the road. - People looked at her from the windows. -</p> -<p> - At dinner her husband thought she looked well, but she pretended - not to hear him when he inquired about her ride, and she remained - sitting there with her elbow at the side of her plate between the - two lighted candles. -</p> -<p> - "Emma!" he said. -</p> -<p> - "What?" -</p> -<p> - "Well, I spent the afternoon at Monsieur Alexandre's. He has an - old cob, still very fine, only a little brokenkneed, and that - could be bought; I am sure, for a hundred crowns." He added, "And - thinking it might please you, I have bespoken it—bought it. Have - I done right? Do tell me?" -</p> -<p> - She nodded her head in assent; then a quarter of an hour later— -</p> -<p> - "Are you going out to-night?" she asked. -</p> -<p> - "Yes. Why?" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, nothing, nothing, my dear!" -</p> -<p> - And as soon as she had got rid of Charles she went and shut - herself up in her room. -</p> -<p> - At first she felt stunned; she saw the trees, the paths, the - ditches, Rodolphe, and she again felt the pressure of his arm, - while the leaves rustled and the reeds whistled. -</p> -<p> - But when she saw herself in the glass she wondered at her face. - Never had her eyes been so large, so black, of so profound a - depth. Something subtle about her being transfigured her. She - repeated, "I have a lover! a lover!" delighting at the idea as if - a second puberty had come to her. So at last she was to know - those joys of love, that fever of happiness of which she had - despairedl She was entering upon marvels where all would be - passion, ecstasy, delirium. An azure infinity encompassed her, - the heights of sentiment sparkled under her thought, and ordinary - existence appeared only afar off, down below in the shade, - through the interspaces of these heights. -</p> -<p> - Then she recalled the heroines of the books that she had read, - and the lyric legion of these adulterous women began to sing in - her memory with the voice of sisters that charmed her. She became - herself, as it were, an actual part of these imaginings, and - realised the love-dream of her youth as she saw herself in this - type of amorous women whom she had so envied. Besides, Emma felt - a satisfaction of revenge. Had she not suffered enough? But now - she triumphed, and the love so long pent up burst forth in full - joyous bubblings. She tasted it without remorse, without anxiety, - without trouble. -</p> -<p> - The day following passed with a new sweetness. They made vows to - one another She told him of her sorrows. Rodolphe interrupted her - with kisses; and she looking at him through half-closed eyes, - asked him to call her again by her name—to say that he loved her - They were in the forest, as yesterday, in the shed of some - woodenshoe maker. The walls were of straw, and the roof so low - they had to stoop. They were seated side by side on a bed of dry - leaves. -</p> -<p> - From that day forth they wrote to one another regularly every - evening. Emma placed her letter at the end of the garden, by the - river, in a fissure of the wall. Rodolphe came to fetch it, and - put another there, that she always found fault with as too - short. -</p> -<p> - One morning, when Charles had gone out before day break, she was - seized with the fancy to see Rodolphe at once. She would go - quickly to La Huchette, stay there an hour, and be back again at - Yonville while everyone was still asleep. This idea made her pant - with desire, and she soon found herself in the middle of the - field, walking with rapid steps, without looking behind her. -</p> -<p> - Day was just breaking. Emma from afar recognised her lover's - house. Its two dove-tailed weathercocks stood out black against - the pale dawn. -</p> -<p> - Beyond the farmyard there was a detached building that she - thought must be the chateau She entered—it was if the doors at - her approach had opened wide of their own accord. A large - straight staircase led up to the corridor. Emma raised the latch - of a door, and suddenly at the end of the room she saw a man - sleeping. It was Rodolphe. She uttered a cry. -</p> -<p> - "You here? You here?" he repeated. "How did you manage to come? - Ah! your dress is damp." -</p> -<p> - "I love you," she answered, throwing her arms about his neck. -</p> -<p> - This first piece of daring successful, now every time Charles - went out early Emma dressed quickly and slipped on tiptoe down - the steps that led to the waterside. -</p> -<p> - But when the plank for the cows was taken up, she had to go by - the walls alongside of the river; the bank was slippery; in order - not to fall she caught hold of the tufts of faded wallflowers. - Then she went across ploughed fields, in which she sank, - stumbling; and clogging her thin shoes. Her scarf, knotted round - her head, fluttered to the wind in the meadows. She was afraid of - the oxen; she began to run; she arrived out of breath, with rosy - cheeks, and breathing out from her whole person a fresh perfume - of sap, of verdure, of the open air. At this hour Rodolphe still - slept. It was like a spring morning coming into his room. -</p> -<p> - The yellow curtains along the windows let a heavy, whitish light - enter softly. Emma felt about, opening and closing her eyes, - while the drops of dew hanging from her hair formed, as it were, - a topaz aureole around her face. Rodolphe, laughing, drew her to - him, and pressed her to his breast. -</p> -<p> - Then she examined the apartment, opened the drawers of the - tables, combed her hair with his comb, and looked at herself in - his shaving-glass. Often she even put between her teeth the big - pipe that lay on the table by the bed, amongst lemons and pieces - of sugar near a bottle of water. -</p> -<p> - It took them a good quarter of an hour to say goodbye. Then Emma - cried. She would have wished never to leave Rodolphe. Something - stronger than herself forced her to him; so much so, that one - day, seeing her come unexpectedly, he frowned as one put out. -</p> -<p> - "What is the matter with you?" she said. "Are you ill? Tell me!" -</p> -<p> - At last he declared with a serious air that her visits were - becoming imprudent—that she was compromising herself. -</p> -<a name="2HCH21"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Ten -</h2> -<p> - Gradually Rodolphe's fears took possession of her. At first, love - had intoxicated her; and she had thought of nothing beyond. But - now that he was indispensable to her life, she feared to lose - anything of this, or even that it should be disturbed. When she - came back from his house she looked all about her, anxiously - watching every form that passed in the horizon, and every village - window from which she could be seen. She listened for steps, - cries, the noise of the ploughs, and she stopped short, white, - and trembling more than the aspen leaves swaying overhead. -</p> -<p> - One morning as she was thus returning, she suddenly thought she - saw the long barrel of a carbine that seemed to be aimed at her. - It stuck out sideways from the end of a small tub half-buried in - the grass on the edge of a ditch. Emma, half-fainting with - terror, nevertheless walked on, and a man stepped out of the tub - like a Jack-in-the-box. He had gaiters buckled up to the knees, - his cap pulled down over his eyes, trembling lips, and a red - nose. It was Captain Binet lying in ambush for wild ducks. -</p> -<p> - "You ought to have called out long ago!" he exclaimed; "When one - sees a gun, one should always give warning." -</p> -<p> - The tax-collector was thus trying to hide the fright he had had, - for a prefectorial order having prohibited duckhunting except in - boats, Monsieur Binet, despite his respect for the laws, was - infringing them, and so he every moment expected to see the rural - guard turn up. But this anxiety whetted his pleasure, and, all - alone in his tub, he congratulated himself on his luck and on his - cuteness. At sight of Emma he seemed relieved from a great - weight, and at once entered upon a conversation. -</p> -<p> - "It isn't warm; it's nipping." -</p> -<p> - Emma answered nothing. He went on— -</p> -<p> - "And you're out so early?" -</p> -<p> - "Yes," she said stammering; "I am just coming from the nurse - where my child is." -</p> -<p> - "Ah! very good! very good! For myself, I am here, just as you - see me, since break of day; but the weather is so muggy, that - unless one had the bird at the mouth of the gun—" -</p> -<p> - "Good evening, Monsieur Binet," she interrupted him, turning on - her heel. -</p> -<p> - "Your servant, madame," he replied drily; and he went back into - his tub. -</p> -<p> - Emma regretted having left the tax-collector so abruptly. No - doubt he would form unfavourable conjectures. The story about the - nurse was the worst possible excuse, everyone at Yonville knowing - that the little Bovary had been at home with her parents for a - year. Besides, no one was living in this direction; this path led - only to La Huchette. Binet, then, would guess whence she came, - and he would not keep silence; he would talk, that was certain. - She remained until evening racking her brain with every - conceivable lying project, and had constantly before her eyes - that imbecile with the game-bag. -</p> -<p> - Charles after dinner, seeing her gloomy, proposed, by way of - distraction, to take her to the chemist's, and the first person - she caught sight of in the shop was the taxcollector again. He - was standing in front of the counter, lit up by the gleams of the - red bottle, and was saying— -</p> -<p> - "Please give me half an ounce of vitriol." -</p> -<p> - "Justin," cried the druggist, "bring us the sulphuric acid." Then - to Emma, who was going up to Madame Homais' room, "No, stay here; - it isn't worth while going up; she is just coming down. Warm - yourself at the stove in the meantime. Excuse me. Good-day, - doctor," (for the chemist much enjoyed pronouncing the word - "doctor," as if addressing another by it reflected on himself - some of the grandeur that he found in it). "Now, take care not to - upset the mortars! You'd better fetch some chairs from the little - room; you know very well that the arm-chairs are not to be taken - out of the drawing-room." -</p> -<p> - And to put his arm-chair back in its place he was darting away - from the counter, when Binet asked him for half an ounce of sugar - acid. -</p> -<p> - "Sugar acid!" said the chemist contemptuously, "don't know it; - I'm ignorant of it! But perhaps you want oxalic acid. It is - oxalic acid, isn't it?" -</p> -<p> - Binet explained that he wanted a corrosive to make himself some - copperwater with which to remove rust from his hunting things. -</p> -<p> - Emma shuddered. The chemist began saying— -</p> -<p> - "Indeed the weather is not propitious on account of the damp." -</p> -<p> - "Nevertheless," replied the tax-collector, with a sly look, - "there are people who like it." -</p> -<p> - She was stifling. -</p> -<p> - "And give me—" -</p> -<p> - "Will he never go?" thought she. -</p> -<p> - "Half an ounce of resin and turpentine, four ounces of yellow - wax, and three half ounces of animal charcoal, if you please, to - clean the varnished leather of my togs." -</p> -<p> - The druggist was beginning to cut the wax when Madame Homais - appeared, Irma in her arms, Napoleon by her side, and Athalie - following. She sat down on the velvet seat by the window, and the - lad squatted down on a footstool, while his eldest sister hovered - round the jujube box near her papa. The latter was filling - funnels and corking phials, sticking on labels, making up - parcels. Around him all were silent; only from time to time, were - heard the weights jingling in the balance, and a few low words - from the chemist giving directions to his pupil. -</p> -<p> - "And how's the little woman?" suddenly asked Madame Homais. -</p> -<p> - "Silence!" exclaimed her husband, who was writing down some - figures in his waste-book. -</p> -<p> - "Why didn't you bring her?" she went on in a low voice. -</p> -<p> - "Hush! hush!" said Emma, pointing with her finger to the - druggist. -</p> -<p> - But Binet, quite absorbed in looking over his bill, had probably - heard nothing. At last he went out. Then Emma, relieved, uttered - a deep sigh. -</p> -<p> - "How hard you are breathing!" said Madame Homais. -</p> -<p> - "Well, you see, it's rather warm," she replied. -</p> -<p> - So the next day they talked over how to arrange their rendezvous. - Emma wanted to bribe her servant with a present, but it would be - better to find some safe house at Yonville. Rodolphe promised to - look for one. -</p> -<p> - All through the winter, three or four times a week, in the dead - of night he came to the garden. Emma had on purpose taken away - the key of the gate, which Charles thought lost. -</p> -<p> - To call her, Rodolphe threw a sprinkle of sand at the shutters. - She jumped up with a start; but sometimes he had to wait, for - Charles had a mania for chatting by the fireside, and he would - not stop. She was wild with impatience; if her eyes could have - done it, she would have hurled him out at the window. At last she - would begin to undress, then take up a book, and go on reading - very quietly as if the book amused her. But Charles, who was in - bed, called to her to come too. -</p> -<p> - "Come, now, Emma," he said, "it is time." -</p> -<p> - "Yes, I am coming," she answered. -</p> -<p> - Then, as the candles dazzled him; he turned to the wall and fell - asleep. She escaped, smiling, palpitating, undressed. Rodolphe - had a large cloak; he wrapped her in it, and putting his arm - round her waist, he drew her without a word to the end of the - garden. -</p> -<p> - It was in the arbour, on the same seat of old sticks where - formerly Leon had looked at her so amorously on the summer - evenings. She never thought of him now. -</p> -<p> - The stars shone through the leafless jasmine branches. Behind - them they heard the river flowing, and now and again on the bank - the rustling of the dry reeds. Masses of shadow here and there - loomed out in the darkness, and sometimes, vibrating with one - movement, they rose up and swayed like immense black waves - pressing forward to engulf them. The cold of the nights made them - clasp closer; the sighs of their lips seemed to them deeper; - their eyes that they could hardly see, larger; and in the midst - of the silence low words were spoken that fell on their souls - sonorous, crystalline, and that reverberated in multiplied - vibrations. -</p> -<p> - When the night was rainy, they took refuge in the consulting-room - between the cart-shed and the stable. She lighted one of the - kitchen candles that she had hidden behind the books. Rodolphe - settled down there as if at home. The sight of the library, of - the bureau, of the whole apartment, in fine, excited his - merriment, and he could not refrain from making jokes about - Charles, which rather embarrassed Emma. She would have liked to - see him more serious, and even on occasions more dramatic; as, - for example, when she thought she heard a noise of approaching - steps in the alley. -</p> -<p> - "Someone is coming!" she said. -</p> -<p> - He blew out the light. -</p> -<p> - "Have you your pistols?" -</p> -<p> - "Why?" -</p> -<p> - "Why, to defend yourself," replied Emma. -</p> -<p> - "From your husband? Oh, poor devil!" And Rodolphe finished his - sentence with a gesture that said, "I could crush him with a - flip of my finger." -</p> -<p> - She was wonder-stricken at his bravery, although she felt in it a - sort of indecency and a naive coarseness that scandalised her. -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe reflected a good deal on the affair of the pistols. If - she had spoken seriously, it was very ridiculous, he thought, - even odious; for he had no reason to hate the good Charles, not - being what is called devoured by jealousy; and on this subject - Emma had taken a great vow that he did not think in the best of - taste. -</p> -<p> - Besides, she was growing very sentimental. She had insisted on - exchanging miniatures; they had cut off handfuls of hair, and now - she was asking for a ring—a real wedding-ring, in sign of an - eternal union. She often spoke to him of the evening chimes, of - the voices of nature. Then she talked to him of her mother—hers! - and of his mother—his! Rodolphe had lost his twenty years ago. - Emma none the less consoled him with caressing words as one would - have done a lost child, and she sometimes even said to him, - gazing at the moon— -</p> -<p> - "I am sure that above there together they approve of our love." -</p> -<p> - But she was so pretty. He had possessed so few women of such - ingenuousness. This love without debauchery was a new experience - for him, and, drawing him out of his lazy habits, caressed at - once his pride and his sensuality. Emma's enthusiasm, which his - bourgeois good sense disdained, seemed to him in his heart of - hearts charming, since it was lavished on him. Then, sure of - being loved, he no longer kept up appearances, and insensibly his - ways changed. -</p> -<p> - He had no longer, as formerly, words so gentle that they made her - cry, nor passionate caresses that made her mad, so that their - great love, which engrossed her life, seemed to lessen beneath - her like the water of a stream absorbed into its channel, and she - could see the bed of it. She would not believe it; she redoubled - in tenderness, and Rodolphe concealed his indifference less and - less. -</p> -<p> - She did not know if she regretted having yielded to him, or - whether she did not wish, on the contrary, to enjoy him the more. - The humiliation of feeling herself weak was turning to rancour, - tempered by their voluptuous pleasures. It was not affection; it - was like a continual seduction. He subjugated her; she almost - feared him. -</p> -<p> - Appearances, nevertheless, were calmer than ever, Rodolphe having - succeeded in carrying out the adultery after his own fancy; and - at the end of six months, when the spring-time came, they were to - one another like a married couple, tranquilly keeping up a - domestic flame. -</p> -<p> - It was the time of year when old Rouault sent his turkey in - remembrance of the setting of his leg. The present always arrived - with a letter. Emma cut the string that tied it to the basket, - and read the following lines:— -</p> -<p> - "My Dear Children—I hope this will find you well, and that this - one will be as good as the others. For it seems to me a little - more tender, if I may venture to say so, and heavier. But next - time, for a change, I'll give you a turkeycock, unless you have a - preference for some dabs; and send me back the hamper, if you - please, with the two old ones. I have had an accident with my - cart-sheds, whose covering flew off one windy night among the - trees. The harvest has not been overgood either. Finally, I don't - know when I shall come to see you. It is so difficult now to - leave the house since I am alone, my poor Emma." -</p> -<p> - Here there was a break in the lines, as if the old fellow had - dropped his pen to dream a little while. -</p> -<p> - "For myself, I am very well, except for a cold I caught the other - day at the fair at Yvetot, where I had gone to hire a shepherd, - having turned away mine because he was too dainty. How we are to - be pitied with such a lot of thieves! Besides, he was also rude. - I heard from a pedlar, who, travelling through your part of the - country this winter, had a tooth drawn, that Bovary was as usual - working hard. That doesn't surprise me; and he showed me his - tooth; we had some coffee together. I asked him if he had seen - you, and he said not, but that he had seen two horses in the - stables, from which I conclude that business is looking up. So - much the better, my dear children, and may God send you every - imaginable happiness! It grieves me not yet to have seen my dear - little grand-daughter, Berthe Bovary. I have planted an Orleans - plum-tree for her in the garden under your room, and I won't have - it touched unless it is to have jam made for her by and bye, that - I will keep in the cupboard for her when she comes. -</p> -<p> - "Good-bye, my dear children. I kiss you, my girl, you too, my - son-in-law, and the little one on both cheeks. I am, with best - compliments, your loving father. -</p> -<p> - "Theodore Rouault." -</p> -<p> - She held the coarse paper in her fingers for some minutes. The - spelling mistakes were interwoven one with the other, and Emma - followed the kindly thought that cackled right through it like a - hen half hidden in the hedge of thorns. The writing had been - dried with ashes from the hearth, for a little grey powder - slipped from the letter on to her dress, and she almost thought - she saw her father bending over the hearth to take up the tongs. - How long since she had been with him, sitting on the footstool in - the chimney-corner, where she used to burn the end of a bit of - wood in the great flame of the sea-sedges! She remembered the - summer evenings all full of sunshine. The colts neighed when - anyone passed by, and galloped, galloped. Under her window there - was a beehive, and sometimes the bees wheeling round in the light - struck against her window like rebounding balls of gold. What - happiness there had been at that time, what freedom, what hope! - What an abundance of illusions! Nothing was left of them now. She - had got rid of them all in her soul's life, in all her successive - conditions of lifemaidenhood, her marriage, and her love—thus - constantly losing them all her life through, like a traveller who - leaves something of his wealth at every inn along his road. -</p> -<p> - But what then, made her so unhappy? What was the extraordinary - catastrophe that had transformed her? And she raised her head, - looking round as if to seek the cause of that which made her - suffer. -</p> -<p> - An April ray was dancing on the china of the whatnot; the fire - burned; beneath her slippers she felt the softness of the carpet; - the day was bright, the air warm, and she heard her child - shouting with laughter. -</p> -<p> - In fact, the little girl was just then rolling on the lawn in the - midst of the grass that was being turned. She was lying flat on - her stomach at the top of a rick. The servant was holding her by - her skirt. Lestiboudois was raking by her side, and every time he - came near she lent forward, beating the air with both her arms. -</p> -<p> - "Bring her to me," said her mother, rushing to embrace her. "How - I love you, my poor child! How I love you!" -</p> -<p> - Then noticing that the tips of her ears were rather dirty, she - rang at once for warm water, and washed her, changed her linen, - her stockings, her shoes, asked a thousand questions about her - health, as if on the return from a long journey, and finally, - kissing her again and crying a little, she gave her back to the - servant, who stood quite thunderstricken at this excess of - tenderness. -</p> -<p> - That evening Rodolphe found her more serious than usual. -</p> -<p> - "That will pass over," he concluded; "it's a whim:" -</p> -<p> - And he missed three rendezvous running. When he did come, she - showed herself cold and almost contemptuous. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! you're losing your time, my lady!" -</p> -<p> - And he pretended not to notice her melancholy sighs, nor the - handkerchief she took out. -</p> -<p> - Then Emma repented. She even asked herself why she detested - Charles; if it had not been better to have been able to love him? - But he gave her no opportunities for such a revival of sentiment, - so that she was much embarrassed by her desire for sacrifice, - when the druggist came just in time to provide her with an - opportunity. -</p> -<a name="2HCH22"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Eleven -</h2> -<p> - He had recently read a eulogy on a new method for curing - club-foot, and as he was a partisan of progress, he conceived the - patriotic idea that Yonville, in order to keep to the fore, ought - to have some operations for strephopody or club-foot. -</p> -<p> - "For," said he to Emma, "what risk is there? See—" (and he - enumerated on his fingers the advantages of the attempt), - "success, almost certain relief and beautifying of the patient, - celebrity acquired by the operator. Why, for example, should not - your husband relieve poor Hippolyte of the 'Lion d'Or'? Note that - he would not fail to tell about his cure to all the travellers, - and then" (Homais lowered his voice and looked round him) "who is - to prevent me from sending a short paragraph on the subject to - the paper? Eh! goodness me! an article gets about; it is talked - of; it ends by making a snowball! And who knows? who knows?" -</p> -<p> - In fact, Bovary might succeed. Nothing proved to Emma that he was - not clever; and what a satisfaction for her to have urged him to - a step by which his reputation and fortune would be increased! - She only wished to lean on something more solid than love. -</p> -<p> - Charles, urged by the druggist and by her, allowed himself to be - persuaded. He sent to Rouen for Dr. Duval's volume, and every - evening, holding his head between both hands, plunged into the - reading of it. -</p> -<p> - While he was studying equinus, varus, and valgus, that is to say, - katastrephopody, endostrephopody, and exostrephopody (or better, - the various turnings of the foot downwards, inwards, and - outwards, with the hypostrephopody and anastrephopody), otherwise - torsion downwards and upwards, Monsier Homais, with all sorts of - arguments, was exhorting the lad at the inn to submit to the - operation. -</p> -<p> - "You will scarcely feel, probably, a slight pain; it is a simple - prick, like a little blood-letting, less than the extraction of - certain corns." -</p> -<p> - Hippolyte, reflecting, rolled his stupid eyes. -</p> -<p> - "However," continued the chemist, "it doesn't concern me. It's - for your sake, for pure humanity! I should like to see you, my - friend, rid of your hideous caudication, together with that - waddling of the lumbar regions which, whatever you say, must - considerably interfere with you in the exercise of your calling." -</p> -<p> - Then Homais represented to him how much jollier and brisker he - would feel afterwards, and even gave him to understand that he - would be more likely to please the women; and the stable-boy - began to smile heavily. Then he attacked him through his vanity: -</p> -<p> - "Aren't you a man? Hang it! what would you have done if you had - had to go into the army, to go and fight beneath the standard? - Ah! Hippolyte!" -</p> -<p> - And Homais retired, declaring that he could not understand this - obstinacy, this blindness in refusing the benefactions of - science. -</p> -<p> - The poor fellow gave way, for it was like a conspiracy. Binet, - who never interfered with other people's business, Madame - Lefrancois, Artemise, the neighbours, even the mayor, Monsieur - Tuvache—everyone persuaded him, lectured him, shamed him; but - what finally decided him was that it would cost him nothing. - Bovary even undertook to provide the machine for the operation. - This generosity was an idea of Emma's, and Charles consented to - it, thinking in his heart of hearts that his wife was an angel. -</p> -<p> - So by the advice of the chemist, and after three fresh starts, he - had a kind of box made by the carpenter, with the aid of the - locksmith, that weighed about eight pounds, and in which iron, - wood, sheer-iron, leather, screws, and nuts had not been spared. -</p> -<p> - But to know which of Hippolyte's tendons to cut, it was necessary - first of all to find out what kind of club-foot he had. -</p> -<p> - He had a foot forming almost a straight line with the leg, which, - however, did not prevent it from being turned in, so that it was - an equinus together with something of a varus, or else a slight - varus with a strong tendency to equinus. But with this equinus, - wide in foot like a horse's hoof, with rugose skin, dry tendons, - and large toes, on which the black nails looked as if made of - iron, the clubfoot ran about like a deer from morn till night. He - was constantly to be seen on the Place, jumping round the carts, - thrusting his limping foot forwards. He seemed even stronger on - that leg than the other. By dint of hard service it had acquired, - as it were, moral qualities of patience and energy; and when he - was given some heavy work, he stood on it in preference to its - fellow. -</p> -<p> - Now, as it was an equinus, it was necessary to cut the tendon of - Achilles, and, if need were, the anterior tibial muscle could be - seen to afterwards for getting rid of the varus; for the doctor - did not dare to risk both operations at once; he was even - trembling already for fear of injuring some important region that - he did not know. -</p> -<p> - Neither Ambrose Pare, applying for the first time since Celsus, - after an interval of fifteen centuries, a ligature to an artery, - nor Dupuytren, about to open an abscess in the brain, nor Gensoul - when he first took away the superior maxilla, had hearts that - trembled, hands that shook, minds so strained as Monsieur Bovary - when he approached Hippolyte, his tenotome between his fingers. - And as at hospitals, near by on a table lay a heap of lint, with - waxed thread, many bandages—a pyramid of bandages—every bandage - to be found at the druggist's. It was Monsieur Homais who since - morning had been organising all these preparations, as much to - dazzle the multitude as to keep up his illusions. Charles pierced - the skin; a dry crackling was heard. The tendon was cut, the - operation over. Hippolyte could not get over his surprise, but - bent over Bovary's hands to cover them with kisses. -</p> -<p> - "Come, be calm," said the druggist; "later on you will show your - gratitude to your benefactor." -</p> -<p> - And he went down to tell the result to five or six inquirers who - were waiting in the yard, and who fancied that Hippolyte would - reappear walking properly. Then Charles, having buckled his - patient into the machine, went home, where Emma, all anxiety, - awaited him at the door. She threw herself on his neck; they sat - down to table; he ate much, and at dessert he even wanted to take - a cup of coffee, a luxury he only permitted himself on Sundays - when there was company. -</p> -<p> - The evening was charming, full of prattle, of dreams together. - They talked about their future fortune, of the improvements to be - made in their house; he saw people's estimation of him growing, - his comforts increasing, his wife always loving him; and she was - happy to refresh herself with a new sentiment, healthier, better, - to feel at last some tenderness for this poor fellow who adored - her. The thought of Rodolphe for one moment passed through her - mind, but her eyes turned again to Charles; she even noticed with - surprise that he had not bad teeth. -</p> -<p> - They were in bed when Monsieur Homais, in spite of the servant, - suddenly entered the room, holding in his hand a sheet of paper - just written. It was the paragraph he intended for the "Fanal de - Rouen." He brought it for them to read. -</p> -<p> - "Read it yourself," said Bovary. -</p> -<p> - He read— -</p> -<p> - "'Despite the prejudices that still invest a part of the face of - Europe like a net, the light nevertheless begins to penetrate our - country places. Thus on Tuesday our little town of Yonville found - itself the scene of a surgical operation which is at the same - time an, act of loftiest philanthropy. Monsieur Bovary, one of - our, most distinguished practitioners—'" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, that is too much! too much!" said Charles, choking with - emotion. -</p> -<p> - "No, no! not at all! What next!" -</p> -<p> - "'—Performed an operation on a club-footed man.' I have not - used the scientific term, because you know in a newspaper - everyone would not perhaps understand. The masses must—'" -</p> -<p> - "No doubt," said Bovary; "go on!" -</p> -<p> - "I proceed," said the chemist. "'Monsieur Bovary, one of our most - distinguished practitioners, performed an operation on a - club-footed man called Hippolyte Tautain, stableman for the last - twenty-five years at the hotel of the "Lion d'Or," kept by Widow - Lefrancois, at the Place d'Armes. The novelty of the attempt, and - the interest incident to the subject, had attracted such a - concourse of persons that there was a veritable obstruction on - the threshold of the establishment. The operation, moreover, was - performed as if by magic, and barely a few drops of blood - appeared on the skin, as though to say that the rebellious tendon - had at last given way beneath the efforts of art. The patient, - strangely enough—we affirm it as an eye-witness—complained of - no pain. His condition up to the present time leaves nothing to - be desired. Everything tends to show that his convelescence will - be brief; and who knows even if at our next village festivity we - shall not see our good Hippolyte figuring in the bacchic dance in - the midst of a chorus of joyous boon-companions, and thus proving - to all eyes by his verve and his capers his complete cure? - Honour, then, to the generous savants! Honour to those - indefatigable spirits who consecrate their vigils to the - amelioration or to the alleviation of their kind! Honour, thrice - honour! Is it not time to cry that the blind shall see, the deaf - hear, the lame walk? But that which fanaticism formerly promised - to its elect, science now accomplishes for all men. We shall keep - our readers informed as to the successive phases of this - remarkable cure.'" -</p> -<p> - This did not prevent Mere Lefrancois, from coming five days - after, scared, and crying out— -</p> -<p> - "Help! he is dying! I am going crazy!" -</p> -<p> - Charles rushed to the "Lion d'Or," and the chemist, who caught - sight of him passing along the Place hatless, abandoned his shop. - He appeared himself breathless, red, anxious, and asking everyone - who was going up the stairs— -</p> -<p> - "Why, what's the matter with our interesting strephopode?" -</p> -<p> - The strephopode was writhing in hideous convulsions, so that the - machine in which his leg was enclosed was knocked against the - wall enough to break it. -</p> -<p> - With many precautions, in order not to disturb the position of - the limb, the box was removed, and an awful sight presented - itself. The outlines of the foot disappeared in such a swelling - that the entire skin seemed about to burst, and it was covered - with ecchymosis, caused by the famous machine. Hippolyte had - already complained of suffering from it. No attention had been - paid to him; they had to acknowledge that he had not been - altogether wrong, and he was freed for a few hours. But, hardly - had the oedema gone down to some extent, than the two savants - thought fit to put back the limb in the apparatus, strapping it - tighter to hasten matters. At last, three days after, Hippolyte - being unable to endure it any longer, they once more removed - the machine, and were much surprised at the result they saw. The - livid tumefaction spread over the leg, with blisters here and - there, whence there oozed a black liquid. Matters were taking a - serious turn. Hippolyte began to worry himself, and Mere - Lefrancois, had him installed in the little room near the - kitchen, so that he might at least have some distraction. -</p> -<p> - But the tax-collector, who dined there every day, complained - bitterly of such companionship. Then Hippolyte was removed to the - billiard-room. He lay there moaning under his heavy coverings, - pale with long beard, sunken eyes, and from time to time turning - his perspiring head on the dirty pillow, where the flies - alighted. Madame Bovary went to see him. She brought him linen - for his poultices; she comforted, and encouraged him. Besides, he - did not want for company, especially on market-days, when the - peasants were knocking about the billiard-balls round him, fenced - with the cues, smoked, drank, sang, and brawled. -</p> -<p> - "How are you?" they said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Ah! - you're not up to much, it seems, but it's your own fault. You - should do this! do that!" And then they told him stories of - people who had all been cured by other remedies than his. Then by - way of consolation they added— -</p> -<p> - "You give way too much! Get up! You coddle yourself like a king! - All the same, old chap, you don't smell nice!" -</p> -<p> - Gangrene, in fact, was spreading more and more. Bovary himself - turned sick at it. He came every hour, every moment. Hippolyte - looked at him with eyes full of terror, sobbing— -</p> -<p> - "When shall I get well? Oh, save me! How unfortunate I am! How - unfortunate I am!" -</p> -<p> - And the doctor left, always recommending him to diet himself. -</p> -<p> - "Don't listen to him, my lad," said Mere Lefrancois, "Haven't - they tortured you enough already? You'll grow still weaker. Here! - swallow this." -</p> -<p> - And she gave him some good beef-tea, a slice of mutton, a piece - of bacon, and sometimes small glasses of brandy, that he had not - the strength to put to his lips. -</p> -<p> - Abbe Bournisien, hearing that he was growing worse, asked to see - him. He began by pitying his sufferings, declaring at the same - time that he ought to rejoice at them since it was the will of - the Lord, and take advantage of the occasion to reconcile himself - to Heaven. -</p> -<p> - "For," said the ecclesiastic in a paternal tone, "you rather - neglected your duties; you were rarely seen at divine worship. - How many years is it since you approached the holy table? I - understand that your work, that the whirl of the world may have - kept you from care for your salvation. But now is the time to - reflect. Yet don't despair. I have known great sinners, who, - about to appear before God (you are not yet at this point I - know), had implored His mercy, and who certainly died in the best - frame of mind. Let us hope that, like them, you will set us a - good example. Thus, as a precaution, what is to prevent you from - saying morning and evening a 'Hail Mary, full of grace,' and 'Our - Father which art in heaven'? Yes, do that, for my sake, to oblige - me. That won't cost you anything. Will you promise me?" -</p> -<p> - The poor devil promised. The cure came back day after day. He - chatted with the landlady; and even told anecdotes interspersed - with jokes and puns that Hippolyte did not understand. Then, as - soon as he could, he fell back upon matters of religion, putting - on an appropriate expression of face. -</p> -<p> - His zeal seemed successful, for the club-foot soon manifested a - desire to go on a pilgrimage to Bon-Secours if he were cured; to - which Monsieur Bournisien replied that he saw no objection; two - precautions were better than one; it was no risk anyhow. -</p> -<p> - The druggist was indignant at what he called the manoeuvres of - the priest; they were prejudicial, he said, to Hippolyte's - convalescence, and he kept repeating to Madame Lefrancois, "Leave - him alone! leave him alone! You perturb his morals with your - mysticism." But the good woman would no longer listen to him; he - was the cause of it all. From a spirit of contradiction she hung - up near the bedside of the patient a basin filled with holy-water - and a branch of box. -</p> -<p> - Religion, however, seemed no more able to succour him than - surgery, and the invincible gangrene still spread from the - extremities towards the stomach. It was all very well to vary the - potions and change the poultices; the muscles each day rotted - more and more; and at last Charles replied by an affirmative nod - of the head when Mere Lefrancois, asked him if she could not, as - a forlorn hope, send for Monsieur Canivet of Neufchatel, who was - a celebrity. -</p> -<p> - A doctor of medicine, fifty years of age, enjoying a good - position and self-possessed, Charles's colleague did not refrain - from laughing disdainfully when he had uncovered the leg, - mortified to the knee. Then having flatly declared that it must - be amputated, he went off to the chemist's to rail at the asses - who could have reduced a poor man to such a state. Shaking - Monsieur Homais by the button of his coat, he shouted out in the - shop— -</p> -<p> - "These are the inventions of Paris! These are the ideas of those - gentry of the capital! It is like strabismus, chloroform, - lithotrity, a heap of monstrosities that the Government ought to - prohibit. But they want to do the clever, and they cram you with - remedies without, troubling about the consequences. We are not so - clever, not we! We are not savants, coxcombs, fops! We are - practitioners; we cure people, and we should not dream of - operating on anyone who is in perfect health. Straighten - club-feet! As if one could straighten club-feet! It is as if - one wished, for example, to make a hunchback straight!" -</p> -<p> - Homais suffered as he listened to this discourse, and he - concealed his discomfort beneath a courtier's smile; for he - needed to humour Monsier Canivet, whose prescriptions sometimes - came as far as Yonville. So he did not take up the defence of - Bovary; he did not even make a single remark, and, renouncing his - principles, he sacrificed his dignity to the more serious - interests of his business. -</p> -<p> - This amputation of the thigh by Doctor Canivet was a great event - in the village. On that day all the inhabitants got up earlier, - and the Grande Rue, although full of people, had something - lugubrious about it, as if an execution had been expected. At the - grocer's they discussed Hippolyte's illness; the shops did no - business, and Madame Tuvache, the mayor's wife, did not stir from - her window, such was her impatience to see the operator arrive. -</p> -<p> - He came in his gig, which he drove himself. But the springs of - the right side having at length given way beneath the weight of - his corpulence, it happened that the carriage as it rolled along - leaned over a little, and on the other cushion near him could be - seen a large box covered in red sheep-leather, whose three brass - clasps shone grandly. -</p> -<p> - After he had entered like a whirlwind the porch of the "Lion - d'Or," the doctor, shouting very loud, ordered them to unharness - his horse. Then he went into the stable to see that he was eating - his oats all right; for on arriving at a patient's he first of - all looked after his mare and his gig. People even said about - this— -</p> -<p> - "Ah! Monsieur Canivet's a character!" -</p> -<p> - And he was the more esteemed for this imperturbable coolness. The - universe to the last man might have died, and he would not have - missed the smallest of his habits. -</p> -<p> - Homais presented himself. -</p> -<p> - "I count on you," said the doctor. "Are we ready? Come along!" -</p> -<p> - But the druggist, turning red, confessed that he was too - sensitive to assist at such an operation. -</p> -<p> - "When one is a simple spectator," he said, "the imagination, you - know, is impressed. And then I have such a nervous system!" -</p> -<p> - "Pshaw!" interrupted Canivet; "on the contrary, you seem to me - inclined to apoplexy. Besides, that doesn't astonish me, for you - chemist fellows are always poking about your kitchens, which must - end by spoiling your constitutions. Now just look at me. I get up - every day at four o'clock; I shave with cold water (and am never - cold). I don't wear flannels, and I never catch cold; my carcass - is good enough! I live now in one way, now in another, like a - philosopher, taking pot-luck; that is why I am not squeamish like - you, and it is as indifferent to me to carve a Christian as the - first fowl that turns up. Then, perhaps, you will say, habit! - habit!" -</p> -<p> - Then, without any consideration for Hippolyte, who was sweating - with agony between his sheets, these gentlemen entered into a - conversation, in which the druggist compared the coolness of a - surgeon to that of a general; and this comparison was pleasing to - Canivet, who launched out on the exigencies of his art. He looked - upon, it as a sacred office, although the ordinary practitioners - dishonoured it. At last, coming back to the patient, he examined - the bandages brought by Homais, the same that had appeared for - the club-foot, and asked for someone to hold the limb for him. - Lestiboudois was sent for, and Monsieur Canivet having turned up - his sleeves, passed into the billiard-room, while the druggist - stayed with Artemise and the landlady, both whiter than their - aprons, and with ears strained towards the door. -</p> -<p> - Bovary during this time did not dare to stir from his house. -</p> -<p> - He kept downstairs in the sitting-room by the side of the - fireless chimney, his chin on his breast, his hands clasped, his - eyes staring. "What a mishap!" he thought, "what a mishap!" - Perhaps, after all, he had made some slip. He thought it over, - but could hit upon nothing. But the most famous surgeons also - made mistakes; and that is what no one would ever believe! - People, on the contrary, would laugh, jeer! It would spread as - far as Forges, as Neufchatel, as Rouen, everywhere! Who could say - if his colleagues would not write against him. Polemics would - ensue; he would have to answer in the papers. Hippolyte might - even prosecute him. He saw himself dishonoured, ruined, lost; and - his imagination, assailed by a world of hypotheses, tossed - amongst them like an empty cask borne by the sea and floating - upon the waves. -</p> -<p> - Emma, opposite, watched him; she did not share his humiliation; - she felt another—that of having supposed such a man was worth - anything. As if twenty times already she had not sufficiently - perceived his mediocrity. -</p> -<p> - Charles was walking up and down the room; his boots creaked on - the floor. -</p> -<p> - "Sit down," she said; "you fidget me." -</p> -<p> - He sat down again. -</p> -<p> - How was it that she—she, who was so intelligent—could have - allowed herself to be deceived again? and through what deplorable - madness had she thus ruined her life by continual sacrifices? She - recalled all her instincts of luxury, all the privations of her - soul, the sordidness of marriage, of the household, her dream - sinking into the mire like wounded swallows; all that she had - longed for, all that she had denied herself, all that she might - have had! And for what? for what? -</p> -<p> - In the midst of the silence that hung over the village a - heart-rending cry rose on the air. Bovary turned white to - fainting. She knit her brows with a nervous gesture, then went - on. And it was for him, for this creature, for this man, who - understood nothing, who felt nothing! For he was there quite - quiet, not even suspecting that the ridicule of his name would - henceforth sully hers as well as his. She had made efforts to - love him, and she had repented with tears for having yielded to - another! -</p> -<p> - "But it was perhaps a valgus!" suddenly exclaimed Bovary, who was - meditating. -</p> -<p> - At the unexpected shock of this phrase falling on her thought - like a leaden bullet on a silver plate, Emma, shuddering, raised - her head in order to find out what he meant to say; and they - looked at the other in silence, almost amazed to see each other, - so far sundered were they by their inner thoughts. Charles gazed - at her with the dull look of a drunken man, while he listened - motionless to the last cries of the sufferer, that followed each - other in long-drawn modulations, broken by sharp spasms like the - far-off howling of some beast being slaughtered. Emma bit her wan - lips, and rolling between her fingers a piece of coral that she - had broken, fixed on Charles the burning glance of her eyes like - two arrows of fire about to dart forth. Everything in him - irritated her now; his face, his dress, what he did not say, his - whole person, his existence, in fine. She repented of her past - virtue as of a crime, and what still remained of it rumbled away - beneath the furious blows of her pride. She revelled in all the - evil ironies of triumphant adultery. The memory of her lover came - back to her with dazzling attractions; she threw her whole soul - into it, borne away towards this image with a fresh enthusiasm; - and Charles seemed to her as much removed from her life, as - absent forever, as impossible and annihilated, as if he had been - about to die and were passing under her eyes. -</p> -<p> - There was a sound of steps on the pavement. Charles looked up, - and through the lowered blinds he saw at the corner of the market - in the broad sunshine Dr. Canivet, who was wiping his brow with - his handkerchief. Homais, behind him, was carrying a large red - box in his hand, and both were going towards the chemist's. -</p> -<p> - Then with a feeling of sudden tenderness and discouragement - Charles turned to his wife saying to her— -</p> -<p> - "Oh, kiss me, my own!" -</p> -<p> - "Leave me!" she said, red with anger. -</p> -<p> - "What is the matter?" he asked, stupefied. "Be calm; compose - yourself. You know well enough that I love you. Come!" -</p> -<p> - "Enough!" she cried with a terrible look. -</p> -<p> - And escaping from the room, Emma closed the door so violently - that the barometer fell from the wall and smashed on the floor. -</p> -<p> - Charles sank back into his arm-chair overwhelmed, trying to - discover what could be wrong with her, fancying some nervous - illness, weeping, and vaguely feeling something fatal and - incomprehensible whirling round him. -</p> -<p> - When Rodolphe came to the garden that evening, he found his - mistress waiting for him at the foot of the steps on the lowest - stair. They threw their arms round one another, and all their - rancour melted like snow beneath the warmth of that kiss. -</p> -<a name="2HCH23"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Twelve -</h2> -<p> - They began to love one another again. Often, even in the middle - of the day, Emma suddenly wrote to him, then from the window made - a sign to Justin, who, taking his apron off, quickly ran to La - Huchette. Rodolphe would come; she had sent for him to tell him - that she was bored, that her husband was odious, her life - frightful. -</p> -<p> - "But what can I do?" he cried one day impatiently. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! if you would—" -</p> -<p> - She was sitting on the floor between his knees, her hair loose, - her look lost. -</p> -<p> - "Why, what?" said Rodolphe. -</p> -<p> - She sighed. -</p> -<p> - "We would go and live elsewhere—somewhere!" -</p> -<p> - "You are really mad!" he said laughing. "How could that be - possible?" -</p> -<p> - She returned to the subject; he pretended not to understand, and - turned the conversation. -</p> -<p> - What he did not understand was all this worry about so simple an - affair as love. She had a motive, a reason, and, as it were, a - pendant to her affection. -</p> -<p> - Her tenderness, in fact, grew each day with her repulsion to her - husband. The more she gave up herself to the one, the more she - loathed the other. Never had Charles seemed to her so - disagreeable, to have such stodgy fingers, such vulgar ways, to - be so dull as when they found themselves together after her - meeting with Rodolphe. Then, while playing the spouse and virtue, - she was burning at the thought of that head whose black hair fell - in a curl over the sunburnt brow, of that form at once so strong - and elegant, of that man, in a word, who had such experience in - his reasoning, such passion in his desires. It was for him that - she filed her nails with the care of a chaser, and that there was - never enough cold-cream for her skin, nor of patchouli for her - handkerchiefs. She loaded herself with bracelets, rings, and - necklaces. When he was coming she filled the two large blue glass - vases with roses, and prepared her room and her person like a - courtesan expecting a prince. The servant had to be constantly - washing linen, and all day Felicite did not stir from the - kitchen, where little Justin, who often kept her company, watched - her at work. -</p> -<p> - With his elbows on the long board on which she was ironing, he - greedily watched all these women's clothes spread about him, the - dimity petticoats, the fichus, the collars, and the drawers with - running strings, wide at the hips and growing narrower below. -</p> -<p> - "What is that for?" asked the young fellow, passing his hand over - the crinoline or the hooks and eyes. -</p> -<p> - "Why, haven't you ever seen anything?" Felicite answered - laughing. "As if your mistress, Madame Homais, didn't wear the - same." -</p> -<p> - "Oh, I daresay! Madame Homais!" And he added with a meditative - air, "As if she were a lady like madame!" -</p> -<p> - But Felicite grew impatient of seeing him hanging round her. She - was six years older than he, and Theodore, Monsieur Guillaumin's - servant, was beginning to pay court to her. -</p> -<p> - "Let me alone," she said, moving her pot of starch. "You'd better - be off and pound almonds; you are always dangling about women. - Before you meddle with such things, bad boy, wait till you've got - a beard to your chin." -</p> -<p> - "Oh, don't be cross! I'll go and clean her boots." -</p> -<p> - And he at once took down from the shelf Emma's boots, all coated - with mud, the mud of the rendezvous, that crumbled into powder - beneath his fingers, and that he watched as it gently rose in a - ray of sunlight. -</p> -<p> - "How afraid you are of spoiling them!" said the servant, who - wasn't so particular when she cleaned them herself, because as - soon as the stuff of the boots was no longer fresh madame handed - them over to her. -</p> -<p> - Emma had a number in her cupboard that she squandered one after - the other, without Charles allowing himself the slightest - observation. So also he disbursed three hundred francs for a - wooden leg that she thought proper to make a present of to - Hippolyte. Its top was covered with cork, and it had spring - joints, a complicated mechanism, covered over by black trousers - ending in a patent-leather boot. But Hippolyte, not daring to use - such a handsome leg every day, begged Madame Bovary to get him - another more convenient one. The doctor, of course, had again to - defray the expense of this purchase. -</p> -<p> - So little by little the stable-man took up his work again. One - saw him running about the village as before, and when Charles - heard from afar the sharp noise of the wooden leg, he at once - went in another direction. -</p> -<p> - It was Monsieur Lheureux, the shopkeeper, who had undertaken the - order; this provided him with an excuse for visiting Emma. He - chatted with her about the new goods from Paris, about a thousand - feminine trifles, made himself very obliging, and never asked for - his money. Emma yielded to this lazy mode of satisfying all her - caprices. Thus she wanted to have a very handsome ridding-whip - that was at an umbrella-maker's at Rouen to give to Rodolphe. The - week after Monsieur Lheureux placed it on her table. -</p> -<p> - But the next day he called on her with a bill for two hundred and - seventy francs, not counting the centimes. Emma was much - embarrassed; all the drawers of the writing-table were empty; - they owed over a fortnight's wages to Lestiboudois, two quarters - to the servant, for any quantity of other things, and Bovary was - impatiently expecting Monsieur Derozeray's account, which he was - in the habit of paying every year about Midsummer. -</p> -<p> - She succeeded at first in putting off Lheureux. At last he lost - patience; he was being sued; his capital was out, and unless he - got some in he should be forced to take back all the goods she - had received. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, very well, take them!" said Emma. -</p> -<p> - "I was only joking," he replied; "the only thing I regret is the - whip. My word! I'll ask monsieur to return it to me." -</p> -<p> - "No, no!" she said. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! I've got you!" thought Lheureux. -</p> -<p> - And, certain of his discovery, he went out repeating to himself - in an undertone, and with his usual low whistle— -</p> -<p> - "Good! we shall see! we shall see!" -</p> -<p> - She was thinking how to get out of this when the servant coming - in put on the mantelpiece a small roll of blue paper "from - Monsieur Derozeray's." Emma pounced upon and opened it. It - contained fifteen napoleons; it was the account. She heard - Charles on the stairs; threw the gold to the back of her drawer, - and took out the key. -</p> -<p> - Three days after Lheureux reappeared. -</p> -<p> - "I have an arrangement to suggest to you," he said. "If, instead - of the sum agreed on, you would take—" -</p> -<p> - "Here it is," she said placing fourteen napoleons in his hand. -</p> -<p> - The tradesman was dumfounded. Then, to conceal his - disappointment, he was profuse in apologies and proffers of - service, all of which Emma declined; then she remained a few - moments fingering in the pocket of her apron the two five-franc - pieces that he had given her in change. She promised herself she - would economise in order to pay back later on. "Pshaw!" she - thought, "he won't think about it again." -</p> -<p> - Besides the riding-whip with its silver-gilt handle, Rodolphe had - received a seal with the motto Amor nel cor* furthermore, a scarf - for a muffler, and, finally, a cigar-case exactly like the - Viscount's, that Charles had formerly picked up in the road, and - that Emma had kept. These presents, however, humiliated him; he - refused several; she insisted, and he ended by obeying, thinking - her tyrannical and overexacting. -</p> -<p> - *A loving heart. -</p> -<p> - Then she had strange ideas. -</p> -<p> - "When midnight strikes," she said, "you must think of me." -</p> -<p> - And if he confessed that he had not thought of her, there were - floods of reproaches that always ended with the eternal question— -</p> -<p> - "Do you love me?" -</p> -<p> - "Why, of course I love you," he answered. -</p> -<p> - "A great deal?" -</p> -<p> - "Certainly!" -</p> -<p> - "You haven't loved any others?" -</p> -<p> - "Did you think you'd got a virgin?" he exclaimed laughing. -</p> -<p> - Emma cried, and he tried to console her, adorning his - protestations with puns. -</p> -<p> - "Oh," she went on, "I love you! I love you so that I could not - live without you, do you see? There are times when I long to see - you again, when I am torn by all the anger of love. I ask myself, - Where is he? Perhaps he is talking to other women. They smile - upon him; he approaches. Oh no; no one else pleases you. There - are some more beautiful, but I love you best. I know how to love - best. I am your servant, your concubine! You are my king, my - idol! You are good, you are beautiful, you are clever, you are - strong!" -</p> -<p> - He had so often heard these things said that they did not strike - him as original. Emma was like all his mistresses; and the charm - of novelty, gradually falling away like a garment, laid bare the - eternal monotony of passion, that has always the same forms and - the same language. He did not distinguish, this man of so much - experience, the difference of sentiment beneath the sameness of - expression. Because lips libertine and venal had murmured such - words to him, he believed but little in the candour of hers; - exaggerated speeches hiding mediocre affections must be - discounted; as if the fullness of the soul did not sometimes - overflow in the emptiest metaphors, since no one can ever give - the exact measure of his needs, nor of his conceptions, nor of - his sorrows; and since human speech is like a cracked tin kettle, - on which we hammer out tunes to make bears dance when we long to - move the stars. -</p> -<p> - But with that superior critical judgment that belongs to him who, - in no matter what circumstance, holds back, Rodolphe saw other - delights to be got out of this love. He thought all modesty in - the way. He treated her quite sans facon.* He made of her - something supple and corrupt. Hers was an idiotic sort of - attachment, full of admiration for him, of voluptuousness for - her, a beatitude that benumbed her; her soul sank into this - drunkenness, shrivelled up, drowned in it, like Clarence in his - butt of Malmsey. -</p> -<p> - *Off-handedly. -</p> -<p> - By the mere effect of her love Madame Bovary's manners changed. - Her looks grew bolder, her speech more free; she even committed - the impropriety of walking out with Monsieur Rodolphe, a - cigarette in her mouth, "as if to defy the people." At last, - those who still doubted doubted no longer when one day they saw - her getting out of the "Hirondelle," her waist squeezed into a - waistcoat like a man; and Madame Bovary senior, who, after a - fearful scene with her husband, had taken refuge at her son's, - was not the least scandalised of the women-folk. Many other - things displeased her. First, Charles had not attended to her - advice about the forbidding of novels; then the "ways of the - house" annoyed her; she allowed herself to make some remarks, and - there were quarrels, especially one on account of Felicite. -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary senior, the evening before, passing along the - passage, had surprised her in company of a man—a man with a - brown collar, about forty years old, who, at the sound of her - step, had quickly escaped through the kitchen. Then Emma began to - laugh, but the good lady grew angry, declaring that unless morals - were to be laughed at one ought to look after those of one's - servants. -</p> -<p> - "Where were you brought up?" asked the daughter-in-law, with so - impertinent a look that Madame Bovary asked her if she were not - perhaps defending her own case. -</p> -<p> - "Leave the room!" said the young woman, springing up with a - bound. -</p> -<p> - "Emma! Mamma!" cried Charles, trying to reconcile them. -</p> -<p> - But both had fled in their exasperation. Emma was stamping her - feet as she repeated— -</p> -<p> - "Oh! what manners! What a peasant!" -</p> -<p> - He ran to his mother; she was beside herself. She stammered -</p> -<p> - "She is an insolent, giddy-headed thing, or perhaps worse!" -</p> -<p> - And she was for leaving at once if the other did not apologise. - So Charles went back again to his wife and implored her to give - way; he knelt to her; she ended by saying— -</p> -<p> - "Very well! I'll go to her." -</p> -<p> - And in fact she held out her hand to her mother-in-law with the - dignity of a marchioness as she said— -</p> -<p> - "Excuse me, madame." -</p> -<p> - Then, having gone up again to her room, she threw herself flat on - her bed and cried there like a child, her face buried in the - pillow. -</p> -<p> - She and Rodolphe had agreed that in the event of anything - extraordinary occurring, she should fasten a small piece of white - paper to the blind, so that if by chance he happened to be in - Yonville, he could hurry to the lane behind the house. Emma made - the signal; she had been waiting three-quarters of an hour when - she suddenly caught sight of Rodolphe at the corner of the - market. She felt tempted to open the window and call him, but he - had already disappeared. She fell back in despair. -</p> -<p> - Soon, however, it seemed to her that someone was walking on the - pavement. It was he, no doubt. She went downstairs, crossed the - yard. He was there outside. She threw herself into his arms. -</p> -<p> - "Do take care!" he said. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! if you knew!" she replied. -</p> -<p> - And she began telling him everything, hurriedly, disjointedly, - exaggerating the facts, inventing many, and so prodigal of - parentheses that he understood nothing of it. -</p> -<p> - "Come, my poor angel, courage! Be comforted! be patient!" -</p> -<p> - "But I have been patient; I have suffered for four years. A love - like ours ought to show itself in the face of heaven. They - torture me! I can bear it no longer! Save me!" -</p> -<p> - She clung to Rodolphe. Her eyes, full of tears, flashed like - flames beneath a wave; her breast heaved; he had never loved her - so much, so that he lost his head and said "What is, it? What do - you wish?" -</p> -<p> - "Take me away," she cried, "carry me off! Oh, I pray you!" -</p> -<p> - And she threw herself upon his mouth, as if to seize there the - unexpected consent if breathed forth in a kiss. -</p> -<p> - "But—" Rodolphe resumed. -</p> -<p> - "What?" -</p> -<p> - "Your little girl!" -</p> -<p> - She reflected a few moments, then replied— -</p> -<p> - "We will take her! It can't be helped!" -</p> -<p> - "What a woman!" he said to himself, watching her as she went. For - she had run into the garden. Someone was calling her. -</p> -<p> - On the following days Madame Bovary senior was much surprised at - the change in her daughter-in-law. Emma, in fact, was showing - herself more docile, and even carried her deference so far as to - ask for a recipe for pickling gherkins. -</p> -<p> - Was it the better to deceive them both? Or did she wish by a sort - of voluptuous stoicism to feel the more profoundly the bitterness - of the things she was about to leave? -</p> -<p> - But she paid no heed to them; on the contrary, she lived as lost - in the anticipated delight of her coming happiness. -</p> -<p> - It was an eternal subject for conversation with Rodolphe. She - leant on his shoulder murmuring— -</p> -<p> - "Ah! when we are in the mail-coach! Do you think about it? Can it - be? It seems to me that the moment I feel the carriage start, it - will be as if we were rising in a balloon, as if we were setting - out for the clouds. Do you know that I count the hours? And you?" -</p> -<p> - Never had Madame Bovary been so beautiful as at this period; she - had that indefinable beauty that results from joy, from - enthusiasm, from success, and that is only the harmony of - temperament with circumstances. Her desires, her sorrows, the - experience of pleasure, and her ever-young illusions, that had, - as soil and rain and winds and the sun make flowers grow, - gradually developed her, and she at length blossomed forth in all - the plenitude of her nature. Her eyelids seemed chiselled - expressly for her long amorous looks in which the pupil - disappeared, while a strong inspiration expanded her delicate - nostrils and raised the fleshy corner of her lips, shaded in the - light by a little black down. One would have thought that an - artist apt in conception had arranged the curls of hair upon her - neck; they fell in a thick mass, negligently, and with the - changing chances of their adultery, that unbound them every day. - Her voice now took more mellow infections, her figure also; - something subtle and penetrating escaped even from the folds of - her gown and from the line of her foot. Charles, as when they - were first married, thought her delicious and quite irresistible. -</p> -<p> - When he came home in the middle of the night, he did not dare to - wake her. The porcelain night-light threw a round trembling gleam - upon the ceiling, and the drawn curtains of the little cot formed - as it were a white hut standing out in the shade, and by the - bedside Charles looked at them. He seemed to hear the light - breathing of his child. She would grow big now; every season - would bring rapid progress. He already saw her coming from school - as the day drew in, laughing, with ink-stains on her jacket, and - carrying her basket on her arm. Then she would have to be sent to - the boarding-school; that would cost much; how was it to be done? - Then he reflected. He thought of hiring a small farm in the - neighbourhood, that he would superintend every morning on his way - to his patients. He would save up what he brought in; he would - put it in the savings-bank. Then he would buy shares somewhere, - no matter where; besides, his practice would increase; he counted - upon that, for he wanted Berthe to be well-educated, to be - accomplished, to learn to play the piano. Ah! how pretty she - would be later on when she was fifteen, when, resembling her - mother, she would, like her, wear large straw hats in the - summer-time; from a distance they would be taken for two sisters. - He pictured her to himself working in the evening by their side - beneath the light of the lamp; she would embroider him slippers; - she would look after the house; she would fill all the home with - her charm and her gaiety. At last, they would think of her - marriage; they would find her some good young fellow with a - steady business; he would make her happy; this would last for - ever. -</p> -<p> - Emma was not asleep; she pretended to be; and while he dozed off - by her side she awakened to other dreams. -</p> -<p> - To the gallop of four horses she was carried away for a week - towards a new land, whence they would return no more. They went - on and on, their arms entwined, without a word. Often from the - top of a mountain there suddenly glimpsed some splendid city with - domes, and bridges, and ships, forests of citron trees, and - cathedrals of white marble, on whose pointed steeples were - storks' nests. They went at a walking-pace because of the great - flag-stones, and on the ground there were bouquets of flowers, - offered you by women dressed in red bodices. They heard the - chiming of bells, the neighing of mules, together with the murmur - of guitars and the noise of fountains, whose rising spray - refreshed heaps of fruit arranged like a pyramid at the foot of - pale statues that smiled beneath playing waters. And then, one - night they came to a fishing village, where brown nets were - drying in the wind along the cliffs and in front of the huts. It - was there that they would stay; they would live in a low, - flat-roofed house, shaded by a palm-tree, in the heart of a gulf, - by the sea. They would row in gondolas, swing in hammocks, and - their existence would be easy and large as their silk gowns, warm - and star-spangled as the nights they would contemplate. However, - in the immensity of this future that she conjured up, nothing - special stood forth; the days, all magnificent, resembled - each other like waves; and it swayed in the horizon, infinite, - harmonised, azure, and bathed in sunshine. But the child began to - cough in her cot or Bovary snored more loudly, and Emma did not - fall asleep till morning, when the dawn whitened the windows, and - when little Justin was already in the square taking down the - shutters of the chemist's shop. -</p> -<p> - She had sent for Monsieur Lheureux, and had said to him— -</p> -<p> - "I want a cloak—a large lined cloak with a deep collar." -</p> -<p> - "You are going on a journey?" he asked. -</p> -<p> - "No; but—never mind. I may count on you, may I not, and - quickly?" -</p> -<p> - He bowed. -</p> -<p> - "Besides, I shall want," she went on, "a trunk—not too heavy— - handy." -</p> -<p> - "Yes, yes, I understand. About three feet by a foot and a half, - as they are being made just now." -</p> -<p> - "And a travelling bag." -</p> -<p> - "Decidedly," thought Lheureux. "there's a row on here." -</p> -<p> - "And," said Madame Bovary, taking her watch from her belt, "take - this; you can pay yourself out of it." -</p> -<p> - But the tradesman cried out that she was wrong; they knew one - another; did he doubt her? What childishness! -</p> -<p> - She insisted, however, on his taking at least the chain, and - Lheureux had already put it in his pocket and was going, when she - called him back. -</p> -<p> - "You will leave everything at your place. As to the cloak"—she - seemed to be reflecting—"do not bring it either; you can give me - the maker's address, and tell him to have it ready for me." -</p> -<p> - It was the next month that they were to run away. She was to - leave Yonville as if she was going on some business to Rouen. - Rodolphe would have booked the seats, procured the passports, and - even have written to Paris in order to have the whole mail-coach - reserved for them as far as Marseilles, where they would buy a - carriage, and go on thence without stopping to Genoa. She would - take care to send her luggage to Lheureux whence it would be - taken direct to the "Hirondelle," so that no one would have any - suspicion. And in all this there never was any allusion to the - child. Rodolphe avoided speaking of her; perhaps he no longer - thought about it. -</p> -<p> - He wished to have two more weeks before him to arrange some - affairs; then at the end of a week he wanted two more; then he - said he was ill; next he went on a journey. The month of August - passed, and, after all these delays, they decided that it was to - be irrevocably fixed for the 4th September—a Monday. -</p> -<p> - At length the Saturday before arrived. -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe came in the evening earlier than usual. -</p> -<p> - "Everything is ready?" she asked him. -</p> -<p> - "Yes." -</p> -<p> - Then they walked round a garden-bed, and went to sit down near - the terrace on the kerb-stone of the wall. -</p> -<p> - "You are sad," said Emma. -</p> -<p> - "No; why?" -</p> -<p> - And yet he looked at her strangely in a tender fashion. -</p> -<p> - "It is because you are going away?" she went on; "because you are - leaving what is dear to you—your life? Ah! I understand. I have - nothing in the world! you are all to me; so shall I be to you. I - will be your people, your country; I will tend, I will love you!" -</p> -<p> - "How sweet you are!" he said, seizing her in his arms. -</p> -<p> - "Really!" she said with a voluptuous laugh. "Do you love me? - Swear it then!" -</p> -<p> - "Do I love you—love you? I adore you, my love." -</p> -<p> - The moon, full and purple-coloured, was rising right out of the - earth at the end of the meadow. She rose quickly between the - branches of the poplars, that hid her here and there like a black - curtain pierced with holes. Then she appeared dazzling with - whiteness in the empty heavens that she lit up, and now sailing - more slowly along, let fall upon the river a great stain that - broke up into an infinity of stars; and the silver sheen seemed - to writhe through the very depths like a heedless serpent covered - with luminous scales; it also resembled some monster candelabra - all along which sparkled drops of diamonds running together. The - soft night was about them; masses of shadow filled the branches. - Emma, her eyes half closed, breathed in with deep sighs the fresh - wind that was blowing. They did not speak, lost as they were in - the rush of their reverie. The tenderness of the old days came - back to their hearts, full and silent as the flowing river, with - the softness of the perfume of the syringas, and threw across - their memories shadows more immense and more sombre than those of - the still willows that lengthened out over the grass. Often some - night-animal, hedgehog or weasel, setting out on the hunt, - disturbed the lovers, or sometimes they heard a ripe peach - falling all alone from the espalier. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! what a lovely night!" said Rodolphe. -</p> -<p> - "We shall have others," replied Emma; and, as if speaking to - herself: "Yet, it will be good to travel. And yet, why should my - heart be so heavy? Is it dread of the unknown? The effect of - habits left? Or rather—? No; it is the excess of happiness. How - weak I am, am I not? Forgive me!" -</p> -<p> - "There is still time!" he cried. "Reflect! perhaps you may - repent!" -</p> -<p> - "Never!" she cried impetuously. And coming closer to him: "What - ill could come to me? There is no desert, no precipice, no ocean - I would not traverse with you. The longer we live together the - more it will be like an embrace, every day closer, more heart to - heart. There will be nothing to trouble us, no cares, no - obstacle. We shall be alone, all to ourselves eternally. Oh, - speak! Answer me!" -</p> -<p> - At regular intervals he answered, "Yes—Yes—" She had passed her - hands through his hair, and she repeated in a childlike voice, - despite the big tears which were falling, "Rodolphe! Rodolphe! - Ah! Rodolphe! dear little Rodolphe!" -</p> -<p> - Midnight struck. -</p> -<p> - "Midnight!" said she. "Come, it is to-morrow. One day more!" -</p> -<p> - He rose to go; and as if the movement he made had been the signal - for their flight, Emma said, suddenly assuming a gay air— -</p> -<p> - "You have the passports?" -</p> -<p> - "Yes." -</p> -<p> - "You are forgetting nothing?" -</p> -<p> - "No." -</p> -<p> - "Are you sure?" -</p> -<p> - "Certainly." -</p> -<p> - "It is at the Hotel de Provence, is it not, that you will wait - for me at midday?" -</p> -<p> - He nodded. -</p> -<p> - "Till to-morrow then!" said Emma in a last caress; and she - watched him go. -</p> -<p> - He did not turn round. She ran after him, and, leaning over the - water's edge between the bulrushes— -</p> -<p> - "To-morrow!" she cried. -</p> -<p> - He was already on the other side of the river and walking fast - across the meadow. -</p> -<p> - After a few moments Rodolphe stopped; and when he saw her with - her white gown gradually fade away in the shade like a ghost, he - was seized with such a beating of the heart that he leant against - a tree lest he should fall. -</p> -<p> - "What an imbecile I am!" he said with a fearful oath. "No matter! - She was a pretty mistress!" -</p> -<p> - And immediately Emma's beauty, with all the pleasures of their - love, came back to him. For a moment he softened; then he - rebelled against her. -</p> -<p> - "For, after all," he exclaimed, gesticulating, "I can't exile - myself—have a child on my hands." -</p> -<p> - He was saying these things to give himself firmness. -</p> -<p> - "And besides, the worry, the expense! Ah! no, no, no, no! a - thousand times no! That would be too stupid." -</p> -<a name="2HCH24"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Thirteen -</h2> -<p> - No sooner was Rodolphe at home than he sat down quickly at his - bureau under the stag's head that hung as a trophy on the wall. - But when he had the pen between his fingers, he could think of - nothing, so that, resting on his elbows, he began to reflect. - Emma seemed to him to have receded into a far-off past, as if the - resolution he had taken had suddenly placed a distance between - them. -</p> -<p> - To get back something of her, he fetched from the cupboard at the - bedside an old Rheims biscuit-box, in which he usually kept his - letters from women, and from it came an odour of dry dust and - withered roses. First he saw a handkerchief with pale little - spots. It was a handkerchief of hers. Once when they were walking - her nose had bled; he had forgotten it. Near it, chipped at all - the corners, was a miniature given him by Emma: her toilette - seemed to him pretentious, and her languishing look in the worst - possible taste. Then, from looking at this image and recalling - the memory of its original, Emma's features little by little grew - confused in his remembrance, as if the living and the painted - face, rubbing one against the other, had effaced each other. - Finally, he read some of her letters; they were full of - explanations relating to their journey, short, technical, and - urgent, like business notes. He wanted to see the long ones - again, those of old times. In order to find them at the bottom of - the box, Rodolphe disturbed all the others, and mechanically - began rummaging amidst this mass of papers and things, finding - pell-mell bouquets, garters, a black mask, pins, and hair—hair! - dark and fair, some even, catching in the hinges of the box, - broke when it was opened. -</p> -<p> - Thus dallying with his souvenirs, he examined the writing and the - style of the letters, as varied as their orthography. They were - tender or jovial, facetious, melancholy; there were some that - asked for love, others that asked for money. A word recalled - faces to him, certain gestures, the sound of a voice; sometimes, - however, he remembered nothing at all. -</p> -<p> - In fact, these women, rushing at once into his thoughts, cramped - each other and lessened, as reduced to a uniform level of love - that equalised them all. So taking handfuls of the mixed-up - letters, he amused himself for some moments with letting them - fall in cascades from his right into his left hand. At last, - bored and weary, Rodolphe took back the box to the cupboard, - saying to himself, "What a lot of rubbish!" Which summed up his - opinion; for pleasures, like schoolboys in a school courtyard, - had so trampled upon his heart that no green thing grew there, - and that which passed through it, more heedless than children, - did not even, like them, leave a name carved upon the wall. -</p> -<p> - "Come," said he, "let's begin." -</p> -<p> - He wrote— -</p> -<p> - "Courage, Emma! courage! I would not bring misery into your - life." -</p> -<p> - "After all, that's true," thought Rodolphe. "I am acting in her - interest; I am honest." -</p> -<p> - "Have you carefully weighed your resolution? Do you know to what - an abyss I was dragging you, poor angel? No, you do not, do you? - You were coming confident and fearless, believing in happiness in - the future. Ah! unhappy that we are—insensate!" -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe stopped here to think of some good excuse. -</p> -<p> - "If I told her all my fortune is lost? No! Besides, that would - stop nothing. It would all have to be begun over again later on. - As if one could make women like that listen to reason!" He - reflected, then went on— -</p> -<p> - "I shall not forget you, oh believe it; and I shall ever have a - profound devotion for you; but some day, sooner or later, this - ardour (such is the fate of human things) would have grown less, - no doubt. Lassitude would have come to us, and who knows if I - should not even have had the atrocious pain of witnessing your - remorse, of sharing it myself, since I should have been its - cause? The mere idea of the grief that would come to you tortures - me, Emma. Forget me! Why did I ever know you? Why were you so - beautiful? Is it my fault? O my God! No, no! Accuse only fate." -</p> -<p> - "That's a word that always tells," he said to himself. -</p> -<p> - "Ah, if you had been one of those frivolous women that one sees, - certainly I might, through egotism, have tried an experiment, in - that case without danger for you. But that delicious exaltation, - at once your charm and your torment, has prevented you from - understanding, adorable woman that you are, the falseness of our - future position. Nor had I reflected upon this at first, and I - rested in the shade of that ideal happiness as beneath that of - the manchineel tree, without foreseeing the consequences." -</p> -<p> - "Perhaps she'll think I'm giving it up from avarice. Ah, well! so - much the worse; it must be stopped!" -</p> -<p> - "The world is cruel, Emma. Wherever we might have gone, it would - have persecuted us. You would have had to put up with indiscreet - questions, calumny, contempt, insult perhaps. Insult to you! Oh! - And I, who would place you on a throne! I who bear with me your - memory as a talisman! For I am going to punish myself by exile - for all the ill I have done you. I am going away. Whither I know - not. I am mad. Adieu! Be good always. Preserve the memory of the - unfortunate who has lost you. Teach my name to your child; let - her repeat it in her prayers." -</p> -<p> - The wicks of the candles flickered. Rodolphe got up to, shut the - window, and when he had sat down again— -</p> -<p> - "I think it's all right. Ah! and this for fear she should come - and hunt me up." -</p> -<p> - "I shall be far away when you read these sad lines, for I have - wished to flee as quickly as possible to shun the temptation of - seeing you again. No weakness! I shall return, and perhaps later - on we shall talk together very coldly of our old love. Adieu!" -</p> -<p> - And there was a last "adieu" divided into two words! "A Dieu!" - which he thought in very excellent taste. -</p> -<p> - "Now how am I to sign?" he said to himself. "'Yours devotedly?' - No! 'Your friend?' Yes, that's it." -</p> -<p> - "Your friend." -</p> -<p> - He re-read his letter. He considered it very good. -</p> -<p> - "Poor little woman!" he thought with emotion. "She'll think me - harder than a rock. There ought to have been some tears on this; - but I can't cry; it isn't my fault." Then, having emptied some - water into a glass, Rodolphe dipped his finger into it, and let a - big drop fall on the paper, that made a pale stain on the ink. - Then looking for a seal, he came upon the one "Amor nel cor." -</p> -<p> - "That doesn't at all fit in with the circumstances. Pshaw! never - mind!" -</p> -<p> - After which he smoked three pipes and went to bed. -</p> -<p> - The next day when he was up (at about two o'clock—he had slept - late), Rodolphe had a basket of apricots picked. He put his - letter at the bottom under some vine leaves, and at once ordered - Girard, his ploughman, to take it with care to Madame Bovary. He - made use of this means for corresponding with her, sending - according to the season fruits or game. -</p> -<p> - "If she asks after me," he said, "you will tell her that I have - gone on a journey. You must give the basket to her herself, into - her own hands. Get along and take care!" -</p> -<p> - Girard put on his new blouse, knotted his handkerchief round the - apricots, and walking with great heavy steps in his thick - iron-bound galoshes, made his way to Yonville. -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary, when he got to her house, was arranging a bundle - of linen on the kitchen-table with Felicite. -</p> -<p> - "Here," said the ploughboy, "is something for you—from the - master." -</p> -<p> - She was seized with apprehension, and as she sought in her pocket - for some coppers, she looked at the peasant with haggard eyes, - while he himself looked at her with amazement, not understanding - how such a present could so move anyone. At last he went out. - Felicite remained. She could bear it no longer; she ran into the - sitting room as if to take the apricots there, overturned the - basket, tore away the leaves, found the letter, opened it, and, - as if some fearful fire were behind her, Emma flew to her room - terrified. -</p> -<p> - Charles was there; she saw him; he spoke to her; she heard - nothing, and she went on quickly up the stairs, breathless, - distraught, dumb, and ever holding this horrible piece of paper, - that crackled between her fingers like a plate of sheet-iron. On - the second floor she stopped before the attic door, which was - closed. -</p> -<p> - Then she tried to calm herself; she recalled the letter; she must - finish it; she did not dare to. And where? How? She would be - seen! "Ah, no! here," she thought, "I shall be all right." -</p> -<p> - Emma pushed open the door and went in. -</p> -<p> - The slates threw straight down a heavy heat that gripped her - temples, stifled her; she dragged herself to the closed - garret-window. She drew back the bolt, and the dazzling light - burst in with a leap. -</p> -<p> - Opposite, beyond the roofs, stretched the open country till it - was lost to sight. Down below, underneath her, the village square - was empty; the stones of the pavement glittered, the weathercocks - on the houses were motionless. At the corner of the street, from - a lower storey, rose a kind of humming with strident modulations. - It was Binet turning. -</p> -<p> - She leant against the embrasure of the window, and reread the - letter with angry sneers. But the more she fixed her attention - upon it, the more confused were her ideas. She saw him again, - heard him, encircled him with her arms, and throbs of her heart, - that beat against her breast like blows of a sledge-hammer, grew - faster and faster, with uneven intervals. She looked about her - with the wish that the earth might crumble into pieces. Why not - end it all? What restrained her? She was free. She advanced, - looking at the paving-stones, saying to herself, "Come! come!" -</p> -<p> - The luminous ray that came straight up from below drew the weight - of her body towards the abyss. It seemed to her that the ground - of the oscillating square went up the walls and that the floor - dipped on end like a tossing boat. She was right at the edge, - almost hanging, surrounded by vast space. The blue of the heavens - suffused her, the air was whirling in her hollow head; she had - but to yield, to let herself be taken; and the humming of the - lathe never ceased, like an angry voice calling her. -</p> -<p> - "Emma! Emma!" cried Charles. -</p> -<p> - She stopped. -</p> -<p> - "Wherever are you? Come!" -</p> -<p> - The thought that she had just escaped from death almost made her - faint with terror. She closed her eyes; then she shivered at the - touch of a hand on her sleeve; it was Felicite. -</p> -<p> - "Master is waiting for you, madame; the soup is on the table." -</p> -<p> - And she had to go down to sit at table. -</p> -<p> - She tried to eat. The food choked her. Then she unfolded her - napkin as if to examine the darns, and she really thought of - applying herself to this work, counting the threads in the linen. - Suddenly the remembrance of the letter returned to her. How had - she lost it? Where could she find it? But she felt such weariness - of spirit that she could not even invent a pretext for leaving - the table. Then she became a coward; she was afraid of Charles; - he knew all, that was certain! Indeed he pronounced these words - in a strange manner: -</p> -<p> - "We are not likely to see Monsieur Rodolphe soon again, it - seems." -</p> -<p> - "Who told you?" she said, shuddering. -</p> -<p> - "Who told me!" he replied, rather astonished at her abrupt tone. - "Why, Girard, whom I met just now at the door of the Cafe - Francais. He has gone on a journey, or is to go." -</p> -<p> - She gave a sob. -</p> -<p> - "What surprises you in that? He absents himself like that from - time to time for a change, and, ma foi, I think he's right, when - one has a fortune and is a bachelor. Besides, he has jolly times, - has our friend. He's a bit of a rake. Monsieur Langlois told me—" -</p> -<p> - He stopped for propriety's sake because the servant came in. She - put back into the basket the apricots scattered on the sideboard. - Charles, without noticing his wife's colour, had them brought to - him, took one, and bit into it. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! perfect!" said he; "just taste!" -</p> -<p> - And he handed her the basket, which she put away from her gently. -</p> -<p> - "Do just smell! What an odour!" he remarked, passing it under her - nose several times. -</p> -<p> - "I am choking," she cried, leaping up. But by an effort of will - the spasm passed; then— -</p> -<p> - "It is nothing," she said, "it is nothing! It is nervousness. Sit - down and go on eating." For she dreaded lest he should begin - questioning her, attending to her, that she should not be left - alone. -</p> -<p> - Charles, to obey her, sat down again, and he spat the stones of - the apricots into his hands, afterwards putting them on his - plate. -</p> -<p> - Suddenly a blue tilbury passed across the square at a rapid trot. - Emma uttered a cry and fell back rigid to the ground. -</p> -<p> - In fact, Rodolphe, after many reflections, had decided to set out - for Rouen. Now, as from La Huchette to Buchy there is no other - way than by Yonville, he had to go through the village, and Emma - had recognised him by the rays of the lanterns, which like - lightning flashed through the twilight. -</p> -<p> - The chemist, at the tumult which broke out in the house ran - thither. The table with all the plates was upset; sauce, meat, - knives, the salt, and cruet-stand were strewn over the room; - Charles was calling for help; Berthe, scared, was crying; and - Felicite, whose hands trembled, was unlacing her mistress, whose - whole body shivered convulsively. -</p> -<p> - "I'll run to my laboratory for some aromatic vinegar," said the - druggist. -</p> -<p> - Then as she opened her eyes on smelling the bottle— -</p> -<p> - "I was sure of it," he remarked; "that would wake any dead person - for you!" -</p> -<p> - "Speak to us," said Charles; "collect yourself; it is your - Charles, who loves you. Do you know me? See! here is your little - girl! Oh, kiss her!" -</p> -<p> - The child stretched out her arms to her mother to cling to her - neck. But turning away her head, Emma said in a broken voice - "No, no! no one!" -</p> -<p> - She fainted again. They carried her to her bed. She lay there - stretched at full length, her lips apart, her eyelids closed, her - hands open, motionless, and white as a waxen image. Two streams - of tears flowed from her eyes and fell slowly upon the pillow. -</p> -<p> - Charles, standing up, was at the back of the alcove, and the - chemist, near him, maintained that meditative silence that is - becoming on the serious occasions of life. -</p> -<p> - "Do not be uneasy," he said, touching his elbow; "I think the - paroxysm is past." -</p> -<p> - "Yes, she is resting a little now," answered Charles, watching - her sleep. "Poor girl! poor girl! She had gone off now!" -</p> -<p> - Then Homais asked how the accident had come about. Charles - answered that she had been taken ill suddenly while she was - eating some apricots. -</p> -<p> - "Extraordinary!" continued the chemist. "But it might be that the - apricots had brought on the syncope. Some natures are so - sensitive to certain smells; and it would even be a very fine - question to study both in its pathological and physiological - relation. The priests know the importance of it, they who have - introduced aromatics into all their ceremonies. It is to stupefy - the senses and to bring on ecstasies—a thing, moreover, very - easy in persons of the weaker sex, who are more delicate than the - other. Some are cited who faint at the smell of burnt hartshorn, - of new bread—" -</p> -<p> - "Take care; you'll wake her!" said Bovary in a low voice. -</p> -<p> - "And not only," the druggist went on, "are human beings subject - to such anomalies, but animals also. Thus you are not ignorant of - the singularly aphrodisiac effect produced by the Nepeta cataria, - vulgarly called catmint, on the feline race; and, on the other - hand, to quote an example whose authenticity I can answer for. - Bridaux (one of my old comrades, at present established in the - Rue Malpalu) possesses a dog that falls into convulsions as soon - as you hold out a snuff-box to him. He often even makes the - experiment before his friends at his summer-house at Guillaume - Wood. Would anyone believe that a simple sternutation could - produce such ravages on a quadrupedal organism? It is extremely - curious, is it not?" -</p> -<p> - "Yes," said Charles, who was not listening to him. -</p> -<p> - "This shows us," went on the other, smiling with benign - self-sufficiency, "the innumerable irregularities of the nervous - system. With regard to madame, she has always seemed to me, I - confess, very susceptible. And so I should by no means recommend - to you, my dear friend, any of those so-called remedies that, - under the pretence of attacking the symptoms, attack the - constitution. No; no useless physicking! Diet, that is all; - sedatives, emollients, dulcification. Then, don't you think that - perhaps her imagination should be worked upon?" -</p> -<p> - "In what way? How?" said Bovary. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! that is it. Such is indeed the question. 'That is the - question,' as I lately read in a newspaper." -</p> -<p> - But Emma, awaking, cried out— -</p> -<p> - "The letter! the letter!" -</p> -<p> - They thought she was delirious; and she was by midnight. - Brain-fever had set in. -</p> -<p> - For forty-three days Charles did not leave her. He gave up all - his patients; he no longer went to bed; he was constantly feeling - her pulse, putting on sinapisms and cold-water compresses. He - sent Justin as far as Neufchatel for ice; the ice melted on the - way; he sent him back again. He called Monsieur Canivet into - consultation; he sent for Dr. Lariviere, his old master, from - Rouen; he was in despair. What alarmed him most was Emma's - prostration, for she did not speak, did not listen, did not even - seem to suffer, as if her body and soul were both resting - together after all their troubles. -</p> -<p> - About the middle of October she could sit up in bed supported by - pillows. Charles wept when he saw her eat her first - bread-and-jelly. Her strength returned to her; she got up for a - few hours of an afternoon, and one day, when she felt better, he - tried to take her, leaning on his arm, for a walk round the - garden. The sand of the paths was disappearing beneath the dead - leaves; she walked slowly, dragging along her slippers, and - leaning against Charles's shoulder. She smiled all the time. -</p> -<p> - They went thus to the bottom of the garden near the terrace. She - drew herself up slowly, shading her eyes with her hand to look. - She looked far off, as far as she could, but on the horizon were - only great bonfires of grass smoking on the hills. -</p> -<p> - "You will tire yourself, my darling!" said Bovary. And, pushing - her gently to make her go into the arbour, "Sit down on this - seat; you'll be comfortable." -</p> -<p> - "Oh! no; not there!" she said in a faltering voice. -</p> -<p> - She was seized with giddiness, and from that evening her illness - recommenced, with a more uncertain character, it is true, and - more complex symptoms. Now she suffered in her heart, then in the - chest, the head, the limbs; she had vomitings, in which Charles - thought he saw the first signs of cancer. -</p> -<p> - And besides this, the poor fellow was worried about money - matters. -</p> -<a name="2HCH25"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Fourteen -</h2> -<p> - To begin with, he did not know how he could pay Monsieur Homais - for all the physic supplied by him, and though, as a medical man, - he was not obliged to pay for it, he nevertheless blushed a - little at such an obligation. Then the expenses of the household, - now that the servant was mistress, became terrible. Bills rained - in upon the house; the tradesmen grumbled; Monsieur Lheureux - especially harassed him. In fact, at the height of Emma's - illness, the latter, taking advantage of the circumstances to - make his bill larger, had hurriedly brought the cloak, the - travelling-bag, two trunks instead of one, and a number of other - things. It was very well for Charles to say he did not want them. - The tradesman answered arrogantly that these articles had been - ordered, and that he would not take them back; besides, it would - vex madame in her convalescence; the doctor had better think it - over; in short, he was resolved to sue him rather than give up - his rights and take back his goods. Charles subsequently ordered - them to be sent back to the shop. Felicite forgot; he had other - things to attend to; then thought no more about them. Monsieur - Lheureux returned to the charge, and, by turns threatening and - whining, so managed that Bovary ended by signing a bill at six - months. But hardly had he signed this bill than a bold idea - occurred to him: it was to borrow a thousand francs from - Lheureux. So, with an embarrassed air, he asked if it were - possible to get them, adding that it would be for a year, at any - interest he wished. Lheureux ran off to his shop, brought back - the money, and dictated another bill, by which Bovary undertook - to pay to his order on the 1st of September next the sum of one - thousand and seventy francs, which, with the hundred and eighty - already agreed to, made just twelve hundred and fifty, thus - lending at six per cent in addition to one-fourth for commission: - and the things bringing him in a good third at the least, this - ought in twelve months to give him a profit of a hundred and - thirty francs. He hoped that the business would not stop there; - that the bills would not be paid; that they would be renewed; and - that his poor little money, having thriven at the doctor's as at - a hospital, would come back to him one day considerably more - plump, and fat enough to burst his bag. -</p> -<p> - Everything, moreover, succeeded with him. He was adjudicator for - a supply of cider to the hospital at Neufchatel; Monsieur - Guillaumin promised him some shares in the turf-pits of - Gaumesnil, and he dreamt of establishing a new diligence service - between Arcueil and Rouen, which no doubt would not be long in - ruining the ramshackle van of the "Lion d'Or," and that, - travelling faster, at a cheaper rate, and carrying more luggage, - would thus put into his hands the whole commerce of Yonville. -</p> -<p> - Charles several times asked himself by what means he should next - year be able to pay back so much money. He reflected, imagined - expedients, such as applying to his father or selling something. - But his father would be deaf, and he—he had nothing to sell. - Then he foresaw such worries that he quickly dismissed so - disagreeable a subject of meditation from his mind. He reproached - himself with forgetting Emma, as if, all his thoughts belonging - to this woman, it was robbing her of something not to be - constantly thinking of her. -</p> -<p> - The winter was severe, Madame Bovary's convalescence slow. When - it was fine they wheeled her arm-chair to the window that - overlooked the square, for she now had an antipathy to the - garden, and the blinds on that side were always down. She wished - the horse to be sold; what she formerly liked now displeased her. - All her ideas seemed to be limited to the care of herself. She - stayed in bed taking little meals, rang for the servant to - inquire about her gruel or to chat with her. The snow on the - market-roof threw a white, still light into the room; then the - rain began to fall; and Emma waited daily with a mind full of - eagerness for the inevitable return of some trifling events which - nevertheless had no relation to her. The most important was the - arrival of the "Hirondelle" in the evening. Then the landlady - shouted out, and other voices answered, while Hippolyte's - lantern, as he fetched the boxes from the boot, was like a star - in the darkness. At mid-day Charles came in; then he went out - again; next she took some beef-tea, and towards five o'clock, as - the day drew in, the children coming back from school, dragging - their wooden shoes along the pavement, knocked the clapper of the - shutters with their rulers one after the other. -</p> -<p> - It was at this hour that Monsieur Bournisien came to see her. He - inquired after her health, gave her news, exhorted her to - religion, in a coaxing little prattle that was not without its - charm. The mere thought of his cassock comforted her. -</p> -<p> - One day, when at the height of her illness, she had thought - herself dying, and had asked for the communion; and, while they - were making the preparations in her room for the sacrament, while - they were turning the night table covered with syrups into an - altar, and while Felicite was strewing dahlia flowers on the - floor, Emma felt some power passing over her that freed her from - her pains, from all perception, from all feeling. Her body, - relieved, no longer thought; another life was beginning; it - seemed to her that her being, mounting toward God, would be - annihilated in that love like a burning incense that melts into - vapour. The bed-clothes were sprinkled with holy water, the - priest drew from the holy pyx the white wafer; and it was - fainting with a celestial joy that she put out her lips to accept - the body of the Saviour presented to her. The curtains of the - alcove floated gently round her like clouds, and the rays of the - two tapers burning on the night-table seemed to shine like - dazzling halos. Then she let her head fall back, fancying she - heard in space the music of seraphic harps, and perceived in an - azure sky, on a golden throne in the midst of saints holding - green palms, God the Father, resplendent with majesty, who with a - sign sent to earth angels with wings of fire to carry her away in - their arms. -</p> -<p> - This splendid vision dwelt in her memory as the most beautiful - thing that it was possible to dream, so that now she strove to - recall her sensation. That still lasted, however, but in a less - exclusive fashion and with a deeper sweetness. Her soul, tortured - by pride, at length found rest in Christian humility, and, - tasting the joy of weakness, she saw within herself the - destruction of her will, that must have left a wide entrance for - the inroads of heavenly grace. There existed, then, in the place - of happiness, still greater joys—another love beyond all loves, - without pause and without end, one that would grow eternally! She - saw amid the illusions of her hope a state of purity floating - above the earth mingling with heaven, to which she aspired. She - wanted to become a saint. She bought chaplets and wore amulets; - she wished to have in her room, by the side of her bed, a - reliquary set in emeralds that she might kiss it every evening. -</p> -<p> - The cure marvelled at this humour, although Emma's religion, he - thought, might, from its fervour, end by touching on heresy, - extravagance. But not being much versed in these matters, as soon - as they went beyond a certain limit he wrote to Monsieur Boulard, - bookseller to Monsignor, to send him "something good for a lady - who was very clever." The bookseller, with as much indifference - as if he had been sending off hardware to niggers, packed up, - pellmell, everything that was then the fashion in the pious book - trade. There were little manuals in questions and answers, - pamphlets of aggressive tone after the manner of Monsieur de - Maistre, and certain novels in rose-coloured bindings and with a - honied style, manufactured by troubadour seminarists or penitent - blue-stockings. There were the "Think of it; the Man of the World - at Mary's Feet, by Monsieur de ***, decorated with many Orders"; - "The Errors of Voltaire, for the Use of the Young," etc. -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary's mind was not yet sufficiently clear to apply - herself seriously to anything; moreover, she began this reading - in too much hurry. She grew provoked at the doctrines of - religion; the arrogance of the polemic writings displeased her by - their inveteracy in attacking people she did not know; and the - secular stories, relieved with religion, seemed to her written in - such ignorance of the world, that they insensibly estranged her - from the truths for whose proof she was looking. Nevertheless, - she persevered; and when the volume slipped from her hands, she - fancied herself seized with the finest Catholic melancholy that - an ethereal soul could conceive. -</p> -<p> - As for the memory of Rodolphe, she had thrust it back to the - bottom of her heart, and it remained there more solemn and more - motionless than a king's mummy in a catacomb. An exhalation - escaped from this embalmed love, that, penetrating through - everything, perfumed with tenderness the immaculate atmosphere in - which she longed to live. When she knelt on her Gothic prie-Dieu, - she addressed to the Lord the same suave words that she had - murmured formerly to her lover in the outpourings of adultery. It - was to make faith come; but no delights descended from the - heavens, and she arose with tired limbs and with a vague feeling - of a gigantic dupery. -</p> -<p> - This searching after faith, she thought, was only one merit the - more, and in the pride of her devoutness Emma compared herself to - those grand ladies of long ago whose glory she, had dreamed of - over a portrait of La Valliere, and who, trailing with so much - majesty the lace-trimmed trains of their long gowns, retired into - solitudes to shed at the feet of Christ all the tears of hearts - that life had wounded. -</p> -<p> - Then she gave herself up to excessive charity. She sewed clothes - for the poor, she sent wood to women in childbed; and Charles one - day, on coming home, found three good-for-nothings in the kitchen - seated at the table eating soup. She had her little girl, whom - during her illness her husband had sent back to the nurse, - brought home. She wanted to teach her to read; even when Berthe - cried, she was not vexed. She had made up her mind to - resignation, to universal indulgence. Her language about - everything was full of ideal expressions. She said to her child, - "Is your stomach-ache better, my angel?" -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary senior found nothing to censure except perhaps this - mania of knitting jackets for orphans instead of mending her own - house-linen; but, harassed with domestic quarrels, the good woman - took pleasure in this quiet house, and she even stayed there till - after Easter, to escape the sarcasms of old Bovary, who never - failed on Good Friday to order chitterlings. -</p> -<p> - Besides the companionship of her mother-in-law, who strengthened - her a little by the rectitude of her judgment and her grave ways, - Emma almost every day had other visitors. These were Madame - Langlois, Madame Caron, Madame Dubreuil, Madame Tuvache, and - regularly from two to five o'clock the excellent Madame Homais, - who, for her part, had never believed any of the tittle-tattle - about her neighbour. The little Homais also came to see her; - Justin accompanied them. He went up with them to her bedroom, and - remained standing near the door, motionless and mute. Often even - Madame Bovary; taking no heed of him, began her toilette. She - began by taking out her comb, shaking her head with a quick - movement, and when he for the first time saw all this mass of - hair that fell to her knees unrolling in black ringlets, it was - to him, poor child! like a sudden entrance into something new and - strange, whose splendour terrified him. -</p> -<p> - Emma, no doubt, did not notice his silent attentions or his - timidity. She had no suspicion that the love vanished from her - life was there, palpitating by her side, beneath that coarse - holland shirt, in that youthful heart open to the emanations of - her beauty. Besides, she now enveloped all things with such - indifference, she had words so affectionate with looks so - haughty, such contradictory ways, that one could no longer - distinguish egotism from charity, or corruption from virtue. One - evening, for example, she was angry with the servant, who had - asked to go out, and stammered as she tried to find some pretext. - Then suddenly— -</p> -<p> - "So you love him?" she said. -</p> -<p> - And without waiting for any answer from Felicite, who was - blushing, she added, "There! run along; enjoy yourself!" -</p> -<p> - In the beginning of spring she had the garden turned up from end - to end, despite Bovary's remonstrances. However, he was glad to - see her at last manifest a wish of any kind. As she grew stronger - she displayed more wilfulness. First, she found occasion to expel - Mere Rollet, the nurse, who during her convalescence had - contracted the habit of coming too often to the kitchen with her - two nurslings and her boarder, better off for teeth than a - cannibal. Then she got rid of the Homais family, successively - dismissed all the other visitors, and even frequented church less - assiduously, to the great approval of the druggist, who said to - her in a friendly way— -</p> -<p> - "You were going in a bit for the cassock!" -</p> -<p> - As formerly, Monsieur Bournisien dropped in every day when he - came out after catechism class. He preferred staying out of doors - to taking the air "in the grove," as he called the arbour. This - was the time when Charles came home. They were hot; some sweet - cider was brought out, and they drank together to madame's - complete restoration. -</p> -<p> - Binet was there; that is to say, a little lower down against the - terrace wall, fishing for crayfish. Bovary invited him to have a - drink, and he thoroughly understood the uncorking of the stone - bottles. -</p> -<p> - "You must," he said, throwing a satisfied glance all round him, - even to the very extremity of the landscape, "hold the bottle - perpendicularly on the table, and after the strings are cut, - press up the cork with little thrusts, gently, gently, as indeed - they do seltzer-water at restaurants." -</p> -<p> - But during his demonstration the cider often spurted right into - their faces, and then the ecclesiastic, with a thick laugh, never - missed this joke— -</p> -<p> - "Its goodness strikes the eye!" -</p> -<p> - He was, in fact, a good fellow and one day he was not even - scandalised at the chemist, who advised Charles to give madame - some distraction by taking her to the theatre at Rouen to hear - the illustrious tenor, Lagardy. Homais, surprised at this - silence, wanted to know his opinion, and the priest declared that - he considered music less dangerous for morals than literature. -</p> -<p> - But the chemist took up the defence of letters. The theatre, he - contended, served for railing at prejudices, and, beneath a mask - of pleasure, taught virtue. -</p> -<p> - "'Castigat ridendo mores,'* Monsieur Bournisien! Thus consider - the greater part of Voltaire's tragedies; they are cleverly - strewn with philosophical reflections, that made them a vast - school of morals and diplomacy for the people." -</p> -<p> - *It corrects customs through laughter. -</p> -<p> - "I," said Binet, "once saw a piece called the 'Gamin de Paris,' - in which there was the character of an old general that is really - hit off to a T. He sets down a young swell who had seduced a - working girl, who at the ending—" -</p> -<p> - "Certainly," continued Homais, "there is bad literature as there - is bad pharmacy, but to condemn in a lump the most important of - the fine arts seems to me a stupidity, a Gothic idea, worthy of - the abominable times that imprisoned Galileo." -</p> -<p> - "I know very well," objected the cure, "that there are good - works, good authors. However, if it were only those persons of - different sexes united in a bewitching apartment, decorated - rouge, those lights, those effeminate voices, all this must, in - the long-run, engender a certain mental libertinage, give rise to - immodest thoughts and impure temptations. Such, at any rate, is - the opinion of all the Fathers. Finally," he added, suddenly - assuming a mystic tone of voice while he rolled a pinch of snuff - between his fingers, "if the Church has condemned the theatre, - she must be right; we must submit to her decrees." -</p> -<p> - "Why," asked the druggist, "should she excommunicate actors? For - formerly they openly took part in religious ceremonies. Yes, in - the middle of the chancel they acted; they performed a kind of - farce called 'Mysteries,' which often offended against the laws - of decency." -</p> -<p> - The ecclesiastic contented himself with uttering a groan, and the - chemist went on— -</p> -<p> - "It's like it is in the Bible; there there are, you know, more - than one piquant detail, matters really libidinous!" -</p> -<p> - And on a gesture of irritation from Monsieur Bournisien— -</p> -<p> - "Ah! you'll admit that it is not a book to place in the hands of - a young girl, and I should be sorry if Athalie—" -</p> -<p> - "But it is the Protestants, and not we," cried the other - impatiently, "who recommend the Bible." -</p> -<p> - "No matter," said Homais. "I am surprised that in our days, in - this century of enlightenment, anyone should still persist in - proscribing an intellectual relaxation that is inoffensive, - moralising, and sometimes even hygienic; is it not, doctor?" -</p> -<p> - "No doubt," replied the doctor carelessly, either because, - sharing the same ideas, he wished to offend no one, or else - because he had not any ideas. -</p> -<p> - The conversation seemed at an end when the chemist thought fit to - shoot a Parthian arrow. -</p> -<p> - "I've known priests who put on ordinary clothes to go and see - dancers kicking about." -</p> -<p> - "Come, come!" said the cure. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! I've known some!" And separating the words of his sentence, - Homais repeated, "I—have—known—some!" -</p> -<p> - "Well, they were wrong," said Bournisien, resigned to anything. -</p> -<p> - "By Jove! they go in for more than that," exclaimed the druggist. -</p> -<p> - "Sir!" replied the ecclesiastic, with such angry eyes that the - druggist was intimidated by them. -</p> -<p> - "I only mean to say," he replied in less brutal a tone, "that - toleration is the surest way to draw people to religion." -</p> -<p> - "That is true! that is true!" agreed the good fellow, sitting - down again on his chair. But he stayed only a few moments. -</p> -<p> - Then, as soon as he had gone, Monsieur Homais said to the doctor— -</p> -<p> - "That's what I call a cock-fight. I beat him, did you see, in a - way!—Now take my advice. Take madame to the theatre, if it were - only for once in your life, to enrage one of these ravens, hang - it! If anyone could take my place, I would accompany you myself. - Be quick about it. Lagardy is only going to give one performance; - he's engaged to go to England at a high salary. From what I hear, - he's a regular dog; he's rolling in money; he's taking three - mistresses and a cook along with him. All these great artists - burn the candle at both ends; they require a dissolute life, that - suits the imagination to some extent. But they die at the - hospital, because they haven't the sense when young to lay by. - Well, a pleasant dinner! Goodbye till to-morrow." -</p> -<p> - The idea of the theatre quickly germinated in Bovary's head, for - he at once communicated it to his wife, who at first refused, - alleging the fatigue, the worry, the expense; but, for a wonder, - Charles did not give in, so sure was he that this recreation - would be good for her. He saw nothing to prevent it: his mother - had sent them three hundred francs which he had no longer - expected; the current debts were not very large, and the falling - in of Lheureux's bills was still so far off that there was no - need to think about them. Besides, imagining that she was - refusing from delicacy, he insisted the more; so that by dint of - worrying her she at last made up her mind, and the next day at - eight o'clock they set out in the "Hirondelle." -</p> -<p> - The druggist, whom nothing whatever kept at Yonville, but who - thought himself bound not to budge from it, sighed as he saw them - go. -</p> -<p> - "Well, a pleasant journey!" he said to them; "happy mortals that - you are!" -</p> -<p> - Then addressing himself to Emma, who was wearing a blue silk gown - with four flounces— -</p> -<p> - "You are as lovely as a Venus. You'll cut a figure at Rouen." -</p> -<p> - The diligence stopped at the "Croix-Rouge" in the Place - Beauvoisine. It was the inn that is in every provincial faubourg, - with large stables and small bedrooms, where one sees in the - middle of the court chickens pilfering the oats under the muddy - gigs of the commercial travellers—a good old house, with - worm-eaten balconies that creak in the wind on winter nights, - always full of people, noise, and feeding, whose black tables are - sticky with coffee and brandy, the thick windows made yellow by - the flies, the damp napkins stained with cheap wine, and that - always smells of the village, like ploughboys dressed in - Sundayclothes, has a cafe on the street, and towards the - countryside a kitchen-garden. Charles at once set out. He muddled - up the stage-boxes with the gallery, the pit with the boxes; - asked for explanations, did not understand them; was sent from - the box-office to the acting-manager; came back to the inn, - returned to the theatre, and thus several times traversed the - whole length of the town from the theatre to the boulevard. -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary bought a bonnet, gloves, and a bouquet. The doctor - was much afraid of missing the beginning, and, without having had - time to swallow a plate of soup, they presented themselves at the - doors of the theatre, which were still closed. -</p> -<a name="2HCH26"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Fifteen -</h2> -<p> - The crowd was waiting against the wall, symmetrically enclosed - between the balustrades. At the corner of the neighbouring - streets huge bills repeated in quaint letters "Lucie de - Lammermoor-Lagardy-Opera-etc." The weather was fine, the people - were hot, perspiration trickled amid the curls, and handkerchiefs - taken from pockets were mopping red foreheads; and now and then a - warm wind that blew from the river gently stirred the border of - the tick awnings hanging from the doors of the public-houses. A - little lower down, however, one was refreshed by a current of icy - air that smelt of tallow, leather, and oil. This was an - exhalation from the Rue des Charrettes, full of large black - warehouses where they made casks. -</p> -<p> - For fear of seeming ridiculous, Emma before going in wished to - have a little stroll in the harbour, and Bovary prudently kept - his tickets in his hand, in the pocket of his trousers, which he - pressed against his stomach. -</p> -<p> - Her heart began to beat as soon as she reached the vestibule. She - involuntarily smiled with vanity on seeing the crowd rushing to - the right by the other corridor while she went up the staircase - to the reserved seats. She was as pleased as a child to push with - her finger the large tapestried door. She breathed in with all - her might the dusty smell of the lobbies, and when she was seated - in her box she bent forward with the air of a duchess. -</p> -<p> - The theatre was beginning to fill; opera-glasses were taken from - their cases, and the subscribers, catching sight of one another, - were bowing. They came to seek relaxation in the fine arts after - the anxieties of business; but "business" was not forgotten; they - still talked cottons, spirits of wine, or indigo. The heads of - old men were to be seen, inexpressive and peaceful, with their - hair and complexions looking like silver medals tarnished by - steam of lead. The young beaux were strutting about in the pit, - showing in the opening of their waistcoats their pink or - applegreen cravats, and Madame Bovary from above admired them - leaning on their canes with golden knobs in the open palm of - their yellow gloves. -</p> -<p> - Now the lights of the orchestra were lit, the lustre, let down - from the ceiling, throwing by the glimmering of its facets a - sudden gaiety over the theatre; then the musicians came in one - after the other; and first there was the protracted hubbub of the - basses grumbling, violins squeaking, cornets trumpeting, flutes - and flageolets fifing. But three knocks were heard on the stage, - a rolling of drums began, the brass instruments played some - chords, and the curtain rising, discovered a country-scene. -</p> -<p> - It was the cross-roads of a wood, with a fountain shaded by an - oak to the left. Peasants and lords with plaids on their - shoulders were singing a hunting-song together; then a captain - suddenly came on, who evoked the spirit of evil by lifting both - his arms to heaven. Another appeared; they went away, and the - hunters started afresh. She felt herself transported to the - reading of her youth, into the midst of Walter Scott. She seemed - to hear through the mist the sound of the Scotch bagpipes - re-echoing over the heather. Then her remembrance of the novel - helping her to understand the libretto, she followed the story - phrase by phrase, while vague thoughts that came back to her - dispersed at once again with the bursts of music. She gave - herself up to the lullaby of the melodies, and felt all her being - vibrate as if the violin bows were drawn over her nerves. She had - not eyes enough to look at the costumes, the scenery, the actors, - the painted trees that shook when anyone walked, and the velvet - caps, cloaks, swords—all those imaginary things that floated - amid the harmony as in the atmosphere of another world. But a - young woman stepped forward, throwing a purse to a squire in - green. She was left alone, and the flute was heard like the - murmur of a fountain or the warbling of birds. Lucie attacked her - cavatina in G major bravely. She plained of love; she longed for - wings. Emma, too, fleeing from life, would have liked to fly away - in an embrace. Suddenly Edgar-Lagardy appeared. -</p> -<p> - He had that splendid pallor that gives something of the majesty - of marble to the ardent races of the South. His vigorous form was - tightly clad in a brown-coloured doublet; a small chiselled - poniard hung against his left thigh, and he cast round laughing - looks showing his white teeth. They said that a Polish princess - having heard him sing one night on the beach at Biarritz, where - he mended boats, had fallen in love with him. She had ruined - herself for him. He had deserted her for other women, and this - sentimental celebrity did not fail to enhance his artistic - reputation. The diplomatic mummer took care always to slip into - his advertisements some poetic phrase on the fascination of his - person and the susceptibility of his soul. A fine organ, - imperturbable coolness, more temperament than intelligence, more - power of emphasis than of real singing, made up the charm of this - admirable charlatan nature, in which there was something of the - hairdresser and the toreador. -</p> -<p> - From the first scene he evoked enthusiasm. He pressed Lucy in his - arms, he left her, he came back, he seemed desperate; he had - outbursts of rage, then elegiac gurglings of infinite sweetness, - and the notes escaped from his bare neck full of sobs and kisses. - Emma leant forward to see him, clutching the velvet of the box - with her nails. She was filling her heart with these melodious - lamentations that were drawn out to the accompaniment of the - double-basses, like the cries of the drowning in the tumult of a - tempest. She recognised all the intoxication and the anguish that - had almost killed her. The voice of a prima donna seemed to her - to be but echoes of her conscience, and this illusion that - charmed her as some very thing of her own life. But no one on - earth had loved her with such love. He had not wept like Edgar - that last moonlit night when they said, "To-morrow! to-morrow!" - The theatre rang with cheers; they recommenced the entire - movement; the lovers spoke of the flowers on their tomb, of vows, - exile, fate, hopes; and when they uttered the final adieu, Emma - gave a sharp cry that mingled with the vibrations of the last - chords. -</p> -<p> - "But why," asked Bovary, "does that gentleman persecute her?" -</p> -<p> - "No, no!" she answered; "he is her lover!" -</p> -<p> - "Yet he vows vengeance on her family, while the other one who - came on before said, 'I love Lucie and she loves me!' Besides, he - went off with her father arm in arm. For he certainly is her - father, isn't he—the ugly little man with a cock's feather in - his hat?" -</p> -<p> - Despite Emma's explanations, as soon as the recitative duet began - in which Gilbert lays bare his abominable machinations to his - master Ashton, Charles, seeing the false troth-ring that is to - deceive Lucie, thought it was a love-gift sent by Edgar. He - confessed, moreover, that he did not understand the story because - of the music, which interfered very much with the words. -</p> -<p> - "What does it matter?" said Emma. "Do be quiet!" -</p> -<p> - "Yes, but you know," he went on, leaning against her shoulder, "I - like to understand things." -</p> -<p> - "Be quiet! be quiet!" she cried impatiently. -</p> -<p> - Lucie advanced, half supported by her women, a wreath of orange - blossoms in her hair, and paler than the white satin of her gown. - Emma dreamed of her marriage day; she saw herself at home again - amid the corn in the little path as they walked to the church. - Oh, why had not she, like this woman, resisted, implored? She, on - the contrary, had been joyous, without seeing the abyss into - which she was throwing herself. Ah! if in the freshness of her - beauty, before the soiling of marriage and the disillusions of - adultery, she could have anchored her life upon some great, - strong heart, then virtue, tenderness, voluptuousness, and duty - blending, she would never have fallen from so high a happiness. - But that happiness, no doubt, was a lie invented for the despair - of all desire. She now knew the smallness of the passions that - art exaggerated. So, striving to divert her thoughts, Emma - determined now to see in this reproduction of her sorrows only a - plastic fantasy, well enough to please the eye, and she even - smiled internally with disdainful pity when at the back of the - stage under the velvet hangings a man appeared in a black cloak. -</p> -<p> - His large Spanish hat fell at a gesture he made, and immediately - the instruments and the singers began the sextet. Edgar, flashing - with fury, dominated all the others with his clearer voice; - Ashton hurled homicidal provocations at him in deep notes; Lucie - uttered her shrill plaint, Arthur at one side, his modulated - tones in the middle register, and the bass of the minister pealed - forth like an organ, while the voices of the women repeating his - words took them up in chorus delightfully. They were all in a row - gesticulating, and anger, vengeance, jealousy, terror, and - stupefaction breathed forth at once from their half-opened - mouths. The outraged lover brandished his naked sword; his - guipure ruffle rose with jerks to the movements of his chest, and - he walked from right to left with long strides, clanking against - the boards the silver-gilt spurs of his soft boots, widening out - at the ankles. He, she thought must have an inexhaustible love - to lavish it upon the crowd with such effusion. All her small - fault-findings faded before the poetry of the part that absorbed - her; and, drawn towards this man by the illusion of the - character, she tried to imagine to herself his life—that life - resonant, extraordinary, splendid, and that might have been hers - if fate had willed it. They would have known one another, loved - one another. With him, through all the kingdoms of Europe she - would have travelled from capital to capital, sharing his - fatigues and his pride, picking up the flowers thrown to him, - herself embroidering his costumes. Then each evening, at the back - of a box, behind the golden trellis-work she would have drunk in - eagerly the expansions of this soul that would have sung for her - alone; from the stage, even as he acted, he would have looked at - her. But the mad idea seized her that he was looking at her; it - was certain. She longed to run to his arms, to take refuge in his - strength, as in the incarnation of love itself, and to say to - him, to cry out, "Take me away! carry me with you! let us go! - Thine, thine! all my ardour and all my dreams!" -</p> -<p> - The curtain fell. -</p> -<p> - The smell of the gas mingled with that of the breaths, the waving - of the fans, made the air more suffocating. Emma wanted to go - out; the crowd filled the corridors, and she fell back in her - arm-chair with palpitations that choked her. Charles, fearing - that she would faint, ran to the refreshment-room to get a glass - of barley-water. -</p> -<p> - He had great difficulty in getting back to his seat, for his - elbows were jerked at every step because of the glass he held in - his hands, and he even spilt three-fourths on the shoulders of a - Rouen lady in short sleeves, who feeling the cold liquid running - down to her loins, uttered cries like a peacock, as if she were - being assassinated. Her husband, who was a millowner, railed at - the clumsy fellow, and while she was with her handkerchief wiping - up the stains from her handsome cherry-coloured taffeta gown, he - angrily muttered about indemnity, costs, reimbursement. At last - Charles reached his wife, saying to her, quite out of breath— -</p> -<p> - "Ma foi! I thought I should have had to stay there. There is such - a crowd—SUCH a crowd!" -</p> -<p> - He added— -</p> -<p> - "Just guess whom I met up there! Monsieur Leon!" -</p> -<p> - "Leon?" -</p> -<p> - "Himself! He's coming along to pay his respects." And as he - finished these words the ex-clerk of Yonville entered the box. -</p> -<p> - He held out his hand with the ease of a gentleman; and Madame - Bovary extended hers, without doubt obeying the attraction of a - stronger will. She had not felt it since that spring evening when - the rain fell upon the green leaves, and they had said good-bye - standing at the window. But soon recalling herself to the - necessities of the situation, with an effort she shook off the - torpor of her memories, and began stammering a few hurried words. -</p> -<p> - "Ah, good-day! What! you here?" -</p> -<p> - "Silence!" cried a voice from the pit, for the third act was - beginning. -</p> -<p> - "So you are at Rouen?" -</p> -<p> - "Yes." -</p> -<p> - "And since when?" -</p> -<p> - "Turn them out! turn them out!" People were looking at them. They - were silent. -</p> -<p> - But from that moment she listened no more; and the chorus of the - guests, the scene between Ashton and his servant, the grand duet - in D major, all were for her as far off as if the instruments had - grown less sonorous and the characters more remote. She - remembered the games at cards at the druggist's, and the walk to - the nurse's, the reading in the arbour, the tete-a-tete by the - fireside—all that poor love, so calm and so protracted, so - discreet, so tender, and that she had nevertheless forgotten. And - why had he come back? What combination of circumstances had - brought him back into her life? He was standing behind her, - leaning with his shoulder against the wall of the box; now and - again she felt herself shuddering beneath the hot breath from his - nostrils falling upon her hair. -</p> -<p> - "Does this amuse you?" said he, bending over her so closely that - the end of his moustache brushed her cheek. She replied - carelessly— -</p> -<p> - "Oh, dear me, no, not much." -</p> -<p> - Then he proposed that they should leave the theatre and go and - take an ice somewhere. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, not yet; let us stay," said Bovary. "Her hair's undone; this - is going to be tragic." -</p> -<p> - But the mad scene did not at all interest Emma, and the acting of - the singer seemed to her exaggerated. -</p> -<p> - "She screams too loud," said she, turning to Charles, who was - listening. -</p> -<p> - "Yes—a little," he replied, undecided between the frankness of - his pleasure and his respect for his wife's opinion. -</p> -<p> - Then with a sigh Leon said— -</p> -<p> - "The heat is—" -</p> -<p> - "Unbearable! Yes!" -</p> -<p> - "Do you feel unwell?" asked Bovary. -</p> -<p> - "Yes, I am stifling; let us go." -</p> -<p> - Monsieur Leon put her long lace shawl carefully about her - shoulders, and all three went off to sit down in the harbour, in - the open air, outside the windows of a cafe. -</p> -<p> - First they spoke of her illness, although Emma interrupted - Charles from time to time, for fear, she said, of boring Monsieur - Leon; and the latter told them that he had come to spend two - years at Rouen in a large office, in order to get practice in his - profession, which was different in Normandy and Paris. Then he - inquired after Berthe, the Homais, Mere Lefrancois, and as they - had, in the husband's presence, nothing more to say to one - another, the conversation soon came to an end. -</p> -<p> - People coming out of the theatre passed along the pavement, - humming or shouting at the top of their voices, "O bel ange, ma - Lucie!*" Then Leon, playing the dilettante, began to talk music. - He had seen Tambourini, Rubini, Persiani, Grisi, and, compared - with them, Lagardy, despite his grand outbursts, was nowhere. -</p> -<p> - *Oh beautiful angel, my Lucie. -</p> -<p> - "Yet," interrupted Charles, who was slowly sipping his - rum-sherbet, "they say that he is quite admirable in the last - act. I regret leaving before the end, because it was beginning to - amuse me." -</p> -<p> - "Why," said the clerk, "he will soon give another performance." -</p> -<p> - But Charles replied that they were going back next day. "Unless," - he added, turning to his wife, "you would like to stay alone, - kitten?" -</p> -<p> - And changing his tactics at this unexpected opportunity that - presented itself to his hopes, the young man sang the praises of - Lagardy in the last number. It was really superb, sublime. Then - Charles insisted— -</p> -<p> - "You would get back on Sunday. Come, make up your mind. You are - wrong if you feel that this is doing you the least good." -</p> -<p> - The tables round them, however, were emptying; a waiter came and - stood discreetly near them. Charles, who understood, took out his - purse; the clerk held back his arm, and did not forget to leave - two more pieces of silver that he made chink on the marble. -</p> -<pre> -"I am really sorry," said Bovary, "about the money which you -are—" - - The other made a careless gesture full of cordiality, and taking -his hat said— -</pre> -<p> - "It is settled, isn't it? To-morrow at six o'clock?" -</p> -<p> - Charles explained once more that he could not absent himself - longer, but that nothing prevented Emma— -</p> -<p> - "But," she stammered, with a strange smile, "I am not sure—" -</p> -<p> - "Well, you must think it over. We'll see. Night brings counsel." - Then to Leon, who was walking along with them, "Now that you are - in our part of the world, I hope you'll come and ask us for some - dinner now and then." -</p> -<p> - The clerk declared he would not fail to do so, being obliged, - moreover, to go to Yonville on some business for his office. And - they parted before the Saint-Herbland Passage just as the clock - in the cathedral struck half-past eleven. -</p> -<a name="2HPAR27"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Part III -</h2> -<a name="2HCH28"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter One -</h2> -<p> - Monsieur Leon, while studying law, had gone pretty often to the - dancing-rooms, where he was even a great success amongst the - grisettes, who thought he had a distinguished air. He was the - best-mannered of the students; he wore his hair neither too long - nor too short, didn't spend all his quarter's money on the first - day of the month, and kept on good terms with his professors. As - for excesses, he had always abstained from them, as much from - cowardice as from refinement. -</p> -<p> - Often when he stayed in his room to read, or else when sitting of - an evening under the lime-trees of the Luxembourg, he let his - Code fall to the ground, and the memory of Emma came back to him. - But gradually this feeling grew weaker, and other desires - gathered over it, although it still persisted through them all. - For Leon did not lose all hope; there was for him, as it were, a - vague promise floating in the future, like a golden fruit - suspended from some fantastic tree. -</p> -<p> - Then, seeing her again after three years of absence his passion - reawakened. He must, he thought, at last make up his mind to - possess her. Moreover, his timidity had worn off by contact with - his gay companions, and he returned to the provinces despising - everyone who had not with varnished shoes trodden the asphalt of - the boulevards. By the side of a Parisienne in her laces, in the - drawing-room of some illustrious physician, a person driving his - carriage and wearing many orders, the poor clerk would no doubt - have trembled like a child; but here, at Rouen, on the harbour, - with the wife of this small doctor he felt at his ease, sure - beforehand he would shine. Self-possession depends on its - environment. We don't speak on the first floor as on the fourth; - and the wealthy woman seems to have, about her, to guard her - virtue, all her banknotes, like a cuirass in the lining of her - corset. -</p> -<p> - On leaving the Bovarys the night before, Leon had followed them - through the streets at a distance; then having seen them stop at - the "Croix-Rouge," he turned on his heel, and spent the night - meditating a plan. -</p> -<p> - So the next day about five o'clock he walked into the kitchen of - the inn, with a choking sensation in his throat, pale cheeks, and - that resolution of cowards that stops at nothing. -</p> -<p> - "The gentleman isn't in," answered a servant. -</p> -<p> - This seemed to him a good omen. He went upstairs. -</p> -<p> - She was not disturbed at his approach; on the contrary, she - apologised for having neglected to tell him where they were - staying. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, I divined it!" said Leon. -</p> -<p> - He pretended he had been guided towards her by chance, by, - instinct. She began to smile; and at once, to repair his folly, - Leon told her that he had spent his morning in looking for her in - all the hotels in the town one after the other. -</p> -<p> - "So you have made up your mind to stay?" he added. -</p> -<p> - "Yes," she said, "and I am wrong. One ought not to accustom - oneself to impossible pleasures when there are a thousand demands - upon one." -</p> -<p> - "Oh, I can imagine!" -</p> -<p> - "Ah! no; for you, you are a man!" -</p> -<p> - But men too had had their trials, and the conversation went off - into certain philosophical reflections. Emma expatiated much on - the misery of earthly affections, and the eternal isolation in - which the heart remains entombed. -</p> -<p> - To show off, or from a naive imitation of this melancholy which - called forth his, the young man declared that he had been awfully - bored during the whole course of his studies. The law irritated - him, other vocations attracted him, and his mother never ceased - worrying him in every one of her letters. As they talked they - explained more and more fully the motives of their sadness, - working themselves up in their progressive confidence. But they - sometimes stopped short of the complete exposition of their - thought, and then sought to invent a phrase that might express it - all the same. She did not confess her passion for another; he did - not say that he had forgotten her. -</p> -<p> - Perhaps he no longer remembered his suppers with girls after - masked balls; and no doubt she did not recollect the rendezvous - of old when she ran across the fields in the morning to her - lover's house. The noises of the town hardly reached them, and - the room seemed small, as if on purpose to hem in their solitude - more closely. Emma, in a dimity dressing-gown, leant her head - against the back of the old arm-chair; the yellow wall-paper - formed, as it were, a golden background behind her, and her bare - head was mirrored in the glass with the white parting in the - middle, and the tip of her ears peeping out from the folds of her - hair. -</p> -<p> - "But pardon me!" she said. "It is wrong of me. I weary you with - my eternal complaints." -</p> -<p> - "No, never, never!" -</p> -<p> - "If you knew," she went on, raising to the ceiling her beautiful - eyes, in which a tear was trembling, "all that I had dreamed!" -</p> -<p> - "And I! Oh, I too have suffered! Often I went out; I went away. I - dragged myself along the quays, seeking distraction amid the din - of the crowd without being able to banish the heaviness that - weighed upon me. In an engraver's shop on the boulevard there is - an Italian print of one of the Muses. She is draped in a tunic, - and she is looking at the moon, with forget-me-nots in her - flowing hair. Something drove me there continually; I stayed - there hours together." Then in a trembling voice, "She resembled - you a little." -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary turned away her head that he might not see the - irrepressible smile she felt rising to her lips. -</p> -<p> - "Often," he went on, "I wrote you letters that I tore up." -</p> -<p> - She did not answer. He continued— -</p> -<p> - "I sometimes fancied that some chance would bring you. I thought - I recognised you at street-corners, and I ran after all the - carriages through whose windows I saw a shawl fluttering, a veil - like yours." -</p> -<p> - She seemed resolved to let him go on speaking without - interruption. Crossing her arms and bending down her face, she - looked at the rosettes on her slippers, and at intervals made - little movements inside the satin of them with her toes. -</p> -<p> - At last she sighed. -</p> -<p> - "But the most wretched thing, is it not—is to drag out, as I do, - a useless existence. If our pains were only of some use to - someone, we should find consolation in the thought of the - sacrifice." -</p> -<p> - He started off in praise of virtue, duty, and silent immolation, - having himself an incredible longing for self-sacrifice that he - could not satisfy. -</p> -<p> - "I should much like," she said, "to be a nurse at a hospital." -</p> -<p> - "Alas! men have none of these holy missions, and I see nowhere - any calling—unless perhaps that of a doctor." -</p> -<p> - With a slight shrug of her shoulders, Emma interrupted him to - speak of her illness, which had almost killed her. What a pity! - She should not be suffering now! Leon at once envied the calm of - the tomb, and one evening he had even made his will, asking to be - buried in that beautiful rug with velvet stripes he had received - from her. For this was how they would have wished to be, each - setting up an ideal to which they were now adapting their past - life. Besides, speech is a rolling-mill that always thins out the - sentiment. -</p> -<p> - But at this invention of the rug she asked, "But why?" -</p> -<p> - "Why?" He hesitated. "Because I loved you so!" And congratulating - himself at having surmounted the difficulty, Leon watched her - face out of the corner of his eyes. -</p> -<p> - It was like the sky when a gust of wind drives the clouds across. - The mass of sad thoughts that darkened them seemed to be lifted - from her blue eyes; her whole face shone. He waited. At last she - replied— -</p> -<p> - "I always suspected it." -</p> -<p> - Then they went over all the trifling events of that far-off - existence, whose joys and sorrows they had just summed up in one - word. They recalled the arbour with clematis, the dresses she had - worn, the furniture of her room, the whole of her house. -</p> -<p> - "And our poor cactuses, where are they?" -</p> -<p> - "The cold killed them this winter." -</p> -<p> - "Ah! how I have thought of them, do you know? I often saw them - again as of yore, when on the summer mornings the sun beat down - upon your blinds, and I saw your two bare arms passing out - amongst the flowers." -</p> -<p> - "Poor friend!" she said, holding out her hand to him. -</p> -<p> - Leon swiftly pressed his lips to it. Then, when he had taken a - deep breath— -</p> -<p> - "At that time you were to me I know not what incomprehensible - force that took captive my life. Once, for instance, I went to - see you; but you, no doubt, do not remember it." -</p> -<p> - "I do," she said; "go on." -</p> -<p> - "You were downstairs in the ante-room, ready to go out, standing - on the last stair; you were wearing a bonnet with small blue - flowers; and without any invitation from you, in spite of myself, - I went with you. Every moment, however, I grew more and more - conscious of my folly, and I went on walking by you, not daring - to follow you completely, and unwilling to leave you. When you - went into a shop, I waited in the street, and I watched you - through the window taking off your gloves and counting the change - on the counter. Then you rang at Madame Tuvache's; you were let - in, and I stood like an idiot in front of the great heavy door - that had closed after you." -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary, as she listened to him, wondered that she was so - old. All these things reappearing before her seemed to widen out - her life; it was like some sentimental immensity to which she - returned; and from time to time she said in a low voice, her eyes - half closed— -</p> -<p> - "Yes, it is true—true—true!" -</p> -<p> - They heard eight strike on the different clocks of the - Beauvoisine quarter, which is full of schools, churches, and - large empty hotels. They no longer spoke, but they felt as they - looked upon each other a buzzing in their heads, as if something - sonorous had escaped from the fixed eyes of each of them. They - were hand in hand now, and the past, the future, reminiscences - and dreams, all were confounded in the sweetness of this ecstasy. - Night was darkening over the walls, on which still shone, half - hidden in the shade, the coarse colours of four bills - representing four scenes from the "Tour de Nesle," with a motto - in Spanish and French at the bottom. Through the sash-window a - patch of dark sky was seen between the pointed roofs. -</p> -<p> - She rose to light two wax-candles on the drawers, then she sat - down again. -</p> -<p> - "Well!" said Leon. -</p> -<p> - "Well!" she replied. -</p> -<p> - He was thinking how to resume the interrupted conversation, when - she said to him— -</p> -<p> - "How is it that no one until now has ever expressed such - sentiments to me?" -</p> -<p> - The clerk said that ideal natures were difficult to understand. - He from the first moment had loved her, and he despaired when he - thought of the happiness that would have been theirs, if thanks - to fortune, meeting her earlier, they had been indissolubly bound - to one another. -</p> -<p> - "I have sometimes thought of it," she went on. -</p> -<p> - "What a dream!" murmured Leon. And fingering gently the blue - binding of her long white sash, he added, "And who prevents us - from beginning now?" -</p> -<p> - "No, my friend," she replied; "I am too old; you are too young. - Forget me! Others will love you; you will love them." -</p> -<p> - "Not as you!" he cried. -</p> -<p> - "What a child you are! Come, let us be sensible. I wish it." -</p> -<p> - She showed him the impossibility of their love, and that they - must remain, as formerly, on the simple terms of a fraternal - friendship. -</p> -<p> - Was she speaking thus seriously? No doubt Emma did not herself - know, quite absorbed as she was by the charm of the seduction, - and the necessity of defending herself from it; and contemplating - the young man with a moved look, she gently repulsed the timid - caresses that his trembling hands attempted. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! forgive me!" he cried, drawing back. -</p> -<p> - Emma was seized with a vague fear at this shyness, more dangerous - to her than the boldness of Rodolphe when he advanced to her - open-armed. No man had ever seemed to her so beautiful. An - exquisite candour emanated from his being. He lowered his long - fine eyelashes, that curled upwards. His cheek, with the soft - skin reddened, she thought, with desire of her person, and Emma - felt an invincible longing to press her lips to it. Then, leaning - towards the clock as if to see the time— -</p> -<p> - "Ah! how late it is!" she said; "how we do chatter!" -</p> -<p> - He understood the hint and took up his hat. -</p> -<p> - "It has even made me forget the theatre. And poor Bovary has left - me here especially for that. Monsieur Lormeaux, of the Rue - Grand-Pont, was to take me and his wife." -</p> -<p> - And the opportunity was lost, as she was to leave the next day. -</p> -<p> - "Really!" said Leon. -</p> -<p> - "Yes." -</p> -<p> - "But I must see you again," he went on. "I wanted to tell you—" -</p> -<p> - "What?" -</p> -<p> - "Something—important—serious. Oh, no! Besides, you will not go; - it is impossible. If you should—listen to me. Then you have not - understood me; you have not guessed—" -</p> -<p> - "Yet you speak plainly," said Emma. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! you can jest. Enough! enough! Oh, for pity's sake, let me - see you once—only once!" -</p> -<p> - "Well—" She stopped; then, as if thinking better of it, "Oh, not - here!" -</p> -<p> - "Where you will." -</p> -<p> - "Will you—" She seemed to reflect; then abruptly, "To-morrow at - eleven o'clock in the cathedral." -</p> -<p> - "I shall be there," he cried, seizing her hands, which she - disengaged. -</p> -<p> - And as they were both standing up, he behind her, and Emma with - her head bent, he stooped over her and pressed long kisses on her - neck. -</p> -<p> - "You are mad! Ah! you are mad!" she said, with sounding little - laughs, while the kisses multiplied. -</p> -<p> - Then bending his head over her shoulder, he seemed to beg the - consent of her eyes. They fell upon him full of an icy dignity. -</p> -<p> - Leon stepped back to go out. He stopped on the threshold; then he - whispered with a trembling voice, "Tomorrow!" -</p> -<p> - She answered with a nod, and disappeared like a bird into the - next room. -</p> -<p> - In the evening Emma wrote the clerk an interminable letter, in - which she cancelled the rendezvous; all was over; they must not, - for the sake of their happiness, meet again. But when the letter - was finished, as she did not know Leon's address, she was - puzzled. -</p> -<p> - "I'll give it to him myself," she said; "he will come." -</p> -<p> - The next morning, at the open window, and humming on his balcony, - Leon himself varnished his pumps with several coatings. He put on - white trousers, fine socks, a green coat, emptied all the scent - he had into his handkerchief, then having had his hair curled, he - uncurled it again, in order to give it a more natural elegance. -</p> -<p> - "It is still too early," he thought, looking at the hairdresser's - cuckoo-clock, that pointed to the hour of nine. He read an old - fashion journal, went out, smoked a cigar, walked up three - streets, thought it was time, and went slowly towards the porch - of Notre Dame. -</p> -<p> - It was a beautiful summer morning. Silver plate sparkled in the - jeweller's windows, and the light falling obliquely on the - cathedral made mirrors of the corners of the grey stones; a flock - of birds fluttered in the grey sky round the trefoil - bell-turrets; the square, resounding with cries, was fragrant - with the flowers that bordered its pavement, roses, jasmines, - pinks, narcissi, and tube-roses, unevenly spaced out between - moist grasses, catmint, and chickweed for the birds; the - fountains gurgled in the centre, and under large umbrellas, - amidst melons, piled up in heaps, flower-women, bare-headed, were - twisting paper round bunches of violets. -</p> -<p> - The young man took one. It was the first time that he had bought - flowers for a woman, and his breast, as he smelt them, swelled - with pride, as if this homage that he meant for another had - recoiled upon himself. -</p> -<p> - But he was afraid of being seen; he resolutely entered the - church. The beadle, who was just then standing on the threshold - in the middle of the left doorway, under the "Dancing Marianne," - with feather cap, and rapier dangling against his calves, came - in, more majestic than a cardinal, and as shining as a saint on a - holy pyx. -</p> -<p> - He came towards Leon, and, with that smile of wheedling benignity - assumed by ecclesiastics when they question children— -</p> -<p> - "The gentleman, no doubt, does not belong to these parts? The - gentleman would like to see the curiosities of the church?" -</p> -<p> - "No!" said the other. -</p> -<p> - And he first went round the lower aisles. Then he went out to - look at the Place. Emma was not coming yet. He went up again to - the choir. -</p> -<p> - The nave was reflected in the full fonts with the beginning of - the arches and some portions of the glass windows. But the - reflections of the paintings, broken by the marble rim, were - continued farther on upon the flag-stones, like a many-coloured - carpet. The broad daylight from without streamed into the church - in three enormous rays from the three opened portals. From time - to time at the upper end a sacristan passed, making the oblique - genuflexion of devout persons in a hurry. The crystal lustres - hung motionless. In the choir a silver lamp was burning, and from - the side chapels and dark places of the church sometimes rose - sounds like sighs, with the clang of a closing grating, its echo - reverberating under the lofty vault. -</p> -<p> - Leon with solemn steps walked along by the walls. Life had never - seemed so good to him. She would come directly, charming, - agitated, looking back at the glances that followed her, and with - her flounced dress, her gold eyeglass, her thin shoes, with all - sorts of elegant trifles that he had never enjoyed, and with the - ineffable seduction of yielding virtue. The church like a huge - boudoir spread around her; the arches bent down to gather in the - shade the confession of her love; the windows shone resplendent - to illumine her face, and the censers would burn that she might - appear like an angel amid the fumes of the sweet-smelling odours. -</p> -<p> - But she did not come. He sat down on a chair, and his eyes fell - upon a blue stained window representing boatmen carrying baskets. - He looked at it long, attentively, and he counted the scales of - the fishes and the button-holes of the doublets, while his - thoughts wandered off towards Emma. -</p> -<p> - The beadle, standing aloof, was inwardly angry at this individual - who took the liberty of admiring the cathedral by himself. He - seemed to him to be conducting himself in a monstrous fashion, to - be robbing him in a sort, and almost committing sacrilege. -</p> -<p> - But a rustle of silk on the flags, the tip of a bonnet, a lined - cloak—it was she! Leon rose and ran to meet her. -</p> -<p> - Emma was pale. She walked fast. -</p> -<p> - "Read!" she said, holding out a paper to him. "Oh, no!" -</p> -<p> - And she abruptly withdrew her hand to enter the chapel of the - Virgin, where, kneeling on a chair, she began to pray. -</p> -<p> - The young man was irritated at this bigot fancy; then he - nevertheless experienced a certain charm in seeing her, in the - middle of a rendezvous, thus lost in her devotions, like an - Andalusian marchioness; then he grew bored, for she seemed never - coming to an end. -</p> -<p> - Emma prayed, or rather strove to pray, hoping that some sudden - resolution might descend to her from heaven; and to draw down - divine aid she filled full her eyes with the splendours of the - tabernacle. She breathed in the perfumes of the full-blown - flowers in the large vases, and listened to the stillness of the - church, that only heightened the tumult of her heart. -</p> -<p> - She rose, and they were about to leave, when the beadle came - forward, hurriedly saying— -</p> -<p> - "Madame, no doubt, does not belong to these parts? Madame would - like to see the curiosities of the church?" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, no!" cried the clerk. -</p> -<p> - "Why not?" said she. For she clung with her expiring virtue to - the Virgin, the sculptures, the tombs—anything. -</p> -<p> - Then, in order to proceed "by rule," the beadle conducted them - right to the entrance near the square, where, pointing out with - his cane a large circle of block-stones without inscription or - carving— -</p> -<p> - "This," he said majestically, "is the circumference of the - beautiful bell of Ambroise. It weighed forty thousand pounds. - There was not its equal in all Europe. The workman who cast it - died of the joy—" -</p> -<p> - "Let us go on," said Leon. -</p> -<p> - The old fellow started off again; then, having got back to the - chapel of the Virgin, he stretched forth his arm with an - all-embracing gesture of demonstration, and, prouder than a - country squire showing you his espaliers, went on— -</p> -<p> - "This simple stone covers Pierre de Breze, lord of Varenne and of - Brissac, grand marshal of Poitou, and governor of Normandy, who - died at the battle of Montlhery on the 16th of July, 1465." -</p> -<p> - Leon bit his lips, fuming. -</p> -<p> - "And on the right, this gentleman all encased in iron, on the - prancing horse, is his grandson, Louis de Breze, lord of Breval - and of Montchauvet, Count de Maulevrier, Baron de Mauny, - chamberlain to the king, Knight of the Order, and also governor - of Normandy; died on the 23rd of July, 1531—a Sunday, as the - inscription specifies; and below, this figure, about to descend - into the tomb, portrays the same person. It is not possible, is - it, to see a more perfect representation of annihilation?" -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary put up her eyeglasses. Leon, motionless, looked at - her, no longer even attempting to speak a single word, to make a - gesture, so discouraged was he at this two-fold obstinacy of - gossip and indifference. -</p> -<p> - The everlasting guide went on— -</p> -<p> - "Near him, this kneeling woman who weeps is his spouse, Diane de - Poitiers, Countess de Breze, Duchess de Valentinois, born in - 1499, died in 1566, and to the left, the one with the child is - the Holy Virgin. Now turn to this side; here are the tombs of the - Ambroise. They were both cardinals and archbishops of Rouen. That - one was minister under Louis XII. He did a great deal for the - cathedral. In his will he left thirty thousand gold crowns for - the poor." -</p> -<p> - And without stopping, still talking, he pushed them into a chapel - full of balustrades, some put away, and disclosed a kind of block - that certainly might once have been an ill-made statue. -</p> -<p> - "Truly," he said with a groan, "it adorned the tomb of Richard - Coeur de Lion, King of England and Duke of Normandy. It was the - Calvinists, sir, who reduced it to this condition. They had - buried it for spite in the earth, under the episcopal seat of - Monsignor. See! this is the door by which Monsignor passes to his - house. Let us pass on quickly to see the gargoyle windows." -</p> -<p> - But Leon hastily took some silver from his pocket and seized - Emma's arm. The beadle stood dumfounded, not able to understand - this untimely munificence when there were still so many things - for the stranger to see. So calling him back, he cried— -</p> -<p> - "Sir! sir! The steeple! the steeple!" -</p> -<p> - "No, thank you!" said Leon. -</p> -<p> - "You are wrong, sir! It is four hundred and forty feet high, nine - less than the great pyramid of Egypt. It is all cast; it—" -</p> -<p> - Leon was fleeing, for it seemed to him that his love, that for - nearly two hours now had become petrified in the church like the - stones, would vanish like a vapour through that sort of truncated - funnel, of oblong cage, of open chimney that rises so grotesquely - from the cathedral like the extravagant attempt of some fantastic - brazier. -</p> -<p> - "But where are we going?" she said. -</p> -<p> - Making no answer, he walked on with a rapid step; and Madame - Bovary was already, dipping her finger in the holy water when - behind them they heard a panting breath interrupted by the - regular sound of a cane. Leon turned back. -</p> -<p> - "Sir!" -</p> -<p> - "What is it?" -</p> -<p> - And he recognised the beadle, holding under his arms and - balancing against his stomach some twenty large sewn volumes. - They were works "which treated of the cathedral." -</p> -<p> - "Idiot!" growled Leon, rushing out of the church. -</p> -<p> - A lad was playing about the close. -</p> -<p> - "Go and get me a cab!" -</p> -<p> - The child bounded off like a ball by the Rue Quatre-Vents; then - they were alone a few minutes, face to face, and a little - embarrassed. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! Leon! Really—I don't know—if I ought," she whispered. Then - with a more serious air, "Do you know, it is very improper—" -</p> -<p> - "How so?" replied the clerk. "It is done at Paris." -</p> -<p> - And that, as an irresistible argument, decided her. -</p> -<p> - Still the cab did not come. Leon was afraid she might go back - into the church. At last the cab appeared. -</p> -<p> - "At all events, go out by the north porch," cried the beadle, who - was left alone on the threshold, "so as to see the Resurrection, - the Last Judgment, Paradise, King David, and the Condemned in - Hell-flames." -</p> -<p> - "Where to, sir?" asked the coachman. -</p> -<p> - "Where you like," said Leon, forcing Emma into the cab. -</p> -<p> - And the lumbering machine set out. It went down the Rue - Grand-Pont, crossed the Place des Arts, the Quai Napoleon, the - Pont Neuf, and stopped short before the statue of Pierre - Corneille. -</p> -<p> - "Go on," cried a voice that came from within. -</p> -<p> - The cab went on again, and as soon as it reached the Carrefour - Lafayette, set off down-hill, and entered the station at a - gallop. -</p> -<p> - "No, straight on!" cried the same voice. -</p> -<p> - The cab came out by the gate, and soon having reached the Cours, - trotted quietly beneath the elm-trees. The coachman wiped his - brow, put his leather hat between his knees, and drove his - carriage beyond the side alley by the meadow to the margin of the - waters. -</p> -<p> - It went along by the river, along the towing-path paved with - sharp pebbles, and for a long while in the direction of Oyssel, - beyond the isles. -</p> -<p> - But suddenly it turned with a dash across Quatremares, - Sotteville, La Grande-Chaussee, the Rue d'Elbeuf, and made its - third halt in front of the Jardin des Plantes. -</p> -<p> - "Get on, will you?" cried the voice more furiously. -</p> -<p> - And at once resuming its course, it passed by Saint-Sever, by the - Quai'des Curandiers, the Quai aux Meules, once more over the - bridge, by the Place du Champ de Mars, and behind the hospital - gardens, where old men in black coats were walking in the sun - along the terrace all green with ivy. It went up the Boulevard - Bouvreuil, along the Boulevard Cauchoise, then the whole of - Mont-Riboudet to the Deville hills. -</p> -<p> - It came back; and then, without any fixed plan or direction, - wandered about at hazard. The cab was seen at Saint-Pol, at - Lescure, at Mont Gargan, at La Rougue-Marc and Place du - Gaillardbois; in the Rue Maladrerie, Rue Dinanderie, before - Saint-Romain, Saint-Vivien, Saint-Maclou, Saint-Nicaise—in front - of the Customs, at the "Vieille Tour," the "Trois Pipes," and the - Monumental Cemetery. From time to time the coachman, on his box - cast despairing eyes at the public-houses. He could not - understand what furious desire for locomotion urged these - individuals never to wish to stop. He tried to now and then, and - at once exclamations of anger burst forth behind him. Then he - lashed his perspiring jades afresh, but indifferent to their - jolting, running up against things here and there, not caring if - he did, demoralised, and almost weeping with thirst, fatigue, and - depression. -</p> -<p> - And on the harbour, in the midst of the drays and casks, and in - the streets, at the corners, the good folk opened large - wonder-stricken eyes at this sight, so extraordinary in the - provinces, a cab with blinds drawn, and which appeared thus - constantly shut more closely than a tomb, and tossing about like - a vessel. -</p> -<p> - Once in the middle of the day, in the open country, just as the - sun beat most fiercely against the old plated lanterns, a bared - hand passed beneath the small blinds of yellow canvas, and threw - out some scraps of paper that scattered in the wind, and farther - off lighted like white butterflies on a field of red clover all - in bloom. -</p> -<p> - At about six o'clock the carriage stopped in a back street of the - Beauvoisine Quarter, and a woman got out, who walked with her - veil down, and without turning her head. -</p> -<a name="2HCH29"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Two -</h2> -<p> - On reaching the inn, Madame Bovary was surprised not to see the - diligence. Hivert, who had waited for her fifty-three minutes, - had at last started. -</p> -<p> - Yet nothing forced her to go; but she had given her word that she - would return that same evening. Moreover, Charles expected her, - and in her heart she felt already that cowardly docility that is - for some women at once the chastisement and atonement of - adultery. -</p> -<p> - She packed her box quickly, paid her bill, took a cab in the - yard, hurrying on the driver, urging him on, every moment - inquiring about the time and the miles traversed. He succeeded in - catching up the "Hirondelle" as it neared the first houses of - Quincampoix. -</p> -<p> - Hardly was she seated in her corner than she closed her eyes, and - opened them at the foot of the hill, when from afar she - recognised Felicite, who was on the lookout in front of the - farrier's shop. Hivert pulled in his horses and, the servant, - climbing up to the window, said mysteriously— -</p> -<p> - "Madame, you must go at once to Monsieur Homais. It's for - something important." -</p> -<p> - The village was silent as usual. At the corner of the streets - were small pink heaps that smoked in the air, for this was the - time for jam-making, and everyone at Yonville prepared his supply - on the same day. But in front of the chemist's shop one might - admire a far larger heap, and that surpassed the others with the - superiority that a laboratory must have over ordinary stores, a - general need over individual fancy. -</p> -<p> - She went in. The large arm-chair was upset, and even the "Fanal - de Rouen" lay on the ground, outspread between two pestles. She - pushed open the lobby door, and in the middle of the kitchen, - amid brown jars full of picked currants, of powdered sugar and - lump sugar, of the scales on the table, and of the pans on the - fire, she saw all the Homais, small and large, with aprons - reaching to their chins, and with forks in their hands. Justin - was standing up with bowed head, and the chemist was screaming— -</p> -<p> - "Who told you to go and fetch it in the Capharnaum." -</p> -<p> - "What is it? What is the matter?" -</p> -<p> - "What is it?" replied the druggist. "We are making preserves; - they are simmering; but they were about to boil over, because - there is too much juice, and I ordered another pan. Then he, from - indolence, from laziness, went and took, hanging on its nail in - my laboratory, the key of the Capharnaum." -</p> -<p> - It was thus the druggist called a small room under the leads, - full of the utensils and the goods of his trade. He often spent - long hours there alone, labelling, decanting, and doing up again; - and he looked upon it not as a simple store, but as a veritable - sanctuary, whence there afterwards issued, elaborated by his - hands, all sorts of pills, boluses, infusions, lotions, and - potions, that would bear far and wide his celebrity. No one in - the world set foot there, and he respected it so, that he swept - it himself. Finally, if the pharmacy, open to all comers, was the - spot where he displayed his pride, the Capharnaum was the refuge - where, egoistically concentrating himself, Homais delighted in - the exercise of his predilections, so that Justin's - thoughtlessness seemed to him a monstrous piece of irreverence, - and, redder than the currants, he repeated— -</p> -<p> - "Yes, from the Capharnaum! The key that locks up the acids and - caustic alkalies! To go and get a spare pan! a pan with a lid! - and that I shall perhaps never use! Everything is of importance - in the delicate operations of our art! But, devil take it! one - must make distinctions, and not employ for almost domestic - purposes that which is meant for pharmaceutical! It is as if one - were to carve a fowl with a scalpel; as if a magistrate—" -</p> -<p> - "Now be calm," said Madame Homais. -</p> -<p> - And Athalie, pulling at his coat, cried "Papa! papa!" -</p> -<p> - "No, let me alone," went on the druggist "let me alone, hang it! - My word! One might as well set up for a grocer. That's it! go it! - respect nothing! break, smash, let loose the leeches, burn the - mallow-paste, pickle the gherkins in the window jars, tear up the - bandages!" -</p> -<p> - "I thought you had—" said Emma. -</p> -<p> - "Presently! Do you know to what you exposed yourself? Didn't you - see anything in the corner, on the left, on the third shelf? - Speak, answer, articulate something." -</p> -<p> - "I—don't—know," stammered the young fellow. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! you don't know! Well, then, I do know! You saw a bottle of - blue glass, sealed with yellow wax, that contains a white powder, - on which I have even written 'Dangerous!' And do you know what is - in it? Arsenic! And you go and touch it! You take a pan that was - next to it!" -</p> -<p> - "Next to it!" cried Madame Homais, clasping her hands. "Arsenic! - You might have poisoned us all." -</p> -<p> - And the children began howling as if they already had frightful - pains in their entrails. -</p> -<p> - "Or poison a patient!" continued the druggist. "Do you want to - see me in the prisoner's dock with criminals, in a court of - justice? To see me dragged to the scaffold? Don't you know what - care I take in managing things, although I am so thoroughly used - to it? Often I am horrified myself when I think of my - responsibility; for the Government persecutes us, and the absurd - legislation that rules us is a veritable Damocles' sword over our - heads." -</p> -<p> - Emma no longer dreamed of asking what they wanted her for, and - the druggist went on in breathless phrases— -</p> -<p> - "That is your return for all the kindness we have shown you! That - is how you recompense me for the really paternal care that I - lavish on you! For without me where would you be? What would you - be doing? Who provides you with food, education, clothes, and all - the means of figuring one day with honour in the ranks of - society? But you must pull hard at the oar if you're to do that, - and get, as, people say, callosities upon your hands. Fabricando - fit faber, age quod agis.*" -</p> -<p> - * The worker lives by working, do what he will. -</p> -<p> - He was so exasperated he quoted Latin. He would have quoted - Chinese or Greenlandish had he known those two languages, for he - was in one of those crises in which the whole soul shows - indistinctly what it contains, like the ocean, which, in the - storm, opens itself from the seaweeds on its shores down to the - sands of its abysses. -</p> -<p> - And he went on— -</p> -<p> - "I am beginning to repent terribly of having taken you up! I - should certainly have done better to have left you to rot in your - poverty and the dirt in which you were born. Oh, you'll never be - fit for anything but to herd animals with horns! You have no - aptitude for science! You hardly know how to stick on a label! - And there you are, dwelling with me snug as a parson, living in - clover, taking your ease!" -</p> -<p> - But Emma, turning to Madame Homais, "I was told to come here—" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, dear me!" interrupted the good woman, with a sad air, "how - am I to tell you? It is a misfortune!" -</p> -<p> - She could not finish, the druggist was thundering—"Empty it! - Clean it! Take it back! Be quick!" -</p> -<p> - And seizing Justin by the collar of his blouse, he shook a book - out of his pocket. The lad stooped, but Homais was the quicker, - and, having picked up the volume, contemplated it with staring - eyes and open mouth. -</p> -<p> - "CONJUGAL—LOVE!" he said, slowly separating the two words. "Ah! - very good! very good! very pretty! And illustrations! Oh, this is - too much!" -</p> -<p> - Madame Homais came forward. -</p> -<p> - "No, do not touch it!" -</p> -<p> - The children wanted to look at the pictures. -</p> -<p> - "Leave the room," he said imperiously; and they went out. -</p> -<p> - First he walked up and down with the open volume in his hand, - rolling his eyes, choking, tumid, apoplectic. Then he came - straight to his pupil, and, planting himself in front of him with - crossed arms— -</p> -<p> - "Have you every vice, then, little wretch? Take care! you are on - a downward path. Did not you reflect that this infamous book - might fall in the hands of my children, kindle a spark in their - minds, tarnish the purity of Athalie, corrupt Napoleon. He is - already formed like a man. Are you quite sure, anyhow, that they - have not read it? Can you certify to me—" -</p> -<p> - "But really, sir," said Emma, "you wished to tell me—" -</p> -<p> - "Ah, yes! madame. Your father-in-law is dead." -</p> -<p> - In fact, Monsieur Bovary senior had expired the evening before - suddenly from an attack of apoplexy as he got up from table, and - by way of greater precaution, on account of Emma's sensibility, - Charles had begged Homais to break the horrible news to her - gradually. Homais had thought over his speech; he had rounded, - polished it, made it rhythmical; it was a masterpiece of prudence - and transitions, of subtle turns and delicacy; but anger had got - the better of rhetoric. -</p> -<p> - Emma, giving up all chance of hearing any details, left the - pharmacy; for Monsieur Homais had taken up the thread of his - vituperations. However, he was growing calmer, and was now - grumbling in a paternal tone whilst he fanned himself with his - skull-cap. -</p> -<p> - "It is not that I entirely disapprove of the work. Its author was - a doctor! There are certain scientific points in it that it is - not ill a man should know, and I would even venture to say that a - man must know. But later—later! At any rate, not till you are - man yourself and your temperament is formed." -</p> -<p> - When Emma knocked at the door. Charles, who was waiting for her, - came forward with open arms and said to her with tears in his - voice— -</p> -<p> - "Ah! my dear!" -</p> -<p> - And he bent over her gently to kiss her. But at the contact of - his lips the memory of the other seized her, and she passed her - hand over her face shuddering. -</p> -<p> - But she made answer, "Yes, I know, I know!" -</p> -<p> - He showed her the letter in which his mother told the event - without any sentimental hypocrisy. She only regretted her husband - had not received the consolations of religion, as he had died at - Daudeville, in the street, at the door of a cafe after a - patriotic dinner with some ex-officers. -</p> -<p> - Emma gave him back the letter; then at dinner, for appearance's - sake, she affected a certain repugnance. But as he urged her to - try, she resolutely began eating, while Charles opposite her sat - motionless in a dejected attitude. -</p> -<p> - Now and then he raised his head and gave her a long look full of - distress. Once he sighed, "I should have liked to see him again!" -</p> -<p> - She was silent. At last, understanding that she must say - something, "How old was your father?" she asked. -</p> -<p> - "Fifty-eight." -</p> -<p> - "Ah!" -</p> -<p> - And that was all. -</p> -<p> - A quarter of an hour after he added, "My poor mother! what will - become of her now?" -</p> -<p> - She made a gesture that signified she did not know. Seeing her so - taciturn, Charles imagined her much affected, and forced himself - to say nothing, not to reawaken this sorrow which moved him. And, - shaking off his own— -</p> -<p> - "Did you enjoy yourself yesterday?" he asked. -</p> -<p> - "Yes." -</p> -<p> - When the cloth was removed, Bovary did not rise, nor did Emma; - and as she looked at him, the monotony of the spectacle drove - little by little all pity from her heart. He seemed to her - paltry, weak, a cipher—in a word, a poor thing in every way. How - to get rid of him? What an interminable evening! Something - stupefying like the fumes of opium seized her. -</p> -<p> - They heard in the passage the sharp noise of a wooden leg on the - boards. It was Hippolyte bringing back Emma's luggage. In order - to put it down he described painfully a quarter of a circle with - his stump. -</p> -<p> - "He doesn't even remember any more about it," she thought, - looking at the poor devil, whose coarse red hair was wet with - perspiration. -</p> -<p> - Bovary was searching at the bottom of his purse for a centime, - and without appearing to understand all there was of humiliation - for him in the mere presence of this man, who stood there like a - personified reproach to his incurable incapacity. -</p> -<p> - "Hallo! you've a pretty bouquet," he said, noticing Leon's - violets on the chimney. -</p> -<p> - "Yes," she replied indifferently; "it's a bouquet I bought just - now from a beggar." -</p> -<p> - Charles picked up the flowers, and freshening his eyes, red with - tears, against them, smelt them delicately. -</p> -<p> - She took them quickly from his hand and put them in a glass of - water. -</p> -<p> - The next day Madame Bovary senior arrived. She and her son wept - much. Emma, on the pretext of giving orders, disappeared. The - following day they had a talk over the mourning. They went and - sat down with their workboxes by the waterside under the arbour. -</p> -<p> - Charles was thinking of his father, and was surprised to feel so - much affection for this man, whom till then he had thought he - cared little about. Madame Bovary senior was thinking of her - husband. The worst days of the past seemed enviable to her. All - was forgotten beneath the instinctive regret of such a long - habit, and from time to time whilst she sewed, a big tear rolled - along her nose and hung suspended there a moment. Emma was - thinking that it was scarcely forty-eight hours since they had - been together, far from the world, all in a frenzy of joy, and - not having eyes enough to gaze upon each other. She tried to - recall the slightest details of that past day. But the presence - of her husband and mother-in-law worried her. She would have - liked to hear nothing, to see nothing, so as not to disturb the - meditation on her love, that, do what she would, became lost in - external sensations. -</p> -<p> - She was unpicking the lining of a dress, and the strips were - scattered around her. Madame Bovary senior was plying her scissor - without looking up, and Charles, in his list slippers and his old - brown surtout that he used as a dressing-gown, sat with both - hands in his pockets, and did not speak either; near them Berthe, - in a little white pinafore, was raking sand in the walks with her - spade. Suddenly she saw Monsieur Lheureux, the linendraper, come - in through the gate. -</p> -<p> - He came to offer his services "under the sad circumstances." Emma - answered that she thought she could do without. The shopkeeper - was not to be beaten. -</p> -<p> - "I beg your pardon," he said, "but I should like to have a - private talk with you." Then in a low voice, "It's about that - affair—you know." -</p> -<p> - Charles crimsoned to his ears. "Oh, yes! certainly." And in his - confusion, turning to his wife, "Couldn't you, my darling?" -</p> -<p> - She seemed to understand him, for she rose; and Charles said to - his mother, "It is nothing particular. No doubt, some household - trifle." He did not want her to know the story of the bill, - fearing her reproaches. -</p> -<p> - As soon as they were alone, Monsieur Lheureux in sufficiently - clear terms began to congratulate Emma on the inheritance, then - to talk of indifferent matters, of the espaliers, of the harvest, - and of his own health, which was always so-so, always having ups - and downs. In fact, he had to work devilish hard, although he - didn't make enough, in spite of all people said, to find butter - for his bread. -</p> -<p> - Emma let him talk on. She had bored herself so prodigiously the - last two days. -</p> -<p> - "And so you're quite well again?" he went on. "Ma foi! I saw your - husband in a sad state. He's a good fellow, though we did have a - little misunderstanding." -</p> -<p> - She asked what misunderstanding, for Charles had said nothing of - the dispute about the goods supplied to her. -</p> -<p> - "Why, you know well enough," cried Lheureux. "It was about your - little fancies—the travelling trunks." -</p> -<p> - He had drawn his hat over his eyes, and, with his hands behind - his back, smiling and whistling, he looked straight at her in an - unbearable manner. Did he suspect anything? -</p> -<p> - She was lost in all kinds of apprehensions. At last, however, he - went on— -</p> -<p> - "We made it up, all the same, and I've come again to propose - another arrangement." -</p> -<p> - This was to renew the bill Bovary had signed. The doctor, of - course, would do as he pleased; he was not to trouble himself, - especially just now, when he would have a lot of worry. "And he - would do better to give it over to someone else—to you, for - example. With a power of attorney it could be easily managed, and - then we (you and I) would have our little business transactions - together." -</p> -<p> - She did not understand. He was silent. Then, passing to his - trade, Lheureux declared that madame must require something. He - would send her a black barege, twelve yards, just enough to make - a gown. -</p> -<p> - "The one you've on is good enough for the house, but you want - another for calls. I saw that the very moment that I came in. - I've the eye of an American!" -</p> -<p> - He did not send the stuff; he brought it. Then he came again to - measure it; he came again on other pretexts, always trying to - make himself agreeable, useful, "enfeoffing himself," as Homais - would have said, and always dropping some hint to Emma about the - power of attorney. He never mentioned the bill; she did not think - of it. Charles, at the beginning of her convalescence, had - certainly said something about it to her, but so many emotions - had passed through her head that she no longer remembered it. - Besides, she took care not to talk of any money questions. Madame - Bovary seemed surprised at this, and attributed the change in her - ways to the religious sentiments she had contracted during her - illness. -</p> -<p> - But as soon as she was gone, Emma greatly astounded Bovary by her - practical good sense. It would be necessary to make inquiries, to - look into mortgages, and see if there were any occasion for a - sale by auction or a liquidation. She quoted technical terms - casually, pronounced the grand words of order, the future, - foresight, and constantly exaggerated the difficulties of - settling his father's affairs so much, that at last one day she - showed him the rough draft of a power of attorney to manage and - administer his business, arrange all loans, sign and endorse all - bills, pay all sums, etc. She had profited by Lheureux's lessons. - Charles naively asked her where this paper came from. -</p> -<p> - "Monsieur Guillaumin"; and with the utmost coolness she added, "I - don't trust him overmuch. Notaries have such a bad reputation. - Perhaps we ought to consult—we only know—no one." -</p> -<p> - "Unless Leon—" replied Charles, who was reflecting. But it was - difficult to explain matters by letter. Then she offered to make - the journey, but he thanked her. She insisted. It was quite a - contest of mutual consideration. At last she cried with affected - waywardness— -</p> -<p> - "No, I will go!" -</p> -<p> - "How good you are!" he said, kissing her forehead. -</p> -<p> - The next morning she set out in the "Hirondelle" to go to Rouen - to consult Monsieur Leon, and she stayed there three days. -</p> -<a name="2HCH30"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Three -</h2> -<p> - They were three full, exquisite days—a true honeymoon. They were - at the Hotel-de-Boulogne, on the harbour; and they lived there, - with drawn blinds and closed doors, with flowers on the floor, - and iced syrups were brought them early in the morning. -</p> -<p> - Towards evening they took a covered boat and went to dine on one - of the islands. It was the time when one hears by the side of the - dockyard the caulking-mallets sounding against the hull of - vessels. The smoke of the tar rose up between the trees; there - were large fatty drops on the water, undulating in the purple - colour of the sun, like floating plaques of Florentine bronze. -</p> -<p> - They rowed down in the midst of moored boats, whose long oblique - cables grazed lightly against the bottom of the boat. The din of - the town gradually grew distant; the rolling of carriages, the - tumult of voices, the yelping of dogs on the decks of vessels. - She took off her bonnet, and they landed on their island. -</p> -<p> - They sat down in the low-ceilinged room of a tavern, at whose - door hung black nets. They ate fried smelts, cream and cherries. - They lay down upon the grass; they kissed behind the poplars; and - they would fain, like two Robinsons, have lived for ever in this - little place, which seemed to them in their beatitude the most - magnificent on earth. It was not the first time that they had - seen trees, a blue sky, meadows; that they had heard the water - flowing and the wind blowing in the leaves; but, no doubt, they - had never admired all this, as if Nature had not existed before, - or had only begun to be beautiful since the gratification of - their desires. -</p> -<p> - At night they returned. The boat glided along the shores of the - islands. They sat at the bottom, both hidden by the shade, in - silence. The square oars rang in the iron thwarts, and, in the - stillness, seemed to mark time, like the beating of a metronome, - while at the stern the rudder that trailed behind never ceased - its gentle splash against the water. -</p> -<p> - Once the moon rose; they did not fail to make fine phrases, - finding the orb melancholy and full of poetry. She even began to - sing— -</p> -<p> - "One night, do you remember, we were sailing," etc. -</p> -<p> - Her musical but weak voice died away along the waves, and the - winds carried off the trills that Leon heard pass like the - flapping of wings about him. -</p> -<p> - She was opposite him, leaning against the partition of the - shallop, through one of whose raised blinds the moon streamed in. - Her black dress, whose drapery spread out like a fan, made her - seem more slender, taller. Her head was raised, her hands - clasped, her eyes turned towards heaven. At times the shadow of - the willows hid her completely; then she reappeared suddenly, - like a vision in the moonlight. -</p> -<p> - Leon, on the floor by her side, found under his hand a ribbon of - scarlet silk. The boatman looked at it, and at last said— -</p> -<p> - "Perhaps it belongs to the party I took out the other day. A lot - of jolly folk, gentlemen and ladies, with cakes, champagne, - cornets—everything in style! There was one especially, a tall - handsome man with small moustaches, who was that funny! And they - all kept saying, 'Now tell us something, Adolphe—Dolpe,' I - think." -</p> -<p> - She shivered. -</p> -<p> - "You are in pain?" asked Leon, coming closer to her. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, it's nothing! No doubt, it is only the night air." -</p> -<p> - "And who doesn't want for women, either," softly added the - sailor, thinking he was paying the stranger a compliment. -</p> -<p> - Then, spitting on his hands, he took the oars again. -</p> -<p> - Yet they had to part. The adieux were sad. He was to send his - letters to Mere Rollet, and she gave him such precise - instructions about a double envelope that he admired greatly her - amorous astuteness. -</p> -<p> - "So you can assure me it is all right?" she said with her last - kiss. -</p> -<p> - "Yes, certainly." -</p> -<p> - "But why," he thought afterwards as he came back through the - streets alone, "is she so very anxious to get this power of - attorney?" -</p> -<a name="2HCH31"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Four -</h2> -<p> - Leon soon put on an air of superiority before his comrades, - avoided their company, and completely neglected his work. -</p> -<p> - He waited for her letters; he re-read them; he wrote to her. He - called her to mind with all the strength of his desires and of - his memories. Instead of lessening with absence, this longing to - see her again grew, so that at last on Saturday morning he - escaped from his office. -</p> -<p> - When, from the summit of the hill, he saw in the valley below the - church-spire with its tin flag swinging in the wind, he felt that - delight mingled with triumphant vanity and egoistic tenderness - that millionaires must experience when they come back to their - native village. -</p> -<p> - He went rambling round her house. A light was burning in the - kitchen. He watched for her shadow behind the curtains, but - nothing appeared. -</p> -<p> - Mere Lefrancois, when she saw him, uttered many exclamations. She - thought he "had grown and was thinner," while Artemise, on the - contrary, thought him stouter and darker. -</p> -<p> - He dined in the little room as of yore, but alone, without the - tax-gatherer; for Binet, tired of waiting for the "Hirondelle," - had definitely put forward his meal one hour, and now he dined - punctually at five, and yet he declared usually the rickety old - concern "was late." -</p> -<p> - Leon, however, made up his mind, and knocked at the doctor's - door. Madame was in her room, and did not come down for a quarter - of an hour. The doctor seemed delighted to see him, but he never - stirred out that evening, nor all the next day. -</p> -<p> - He saw her alone in the evening, very late, behind the garden in - the lane; in the lane, as she had the other one! It was a stormy - night, and they talked under an umbrella by lightning flashes. -</p> -<p> - Their separation was becoming intolerable. "I would rather die!" - said Emma. She was writhing in his arms, weeping. "Adieu! adieu! - When shall I see you again?" -</p> -<p> - They came back again to embrace once more, and it was then that - she promised him to find soon, by no matter what means, a regular - opportunity for seeing one another in freedom at least once a - week. Emma never doubted she should be able to do this. Besides, - she was full of hope. Some money was coming to her. -</p> -<p> - On the strength of it she bought a pair of yellow curtains with - large stripes for her room, whose cheapness Monsieur Lheureux had - commended; she dreamed of getting a carpet, and Lheureux, - declaring that it wasn't "drinking the sea," politely undertook - to supply her with one. She could no longer do without his - services. Twenty times a day she sent for him, and he at once put - by his business without a murmur. People could not understand - either why Mere Rollet breakfasted with her every day, and even - paid her private visits. -</p> -<p> - It was about this time, that is to say, the beginning of winter, - that she seemed seized with great musical fervour. -</p> -<p> - One evening when Charles was listening to her, she began the same - piece four times over, each time with much vexation, while he, - not noticing any difference, cried— -</p> -<p> - "Bravo! very goodl You are wrong to stop. Go on!" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, no; it is execrable! My fingers are quite rusty." -</p> -<p> - The next day he begged her to play him something again. -</p> -<p> - "Very well; to please you!" -</p> -<p> - And Charles confessed she had gone off a little. She played wrong - notes and blundered; then, stopping short— -</p> -<p> - "Ah! it is no use. I ought to take some lessons; but—" She bit - her lips and added, "Twenty francs a lesson, that's too dear!" -</p> -<p> - "Yes, so it is—rather," said Charles, giggling stupidly. "But it - seems to me that one might be able to do it for less; for there - are artists of no reputation, and who are often better than the - celebrities." -</p> -<p> - "Find them!" said Emma. -</p> -<p> - The next day when he came home he looked at her shyly, and at - last could no longer keep back the words. -</p> -<p> - "How obstinate you are sometimes! I went to Barfucheres to-day. - Well, Madame Liegard assured me that her three young ladies who - are at La Misericorde have lessons at fifty sous apiece, and that - from an excellent mistress!" -</p> -<p> - She shrugged her shoulders and did not open her piano again. But - when she passed by it (if Bovary were there), she sighed— -</p> -<p> - "Ah! my poor piano!" -</p> -<p> - And when anyone came to see her, she did not fail to inform them - she had given up music, and could not begin again now for - important reasons. Then people commiserated her— -</p> -<p> - "What a pity! she had so much talent!" -</p> -<p> - They even spoke to Bovary about it. They put him to shame, and - especially the chemist. -</p> -<p> - "You are wrong. One should never let any of the faculties of - nature lie fallow. Besides, just think, my good friend, that by - inducing madame to study; you are economising on the subsequent - musical education of your child. For my own part, I think that - mothers ought themselves to instruct their children. That is an - idea of Rousseau's, still rather new perhaps, but that will end - by triumphing, I am certain of it, like mothers nursing their own - children and vaccination." -</p> -<p> - So Charles returned once more to this question of the piano. Emma - replied bitterly that it would be better to sell it. This poor - piano, that had given her vanity so much satisfaction—to see it - go was to Bovary like the indefinable suicide of a part of - herself. -</p> -<p> - "If you liked," he said, "a lesson from time to time, that - wouldn't after all be very ruinous." -</p> -<p> - "But lessons," she replied, "are only of use when followed up." -</p> -<p> - And thus it was she set about obtaining her husband's permission - to go to town once a week to see her lover. At the end of a month - she was even considered to have made considerable progress. -</p> -<a name="2HCH32"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Five -</h2> -<p> - She went on Thursdays. She got up and dressed silently, in order - not to awaken Charles, who would have made remarks about her - getting ready too early. Next she walked up and down, went to the - windows, and looked out at the Place. The early dawn was - broadening between the pillars of the market, and the chemist's - shop, with the shutters still up, showed in the pale light of the - dawn the large letters of his signboard. -</p> -<p> - When the clock pointed to a quarter past seven, she went off to - the "Lion d'Or," whose door Artemise opened yawning. The girl - then made up the coals covered by the cinders, and Emma remained - alone in the kitchen. Now and again she went out. Hivert was - leisurely harnessing his horses, listening, moreover, to Mere - Lefrancois, who, passing her head and nightcap through a grating, - was charging him with commissions and giving him explanations - that would have confused anyone else. Emma kept beating the soles - of her boots against the pavement of the yard. -</p> -<p> - At last, when he had eaten his soup, put on his cloak, lighted - his pipe, and grasped his whip, he calmly installed himself on - his seat. -</p> -<p> - The "Hirondelle" started at a slow trot, and for about a mile - stopped here and there to pick up passengers who waited for it, - standing at the border of the road, in front of their yard gates. -</p> -<p> - Those who had secured seats the evening before kept it waiting; - some even were still in bed in their houses. Hivert called, - shouted, swore; then he got down from his seat and went and - knocked loudly at the doors. The wind blew through the cracked - windows. -</p> -<p> - The four seats, however, filled up. The carriage rolled off; rows - of apple-trees followed one upon another, and the road between - its two long ditches, full of yellow water, rose, constantly - narrowing towards the horizon. -</p> -<p> - Emma knew it from end to end; she knew that after a meadow there - was a sign-post, next an elm, a barn, or the hut of a lime-kiln - tender. Sometimes even, in the hope of getting some surprise, she - shut her eyes, but she never lost the clear perception of the - distance to be traversed. -</p> -<p> - At last the brick houses began to follow one another more - closely, the earth resounded beneath the wheels, the "Hirondelle" - glided between the gardens, where through an opening one saw - statues, a periwinkle plant, clipped yews, and a swing. Then on a - sudden the town appeared. Sloping down like an amphitheatre, and - drowned in the fog, it widened out beyond the bridges confusedly. - Then the open country spread away with a monotonous movement till - it touched in the distance the vague line of the pale sky. Seen - thus from above, the whole landscape looked immovable as a - picture; the anchored ships were massed in one corner, the river - curved round the foot of the green hills, and the isles, oblique - in shape, lay on the water, like large, motionless, black fishes. - The factory chimneys belched forth immense brown fumes that were - blown away at the top. One heard the rumbling of the foundries, - together with the clear chimes of the churches that stood out in - the mist. The leafless trees on the boulevards made violet - thickets in the midst of the houses, and the roofs, all shining - with the rain, threw back unequal reflections, according to the - height of the quarters in which they were. Sometimes a gust of - wind drove the clouds towards the Saint Catherine hills, like - aerial waves that broke silently against a cliff. -</p> -<p> - A giddiness seemed to her to detach itself from this mass of - existence, and her heart swelled as if the hundred and twenty - thousand souls that palpitated there had all at once sent into it - the vapour of the passions she fancied theirs. Her love grew in - the presence of this vastness, and expanded with tumult to the - vague murmurings that rose towards her. She poured it out upon - the square, on the walks, on the streets, and the old Norman city - outspread before her eyes as an enormous capital, as a Babylon - into which she was entering. She leant with both hands against - the window, drinking in the breeze; the three horses galloped, - the stones grated in the mud, the diligence rocked, and Hivert, - from afar, hailed the carts on the road, while the bourgeois who - had spent the night at the Guillaume woods came quietly down the - hill in their little family carriages. -</p> -<p> - They stopped at the barrier; Emma undid her overshoes, put on - other gloves, rearranged her shawl, and some twenty paces farther - she got down from the "Hirondelle." -</p> -<p> - The town was then awakening. Shop-boys in caps were cleaning up - the shop-fronts, and women with baskets against their hips, at - intervals uttered sonorous cries at the corners of streets. She - walked with downcast eyes, close to the walls, and smiling with - pleasure under her lowered black veil. -</p> -<p> - For fear of being seen, she did not usually take the most direct - road. She plunged into dark alleys, and, all perspiring, reached - the bottom of the Rue Nationale, near the fountain that stands - there. It, is the quarter for theatres, public-houses, and - whores. Often a cart would pass near her, bearing some shaking - scenery. Waiters in aprons were sprinkling sand on the flagstones - between green shrubs. It all smelt of absinthe, cigars, and - oysters. -</p> -<p> - She turned down a street; she recognised him by his curling hair - that escaped from beneath his hat. -</p> -<p> - Leon walked along the pavement. She followed him to the hotel. He - went up, opened the door, entered—What an embrace! -</p> -<p> - Then, after the kisses, the words gushed forth. They told each - other the sorrows of the week, the presentiments, the anxiety for - the letters; but now everything was forgotten; they gazed into - each other's faces with voluptuous laughs, and tender names. -</p> -<p> - The bed was large, of mahogany, in the shape of a boat. The - curtains were in red levantine, that hung from the ceiling and - bulged out too much towards the bell-shaped bedside; and nothing - in the world was so lovely as her brown head and white skin - standing out against this purple colour, when, with a movement of - shame, she crossed her bare arms, hiding her face in her hands. -</p> -<p> - The warm room, with its discreet carpet, its gay ornaments, and - its calm light, seemed made for the intimacies of passion. The - curtain-rods, ending in arrows, their brass pegs, and the great - balls of the fire-dogs shone suddenly when the sun came in. On - the chimney between the candelabra there were two of those pink - shells in which one hears the murmur of the sea if one holds them - to the ear. -</p> -<p> - How they loved that dear room, so full of gaiety, despite its - rather faded splendour! They always found the furniture in the - same place, and sometimes hairpins, that she had forgotten the - Thursday before, under the pedestal of the clock. They lunched by - the fireside on a little round table, inlaid with rosewood. Emma - carved, put bits on his plate with all sorts of coquettish ways, - and she laughed with a sonorous and libertine laugh when the - froth of the champagne ran over from the glass to the rings on - her fingers. They were so completely lost in the possession of - each other that they thought themselves in their own house, and - that they would live there till death, like two spouses eternally - young. They said "our room," "our carpet," she even said "my - slippers," a gift of Leon's, a whim she had had. They were pink - satin, bordered with swansdown. When she sat on his knees, her - leg, then too short, hung in the air, and the dainty shoe, that - had no back to it, was held only by the toes to her bare foot. -</p> -<p> - He for the first time enjoyed the inexpressible delicacy of - feminine refinements. He had never met this grace of language, - this reserve of clothing, these poses of the weary dove. He - admired the exaltation of her soul and the lace on her petticoat. - Besides, was she not "a lady" and a married woman—a real - mistress, in fine? -</p> -<p> - By the diversity of her humour, in turn mystical or mirthful, - talkative, taciturn, passionate, careless, she awakened in him a - thousand desires, called up instincts or memories. She was the - mistress of all the novels, the heroine of all the dramas, the - vague "she" of all the volumes of verse. He found again on her - shoulder the amber colouring of the "Odalisque Bathing"; she had - the long waist of feudal chatelaines, and she resembled the "Pale - Woman of Barcelona." But above all she was the Angel! -</p> -<p> - Often looking at her, it seemed to him that his soul, escaping - towards her, spread like a wave about the outline of her head, - and descended drawn down into the whiteness of her breast. He - knelt on the ground before her, and with both elbows on her knees - looked at her with a smile, his face upturned. -</p> -<p> - She bent over him, and murmured, as if choking with intoxication— -</p> -<p> - "Oh, do not move! do not speak! look at me! Something so sweet - comes from your eyes that helps me so much!" -</p> -<p> - She called him "child." "Child, do you love me?" -</p> -<p> - And she did not listen for his answer in the haste of her lips - that fastened to his mouth. -</p> -<p> - On the clock there was a bronze cupid, who smirked as he bent his - arm beneath a golden garland. They had laughed at it many a time, - but when they had to part everything seemed serious to them. -</p> -<p> - Motionless in front of each other, they kept repeating, "Till - Thursday, till Thursday." -</p> -<p> - Suddenly she seized his head between her hands, kissed him - hurriedly on the forehead, crying, "Adieu!" and rushed down the - stairs. -</p> -<p> - She went to a hairdresser's in the Rue de la Comedie to have her - hair arranged. Night fell; the gas was lighted in the shop. She - heard the bell at the theatre calling the mummers to the - performance, and she saw, passing opposite, men with white faces - and women in faded gowns going in at the stage-door. -</p> -<p> - It was hot in the room, small, and too low where the stove was - hissing in the midst of wigs and pomades. The smell of the tongs, - together with the greasy hands that handled her head, soon - stunned her, and she dozed a little in her wrapper. Often, as he - did her hair, the man offered her tickets for a masked ball. -</p> -<p> - Then she went away. She went up the streets; reached the - Croix-Rouge, put on her overshoes, that she had hidden in the - morning under the seat, and sank into her place among the - impatient passengers. Some got out at the foot of the hill. She - remained alone in the carriage. At every turning all the lights - of the town were seen more and more completely, making a great - luminous vapour about the dim houses. Emma knelt on the cushions - and her eyes wandered over the dazzling light. She sobbed; called - on Leon, sent him tender words and kisses lost in the wind. -</p> -<p> - On the hillside a poor devil wandered about with his stick in the - midst of the diligences. A mass of rags covered his shoulders, - and an old staved-in beaver, turned out like a basin, hid his - face; but when he took it off he discovered in the place of - eyelids empty and bloody orbits. The flesh hung in red shreds, - and there flowed from it liquids that congealed into green scale - down to the nose, whose black nostrils sniffed convulsively. To - speak to you he threw back his head with an idiotic laugh; then - his bluish eyeballs, rolling constantly, at the temples beat - against the edge of the open wound. He sang a little song as he - followed the carriages— -</p> -<p> - "Maids an the warmth of a summer day - Dream of love, and of love always" -</p> -<p> - And all the rest was about birds and sunshine and green leaves. -</p> -<p> - Sometimes he appeared suddenly behind Emma, bareheaded, and she - drew back with a cry. Hivert made fun of him. He would advise him - to get a booth at the Saint Romain fair, or else ask him, - laughing, how his young woman was. -</p> -<p> - Often they had started when, with a sudden movement, his hat - entered the diligence through the small window, while he clung - with his other arm to the footboard, between the wheels splashing - mud. His voice, feeble at first and quavering, grew sharp; it - resounded in the night like the indistinct moan of a vague - distress; and through the ringing of the bells, the murmur of the - trees, and the rumbling of the empty vehicle, it had a far-off - sound that disturbed Emma. It went to the bottom of her soul, - like a whirlwind in an abyss, and carried her away into the - distances of a boundless melancholy. But Hivert, noticing a - weight behind, gave the blind man sharp cuts with his whip. The - thong lashed his wounds, and he fell back into the mud with a - yell. Then the passengers in the "Hirondelle" ended by falling - asleep, some with open mouths, others with lowered chins, leaning - against their neighbour's shoulder, or with their arm passed - through the strap, oscillating regularly with the jolting of the - carriage; and the reflection of the lantern swinging without, on - the crupper of the wheeler; penetrating into the interior through - the chocolate calico curtains, threw sanguineous shadows over all - these motionless people. Emma, drunk with grief, shivered in her - clothes, feeling her feet grow colder and colder, and death in - her soul. -</p> -<p> - Charles at home was waiting for her; the "Hirondelle" was always - late on Thursdays. Madame arrived at last, and scarcely kissed - the child. The dinner was not ready. No matter! She excused the - servant. This girl now seemed allowed to do just as she liked. -</p> -<p> - Often her husband, noting her pallor, asked if she were unwell. -</p> -<p> - "No," said Emma. -</p> -<p> - "But," he replied, "you seem so strange this evening." -</p> -<p> - "Oh, it's nothing! nothing!" -</p> -<p> - There were even days when she had no sooner come in than she went - up to her room; and Justin, happening to be there, moved about - noiselessly, quicker at helping her than the best of maids. He - put the matches ready, the candlestick, a book, arranged her - nightgown, turned back the bedclothes. -</p> -<p> - "Come!" said she, "that will do. Now you can go." -</p> -<p> - For he stood there, his hands hanging down and his eyes wide - open, as if enmeshed in the innumerable threads of a sudden - reverie. -</p> -<p> - The following day was frightful, and those that came after still - more unbearable, because of her impatience to once again seize - her happiness; an ardent lust, inflamed by the images of past - experience, and that burst forth freely on the seventh day - beneath Leon's caresses. His ardours were hidden beneath - outbursts of wonder and gratitude. Emma tasted this love in a - discreet, absorbed fashion, maintained it by all the artifices of - her tenderness, and trembled a little lest it should be lost - later on. -</p> -<p> - She often said to him, with her sweet, melancholy voice— -</p> -<p> - "Ah! you too, you will leave me! You will marry! You will be like - all the others." -</p> -<p> - He asked, "What others?" -</p> -<p> - "Why, like all men," she replied. Then added, repulsing him with - a languid movement— -</p> -<p> - "You are all evil!" -</p> -<p> - One day, as they were talking philosophically of earthly - disillusions, to experiment on his jealousy, or yielding, - perhaps, to an over-strong need to pour out her heart, she told - him that formerly, before him, she had loved someone. -</p> -<p> - "Not like you," she went on quickly, protesting by the head of - her child that "nothing had passed between them." -</p> -<p> - The young man believed her, but none the less questioned her to - find out what he was. -</p> -<p> - "He was a ship's captain, my dear." -</p> -<p> - Was this not preventing any inquiry, and, at the same time, - assuming a higher ground through this pretended fascination - exercised over a man who must have been of warlike nature and - accustomed to receive homage? -</p> -<p> - The clerk then felt the lowliness of his position; he longed for - epaulettes, crosses, titles. All that would please her—he - gathered that from her spendthrift habits. -</p> -<p> - Emma nevertheless concealed many of these extravagant fancies, - such as her wish to have a blue tilbury to drive into Rouen, - drawn by an English horse and driven by a groom in top-boots. It - was Justin who had inspired her with this whim, by begging her to - take him into her service as valet-de-chambre*, and if the - privation of it did not lessen the pleasure of her arrival at - each rendezvous, it certainly augmented the bitterness of the - return. -</p> -<p> - * Manservant. -</p> -<p> - Often, when they talked together of Paris, she ended by - murmuring, "Ah! how happy we should be there!" -</p> -<p> - "Are we not happy?" gently answered the young man passing his - hands over her hair. -</p> -<p> - "Yes, that is true," she said. "I am mad. Kiss me!" -</p> -<p> - To her husband she was more charming than ever. She made him - pistachio-creams, and played him waltzes after dinner. So he - thought himself the most fortunate of men and Emma was without - uneasiness, when, one evening suddenly he said— -</p> -<p> - "It is Mademoiselle Lempereur, isn't it, who gives you lessons?" -</p> -<p> - "Yes." -</p> -<p> - "Well, I saw her just now," Charles went on, "at Madame - Liegeard's. I spoke to her about you, and she doesn't know you." -</p> -<p> - This was like a thunderclap. However, she replied quite - naturally— -</p> -<p> - "Ah! no doubt she forgot my name." -</p> -<p> - "But perhaps," said the doctor, "there are several Demoiselles - Lempereur at Rouen who are music-mistresses." -</p> -<p> - "Possibly!" Then quickly—"But I have my receipts here. See!" -</p> -<p> - And she went to the writing-table, ransacked all the drawers, - rummaged the papers, and at last lost her head so completely that - Charles earnestly begged her not to take so much trouble about - those wretched receipts. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, I will find them," she said. -</p> -<p> - And, in fact, on the following Friday, as Charles was putting on - one of his boots in the dark cabinet where his clothes were kept, - he felt a piece of paper between the leather and his sock. He - took it out and read— -</p> -<p> - "Received, for three months' lessons and several pieces of music, - the sum of sixty-three francs.—Felicie Lempereur, professor of - music." -</p> -<p> - "How the devil did it get into my boots?" -</p> -<p> - "It must," she replied, "have fallen from the old box of bills - that is on the edge of the shelf." -</p> -<p> - From that moment her existence was but one long tissue of lies, - in which she enveloped her love as in veils to hide it. It was a - want, a mania, a pleasure carried to such an extent that if she - said she had the day before walked on the right side of a road, - one might know she had taken the left. -</p> -<p> - One morning, when she had gone, as usual, rather lightly clothed, - it suddenly began to snow, and as Charles was watching the - weather from the window, he caught sight of Monsieur Bournisien - in the chaise of Monsieur Tuvache, who was driving him to Rouen. - Then he went down to give the priest a thick shawl that he was to - hand over to Emma as soon as he reached the "Croix-Rouge." When - he got to the inn, Monsieur Bournisien asked for the wife of the - Yonville doctor. The landlady replied that she very rarely came - to her establishment. So that evening, when he recognised Madame - Bovary in the "Hirondelle," the cure told her his dilemma, - without, however, appearing to attach much importance to it, for - he began praising a preacher who was doing wonders at the - Cathedral, and whom all the ladies were rushing to hear. -</p> -<p> - Still, if he did not ask for any explanation, others, later on, - might prove less discreet. So she thought well to get down each - time at the "Croix-Rouge," so that the good folk of her village - who saw her on the stairs should suspect nothing. -</p> -<p> - One day, however, Monsieur Lheureux met her coming out of the - Hotel de Boulogne on Leon's arm; and she was frightened, thinking - he would gossip. He was not such a fool. But three days after he - came to her room, shut the door, and said, "I must have some - money." -</p> -<p> - She declared she could not give him any. Lheureux burst into - lamentations and reminded her of all the kindnesses he had shown - her. -</p> -<p> - In fact, of the two bills signed by Charles, Emma up to the - present had paid only one. As to the second, the shopkeeper, at - her request, had consented to replace it by another, which again - had been renewed for a long date. Then he drew from his pocket a - list of goods not paid for; to wit, the curtains, the carpet, the - material for the armchairs, several dresses, and divers articles - of dress, the bills for which amounted to about two thousand - francs. -</p> -<p> - She bowed her head. He went on— -</p> -<p> - "But if you haven't any ready money, you have an estate." And he - reminded her of a miserable little hovel situated at Barneville, - near Aumale, that brought in almost nothing. It had formerly been - part of a small farm sold by Monsieur Bovary senior; for Lheureux - knew everything, even to the number of acres and the names of the - neighbours. -</p> -<p> - "If I were in your place," he said, "I should clear myself of my - debts, and have money left over." -</p> -<p> - She pointed out the difficulty of getting a purchaser. He held - out the hope of finding one; but she asked him how she should - manage to sell it. -</p> -<p> - "Haven't you your power of attorney?" he replied. -</p> -<p> - The phrase came to her like a breath of fresh air. "Leave me the - bill," said Emma. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, it isn't worth while," answered Lheureux. -</p> -<p> - He came back the following week and boasted of having, after much - trouble, at last discovered a certain Langlois, who, for a long - time, had had an eye on the property, but without mentioning his - price. -</p> -<p> - "Never mind the price!" she cried. -</p> -<p> - But they would, on the contrary, have to wait, to sound the - fellow. The thing was worth a journey, and, as she could not - undertake it, he offered to go to the place to have an interview - with Langlois. On his return he announced that the purchaser - proposed four thousand francs. -</p> -<p> - Emma was radiant at this news. -</p> -<p> - "Frankly," he added, "that's a good price." -</p> -<p> - She drew half the sum at once, and when she was about to pay her - account the shopkeeper said— -</p> -<p> - "It really grieves me, on my word! to see you depriving yourself - all at once of such a big sum as that." -</p> -<p> - Then she looked at the bank-notes, and dreaming of the unlimited - number of rendezvous represented by those two thousand francs, - she stammered— -</p> -<p> - "What! what!" -</p> -<p> - "Oh!" he went on, laughing good-naturedly, "one puts anything one - likes on receipts. Don't you think I know what household affairs - are?" And he looked at her fixedly, while in his hand he held two - long papers that he slid between his nails. At last, opening his - pocket-book, he spread out on the table four bills to order, each - for a thousand francs. -</p> -<p> - "Sign these," he said, "and keep it all!" -</p> -<p> - She cried out, scandalised. -</p> -<p> - "But if I give you the surplus," replied Monsieur Lheureux - impudently, "is that not helping you?" -</p> -<p> - And taking a pen he wrote at the bottom of the account, "Received - of Madame Bovary four thousand francs." -</p> -<p> - "Now who can trouble you, since in six months you'll draw the - arrears for your cottage, and I don't make the last bill due till - after you've been paid?" -</p> -<p> - Emma grew rather confused in her calculations, and her ears - tingled as if gold pieces, bursting from their bags, rang all - round her on the floor. At last Lheureux explained that he had a - very good friend, Vincart, a broker at Rouen, who would discount - these four bills. Then he himself would hand over to madame the - remainder after the actual debt was paid. -</p> -<p> - But instead of two thousand francs he brought only eighteen - hundred, for the friend Vincart (which was only fair) had - deducted two hundred francs for commission and discount. Then he - carelessly asked for a receipt. -</p> -<p> - "You understand—in business—sometimes. And with the date, if - you please, with the date." -</p> -<p> - A horizon of realisable whims opened out before Emma. She was - prudent enough to lay by a thousand crowns, with which the first - three bills were paid when they fell due; but the fourth, by - chance, came to the house on a Thursday, and Charles, quite - upset, patiently awaited his wife's return for an explanation. -</p> -<p> - If she had not told him about this bill, it was only to spare him - such domestic worries; she sat on his knees, caressed him, cooed - to him, gave him a long enumeration of all the indispensable - things that had been got on credit. -</p> -<p> - "Really, you must confess, considering the quantity, it isn't too - dear." -</p> -<p> - Charles, at his wit's end, soon had recourse to the eternal - Lheureux, who swore he would arrange matters if the doctor would - sign him two bills, one of which was for seven hundred francs, - payable in three months. In order to arrange for this he wrote - his mother a pathetic letter. Instead of sending a reply she came - herself; and when Emma wanted to know whether he had got anything - out of her, "Yes," he replied; "but she wants to see the - account." The next morning at daybreak Emma ran to Lheureux to - beg him to make out another account for not more than a thousand - francs, for to show the one for four thousand it would be - necessary to say that she had paid two-thirds, and confess, - consequently, the sale of the estate—a negotiation admirably - carried out by the shopkeeper, and which, in fact, was only - actually known later on. -</p> -<p> - Despite the low price of each article, Madame Bovary senior, of - course, thought the expenditure extravagant. -</p> -<p> - "Couldn't you do without a carpet? Why have recovered the - arm-chairs? In my time there was a single arm-chair in a house, - for elderly persons—at any rate it was so at my mother's, who - was a good woman, I can tell you. Everybody can't be rich! No - fortune can hold out against waste! I should be ashamed to coddle - myself as you do! And yet I am old. I need looking after. And - there! there! fitting up gowns! fallals! What! silk for lining at - two francs, when you can get jaconet for ten sous, or even for - eight, that would do well enough!" -</p> -<p> - Emma, lying on a lounge, replied as quietly as possible—"Ah! - Madame, enough! enough!" -</p> -<p> - The other went on lecturing her, predicting they would end in the - workhouse. But it was Bovary's fault. Luckily he had promised to - destroy that power of attorney. -</p> -<p> - "What?" -</p> -<p> - "Ah! he swore he would," went on the good woman. -</p> -<p> - Emma opened the window, called Charles, and the poor fellow was - obliged to confess the promise torn from him by his mother. -</p> -<p> - Emma disappeared, then came back quickly, and majestically handed - her a thick piece of paper. -</p> -<p> - "Thank you," said the old woman. And she threw the power of - attorney into the fire. -</p> -<p> - Emma began to laugh, a strident, piercing, continuous laugh; she - had an attack of hysterics. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, my God!" cried Charles. "Ah! you really are wrong! You come - here and make scenes with her!" -</p> -<p> - His mother, shrugging her shoulders, declared it was "all put - on." -</p> -<p> - But Charles, rebelling for the first time, took his wife's part, - so that Madame Bovary, senior, said she would leave. She went the - very next day, and on the threshold, as he was trying to detain - her, she replied— -</p> -<p> - "No, no! You love her better than me, and you are right. It is - natural. For the rest, so much the worse! You will see. Good - day—for I am not likely to come soon again, as you say, to make - scenes." -</p> -<p> - Charles nevertheless was very crestfallen before Emma, who did - not hide the resentment she still felt at his want of confidence, - and it needed many prayers before she would consent to have - another power of attorney. He even accompanied her to Monsieur - Guillaumin to have a second one, just like the other, drawn up. -</p> -<p> - "I understand," said the notary; "a man of science can't be - worried with the practical details of life." -</p> -<p> - And Charles felt relieved by this comfortable reflection, which - gave his weakness the flattering appearance of higher - pre-occupation. -</p> -<p> - And what an outburst the next Thursday at the hotel in their room - with Leon! She laughed, cried, sang, sent for sherbets, wanted to - smoke cigarettes, seemed to him wild and extravagant, but - adorable, superb. -</p> -<p> - He did not know what recreation of her whole being drove her more - and more to plunge into the pleasures of life. She was becoming - irritable, greedy, voluptuous; and she walked about the streets - with him carrying her head high, without fear, so she said, of - compromising herself. At times, however, Emma shuddered at the - sudden thought of meeting Rodolphe, for it seemed to her that, - although they were separated forever, she was not completely free - from her subjugation to him. -</p> -<p> - One night she did not return to Yonville at all. Charles lost his - head with anxiety, and little Berthe would not go to bed without - her mamma, and sobbed enough to break her heart. Justin had gone - out searching the road at random. Monsieur Homais even had left - his pharmacy. -</p> -<p> - At last, at eleven o'clock, able to bear it no longer, Charles - harnessed his chaise, jumped in, whipped up his horse, and - reached the "Croix-Rouge" about two o'clock in the morning. No - one there! He thought that the clerk had perhaps seen her; but - where did he live? Happily, Charles remembered his employer's - address, and rushed off there. -</p> -<p> - Day was breaking, and he could distinguish the escutcheons over - the door, and knocked. Someone, without opening the door, shouted - out the required information, adding a few insults to those who - disturb people in the middle of the night. -</p> -<p> - The house inhabited by the clerk had neither bell, knocker, nor - porter. Charles knocked loudly at the shutters with his hands. A - policeman happened to pass by. Then he was frightened, and went - away. -</p> -<p> - "I am mad," he said; "no doubt they kept her to dinner at - Monsieur Lormeaux'." But the Lormeaux no longer lived at Rouen. -</p> -<p> - "She probably stayed to look after Madame Dubreuil. Why, Madame - Dubreuil has been dead these ten months! Where can she be?" -</p> -<p> - An idea occurred to him. At a cafe he asked for a Directory, and - hurriedly looked for the name of Mademoiselle Lempereur, who - lived at No. 74 Rue de la Renelle-des-Maroquiniers. -</p> -<p> - As he was turning into the street, Emma herself appeared at the - other end of it. He threw himself upon her rather than embraced - her, crying— -</p> -<p> - "What kept you yesterday?" -</p> -<p> - "I was not well." -</p> -<p> - "What was it? Where? How?" -</p> -<p> - She passed her hand over her forehead and answered, "At - Mademoiselle Lempereur's." -</p> -<p> - "I was sure of it! I was going there." -</p> -<p> - "Oh, it isn't worth while," said Emma. "She went out just now; - but for the future don't worry. I do not feel free, you see, if I - know that the least delay upsets you like this." -</p> -<p> - This was a sort of permission that she gave herself, so as to get - perfect freedom in her escapades. And she profited by it freely, - fully. When she was seized with the desire to see Leon, she set - out upon any pretext; and as he was not expecting her on that - day, she went to fetch him at his office. -</p> -<p> - It was a great delight at first, but soon he no longer concealed - the truth, which was, that his master complained very much about - these interruptions. -</p> -<p> - "Pshaw! come along," she said. -</p> -<p> - And he slipped out. -</p> -<p> - She wanted him to dress all in black, and grow a pointed beard, - to look like the portraits of Louis XIII. She wanted to see his - lodgings; thought them poor. He blushed at them, but she did not - notice this, then advised him to buy some curtains like hers, and - as he objected to the expense— -</p> -<p> - "Ah! ah! you care for your money," she said laughing. -</p> -<p> - Each time Leon had to tell her everything that he had done since - their last meeting. She asked him for some verses—some verses - "for herself," a "love poem" in honour of her. But he never - succeeded in getting a rhyme for the second verse; and at last - ended by copying a sonnet in a "Keepsake." This was less from - vanity than from the one desire of pleasing her. He did not - question her ideas; he accepted all her tastes; he was rather - becoming her mistress than she his. She had tender words and - kisses that thrilled his soul. Where could she have learnt this - corruption almost incorporeal in the strength of its profanity - and dissimulation? -</p> -<a name="2HCH33"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Six -</h2> -<p> - During the journeys he made to see her, Leon had often dined at - the chemist's, and he felt obliged from politeness to invite him - in turn. -</p> -<p> - "With pleasure!" Monsieur Homais replied; "besides, I must - invigorate my mind, for I am getting rusty here. We'll go to the - theatre, to the restaurant; we'll make a night of it." -</p> -<p> - "Oh, my dear!" tenderly murmured Madame Homais, alarmed at the - vague perils he was preparing to brave. -</p> -<p> - "Well, what? Do you think I'm not sufficiently ruining my health - living here amid the continual emanations of the pharmacy? But - there! that is the way with women! They are jealous of science, - and then are opposed to our taking the most legitimate - distractions. No matter! Count upon me. One of these days I shall - turn up at Rouen, and we'll go the pace together." -</p> -<p> - The druggist would formerly have taken good care not to use such - an expression, but he was cultivating a gay Parisian style, which - he thought in the best taste; and, like his neighbour, Madame - Bovary, he questioned the clerk curiously about the customs of - the capital; he even talked slang to dazzle the bourgeois, saying - bender, crummy, dandy, macaroni, the cheese, cut my stick and - "I'll hook it," for "I am going." -</p> -<p> - So one Thursday Emma was surprised to meet Monsieur Homais in the - kitchen of the "Lion d'Or," wearing a traveller's costume, that - is to say, wrapped in an old cloak which no one knew he had, - while he carried a valise in one hand and the foot-warmer of his - establishment in the other. He had confided his intentions to no - one, for fear of causing the public anxiety by his absence. -</p> -<p> - The idea of seeing again the place where his youth had been spent - no doubt excited him, for during the whole journey he never - ceased talking, and as soon as he had arrived, he jumped quickly - out of the diligence to go in search of Leon. In vain the clerk - tried to get rid of him. Monsieur Homais dragged him off to the - large Cafe de la Normandie, which he entered majestically, not - raising his hat, thinking it very provincial to uncover in any - public place. -</p> -<p> - Emma waited for Leon three quarters of an hour. At last she ran - to his office; and, lost in all sorts of conjectures, accusing - him of indifference, and reproaching herself for her weakness, - she spent the afternoon, her face pressed against the - window-panes. -</p> -<p> - At two o'clock they were still at a table opposite each other. - The large room was emptying; the stove-pipe, in the shape of a - palm-tree, spread its gilt leaves over the white ceiling, and - near them, outside the window, in the bright sunshine, a little - fountain gurgled in a white basin, where; in the midst of - watercress and asparagus, three torpid lobsters stretched across - to some quails that lay heaped up in a pile on their sides. -</p> -<p> - Homais was enjoying himself. Although he was even more - intoxicated with the luxury than the rich fare, the Pommard wine - all the same rather excited his faculties; and when the omelette - au rhum* appeared, he began propounding immoral theories about - women. What seduced him above all else was chic. He admired an - elegant toilette in a well-furnished apartment, and as to bodily - qualities, he didn't dislike a young girl. -</p> -<p> - * In rum. -</p> -<p> - Leon watched the clock in despair. The druggist went on drinking, - eating, and talking. -</p> -<p> - "You must be very lonely," he said suddenly, "here at Rouen. To - be sure your lady-love doesn't live far away." -</p> -<p> - And the other blushed— -</p> -<p> - "Come now, be frank. Can you deny that at Yonville—" -</p> -<p> - The young man stammered something. -</p> -<p> - "At Madame Bovary's, you're not making love to—" -</p> -<p> - "To whom?" -</p> -<p> - "The servant!" -</p> -<p> - He was not joking; but vanity getting the better of all prudence, - Leon, in spite of himself protested. Besides, he only liked dark - women. -</p> -<p> - "I approve of that," said the chemist; "they have more passion." -</p> -<p> - And whispering into his friend's ear, he pointed out the symptoms - by which one could find out if a woman had passion. He even - launched into an ethnographic digression: the German was - vapourish, the French woman licentious, the Italian passionate. -</p> -<p> - "And negresses?" asked the clerk. -</p> -<p> - "They are an artistic taste!" said Homais. "Waiter! two cups of - coffee!" -</p> -<p> - "Are we going?" at last asked Leon impatiently. -</p> -<p> - "Ja!" -</p> -<p> - But before leaving he wanted to see the proprietor of the - establishment and made him a few compliments. Then the young man, - to be alone, alleged he had some business engagement. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! I will escort you," said Homais. -</p> -<p> - And all the while he was walking through the streets with him he - talked of his wife, his children; of their future, and of his - business; told him in what a decayed condition it had formerly - been, and to what a degree of perfection he had raised it. -</p> -<p> - Arrived in front of the Hotel de Boulogne, Leon left him - abruptly, ran up the stairs, and found his mistress in great - excitement. At mention of the chemist she flew into a passion. - He, however, piled up good reasons; it wasn't his fault; didn't - she know Homais—did she believe that he would prefer his - company? But she turned away; he drew her back, and, sinking on - his knees, clasped her waist with his arms in a languorous pose, - full of concupiscence and supplication. -</p> -<p> - She was standing up, her large flashing eyes looked at him - seriously, almost terribly. Then tears obscured them, her red - eyelids were lowered, she gave him her hands, and Leon was - pressing them to his lips when a servant appeared to tell the - gentleman that he was wanted. -</p> -<p> - "You will come back?" she said. -</p> -<p> - "Yes." -</p> -<p> - "But when?" -</p> -<p> - "Immediately." -</p> -<p> - "It's a trick," said the chemist, when he saw Leon. "I wanted to - interrupt this visit, that seemed to me to annoy you. Let's go - and have a glass of garus at Bridoux'." -</p> -<p> - Leon vowed that he must get back to his office. Then the druggist - joked him about quill-drivers and the law. -</p> -<p> - "Leave Cujas and Barthole alone a bit. Who the devil prevents - you? Be a man! Let's go to Bridoux'. You'll see his dog. It's - very interesting." -</p> -<p> - And as the clerk still insisted— -</p> -<p> - "I'll go with you. I'll read a paper while I wait for you, or - turn over the leaves of a 'Code.'" -</p> -<p> - Leon, bewildered by Emma's anger, Monsieur Homais' chatter, and, - perhaps, by the heaviness of the luncheon, was undecided, and, as - it were, fascinated by the chemist, who kept repeating— -</p> -<p> - "Let's go to Bridoux'. It's just by here, in the Rue Malpalu." -</p> -<p> - Then, through cowardice, through stupidity, through that - indefinable feeling that drags us into the most distasteful acts, - he allowed himself to be led off to Bridoux', whom they found in - his small yard, superintending three workmen, who panted as they - turned the large wheel of a machine for making seltzer-water. - Homais gave them some good advice. He embraced Bridoux; they took - some garus. Twenty times Leon tried to escape, but the other - seized him by the arm saying— -</p> -<p> - "Presently! I'm coming! We'll go to the 'Fanal de Rouen' to see - the fellows there. I'll introduce you to Thornassin." -</p> -<p> - At last he managed to get rid of him, and rushed straight to the - hotel. Emma was no longer there. She had just gone in a fit of - anger. She detested him now. This failing to keep their - rendezvous seemed to her an insult, and she tried to rake up - other reasons to separate herself from him. He was incapable of - heroism, weak, banal, more spiritless than a woman, avaricious - too, and cowardly. -</p> -<p> - Then, growing calmer, she at length discovered that she had, no - doubt, calumniated him. But the disparaging of those we love - always alienates us from them to some extent. We must not touch - our idols; the gilt sticks to our fingers. -</p> -<p> - They gradually came to talking more frequently of matters outside - their love, and in the letters that Emma wrote him she spoke of - flowers, verses, the moon and the stars, naive resources of a - waning passion striving to keep itself alive by all external - aids. She was constantly promising herself a profound felicity on - her next journey. Then she confessed to herself that she felt - nothing extraordinary. This disappointment quickly gave way to a - new hope, and Emma returned to him more inflamed, more eager than - ever. She undressed brutally, tearing off the thin laces of her - corset that nestled around her hips like a gliding snake. She - went on tiptoe, barefooted, to see once more that the door was - closed, then, pale, serious, and, without speaking, with one - movement, she threw herself upon his breast with a long shudder. -</p> -<p> - Yet there was upon that brow covered with cold drops, on those - quivering lips, in those wild eyes, in the strain of those arms, - something vague and dreary that seemed to Leon to glide between - them subtly as if to separate them. -</p> -<p> - He did not dare to question her; but, seeing her so skilled, she - must have passed, he thought, through every experience of - suffering and of pleasure. What had once charmed now frightened - him a little. Besides, he rebelled against his absorption, daily - more marked, by her personality. He begrudged Emma this constant - victory. He even strove not to love her; then, when he heard the - creaking of her boots, he turned coward, like drunkards at the - sight of strong drinks. -</p> -<p> - She did not fail, in truth, to lavish all sorts of attentions - upon him, from the delicacies of food to the coquettries of dress - and languishing looks. She brought roses to her breast from - Yonville, which she threw into his face; was anxious about his - health, gave him advice as to his conduct; and, in order the more - surely to keep her hold on him, hoping perhaps that heaven would - take her part, she tied a medal of the Virgin round his neck. She - inquired like a virtuous mother about his companions. She said to - him— -</p> -<p> - "Don't see them; don't go out; think only of ourselves; love me!" -</p> -<p> - She would have liked to be able to watch over his life; and the - idea occurred to her of having him followed in the streets. Near - the hotel there was always a kind of loafer who accosted - travellers, and who would not refuse. But her pride revolted at - this. -</p> -<p> - "Bah! so much the worse. Let him deceive me! What does it matter - to me? As If I cared for him!" -</p> -<p> - One day, when they had parted early and she was returning alone - along the boulevard, she saw the walls of her convent; then she - sat down on a form in the shade of the elm-trees. How calm that - time had been! How she longed for the ineffable sentiments of - love that she had tried to figure to herself out of books! The - first month of her marriage, her rides in the wood, the viscount - that waltzed, and Lagardy singing, all repassed before her eyes. - And Leon suddenly appeared to her as far off as the others. -</p> -<p> - "Yet I love him," she said to herself. -</p> -<p> - No matter! She was not happy—she never had been. Whence came - this insufficiency in life—this instantaneous turning to decay - of everything on which she leant? But if there were somewhere a - being strong and beautiful, a valiant nature, full at once of - exaltation and refinement, a poet's heart in an angel's form, a - lyre with sounding chords ringing out elegiac epithalamia to - heaven, why, perchance, should she not find him? Ah! how - impossible! Besides, nothing was worth the trouble of seeking it; - everything was a lie. Every smile hid a yawn of boredom, every - joy a curse, all pleasure satiety, and the sweetest kisses left - upon your lips only the unattainable desire for a greater - delight. -</p> -<p> - A metallic clang droned through the air, and four strokes were - heard from the convent-clock. Four o'clock! And it seemed to her - that she had been there on that form an eternity. But an infinity - of passions may be contained in a minute, like a crowd in a small - space. -</p> -<p> - Emma lived all absorbed in hers, and troubled no more about money - matters than an archduchess. -</p> -<p> - Once, however, a wretched-looking man, rubicund and bald, came to - her house, saying he had been sent by Monsieur Vincart of Rouen. - He took out the pins that held together the side-pockets of his - long green overcoat, stuck them into his sleeve, and politely - handed her a paper. -</p> -<p> - It was a bill for seven hundred francs, signed by her, and which - Lheureux, in spite of all his professions, had paid away to - Vincart. She sent her servant for him. He could not come. Then - the stranger, who had remained standing, casting right and left - curious glances, that his thick, fair eyebrows hid, asked with a - naive air— -</p> -<p> - "What answer am I to take Monsieur Vincart?" -</p> -<p> - "Oh," said Emma, "tell him that I haven't it. I will send next - week; he must wait; yes, till next week." -</p> -<p> - And the fellow went without another word. -</p> -<p> - But the next day at twelve o'clock she received a summons, and - the sight of the stamped paper, on which appeared several times - in large letters, "Maitre Hareng, bailiff at Buchy," so - frightened her that she rushed in hot haste to the linendraper's. - She found him in his shop, doing up a parcel. -</p> -<p> - "Your obedient!" he said; "I am at your service." -</p> -<p> - But Lheureux, all the same, went on with his work, helped by a - young girl of about thirteen, somewhat hunch-backed, who was at - once his clerk and his servant. -</p> -<p> - Then, his clogs clattering on the shop-boards, he went up in - front of Madame Bovary to the first door, and introduced her into - a narrow closet, where, in a large bureau in sapon-wood, lay some - ledgers, protected by a horizontal padlocked iron bar. Against - the wall, under some remnants of calico, one glimpsed a safe, but - of such dimensions that it must contain something besides bills - and money. Monsieur Lheureux, in fact, went in for pawnbroking, - and it was there that he had put Madame Bovary's gold chain, - together with the earrings of poor old Tellier, who, at last - forced to sell out, had bought a meagre store of grocery at - Quincampoix, where he was dying of catarrh amongst his candles, - that were less yellow than his face. -</p> -<p> - Lheureux sat down in a large cane arm-chair, saying: "What news?" -</p> -<p> - "See!" -</p> -<p> - And she showed him the paper. -</p> -<p> - "Well how can I help it?" -</p> -<p> - Then she grew angry, reminding him of the promise he had given - not to pay away her bills. He acknowledged it. -</p> -<p> - "But I was pressed myself; the knife was at my own throat." -</p> -<p> - "And what will happen now?" she went on. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, it's very simple; a judgment and then a distraint—that's - about it!" -</p> -<p> - Emma kept down a desire to strike him, and asked gently if there - was no way of quieting Monsieur Vincart. -</p> -<p> - "I dare say! Quiet Vincart! You don't know him; he's more - ferocious than an Arab!" -</p> -<p> - Still Monsieur Lheureux must interfere. -</p> -<p> - "Well, listen. It seems to me so far I've been very good to you." - And opening one of his ledgers, "See," he said. Then running up - the page with his finger, "Let's see! let's see! August 3d, two - hundred francs; June 17th, a hundred and fifty; March 23d, - forty-six. In April—" -</p> -<p> - He stopped, as if afraid of making some mistake. -</p> -<p> - "Not to speak of the bills signed by Monsieur Bovary, one for - seven hundred francs, and another for three hundred. As to your - little installments, with the interest, why, there's no end to - 'em; one gets quite muddled over 'em. I'll have nothing more to - do with it." -</p> -<p> - She wept; she even called him "her good Monsieur Lheureux." But - he always fell back upon "that rascal Vincart." Besides, he - hadn't a brass farthing; no one was paying him now-a-days; they - were eating his coat off his back; a poor shopkeeper like him - couldn't advance money. -</p> -<p> - Emma was silent, and Monsieur Lheureux, who was biting the - feathers of a quill, no doubt became uneasy at her silence, for - he went on— -</p> -<p> - "Unless one of these days I have something coming in, I might—" -</p> -<p> - "Besides," said she, "as soon as the balance of Barneville—" -</p> -<p> - "What!" -</p> -<p> - And on hearing that Langlois had not yet paid he seemed much - surprised. Then in a honied voice— -</p> -<p> - "And we agree, you say?" -</p> -<p> - "Oh! to anything you like." -</p> -<p> - On this he closed his eyes to reflect, wrote down a few figures, - and declaring it would be very difficult for him, that the affair - was shady, and that he was being bled, he wrote out four bills - for two hundred and fifty francs each, to fall due month by - month. -</p> -<p> - "Provided that Vincart will listen to me! However, it's settled. - I don't play the fool; I'm straight enough." -</p> -<p> - Next he carelessly showed her several new goods, not one of - which, however, was in his opinion worthy of madame. -</p> -<p> - "When I think that there's a dress at threepence-halfpenny a - yard, and warranted fast colours! And yet they actually swallow - it! Of course you understand one doesn't tell them what it really - is!" He hoped by this confession of dishonesty to others to quite - convince her of his probity to her. -</p> -<p> - Then he called her back to show her three yards of guipure that - he had lately picked up "at a sale." -</p> -<p> - "Isn't it lovely?" said Lheureux. "It is very much used now for - the backs of arm-chairs. It's quite the rage." -</p> -<p> - And, more ready than a juggler, he wrapped up the guipure in some - blue paper and put it in Emma's hands. -</p> -<p> - "But at least let me know—" -</p> -<p> - "Yes, another time," he replied, turning on his heel. -</p> -<p> - That same evening she urged Bovary to write to his mother, to ask - her to send as quickly as possible the whole of the balance due - from the father's estate. The mother-in-law replied that she had - nothing more, the winding up was over, and there was due to them - besides Barneville an income of six hundred francs, that she - would pay them punctually. -</p> -<p> - Then Madame Bovary sent in accounts to two or three patients, and - she made large use of this method, which was very successful. She - was always careful to add a postscript: "Do not mention this to - my husband; you know how proud he is. Excuse me. Yours - obediently." There were some complaints; she intercepted them. -</p> -<p> - To get money she began selling her old gloves, her old hats, the - old odds and ends, and she bargained rapaciously, her peasant - blood standing her in good stead. Then on her journey to town she - picked up nick-nacks secondhand, that, in default of anyone else, - Monsieur Lheureux would certainly take off her hands. She bought - ostrich feathers, Chinese porcelain, and trunks; she borrowed - from Felicite, from Madame Lefrancois, from the landlady at the - Croix-Rouge, from everybody, no matter where. -</p> -<p> - With the money she at last received from Barneville she paid two - bills; the other fifteen hundred francs fell due. She renewed the - bills, and thus it was continually. -</p> -<p> - Sometimes, it is true, she tried to make a calculation, but she - discovered things so exorbitant that she could not believe them - possible. Then she recommenced, soon got confused, gave it all - up, and thought no more about it. -</p> -<p> - The house was very dreary now. Tradesmen were seen leaving it - with angry faces. Handkerchiefs were lying about on the stoves, - and little Berthe, to the great scandal of Madame Homais, wore - stockings with holes in them. If Charles timidly ventured a - remark, she answered roughly that it wasn't her fault. -</p> -<p> - What was the meaning of all these fits of temper? He explained - everything through her old nervous illness, and reproaching - himself with having taken her infirmities for faults, accused - himself of egotism, and longed to go and take her in his arms. -</p> -<p> - "Ah, no!" he said to himself; "I should worry her." -</p> -<p> - And he did not stir. -</p> -<p> - After dinner he walked about alone in the garden; he took little - Berthe on his knees, and unfolding his medical journal, tried to - teach her to read. But the child, who never had any lessons, soon - looked up with large, sad eyes and began to cry. Then he - comforted her; went to fetch water in her can to make rivers on - the sand path, or broke off branches from the privet hedges to - plant trees in the beds. This did not spoil the garden much, all - choked now with long weeds. They owed Lestiboudois for so many - days. Then the child grew cold and asked for her mother. -</p> -<p> - "Call the servant," said Charles. "You know, dearie, that mamma - does not like to be disturbed." -</p> -<p> - Autumn was setting in, and the leaves were already falling, as - they did two years ago when she was ill. Where would it all end? - And he walked up and down, his hands behind his back. -</p> -<p> - Madame was in her room, which no one entered. She stayed there - all day long, torpid, half dressed, and from time to time burning - Turkish pastilles which she had bought at Rouen in an Algerian's - shop. In order not to have at night this sleeping man stretched - at her side, by dint of manoeuvring, she at last succeeded in - banishing him to the second floor, while she read till morning - extravagant books, full of pictures of orgies and thrilling - situations. Often, seized with fear, she cried out, and Charles - hurried to her. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, go away!" she would say. -</p> -<p> - Or at other times, consumed more ardently than ever by that inner - flame to which adultery added fuel, panting, tremulous, all - desire, she threw open her window, breathed in the cold air, - shook loose in the wind her masses of hair, too heavy, and, - gazing upon the stars, longed for some princely love. She thought - of him, of Leon. She would then have given anything for a single - one of those meetings that surfeited her. -</p> -<p> - These were her gala days. She wanted them to be sumptuous, and - when he alone could not pay the expenses, she made up the deficit - liberally, which happened pretty well every time. He tried to - make her understand that they would be quite as comfortable - somewhere else, in a smaller hotel, but she always found some - objection. -</p> -<p> - One day she drew six small silver-gilt spoons from her bag (they - were old Roualt's wedding present), begging him to pawn them at - once for her, and Leon obeyed, though the proceeding annoyed him. - He was afraid of compromising himself. -</p> -<p> - Then, on, reflection, he began to think his mistress's ways were - growing odd, and that they were perhaps not wrong in wishing to - separate him from her. -</p> -<p> - In fact someone had sent his mother a long anonymous letter to - warn her that he was "ruining himself with a married woman," and - the good lady at once conjuring up the eternal bugbear of - families, the vague pernicious creature, the siren, the monster, - who dwells fantastically in depths of love, wrote to Lawyer - Dubocage, his employer, who behaved perfectly in the affair. He - kept him for three quarters of an hour trying to open his eyes, - to warn him of the abyss into which he was falling. Such an - intrigue would damage him later on, when he set up for himself. - He implored him to break with her, and, if he would not make this - sacrifice in his own interest, to do it at least for his, - Dubocage's sake. -</p> -<p> - At last Leon swore he would not see Emma again, and he reproached - himself with not having kept his word, considering all the worry - and lectures this woman might still draw down upon him, without - reckoning the jokes made by his companions as they sat round the - stove in the morning. Besides, he was soon to be head clerk; it - was time to settle down. So he gave up his flute, exalted - sentiments, and poetry; for every bourgeois in the flush of his - youth, were it but for a day, a moment, has believed himself - capable of immense passions, of lofty enterprises. The most - mediocre libertine has dreamed of sultanas; every notary bears - within him the debris of a poet. -</p> -<p> - He was bored now when Emma suddenly began to sob on his breast, - and his heart, like the people who can only stand a certain - amount of music, dozed to the sound of a love whose delicacies he - no longer noted. -</p> -<p> - They knew one another too well for any of those surprises of - possession that increase its joys a hundred-fold. She was as sick - of him as he was weary of her. Emma found again in adultery all - the platitudes of marriage. -</p> -<p> - But how to get rid of him? Then, though she might feel humiliated - at the baseness of such enjoyment, she clung to it from habit or - from corruption, and each day she hungered after them the more, - exhausting all felicity in wishing for too much of it. She - accused Leon of her baffled hopes, as if he had betrayed her; and - she even longed for some catastrophe that would bring about their - separation, since she had not the courage to make up her mind to - it herself. -</p> -<p> - She none the less went on writing him love letters, in virtue of - the notion that a woman must write to her lover. -</p> -<p> - But whilst she wrote it was another man she saw, a phantom - fashioned out of her most ardent memories, of her finest reading, - her strongest lusts, and at last he became so real, so tangible, - that she palpitated wondering, without, however, the power to - imagine him clearly, so lost was he, like a god, beneath the - abundance of his attributes. He dwelt in that azure land where - silk ladders hang from balconies under the breath of flowers, in - the light of the moon. She felt him near her; he was coming, and - would carry her right away in a kiss. -</p> -<p> - Then she fell back exhausted, for these transports of vague love - wearied her more than great debauchery. -</p> -<p> - She now felt constant ache all over her. Often she even received - summonses, stamped paper that she barely looked at. She would - have liked not to be alive, or to be always asleep. -</p> -<p> - On Mid-Lent she did not return to Yonville, but in the evening - went to a masked ball. She wore velvet breeches, red stockings, a - club wig, and three-cornered hat cocked on one side. She danced - all night to the wild tones of the trombones; people gathered - round her, and in the morning she found herself on the steps of - the theatre together with five or six masks, debardeuses* and - sailors, Leon's comrades, who were talking about having supper. -</p> -<p> - * People dressed as longshoremen. -</p> -<p> - The neighbouring cafes were full. They caught sight of one on the - harbour, a very indifferent restaurant, whose proprietor showed - them to a little room on the fourth floor. -</p> -<p> - The men were whispering in a corner, no doubt consorting about - expenses. There were a clerk, two medical students, and a - shopman—what company for her! As to the women, Emma soon - perceived from the tone of their voices that they must almost - belong to the lowest class. Then she was frightened, pushed back - her chair, and cast down her eyes. -</p> -<p> - The others began to eat; she ate nothing. Her head was on fire, - her eyes smarted, and her skin was ice-cold. In her head she - seemed to feel the floor of the ball-room rebounding again - beneath the rhythmical pulsation of the thousands of dancing - feet. And now the smell of the punch, the smoke of the cigars, - made her giddy. She fainted, and they carried her to the window. -</p> -<p> - Day was breaking, and a great stain of purple colour broadened - out in the pale horizon over the St. Catherine hills. The livid - river was shivering in the wind; there was no one on the bridges; - the street lamps were going out. -</p> -<p> - She revived, and began thinking of Berthe asleep yonder in the - servant's room. Then a cart filled with long strips of iron - passed by, and made a deafening metallic vibration against the - walls of the houses. -</p> -<p> - She slipped away suddenly, threw off her costume, told Leon she - must get back, and at last was alone at the Hotel de Boulogne. - Everything, even herself, was now unbearable to her. She wished - that, taking wing like a bird, she could fly somewhere, far away - to regions of purity, and there grow young again. -</p> -<p> - She went out, crossed the Boulevard, the Place Cauchoise, and the - Faubourg, as far as an open street that overlooked some gardens. - She walked rapidly; the fresh air calming her; and, little by - little, the faces of the crowd, the masks, the quadrilles, the - lights, the supper, those women, all disappeared like mists - fading away. Then, reaching the "Croix-Rouge," she threw herself - on the bed in her little room on the second floor, where there - were pictures of the "Tour de Nesle." At four o'clock Hivert - awoke her. -</p> -<p> - When she got home, Felicite showed her behind the clock a grey - paper. She read— -</p> -<p> - "In virtue of the seizure in execution of a judgment." -</p> -<p> - What judgment? As a matter of fact, the evening before another - paper had been brought that she had not yet seen, and she was - stunned by these words— -</p> -<p> - "By order of the king, law, and justice, to Madame Bovary." Then, - skipping several lines, she read, "Within twenty-four hours, - without fail—" But what? "To pay the sum of eight thousand - francs." And there was even at the bottom, "She will be - constrained thereto by every form of law, and notably by a writ - of distraint on her furniture and effects." -</p> -<p> - What was to be done? In twenty-four hours—tomorrow. Lheureux, - she thought, wanted to frighten her again; for she saw through - all his devices, the object of his kindnesses. What reassured her - was the very magnitude of the sum. -</p> -<p> - However, by dint of buying and not paying, of borrowing, signing - bills, and renewing these bills that grew at each new falling-in, - she had ended by preparing a capital for Monsieur Lheureux which - he was impatiently awaiting for his speculations. -</p> -<p> - She presented herself at his place with an offhand air. -</p> -<p> - "You know what has happened to me? No doubt it's a joke!" -</p> -<p> - "How so?" -</p> -<p> - He turned away slowly, and, folding his arms, said to her— -</p> -<p> - "My good lady, did you think I should go on to all eternity being - your purveyor and banker, for the love of God? Now be just. I - must get back what I've laid out. Now be just." -</p> -<p> - She cried out against the debt. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! so much the worse. The court has admitted it. There's a - judgment. It's been notified to you. Besides, it isn't my fault. - It's Vincart's." -</p> -<p> - "Could you not—?" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, nothing whatever." -</p> -<p> - "But still, now talk it over." -</p> -<p> - And she began beating about the bush; she had known nothing about - it; it was a surprise. -</p> -<p> - "Whose fault is that?" said Lheureux, bowing ironically. "While - I'm slaving like a nigger, you go gallivanting about." -</p> -<p> - "Ah! no lecturing." -</p> -<p> - "It never does any harm," he replied. -</p> -<p> - She turned coward; she implored him; she even pressed her pretty - white and slender hand against the shopkeeper's knee. -</p> -<p> - "There, that'll do! Anyone'd think you wanted to seduce me!" -</p> -<p> - "You are a wretch!" she cried. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, oh! go it! go it!" -</p> -<p> - "I will show you up. I shall tell my husband." -</p> -<p> - "All right! I too. I'll show your husband something." -</p> -<p> - And Lheureux drew from his strong box the receipt for eighteen - hundred francs that she had given him when Vincart had discounted - the bills. -</p> -<p> - "Do you think," he added, "that he'll not understand your little - theft, the poor dear man?" -</p> -<p> - She collapsed, more overcome than if felled by the blow of a - pole-axe. He was walking up and down from the window to the - bureau, repeating all the while— -</p> -<p> - "Ah! I'll show him! I'll show him!" Then he approached her, and - in a soft voice said— -</p> -<p> - "It isn't pleasant, I know; but, after all, no bones are broken, - and, since that is the only way that is left for you paying back - my money—" -</p> -<p> - "But where am I to get any?" said Emma, wringing her hands. -</p> -<p> - "Bah! when one has friends like you!" -</p> -<p> - And he looked at her in so keen, so terrible a fashion, that she - shuddered to her very heart. -</p> -<p> - "I promise you," she said, "to sign—" -</p> -<p> - "I've enough of your signatures." -</p> -<p> - "I will sell something." -</p> -<p> - "Get along!" he said, shrugging his shoulders; "you've not got - anything." -</p> -<p> - And he called through the peep-hole that looked down into the - shop— -</p> -<p> - "Annette, don't forget the three coupons of No. 14." -</p> -<p> - The servant appeared. Emma understood, and asked how much money - would be wanted to put a stop to the proceedings. -</p> -<p> - "It is too late." -</p> -<p> - "But if I brought you several thousand francs—a quarter of the - sum—a third—perhaps the whole?" -</p> -<p> - "No; it's no use!" -</p> -<p> - And he pushed her gently towards the staircase. -</p> -<p> - "I implore you, Monsieur Lheureux, just a few days more!" She was - sobbing. -</p> -<p> - "There! tears now!" -</p> -<p> - "You are driving me to despair!" -</p> -<p> - "What do I care?" said he, shutting the door. -</p> -<a name="2HCH34"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Seven -</h2> -<p> - She was stoical the next day when Maitre Hareng, the bailiff, - with two assistants, presented himself at her house to draw up - the inventory for the distraint. -</p> -<p> - They began with Bovary's consulting-room, and did not write down - the phrenological head, which was considered an "instrument of - his profession"; but in the kitchen they counted the plates; the - saucepans, the chairs, the candlesticks, and in the bedroom all - the nick-nacks on the whatnot. They examined her dresses, the - linen, the dressing-room; and her whole existence to its most - intimate details, was, like a corpse on whom a post-mortem is - made, outspread before the eyes of these three men. -</p> -<p> - Maitre Hareng, buttoned up in his thin black coat, wearing a - white choker and very tight foot-straps, repeated from time to - time—"Allow me, madame. You allow me?" Often he uttered - exclamations. "Charming! very pretty." Then he began writing - again, dipping his pen into the horn inkstand in his left hand. -</p> -<p> - When they had done with the rooms they went up to the attic. She - kept a desk there in which Rodolphe's letters were locked. It had - to be opened. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! a correspondence," said Maitre Hareng, with a discreet - smile. "But allow me, for I must make sure the box contains - nothing else." And he tipped up the papers lightly, as if to - shake out napoleons. Then she grew angered to see this coarse - hand, with fingers red and pulpy like slugs, touching these pages - against which her heart had beaten. -</p> -<p> - They went at last. Felicite came back. Emma had sent her out to - watch for Bovary in order to keep him off, and they hurriedly - installed the man in possession under the roof, where he swore he - would remain. -</p> -<p> - During the evening Charles seemed to her careworn. Emma watched - him with a look of anguish, fancying she saw an accusation in - every line of his face. Then, when her eyes wandered over the - chimney-piece ornamented with Chinese screens, over the large - curtains, the armchairs, all those things, in a word, that had, - softened the bitterness of her life, remorse seized her or rather - an immense regret, that, far from crushing, irritated her - passion. Charles placidly poked the fire, both his feet on the - fire-dogs. -</p> -<p> - Once the man, no doubt bored in his hiding-place, made a slight - noise. -</p> -<p> - "Is anyone walking upstairs?" said Charles. -</p> -<p> - "No," she replied; "it is a window that has been left open, and - is rattling in the wind." -</p> -<p> - The next day, Sunday, she went to Rouen to call on all the - brokers whose names she knew. They were at their country-places - or on journeys. She was not discouraged; and those whom she did - manage to see she asked for money, declaring she must have some, - and that she would pay it back. Some laughed in her face; all - refused. -</p> -<p> - At two o'clock she hurried to Leon, and knocked at the door. No - one answered. At length he appeared. -</p> -<p> - "What brings you here?" -</p> -<p> - "Do I disturb you?" -</p> -<p> - "No; but—" And he admitted that his landlord didn't like his - having "women" there. -</p> -<p> - "I must speak to you," she went on. -</p> -<p> - Then he took down the key, but she stopped him. -</p> -<p> - "No, no! Down there, in our home!" -</p> -<p> - And they went to their room at the Hotel de Boulogne. -</p> -<p> - On arriving she drank off a large glass of water. She was very - pale. She said to him— -</p> -<p> - "Leon, you will do me a service?" -</p> -<p> - And, shaking him by both hands that she grasped tightly, she - added— -</p> -<p> - "Listen, I want eight thousand francs." -</p> -<p> - "But you are mad!" -</p> -<p> - "Not yet." -</p> -<p> - And thereupon, telling him the story of the distraint, she - explained her distress to him; for Charles knew nothing of it; - her mother-in-law detested her; old Rouault could do nothing; but - he, Leon, he would set about finding this indispensable sum. -</p> -<p> - "How on earth can I?" -</p> -<p> - "What a coward you are!" she cried. -</p> -<p> - Then he said stupidly, "You are exaggerating the difficulty. - Perhaps, with a thousand crowns or so the fellow could be - stopped." -</p> -<p> - All the greater reason to try and do something; it was impossible - that they could not find three thousand francs. Besides, Leon, - could be security instead of her. -</p> -<p> - "Go, try, try! I will love you so!" -</p> -<p> - He went out, and came back at the end of an hour, saying, with - solemn face— -</p> -<p> - "I have been to three people with no success." -</p> -<p> - Then they remained sitting face to face at the two chimney - corners, motionless, in silence. Emma shrugged her shoulders as - she stamped her feet. He heard her murmuring— -</p> -<p> - "If I were in your place <i>I</i> should soon get some." -</p> -<p> - "But where?" -</p> -<p> - "At your office." And she looked at him. -</p> -<p> - An infernal boldness looked out from her burning eyes, and their - lids drew close together with a lascivious and encouraging look, - so that the young man felt himself growing weak beneath the mute - will of this woman who was urging him to a crime. Then he was - afraid, and to avoid any explanation he smote his forehead, - crying— -</p> -<p> - "Morel is to come back to-night; he will not refuse me, I hope" - (this was one of his friends, the son of a very rich merchant); - "and I will bring it you to-morrow," he added. -</p> -<p> - Emma did not seem to welcome this hope with all the joy he had - expected. Did she suspect the lie? He went on, blushing— -</p> -<p> - "However, if you don't see me by three o'clock do not wait for - me, my darling. I must be off now; forgive me! Goodbye!" -</p> -<p> - He pressed her hand, but it felt quite lifeless. Emma had no - strength left for any sentiment. -</p> -<p> - Four o'clock struck, and she rose to return to Yonville, - mechanically obeying the force of old habits. -</p> -<p> - The weather was fine. It was one of those March days, clear and - sharp, when the sun shines in a perfectly white sky. The Rouen - folk, in Sunday-clothes, were walking about with happy looks. She - reached the Place du Parvis. People were coming out after - vespers; the crowd flowed out through the three doors like a - stream through the three arches of a bridge, and in the middle - one, more motionless than a rock, stood the beadle. -</p> -<p> - Then she remembered the day when, all anxious and full of hope, - she had entered beneath this large nave, that had opened out - before her, less profound than her love; and she walked on - weeping beneath her veil, giddy, staggering, almost fainting. -</p> -<p> - "Take care!" cried a voice issuing from the gate of a courtyard - that was thrown open. -</p> -<p> - She stopped to let pass a black horse, pawing the ground between - the shafts of a tilbury, driven by a gentleman in sable furs. Who - was it? She knew him. The carriage darted by and disappeared. -</p> -<p> - Why, it was he—the Viscount. She turned away; the street was - empty. She was so overwhelmed, so sad, that she had to lean - against a wall to keep herself from falling. -</p> -<p> - Then she thought she had been mistaken. Anyhow, she did not know. - All within her and around her was abandoning her. She felt lost, - sinking at random into indefinable abysses, and it was almost - with joy that, on reaching the "Croix-Rouge," she saw the good - Homais, who was watching a large box full of pharmaceutical - stores being hoisted on to the "Hirondelle." In his hand he held - tied in a silk handkerchief six cheminots for his wife. -</p> -<p> - Madame Homais was very fond of these small, heavy turban-shaped - loaves, that are eaten in Lent with salt butter; a last vestige - of Gothic food that goes back, perhaps, to the time of the - Crusades, and with which the robust Normans gorged themselves of - yore, fancying they saw on the table, in the light of the yellow - torches, between tankards of hippocras and huge boars' heads, the - heads of Saracens to be devoured. The druggist's wife crunched - them up as they had done—heroically, despite her wretched teeth. - And so whenever Homais journeyed to town, he never failed to - bring her home some that he bought at the great baker's in the - Rue Massacre. -</p> -<p> - "Charmed to see you," he said, offering Emma a hand to help her - into the "Hirondelle." Then he hung up his cheminots to the cords - of the netting, and remained bare-headed in an attitude pensive - and Napoleonic. -</p> -<p> - But when the blind man appeared as usual at the foot of the hill - he exclaimed— -</p> -<p> - "I can't understand why the authorities tolerate such culpable - industries. Such unfortunates should be locked up and forced to - work. Progress, my word! creeps at a snail's pace. We are - floundering about in mere barbarism." -</p> -<p> - The blind man held out his hat, that flapped about at the door, - as if it were a bag in the lining that had come unnailed. -</p> -<p> - "This," said the chemist, "is a scrofulous affection." -</p> -<p> - And though he knew the poor devil, he pretended to see him for - the first time, murmured something about "cornea," "opaque - cornea," "sclerotic," "facies," then asked him in a paternal - tone— -</p> -<p> - "My friend, have you long had this terrible infirmity? Instead of - getting drunk at the public, you'd do better to die yourself." -</p> -<p> - He advised him to take good wine, good beer, and good joints. The - blind man went on with his song; he seemed, moreover, almost - idiotic. At last Monsieur Homais opened his purse— -</p> -<p> - "Now there's a sou; give me back two lairds, and don't forget my - advice: you'll be the better for it." -</p> -<p> - Hivert openly cast some doubt on the efficacy of it. But the - druggist said that he would cure himself with an antiphlogistic - pomade of his own composition, and he gave his address—"Monsieur - Homais, near the market, pretty well known." -</p> -<p> - "Now," said Hivert, "for all this trouble you'll give us your - performance." -</p> -<p> - The blind man sank down on his haunches, with his head thrown - back, whilst he rolled his greenish eyes, lolled out his tongue, - and rubbed his stomach with both hands as he uttered a kind of - hollow yell like a famished dog. Emma, filled with disgust, threw - him over her shoulder a five-franc piece. It was all her fortune. - It seemed to her very fine thus to throw it away. -</p> -<p> - The coach had gone on again when suddenly Monsieur Homais leant - out through the window, crying— -</p> -<p> - "No farinaceous or milk food, wear wool next the skin, and expose - the diseased parts to the smoke of juniper berries." -</p> -<p> - The sight of the well-known objects that defiled before her eyes - gradually diverted Emma from her present trouble. An intolerable - fatigue overwhelmed her, and she reached her home stupefied, - discouraged, almost asleep. -</p> -<p> - "Come what may come!" she said to herself. "And then, who knows? - Why, at any moment could not some extraordinary event occur? - Lheureux even might die!" -</p> -<p> - At nine o'clock in the morning she was awakened by the sound of - voices in the Place. There was a crowd round the market reading a - large bill fixed to one of the posts, and she saw Justin, who was - climbing on to a stone and tearing down the bill. But at this - moment the rural guard seized him by the collar. Monsieur Homais - came out of his shop, and Mere Lefrangois, in the midst of the - crowd, seemed to be perorating. -</p> -<p> - "Madame! madame!" cried Felicite, running in, "it's abominable!" -</p> -<p> - And the poor girl, deeply moved, handed her a yellow paper that - she had just torn off the door. Emma read with a glance that all - her furniture was for sale. -</p> -<p> - Then they looked at one another silently. The servant and - mistress had no secret one from the other. At last Felicite - sighed— -</p> -<p> - "If I were you, madame, I should go to Monsieur Guillaumin." -</p> -<p> - "Do you think—" -</p> -<p> - And this question meant to say— -</p> -<p> - "You who know the house through the servant, has the master - spoken sometimes of me?" -</p> -<p> - "Yes, you'd do well to go there." -</p> -<p> - She dressed, put on her black gown, and her hood with jet beads, - and that she might not be seen (there was still a crowd on the - Place), she took the path by the river, outside the village. -</p> -<p> - She reached the notary's gate quite breathless. The sky was - sombre, and a little snow was falling. At the sound of the bell, - Theodore in a red waistcoat appeared on the steps; he came to - open the door almost familiarly, as to an acquaintance, and - showed her into the dining-room. -</p> -<p> - A large porcelain stove crackled beneath a cactus that filled up - the niche in the wall, and in black wood frames against the - oak-stained paper hung Steuben's "Esmeralda" and Schopin's - "Potiphar." The ready-laid table, the two silver chafing-dishes, - the crystal door-knobs, the parquet and the furniture, all shone - with a scrupulous, English cleanliness; the windows were - ornamented at each corner with stained glass. -</p> -<p> - "Now this," thought Emma, "is the dining-room I ought to have." -</p> -<p> - The notary came in pressing his palm-leaf dressing-gown to his - breast with his left arm, while with the other hand he raised and - quickly put on again his brown velvet cap, pretentiously cocked - on the right side, whence looked out the ends of three fair curls - drawn from the back of the head, following the line of his bald - skull. -</p> -<p> - After he had offered her a seat he sat down to breakfast, - apologising profusely for his rudeness. -</p> -<p> - "I have come," she said, "to beg you, sir—" -</p> -<p> - "What, madame? I am listening." -</p> -<p> - And she began explaining her position to him. Monsieur Guillaumin - knew it, being secretly associated with the linendraper, from - whom he always got capital for the loans on mortgages that he was - asked to make. -</p> -<p> - So he knew (and better than she herself) the long story of the - bills, small at first, bearing different names as endorsers, made - out at long dates, and constantly renewed up to the day, when, - gathering together all the protested bills, the shopkeeper had - bidden his friend Vincart take in his own name all the necessary - proceedings, not wishing to pass for a tiger with his - fellow-citizens. -</p> -<p> - She mingled her story with recriminations against Lheureux, to - which the notary replied from time to time with some - insignificant word. Eating his cutlet and drinking his tea, he - buried his chin in his sky-blue cravat, into which were thrust - two diamond pins, held together by a small gold chain; and he - smiled a singular smile, in a sugary, ambiguous fashion. But - noticing that her feet were damp, he said— -</p> -<p> - "Do get closer to the stove; put your feet up against the - porcelain." -</p> -<p> - She was afraid of dirtying it. The notary replied in a gallant - tone— -</p> -<p> - "Beautiful things spoil nothing." -</p> -<p> - Then she tried to move him, and, growing moved herself, she began - telling him about the poorness of her home, her worries, her - wants. He could understand that; an elegant woman! and, without - leaving off eating, he had turned completely round towards her, - so that his knee brushed against her boot, whose sole curled - round as it smoked against the stove. -</p> -<p> - But when she asked for a thousand sous, he closed his lips, and - declared he was very sorry he had not had the management of her - fortune before, for there were hundreds of ways very convenient, - even for a lady, of turning her money to account. They might, - either in the turf-peats of Grumesnil or building-ground at - Havre, almost without risk, have ventured on some excellent - speculations; and he let her consume herself with rage at the - thought of the fabulous sums that she would certainly have made. -</p> -<p> - "How was it," he went on, "that you didn't come to me?" -</p> -<p> - "I hardly know," she said. -</p> -<p> - "Why, hey? Did I frighten you so much? It is I, on the contrary, - who ought to complain. We hardly know one another; yet I am very - devoted to you. You do not doubt that, I hope?" -</p> -<p> - He held out his hand, took hers, covered it with a greedy kiss, - then held it on his knee; and he played delicately with her - fingers whilst he murmured a thousand blandishments. His insipid - voice murmured like a running brook; a light shone in his eyes - through the glimmering of his spectacles, and his hand was - advancing up Emma's sleeve to press her arm. She felt against her - cheek his panting breath. This man oppressed her horribly. -</p> -<p> - She sprang up and said to him— -</p> -<p> - "Sir, I am waiting." -</p> -<p> - "For what?" said the notary, who suddenly became very pale. -</p> -<p> - "This money." -</p> -<p> - "But—" Then, yielding to the outburst of too powerful a desire, - "Well, yes!" -</p> -<p> - He dragged himself towards her on his knees, regardless of his - dressing-gown. -</p> -<p> - "For pity's sake, stay. I love you!" -</p> -<p> - He seized her by her waist. Madame Bovary's face flushed purple. - She recoiled with a terrible look, crying— -</p> -<p> - "You are taking a shameless advantage of my distress, sir! I am - to be pitied—not to be sold." -</p> -<p> - And she went out. -</p> -<p> - The notary remained quite stupefied, his eyes fixed on his fine - embroidered slippers. They were a love gift, and the sight of - them at last consoled him. Besides, he reflected that such an - adventure might have carried him too far. -</p> -<p> - "What a wretch! what a scoundrel! what an infamy!" she said to - herself, as she fled with nervous steps beneath the aspens of the - path. The disappointment of her failure increased the indignation - of her outraged modesty; it seemed to her that Providence pursued - her implacably, and, strengthening herself in her pride, she had - never felt so much esteem for herself nor so much contempt for - others. A spirit of warfare transformed her. She would have liked - to strike all men, to spit in their faces, to crush them, and she - walked rapidly straight on, pale, quivering, maddened, searching - the empty horizon with tear-dimmed eyes, and as it were rejoicing - in the hate that was choking her. -</p> -<p> - When she saw her house a numbness came over her. She could not go - on; and yet she must. Besides, whither could she flee? -</p> -<p> - Felicite was waiting for her at the door. "Well?" -</p> -<p> - "No!" said Emma. -</p> -<p> - And for a quarter of an hour the two of them went over the - various persons in Yonville who might perhaps be inclined to help - her. But each time that Felicite named someone Emma replied— -</p> -<p> - "Impossible! they will not!" -</p> -<p> - "And the master'll soon be in." -</p> -<p> - "I know that well enough. Leave me alone." -</p> -<p> - She had tried everything; there was nothing more to be done now; - and when Charles came in she would have to say to him— -</p> -<p> - "Go away! This carpet on which you are walking is no longer ours. - In your own house you do not possess a chair, a pin, a straw, and - it is I, poor man, who have ruined you." -</p> -<p> - Then there would be a great sob; next he would weep abundantly, - and at last, the surprise past, he would forgive her. -</p> -<p> - "Yes," she murmured, grinding her teeth, "he will forgive me, he - who would give a million if I would forgive him for having known - me! Never! never!" -</p> -<p> - This thought of Bovary's superiority to her exasperated her. - Then, whether she confessed or did not confess, presently, - immediately, to-morrow, he would know the catastrophe all the - same; so she must wait for this horrible scene, and bear the - weight of his magnanimity. The desire to return to Lheureux's - seized her—what would be the use? To write to her father—it was - too late; and perhaps, she began to repent now that she had not - yielded to that other, when she heard the trot of a horse in the - alley. It was he; he was opening the gate; he was whiter than the - plaster wall. Rushing to the stairs, she ran out quickly to the - square; and the wife of the mayor, who was talking to - Lestiboudois in front of the church, saw her go in to the - tax-collector's. -</p> -<p> - She hurried off to tell Madame Caron, and the two ladies went up - to the attic, and, hidden by some linen spread across props, - stationed themselves comfortably for overlooking the whole of - Binet's room. -</p> -<p> - He was alone in his garret, busy imitating in wood one of those - indescribable bits of ivory, composed of crescents, of spheres - hollowed out one within the other, the whole as straight as an - obelisk, and of no use whatever; and he was beginning on the last - piece—he was nearing his goal. In the twilight of the workshop - the white dust was flying from his tools like a shower of sparks - under the hoofs of a galloping horse; the two wheels were - turning, droning; Binet smiled, his chin lowered, his nostrils - distended, and, in a word, seemed lost in one of those complete - happinesses that, no doubt, belong only to commonplace - occupations, which amuse the mind with facile difficulties, and - satisfy by a realisation of that beyond which such minds have not - a dream. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! there she is!" exclaimed Madame Tuvache. -</p> -<p> - But it was impossible because of the lathe to hear what she was - saying. -</p> -<p> - At last these ladies thought they made out the word "francs," and - Madame Tuvache whispered in a low voice— -</p> -<p> - "She is begging him to give her time for paying her taxes." -</p> -<p> - "Apparently!" replied the other. -</p> -<p> - They saw her walking up and down, examining the napkin-rings, the - candlesticks, the banister rails against the walls, while Binet - stroked his beard with satisfaction. -</p> -<p> - "Do you think she wants to order something of him?" said Madame - Tuvache. -</p> -<p> - "Why, he doesn't sell anything," objected her neighbour. -</p> -<p> - The tax-collector seemed to be listening with wide-open eyes, as - if he did not understand. She went on in a tender, suppliant - manner. She came nearer to him, her breast heaving; they no - longer spoke. -</p> -<p> - "Is she making him advances?" said Madame Tuvache. Binet was - scarlet to his very ears. She took hold of his hands. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, it's too much!" -</p> -<p> - And no doubt she was suggesting something abominable to him; for - the tax-collector—yet he was brave, had fought at Bautzen and at - Lutzen, had been through the French campaign, and had even been - recommended for the cross—suddenly, as at the sight of a - serpent, recoiled as far as he could from her, crying— -</p> -<p> - "Madame! what do you mean?" -</p> -<p> - "Women like that ought to be whipped," said Madame Tuvache. -</p> -<p> - "But where is she?" continued Madame Caron, for she had - disappeared whilst they spoke; then catching sight of her going - up the Grande Rue, and turning to the right as if making for the - cemetery, they were lost in conjectures. -</p> -<p> - "Nurse Rollet," she said on reaching the nurse's, "I am choking; - unlace me!" She fell on the bed sobbing. Nurse Rollet covered her - with a petticoat and remained standing by her side. Then, as she - did not answer, the good woman withdrew, took her wheel and began - spinning flax. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, leave off!" she murmured, fancying she heard Binet's lathe. -</p> -<p> - "What's bothering her?" said the nurse to herself. "Why has she - come here?" -</p> -<p> - She had rushed thither; impelled by a kind of horror that drove - her from her home. -</p> -<p> - Lying on her back, motionless, and with staring eyes, she saw - things but vaguely, although she tried to with idiotic - persistence. She looked at the scales on the walls, two brands - smoking end to end, and a long spider crawling over her head in a - rent in the beam. At last she began to collect her thoughts. She - remembered—one day—Leon—Oh! how long ago that was—the sun was - shining on the river, and the clematis were perfuming the air. - Then, carried away as by a rushing torrent, she soon began to - recall the day before. -</p> -<p> - "What time is it?" she asked. -</p> -<p> - Mere Rollet went out, raised the fingers of her right hand to - that side of the sky that was brightest, and came back slowly, - saying— -</p> -<p> - "Nearly three." -</p> -<p> - "Ahl thanks, thanks!" -</p> -<p> - For he would come; he would have found some money. But he would, - perhaps, go down yonder, not guessing she was here, and she told - the nurse to run to her house to fetch him. -</p> -<p> - "Be quick!" -</p> -<p> - "But, my dear lady, I'm going, I'm going!" -</p> -<p> - She wondered now that she had not thought of him from the first. - Yesterday he had given his word; he would not break it. And she - already saw herself at Lheureux's spreading out her three - bank-notes on his bureau. Then she would have to invent some - story to explain matters to Bovary. What should it be? -</p> -<p> - The nurse, however, was a long while gone. But, as there was no - clock in the cot, Emma feared she was perhaps exaggerating the - length of time. She began walking round the garden, step by step; - she went into the path by the hedge, and returned quickly, hoping - that the woman would have come back by another road. At last, - weary of waiting, assailed by fears that she thrust from her, no - longer conscious whether she had been here a century or a moment, - she sat down in a corner, closed her eyes, and stopped her ears. - The gate grated; she sprang up. Before she had spoken Mere Rollet - said to her— -</p> -<p> - "There is no one at your house!" -</p> -<p> - "What?" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, no one! And the doctor is crying. He is calling for you; - they're looking for you." -</p> -<p> - Emma answered nothing. She gasped as she turned her eyes about - her, while the peasant woman, frightened at her face, drew back - instinctively, thinking her mad. Suddenly she struck her brow and - uttered a cry; for the thought of Rodolphe, like a flash of - lightning in a dark night, had passed into her soul. He was so - good, so delicate, so generous! And besides, should he hesitate - to do her this service, she would know well enough how to - constrain him to it by re-waking, in a single moment, their lost - love. So she set out towards La Huchette, not seeing that she was - hastening to offer herself to that which but a while ago had so - angered her, not in the least conscious of her prostitution. -</p> -<a name="2HCH35"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Eight -</h2> -<p> - She asked herself as she walked along, "What am I going to say? - How shall I begin?" And as she went on she recognised the - thickets, the trees, the sea-rushes on the hill, the chateau - yonder. All the sensations of her first tenderness came back to - her, and her poor aching heart opened out amorously. A warm wind - blew in her face; the melting snow fell drop by drop from the - buds to the grass. -</p> -<p> - She entered, as she used to, through the small park-gate. She - reached the avenue bordered by a double row of dense lime-trees. - They were swaying their long whispering branches to and fro. The - dogs in their kennels all barked, and the noise of their voices - resounded, but brought out no one. -</p> -<p> - She went up the large straight staircase with wooden balusters - that led to the corridor paved with dusty flags, into which - several doors in a row opened, as in a monastery or an inn. His - was at the top, right at the end, on the left. When she placed - her fingers on the lock her strength suddenly deserted her. She - was afraid, almost wished he would not be there, though this was - her only hope, her last chance of salvation. She collected her - thoughts for one moment, and, strengthening herself by the - feeling of present necessity, went in. -</p> -<p> - He was in front of the fire, both his feet on the mantelpiece, - smoking a pipe. -</p> -<p> - "What! it is you!" he said, getting up hurriedly. -</p> -<p> - "Yes, it is I, Rodolphe. I should like to ask your advice." -</p> -<p> - And, despite all her efforts, it was impossible for her to - open her lips. -</p> -<p> - "You have not changed; you are charming as ever!" -</p> -<p> - "Oh," she replied bitterly, "they are poor charms since you - disdained them." -</p> -<p> - Then he began a long explanation of his conduct, excusing himself - in vague terms, in default of being able to invent better. -</p> -<p> - She yielded to his words, still more to his voice and the sight - of him, so that, she pretended to believe, or perhaps believed; - in the pretext he gave for their rupture; this was a secret on - which depended the honour, the very life of a third person. -</p> -<p> - "No matter!" she said, looking at him sadly. "I have suffered - much." -</p> -<p> - He replied philosophically— -</p> -<p> - "Such is life!" -</p> -<p> - "Has life," Emma went on, "been good to you at least, since our - separation?" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, neither good nor bad." -</p> -<p> - "Perhaps it would have been better never to have parted." -</p> -<p> - "Yes, perhaps." -</p> -<p> - "You think so?" she said, drawing nearer, and she sighed. "Oh, - Rodolphe! if you but knew! I loved you so!" -</p> -<p> - It was then that she took his hand, and they remained some time, - their fingers intertwined, like that first day at the Show. With - a gesture of pride he struggled against this emotion. But sinking - upon his breast she said to him— -</p> -<p> - "How did you think I could live without you? One cannot lose the - habit of happiness. I was desolate. I thought I should die. I - will tell you about all that and you will see. And you—you fled - from me!" -</p> -<p> - For, all the three years, he had carefully avoided her in - consequence of that natural cowardice that characterises the - stronger sex. Emma went on, with dainty little nods, more coaxing - than an amorous kitten— -</p> -<p> - "You love others, confess it! Oh, I understand them, dear! I - excuse them. You probably seduced them as you seduced me. You are - indeed a man; you have everything to make one love you. But we'll - begin again, won't we? We will love one another. See! I am - laughing; I am happy! Oh, speak!" -</p> -<p> - And she was charming to see, with her eyes, in which trembled a - tear, like the rain of a storm in a blue corolla. -</p> -<p> - He had drawn her upon his knees, and with the back of his hand - was caressing her smooth hair, where in the twilight was mirrored - like a golden arrow one last ray of the sun. She bent down her - brow; at last he kissed her on the eyelids quite gently with the - tips of his lips. -</p> -<p> - "Why, you have been crying! What for?" -</p> -<p> - She burst into tears. Rodolphe thought this was an outburst of - her love. As she did not speak, he took this silence for a last - remnant of resistance, and then he cried out— -</p> -<p> - "Oh, forgive me! You are the only one who pleases me. I was - imbecile and cruel. I love you. I will love you always. What is - it. Tell me!" He was kneeling by her. -</p> -<p> - "Well, I am ruined, Rodolphe! You must lend me three thousand - francs." -</p> -<p> - "But—but—" said he, getting up slowly, while his face assumed a - grave expression. -</p> -<p> - "You know," she went on quickly, "that my husband had placed his - whole fortune at a notary's. He ran away. So we borrowed; the - patients don't pay us. Moreover, the settling of the estate is - not yet done; we shall have the money later on. But to-day, for - want of three thousand francs, we are to be sold up. It is to be - at once, this very moment, and, counting upon your friendship, I - have come to you." -</p> -<p> - "Ah!" thought Rodolphe, turning very pale, "that was what she - came for." At last he said with a calm air— -</p> -<p> - "Dear madame, I have not got them." -</p> -<p> - He did not lie. If he had had them, he would, no doubt, have - given them, although it is generally disagreeable to do such fine - things: a demand for money being, of all the winds that blow upon - love, the coldest and most destructive. -</p> -<p> - First she looked at him for some moments. -</p> -<p> - "You have not got them!" she repeated several times. "You have - not got them! I ought to have spared myself this last shame. You - never loved me. You are no better than the others." -</p> -<p> - She was betraying, ruining herself. -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe interrupted her, declaring he was "hard up" himself. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! I pity you," said Emma. "Yes—very much." -</p> -<p> - And fixing her eyes upon an embossed carabine, that shone against - its panoply, "But when one is so poor one doesn't have silver on - the butt of one's gun. One doesn't buy a clock inlaid with - tortoise shell," she went on, pointing to a buhl timepiece, "nor - silver-gilt whistles for one's whips," and she touched them, "nor - charms for one's watch. Oh, he wants for nothing! even to a - liqueur-stand in his room! For you love yourself; you live well. - You have a chateau, farms, woods; you go hunting; you travel to - Paris. Why, if it were but that," she cried, taking up two studs - from the mantelpiece, "but the least of these trifles, one can - get money for them. Oh, I do not want them, keep them!" -</p> -<p> - And she threw the two links away from her, their gold chain - breaking as it struck against the wall. -</p> -<p> - "But I! I would have given you everything. I would have sold all, - worked for you with my hands, I would have begged on the - highroads for a smile, for a look, to hear you say 'Thanks!' And - you sit there quietly in your arm-chair, as if you had not made - me suffer enough already! But for you, and you know it, I might - have lived happily. What made you do it? Was it a bet? Yet you - loved me—you said so. And but a moment since—Ah! it would have - been better to have driven me away. My hands are hot with your - kisses, and there is the spot on the carpet where at my knees you - swore an eternity of love! You made me believe you; for two years - you held me in the most magnificent, the sweetest dream! Eh! Our - plans for the journey, do you remember? Oh, your letter! your - letter! it tore my heart! And then when I come back to him—to - him, rich, happy, free—to implore the help the first stranger - would give, a suppliant, and bringing back to him all my - tenderness, he repulses me because it would cost him three - thousand francs!" -</p> -<p> - "I haven't got them," replied Rodolphe, with that perfect calm - with which resigned rage covers itself as with a shield. -</p> -<p> - She went out. The walls trembled, the ceiling was crushing her, - and she passed back through the long alley, stumbling against the - heaps of dead leaves scattered by the wind. At last she reached - the ha-ha hedge in front of the gate; she broke her nails against - the lock in her haste to open it. Then a hundred steps farther - on, breathless, almost falling, she stopped. And now turning - round, she once more saw the impassive chateau, with the park, - the gardens, the three courts, and all the windows of the facade. -</p> -<p> - She remained lost in stupor, and having no more consciousness of - herself than through the beating of her arteries, that she seemed - to hear bursting forth like a deafening music filling all the - fields. The earth beneath her feet was more yielding than the - sea, and the furrows seemed to her immense brown waves breaking - into foam. Everything in her head, of memories, ideas, went off - at once like a thousand pieces of fireworks. She saw her father, - Lheureux's closet, their room at home, another landscape. Madness - was coming upon her; she grew afraid, and managed to recover - herself, in a confused way, it is true, for she did not in the - least remember the cause of the terrible condition she was in, - that is to say, the question of money. She suffered only in her - love, and felt her soul passing from her in this memory; as - wounded men, dying, feel their life ebb from their bleeding - wounds. -</p> -<p> - Night was falling, crows were flying about. -</p> -<p> - Suddenly it seemed to her that fiery spheres were exploding in - the air like fulminating balls when they strike, and were - whirling, whirling, to melt at last upon the snow between the - branches of the trees. In the midst of each of them appeared the - face of Rodolphe. They multiplied and drew near her, penetrating, - her. It all disappeared; she recognised the lights of the houses - that shone through the fog. -</p> -<p> - Now her situation, like an abyss, rose up before her. She was - panting as if her heart would burst. Then in an ecstasy of - heroism, that made her almost joyous, she ran down the hill, - crossed the cow-plank, the foot-path, the alley, the market, and - reached the chemist's shop. She was about to enter, but at the - sound of the bell someone might come, and slipping in by the - gate, holding her breath, feeling her way along the walls, she - went as far as the door of the kitchen, where a candle stuck on - the stove was burning. Justin in his shirt-sleeves was carrying - out a dish. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! they are dining; I will wait." -</p> -<p> - He returned; she tapped at the window. He went out. -</p> -<p> - "The key! the one for upstairs where he keeps the—" -</p> -<p> - "What?" -</p> -<p> - And he looked at her, astonished at the pallor of her face, that - stood out white against the black background of the night. She - seemed to him extraordinarily beautiful and majestic as a - phantom. Without understanding what she wanted, he had the - presentiment of something terrible. -</p> -<p> - But she went on quickly in a love voice; in a sweet, melting - voice, "I want it; give it to me." -</p> -<p> - As the partition wall was thin, they could hear the clatter of - the forks on the plates in the dining-room. -</p> -<p> - She pretended that she wanted to kill the rats that kept her from - sleeping. -</p> -<p> - "I must tell master." -</p> -<p> - "No, stay!" Then with an indifferent air, "Oh, it's not worth - while; I'll tell him presently. Come, light me upstairs." -</p> -<p> - She entered the corridor into which the laboratory door opened. - Against the wall was a key labelled Capharnaum. -</p> -<p> - "Justin!" called the druggist impatiently. -</p> -<p> - "Let us go up." -</p> -<p> - And he followed her. The key turned in the lock, and she went - straight to the third shelf, so well did her memory guide her, - seized the blue jar, tore out the cork, plunged in her hand, and - withdrawing it full of a white powder, she began eating it. -</p> -<p> - "Stop!" he cried, rushing at her. -</p> -<p> - "Hush! someone will come." -</p> -<p> - He was in despair, was calling out. -</p> -<p> - "Say nothing, or all the blame will fall on your master." -</p> -<p> - Then she went home, suddenly calmed, and with something of the - serenity of one that had performed a duty. -</p> -<p> - When Charles, distracted by the news of the distraint, returned - home, Emma had just gone out. He cried aloud, wept, fainted, but - she did not return. Where could she be? He sent Felicite to - Homais, to Monsieur Tuvache, to Lheureux, to the "Lion d'Or," - everywhere, and in the intervals of his agony he saw his - reputation destroyed, their fortune lost, Berthe's future ruined. - By what?—Not a word! He waited till six in the evening. At last, - unable to bear it any longer, and fancying she had gone to Rouen, - he set out along the highroad, walked a mile, met no one, again - waited, and returned home. She had come back. -</p> -<p> - "What was the matter? Why? Explain to me." -</p> -<p> - She sat down at her writing-table and wrote a letter, which she - sealed slowly, adding the date and the hour. Then she said in a - solemn tone: -</p> -<p> - "You are to read it to-morrow; till then, I pray you, do not ask - me a single question. No, not one!" -</p> -<p> - "But—" -</p> -<p> - "Oh, leave me!" -</p> -<p> - She lay down full length on her bed. A bitter taste that she felt - in her mouth awakened her. She saw Charles, and again closed her - eyes. -</p> -<p> - She was studying herself curiously, to see if she were not - suffering. But no! nothing as yet. She heard the ticking of the - clock, the crackling of the fire, and Charles breathing as he - stood upright by her bed. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! it is but a little thing, death!" she thought. "I shall fall - asleep and all will be over." -</p> -<p> - She drank a mouthful of water and turned to the wall. The - frightful taste of ink continued. -</p> -<p> - "I am thirsty; oh! so thirsty," she sighed. -</p> -<p> - "What is it?" said Charles, who was handing her a glass. -</p> -<p> - "It is nothing! Open the window; I am choking." -</p> -<p> - She was seized with a sickness so sudden that she had hardly time - to draw out her handkerchief from under the pillow. -</p> -<p> - "Take it away," she said quickly; "throw it away." -</p> -<p> - He spoke to her; she did not answer. She lay motionless, afraid - that the slightest movement might make her vomit. But she felt an - icy cold creeping from her feet to her heart. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! it is beginning," she murmured. -</p> -<p> - "What did you say?" -</p> -<p> - She turned her head from side to side with a gentle movement full - of agony, while constantly opening her mouth as if something very - heavy were weighing upon her tongue. At eight o'clock the - vomiting began again. -</p> -<p> - Charles noticed that at the bottom of the basin there was a sort - of white sediment sticking to the sides of the porcelain. -</p> -<p> - "This is extraordinary—very singular," he repeated. -</p> -<p> - But she said in a firm voice, "No, you are mistaken." -</p> -<p> - Then gently, and almost as caressing her, he passed his hand over - her stomach. She uttered a sharp cry. He fell back - terror-stricken. -</p> -<p> - Then she began to groan, faintly at first. Her shoulders were - shaken by a strong shuddering, and she was growing paler than the - sheets in which her clenched fingers buried themselves. Her - unequal pulse was now almost imperceptible. -</p> -<p> - Drops of sweat oozed from her bluish face, that seemed as if - rigid in the exhalations of a metallic vapour. Her teeth - chattered, her dilated eyes looked vaguely about her, and to all - questions she replied only with a shake of the head; she even - smiled once or twice. Gradually, her moaning grew louder; a - hollow shriek burst from her; she pretended she was better and - that she would get up presently. But she was seized with - convulsions and cried out— -</p> -<p> - "Ah! my God! It is horrible!" -</p> -<p> - He threw himself on his knees by her bed. -</p> -<p> - "Tell me! what have you eaten? Answer, for heaven's sake!" -</p> -<p> - And he looked at her with a tenderness in his eyes such as she - had never seen. -</p> -<p> - "Well, there—there!" she said in a faint voice. He flew to the - writing-table, tore open the seal, and read aloud: "Accuse no - one." He stopped, passed his hands across his eyes, and read it - over again. -</p> -<p> - "What! help—help!" -</p> -<p> - He could only keep repeating the word: "Poisoned! poisoned!" - Felicite ran to Homais, who proclaimed it in the market-place; - Madame Lefrancois heard it at the "Lion d'Or"; some got up to go - and tell their neighbours, and all night the village was on the - alert. -</p> -<p> - Distraught, faltering, reeling, Charles wandered about the room. - He knocked against the furniture, tore his hair, and the chemist - had never believed that there could be so terrible a sight. -</p> -<p> - He went home to write to Monsieur Canivet and to Doctor - Lariviere. He lost his head, and made more than fifteen rough - copies. Hippolyte went to Neufchatel, and Justin so spurred - Bovary's horse that he left it foundered and three parts dead by - the hill at Bois-Guillaume. -</p> -<p> - Charles tried to look up his medical dictionary, but could not - read it; the lines were dancing. -</p> -<p> - "Be calm," said the druggist; "we have only to administer a - powerful antidote. What is the poison?" -</p> -<p> - Charles showed him the letter. It was arsenic. -</p> -<p> - "Very well," said Homais, "we must make an analysis." -</p> -<p> - For he knew that in cases of poisoning an analysis must be made; - and the other, who did not understand, answered— -</p> -<p> - "Oh, do anything! save her!" -</p> -<p> - Then going back to her, he sank upon the carpet, and lay there - with his head leaning against the edge of her bed, sobbing. -</p> -<p> - "Don't cry," she said to him. "Soon I shall not trouble you any - more." -</p> -<p> - "Why was it? Who drove you to it?" -</p> -<p> - She replied. "It had to be, my dear!" -</p> -<p> - "Weren't you happy? Is it my fault? I did all I could!" -</p> -<p> - "Yes, that is true—you are good—you." -</p> -<p> - And she passed her hand slowly over his hair. The sweetness of - this sensation deepened his sadness; he felt his whole being - dissolving in despair at the thought that he must lose her, just - when she was confessing more love for him than ever. And he could - think of nothing; he did not know, he did not dare; the urgent - need for some immediate resolution gave the finishing stroke to - the turmoil of his mind. -</p> -<p> - So she had done, she thought, with all the treachery; and - meanness, and numberless desires that had tortured her. She hated - no one now; a twilight dimness was settling upon her thoughts, - and, of all earthly noises, Emma heard none but the intermittent - lamentations of this poor heart, sweet and indistinct like the - echo of a symphony dying away. -</p> -<p> - "Bring me the child," she said, raising herself on her elbow. -</p> -<p> - "You are not worse, are you?" asked Charles. -</p> -<p> - "No, no!" -</p> -<p> - The child, serious, and still half-asleep, was carried in on the - servant's arm in her long white nightgown, from which her bare - feet peeped out. She looked wonderingly at the disordered room, - and half-closed her eyes, dazzled by the candles burning on the - table. They reminded her, no doubt, of the morning of New Year's - day and Mid-Lent, when thus awakened early by candle-light she - came to her mother's bed to fetch her presents, for she began - saying— -</p> -<p> - "But where is it, mamma?" And as everybody was silent, "But I - can't see my little stocking." -</p> -<p> - Felicite held her over the bed while she still kept looking - towards the mantelpiece. -</p> -<p> - "Has nurse taken it?" she asked. -</p> -<p> - And at this name, that carried her back to the memory of her - adulteries and her calamities, Madame Bovary turned away her - head, as at the loathing of another bitterer poison that rose to - her mouth. But Berthe remained perched on the bed. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, how big your eyes are, mamma! How pale you are! how hot you - are!" -</p> -<p> - Her mother looked at her. "I am frightened!" cried the child, - recoiling. -</p> -<p> - Emma took her hand to kiss it; the child struggled. -</p> -<p> - "That will do. Take her away," cried Charles, who was sobbing in - the alcove. -</p> -<p> - Then the symptoms ceased for a moment; she seemed less agitated; - and at every insignificant word, at every respiration a little - more easy, he regained hope. At last, when Canivet came in, he - threw himself into his arms. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! it is you. Thanks! You are good! But she is better. See! - look at her." -</p> -<p> - His colleague was by no means of this opinion, and, as he said of - himself, "never beating about the bush," he prescribed, an emetic - in order to empty the stomach completely. -</p> -<p> - She soon began vomiting blood. Her lips became drawn. Her limbs - were convulsed, her whole body covered with brown spots, and her - pulse slipped beneath the fingers like a stretched thread, like a - harp-string nearly breaking. -</p> -<p> - After this she began to scream horribly. She cursed the poison, - railed at it, and implored it to be quick, and thrust away with - her stiffened arms everything that Charles, in more agony than - herself, tried to make her drink. He stood up, his handkerchief - to his lips, with a rattling sound in his throat, weeping, and - choked by sobs that shook his whole body. Felicite was running - hither and thither in the room. Homais, motionless, uttered great - sighs; and Monsieur Canivet, always retaining his self-command, - nevertheless began to feel uneasy. -</p> -<p> - "The devil! yet she has been purged, and from the moment that the - cause ceases—" -</p> -<p> - "The effect must cease," said Homais, "that is evident." -</p> -<p> - "Oh, save her!" cried Bovary. -</p> -<p> - And, without listening to the chemist, who was still venturing - the hypothesis, "It is perhaps a salutary paroxysm," Canivet was - about to administer some theriac, when they heard the cracking of - a whip; all the windows rattled, and a post-chaise drawn by three - horses abreast, up to their ears in mud, drove at a gallop round - the corner of the market. It was Doctor Lariviere. -</p> -<p> - The apparition of a god would not have caused more commotion. - Bovary raised his hands; Canivet stopped short; and Homais pulled - off his skull-cap long before the doctor had come in. -</p> -<p> - He belonged to that great school of surgery begotten of Bichat, - to that generation, now extinct, of philosophical practitioners, - who, loving their art with a fanatical love, exercised it with - enthusiasm and wisdom. Everyone in his hospital trembled when he - was angry; and his students so revered him that they tried, as - soon as they were themselves in practice, to imitate him as much - as possible. So that in all the towns about they were found - wearing his long wadded merino overcoat and black frock-coat, - whose buttoned cuffs slightly covered his brawny hands—very - beautiful hands, and that never knew gloves, as though to be more - ready to plunge into suffering. Disdainful of honours, of titles, - and of academies, like one of the old Knight-Hospitallers, - generous, fatherly to the poor, and practising virtue without - believing in it, he would almost have passed for a saint if the - keenness of his intellect had not caused him to be feared as a - demon. His glance, more penetrating than his bistouries, looked - straight into your soul, and dissected every lie athwart all - assertions and all reticences. And thus he went along, full of - that debonair majesty that is given by the consciousness of great - talent, of fortune, and of forty years of a labourious and - irreproachable life. -</p> -<p> - He frowned as soon as he had passed the door when he saw the - cadaverous face of Emma stretched out on her back with her mouth - open. Then, while apparently listening to Canivet, he rubbed his - fingers up and down beneath his nostrils, and repeated— -</p> -<p> - "Good! good!" -</p> -<p> - But he made a slow gesture with his shoulders. Bovary watched - him; they looked at one another; and this man, accustomed as he - was to the sight of pain, could not keep back a tear that fell on - his shirt-frill. -</p> -<p> - He tried to take Canivet into the next room. Charles followed - him. -</p> -<p> - "She is very ill, isn't she? If we put on sinapisms? Anything! - Oh, think of something, you who have saved so many!" -</p> -<p> - Charles caught him in both his arms, and gazed at him wildly, - imploringly, half-fainting against his breast. -</p> -<p> - "Come, my poor fellow, courage! There is nothing more to be - done." -</p> -<p> - And Doctor Lariviere turned away. -</p> -<p> - "You are going?" -</p> -<p> - "I will come back." -</p> -<p> - He went out only to give an order to the coachman, with Monsieur - Canivet, who did not care either to have Emma die under his - hands. -</p> -<p> - The chemist rejoined them on the Place. He could not by - temperament keep away from celebrities, so he begged Monsieur - Lariviere to do him the signal honour of accepting some - breakfast. -</p> -<p> - He sent quickly to the "Lion d'Or" for some pigeons; to the - butcher's for all the cutlets that were to be had; to Tuvache for - cream; and to Lestiboudois for eggs; and the druggist himself - aided in the preparations, while Madame Homais was saying as she - pulled together the strings of her jacket— -</p> -<p> - "You must excuse us, sir, for in this poor place, when one hasn't - been told the night before—" -</p> -<p> - "Wine glasses!" whispered Homais. -</p> -<p> - "If only we were in town, we could fall back upon stuffed - trotters." -</p> -<p> - "Be quiet! Sit down, doctor!" -</p> -<p> - He thought fit, after the first few mouthfuls, to give some - details as to the catastrophe. -</p> -<p> - "We first had a feeling of siccity in the pharynx, then - intolerable pains at the epigastrium, super purgation, coma." -</p> -<p> - "But how did she poison herself?" -</p> -<p> - "I don't know, doctor, and I don't even know where she can have - procured the arsenious acid." -</p> -<p> - Justin, who was just bringing in a pile of plates, began to - tremble. -</p> -<p> - "What's the matter?" said the chemist. -</p> -<p> - At this question the young man dropped the whole lot on the - ground with a crash. -</p> -<p> - "Imbecile!" cried Homais. "awkward lout! block-head! confounded - ass!" -</p> -<p> - But suddenly controlling himself— -</p> -<p> - "I wished, doctor, to make an analysis, and primo I delicately - introduced a tube—" -</p> -<p> - "You would have done better," said the physician, "to introduce - your fingers into her throat." -</p> -<p> - His colleague was silent, having just before privately received a - severe lecture about his emetic, so that this good Canivet, so - arrogant and so verbose at the time of the clubfoot, was to-day - very modest. He smiled without ceasing in an approving manner. -</p> -<p> - Homais dilated in Amphytrionic pride, and the affecting thought - of Bovary vaguely contributed to his pleasure by a kind of - egotistic reflex upon himself. Then the presence of the doctor - transported him. He displayed his erudition, cited pell-mell - cantharides, upas, the manchineel, vipers. -</p> -<p> - "I have even read that various persons have found themselves - under toxicological symptoms, and, as it were, thunderstricken by - black-pudding that had been subjected to a too vehement - fumigation. At least, this was stated in a very fine report drawn - up by one of our pharmaceutical chiefs, one of our masters, the - illustrious Cadet de Gassicourt!" -</p> -<p> - Madame Homais reappeared, carrying one of those shaky machines - that are heated with spirits of wine; for Homais liked to make - his coffee at table, having, moreover, torrefied it, pulverised - it, and mixed it himself. -</p> -<p> - "Saccharum, doctor?" said he, offering the sugar. -</p> -<p> - Then he had all his children brought down, anxious to have the - physician's opinion on their constitutions. -</p> -<p> - At last Monsieur Lariviere was about to leave, when Madame Homais - asked for a consultation about her husband. He was making his - blood too thick by going to sleep every evening after dinner. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, it isn't his blood that's too thick," said the physician. -</p> -<p> - And, smiling a little at his unnoticed joke, the doctor opened - the door. But the chemist's shop was full of people; he had the - greatest difficulty in getting rid of Monsieur Tuvache, who - feared his spouse would get inflammation of the lungs, because - she was in the habit of spitting on the ashes; then of Monsieur - Binet, who sometimes experienced sudden attacks of great hunger; - and of Madame Caron, who suffered from tinglings; of Lheureux, - who had vertigo; of Lestiboudois, who had rheumatism; and of - Madame Lefrancois, who had heartburn. At last the three horses - started; and it was the general opinion that he had not shown - himself at all obliging. -</p> -<p> - Public attention was distracted by the appearance of Monsieur - Bournisien, who was going across the market with the holy oil. -</p> -<p> - Homais, as was due to his principles, compared priests to ravens - attracted by the odour of death. The sight of an ecclesiastic was - personally disagreeable to him, for the cassock made him think of - the shroud, and he detested the one from some fear of the other. -</p> -<p> - Nevertheless, not shrinking from what he called his mission, he - returned to Bovary's in company with Canivet whom Monsieur - Lariviere, before leaving, had strongly urged to make this visit; - and he would, but for his wife's objections, have taken his two - sons with him, in order to accustom them to great occasions; that - this might be a lesson, an example, a solemn picture, that should - remain in their heads later on. -</p> -<p> - The room when they went in was full of mournful solemnity. On the - work-table, covered over with a white cloth, there were five or - six small balls of cotton in a silver dish, near a large crucifix - between two lighted candles. -</p> -<p> - Emma, her chin sunken upon her breast, had her eyes inordinately - wide open, and her poor hands wandered over the sheets with that - hideous and soft movement of the dying, that seems as if they - wanted already to cover themselves with the shroud. Pale as a - statue and with eyes red as fire, Charles, not weeping, stood - opposite her at the foot of the bed, while the priest, bending - one knee, was muttering words in a low voice. -</p> -<p> - She turned her face slowly, and seemed filled with joy on seeing - suddenly the violet stole, no doubt finding again, in the midst - of a temporary lull in her pain, the lost voluptuousness of her - first mystical transports, with the visions of eternal beatitude - that were beginning. -</p> -<p> - The priest rose to take the crucifix; then she stretched forward - her neck as one who is athirst, and glueing her lips to the body - of the Man-God, she pressed upon it with all her expiring - strength the fullest kiss of love that she had ever given. Then - he recited the Misereatur and the Indulgentiam, dipped his right - thumb in the oil, and began to give extreme unction. First upon - the eyes, that had so coveted all worldly pomp; then upon the - nostrils, that had been greedy of the warm breeze and amorous - odours; then upon the mouth, that had uttered lies, that had - curled with pride and cried out in lewdness; then upon the hands - that had delighted in sensual touches; and finally upon the soles - of the feet, so swift of yore, when she was running to satisfy - her desires, and that would now walk no more. -</p> -<p> - The cure wiped his fingers, threw the bit of cotton dipped in oil - into the fire, and came and sat down by the dying woman, to tell - her that she must now blend her sufferings with those of Jesus - Christ and abandon herself to the divine mercy. -</p> -<p> - Finishing his exhortations, he tried to place in her hand a - blessed candle, symbol of the celestial glory with which she was - soon to be surrounded. Emma, too weak, could not close her - fingers, and the taper, but for Monsieur Bournisien would have - fallen to the ground. -</p> -<p> - However, she was not quite so pale, and her face had an - expression of serenity as if the sacrament had cured her. -</p> -<p> - The priest did not fail to point this out; he even explained to - Bovary that the Lord sometimes prolonged the life of persons when - he thought it meet for their salvation; and Charles remembered - the day when, so near death, she had received the communion. - Perhaps there was no need to despair, he thought. -</p> -<p> - In fact, she looked around her slowly, as one awakening from a - dream; then in a distinct voice she asked for her looking-glass, - and remained some time bending over it, until the big tears fell - from her eyes. Then she turned away her head with a sigh and fell - back upon the pillows. -</p> -<p> - Her chest soon began panting rapidly; the whole of her tongue - protruded from her mouth; her eyes, as they rolled, grew paler, - like the two globes of a lamp that is going out, so that one - might have thought her already dead but for the fearful labouring - of her ribs, shaken by violent breathing, as if the soul were - struggling to free itself. Felicite knelt down before the - crucifix, and the druggist himself slightly bent his knees, while - Monsieur Canivet looked out vaguely at the Place. Bournisien had - again begun to pray, his face bowed against the edge of the bed, - his long black cassock trailing behind him in the room. Charles - was on the other side, on his knees, his arms outstretched - towards Emma. He had taken her hands and pressed them, shuddering - at every beat of her heart, as at the shaking of a falling ruin. - As the death-rattle became stronger the priest prayed faster; his - prayers mingled with the stifled sobs of Bovary, and sometimes - all seemed lost in the muffled murmur of the Latin syllables that - tolled like a passing bell. -</p> -<p> - Suddenly on the pavement was heard a loud noise of clogs and the - clattering of a stick; and a voice rose—a raucous voice—that - sang— -</p> -<p> - "Maids in the warmth of a summer day - Dream of love and of love always" -</p> -<p> - Emma raised herself like a galvanised corpse, her hair undone, - her eyes fixed, staring. -</p> -<p> - "Where the sickle blades have been, - Nannette, gathering ears of corn, - Passes bending down, my queen, - To the earth where they were born." -</p> -<p> - "The blind man!" she cried. And Emma began to laugh, an - atrocious, frantic, despairing laugh, thinking she saw the - hideous face of the poor wretch that stood out against the - eternal night like a menace. -</p> -<p> - "The wind is strong this summer day, - Her petticoat has flown away." -</p> -<p> - She fell back upon the mattress in a convulsion. They all drew - near. She was dead. -</p> -<a name="2HCH36"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Nine -</h2> -<p> - There is always after the death of anyone a kind of stupefaction; - so difficult is it to grasp this advent of nothingness and to - resign ourselves to believe in it. But still, when he saw that - she did not move, Charles threw himself upon her, crying— -</p> -<p> - "Farewell! farewell!" -</p> -<p> - Homais and Canivet dragged him from the room. -</p> -<p> - "Restrain yourself!" -</p> -<p> - "Yes." said he, struggling, "I'll be quiet. I'll not do anything. - But leave me alone. I want to see her. She is my wife!" -</p> -<p> - And he wept. -</p> -<p> - "Cry," said the chemist; "let nature take her course; that will - solace you." -</p> -<p> - Weaker than a child, Charles let himself be led downstairs into - the sitting-room, and Monsieur Homais soon went home. On the - Place he was accosted by the blind man, who, having dragged - himself as far as Yonville, in the hope of getting the - antiphlogistic pomade, was asking every passer-by where the - druggist lived. -</p> -<p> - "There now! as if I hadn't got other fish to fry. Well, so much - the worse; you must come later on." -</p> -<p> - And he entered the shop hurriedly. -</p> -<p> - He had to write two letters, to prepare a soothing potion for - Bovary, to invent some lie that would conceal the poisoning, and - work it up into an article for the "Fanal," without counting the - people who were waiting to get the news from him; and when the - Yonvillers had all heard his story of the arsenic that she had - mistaken for sugar in making a vanilla cream. Homais once more - returned to Bovary's. -</p> -<p> - He found him alone (Monsieur Canivet had left), sitting in an - arm-chair near the window, staring with an idiotic look at the - flags of the floor. -</p> -<p> - "Now," said the chemist, "you ought yourself to fix the hour for - the ceremony." -</p> -<p> - "Why? What ceremony?" Then, in a stammering, frightened voice, - "Oh, no! not that. No! I want to see her here." -</p> -<p> - Homais, to keep himself in countenance, took up a water-bottle on - the whatnot to water the geraniums. -</p> -<p> - "Ah! thanks," said Charles; "you are good." -</p> -<p> - But he did not finish, choking beneath the crowd of memories that - this action of the druggist recalled to him. -</p> -<p> - Then to distract him, Homais thought fit to talk a little - horticulture: plants wanted humidity. Charles bowed his head in - sign of approbation. -</p> -<p> - "Besides, the fine days will soon be here again." -</p> -<p> - "Ah!" said Bovary. -</p> -<p> - The druggist, at his wit's end, began softly to draw aside the - small window-curtain. -</p> -<p> - "Hallo! there's Monsieur Tuvache passing." -</p> -<p> - Charles repeated like a machine—- -</p> -<p> - "Monsieur Tuvache passing!" -</p> -<p> - Homais did not dare to speak to him again about the funeral - arrangements; it was the priest who succeeded in reconciling him - to them. -</p> -<p> - He shut himself up in his consulting-room, took a pen, and after - sobbing for some time, wrote— -</p> -<p> - "I wish her to be buried in her wedding-dress, with white shoes, - and a wreath. Her hair is to be spread out over her shoulders. - Three coffins, one of oak, one of mahogany, one of lead. Let no - one say anything to me. I shall have strength. Over all there is - to be placed a large piece of green velvet. This is my wish; see - that it is done." -</p> -<p> - The two men were much surprised at Bovary's romantic ideas. The - chemist at once went to him and said— -</p> -<p> - "This velvet seems to me a superfetation. Besides, the expense—" -</p> -<p> - "What's that to you?" cried Charles. "Leave me! You did not love - her. Go!" -</p> -<p> - The priest took him by the arm for a turn in the garden. He - discoursed on the vanity of earthly things. God was very great, - was very good: one must submit to his decrees without a murmur; - nay, must even thank him. -</p> -<p> - Charles burst out into blasphemies: "I hate your God!" -</p> -<p> - "The spirit of rebellion is still upon you," sighed the - ecclesiastic. -</p> -<p> - Bovary was far away. He was walking with great strides along by - the wall, near the espalier, and he ground his teeth; he raised - to heaven looks of malediction, but not so much as a leaf - stirred. -</p> -<p> - A fine rain was falling: Charles, whose chest was bare, at last - began to shiver; he went in and sat down in the kitchen. -</p> -<p> - At six o'clock a noise like a clatter of old iron was heard on - the Place; it was the "Hirondelle" coming in, and he remained - with his forehead against the windowpane, watching all the - passengers get out, one after the other. Felicite put down a - mattress for him in the drawing-room. He threw himself upon it - and fell asleep. -</p> -<p> - Although a philosopher, Monsieur Homais respected the dead. So - bearing no grudge to poor Charles, he came back again in the - evening to sit up with the body; bringing with him three volumes - and a pocket-book for taking notes. -</p> -<p> - Monsieur Bournisien was there, and two large candles were burning - at the head of the bed, that had been taken out of the alcove. - The druggist, on whom the silence weighed, was not long before he - began formulating some regrets about this "unfortunate young - woman." and the priest replied that there was nothing to do now - but pray for her. -</p> -<p> - "Yet," Homais went on, "one of two things; either she died in a - state of grace (as the Church has it), and then she has no need - of our prayers; or else she departed impertinent (that is, I - believe, the ecclesiastical expression), and then—" -</p> -<p> - Bournisien interrupted him, replying testily that it was none the - less necessary to pray. -</p> -<p> - "But," objected the chemist, "since God knows all our needs, what - can be the good of prayer?" -</p> -<p> - "What!" cried the ecclesiastic, "prayer! Why, aren't you a - Christian?" -</p> -<p> - "Excuse me," said Homais; "I admire Christianity. To begin with, - it enfranchised the slaves, introduced into the world a - morality—" -</p> -<p> - "That isn't the question. All the texts-" -</p> -<p> - "Oh! oh! As to texts, look at history; it, is known that all the - texts have been falsified by the Jesuits." -</p> -<p> - Charles came in, and advancing towards the bed, slowly drew the - curtains. -</p> -<p> - Emma's head was turned towards her right shoulder, the corner of - her mouth, which was open, seemed like a black hole at the lower - part of her face; her two thumbs were bent into the palms of her - hands; a kind of white dust besprinkled her lashes, and her eyes - were beginning to disappear in that viscous pallor that looks - like a thin web, as if spiders had spun it over. The sheet sunk - in from her breast to her knees, and then rose at the tips of her - toes, and it seemed to Charles that infinite masses, an enormous - load, were weighing upon her. -</p> -<p> - The church clock struck two. They could hear the loud murmur of - the river flowing in the darkness at the foot of the terrace. - Monsieur Bournisien from time to time blew his nose noisily, and - Homais' pen was scratching over the paper. -</p> -<p> - "Come, my good friend," he said, "withdraw; this spectacle is - tearing you to pieces." -</p> -<p> - Charles once gone, the chemist and the cure recommenced their - discussions. -</p> -<p> - "Read Voltaire," said the one, "read D'Holbach, read the - 'Encyclopaedia'!" -</p> -<p> - "Read the 'Letters of some Portuguese Jews,'" said the other; - "read 'The Meaning of Christianity,' by Nicolas, formerly a - magistrate." -</p> -<p> - They grew warm, they grew red, they both talked at once without - listening to each other. Bournisien was scandalized at such - audacity; Homais marvelled at such stupidity; and they were on - the point of insulting one another when Charles suddenly - reappeared. A fascination drew him. He was continually coming - upstairs. -</p> -<p> - He stood opposite her, the better to see her, and he lost himself - in a contemplation so deep that it was no longer painful. -</p> -<p> - He recalled stories of catalepsy, the marvels of magnetism, and - he said to himself that by willing it with all his force he might - perhaps succeed in reviving her. Once he even bent towards he, - and cried in a low voice, "Emma! Emma!" His strong breathing made - the flames of the candles tremble against the wall. -</p> -<p> - At daybreak Madame Bovary senior arrived. Charles as he embraced - her burst into another flood of tears. She tried, as the chemist - had done, to make some remarks to him on the expenses of the - funeral. He became so angry that she was silent, and he even - commissioned her to go to town at once and buy what was - necessary. -</p> -<p> - Charles remained alone the whole afternoon; they had taken Berthe - to Madame Homais'; Felicite was in the room upstairs with Madame - Lefrancois. -</p> -<p> - In the evening he had some visitors. He rose, pressed their - hands, unable to speak. Then they sat down near one another, and - formed a large semicircle in front of the fire. With lowered - faces, and swinging one leg crossed over the other knee, they - uttered deep sighs at intervals; each one was inordinately bored, - and yet none would be the first to go. -</p> -<p> - Homais, when he returned at nine o'clock (for the last two days - only Homais seemed to have been on the Place), was laden with a - stock of camphor, of benzine, and aromatic herbs. He also carried - a large jar full of chlorine water, to keep off all miasmata. - Just then the servant, Madame Lefrancois, and Madame Bovary - senior were busy about Emma, finishing dressing her, and they - were drawing down the long stiff veil that covered her to her - satin shoes. -</p> -<p> - Felicite was sobbing—"Ah! my poor mistress! my poor mistress!" -</p> -<p> - "Look at her," said the landlady, sighing; "how pretty she still - is! Now, couldn't you swear she was going to get up in a minute?" -</p> -<p> - Then they bent over her to put on her wreath. They had to raise - the head a little, and a rush of black liquid issued, as if she - were vomiting, from her mouth. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, goodness! The dress; take care!" cried Madame Lefrancois. - "Now, just come and help," she said to the chemist. "Perhaps - you're afraid?" -</p> -<p> - "I afraid?" replied he, shrugging his shoulders. "I dare say! - I've seen all sorts of things at the hospital when I was studying - pharmacy. We used to make punch in the dissecting room! - Nothingness does not terrify a philosopher; and, as I often say, - I even intend to leave my body to the hospitals, in order, later - on, to serve science." -</p> -<p> - The cure on his arrival inquired how Monsieur Bovary was, and, on - the reply of the druggist, went on—"The blow, you see, is still - too recent." -</p> -<p> - Then Homais congratulated him on not being exposed, like other - people, to the loss of a beloved companion; whence there followed - a discussion on the celibacy of priests. -</p> -<p> - "For," said the chemist, "it is unnatural that a man should do - without women! There have been crimes—" -</p> -<p> - "But, good heaven!" cried the ecclesiastic, "how do you expect an - individual who is married to keep the secrets of the - confessional, for example?" -</p> -<p> - Homais fell foul of the confessional. Bournisien defended it; he - enlarged on the acts of restitution that it brought about. He - cited various anecdotes about thieves who had suddenly become - honest. Military men on approaching the tribunal of penitence had - felt the scales fall from their eyes. At Fribourg there was a - minister— -</p> -<p> - His companion was asleep. Then he felt somewhat stifled by the - over-heavy atmosphere of the room; he opened the window; this - awoke the chemist. -</p> -<p> - "Come, take a pinch of snuff," he said to him. "Take it; it'll - relieve you." -</p> -<p> - A continual barking was heard in the distance. "Do you hear that - dog howling?" said the chemist. -</p> -<p> - "They smell the dead," replied the priest. "It's like bees; they - leave their hives on the decease of any person." -</p> -<p> - Homais made no remark upon these prejudices, for he had again - dropped asleep. Monsieur Bournisien, stronger than he, went on - moving his lips gently for some time, then insensibly his chin - sank down, he let fall his big black boot, and began to snore. -</p> -<p> - They sat opposite one another, with protruding stomachs, - puffed-up faces, and frowning looks, after so much disagreement - uniting at last in the same human weakness, and they moved no - more than the corpse by their side, that seemed to be sleeping. -</p> -<p> - Charles coming in did not wake them. It was the last time; he - came to bid her farewell. -</p> -<p> - The aromatic herbs were still smoking, and spirals of bluish - vapour blended at the window-sash with the fog that was coming - in. There were few stars, and the night was warm. The wax of the - candles fell in great drops upon the sheets of the bed. Charles - watched them burn, tiring his eyes against the glare of their - yellow flame. -</p> -<p> - The watering on the satin gown shimmered white as moonlight. Emma - was lost beneath it; and it seemed to him that, spreading beyond - her own self, she blended confusedly with everything around her— - the silence, the night, the passing wind, the damp odours rising - from the ground. -</p> -<p> - Then suddenly he saw her in the garden at Tostes, on a bench - against the thorn hedge, or else at Rouen in the streets, on the - threshold of their house, in the yard at Bertaux. He again heard - the laughter of the happy boys beneath the apple-trees: the room - was filled with the perfume of her hair; and her dress rustled in - his arms with a noise like electricity. The dress was still the - same. -</p> -<p> - For a long while he thus recalled all his lost joys, her - attitudes, her movements, the sound of her voice. Upon one fit of - despair followed another, and even others, inexhaustible as the - waves of an overflowing sea. -</p> -<p> - A terrible curiosity seized him. Slowly, with the tips of his - fingers, palpitating, he lifted her veil. But he uttered a cry of - horror that awoke the other two. -</p> -<p> - They dragged him down into the sitting-room. Then Felicite came - up to say that he wanted some of her hair. -</p> -<p> - "Cut some off," replied the druggist. -</p> -<p> - And as she did not dare to, he himself stepped forward, scissors - in hand. He trembled so that he pierced the skin of the temple in - several places. At last, stiffening himself against emotion, - Homais gave two or three great cuts at random that left white - patches amongst that beautiful black hair. -</p> -<p> - The chemist and the cure plunged anew into their occupations, not - without sleeping from time to time, of which they accused each - other reciprocally at each fresh awakening. Then Monsieur - Bournisien sprinkled the room with holy water and Homais threw a - little chlorine water on the floor. -</p> -<p> - Felicite had taken care to put on the chest of drawers, for each - of them, a bottle of brandy, some cheese, and a large roll. And - the druggist, who could not hold out any longer, about four in - the morning sighed— -</p> -<p> - "My word! I should like to take some sustenance." -</p> -<p> - The priest did not need any persuading; he went out to go and say - mass, came back, and then they ate and hobnobbed, giggling a - little without knowing why, stimulated by that vague gaiety that - comes upon us after times of sadness, and at the last glass the - priest said to the druggist, as he clapped him on the shoulder— -</p> -<p> - "We shall end by understanding one another." -</p> -<p> - In the passage downstairs they met the undertaker's men, who were - coming in. Then Charles for two hours had to suffer the torture - of hearing the hammer resound against the wood. Next day they - lowered her into her oak coffin, that was fitted into the other - two; but as the bier was too large, they had to fill up the gaps - with the wool of a mattress. At last, when the three lids had - been planed down, nailed, soldered, it was placed outside in - front of the door; the house was thrown open, and the people of - Yonville began to flock round. -</p> -<p> - Old Rouault arrived, and fainted on the Place when he saw the - black cloth! -</p> -<a name="2HCH37"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Ten -</h2> -<p> - He had only received the chemist's letter thirty-six hours after - the event; and, from consideration for his feelings, Homais had - so worded it that it was impossible to make out what it was all - about. -</p> -<p> - First, the old fellow had fallen as if struck by apoplexy. Next, - he understood that she was not dead, but she might be. At last, - he had put on his blouse, taken his hat, fastened his spurs to - his boots, and set out at full speed; and the whole of the way - old Rouault, panting, was torn by anguish. Once even he was - obliged to dismount. He was dizzy; he heard voices round about - him; he felt himself going mad. -</p> -<p> - Day broke. He saw three black hens asleep in a tree. He - shuddered, horrified at this omen. Then he promised the Holy - Virgin three chasubles for the church, and that he would go - barefooted from the cemetery at Bertaux to the chapel of - Vassonville. -</p> -<p> - He entered Maromme shouting for the people of the inn, burst open - the door with a thrust of his shoulder, made for a sack of oats, - emptied a bottle of sweet cider into the manger, and again - mounted his nag, whose feet struck fire as it dashed along. -</p> -<p> - He said to himself that no doubt they would save her; the doctors - would discover some remedy surely. He remembered all the - miraculous cures he had been told about. Then she appeared to him - dead. She was there; before his eyes, lying on her back in the - middle of the road. He reined up, and the hallucination - disappeared. -</p> -<p> - At Quincampoix, to give himself heart, he drank three cups of - coffee one after the other. He fancied they had made a mistake in - the name in writing. He looked for the letter in his pocket, felt - it there, but did not dare to open it. -</p> -<p> - At last he began to think it was all a joke; someone's spite, the - jest of some wag; and besides, if she were dead, one would have - known it. But no! There was nothing extraordinary about the - country; the sky was blue, the trees swayed; a flock of sheep - passed. He saw the village; he was seen coming bending forward - upon his horse, belabouring it with great blows, the girths - dripping with blood. -</p> -<p> - When he had recovered consciousness, he fell, weeping, into - Bovary's arms: "My girl! Emma! my child! tell me—" -</p> -<p> - The other replied, sobbing, "I don't know! I don't know! It's a - curse!" -</p> -<p> - The druggist separated them. "These horrible details are useless. - I will tell this gentleman all about it. Here are the people - coming. Dignity! Come now! Philosophy!" -</p> -<p> - The poor fellow tried to show himself brave, and repeated several - times. "Yes! courage!" -</p> -<p> - "Oh," cried the old man, "so I will have, by God! I'll go along - o' her to the end!" -</p> -<p> - The bell began tolling. All was ready; they had to start. And - seated in a stall of the choir, side by side, they saw pass and - repass in front of them continually the three chanting - choristers. -</p> -<p> - The serpent-player was blowing with all his might. Monsieur - Bournisien, in full vestments, was singing in a shrill voice. He - bowed before the tabernacle, raising his hands, stretched out his - arms. Lestiboudois went about the church with his whalebone - stick. The bier stood near the lectern, between four rows of - candles. Charles felt inclined to get up and put them out. -</p> -<p> - Yet he tried to stir himself to a feeling of devotion, to throw - himself into the hope of a future life in which he should see her - again. He imagined to himself she had gone on a long journey, far - away, for a long time. But when he thought of her lying there, and - that all was over, that they would lay her in the earth, he was - seized with a fierce, gloomy, despairful rage. At times he - thought he felt nothing more, and he enjoyed this lull in his - pain, whilst at the same time he reproached himself for being a - wretch. -</p> -<p> - The sharp noise of an iron-ferruled stick was heard on the - stones, striking them at irregular intervals. It came from the - end of the church, and stopped short at the lower aisles. A man - in a coarse brown jacket knelt down painfully. It was Hippolyte, - the stable-boy at the "Lion d'Or." He had put on his new leg. -</p> -<p> - One of the choristers went round the nave making a collection, - and the coppers chinked one after the other on the silver plate. -</p> -<p> - "Oh, make haste! I am in pain!" cried Bovary, angrily throwing - him a five-franc piece. The churchman thanked him with a deep bow. -</p> -<p> - They sang, they knelt, they stood up; it was endless! He - remembered that once, in the early times, they had been to mass - together, and they had sat down on the other side, on the right, - by the wall. The bell began again. There was a great moving of - chairs; the bearers slipped their three staves under the coffin, - and everyone left the church. -</p> -<p> - Then Justin appeared at the door of the shop. He suddenly went in - again, pale, staggering. -</p> -<p> - People were at the windows to see the procession pass. Charles at - the head walked erect. He affected a brave air, and saluted with - a nod those who, coming out from the lanes or from their doors, - stood amidst the crowd. -</p> -<p> - The six men, three on either side, walked slowly, panting a - little. The priests, the choristers, and the two choirboys - recited the De profundis*, and their voices echoed over the - fields, rising and falling with their undulations. Sometimes they - disappeared in the windings of the path; but the great silver - cross rose always before the trees. -</p> -<p> - *Psalm CXXX. -</p> -<p> - The women followed in black cloaks with turned-down hoods; each - of them carried in her hands a large lighted candle, and Charles - felt himself growing weaker at this continual repetition of - prayers and torches, beneath this oppressive odour of wax and of - cassocks. A fresh breeze was blowing; the rye and colza were - sprouting, little dewdrops trembled at the roadsides and on the - hawthorn hedges. All sorts of joyous sounds filled the air; the - jolting of a cart rolling afar off in the ruts, the crowing of a - cock, repeated again and again, or the gambling of a foal running - away under the apple-trees: The pure sky was fretted with rosy - clouds; a bluish haze rested upon the cots covered with iris. - Charles as he passed recognised each courtyard. He remembered - mornings like this, when, after visiting some patient, he came - out from one and returned to her. -</p> -<p> - The black cloth bestrewn with white beads blew up from time to - time, laying bare the coffin. The tired bearers walked more - slowly, and it advanced with constant jerks, like a boat that - pitches with every wave. -</p> -<p> - They reached the cemetery. The men went right down to a place in - the grass where a grave was dug. They ranged themselves all - round; and while the priest spoke, the red soil thrown up at the - sides kept noiselessly slipping down at the corners. -</p> -<p> - Then when the four ropes were arranged the coffin was placed upon - them. He watched it descend; it seemed descending for ever. At - last a thud was heard; the ropes creaked as they were drawn up. - Then Bournisien took the spade handed to him by Lestiboudois; - with his left hand all the time sprinkling water, with the right - he vigorously threw in a large spadeful; and the wood of the - coffin, struck by the pebbles, gave forth that dread sound that - seems to us the reverberation of eternity. -</p> -<p> - The ecclesiastic passed the holy water sprinkler to his - neighbour. This was Homais. He swung it gravely, then handed it - to Charles, who sank to his knees in the earth and threw in - handfuls of it, crying, "Adieu!" He sent her kisses; he dragged - himself towards the grave, to engulf himself with her. They led - him away, and he soon grew calmer, feeling perhaps, like the - others, a vague satisfaction that it was all over. -</p> -<p> - Old Rouault on his way back began quietly smoking a pipe, which - Homais in his innermost conscience thought not quite the thing. - He also noticed that Monsieur Binet had not been present, and - that Tuvache had "made off" after mass, and that Theodore, the - notary's servant wore a blue coat, "as if one could not have got - a black coat, since that is the custom, by Jove!" And to share - his observations with others he went from group to group. They - were deploring Emma's death, especially Lheureux, who had not - failed to come to the funeral. -</p> -<p> - "Poor little woman! What a trouble for her husband!" -</p> -<p> - The druggist continued, "Do you know that but for me he would - have committed some fatal attempt upon himself?" -</p> -<p> - "Such a good woman! To think that I saw her only last Saturday in - my shop." -</p> -<p> - "I haven't had leisure," said Homais, "to prepare a few words - that I would have cast upon her tomb." -</p> -<p> - Charles on getting home undressed, and old Rouault put on his - blue blouse. It was a new one, and as he had often during the - journey wiped his eyes on the sleeves, the dye had stained his - face, and the traces of tears made lines in the layer of dust - that covered it. -</p> -<p> - Madame Bovary senior was with them. All three were silent. At - last the old fellow sighed— -</p> -<p> - "Do you remember, my friend, that I went to Tostes once when you - had just lost your first deceased? I consoled you at that time. I - thought of something to say then, but now—" Then, with a loud - groan that shook his whole chest, "Ah! this is the end for me, do - you see! I saw my wife go, then my son, and now to-day it's my - daughter." -</p> -<p> - He wanted to go back at once to Bertaux, saying that he could not - sleep in this house. He even refused to see his granddaughter. -</p> -<p> - "No, no! It would grieve me too much. Only you'll kiss her many - times for me. Good-bye! you're a good fellow! And then I shall - never forget that," he said, slapping his thigh. "Never fear, you - shall always have your turkey." -</p> -<p> - But when he reached the top of the hill he turned back, as he had - turned once before on the road of Saint-Victor when he had parted - from her. The windows of the village were all on fire beneath the - slanting rays of the sun sinking behind the field. He put his - hand over his eyes, and saw in the horizon an enclosure of walls, - where trees here and there formed black clusters between white - stones; then he went on his way at a gentle trot, for his nag had - gone lame. -</p> -<p> - Despite their fatigue, Charles and his mother stayed very long - that evening talking together. They spoke of the days of the past - and of the future. She would come to live at Yonville; she would - keep house for him; they would never part again. She was - ingenious and caressing, rejoicing in her heart at gaining once - more an affection that had wandered from her for so many years. - Midnight struck. The village as usual was silent, and Charles, - awake, thought always of her. -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe, who, to distract himself, had been rambling about the - wood all day, was sleeping quietly in his chateau, and Leon, down - yonder, always slept. -</p> -<p> - There was another who at that hour was not asleep. -</p> -<p> - On the grave between the pine-trees a child was on his knees - weeping, and his heart, rent by sobs, was beating in the shadow - beneath the load of an immense regret, sweeter than the moon and - fathomless as the night. The gate suddenly grated. It was - Lestiboudois; he came to fetch his spade, that he had forgotten. - He recognised Justin climbing over the wall, and at last knew who - was the culprit who stole his potatoes. -</p> -<a name="2HCH38"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<h2> - Chapter Eleven -</h2> -<p> - The next day Charles had the child brought back. She asked for - her mamma. They told her she was away; that she would bring her - back some playthings. Berthe spoke of her again several times, - then at last thought no more of her. The child's gaiety broke - Bovary's heart, and he had to bear besides the intolerable - consolations of the chemist. -</p> -<p> - Money troubles soon began again, Monsieur Lheureux urging on anew - his friend Vincart, and Charles pledged himself for exorbitant - sums; for he would never consent to let the smallest of the - things that had belonged to HER be sold. His mother was - exasperated with him; he grew even more angry than she did. He - had altogether changed. She left the house. -</p> -<p> - Then everyone began "taking advantage" of him. Mademoiselle - Lempereur presented a bill for six months' teaching, although - Emma had never taken a lesson (despite the receipted bill she had - shown Bovary); it was an arrangement between the two women. The - man at the circulating library demanded three years' - subscriptions; Mere Rollet claimed the postage due for some - twenty letters, and when Charles asked for an explanation, she - had the delicacy to reply— -</p> -<p> - "Oh, I don't know. It was for her business affairs." -</p> -<p> - With every debt he paid Charles thought he had come to the end of - them. But others followed ceaselessly. He sent in accounts for - professional attendance. He was shown the letters his wife had - written. Then he had to apologise. -</p> -<p> - Felicite now wore Madame Bovary's gowns; not all, for he had kept - some of them, and he went to look at them in her dressing-room, - locking himself up there; she was about her height, and often - Charles, seeing her from behind, was seized with an illusion, and - cried out— -</p> -<p> - "Oh, stay, stay!" -</p> -<p> - But at Whitsuntide she ran away from Yonville, carried off by - Theodore, stealing all that was left of the wardrobe. -</p> -<p> - It was about this time that the widow Dupuis had the honour to - inform him of the "marriage of Monsieur Leon Dupuis her son, - notary at Yvetot, to Mademoiselle Leocadie Leboeuf of - Bondeville." Charles, among the other congratulations he sent - him, wrote this sentence— -</p> -<p> - "How glad my poor wife would have been!" -</p> -<p> - One day when, wandering aimlessly about the house, he had gone up - to the attic, he felt a pellet of fine paper under his slipper. - He opened it and read: "Courage, Emma, courage. I would not bring - misery into your life." It was Rodolphe's letter, fallen to the - ground between the boxes, where it had remained, and that the - wind from the dormer window had just blown towards the door. And - Charles stood, motionless and staring, in the very same place - where, long ago, Emma, in despair, and paler even than he, had - thought of dying. At last he discovered a small R at the bottom - of the second page. What did this mean? He remembered Rodolphe's - attentions, his sudden, disappearance, his constrained air when - they had met two or three times since. But the respectful tone of - the letter deceived him. -</p> -<p> - "Perhaps they loved one another platonically," he said to - himself. -</p> -<p> - Besides, Charles was not of those who go to the bottom of things; - he shrank from the proofs, and his vague jealousy was lost in the - immensity of his woe. -</p> -<p> - Everyone, he thought, must have adored her; all men assuredly - must have coveted her. She seemed but the more beautiful to him - for this; he was seized with a lasting, furious desire for her, - that inflamed his despair, and that was boundless, because it was - now unrealisable. -</p> -<p> - To please her, as if she were still living, he adopted her - predilections, her ideas; he bought patent leather boots and took - to wearing white cravats. He put cosmetics on his moustache, and, - like her, signed notes of hand. She corrupted him from beyond the - grave. -</p> -<p> - He was obliged to sell his silver piece by piece; next he sold - the drawing-room furniture. All the rooms were stripped; but the - bedroom, her own room, remained as before. After his dinner - Charles went up there. He pushed the round table in front of the - fire, and drew up her armchair. He sat down opposite it. A candle - burnt in one of the gilt candlesticks. Berthe by his side was - painting prints. -</p> -<p> - He suffered, poor man, at seeing her so badly dressed, with - laceless boots, and the arm-holes of her pinafore torn down to - the hips; for the charwoman took no care of her. But she was so - sweet, so pretty, and her little head bent forward so gracefully, - letting the dear fair hair fall over her rosy cheeks, that an - infinite joy came upon him, a happiness mingled with bitterness, - like those ill-made wines that taste of resin. He mended her - toys, made her puppets from cardboard, or sewed up half-torn - dolls. Then, if his eyes fell upon the workbox, a ribbon lying - about, or even a pin left in a crack of the table, he began to - dream, and looked so sad that she became as sad as he. -</p> -<p> - No one now came to see them, for Justin had run away to Rouen, - where he was a grocer's assistant, and the druggist's children - saw less and less of the child, Monsieur Homais not caring, - seeing the difference of their social position, to continue the - intimacy. -</p> -<p> - The blind man, whom he had not been able to cure with the pomade, - had gone back to the hill of Bois-Guillaume, where he told the - travellers of the vain attempt of the druggist, to such an - extent, that Homais when he went to town hid himself behind the - curtains of the "Hirondelle" to avoid meeting him. He detested - him, and wishing, in the interests of his own reputation, to get - rid of him at all costs, he directed against him a secret - battery, that betrayed the depth of his intellect and the - baseness of his vanity. Thus, for six consecutive months, one - could read in the "Fanal de Rouen" editorials such as these— -</p> -<p> - "All who bend their steps towards the fertile plains of Picardy - have, no doubt, remarked, by the Bois-Guillaume hill, a wretch - suffering from a horrible facial wound. He importunes, persecutes - one, and levies a regular tax on all travellers. Are we still - living in the monstrous times of the Middle Ages, when vagabonds - were permitted to display in our public places leprosy and - scrofulas they had brought back from the Crusades?" -</p> -<p> - Or— -</p> -<p> - "In spite of the laws against vagabondage, the approaches to our - great towns continue to be infected by bands of beggars. Some are - seen going about alone, and these are not, perhaps, the least - dangerous. What are our ediles about?" -</p> -<p> - Then Homais invented anecdotes— -</p> -<p> - "Yesterday, by the Bois-Guillaume hill, a skittish horse—" And - then followed the story of an accident caused by the presence of - the blind man. -</p> -<p> - He managed so well that the fellow was locked up. But he was - released. He began again, and Homais began again. It was a - struggle. Homais won it, for his foe was condemned to life-long - confinement in an asylum. -</p> -<p> - This success emboldened him, and henceforth there was no longer a - dog run over, a barn burnt down, a woman beaten in the parish, of - which he did not immediately inform the public, guided always by - the love of progress and the hate of priests. He instituted - comparisons between the elementary and clerical schools to the - detriment of the latter; called to mind the massacre of St. - Bartholomew a propos of a grant of one hundred francs to the - church, and denounced abuses, aired new views. That was his - phrase. Homais was digging and delving; he was becoming - dangerous. -</p> -<p> - However, he was stifling in the narrow limits of journalism, and - soon a book, a work was necessary to him. Then he composed - "General Statistics of the Canton of Yonville, followed by - Climatological Remarks." The statistics drove him to philosophy. - He busied himself with great questions: the social problem, - moralisation of the poorer classes, pisciculture, caoutchouc, - railways, etc. He even began to blush at being a bourgeois. He - affected the artistic style, he smoked. He bought two chic - Pompadour statuettes to adorn his drawing-room. -</p> -<p> - He by no means gave up his shop. On the contrary, he kept well - abreast of new discoveries. He followed the great movement of - chocolates; he was the first to introduce "cocoa" and "revalenta" - into the Seine-Inferieure. He was enthusiastic about the - hydro-electric Pulvermacher chains; he wore one himself, and when - at night he took off his flannel vest, Madame Homais stood quite - dazzled before the golden spiral beneath which he was hidden, - and felt her ardour redouble for this man more bandaged than a - Scythian, and splendid as one of the Magi. -</p> -<p> - He had fine ideas about Emma's tomb. First he proposed a broken - column with some drapery, next a pyramid, then a Temple of Vesta, - a sort of rotunda, or else a "mass of ruins." And in all his - plans Homais always stuck to the weeping willow, which he looked - upon as the indispensable symbol of sorrow. -</p> -<p> - Charles and he made a journey to Rouen together to look at some - tombs at a funeral furnisher's, accompanied by an artist, one - Vaufrylard, a friend of Bridoux's, who made puns all the time. At - last, after having examined some hundred designs, having ordered - an estimate and made another journey to Rouen, Charles decided in - favour of a mausoleum, which on the two principal sides was to - have a "spirit bearing an extinguished torch." -</p> -<p> - As to the inscription, Homais could think of nothing so fine as - Sta viator*, and he got no further; he racked his brain, he - constantly repeated Sta viator. At last he hit upon Amabilen - conjugem calcas**, which was adopted. -</p> -<p> - * Rest traveler. - ** Tread upon a loving wife. -</p> -<p> - A strange thing was that Bovary, while continually thinking of - Emma, was forgetting her. He grew desperate as he felt this image - fading from his memory in spite of all efforts to retain it. Yet - every night he dreamt of her; it was always the same dream. He - drew near her, but when he was about to clasp her she fell into - decay in his arms. -</p> -<p> - For a week he was seen going to church in the evening. Monsieur - Bournisien even paid him two or three visits, then gave him up. - Moreover, the old fellow was growing intolerant, fanatic, said - Homais. He thundered against the spirit of the age, and never - failed, every other week, in his sermon, to recount the death - agony of Voltaire, who died devouring his excrements, as everyone - knows. -</p> -<p> - In spite of the economy with which Bovary lived, he was far from - being able to pay off his old debts. Lheureux refused to renew - any more bills. A distraint became imminent. Then he appealed to - his mother, who consented to let him take a mortgage on her - property, but with a great many recriminations against Emma; and - in return for her sacrifice she asked for a shawl that had - escaped the depredations of Felicite. Charles refused to give it - her; they quarrelled. -</p> -<p> - She made the first overtures of reconciliation by offering to - have the little girl, who could help her in the house, to live - with her. Charles consented to this, but when the time for - parting came, all his courage failed him. Then there was a final, - complete rupture. -</p> -<p> - As his affections vanished, he clung more closely to the love of - his child. She made him anxious, however, for she coughed - sometimes, and had red spots on her cheeks. -</p> -<p> - Opposite his house, flourishing and merry, was the family of the - chemist, with whom everything was prospering. Napoleon helped him - in the laboratory, Athalie embroidered him a skullcap, Irma cut - out rounds of paper to cover the preserves, and Franklin recited - Pythagoras' table in a breath. He was the happiest of fathers, - the most fortunate of men. -</p> -<p> - Not so! A secret ambition devoured him. Homais hankered after the - cross of the Legion of Honour. He had plenty of claims to it. -</p> -<p> - "First, having at the time of the cholera distinguished myself by - a boundless devotion; second, by having published, at my expense, - various works of public utility, such as" (and he recalled his - pamphlet entitled, "Cider, its manufacture and effects," besides - observation on the lanigerous plant-louse, sent to the Academy; - his volume of statistics, and down to his pharmaceutical thesis); - "without counting that I am a member of several learned - societies" (he was member of a single one). -</p> -<p> - "In short!" he cried, making a pirouette, "if it were only for - distinguishing myself at fires!" -</p> -<p> - Then Homais inclined towards the Government. He secretly did the - prefect great service during the elections. He sold himself—in a - word, prostituted himself. He even addressed a petition to the - sovereign in which he implored him to "do him justice"; he called - him "our good king," and compared him to Henri IV. -</p> -<p> - And every morning the druggist rushed for the paper to see if his - nomination were in it. It was never there. At last, unable to - bear it any longer, he had a grass plot in his garden designed to - represent the Star of the Cross of Honour with two little strips - of grass running from the top to imitate the ribband. He walked - round it with folded arms, meditating on the folly of the - Government and the ingratitude of men. -</p> -<p> - From respect, or from a sort of sensuality that made him carry on - his investigations slowly, Charles had not yet opened the secret - drawer of a rosewood desk which Emma had generally used. One day, - however, he sat down before it, turned the key, and pressed the - spring. All Leon's letters were there. There could be no doubt - this time. He devoured them to the very last, ransacked every - corner, all the furniture, all the drawers, behind the walls, - sobbing, crying aloud, distraught, mad. He found a box and broke - it open with a kick. Rodolphe's portrait flew full in his face in - the midst of the overturned love-letters. -</p> -<p> - People wondered at his despondency. He never went out, saw no - one, refused even to visit his patients. Then they said "he shut - himself up to drink." -</p> -<p> - Sometimes, however, some curious person climbed on to the garden - hedge, and saw with amazement this long-bearded, shabbily - clothed, wild man, who wept aloud as he walked up and down. -</p> -<p> - In the evening in summer he took his little girl with him and led - her to the cemetery. They came back at nightfall, when the only - light left in the Place was that in Binet's window. -</p> -<p> - The voluptuousness of his grief was, however, incomplete, for he - had no one near him to share it, and he paid visits to Madame - Lefrancois to be able to speak of her. -</p> -<p> - But the landlady only listened with half an ear, having troubles - like himself. For Lheureux had at last established the "Favorites - du Commerce," and Hivert, who enjoyed a great reputation for - doing errands, insisted on a rise of wages, and was threatening - to go over "to the opposition shop." -</p> -<p> - One day when he had gone to the market at Argueil to sell his - horse—his last resource—he met Rodolphe. -</p> -<p> - They both turned pale when they caught sight of one another. - Rodolphe, who had only sent his card, first stammered some - apologies, then grew bolder, and even pushed his assurance (it - was in the month of August and very hot) to the length of - inviting him to have a bottle of beer at the public-house. -</p> -<p> - Leaning on the table opposite him, he chewed his cigar as he - talked, and Charles was lost in reverie at this face that she had - loved. He seemed to see again something of her in it. It was a - marvel to him. He would have liked to have been this man. -</p> -<p> - The other went on talking agriculture, cattle, pasturage, filling - out with banal phrases all the gaps where an allusion might slip - in. Charles was not listening to him; Rodolphe noticed it, and he - followed the succession of memories that crossed his face. This - gradually grew redder; the nostrils throbbed fast, the lips - quivered. There was at last a moment when Charles, full of a - sombre fury, fixed his eyes on Rodolphe, who, in something of - fear, stopped talking. But soon the same look of weary lassitude - came back to his face. -</p> -<p> - "I don't blame you," he said. -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe was dumb. And Charles, his head in his hands, went on in - a broken voice, and with the resigned accent of infinite sorrow— -</p> -<p> - "No, I don't blame you now." -</p> -<p> - He even added a fine phrase, the only one he ever made— -</p> -<p> - "It is the fault of fatality!" -</p> -<p> - Rodolphe, who had managed the fatality, thought the remark very - offhand from a man in his position, comic even, and a little - mean. -</p> -<p> - The next day Charles went to sit down on the seat in the arbour. - Rays of light were straying through the trellis, the vine leaves - threw their shadows on the sand, the jasmines perfumed the air, - the heavens were blue, Spanish flies buzzed round the lilies in - bloom, and Charles was suffocating like a youth beneath the vague - love influences that filled his aching heart. -</p> -<p> - At seven o'clock little Berthe, who had not seen him all the - afternoon, went to fetch him to dinner. -</p> -<p> - His head was thrown back against the wall, his eyes closed, his - mouth open, and in his hand was a long tress of black hair. -</p> -<p> - "Come along, papa," she said. -</p> -<p> - And thinking he wanted to play; she pushed him gently. He fell to - the ground. He was dead. -</p> -<p> - Thirty-six hours after, at the druggist's request, Monsieur - Canivet came thither. He made a post-mortem and found nothing. -</p> -<p> - When everything had been sold, twelve francs seventy-five - centimes remained, that served to pay for Mademoiselle Bovary's - going to her grandmother. The good woman died the same year; old - Rouault was paralysed, and it was an aunt who took charge of her. - She is poor, and sends her to a cotton-factory to earn a living. -</p> -<p> - Since Bovary's death three doctors have followed one another at - Yonville without any success, so severely did Homais attack them. - He has an enormous practice; the authorities treat him with - consideration, and public opinion protects him. -</p> -<p> - He has just received the cross of the Legion of Honour. -</p> - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg etext of Madame Bovary. -</pre> - -</body> -</html> |