Page 182 - madame-bovary

right and left, and taking up much room with the large tails
of his frock-coat that fluttered behind him in the wind.
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—
‘It’s only to get away from that fat fellow, you know, the
druggist.’ She pressed his elbow.
‘What’s the meaning of that?’ he asked himself. And he
looked at her out of the corner of his eyes.
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.
‘Is she making fun of me?’ thought Rodolphe.
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 conversa-
tion.
‘What a superb day! Everybody is out! The wind is east!’
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.
When they reached the farrier’s house, instead of fol-
lowing the road up to the fence, Rodolphe suddenly turned

1 1