Page 333 - madame-bovary

She asked what misunderstanding, for Charles had said
nothing of the dispute about the goods supplied to her.
‘Why, you know well enough,’ cried Lheureux. ‘It was
about your little fancies—the travelling trunks.’
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?
She was lost in all kinds of apprehensions. At last,
however, he went on—
‘We made it up, all the same, and I’ve come again to pro-
pose another arrangement.’
This was to renew the bill Bovary had signed. The doc-
tor, 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.’
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.
‘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!’
He did not send the stuff; he brought it. Then he came
again to measure it; he came again on other pretexts, al-
ways trying to make himself agreeable, useful, ‘enfeoffing
himself,’ as Homais would have said, and always dropping

Madame Bovary