Page 362 - madame-bovary

opening the door, shouted out the required information,
adding a few insults to those who disturb people in the mid-
dle of the night.
The house inhabited by the clerk had neither bell, knock-
er, nor porter. Charles knocked loudly at the shutters with
his hands. A policeman happened to pass by. Then he was
frightened, and went away.
‘I am mad,’ he said; ‘no doubt they kept her to dinner at
Monsieur Lormeaux’.’ But the Lormeaux no longer lived at
Rouen.
‘She probably stayed to look after Madame Dubreuil.
Why, Madame Dubreuil has been dead these ten months!
Where can she be?’
An idea occurred to him. At a cafe he asked for a Direc-
tory, and hurriedly looked for the name of Mademoiselle
Lempereur, who lived at No. 74 Rue de la Renelle-des-Ma-
roquiniers.
As he was turning into the street, Emma herself ap-
peared at the other end of it. He threw himself upon her
rather than embraced her, crying—
‘What kept you yesterday?’
‘I was not well.’
‘What was it? Where? How?’
She passed her hand over her forehead and answered, ‘At
Mademoiselle Lempereur’s.’
‘I was sure of it! I was going there.’
‘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.’

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