Page 406 - madame-bovary

the Show. With a gesture of pride he struggled against this
emotion. But sinking upon his breast she said to him—
‘How did you think I could live without you? One can-
not 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!’
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—
‘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!’
And she was charming to see, with her eyes, in which
trembled a tear, like the rain of a storm in a blue corolla.
He had drawn her upon his knees, and with the back of
his hand was caressing her smooth hair, where in the twi-
light 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.
‘Why, you have been crying! What for?’
She burst into tears. Rodolphe thought this was an out-
burst of her love. As she did not speak, he took this silence
for a last remnant of resistance, and then he cried out—
‘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.

0