Page 43 - madame-bovary

as he saw the cart disappearing, its wheels turning in the
dust, he gave a deep sigh. Then he remembered his wed-
ding, 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 drea-
ry 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.
Monsieur and Madame Charles arrived at Tostes about
six o’clock.
The neighbors came to the windows to see their doctor’s
new wife.
The old servant presented herself, curtsied to her, apol-
ogised for not having dinner ready, and suggested that
madame, in the meantime, should look over her house.

Madame Bovary