Page 432 - madame-bovary

They grew warm, they grew red, they both talked at once
without listening to each other. Bournisien was scandal-
ized at such audacity; Homais marvelled at such stupidity;
and they were on the point of insulting one another when
Charles suddenly reappeared. A fascination drew him. He
was continually coming upstairs.
He stood opposite her, the better to see her, and he lost
himself in a contemplation so deep that it was no longer
painful.
He recalled stories of catalepsy, the marvels of magne-
tism, and he said to himself that by willing it with all his
force he might perhaps succeed in reviving her. Once he
even bent towards he, and cried in a low voice, ‘Emma!
Emma!’ His strong breathing made the flames of the can-
dles tremble against the wall.
At daybreak Madame Bovary senior arrived. Charles as
he embraced her burst into another flood of tears. She tried,
as the chemist had done, to make some remarks to him on
the expenses of the funeral. He became so angry that she
was silent, and he even commissioned her to go to town at
once and buy what was necessary.
Charles remained alone the whole afternoon; they had
taken Berthe to Madame Homais’; Felicite was in the room
upstairs with Madame Lefrancois.
In the evening he had some visitors. He rose, pressed
their hands, unable to speak. Then they sat down near one
another, and formed a large semicircle in front of the fire.
With lowered faces, and swinging one leg crossed over the
other knee, they uttered deep sighs at intervals; each one

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