Page 452 - madame-bovary

As to the inscription, Homais could think of nothing so
fine as Sta viator*, and he got no further; he racked his brain,
he constantly repeated Sta viator. At last he hit upon Ama-
bilen conjugem calcas**, which was adopted.
* Rest traveler. ** Tread upon a loving wife.
A strange thing was that Bovary, while continually
thinking of Emma, was forgetting her. He grew desperate
as he felt this image fading from his memory in spite of all
efforts to retain it. Yet every night he dreamt of her; it was
always the same dream. He drew near her, but when he was
about to clasp her she fell into decay in his arms.
For a week he was seen going to church in the evening.
Monsieur Bournisien even paid him two or three visits, then
gave him up. Moreover, the old fellow was growing intoler-
ant, fanatic, said Homais. He thundered against the spirit of
the age, and never failed, every other week, in his sermon,
to recount the death agony of Voltaire, who died devouring
his excrements, as everyone knows.
In spite of the economy with which Bovary lived, he
was far from being able to pay off his old debts. Lheureux
refused to renew any more bills. A distraint became immi-
nent. Then he appealed to his mother, who consented to let
him take a mortgage on her property, but with a great many
recriminations against Emma; and in return for her sacri-
fice she asked for a shawl that had escaped the depredations
of Felicite. Charles refused to give it her; they quarrelled.
She made the first overtures of reconciliation by offering
to have the little girl, who could help her in the house, to
live with her. Charles consented to this, but when the time

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