Page 89 - madame-bovary

watched him going.
But it was above all the meal-times that were unbear-
able to her, in this small room on the ground floor, with
its smoking stove, its creaking door, the walls that sweated,
the damp flags; all the bitterness in life seemed served up
on her plate, and with smoke of the boiled beef there rose
from her secret soul whiffs of sickliness. Charles was a slow
eater; she played with a few nuts, or, leaning on her elbow,
amused herself with drawing lines along the oilcloth table
cover with the point of her knife.
She now let everything in her household take care of it-
self, and Madame Bovary senior, when she came to spend
part of Lent at Tostes, was much surprised at the change.
She who was formerly so careful, so dainty, now passed
whole days without dressing, wore grey cotton stockings,
and burnt tallow candles. She kept saying they must be eco-
nomical since they were not rich, adding that she was very
contented, very happy, that Tostes pleased her very much,
with other speeches that closed the mouth of her mother-
in-law. Besides, Emma no longer seemed inclined to follow
her advice; once even, Madame Bovary having thought fit
to maintain that mistresses ought to keep an eye on the re-
ligion of their servants, she had answered with so angry a
look and so cold a smile that the good woman did not in-
terfere again.
Emma was growing difficult, capricious. She ordered
dishes for herself, then she did not touch them; one day
drank only pure milk, the next cups of tea by the dozen. Of-
ten she persisted in not going out, then, stifling, threw open

Madame Bovary