Madame Bovary - Penn State University

FlaubertAnd that was all.Bovary was searching at the bottom of his purse for a centime,and without appearing to understand all there was ofA quarter of an hour after he added, “My poor mother!what will become of her now?”humiliation for him in the mere presence of this man, whoShe made a gesture that signified she did not know. Seeing stood there like a personified reproach to his incurable incapacity.her so taciturn, Charles imagined her much affected, and forcedhimself to say nothing, not to reawaken this sorrow which “Hallo! you’ve a pretty bouquet,” he said, noticing Leon’smoved him. And, shaking off his own—violets on the chimney.“Did you enjoy yourself yesterday?” he asked.“Yes,” she replied indifferently; “it’s a bouquet I bought just“Yes.”now from a beggar.”When the cloth was removed, Bovary did not rise, nor did Charles picked up the flowers, and freshening his eyes, redEmma; and as she looked at him, the monotony of the spectacledrove little by little all pity from her heart. He seemed She took them quickly from his hand and put them in awith tears, against them, smelt them delicately.to her paltry, weak, a cipher—in a word, a poor thing in every glass of water.way. How to get rid of him? What an interminable evening! The next day Madame Bovary senior arrived. She and herSomething stupefying like the fumes of opium seized her. son wept much. Emma, on the pretext of giving orders, disappeared.The following day they had a talk over the mourn-They heard in the passage the sharp noise of a wooden legon the boards. It was Hippolyte bringing back Emma’s luggage.In order to put it down he described painfully a quarter waterside under the arbour.ing. They went and sat down with their workboxes by theof a circle with his stump.Charles was thinking of his father, and was surprised to feel“He doesn’t even remember any more about it,” she thought, lookingat the poor devil, whose coarse red hair was wet with perspiration. he cared little about. Madame Bovary senior was thinkingso much affection for this man, whom till then he had thoughtof215