Madame Bovary - Penn State University

Madame Bovaryhis pipe, and grasped his whip, he calmly installed himself on “Hirondelle” glided between the gardens, where through anhis seat.opening one saw statues, a periwinkle plant, clipped yews,The “Hirondelle” started at a slow trot, and for about a mile and a swing. Then on a sudden the town appeared. Slopingstopped here and there to pick up passengers who waited for it, down like an amphitheatre, and drowned in the fog, it widenedout beyond the bridges confusedly. Then the open coun-standing at the border of the road, in front of their yard gates.Those who had secured seats the evening before kept it waiting;some even were still in bed in their houses. Hivert called, in the distance the vague line of the pale sky. Seen thus fromtry spread away with a monotonous movement till it touchedshouted, swore; then he got down from his seat and went and above, the whole landscape looked immovable as a picture;knocked loudly at the doors. The wind blew through the the anchored ships were massed in one corner, the river curvedcracked windows.round the foot of the green hills, and the isles, oblique inThe four seats, however, filled up. The carriage rolled off; shape, lay on the water, like large, motionless, black fishes.rows of apple-trees followed one upon another, and the road The factory chimneys belched forth immense brown fumesbetween its two long ditches, full of yellow water, rose, constantlynarrowing towards the horizon.the foundries, together with the clear chimes of the churchesthat were blown away at the top. One heard the rumbling ofEmma knew it from end to end; she knew that after a that stood out in the mist. The leafless trees on the boulevardsmade violet thickets in the midst of the houses, and themeadow there was a sign-post, next an elm, a barn, or the hutof a lime-kiln tender. Sometimes even, in the hope of getting roofs, all shining with the rain, threw back unequal reflections,according to the height of the quarters in which theysome surprise, she shut her eyes, but she never lost the clearperception of the distance to be traversed.were. Sometimes a gust of wind drove the clouds towards theAt last the brick houses began to follow one another more Saint Catherine hills, like aerial waves that broke silentlyclosely, the earth resounded beneath the wheels, the against a cliff.224