Madame Bovary - Penn State University

Flaubertcealed the truth, which was, that his master complained veryChapter Sixmuch about these interruptions.“Pshaw! come along,” she said.DURING THE JOURNEYS he made to see her, Leon had oftenAnd he slipped out.dined at the chemist’s, and he felt obliged from politeness toShe wanted him to dress all in black, and grow a pointed invite him in turn.beard, to look like the portraits of Louis XIII. She wanted to “With pleasure!” Monsieur Homais replied; “besides, I mustsee his lodgings; thought them poor. He blushed at them, invigorate my mind, for I am getting rusty here. We’ll go tobut she did not notice this, then advised him to buy some the theatre, to the restaurant; we’ll make a night of it.”curtains like hers, and as he objected to the expense— “Oh, my dear!” tenderly murmured Madame Homais,“Ah! ah! you care for your money,” she said laughing. alarmed at the vague perils he was preparing to brave.Each time Leon had to tell her everything that he had done since “Well, what? Do you think I’m not sufficiently ruining mytheir last meeting. She asked him for some verses—some verses health living here amid the continual emanations of the pharmacy?But there! that is the way with women! They are jeal-“for herself,” a “love poem” in honour of her. But he never succeededin getting a rhyme for the second verse; and at last ended by ous of science, and then are opposed to our taking the mostcopying a sonnet in a “Keepsake.” This was less from vanity than legitimate distractions. No matter! Count upon me. One offrom the one desire of pleasing her. He did not question her ideas; these days I shall turn up at Rouen, and we’ll go the pacehe accepted all her tastes; he was rather becoming her mistress than together.”she his. She had tender words and kisses that thrilled his soul. Where The druggist would formerly have taken good care not tocould she have learnt this corruption almost incorporeal in the use such an expression, but he was cultivating a gay Parisianstrength of its profanity and dissimulation?style, which he thought in the best taste; and, like hisneighbour, Madame Bovary, he questioned the clerk curiously237