Camille (La Dame aux Camilias)

As for me, all I can say is that I regretted having come.

When the coffin was uncovered the inspector said to the grave-digger:

"Open it." They obeyed, as if it were the most natural thing in the

world.

The coffin was of oak, and they began to unscrew the lid. The humidity

of the earth had rusted the screws, and it was not without some

difficulty that the coffin was opened. A painful odour arose in spite of

the aromatic plants with which it was covered.

"O my God, my God!" murmured Armand, and turned paler than before.

Even the grave-digger drew back.

A great white shroud covered the corpse, closely outlining some of its

contours. This shroud was almost completely eaten away at one end, and

left one of the feet visible.

I was nearly fainting, and at the moment of writing these lines I see

the whole scene over again in all its imposing reality.

"Quick," said the inspector. Thereupon one of the men put out his hand,

began to unsew the shroud, and taking hold of it by one end suddenly

laid bare the face of Marguerite.

It was terrible to see, it is horrible to relate. The eyes were nothing

but two holes, the lips had disappeared, vanished, and the white teeth

were tightly set. The black hair, long and dry, was pressed tightly

about the forehead, and half veiled the green hollows of the cheeks; and

yet I recognised in this face the joyous white and rose face that I had

seen so often.

Armand, unable to turn away his eyes, had put the handkerchief to his

mouth and bit it.

For my part, it was as if a circle of iron tightened about my head, a

veil covered my eyes, a rumbling filled my ears, and all I could do was

to unstop a smelling bottle which I happened to have with me, and to

draw in long breaths of it.

Through this bewilderment I heard the inspector say to Duval, "Do you

identify?"

"Yes," replied the young man in a dull voice.

"Then fasten it up and take it away," said the inspector.

The grave-diggers put back the shroud over the face of the corpse,

fastened up the coffin, took hold of each end of it, and began to carry

it toward the place where they had been told to take it.

Armand did not move. His eyes were fixed upon the empty grave; he was as

white as the corpse which we had just seen. He looked as if he had been

turned to stone.