*Off-handedly.

By the mere effect of her love Madame Bovary's manners changed.

Her looks grew bolder, her speech more free; she even committed the

impropriety of walking out with Monsieur Rodolphe, a cigarette in her

mouth, "as if to defy the people." At last, those who still doubted

doubted no longer when one day they saw her getting out of the

"Hirondelle," her waist squeezed into a waistcoat like a man; and Madame

Bovary senior, who, after a fearful scene with her husband, had taken

refuge at her son's, was not the least scandalised of the women-folk.

Many other things displeased her. First, Charles had not attended to

her advice about the forbidding of novels; then the "ways of the house"

annoyed her; she allowed herself to make some remarks, and there were

quarrels, especially one on account of Felicite.

Madame Bovary senior, the evening before, passing along the passage,

had surprised her in company of a man--a man with a brown collar, about

forty years old, who, at the sound of her step, had quickly escaped

through the kitchen. Then Emma began to laugh, but the good lady grew

angry, declaring that unless morals were to be laughed at one ought to

look after those of one's servants.

"Where were you brought up?" asked the daughter-in-law, with so

impertinent a look that Madame Bovary asked her if she were not perhaps

defending her own case.

"Leave the room!" said the young woman, springing up with a bound.

"Emma! Mamma!" cried Charles, trying to reconcile them.

But both had fled in their exasperation. Emma was stamping her feet as

she repeated-"Oh! what manners! What a peasant!"

He ran to his mother; she was beside herself. She stammered "She is an insolent, giddy-headed thing, or perhaps worse!"

And she was for leaving at once if the other did not apologise. So

Charles went back again to his wife and implored her to give way; he

knelt to her; she ended by saying-"Very well! I'll go to her."

And in fact she held out her hand to her mother-in-law with the dignity

of a marchioness as she said-"Excuse me, madame."

Then, having gone up again to her room, she threw herself flat on her

bed and cried there like a child, her face buried in the pillow.

She and Rodolphe had agreed that in the event of anything extraordinary

occurring, she should fasten a small piece of white paper to the blind,

so that if by chance he happened to be in Yonville, he could hurry to

the lane behind the house. Emma made the signal; she had been waiting

three-quarters of an hour when she suddenly caught sight of Rodolphe at

the corner of the market. She felt tempted to open the window and call

him, but he had already disappeared. She fell back in despair.




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