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第54章

madame bovary(包法利夫人)-第54章

小说: madame bovary(包法利夫人) 字数: 每页3500字

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her stomach。 She uttered a sharp cry。 He fell back
terror…stricken。
Then she began to groan; faintly at first。 Her shoulders were
shaken by a strong shuddering; and she was growing paler than the
sheets in which her clenched fingers buried themselves。 Her
unequal pulse was now almost imperceptible。
Drops of sweat oozed from her bluish face; that seemed as if
rigid in the exhalations of a metallic vapour。 Her teeth
chattered; her dilated eyes looked vaguely about her; and to all
questions she replied only with a shake of the head; she even
smiled once or twice。 Gradually; her moaning grew louder; a
hollow shriek burst from her; she pretended she was better and
that she would get up presently。 But she was seized with
convulsions and cried out
〃Ah! my God! It is horrible!〃
He threw himself on his knees by her bed。
〃Tell me! what have you eaten? Answer; for heaven's sake!〃
And he looked at her with a tenderness in his eyes such as she
had never seen。
〃Well; therethere!〃 she said in a faint voice。 He flew to the
writing…table; tore open the seal; and read aloud: 〃Accuse no
one。〃 He stopped; passed his hands across his eyes; and read it
over again。
〃What! helphelp!〃
He could only keep repeating the word: 〃Poisoned! poisoned!〃
Felicite ran to Homais; who proclaimed it in the market…place;
Madame Lefrancois heard it at the 〃Lion d'Or〃; some got up to go
and tell their neighbours; and all night the village was on the
alert。
Distraught; faltering; reeling; Charles wandered about the room。
He knocked against the furniture; tore his hair; and the chemist
had never believed that there could be so terrible a sight。
He went home to write to Monsieur Canivet and to Doctor
Lariviere。 He lost his head; and made more than fifteen rough
copies。 Hippolyte went to Neufchatel; and Justin so spurred
Bovary's horse that he left it foundered and three parts dead by
the hill at Bois…Guillaume。
Charles tried to look up his medical dictionary; but could not
read it; the lines were dancing。
〃Be calm;〃 said the druggist; 〃we have only to administer a
powerful antidote。 What is the poison?〃
Charles showed him the letter。 It was arsenic。
〃Very well;〃 said Homais; 〃we must make an analysis。〃
For he knew that in cases of poisoning an analysis must be made;
and the other; who did not understand; answered
〃Oh; do anything! save her!〃
Then going back to her; he sank upon the carpet; and lay there
with his head leaning against the edge of her bed; sobbing。
〃Don't cry;〃 she said to him。 〃Soon I shall not trouble you any
more。〃
〃Why was it? Who drove you to it?〃
She replied。 〃It had to be; my dear!〃
〃Weren't you happy? Is it my fault? I did all I could!〃
〃Yes; that is trueyou are goodyou。〃
And she passed her hand slowly over his hair。 The sweetness of
this sensation deepened his sadness; he felt his whole being
dissolving in despair at the thought that he must lose her; just
when she was confessing more love for him than ever。 And he could
think of nothing; he did not know; he did not dare; the urgent
need for some immediate resolution gave the finishing stroke to
the turmoil of his mind。
So she had done; she thought; with all the treachery; and
meanness; and numberless desires that had tortured her。 She hated
no one now; a twilight dimness was settling upon her thoughts;
and; of all earthly noises; Emma heard none but the intermittent
lamentations of this poor heart; sweet and indistinct like the
echo of a symphony dying away。
〃Bring me the child;〃 she said; raising herself on her elbow。
〃You are not worse; are you?〃 asked Charles。
〃No; no!〃
The child; serious; and still half…asleep; was carried in on the
servant's arm in her long white nightgown; from which her bare
feet peeped out。 She looked wonderingly at the disordered room;
and half…closed her eyes; dazzled by the candles burning on the
table。 They reminded her; no doubt; of the morning of New Year's
day and Mid…Lent; when thus awakened early by candle…light she
came to her mother's bed to fetch her presents; for she began
saying
〃But where is it; mamma?〃 And as everybody was silent; 〃But I
can't see my little stocking。〃
Felicite held her over the bed while she still kept looking
towards the mantelpiece。
〃Has nurse taken it?〃 she asked。
And at this name; that carried her back to the memory of her
adulteries and her calamities; Madame Bovary turned away her
head; as at the loathing of another bitterer poison that rose to
her mouth。 But Berthe remained perched on the bed。
〃Oh; how big your eyes are; mamma! How pale you are! how hot you
are!〃
Her mother looked at her。 〃I am frightened!〃 cried the child;
recoiling。
Emma took her hand to kiss it; the child struggled。
〃That will do。 Take her away;〃 cried Charles; who was sobbing in
the alcove。
Then the symptoms ceased for a moment; she seemed less agitated;
and at every insignificant word; at every respiration a little
more easy; he regained hope。 At last; when Canivet came in; he
threw himself into his arms。
〃Ah! it is you。 Thanks! You are good! But she is better。 See!
look at her。〃
His colleague was by no means of this opinion; and; as he said of
himself; 〃never beating about the bush;〃 he prescribed; an emetic
in order to empty the stomach completely。
She soon began vomiting blood。 Her lips became drawn。 Her limbs
were convulsed; her whole body covered with brown spots; and her
pulse slipped beneath the fingers like a stretched thread; like a
harp…string nearly breaking。
After this she began to scream horribly。 She cursed the poison;
railed at it; and implored it to be quick; and thrust away with
her stiffened arms everything that Charles; in more agony than
herself; tried to make her drink。 He stood up; his handkerchief
to his lips; with a rattling sound in his throat; weeping; and
choked by sobs that shook his whole body。 Felicite was running
hither and thither in the room。 Homais; motionless; uttered great
sighs; and Monsieur Canivet; always retaining his self…command;
nevertheless began to feel uneasy。
〃The devil! yet she has been purged; and from the moment that the
cause ceases〃
〃The effect must cease;〃 said Homais; 〃that is evident。〃
〃Oh; save her!〃 cried Bovary。
And; without listening to the chemist; who was still venturing
the hypothesis; 〃It is perhaps a salutary paroxysm;〃 Canivet was
about to administer some theriac; when they heard the cracking of
a whip; all the windows rattled; and a post…chaise drawn by three
horses abreast; up to their ears in mud; drove at a gallop round
the corner of the market。 It was Doctor Lariviere。
The apparition of a god would not have caused more commotion。
Bovary raised his hands; Canivet stopped short; and Homais pulled
off his skull…cap long before the doctor had come in。
He belonged to that great school of surgery begotten of Bichat;
to that generation; now extinct; of philosophical practitioners;
who; loving their art with a fanatical love; exercised it with
enthusiasm and wisdom。 Everyone in his hospital trembled when he
was angry; and his students so revered him that they tried; as
soon as they were themselves in practice; to imitate him as much
as possible。 So that in all the towns about they were found
wearing his long wadded merino overcoat and black frock…coat;
whose buttoned cuffs slightly covered his brawny handsvery
beautiful hands; and that never knew gloves; as though to be more
ready to plunge into suffering。 Disdainful of honours; of titles;
and of academies; like one of the old Knight…Hospitallers;
generous; fatherly to the poor; and practising virtue without
believing in it; he would almost have passed for a saint if the
keenness of his intellect had not caused him to be feared as a
demon。 His glance; more penetrating than his bistouries; looked
straight into your soul; and dissected every lie athwart all
assertions and all reticences。 And thus he went along; full of
that debonair majesty that is given by the consciousness of great
talent; of fortune; and of forty years of a labourious and
irreproachable life。
He frowned as soon as he had passed the door when he saw the
cadaverous face of Emma stretched out on her back with her mouth
open。 Then; while apparently listening to Canivet; he rubbed his
fingers up and down beneath his nostrils; and repeated
〃Good! good!
But he made a slow gesture with his shoulders。 Bovary watched
him; they looked at one another; and this man; accustomed as he
was to the sight of pain; could not keep back a tear that fell on
his shirt…frill。
He tried to take Canivet into the next room。 Charles followed
him。
〃She is very ill; isn't she? If we put on sinapisms? Anything!
Oh; think of something; you who have saved so many!〃
Charles caught him in both his arms; and gazed at him wildly;
imploringly; half…fainting against his breast。
〃Come; my poor fellow; courage! There is nothing more to be
done。〃
And Doctor Lariviere turned away。
〃You are going?〃
〃I will come back。〃
He went out only to give an order to the coachman; with Monsieur
Canivet; who did not care either to have Emma die under his
hands。
The chemist rejoined them on the Place。 He could not by
temperament keep away from celebrities; so he begged Monsieur
Lariviere to do him the signal honour of accepting some
breakfast。
He sent quickly to the 〃Lion d'Or〃 for some pigeons; to the
butcher's for all the cutlets that were to be had; to Tuvache for
cream; and to Lestiboudois for eggs; and the druggist himself
aided in the preparations; while Madame Homais was saying as she
pulled together the strings of her jacket
〃You must excuse us; sir; for in this poor place; when one hasn't
been told the night before〃
〃Wine glasses!〃 whispered Homais。
〃If only we were in town; we could fall back upon stuffed
trotters。〃
〃Be quiet! Sit down; doctor!〃
He thought fit; after the first few mouthfuls; to give some
details as to the catastrophe。
〃We first had a feeling of siccity in the pharynx; then
intolerable pains at the epigastrium; super purgation; coma。〃
〃But how did she poison herself?〃
〃I don't know; doctor; and I don't even know where she can have
procured the arsenious acid。〃
Justin; who was just bringing in a pile of plates; began to
tremble。
〃What's the matter?〃 said the chemist。
At this question the young man dropped the whole lot on the
ground with a crash。
〃Imbecile!〃 cried Homais。 〃awkward lout! block…head! confounded
ass!〃
But suddenly controlling himself
〃I wished; doctor; to make an analysis; and primo I delicately
introduced a tube〃
〃You would have done better;〃 said the physician; 〃to introduce
your fingers into her throat。〃
His colleague was silent; having just before privately received a
severe lecture about his emetic; so that this good Canivet; so
arrogant and so verbose at the time of the clubfoot; was to…day
very modest。 He smiled without ceasing in an approving manner。
Homais dilated in Amphytrionic pride; and the affecting thought
of Bovary vaguely contributed to his pleasure by a kind of
egotistic reflex upon himself。 Then the presence of the doctor
transported him。 He displayed his erudition; cited pell…mell
cantharides; upas; the manchineel; vipers。
〃I have even read that various persons have found themselves
under tox

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