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.