"Come, come!" said the cure.

"Ah! I've known some!" And separating the words of his sentence, Homais

repeated, "I--have--known--some!"

"Well, they were wrong," said Bournisien, resigned to anything.

"By Jove! they go in for more than that," exclaimed the druggist.

"Sir!" replied the ecclesiastic, with such angry eyes that the druggist

was intimidated by them.

"I only mean to say," he replied in less brutal a tone, "that toleration

is the surest way to draw people to religion."

"That is true! that is true!" agreed the good fellow, sitting down again

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on his chair. But he stayed only a few moments.

Then, as soon as he had gone, Monsieur Homais said to the doctor-"That's what I call a cock-fight. I beat him, did you see, in a

way!--Now take my advice. Take madame to the theatre, if it were only

for once in your life, to enrage one of these ravens, hang it! If anyone

could take my place, I would accompany you myself. Be quick about it.

Lagardy is only going to give one performance; he's engaged to go to

England at a high salary. From what I hear, he's a regular dog; he's

rolling in money; he's taking three mistresses and a cook along with

him. All these great artists burn the candle at both ends; they require

a dissolute life, that suits the imagination to some extent. But they

die at the hospital, because they haven't the sense when young to lay

by. Well, a pleasant dinner! Goodbye till to-morrow."

The idea of the theatre quickly germinated in Bovary's head, for he at

once communicated it to his wife, who at first refused, alleging the

fatigue, the worry, the expense; but, for a wonder, Charles did not give

in, so sure was he that this recreation would be good for her. He saw

nothing to prevent it: his mother had sent them three hundred francs

which he had no longer expected; the current debts were not very large,

and the falling in of Lheureux's bills was still so far off that

there was no need to think about them. Besides, imagining that she

was refusing from delicacy, he insisted the more; so that by dint of

worrying her she at last made up her mind, and the next day at eight

o'clock they set out in the "Hirondelle."

The druggist, whom nothing whatever kept at Yonville, but who thought

himself bound not to budge from it, sighed as he saw them go.




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