CHAPTER NINE

When she died, Charles threw himself upon his wife, crying, "Goodbye! Goodbye!"

Homais and Canivet had to take him from the room.

"I must be with her! She's my wife!" he said as he cried.

Homais returned to his home to write an article for the local newspaper to explain Madame Bovary's death, in which he would say that she unfortunately had mistaken the poison, Arsenic, for sugar while making cream. Homais returned to Bovary's once more. He found Charles sitting next to his wife's body.

"Now," said the chemist. "You must decide on a time for her funeral."

"What for? What funeral? Oh, no! No! I want to keep her!"

The priest, Monsieur Bournisien, soon persuaded Charles that he must, indeed, have a funeral for his wife.

"I want her to be buried in her wedding dress, with white shoes, and her hair on her shoulders. Three coffins, one oak, one mahogany, and one metal. If no one speaks to me at the funeral, I shall be all right. These are my wishes."

The priest and the chemist were both amazed at Charles' romanticism, and quickly reminded him of the cost.

"Leave me! You never loved her! Get out!" Charles screamed at the chemist.

The priest took him by the arm, explaining that God was very great and very good. We should be thankful to Him!

"I hate your God!" Charles exclaimed.

The next day, the priest and the chemist arrived to see Charles. The two men talked alone, waiting for Charles to get ready for the day. The priest said there was nothing to do but pray for her soul.

"My dear sir," said Homais, "you can't have it both ways. Either she died in grace, as the church says, and she does not need our prayers; or she died without repenting her sins, and will never rise to Heaven ... "

The priest simply said they must pray for her.

"But," the chemist told him, "Why should we pray if God already knows our needs?"

"What!" cried the priest.

Charles entered and walked up to the bed, looking at his wife's body.

"Come, my friend," said the chemist, "you have been here long enough. This is a terrible sight for you."

Once Charles had left, the priest and the chemist continued their religious debate. They were growing angry. Bournisien was shocked by such rudeness; Homais was amazed at such stupidity; and they were beginning to insult each other, when suddenly Charles reappeared to sit next to his wife's body.

In the early morning, his mother arrived. Charles began to cry. She tried to discuss the expenses of the funeral, as the chemist had, but he became angry. Charles remained alone all afternoon. Berthe was taken to Madame Homais's. In the evening, some visitors came. He stood up to shake hands with them without speaking. Everyone was bored, but no one would be the first to leave.

The chemist brought a jar of medicinal water to clean the air, while the priest sprinkled holy water, blessed by the church, to keep good spirits in the house. Both men were still quite bitter about the other's ridiculous opinions on life and religion.

Late in the evening, Charles returned again to Emma's bed, to say goodbye one last time. As he looked into her pale face, he remembered the walks around the garden together, the yard at Les Bertaux. He heard her laughter, the smell of her hair, holding her around the waist to kiss her cheek gently.

The coffin with Madame Bovary's body was brought outside. The people of Yonville were waiting outside to watch.

Old Rouault arrived, and fainted at the sight of the coffin.

(end of section)