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The mansion, a modern building in Italian style, with two projecting wings and three flights of steps, lay at the foot of an immense green lawn , on which some cows were grazing among groups of large trees set out at regular intervals.
The Bovarys arrived; servants appeared; the Marquis came forward, and, offering his arm to the doctor's wife,conducted her inside. As they entered, a staircase rose in front of them and on the left, a gallery overlooking the garden, which led to the billiard room, through whose door one could hear the click of the ivory balls.
The Marquis opened the drawing room door; one of the ladies, the Marquis' wife, came to meet Emma. She made her sit down by her, and began talking to her as kindly as if she had known her a long time. Emma, on entering, felt herself wrapped round by the warm air, a blending of the perfume of flowers and of the fine linen .
Madame Bovary noticed, after the party sat down to the dinner, an old man, bent over his full plate, and his napkin tied round his neck like a child, as drops of gravy often dripped from his mouth as he ate. He was the Marquis' father-in-law, once a favourite at hunting parties, and, it was said, he was once the lover of Queen Marie Antoinette. He had wasted his fortune and frightened his family with his wild behaviour. He was a part of the royal court, and slept in the bed of queens! Emma's eyes turned involuntarily to this old man with hanging lips, as to something extraordinary.
Iced champagne was poured. Emma shivered all over as she felt it cold in her mouth. She had never tasted pineapples. The powdered sugar even seemed to her whiter and finer than elsewhere. The ladies afterwards went to their rooms to prepare for the ball. Emma dressed with the care of an actress before her debut.
Charles's trousers were tight across the belly. “My trousers will be rather awkward for dancing,” he said.
“Dancing?” repeated Emma.
“Yes.”
“Why, you must be mad! They would make fun of you; keep your place. Besides, it is more becoming for a doctor not to be lively at parties,” she added.
Charles was silent. He walked up and down waiting for Emma to finish dressing. He saw her from behind in the glass between two lights. Her black eyes seemed blacker than ever.Charles came and kissed her on her shoulder.
“Let me alone!” she said, “you are bothering me.”
One could hear the orchestra begin. She went downstairs restraining herself from running. Dancing had begun. The other guests were arriving.
Emma's heart beat rather fast when a gentleman invited her to dance. Her partner held her by the tips of the fingers as she took her place in line with the dancers, and waited for the first note to begin. But her anxiety soon vanished , and, swaying to the rhythm of the orchestra, she glided forward with slight movements of the neck. A smile rose to her lips at certain delicate phrases of the violin that sometimes played alone while the other instruments were silent.
A few men (some fifteen or so), of twenty-five to forty, scattered here and there among the dancers or talking at the doorways, distinguished themselves from the crowd by a certain air of breeding , whatever their differences in age, dress, or face.Their clothes, better made, seemed of finer cloth, and their hair was brought forward in curls toward the temples. They had the complexion of wealth; they wiped their lips upon their handkerchiefs, which had embroidered initials that gave forth a subtle perfume. In their unconcerned looks was the calm of passions satisfied daily, and through all their gentleness of manner, pierced that peculiar brutality , the result of a command of half easy things, in which force is exercised and vanity amused in the management of horses and the society of loose women.
Later on, one of the dancers, called Viscount, came a second time to ask Madame Bovary to dance. The first time,she had declined , explaining that she needed a rest. This second time, she shyly stated that she did not know this dance, but he assured her he would guide her, and that she would get through it very well. She agreed. They began slowly, then went more rapidly. They turned; all around them was turning, the lamps,the furniture, the floor. And then, still turning, but more slowly,he guided her back to her seat. She leaned back against the wall and covered her eyes with her hands. Soon after, the guests of the mansion retired to bed.
The night was dark; some drops of rain were falling. She breathed in the damp wind that moistened her eyelids . The music of the ball was still murmuring in her ears. And she tried to keep herself awake in order to forget that she would soon have to give up this luxurious life.
The next afternoon, the guests departed from the grand mansion. The Bovarys paid their respects to the Marquis and his wife, and set out again for Tostes. Emma watched the turning wheels in silence. Charles, on the extreme edge of the seat, held the reins with his two arms wide apart. They were on the road soon after, when suddenly some horsemen with cigars between their lips passed by laughing. Emma thought she recognized the Viscount's back. A mile farther on they had to stop, and Charles, giving a last look to the harness ,saw something on the ground between his horse's legs, and he picked up a cigar case with a green silk border.
“There are even two cigars in it,” said he; “they'll do for this evening after dinner.”
“Why, do you smoke?” she asked.
“Sometimes, when I get a chance.”
He put his find in his pocket and they were off. When they reached home, the dinner was not ready. Madame lost her temper . Natasie, the servant, answered rudely.
“Leave the room!” said Emma. “You are forgetting yourself. You are fired! Leave this house immediately.”
For dinner there was onion soup and a piece of meat.Charles, seated opposite Emma, rubbed his hands cheerfully.
“How good it is to be at home again!”
Natasie could be heard crying. He was rather fond of the poor girl. She had formerly, during the wearisome time of his widowerhood , kept him company many evenings. She had been his first patient and his oldest acquaintance in the place.
“Are you really going to fire the poor girl?” he asked at last.
“Yes. Who is to prevent me?” she said coldly.
Then they warmed themselves in the kitchen while their room was being made ready.
The next day was a long one. She walked about her little garden, up and down the same walks, looking with amazement at all these things that she knew so well, but now seemed foreign. How far off the ball seemed already! Her journey to Vaubyessard had made a hole in her life. The memory of this ball, then, became an occupation for Emma.
Whenever the Wednesdays came round, she said to herself as she awoke, “Ah! I was there one, two, three weeks ago.”
And little by little the faces grew confused in her remembrance. She forgot the songs; some details escaped her,but the regret remained with her.
immense /ɪˈmens/ adj. 广大的，无边的
lawn /lɔ:n/ n. 草坪
graze /ɡreɪz/ vi. 吃草
ivory /ˈaɪvərɪ/ n. 象牙
blend /blend/ vi. 混合，交融
perfume /ˈpɜ:fju:m/ n. 香味，芳香
l i nen /ˈlɪnɪn/ n. 亚麻布，亚麻制品
napkin /ˈnæpkɪn/ n. 餐巾，餐巾纸
gravy /ˈɡreɪvɪ/ n. 肉汁，肉汤
drip /drɪp/ vi. 滴下
royal /ˈrɔɪəl/ adj. 王室的，皇家的
involuntarily /ɪnˈvɒləntərɪlɪ/ adv. 不知不觉地，无心地
champagne /ˌʃæmˈpeɪn/ n. 香槟酒
elsewhere /ˌelsˈhweə/ adv. 在别处
awkward /ˈɔ:kwəd/ adj. 笨拙的，不方便的
bother /ˈbɒðə/ vt. 烦扰，打扰
orchestra /ˈɔ:kɪstrə/ n. 管弦乐队
anxiety /æŋˈzaɪəɪtɪ/ n. 忧虑，焦急
vanish /ˈvænɪʃ/ vi. 消失
sway /sweɪ/ vi. 摇摆，摇动
rhythm /ˈrɪðəm/ n. 节奏，韵律
glide /ɡlaɪd/ vi. 滑行
scatter /ˈskætə/ vi. 分散，散开
breeding /ˈbri:dɪŋ/ n. 教养
curl /kɜ:l/ n. 卷曲，卷发
complexion /kəmˈplekʃən/ n. 面色，肤色
subtle /ˈsʌtəl/ adj. 精细的
pierce /pɪəs/ vt. 穿透
peculiar /pɪˈkju:lɪə/ adj. 奇特的，特殊的
brutality /bru:ˈtælɪtɪ/ n. 残忍，野蛮
vanity /ˈvænɪtɪ/ n. 虚荣
decline /dɪˈklaɪn/ vi. 拒绝
moisten /ˈmɔɪsən/ vt. 弄湿
eyelid /ˈaɪlɪd/ n. 眼皮，眼睑
extreme /ɪkˈstri:m/ adj. 尽头的，末端的
rein /reɪn/ n. 缰绳
harness /ˈhɑ:nɪs/ n. 马具
tempe r /ˈtempə/ n. 脾气，情绪
rub /rʌb/ vt. 擦，摩擦
wearisome /ˈwɪərɪsəm/ adj. 使疲倦的，乏味的
widowerhood /ˈwɪdəʊəhʊd/ n. 丧妻，鳏居
confuse /kənˈfju:z/ vt. 混淆，使糊涂