s dying, little by little, every day; in a
word, he would carve out for himself the existence of a happy brute, and
would forget everything.

Laurent mentally repeated these ideas at every moment, since his
marriage with Therese had been decided on. He also sought other
advantages that would result therefrom, and felt delighted when he found
a new argument, drawn from his egotism, in favour of his union with the
widow of the drowned man. But however much he forced himself to hope,
however much he dreamed of a future full of idleness and pleasure, he
never ceased to feel abrupt shudders that gave his skin an icy chill,
while at moments he continued to experience an anxiety that stifled his
joy in his throat.

CHAPTER XIX

In the meanwhile, the secret work of Therese and Laurent was productive
of results. The former had assumed a woeful and despairing demeanour
which at the end of a few days alarmed Madame Raquin. When the old
mercer inquired what made her niece so sad, the young woman played the
part of an inconsolable widow with consummate skill. She spoke in a
vague manner of feeling weary, depressed, of suffering from her nerves,
without making any precise complaint. When pressed by her aunt with
questions, she replied that she was well, that she could not imagine
what it was that made her so low-spirited, and that she shed tears
without knowing why.

Then, the constant choking fits of sobbing, the wan, heartrending
smiles, the spells of crushing silence full of emptiness and despair,
continued.

The sight of this young woman who was always giving way to her grief,
who seemed to be slowly dying of some unknown complaint, ended by
seriously alarming Madame Raquin. She had, now, no one in the whole
world but her niece, and she prayed the Almighty every night to preserve
her this relative to close her eyes. A little egotism was mingled with
this final love of her old age. She felt herself affected in the slight
consolations that still assisted her to live, when it crossed her mind
that she might die alone in the damp shop in the arcade. From that time,
she never took her eyes off her niece, and it was with terror that she
watched her sadness, wondering what she could do to cure her of her
silent despair.

Under these grave circumstances, she thought she ought to take the
advice of her old friend Michaud. One Thursday evening, she detained him
in the shop, and spoke to him of her alarm.

"Of course," answere