atigued and
disgusted with themselves, that they experienced a huge desire for
repose, for nothingness. They exchanged a final look, a look of
thankfulness, in presence of the knife and glass of poison. Therese took
the glass, half emptied it, and handed it to Laurent who drank off the
remainder of the contents at one draught. The result was like lightning.
The couple fell one atop of the other, struck down, finding consolation,
at last, in death. The mouth of the young woman rested on the scar that
the teeth of Camille had left on the neck of her husband.

The corpses lay all night, spread out contorted, on the dining-room
floor, lit up by the yellow gleams from the lamp, which the shade cast
upon them. And for nearly twelve hours, in fact until the following day
at about noon, Madame Raquin, rigid and mute, contemplated them at her
feet, overwhelming them with her heavy gaze, and unable to sufficiently
gorge her eyes with the hideous sight.

AFTERWORD

The idea of the plot of "Therese Raquin," according to M. Paul Alexis,
Zola's biographer, came from a novel called "La Venus de Gordes"
contributed to the "Figaro" by Adolphe Belot and Ernest Daudet--the
brother of Alphonse Daudet--in collaboration. In this story the authors
dealt with the murder of a man by his wife and her paramour, followed by
the trial of the murderers at the assizes. Zola, in noticing the book in
the "Figaro," when it arrived for review, pointed out that a much more
powerful story might be written on the same subject by invoking divine
instead of human justice. For instance, showing the two murderers safe
from earthly consequences, yet separated by the pool of blood between
them, haunted by their crime, and detesting one another for the deed
done together.

It then occurred to Zola to write the tale on these lines himself.
Convinced that the idea was good, he elaborated it with the greatest
care and all the skill at his command, the result being that he produced
a volume which proved his first genuine success, and which is still
considered by many to be his very best book.

EDWARD VIZETELLY

SURBITON, 1 December, 1901.

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