Chapter 9

That evening, as she walked back from the cathedral, Angélique thought to herself: ‘I will see him soon: he will be in the Clos-Marie, and I will go down and meet him.’ The rendezvous had been settled with a glance. They had a late dinner,...

Chapter 6

For two days Angélique was overwhelmed with remorse. As soon as she was alone, she wept as though she had done something wrong. A dark and disturbing doubt plagued her: had she committed a sin with the young man? Was she lost, like the...

Chapter 7

That same evening, just as she was leaving the table, Angélique said she was feeling very unwell, and went up to her bedroom. The emotional turmoil of the morning and the struggle with her own feelings had left her exhausted. She went straight to...

Chapter 5

It was quite an occasion, every three months, when Hubertine did the washing. She hired a woman, Mère Gabet, and for four days embroidery was forgotten. Angélique joined in too, as it was a pleasant break from ordinary work to soap and rinse the...

Chapter 3

That year, on Whit Monday, the Huberts took Angélique on a picnic to the ruins of Hautecœur Castle,* which stand above the Ligneul two leagues downstream from Beaumont. And after a day spent running about and laughing in the open air, the...

Chapter 1

During the bitter winter of 1860 the River Oise* froze over and heavy snowfall covered the plains of Lower Picardy, and on Christmas Day a blizzard blew out of the north-east and almost buried the town of Beaumont. The snow, which had...

Chapter 12

That night Angélique was unable to sleep. Her eyelids smarted as she lay there, wide awake and desperately frail. The Huberts had gone to bed, and it was about to strike midnight, so she decided to get up, despite the great exertion involved, fearing...

Chapter 11

That evening, in the kitchen, after she got up from the table, Angélique confessed everything to the Huberts, telling them how she had approached the bishop and how he had refused her. She was deathly pale, but very calm. Hubert was greatly distressed. What, his...

Chapter 10

In the morning, at seven o’clock, as usual, Angélique was at work. Day followed day, and each morning she calmly set herself down before the chasuble from which she had risen the previous evening. Nothing seemed to have changed; she kept strictly to her...

Chapter 8

The next day, waking after eight hours’ sleep—sleep of that deep, sweet, restorative sort that follows great happiness, Angélique ran to the window. The sky was clear, and it had turned warm again after the great storm that had left her feeling very worried...