Chapter V

9 min read

One Thursday, Camille, on returning from his office, brought with him agreat fellow with square shoulders, whom he pushed in a familiar mannerinto the shop.

“Mother,” he said to Madame Raquin, pointing to the newcomer, “do yourecognise this gentleman?”

The old mercer looked at the strapping blade, seeking among herrecollections and finding nothing, while Thérèse placidly observed thescene.

“What!” resumed Camille, “you don’t recognise Laurent, little Laurent, the son of daddy Laurent who owns those beautiful fields of corn out Jeufosse way. Don’t you remember? I went to school with him; he came to fetch me of a morning on leaving the house of his uncle, who was our neighbour, and you used to give him slices of bread and jam.”

All at once Madame Raquin recollected little Laurent, whom she found very much grown. It was quite ten years since she had seen him. She now did her best to make him forget her lapse of memory in greeting him, by recalling a thousand little incidents of the past, and by adopting a wheedling manner towards him that was quite maternal. Laurent had seated himself. With a peaceful smile on his lips, he replied to the questions addressed to him in a clear voice, casting calm and easy glances around him.

“Just imagine,” said Camille, “this joker has been employed at theOrleans-Railway-Station for eighteen months, and it was only to-nightthat we met and recognised one another--the administration is so vast,so important!”

Chapter V

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