CHAPTER XXV
At the expiration of four months, Laurent thought of taking advantage
of the profit he had calculated on deriving from his marriage. He would
have abandoned his wife, and fled from the spectre of Camille, three
days after the wedding, had not his interest detained him at the shop in
the arcade. He accepted his nights of terror, he remained in the anguish
that was choking him, so as not to be deprived of the benefit of his
crime.
If he parted from Therese, he would again be plunged in poverty, and
be forced to retain his post; by remaining with her, he would, on the
contrary, be able to satisfy his inclination for idleness, and to live
liberally, doing nothing, on the revenue Madame Raquin had placed in the
name of his wife. Very likely he would have fled with the 40,000 francs,
had he been able to realise them; but the old mercer, on the advice of
Michaud, had shown the prudence to protect the interests of her niece in
the marriage contract.
Laurent, in this manner, found himself attached to Therese by a powerful
bond. As a set-off against his atrocious nights, he determined at least
to be kept in blissful laziness, well fed, warmly clothed, and provided
with the necessary cash in his pocket to satisfy his whims.
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