When she again felt
inclined for remorse, she ran upstairs and knelt at the feet of the
impotent woman. This scene was repeated ten times a day.
Therese never reflected that her tears, and display of repentance must
impose ineffable anguish on her aunt. The truth was that if she had
desired to invent a torment to torture Madame Raquin, it would not have
been possible to have found a more frightful one than the comedy of
remorse she performed before her. The paralysed woman could see the
egotism concealed beneath these effusions of grief. She suffered
horribly from these long monologues which she was compelled to listen to
at every instant, and which always brought the murder of Camille before
her eyes. She could not pardon, she never departed from the implacable
thought of vengeance that her impotency rendered more keen, and all day
long she had to listen to pleas for pardon, and to humble and cowardly
prayers.
She would have liked to give an answer; certain sentences of her niece
brought crushing refusals to her lips, but she had to remain mute and
allow Therese to plead her cause without once interrupting her.
The impossibility of crying out and stopping her ears caused her
inexpressible torture.
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