She had not taken her hat off, and she wore a dark dress of an indecisive colour midway between puce and goose dripping. - Émile Zola

They were all listening to him with the curiosity and, if the truth were known, the utter indifference of practical people who had lost their fear of his God of wrath and chastisement. Why be frightened and deferential and seek pardon when the idea of the devil now merely made them laugh and they no longer believed in an avenging Lord who sent the wind and the hail and the thunder? It was just a waste of time; it was much more sensible to keep your respect for the forces of law and order: they were stronger.

When Hélène came back, ... she said to herself that they had never loved one another less than that day.

The train ran on without a driver, on and on, like some mindless, unseeing beast...