And her face, how frightfully every muscle of it is distorted!" Then bending over to observe her features more closely, he continued in a whisper, as though speaking to himself: "I have never seen such a face, excepting among people who have been murdered or have died from fright.

She must have experienced some terrible shock." "But how did the attack begin ?" Rougon impatiently inquired, at a loss for an excuse to leave the room.
Pascal did not know.

Macquart, as he poured himself out another glass of brandy, explained that he had felt an inclination to drink a little Cognac, and had sent her to fetch a bottle.

She had not been long absent, and at the very moment when she returned she had fallen rigid on the floor without uttering a word.

Macquart himself had carried her to the bed.
"What surprises me," he said, by way of conclusion, "is, that she did not break the bottle." The young doctor reflected.