Scarlet and Black post III

As a result of major delays with the trains this morning I was able, until a rising temper made even reading difficult, to get through a fair few pages of Scarlet and Black.

Bullet points between pages 115 - 209

* As the relationship develops so does the boldness and inevitably the jealously around the couple leads to gossip and anonymous letters being sent to M de Renal warning him about his wife and the tutor

* As a distraction the King comes to town and the signs that Julien is becoming spellbound by the idea of becoming an influential wealthy person rather than looking on in envy start to crystallize

* In response to the growing gossip the lovers coordinate their behavior and supply the mayor with the impression that it is coming from his deadly rivals in town and as a result Julien will drop his tutoring duties for a week and live separately from them

* In that time alone he is wined and dined by the town’s other major figures and comes to see that the great men of the village are petty and unpleasant characters and in reality M de Renal isn’t as bad

* Things come to a head when the old priest hears of Julien’s affair from the maid’s confession and demands he goes to a seminary for a year

* Julien leaves and heads off with a bad parting from his lover who he thinks is as cold as a corpse when he departs

* Once in the seminary he is not allowed to receive her letters, discovers that his attitude and aloofness makes him unpopular and starts to unmask his feelings of hypocrisy towards the teaching of religion

* Julien is sent to help decorate the cathedral and as he is walking around there is a scream and a woman faints – it is Madame de Renal. Julien is told to go away and leaves her in shock and retreats back to the seminary

Where will the story go tomorrow it's hard to know now that the exile from Madame de Renal has been partially broken...