The Red and the Black Part 1, Chapter 15 Summary

Cock Crow

  • Tired of playing cat and mouse, Julien leads Madame de Rênal into the garden and tells her he'll visit her that night at 2 a.m. He says there's something he needs to tell her. Madame tells him not to be a fool and he spends the rest of the evening avoiding her.
  • True to his word, Julien gets up at two in the morning and sneaks down the hallway into Madame de Rênal's room. She sits up in bed and calls him a wretch. He rushes forward and hugs her knees, weeping.
  • A few hours later, Julien leaves the room. The narrator implies that he and Madame have had sex.