Chapter VIII

by Emile Zola

　　We are in a little set of lodgings on the fourth floor in the RueVeron at Montmartre. Nana and Fontan have invited a few friends tocut their Twelfth-Night cake with them. They are giving theirhousewarming, though they have been only three days settled.They had no fixed intention of keeping house together, but the wholething had come about suddenly in the first glow of the honeymoon.After her grand blowup, when she had turned the count and the bankerso vigorously out of doors, Nana felt the world crumbling about herfeet. She estimated the situation at a glance; the creditors wouldswoop down on her anteroom, would mix themselves up with her loveaffairs and threaten to sell her little all unless she continued toact sensibly. Then, too, there would be no end of disputes andcarking anxieties if she attempted to save her furniture from theirclutches. And so she preferred giving up everything. Besides, theflat in the Boulevard Haussmann was plaguing her to death. It wasso stupid with its great gilded rooms! In her access of tendernessfor Fontan she began dreaming of a pretty little bright chamber.Indeed, she returned to the old ideals of the florist days, when herhighest ambition was to have a rosewood cupboard with a plate-glassdoor and a bed hung with blue "reps." In the course of two days shesold what she could smuggle out of the house in the way ofknickknacks and jewelry and then disappeared, taking with her tenthousand francs and never even warning the porter's wife. It was aplunge into the dark, a merry spree; never a trace was left behind.In this way she would prevent the men from coming dangling afterher. Fontain was very nice. He did not say no to anything but justlet her do as she liked. Nay, he even displayed an admirable spiritof comradeship. He had, on his part, nearly seven thousand francs,and despite the fact that people accused him of stinginess, heconsented to add them to the young woman's ten thousand. The sumstruck them as a solid foundation on which to begin housekeeping.And so they started away, drawing from their common hoard, in orderto hire and furnish the two rooms in the Rue Veron, and sharingeverything together like old friends. In the early days it wasreally delicious.On Twelfth Night Mme Lerat and Louiset were the first to arrive. AsFontan had not yet come home, the old lady ventured to giveexpression to her fears, for she trembled to see her niecerenouncing the chance of wealth."Oh, Aunt, I love him so dearly!" cried Nana, pressing her hands toher heart with the prettiest of gestures.This phrase produced an extraordinary effect on Mme Lerat, and tearscame into her eyes."That's true," she said with an air of conviction. "Love before allthings!"And with that she went into raptures over the prettiness of therooms. Nana took her to see the bedroom, the parlor and the verykitchen. Gracious goodness, it wasn't a vast place, but then, theyhad painted it afresh and put up new wallpapers. Besides, the sunshone merrily into it during the daytime.Thereupon Mme Lerat detained the young woman in the bedroom, whileLouiset installed himself behind the charwoman in the kitchen inorder to watch a chicken being roasted. If, said Mme Lerat, shepermitted herself to say what was in her mind, it was because Zoehad just been at her house. Zoe had stayed courageously in thebreach because she was devoted to her mistress. Madame would payher later on; she was in no anxiety about that! And amid thebreakup of the Boulevard Haussmann establishment it was she whoshowed the creditors a bold front; it was she who conducted adignified retreat, saving what she could from the wreck and tellingeveryone that her mistress was traveling. She never once gave themher address. Nay, through fear of being followed, she even deprivedherself of the pleasure of calling on Madame. Nevertheless, thatsame morning she had run round to Mme Lerat's because matters weretaking a new turn. The evening before creditors in the persons ofthe upholsterer, the charcoal merchant and the laundress had put inan appearance and had offered to give Madame an extension of time.Nay, they had even proposed to advance Madame a very considerableamount if only Madame would return to her flat and conduct herselflike a sensible person. The aunt repeated Zoe's words. Withoutdoubt there was a gentleman behind it all."I'll never consent!" declared Nana in great disgust. "Ah, they'rea pretty lot those tradesmen! Do they think I'm to be sold so thatthey can get their bills paid? Why, look here, I'd rather die ofhunger than deceive Fontan.""That's what I said," averred Mme Lerat. "'My niece,' I said, 'istoo noble-hearted!'"Nana, however, was much vexed to learn that La Mignotte was beingsold and that Labordette was buying it for Caroline Hequet at anabsurdly low price. It made her angry with that clique. Oh, theywere a regular cheap lot, in spite of their airs and graces! Yes,by Jove, she was worth more than the whole lot of them!"They can have their little joke out," she concluded, "but moneywill never give them true happiness! Besides, you know, Aunt, Idon't even know now whether all that set are alive or not. I'm muchtoo happy."At that very moment Mme Maloir entered, wearing one of those hats ofwhich she alone understood the shape. It was delightful meetingagain. Mme Maloir explained that magnificence frightened her andthat now, from time to time, she would come back for her game ofbezique. A second visit was paid to the different rooms in thelodgings, and in the kitchen Nana talked of economy in the presenceof the charwoman, who was basting the fowl, and said that a servantwould have cost too much and that she was herself desirous oflooking after things. Louiset was gazing beatifically at theroasting process.But presently there was a loud outburst of voices. Fontan had comein with Bosc and Prulliere, and the company could now sit down totable. The soup had been already served when Nana for the thirdtime showed off the lodgings."Ah, dear children, how comfortable you are here!" Bosc keptrepeating, simply for the sake of pleasing the chums who werestanding the dinner. At bottom the subject of the "nook," as hecalled it, nowise touched him.In the bedroom he harped still more vigorously on the amiable note.Ordinarily he was wont to treat women like cattle, and the idea of aman bothering himself about one of the dirty brutes excited withinhim the only angry feelings of which, in his comprehensive, drunkendisdain of the universe, he was still capable."Ah, ah, the villains," he continued with a wink, "they've done thison the sly. Well, you were certainly right. It will be charming,and, by heaven, we'll come and see you!"But when Louiset arrived on the scene astride upon a broomstick,Prulliere chuckled spitefully and remarked:"Well, I never! You've got a baby already?"This struck everybody as very droll, and Mme Lerat and Mme Maloirshook with laughter. Nana, far from being vexed, laughed tenderlyand said that unfortunately this was not the case. She would verymuch have liked it, both for the little one's sake and for her own,but perhaps one would arrive all the same. Fontan, in his role ofhonest citizen, took Louiset in his arms and began playing with himand lisping."Never mind! It loves its daddy! Call me 'Papa,' you littleblackguard!""Papa, Papa!" stammered the child.The company overwhelmed him with caresses, but Bosc was bored andtalked of sitting down to table. That was the only serious businessin life. Nana asked her guests' permission to put Louiset's chairnext her own. The dinner was very merry, but Bosc suffered from thenear neighborhood of the child, from whom he had to defend hisplate. Mme Lerat bored him too. She was in a melting mood and keptwhispering to him all sorts of mysterious things about gentlemen ofthe first fashion who were still running after Nana. Twice he hadto push away her knee, for she was positively invading him in hergushing, tearful mood. Prulliere behaved with great incivilitytoward Mme Maloir and did not once help her to anything. He wasentirely taken up with Nana and looked annoyed at seeing her withFontan. Besides, the turtle doves were kissing so excessively as tobe becoming positive bores. Contrary to all known rules, they hadelected to sit side by side."Devil take it! Why don't you eat? You've got plenty of time aheadof you!" Bosc kept repeating with his mouth full. "Wait till weare gone!"But Nana could not restrain herself. She was in a perfect ecstasyof love. Her face was as full of blushes as an innocent younggirl's, and her looks and her laughter seemed to overflow withtenderness. Gazing on Fontan, she overwhelmed him with pet names--"my doggie, my old bear, my kitten"--and whenever he passed her thewater or the salt she bent forward and kissed him at random on lips,eyes, nose or ear. Then if she met with reproof she would return tothe attack with the cleverest maneuvers and with infinitesubmissiveness and the supple cunning of a beaten cat would catchhold of his hand when no one was looking, in order to kiss it again.It seemed she must be touching something belonging to him. As toFontan, he gave himself airs and let himself be adored with theutmost condescension. His great nose sniffed with entirely sensualcontent; his goat face, with its quaint, monstrous ugliness,positively glowed in the sunlight of devoted adoration lavished uponhim by that superb woman who was so fair and so plump of limb.Occasionally he gave a kiss in return, as became a man who is havingall the enjoyment and is yet willing to behave prettily."Well, you're growing maddening!" cried Prulliere. "Get away fromher, you fellow there!"And he dismissed Fontan and changed covers, in order to take hisplace at Nana's side. The company shouted and applauded at this andgave vent to some stiffish epigrammatic witticisms. Fontancounterfeited despair and assumed the quaint expression of Vulcancrying for Venus. Straightway Prulliere became very gallant, butNana, whose foot he was groping for under the table, caught him aslap to make him keep quiet. No, no, she was certainly not going tobecome his mistress. A month ago she had begun to take a fancy tohim because of his good looks, but now she detested him. If hepinched her again under pretense of picking up her napkin, she wouldthrow her glass in his face!Nevertheless, the evening passed off well. The company hadnaturally begun talking about the Varietes. Wasn't that cad of aBordenave going to go off the hooks after all? His nasty diseaseskept reappearing and causing him such suffering that you couldn'tcome within six yards of him nowadays. The day before duringrehearsal he had been incessantly yelling at Simonne. There was afellow whom the theatrical people wouldn't shed many tears over.Nana announced that if he were to ask her to take another part shewould jolly well send him to the rightabout. Moreover, she begantalking of leaving the stage; the theater was not to compare withher home. Fontan, who was not in the present piece or in that whichwas then being rehearsed, also talked big about the joy of beingentirely at liberty and of passing his evenings with his feet on thefender in the society of his little pet. And at this the restexclaimed delightedly, treating their entertainers as lucky peopleand pretending to envy their felicity.The Twelfth-Night cake had been cut and handed round. The bean hadfallen to the lot of Mme Lerat, who popped it into Bosc's glass.Whereupon there were shouts of "The king drinks! The king drinks!"Nana took advantage of this outburst of merriment and went and puther arms round Fontan's neck again, kissing him and whispering inhis ear. But Prulliere, laughing angrily, as became a pretty man,declared that they were not playing the game. Louiset, meanwhile,slept soundly on two chairs. It was nearing one o'clock when thecompany separated, shouting au revoir as they went downstairs.For three weeks the existence of the pair of lovers was reallycharming. Nana fancied she was returning to those early days whenher first silk dress had caused her infinite delight. She went outlittle and affected a life of solitude and simplicity. One morningearly, when she had gone down to buy fish in propria persona in LaRouchefoucauld Market, she was vastly surprised to meet her old hairdresser Francis face to face. His getup was as scrupulously carefulas ever: he wore the finest linen, and his frock coat was beyondreproach; in fact, Nana felt ashamed that he should see her in thestreet with a dressing jacket and disordered hair and down-at-heelshoes. But he had the tact, if possible, to intensify hispoliteness toward her. He did not permit himself a single inquiryand affected to believe that Madame was at present on her travels.Ah, but Madame had rendered many persons unhappy when she decided totravel! All the world had suffered loss. The young woman, however,ended by asking him questions, for a sudden fit of curiosity hadmade her forget her previous embarrassment. Seeing that the crowdwas jostling them, she pushed him into a doorway and, still holdingher little basket in one hand, stood chatting in front of him. Whatwere people saying about her high jinks? Good heavens! The ladiesto whom he went said this and that and all sorts of things. Infact, she had made a great noise and was enjoying a real boom: AndSteiner? M. Steiner was in a very bad way, would make an uglyfinish if he couldn't hit on some new commercial operation. AndDaguenet? Oh, he was getting on swimmingly. M. Daguenet wassettling down. Nana, under the exciting influence of variousrecollections, was just opening her mouth with a view to a furtherexamination when she felt it would be awkward to utter Muffat'sname. Thereupon Francis smiled and spoke instead of her. As toMonsieur le Comte, it was all a great pity, so sad had been hissufferings since Madame's departure.He had been like a soul in pain--you might have met him whereverMadame was likely to be found. At last M. Mignon had come acrosshim and had taken him home to his own place. This piece of newscaused Nana to laugh a good deal. But her laughter was not of theeasiest kind."Ah, he's with Rose now," she said. "Well then, you must know,Francis, I've done with him! Oh, the canting thing! It's learnedsome pretty habits--can't even go fasting for a week now! And tothink that he used to swear he wouldn't have any woman after me!"She was raging inwardly."My leavings, if you please!" she continued. "A pretty Johnnie forRose to go and treat herself to! Oh, I understand it all now: shewanted to have her revenge because I got that brute of a Steineraway from her. Ain't it sly to get a man to come to her when I'vechucked him out of doors?""M. Mignon doesn't tell that tale," said the hairdresser."According to his account, it was Monsieur le Comte who chucked youout. Yes, and in a pretty disgusting way too--with a kick on thebottom!"Nana became suddenly very pale."Eh, what?" she cried. "With a kick on my bottom? He's going toofar, he is! Look here, my little friend, it was I who threw himdownstairs, the cuckold, for he is a cuckold, I must inform you.His countess is making him one with every man she meets--yes, evenwith that good-for-nothing of a Fauchery. And that Mignon, who goesloafing about the pavement in behalf of his harridan of a wife, whomnobody wants because she's so lean! What a foul lot! What a foullot!"She was choking, and she paused for breath"Oh, that's what they say, is it? Very well, my little Francis,I'll go and look 'em up, I will. Shall you and I go to them atonce? Yes, I'll go, and we'll see whether they will have the cheekto go telling about kicks on the bottom. Kick's! I never took onefrom anybody! And nobody's ever going to strike me--d'ye see?--forI'd smash the man who laid a finger on me!"Nevertheless, the storm subsided at last. After all, they mightjolly well what they liked! She looked upon them as so much filthunderfoot! It would have soiled her to bother about people likethat. She had a conscience of her own, she had! And Francis,seeing her thus giving herself away, what with her housewife'scostume and all, became familiar and, at parting, made so bold as togive her some good advice. It was wrong of her to be sacrificingeverything for the sake of an infatuation; such infatuations ruinedexistence. She listened to him with bowed head while he spoke toher with a pained expression, as became a connoisseur who could notbear to see so fine a girl making such a hash of things."Well, that's my affair," she said at last "Thanks all the same,dear boy." She shook his hand, which despite his perfect dress wasalways a little greasy, and then went off to buy her fish. Duringthe day that story about the kick on the bottom occupied herthoughts. She even spoke about it to Fontan and again posed as asturdy woman who was not going to stand the slightest flick fromanybody. Fontan, as became a philosophic spirit, declared that allmen of fashion were beasts whom it was one's duty to despise. Andfrom that moment forth Nana was full of very real disdain.That same evening they went to the Bouffes-Parisiens Theatre to seea little woman of Fontan's acquaintance make her debut in a part ofsome ten lines. It was close on one o'clock when they once moretrudged up the heights of Montmartre. They had purchased a cake, a"mocha," in the Rue de la Chaussee-d'Antin, and they ate it in bed,seeing that the night was not warm and it was not worth whilelighting a fire. Sitting up side by side, with the bedclothespulled up in front and the pillows piled up behind, they supped andtalked about the little woman. Nana thought her plain and lackingin style. Fontan, lying on his stomach, passed up the pieces ofcake which had been put between the candle and the matches on theedge of the night table. But they ended by quarreling."Oh, just to think of it!" cried Nana. "She's got eyes like gimletholes, and her hair's the color of tow.""Hold your tongue, do!" said Fontan. "She has a superb head of hairand such fire in her looks! It's lovely the way you women alwaystear each other to pieces!"He looked annoyed."Come now, we've had enough of it!" he said at last in savage tones."You know I don't like being bored. Let's go to sleep, or things'lltake a nasty turn."And he blew out the candle, but Nana was furious and went ontalking. She was not going to be spoken to in that voice; she wasaccustomed to being treated with respect! As he did not vouchsafeany further answer, she was silenced, but she could not go to sleepand lay tossing to and fro."Great God, have you done moving about?" cried he suddenly, giving abrisk jump upward."It isn't my fault if there are crumbs in the bed," she said curtly.In fact, there were crumbs in the bed. She felt them down to hermiddle; she was everywhere devoured by them. One single crumb wasscorching her and making her scratch herself till she bled.Besides, when one eats a cake isn't it usual to shake out thebedclothes afterward? Fontan, white with rage, had relit thecandle, and they both got up and, barefooted and in their nightdresses, they turned down the clothes and swept up the crumbs on thesheet with their hands. Fontan went to bed again, shivering, andtold her to go to the devil when she advised him to wipe the solesof his feet carefully. And in the end she came back to her oldposition, but scarce had she stretched herself out than she dancedagain. There were fresh crumbs in the bed!"By Jove, it was sure to happen!" she cried. "You've brought themback again under your feet. I can't go on like this! No, I tellyou, I can't go on like this!"And with that she was on the point of stepping over him in order tojump out of bed again, when Fontan in his longing for sleep grewdesperate and dealt her a ringing box on the ear. The blow was sosmart that Nana suddenly found herself lying down again with herhead on the pillow.She lay half stunned."Oh!" she ejaculated simply, sighing a child's big sigh.For a second or two he threatened her with a second slap, asking herat the same time if she meant to move again. Then he put out thelight, settled himself squarely on his back and in a trice wassnoring. But she buried her face in the pillow and began sobbingquietly to herself. It was cowardly of him to take advantage of hissuperior strength! She had experienced very real terror all thesame, so terrible had that quaint mask of Fontan's become. And heranger began dwindling down as though the blow had calmed her. Shebegan to feel respect toward him and accordingly squeezed herselfagainst the wall in order to leave him as much room as possible.She even ended by going to sleep, her cheek tingling, her eyes fullof tears and feeling so deliciously depressed and wearied andsubmissive that she no longer noticed the crumbs. When she woke upin the morning she was holding Fontain in her naked arms andpressing him tightly against her breast. He would never begin itagain, eh? Never again? She loved him too dearly. Why, it waseven nice to be beaten if he struck the blow!After that night a new life began. For a mere trifle--a yes, a no--Fontan would deal her a blow. She grew accustomed to it andpocketed everything. Sometimes she shed tears and threatened him,but he would pin her up against the wall and talk of strangling her,which had the effect of rendering her extremely obedient. As oftenas not, she sank down on a chair and sobbed for five minutes on end.But afterward she would forget all about it, grow very merry, fillthe little lodgings with the sound of song and laughter and therapid rustle of skirts. The worst of it was that Fontan was now inthe habit of disappearing for the whole day and never returning homebefore midnight, for he was going to cafes and meeting his oldfriends again. Nana bore with everything. She was tremulous andcaressing, her only fear being that she might never see him again ifshe reproached him. But on certain days, when she had neither MmeMaloir nor her aunt and Louiset with her, she grew mortally dull.Thus one Sunday, when she was bargaining for some pigeons at LaRochefoucauld Market, she was delighted to meet Satin, who, in herturn, was busy purchasing a bunch of radishes. Since the eveningwhen the prince had drunk Fontan's champagne they had lost sight ofone another."What? It's you! D'you live in our parts?" said Satin, astoundedat seeing her in the street at that hour of the morning and inslippers too. "Oh, my poor, dear girl, you're really ruined then!"Nana knitted her brows as a sign that she was to hold her tongue,for they were surrounded by other women who wore dressing gowns andwere without linen, while their disheveled tresses were white withfluff. In the morning, when the man picked up overnight had beennewly dismissed, all the courtesans of the quarter were wont to comemarketing here, their eyes heavy with sleep, their feet in old down-at-heel shoes and themselves full of the weariness and ill humorentailed by a night of boredom. From the four converging streetsthey came down into the market, looking still rather young in somecases and very pale and charming in their utter unconstraint; inothers, hideous and old with bloated faces and peeling skin. Thelatter did not the least mind being seen thus outside working hours,and not one of them deigned to smile when the passers-by on thesidewalk turned round to look at them. Indeed, they were all veryfull of business and wore a disdainful expression, as became goodhousewives for whom men had ceased to exist. Just as Satin, forinstance, was paying for her bunch of radishes a young man, whomight have been a shop-boy going late to his work, threw her apassing greeting:"Good morning, duckie."She straightened herself up at once and with the dignified mannerbecoming an offended queen remarked:"What's up with that swine there?"Then she fancied she recognized him. Three days ago towardmidnight, as the was coming back alone from the boulevards, she hadtalked to him at the corner of the Rue Labruyere for nearly half anhour, with a view to persuading him to come home with her. But thisrecollection only angered her the more."Fancy they're brutes enough to shout things to you in broaddaylight!" she continued. "When one's out on business one ought tobe respecifully treated, eh?"Nana had ended by buying her pigeons, although she certainly had herdoubts of their freshness. After which Satin wanted to show herwhere she lived in the Rue Rochefoucauld close by. And the momentthey were alone Nana told her of her passion for Fontan. Arrived infront of the house, the girl stopped with her bundle of radishesunder her arm and listened eagerly to a final detail which the otherimparted to her. Nana fibbed away and vowed that it was she who hadturned Count Muffat out of doors with a perfect hail of kickastliness ofthe men. Nana was overpowering on the subject of Fontan. She couldnot say a dozen words without lapsing into endless repetitions ofhis sayings and his doings. But Satin, like a good-natured girl,would listen unwearyingly to everlasting accounts of how Nana hadwatched for him at the window, how they had fallen out over a burntdish of hash and how they had made it up in bed after hours ofsilent sulking. In her desire to be always talking about thesethings Nana had gs on theposterior."Oh how smart!" Satin repeated. "How very smart! Kicks, eh? Andhe never said a word, did he? What a blooming coward! I wish I'dbeen there to see his ugly mug! My dear girl, you were quite right.A pin for the coin! When I'M on with a mash I starve for it!You'll come and see me, eh? You promise? It's the left-hand door.Knock three knocks, for there's a whole heap of damned squintsabout."After that whenever Nana grew too weary of life she went down andsaw Satin. She was always sure of finding her, for the girl neverwent out before six in the evening. Satin occupied a couple ofrooms which a chemist had furnished for her in order to save herfrom the clutches of the police, but in little more than atwelvemonth she had broken the furniture, knocked in the chairs,dirtied the curtains, and that in a manner so furiously filthy anduntidy that the lodgings seemed as though inhabited by a pack of madcats. On the mornings when she grew disgusted with herself andthought about cleaning up a bit, chair rails and strips of curtainwould come off in her hands during her struggle with superincumbentdirt. On such days the place was fouler than ever, and it wasimpossible to enter it, owing to the things which had fallen downacross the doorway. At length she ended by leaving her houseseverely alone. When the lamp was lit the cupboard with plate-glassdoors, the clock and what remained of the curtains still served toimpose on the men. Besides, for six months past her landlord hadbeen threatening to evict her. Well then, for whom should she bekeeping the furniture nice? For him more than anyone else, perhaps!And so whenever she got up in a merry mood she would shout "Gee up!"and give the sides of the cupboard and the chest of drawers such atremendous kick that they cracked again.Nana nearly always found her in bed. Even on the days when Satinwent out to do her marketing she felt so tired on her returnupstairs that she flung herself down on the bed and went to sleepagain. During the day she dragged herself about and dozed off onchairs. Indeed, she did not emerge from this languid condition tillthe evening drew on and the gas was lit outside. Nana felt verycomfortable at Satin's, sitting doing nothing on the untidy bed,while basins stood about on the floor at her feet and petticoatswhich had been bemired last night hung over the backs of armchairsand stained them with mud. They had long gossips together and wereendlessly confidential, while Satin lay on her stomach in hernightgown, waving her legs above her head and smoking cigarettes asshe listened. Sometimes on such afternoons as they had troubles toretail they treated themselves to absinthe in order, as they termedit, "to forget." Satin did not go downstairs or put on a petticoatbut simply went and leaned over the banisters and shouted her orderto the portress's little girl, a chit of ten, who when she broughtup the absinthe in a glass would look furtively at the lady's barelegs. Every conversation led up to one subject--the beot to tell of every slap that he dealt her.Lastweek he had given her a swollen eye; nay, the night before he hadgiven her such a box on the ear as to throw her across the nighttable, and all because he could not find his slippers. And theother woman did not evince any astonishment but blew out cigarettesmoke and only paused a moment to remark that, for her part, shealways ducked under, which sent the gentleman pretty nearlysprawling. Both of them settled down with a will to these anecdotesabout blows; they grew supremely happy and excited over these sameidiotic doings about which they told one another a hundred times ormore, while they gave themselves up to the soft and pleasing senseof weariness which was sure to follow the drubbings they talked of.It was the delight of rediscussing Fontan's blows and of explaininghis works and his ways, down to the very manner in which he took offhis boots, which brought Nana back daily to Satin's place. Thelatter, moreover, used to end by growing sympathetic in her turn andwould cite even more violent cases, as, for instance, that of apastry cook who had left her for dead on the floor. Yet she lovedhim, in spite of it all! Then came the days on which Nana cried anddeclared that things could not go on as they were doing. Satinwould escort her back to her own door and would linger an hour outin the street to see that he did not murder her. And the next daythe two women would rejoice over the reconciliation the wholeafternoon through. Yet though they did not say so, they preferredthe days when threshings were, so to speak, in the air, for thentheir comfortable indignation was all the stronger.They became inseparable. Yet Satin never went to Nana's, Fontanhaving announced that he would have no trollops in his house. Theyused to go out together, and thus it was that Satin one day took herfriend to see another woman. This woman turned out to be that veryMme Robert who had interested Nana and inspired her with a certainrespect ever since she had refused to come to her supper. MmeRobert lived in the Rue Mosnier, a silent, new street in theQuartier de l'Europe, where there were no shops, and the handsomehouses with their small, limited flats were peopled by ladies. Itwas five o'clock, and along the silent pavements in the quiet,aristocratic shelter of the tall white houses were drawn up thebroughams of stock-exchange people and merchants, while men walkedhastily about, looking up at the windows, where women in dressingjackets seemed to be awaiting them. At first Nana refused to go up,remarking with some constraint that she had not the pleasure of thelady's acquaintance. But Satin would take no refusal. She was onlydesirous of paying a civil call, for Mme Robert, whom she had met ina restaurant the day before, had made herself extremely agreeableand had got her to promise to come and see her. And at last Nanaconsented. At the top of the stairs a little drowsy maid informedthem that Madame had not come home yet, but she ushered them intothe drawing room notwithstanding and left them there."The deuce, it's a smart show!" whispered Satin. It was a stiff,middle-class room, hung with dark-colored fabrics, and suggested theconventional taste of a Parisian shopkeeper who has retired on hisfortune. Nana was struck and did her best to make merry about it.But Satin showed annoyance and spoke up for Mme Robert's strictadherence to the proprieties. She was always to be met in thesociety of elderly, grave-looking men, on whose arms she leaned. Atpresent she had a retired chocolate seller in tow, a serious soul.Whenever he came to see her he was so charmed by the solid, handsomeway in which the house was arranged that he had himself announcedand addressed its mistress as "dear child.""Look, here she is!" continued Satin, pointing to a photograph whichstood in front of the clock. Nana scrutinized the portrait for asecond or so. It represented a very dark brunette with a longishface and lips pursed up in a discreet smile. "A thoroughlyfashionable lady," one might have said of the likeness, "but one whois rather more reserved than the rest.""It's strange," murmured Nana at length, "but I've certainly seenthat face somewhere. Where, I don't remember. But it can't havebeen in a pretty place--oh no, I'm sure it wasn't in a prettyplace."And turning toward her friend, she added, "So she's made you promiseto come and see her? What does she want with you?""What does she want with me? 'Gad! To talk, I expect--to be withme a bit. It's her politeness."Nana looked steadily at Satin. "Tut, tut," she said softly. Afterall, it didn't matter to her! Yet seeing that the lady was keepingthem waiting, she declared that she would not stay longer, andaccordingly they both took their departure.The next day Fontan informed Nana that he was not coming home todinner, and she went down early to find Satin with a view totreating her at a restaurant. The choice of the restaurant involvedinfinite debate. Satin proposed various brewery bars, which Nanathought detestable, and at last persuaded her to dine at Laure's.This was a table d'hote in the Rue des Martyrs, where the dinnercost three francs.Tired of waiting for the dinner hour and not knowing what to do outin the street, the pair went up to Laure's twenty minutes too early.The three dining rooms there were still empty, and they sat down ata table in the very saloon where Laure Piedefer was enthroned on ahigh bench behind a bar. This Laure was a lady of some fiftysummers, whose swelling contours were tightly laced by belts andcorsets. Women kept entering in quick procession, and each, inpassing, craned upward so as to overtop the saucers raised on thecounter and kissed Laure on the mouth with tender familiarity, whilethe monstrous creature tried, with tears in her eyes, to divide herattentions among them in such a way as to make no one jealous. Onthe other hand, the servant who waited on the ladies was a tall,lean woman. She seemed wasted with disease, and her eyes wereringed with dark lines and glowed with somber fire. Very rapidlythe three saloons filled up. There were some hundred customers, andthey had seated themselves wherever they could find vacant places.The majority were nearing the age of forty: their flesh was puffyand so bloated by vice as almost to hide the outlines of theirflaccid mouths. But amid all these gross bosoms and figures someslim, pretty girls were observable. These still wore a modestexpression despite their impudent gestures, for they were onlybeginners in their art, who had started life in the ballrooms of theslums and had been brought to Laure's by some customer or other.Here the tribe of bloated women, excited by the sweet scent of theiryouth, jostled one another and, while treating them to dainties,formed a perfect court round them, much as old amorous bachelorsmight have done. As to the men, they were not numerous. There wereten or fifteen of them at the outside, and if we except four tallfellows who had come to see the sight and were cracking jokes andtaking things easy, they behaved humbly enough amid this whelmingflood of petticoats."I say, their stew's very good, ain't it?" said Satin.Nana nodded with much satisfaction. It was the old substantialdinner you get in a country hotel and consisted of vol-au-vent a lafinanciere, fowl boiled in rice, beans with a sauce and vanillacreams, iced and flavored with burnt sugar. The ladies made anespecial onslaught on the boiled fowl and rice: their stays seemedabout to burst; they wiped their lips with slow, luxuriousmovements. At first Nana had been afraid of meeting old friends whomight have asked her silly questions, but she grew calm at last, forshe recognized no one she knew among that extremely motley throng,where faded dresses and lamentable hats contrasted strangely withhandsome costumes, the wearers of which fraternized in vice withtheir shabbier neighbors. She was momentarily interested, however,at the sight of a young man with short curly hair and insolent facewho kept a whole tableful of vastly fat women breathlessly attentiveto his slightest caprice. But when the young man began to laugh hisbosom swelled."Good lack, it's a woman!"She let a little cry escape as she spoke, and Satin, who wasstuffing herself with boiled fowl, lifted up her head and whispered:"Oh yes! I know her. A smart lot, eh? They do just fight forher."Nana pouted disgustingly. She could not understand the thing asyet. Nevertheless, she remarked in her sensible tone that there wasno disputing about tastes or colors, for you never could tell whatyou yourself might one day have a liking for. So she ate her creamwith an air of philosophy, though she was perfectly well aware thatSatin with her great blue virginal eyes was throwing the neighboringtables into a state of great excitement. There was one woman inparticular, a powerful, fair-haired person who sat close to her andmade herself extremely agreeable. She seemed all aglow withaffection and pushed toward the girl so eagerly that Nana was on thepoint of interfering.But at that very moment a woman who was entering the room gave her ashock of surprise. Indeed, she had recognized Mme Robert. Thelatter, looking, as was her wont, like a pretty brown mouse, noddedfamiliarly to the tall, lean serving maid and came and leaned uponLaure's counter. Then both women exchanged a long kiss. Nanathought such an attention on the part of a woman so distinguishedlooking very amusing, the more so because Mme Robert had quitealtered her usual modest expression. On the contrary, her eye rovedabout the saloon as she kept up a whispered conversation. Laure hadresumed her seat and once more settled herself down with all themajesty of an old image of Vice, whose face has been worn andpolished by the kisses of the faithful. Above the range of loadedplates she sat enthroned in all the opulence which a hotelkeeperenjoys after forty years of activity, and as she sat there sheswayed her bloated following of large women, in comparison with thebiggest of whom she seemed monstrous.But Mme Robert had caught sight of Satin, and leaving Laure, she ranup and behaved charmingly, telling her how much she regretted nothaving been at home the day before. When Satin, however, who wasravished at this treatment, insisted on finding room for her at thetable, she vowed she had already dined. She had simply come up tolook about her. As she stood talking behind her new friend's chairshe leaned lightly on her shoulders and in a smiling, coaxing mannerremarked:"Now when shall I see you? If you were free--"Nana unluckily failed to hear more. The conversation vexed her, andshe was dying to tell this honest lady a few home truths. But thesight of a troop of new arrivals paralyzed her. It was composed ofsmart, fashionably dressed women who were wearing their diamonds.Under the influence of perverse impulse they had made up a party tocome to Laure's--whom, by the by, they all treated with greatfamiliarity--to eat the three-franc dinner while flashing theirjewels of great price in the jealous and astonished eyes of poor,bedraggled prostitutes. The moment they entered, talking andlaughing in their shrill, clear tones and seeming to bring sunshinewith them from the outside world, Nana turned her head rapidly away.Much to her annoyance she had recognized Lucy Stewart and MariaBlond among them, and for nearly five minutes, during which theladies chatted with Laure before passing into the saloon beyond, shekept her head down and seemed deeply occupied in rolling bread pillson the cloth in front of her. But when at length she was able tolook round, what was her astonishment to observe the chair next tohers vacant! Satin had vanished."Gracious, where can she be?" she loudly ejaculated.The sturdy, fair woman who had been overwhelming Satin with civilattentions laughed ill-temperedly, and when Nana, whom the laughirritated, looked threatening she remarked in a soft, drawling way:"It's certainly not me that's done you this turn; it's the otherone!"Thereupon Nana understood that they would most likely make game ofher and so said nothing more. She even kept her seat for somemoments, as she did not wish to show how angry she felt. She couldhear Lucy Stewart laughing at the end of the next saloon, where shewas treating a whole table of little women who had come from thepublic balls at Montmartre and La Chapelle. It was very hot; theservant was carrying away piles of dirty plates with a strong scentof boiled fowl and rice, while the four gentlemen had ended byregaling quite half a dozen couples with capital wine in the hope ofmaking them tipsy and hearing some pretty stiffish things. What atpresent most exasperated Nana was the thought of paying for Satin'sdinner. There was a wench for you, who allowed herself to be amusedand then made off with never a thank-you in company with the firstpetticoat that came by! Without doubt it was only a matter of threefrancs, but she felt it was hard lines all the same--her way ofdoing it was too disgusting. Nevertheless, she paid up, throwingthe six francs at Laure, whom at the moment she despised more thanthe mud in the street. In the Rue des Martyrs Nana felt herbitterness increasing. She was certainly not going to run afterSatin! It was a nice filthy business for one to be poking one'snose into! But her evening was spoiled, and she walked slowly upagain toward Montmartre, raging against Mme Robert in particular.Gracious goodness, that woman had a fine cheek to go playing thelady--yes, the lady in the dustbin! She now felt sure she had mether at the Papillon, a wretched public-house ball in the Rue desPoissonniers, where men conquered her scruples for thirty sous. Andto think a thing like that got hold of important functionaries withher modest looks! And to think she refused suppers to which one didher the honor of inviting her because, forsooth, she was playing thevirtuous game! Oh yes, she'd get virtued! It was always thoseconceited prudes who went the most fearful lengths in low cornersnobody knew anything about.Revolving these matters, Nana at length reached her home in the RueVeron and was taken aback on observing a light in the window.Fontan had come home in a sulk, for he, too, had been deserted bythe friend who had been dining with him. He listened coldly to herexplanations while she trembled lest he should strike her. Itscared her to find him at home, seeing that she had not expected himbefore one in the morning, and she told him a fib and confessed thatshe had certainly spent six francs, but in Mme Maloir's society. Hewas not ruffled, however, and he handed her a letter which, thoughaddressed to her, he had quietly opened. It was a letter fromGeorges, who was still a prisoner at Les Fondettes and comfortedhimself weekly with the composition of glowing pages. Nana loved tobe written to, especially when the letters were full of grand,loverlike expressions with a sprinkling of vows. She used to readthem to everybody. Fontan was familiar with the style employed byGeorges and appreciated it. But that evening she was so afraid of ascene that she affected complete indifference, skimming through theletter with a sulky expression and flinging it aside as soon asread. Fontan had begun beating a tattoo on a windowpane; thethought of going to bed so early bored him, and yet he did not knowhow to employ his evening. He turned briskly round:"Suppose we answer that young vagabond at once," he said.It was the custom for him to write the letters in reply. He waswont to vie with the other in point of style. Then, too, he used tobe delighted when Nana, grown enthusiastic after the letter had beenread over aloud, would kiss him with the announcement that nobodybut he could "say things like that." Thus their latent affectionswould be stirred, and they would end with mutual adoration."As you will," she replied. "I'll make tea, and we'll go to bedafter."Thereupon Fontan installed himself at the table on which pen, inkand paper were at the same time grandly displayed. He curved hisarm; he drew a long face."My heart's own," he began aloud.And for more than an hour he applied himself to his task, polishinghere, weighing a phrase there, while he sat with his head betweenhis hands and laughed inwardly whenever he hit upon a peculiarlytender expression. Nana had already consumed two cups of tea insilence, when at last he read out the letter in the level voice andwith the two or three emphatic gestures peculiar to suchperformances on the stage. It was five pages long, and he spoketherein of "the delicious hours passed at La Mignotte, those hoursof which the memory lingered like subtle perfume." He vowed"eternal fidelity to that springtide of love" and ended by declaringthat his sole wish was to "recommence that happy time if, indeed,happiness can recommence.""I say that out of politeness, y'know," he explained. "The momentit becomes laughable--eh, what! I think she's felt it, she has!"He glowed with triumph. But Nana was unskillful; she stillsuspected an outbreak and now was mistaken enough not to fling herarms round his neck in a burst of admiration. She thought theletter a respectable performance, nothing more. Thereupon he wasmuch annoyed. If his letter did not please her she might writeanother! And so instead of bursting out in loverlike speeches andexchanging kisses, as their wont was, they sat coldly facing oneanother at the table. Nevertheless, she poured him out a cup oftea."Here's a filthy mess," he cried after dipping his lips in themixture. "You've put salt in it, you have!"Nana was unlucky enough to shrug her shoulders, and at that he grewfurious."Aha! Things are taking a wrong turn tonight!"And with that the quarrel began. It was only ten by the clock, andthis was a way of killing time. So he lashed himself into a rageand threw in Nana's teeth a whole string of insults and all kinds ofaccusations which followed one another so closely that she had notime to defend herself. She was dirty; she was stupid; she hadknocked about in all sorts of low places! After that he waxedfrantic over the money question. Did he spend six francs when hedined out? No, somebody was treating him to a dinner; otherwise hewould have eaten his ordinary meal at home. And to think ofspending them on that old procuress of a Maloir, a jade he wouldchuck out of the house tomorrow! Yes, by jingo, they would get intoa nice mess if he and she were to go throwing six francs out of thewindow every day!"Now to begin with, I want your accounts," he shouted. "Let's see;hand over the money! Now where do we stand?"All his sordid avaricious instincts came to the surface. Nana wascowed and scared, and she made haste to fetch their remaining cashout of the desk and to bring it him. Up to that time the key hadlain on this common treasury, from which they had drawn as freely asthey wished."How's this?" he said when he had counted up the money. "There arescarcely seven thousand francs remaining out of seventeen thousand,and we've only been together three months. The thing's impossible."He rushed forward, gave the desk a savage shake and brought thedrawer forward in order to ransack it in the light of the lamp. Butit actually contained only six thousand eight hundred and oddfrancs. Thereupon the tempest burst forth."Ten thousand francs in three months!" he yelled. "By God! Whathave you done with it all? Eh? Answer! It all goes to your jadeof an aunt, eh? Or you're keeping men; that's plain! Will youanswer?""Oh well, if you must get in a rage!" said Nana. "Why, thecalculation's easily made! You haven't allowed for the furniture;besides, I've had to buy linen. Money goes quickly when one'ssettling in a new place."But while requiring explanations he refused to listen to them."Yes, it goes a deal too quickly!" he rejoined more calmly. "Andlook here, little girl, I've had enough of this mutual housekeeping.You know those seven thousand francs are mine. Yes, and as I've got'em, I shall keep 'em! Hang it, the moment you become wasteful Iget anxious not to be ruined. To each man his own."And he pocketed the money in a lordly way while Nana gazed at him,dumfounded. He continued speaking complaisantly:"You must understand I'm not such a fool as to keep aunts andlikewise children who don't belong to me. You were pleased to spendyour own money--well, that's your affair! But my money--no, that'ssacred! When in the future you cook a leg of mutton I'll pay forhalf of it. We'll settle up tonight--there!"Straightway Nana rebelled. She could not help shouting:"Come, I say, it's you who've run through my ten thousand francs.It's a dirty trick, I tell you!"But he did not stop to discuss matters further, for he dealt her arandom box on the ear across the table, remarking as he did so:"Let's have that again!"She let him have it again despite his blow. Whereupon he fell uponher and kicked and cuffed her heartily. Soon he had reduced her tosuch a state that she ended, as her wont was, by undressing andgoing to bed in a flood of tears.He was out of breath and was going to bed, in his turn, when henoticed the letter he had written to Georges lying on the table.Whereupon he folded it up carefully and, turning toward the bed,remarked in threatening accents:"It's very well written, and I'm going to post it myself because Idon't like women's fancies. Now don't go moaning any more; it putsmy teeth on edge."Nana, who was crying and gasping, thereupon held her breath. Whenhe was in bed she choked with emotion and threw herself upon hisbreast with a wild burst of sobs. Their scuffles always ended thus,for she trembled at the thought of losing him and, like a coward,wanted always to feel that he belonged entirely to her, despiteeverything. Twice he pushed her magnificently away, but the warmembrace of this woman who was begging for mercy with great, tearfuleyes, as some faithful brute might do, finally aroused desire. Andhe became royally condescending without, however, lowering hisdignity before any of her advances. In fact, he let himself becaressed and taken by force, as became a man whose forgiveness isworth the trouble of winning. Then he was seized with anxiety,fearing that Nana was playing a part with a view to regainingpossession of the treasury key. The light had been extinguishedwhen he felt it necessary to reaffirm his will and pleasure."You must know, my girl, that this is really very serious and that Ikeep the money."Nana, who was falling asleep with her arms round his neck, uttered asublime sentiment."Yes, you need fear nothing! I'll work for both of us!"But from that evening onward their life in common became more andmore difficult. From one week's end to the other the noise of slapsfilled the air and resembled the ticking of a clock by which theyregulated their existence. Through dint of being much beaten Nanabecame as pliable as fine linen; her skin grew delicate and pink andwhite and so soft to the touch and clear to the view that she may besaid to have grown more good looking than ever. Prulliere,moreover, began running after her like a madman, coming in whenFontan was away and pushing her into corners in order to snatch anembrace. But she used to struggle out of his grasp, full ofindignation and blushing with shame. It disgusted her to think ofhim wanting to deceive a friend. Prulliere would thereupon beginsneering with a wrathful expression. Why, she was growing jollystupid nowadays! How could she take up with such an ape? For,indeed, Fontan was a regular ape with that great swingeing nose ofhis. Oh, he had an ugly mug! Besides, the man knocked her abouttoo!"It's possible I like him as he is," she one day made answer in thequiet voice peculiar to a woman who confesses to an abominabletaste.Bosc contented himself by dining with them as often as possible. Heshrugged his shoulders behind Prulliere's back--a pretty fellow, tobe sure, but a frivolous! Bosc had on more than one occasionassisted at domestic scenes, and at dessert, when Fontan slappedNana, he went on chewing solemnly, for the thing struck him as beingquite in the course of nature. In order to give some return for hisdinner he used always to go into ecstasies over their happiness. Hedeclared himself a philosopher who had given up everything, gloryincluded. At times Prulliere and Fontan lolled back in theirchairs, losing count of time in front of the empty table, while withtheatrical gestures and intonation they discussed their formersuccesses till two in the morning. But he would sit by, lost inthought, finishing the brandy bottle in silence and onlyoccasionally emitting a little contemptuous sniff. Where wasTalma's tradition? Nowhere. Very well, let them leave him jollywell alone! It was too stupid to go on as they were doing!One evening he found Nana in tears. She took off her dressingjacket in order to show him her back and her arms, which were blackand blue. He looked at her skin without being tempted to abuse theopportunity, as that ass of a Prulliere would have been. Then,sententiously:"My dear girl, where there are women there are sure to be ructions.It was Napoleon who said that, I think. Wash yourself with saltwater. Salt water's the very thing for those little knocks. Tut,tut, you'll get others as bad, but don't complain so long as nobones are broken. I'm inviting myself to dinner, you know; I'vespotted a leg of mutton."But Mme Lerat had less philosophy. Every time Nana showed her afresh bruise on the white skin she screamed aloud. They werekilling her niece; things couldn't go on as they were doing. As amatter of fact, Fontan had turned Mme Lerat out of doors and haddeclared that he would not have her at his house in the future, andever since that day, when he returned home and she happened to bethere, she had to make off through the kitchen, which was a horriblehumiliation to her. Accordingly she never ceased inveighing againstthat brutal individual. She especially blamed his ill breeding,pursing up her lips, as she did so, like a highly respectable ladywhom nobody could possibly remonstrate with on the subject of goodmanners."Oh, you notice it at once," she used to tell Nana; "he hasn't thebarest notion of the very smallest proprieties. His mother musthave been common! Don't deny it--the thing's obvious! I don'tspeak on my own account, though a person of my years has a right torespectful treatment, but you--how do you manage to put up with hisbad manners? For though I don't want to flatter myself, I've alwaystaught you how to behave, and among our own people you alwaysenjoyed the best possible advice. We were all very well bred in ourfamily, weren't we now?"Nana used never to protest but would listen with bowed head."Then, too," continued the aunt, "you've only known perfectgentlemen hitherto. We were talking of that very topic with Zoe atmy place yesterday evening. She can't understand it any more than Ican. 'How is it,' she said, 'that Madame, who used to have thatperfect gentleman, Monsieur le Comte, at her beck and call'--forbetween you and me, it seems you drove him silly--'how is it thatMadame lets herself be made into mincemeat by that clown of afellow?' I remarked at the time that you might put up with thebeatings but that I would never have allowed him to be lacking inproper respect. In fact, there isn't a word to be said for him. Iwouldn't have his portrait in my room even! And you ruin yourselffor such a bird as that; yes, you ruin yourself, my darling; youtoil and you moil, when there are so many others and such rich men,too, some of them even connected with the government! Ah well, it'snot I who ought to be telling you this, of course! But all thesame, when next he tries any of his dirty tricks on I should cut himshort with a 'Monsieur, what d'you take me for?' You know how tosay it in that grand way of yours! It would downright cripple him."Thereupon Nana burst into sobs and stammered out:"Oh, Aunt, I love him!"The fact of the matter was that Mme Lerat was beginning to feelanxious at the painful way her niece doled out the sparse,occasional francs destined to pay for little Louis's board andlodging. Doubtless she was willing to make sacrifices and to keepthe child by her whatever might happen while waiting for moreprosperous times, but the thought that Fontan was preventing her andthe brat and its mother from swimming in a sea of gold made her sosavage that she was ready to deny the very existence of true love.Accordingly she ended up with the following severe remarks:"Now listen, some fine day when he's taken the skin off your back,you'll come and knock at my door, and I'll open it to you."Soon money began to engross Nana's whole attention. Fontan hadcaused the seven thousand francs to vanish away. Without doubt theywere quite safe; indeed, she would never have dared ask himquestions about them, for she was wont to be blushingly diffidentwith that bird, as Mme Lerat called him. She trembled lest heshould think her capable of quarreling with him about halfpence. Hehad certainly promised to subscribe toward their common householdexpenses, and in the early days he had given out three francs everymorning. But he was as exacting as a boarder; he wanted everythingfor his three francs--butter, meat, early fruit and earlyvegetables--and if she ventured to make an observation, if shehinted that you could not have everything in the market for threefrancs, he flew into a temper and treated her as a useless, wastefulwoman, a confounded donkey whom the tradespeople were robbing.Moreover, he was always ready to threaten that he would takelodgings somewhere else. At the end of a month on certain morningshe had forgotten to deposit the three francs on the chest ofdrawers, and she had ventured to ask for them in a timid, roundaboutway. Whereupon there had been such bitter disputes and he hadseized every pretext to render her life so miserable that she hadfound it best no longer to count upon him. Whenever, however, hehad omitted to leave behind the three one-franc pieces and found adinner awaiting him all the same, he grew as merry as a sandboy,kissed Nana gallantly and waltzed with the chairs. And she was socharmed by this conduct that she at length got to hope that nothingwould be found on the chest of drawers, despite the difficulty sheexperienced in making both ends meet. One day she even returned himhis three francs, telling him a tale to the effect that she stillhad yesterday's money. As he had given her nothing then, hehesitated for some moments, as though he dreaded a lecture. But shegazed at him with her loving eyes and hugged him in such utter self-surrender that he pocketed the money again with that littleconvulsive twitch or the fingers peculiar to a miser when he regainspossession of that which has been well-nigh lost. From that dayforth he never troubled himself about money again or inquired whenceit came. But when there were potatoes on the table he lookedintoxicated with delight and would laugh and smack his lips beforeher turkeys and legs of mutton, though of course this did notprevent his dealing Nana sundry sharp smacks, as though to keep hishand in amid all his happiness.Nana had indeed found means to provide for all needs, and the placeon certain days overflowed with good things. Twice a week,regularly, Bosc had indigestion. One evening as Mme Lerat waswithdrawing from the scene in high dudgeon because she had noticed acopious dinner she was not destined to eat in process ofpreparation, she could not prevent herself asking brutally who paidfor it all. Nana was taken by surprise; she grew foolish and begancrying."Ah, that's a pretty business," said the aunt, who had divined hermeaning.Nana had resigned herself to it for the sake of enjoying peace inher own home. Then, too, the Tricon was to blame. She had comeacross her in the Rue de Laval one fine day when Fontan had gone outraging about a dish of cod. She had accordingly consented to theproposals made her by the Tricon, who happened just then to be indifficulty. As Fontan never came in before six o'clock, she madearrangements for her afternoons and used to bring back forty francs,sixty francs, sometimes more. She might have made it a matter often and fifteen louis had she been able to maintain her formerposition, but as matters stood she was very glad thus to earn enoughto keep the pot boiling. At night she used to forget all hersorrows when Bosc sat there bursting with dinner and Fontan leanedon his elbows and with an expression of lofty superiority becoming aman who is loved for his own sake allowed her to kiss him on theeyelids.In due course Nana's very adoration of her darling, her dear oldduck, which was all the more passionately blind, seeing that now shepaid for everything, plunged her back into the muddiest depths ofher calling. She roamed the streets and loitered on the pavement inquest of a five-franc piece, just as when she was a slipshod baggageyears ago. One Sunday at La Rochefoucauld Market she had made herpeace with Satin after having flown at her with furious reproachesabout Mme Robert. But Satin had been content to answer that whenone didn't like a thing there was no reason why one should want todisgust others with it. And Nana, who was by way of being wide-minded, had accepted the philosophic view that you never can tellwhere your tastes will lead you and had forgiven her. Her curiositywas even excited, and she began questioning her about obscure vicesand was astounded to be adding to her information at her time oflife and with her knowledge. She burst out laughing and gave ventto various expressions of surprise. It struck her as so queer, andyet she was a little shocked by it, for she was really quite thephilistine outside the pale of her own habits. So she went back toLaure's and fed there when Fontan was dining out. She derived muchamusement from the stories and the amours and the jealousies whichinflamed the female customers without hindering their appetites inthe slightest degree. Nevertheless, she still was not quite in it,as she herself phrased it. The vast Laure, meltingly maternal asever, used often to invite her to pass a day or two at her AsnieriesVilla, a country house containing seven spare bedrooms. But sheused to refuse; she was afraid. Satin, however, swore she wasmistaken about it, that gentlemen from Paris swung you in swings andplayed tonneau with you, and so she promised to come at some futuretime when it would be possible for her to leave town.At that time Nana was much tormented by circumstances and not at allfestively inclined. She needed money, and when the Tricon did notwant her, which too often happened, she had no notion where tobestow her charms. Then began a series of wild descents upon theParisian pavement, plunges into the baser sort of vice, whosevotaries prowl in muddy bystreets under the restless flicker of gaslamps. Nana went back to the public-house balls in the suburbs,where she had kicked up her heels in the early ill-shod days. Sherevisited the dark corners on the outer boulevards, where when shewas fifteen years old men used to hug her while her father waslooking for her in order to give her a hiding. Both the women wouldspeed along, visiting all the ballrooms and restaurants in a quarterand climbing innumerable staircases which were wet with spittle andspilled beer, or they would stroll quietly about, going up streetsand planting themselves in front of carriage gates. Satin, who hadserved her apprenticeship in the Quartier Latin, used to take Nanato Bullier's and the public houses in the Boulevard Saint-Michel.But the vacations were drawing on, and the Quarter looked toostarved. Eventually they always returned to the principalboulevards, for it was there they ran the best chance of gettingwhat they wanted. From the heights of Montmartre to the observatoryplateau they scoured the whole town in the way we have beendescribing. They were out on rainy evenings, when their boots gotworn down, and on hot evenings, when their linen clung to theirskins. There were long periods of waiting and endless periods ofwalking; there were jostlings and disputes and the nameless, brutalcaresses of the stray passer-by who was taken by them to somemiserable furnished room and came swearing down the greasy stairsafterward.The summer was drawing to a close, a stormy summer of burningnights. The pair used to start out together after dinner, towardnine o'clock. On the pavements of the Rue Notre Dame de la Lorettetwo long files of women scudded along with tucked-up skirts and bentheads, keeping close to the shops but never once glancing at thedisplays in the shopwindows as they hurried busily down toward theboulevards. This was the hungry exodus from the Quartier Bredawhich took place nightly when the street lamps had just been lit.Nana and Satin used to skirt the church and then march off along theRue le Peletier. When they were some hundred yards from the CafeRiche and had fairly reached their scene of operations they wouldshake out the skirts of their dresses, which up till that momentthey had been holding carefully up, and begin sweeping thepavements, regardless of dust. With much swaying of the hips theystrolled delicately along, slackening their pace when they crossedthe bright light thrown from one of the great cafes. With shouldersthrown back, shrill and noisy laughter and many backward glances atthe men who turned to look at them, they marched about and werecompletely in their element. In the shadow of night theirartificially whitened faces, their rouged lips and their darkenedeyelids became as charming and suggestive as if the inmates of amake-believe trumpery oriental bazaar had been sent forth into theopen street. Till eleven at night they sauntered gaily along amongthe rudely jostling crowds, contenting themselves with an occasional"dirty ass!" hurled after the clumsy people whose boot heels hadtorn a flounce or two from their dresses. Little familiarsalutations would pass between them and the cafe waiters, and attimes they would stop and chat in front of a small table and acceptof drinks, which they consumed with much deliberation, as becamepeople not sorry to sit down for a bit while waiting for thetheaters to empty. But as night advanced, if they had not made oneor two trips in the direction of the Rue la Rochefoucauld, theybecame abject strumpets, and their hunt for men grew more ferociousthan ever. Beneath the trees in the darkening and fast-emptyingboulevards fierce bargainings took place, accompanied by oaths andblows. Respectable family parties--fathers, mothers and daughters--who were used to such scenes, would pass quietly by the whilewithout quickening their pace. Afterward, when they had walked fromthe opera to the gymnase some half-score times and in the deepeningnight men were rapidly dropping off homeward for good and all, Nanaand Satin kept to the sidewalk in the Rue du Faubourg Montmartre.There up till two o'clock in the morning restaurants, bars and ham-and-beef shops were brightly lit up, while a noisy mob of women hungobstinately round the doors of the cafes. This suburb was the onlycorner of night Paris which was still alight and still alive, theonly market still open to nocturnal bargains. These last wereopenly struck between group and group and from one end of the streetto the other, just as in the wide and open corridor of a disorderlyhouse. On such evenings as the pair came home without having hadany success they used to wrangle together. The Rue Notre Dame de laLorette stretched dark and deserted in front of them. Here andthere the crawling shadow of a woman was discernible, for theQuarter was going home and going home late, and poor creatures,exasperated at a night of fruitless loitering, were unwilling togive up the chase and would still stand, disputing in hoarse voiceswith any strayed reveler they could catch at the corner of the RueBreda or the Rue Fontaine.Nevertheless, some windfalls came in their way now and then in theshape of louis picked up in the society of elegant gentlemen, whoslipped their decorations into their pockets as they went upstairswith them. Satin had an especially keen scent for these. On rainyevenings, when the dripping city exhaled an unpleasant odorsuggestive of a great untidy bed, she knew that the soft weather andthe fetid reek of the town's holes and corners were sure to send themen mad. And so she watched the best dressed among them, for sheknew by their pale eyes what their state was. On such nights it wasas though a fit of fleshly madness were passing over Paris. Thegirl was rather nervous certainly, for the most modish gentlemenwere always the most obscene. All the varnish would crack off aman, and the brute beast would show itself, exacting, monstrous inlust, a past master in corruption. But besides being nervous, thattrollop of a Satin was lacking in respect. She would blurt outawful things in front of dignified gentlemen in carriages and assurethem that their coachmen were better bred than they because theybehaved respectfully toward the women and did not half kill themwith their diabolical tricks and suggestions. The way in whichsmart people sprawled head over heels into all the cesspools of vicestill caused Nana some surprise, for she had a few prejudicesremaining, though Satin was rapidly destroying them."Well then," she used to say when talking seriously about thematter, "there's no such thing as virtue left, is there?"From one end of the social ladder to the other everybody was on theloose! Good gracious! Some nice things ought to be going on inParis between nine o'clock in the evening and three in the morning!And with that she began making very merry and declaring that if onecould only have looked into every room one would have seen somefunny sights--the little people going it head over ears and a goodlot of swells, too, playing the swine rather harder than the rest.Oh, she was finishing her education!One evenlng when she came to call for Satin she recognized theMarquis de Chouard. He was coming downstairs with quaking legs; hisface was ashen white, and he leaned heavily on the banisters. Shepretended to be blowing her nose. Upstairs she found Satin amidindescribable filth. No household work had been done for a week;her bed was disgusting, and ewers and basins were standing about inall directions. Nana expressed surprise at her knowing the marquis.Oh yes, she knew him! He had jolly well bored her confectioner andher when they were together. At present he used to come back nowand then, but he nearly bothered her life out, going sniffing intoall the dirty corners--yes, even into her slippers!"Yes, dear girl, my slippers! Oh, he's the dirtiest old beast,always wanting one to do things!"The sincerity of these low debauches rendered Nana especiallyuneasy. Seeing the courtesans around her slowly dying of it everyday, she recalled to mind the comedy of pleasure she had taken partin when she was in the heyday of success. Moreover, Satin inspiredher with an awful fear of the police. She was full of anecdotesabout them. Formerly she had been the mistress of a plain-clothesman, had consented to this in order to be left in peace, and on twooccasions he had prevented her from being put "on the lists." Butat present she was in a great fright, for if she were to be nabbedagain there was a clear case against her. You had only to listen toher! For the sake of perquisites the police used to take up as manywomen as possible. They laid hold of everybody and quieted you witha slap if you shouted, for they were sure of being defended in theiractions and rewarded, even when they had taken a virtuous girl amongthe rest. In the summer they would swoop upon the boulevard inparties of twelve or fifteen, surround a whole long reach ofsidewalk and fish up as many as thirty women in an evening. Satin,however, knew the likely places, and the moment she saw a plain-clothes man heaving in sight she took to her heels, while the longlines of women on the pavements scattered in consternation and fledthrough the surrounding crowd. The dread of the law and of themagistracy was such that certain women would stand as thoughparalyzed in the doorways of the cafes while the raid was sweepingthe avenue without. But Satin was even more afraid of beingdenounced, for her pastry cook had proved blackguard enough tothreaten to sell her when she had left him. Yes, that was a fake bywhich men lived on their mistresses! Then, too, there were thedirty women who delivered you up out of sheer treachery if you wereprettier than they! Nana listened to these recitals and felt herterrors growing upon her. She had always trembled before the law,that unknown power, that form of revenge practiced by men able andwilling to crush her in the certain absence of all defenders.Saint-Lazare she pictured as a grave, a dark hole, in which theyburied live women after they had cut off their hair. She admittedthat it was only necessary to leave Fontan and seek powerfulprotectors. But as matters stood it was in vain that Satin talkedto her of certain lists of women's names, which it was the duty ofthe plainclothes men to consult, and of certain photographsaccompanying the lists, the originals of which were on no account tobe touched. The reassurance did not make her tremble the less, andshe still saw herself hustled and dragged along and finallysubjected to the official medical inspection. The thought of theofficial armchair filled her with shame and anguish, for had she notbade it defiance a score of times?Now it so happened that one evening toward the close of September,as she was walking with Satin in the Boulevard Poissonniere, thelatter suddenly began tearing along at a terrible pace. And whenNana asked her what she meant thereby:"It's the plain-clothes men!" whispered Satin. "Off with you! Offwith you!" A wild stampede took place amid the surging crowd.Skirts streamed out behind and were torn. There were blows andshrieks. A woman fell down. The crowd of bystanders stoodhilariously watching this rough police raid while the plain-clothesmen rapidly narrowed their circle. Meanwhile Nana had lost Satin.Her legs were failing her, and she would have been taken up for acertainty had not a man caught her by the arm and led her away infront of the angry police. It was Prulliere, and he had justrecognized her. Without saying a word he turned down the RueRougemont with her. It was just then quite deserted, and she wasable to regain breath there, but at first her faintness andexhaustion were such that he had to support her. She did not eventhank him."Look here," he said, "you must recover a bit. Come up to myrooms."He lodged in the Rue Bergere close by. But she straightened herselfup at once."No, I don't want to."Thereupon he waxed coarse and rejoined:"Why don't you want to, eh? Why, everybody visits my rooms.""Because I don't."In her opinion that explained everything. She was too fond ofFontan to betray him with one of his friends. The other peopleceased to count the moment there was no pleasure in the business,and necessity compelled her to it. In view of her idiotic obstinacyPrulliere, as became a pretty fellow whose vanity had been wounded,did a cowardly thing."Very well, do as you like!" he cried. "Only I don't side with you,my dear. You must get out of the scrape by yourself."And with that he left her. Terrors got hold of her again, andscurrying past shops and turning white whenever a man drew nigh, shefetched an immense compass before reaching Montmartre.On the morrow, while still suffering from the shock of last night'sterrors, Nana went to her aunt's and at the foot of a small emptystreet in the Batignolles found herself face to face withLabordette. At first they both appeared embarrassed, for with hisusual complaisance he was busy on a secret errand. Nevertheless, hewas the first to regain his self-possession and to announce himselffortunate in meeting her. Yes, certainly, everybody was stillwondering at Nana's total eclipse. People were asking for her, andold friends were pining. And with that he grew quite paternal andended by sermonizing."Frankly speaking, between you and me, my dear, the thing's gettingstupid. One can understand a mash, but to go to that extent, to betrampled on like that and to get nothing but knocks! Are youplaying up for the 'Virtue Prizes' then?"She listened to him with an embarrassed expression. But when hetold her about Rose, who was triumphantly enjoying her conquest ofCount Muffat, a flame came into her eyes."Oh, if I wanted to--" she muttered.As became an obliging friend, he at once offered to act asintercessor. But she refused his help, and he thereupon attackedher in an opposite quarter.He informed her that Bordenave was busy mounting a play ofFauchery's containing a splendid part for her."What, a play with a part!" she cried in amazement. "But he's in itand he's told me nothing about it!"She did not mention Fontan by name. However, she grew calm againdirectly and declared that she would never go on the stage again.Labordette doubtless remained unconvinced, for he continued withsmiling insistence."You know, you need fear nothing with me. I get your Muffat readyfor you, and you go on the stage again, and I bring him to you likea little dog!""No!" she cried decisively.And she left him. Her heroic conduct made her tenderly pitifultoward herself. No blackguard of a man would ever have sacrificedhimself like that without trumpeting the fact abroad. Nevertheless,she was struck by one thing: Labordette had given her exactly thesame advice as Francis had given her. That evening when Fontan camehome she questioned him about Fauchery's piece. The former had beenback at the Varietes for two months past. Why then had he not toldher about the part?"What part?" he said in his ill-humored tone. "The grand lady'spart, maybe? The deuce, you believe you've got talent then! Why,such a part would utterly do for you, my girl! You're meant forcomic business--there's no denying it!"She was dreadfully wounded. All that evening he kept chaffing her,calling her Mlle Mars. But the harder he hit the more bravely shesuffered, for she derived a certain bitter satisfaction from thisheroic devotion of hers, which rendered her very great and veryloving in her own eyes. Ever since she had gone with other men inorder to supply his wants her love for him had increased, and thefatigues and disgusts encountered outside only added to the flame.He was fast becoming a sort of pet vice for which she paid, anecessity of existence it was impossible to do without, seeing thatblows only stimulated her desires. He, on his part, seeing what agood tame thing she had become, ended by abusing his privileges.She was getting on his nerves, and he began to conceive so fierce aloathing for her that he forgot to keep count of his real interests.When Bosc made his customary remarks to him he cried out inexasperation, for which there was no apparent cause, that he had hadenough of her and of her good dinners and that he would shortlychuck her out of doors if only for the sake of making another womana present of his seven thousand francs. Indeed, that was how theirliaison ended.One evening Nana came in toward eleven o'clock and found the doorbolted. She tapped once--there was no answer; twice--still noanswer. Meanwhile she saw light under the door, and Fontan insidedid not trouble to move. She rapped again unwearyingly; she calledhim and began to get annoyed. At length Fontan's voice becameaudible; he spoke slowly and rather unctuously and uttered but thisone word."Merde!"She beat on the door with her fists."Merde!"She banged hard enough to smash in the woodwork."Merde!"And for upward of a quarter of an hour the same foul expressionbuffeted her, answering like a jeering echo to every blow wherewithshe shook the door. At length, seeing that she was not growingtired, he opened sharply, planted himself on the threshold, foldedhis arms and said in the same cold, brutal voice:"By God, have you done yet? What d'you want? Are you going to letus sleep in peace, eh? You can quite see I've got company tonight."He was certainly not alone, for Nana perceived the little woman fromthe Bouffes with the untidy tow hair and the gimlet-hole eyes,standing enjoying herself in her shift among the furniture she hadpaid for. But Fontan stepped out on the landing. He lookedterrible, and he spread out and crooked his great fingers as if theywere pincers."Hook it or I'll strangle you!"rhereupon Nana burst into a nervous fit of sobbing. She wasfrightened and she made off. This time it was she that was beingkicked out of doors. And in her fury the thought of Muffat suddenlyoccurred to her. Ah, to be sure, Fontan, of all men, ought never tohave done her such a turn!When she was out in the street her first thought was to go and sleepwith Satin, provided the girl had no one with her. She met her infront of her house, for she, too, had been turned out of doors byher landlord. He had just had a padlock affixed to her door--quiteillegally, of course, seeing that she had her own furniture. Sheswore and talked of having him up before the commissary of police.In the meantime, as midnight was striking, they had to beginthinking of finding a bed. And Satin, deeming it unwise to let theplain-clothes men into her secrets, ended by taking Nana to a womanwho kept a little hotel in the Rue de Laval. Here they wereassigned a narrow room on the first floor, the window of whichopened on the courtyard. Satin remarked:"I should gladly have gone to Mme Robert's. There's always a cornerthere for me. But with you it's out of the question. She's gettingabsurdly jealous; she beat me the other night."When they had shut themselves in, Nana, who had not yet relieved herfeelings, burst into tears and again and again recounted Fontan'sdirty behavior. Satin listened complaisantly, comforted her, greweven more angry than she in denunciation of the male sex."Oh, the pigs, the pigs! Look here, we'll have nothing more to dowith them!"Then she helped Nana to undress with all the small, busy attentions,becoming a humble little friend. She kept saying coaxingly:"Let's go to bed as fast as we can, pet. We shall be better offthere! Oh, how silly you are to get crusty about things! I tellyou, they're dirty brutes. Don't think any more about 'em. I--Ilove you very much. Don't cry, and oblige your own little darlinggirl."And once in bed, she forthwith took Nana in her arms and soothed andcomforted her. She refused to hear Fontan's name mentioned again,and each time it recurred to her friend's lips she stopped it with akiss. Her lips pouted in pretty indignation; her hair lay looseabout her, and her face glowed with tenderness and childlike beauty.Little by little her soft embrace compelled Nana to dry her tears.She was touched and replied to Satin's caresses. When two o'clockstruck the candle was still burning, and a sound of soft, smotheredlaughter and lovers' talk was audible in the room.But suddenly a loud noise came up from the lower floors of thehotel, and Satin, with next to nothing on, got up and listenedintently."The police!" she said, growing very pale."Oh, blast our bad luck! We're bloody well done for!"Often had she told stories about the raids on hotel made by theplainclothes men. But that particular night neither of them hadsuspected anything when they took shelter in the Rue de Laval. Atthe sound of the word "police" Nana lost her head. She jumped outof bed and ran across the room with the scared look of a madwomanabout to jump out of the window. Luckily, however, the littlecourtyard was roofed with glass, which was covered with an iron-wiregrating at the level of the girls' bedroom. At sight of this sheceased to hesitate; she stepped over the window prop, and with herchemise flying and her legs bared to the night air she vanished inthe gloom."Stop! Stop!" said Satin in a great fright. "You'll killyourself."Then as they began hammering at the door, she shut the window like agood-natured girl and threw her friend's clothes down into acupboard. She was already resigned to her fate and comfortedherself with the thought that, after all, if she were to be put onthe official list she would no longer be so "beastly frightened" asof yore. So she pretended to be heavy with sleep. She yawned; shepalavered and ended by opening the door to a tall, burly fellow withan unkempt beard, who said to her:"Show your hands! You've got no needle pricks on them: you don'twork. Now then, dress!""But I'm not a dressmaker; I'm a burnisher," Satin brazenlydeclared.Nevertheless, she dressed with much docility, knowing that argumentwas out of the question. Cries were ringing through the hotel; agirl was clinging to doorposts and refusing to budge an inch.Another girl, in bed with a lover, who was answering for herlegality, was acting the honest woman who had been grossly insultedand spoke of bringing an action against the prefect of police. Forclose on an hour there was a noise of heavy shoes on the stairs, offists hammering on doors, of shrill disputes terminating in sobs, ofpetticoats rustling along the walls, of all the sounds, in fact,attendant on the sudden awakening and scared departure of a flock ofwomen as they were roughly packed off by three plain-clothes men,headed by a little oily-mannered, fair-haired commissary of police.After they had gone the hotel relapsed into deep silence.Nobody had betrayed her; Nana was saved. Shivering and half deadwith fear, she came groping back into the room. Her bare feet werecut and bleeding, for they had been torn by the grating. For a longwhile she remained sitting on the edge of the bed, listening andlistening. Toward morning, however, she went to sleep again, and ateight o'clock, when she woke up, she escaped from the hotel and ranto her aunt's. When Mme Lerat, who happened just then to bedrinking her morning coffee with Zoe, beheld her bedraggled plightand haggard face, she took note of the hour and at once understoodthe state of the case."It's come to it, eh?" she cried. "I certainly told you that hewould take the skin off your back one of these days. Well, well,come in; you'll always find a kind welcome here."Zoe had risen from her chair and was muttering with respectfulfamiliarity:"Madame is restored to us at last. I was waiting for Madame."But Mme Lerat insisted on Nana's going and kissing Louiset at once,because, she said, the child took delight in his mother's nice ways.Louiset, a sickly child with poor blood, was still asleep, and whenNana bent over his white, scrofulous face, the memory of all she hadundergone during the last few months brought a choking lump into herthroat."Oh, my poor little one, my poor little one!" she gasped, burstinginto a final fit of sobbing.