pet. And at this the rest
exclaimed delightedly, treating their entertainers as lucky people and
pretending to envy their felicity.

The Twelfth-Night cake had been cut and handed round. The bean had
fallen 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 put her arms
round Fontan's neck again, kissing him and whispering in his 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 the company separated, shouting
au revoir as they went downstairs.

For three weeks the existence of the pair of lovers was really charming.
Nana fancied she was returning to those early days when her first silk
dress had caused her infinite delight. She went out little and affected
a life of solitude and simplicity. One morning early, when she had gone
down to buy fish IN PROPRIA PERSONA in La Rouchefoucauld Market, she was
vastly surprised to meet her old hair dresser Francis face to face. His
getup was as scrupulously careful as ever: he wore the finest linen, and
his frock coat was beyond reproach; in fact, Nana felt ashamed that he
should see her in the street with a dressing jacket and disordered hair
and down-at-heel shoes. But he had the tact, if possible, to intensify
his politeness toward her. He did not permit himself a single inquiry
and affected to believe that Madame was at present on her travels. Ah,
but Madame had rendered many persons unhappy when she decided to travel!
All the world had suffered loss. The young woman, however, ended by
asking him questions, for a sudden fit of curiosity had made her forget
her previous embarrassment. Seeing that the crowd was jostling them, she
pushed him into a doorway and, still holding her little basket in one
hand, stood chatting in front of him. What were people saying about her
high jinks? Good heavens! The ladies to whom he went said this and that
and all sorts of things. In fact, she had made a great noise and was
enjoying a real boom: And Steiner? M. Steiner was in a very bad way,
would make an ugly finish if he couldn't hit on some new commercial
operation. And Daguenet? Oh, HE was getting on swimmingly. M. Daguenet
was settling down. Nana, under the exciting influence of various
recollections, was just opening