na sundry sharp smacks, as though to keep
his hand in amid all his happiness.

Nana had indeed found means to provide for all needs, and the place on
certain days overflowed with good things. Twice a week, regularly, Bosc
had indigestion. One evening as Mme Lerat was withdrawing from the scene
in high dudgeon because she had noticed a copious dinner she was not
destined to eat in process of preparation, she could not prevent herself
asking brutally who paid for it all. Nana was taken by surprise; she
grew foolish and began crying.

"Ah, that's a pretty business," said the aunt, who had divined her
meaning.

Nana had resigned herself to it for the sake of enjoying peace in her
own home. Then, too, the Tricon was to blame. She had come across her
in the Rue de Laval one fine day when Fontan had gone out raging about a
dish of cod. She had accordingly consented to the proposals made her by
the Tricon, who happened just then to be in difficulty. As Fontan never
came in before six o'clock, she made arrangements for her afternoons and
used to bring back forty francs, sixty francs, sometimes more. She might
have made it a matter of ten and fifteen louis had she been able to
maintain her former position, but as matters stood she was very glad
thus to earn enough to keep the pot boiling. At night she used to forget
all her sorrows when Bosc sat there bursting with dinner and Fontan
leaned on his elbows and with an expression of lofty superiority
becoming a man who is loved for his own sake allowed her to kiss him on
the eyelids.

In due course Nana's very adoration of her darling, her dear old duck,
which was all the more passionately blind, seeing that now she paid for
everything, plunged her back into the muddiest depths of her calling.
She roamed the streets and loitered on the pavement in quest of a
five-franc piece, just as when she was a slipshod baggage years ago.
One Sunday at La Rochefoucauld Market she had made her peace with Satin
after having flown at her with furious reproaches about Mme Robert. But
Satin had been content to answer that when one didn't like a thing there
was no reason why one should want to disgust others with it. And Nana,
who was by way of being wide-minded, had accepted the philosophic view
that you never can tell where your tastes will lead you and had forgiven
her. Her curiosity was even excited, and she began questioning her about
obscure vices and was astounded to be adding to her informa