ntz pattern costing eighteen sous the piece, and thought all
the other papers hideous. At length the concierge gave in; he would
arrange the matter, and, if necessary, would make out there was a
piece more used than was really the case. So, on her way home, Gervaise
purchased some tarts for Pauline. She did not like being behindhand--one
always gained by behaving nicely to her.

The shop was to be ready in four days. The workmen were there three
weeks. At first it was arranged that they should merely wash the paint.
But this paint, originally maroon, was so dirty and so sad-looking, that
Gervaise allowed herself to be tempted to have the whole of the frontage
painted a light blue with yellow moldings. Then the repairs seemed as
though they would last for ever. Coupeau, as he was still not working,
arrived early each morning to see how things were going. Boche left the
overcoat or trousers on which he was working to come and supervise.
Both of them would stand and watch with their hands behind their backs,
puffing on their pipes.

The painters were very merry fellows who would often desert their work
to stand in the middle of the shop and join the discussion, shaking
their heads for hours, admiring the work already done. The ceiling had
been whitewashed quickly, but the paint on the walls never seemed to dry
in a hurry.

Around nine o'clock the painters would arrive with their paint pots
which they stuck in a corner. They would look around and then disappear.
Perhaps they went to eat breakfast. Sometimes Coupeau would take
everyone for a drink--Boche, the two painters and any of Coupeau's
friends who were nearby. This meant another afternoon wasted.

Gervaise's patience was thoroughly exhausted, when, suddenly, everything
was finished in two days, the paint varnished, the paper hung, and the
dirt all cleared away. The workmen had finished it off as though they
were playing, whistling away on their ladders, and singing loud enough
to deafen the whole neighborhood.

The moving in took place at once. During the first few days Gervaise
felt as delighted as a child. Whenever she crossed the road on returning
from some errand, she lingered to smile at her home. From a distance her
shop appeared light and gay with its pale blue signboard, on which the
word "Laundress" was painted in big yellow letters, amidst the dark row
of the other frontages. In the window, closed in behind by little
muslin curtains, and hung on either