g suddenly calm and taking his glass.
"Good health!"

"Good health!" replied Boche and Poisson, clinking glasses with him.

Boche, however, was moving nervously about, troubled by an anxiety as he
looked at the policeman out of the corner of his eye.

"All this between ourselves, eh, Monsieur Poisson?" murmured he at
length. "We say and show you things to show off."

But Poisson did not let him finish. He placed his hand upon his heart,
as though to explain that all remained buried there. He certainly did
not go spying about on his friends. Coupeau arriving, they emptied a
second quart. Then the policeman went off by way of the courtyard and
resumed his stiff and measured tread along the pavement.

At the beginning of the new arrangement, the entire routine of the
establishment was considerably upset. Lantier had his own separate room,
with his own entrance and his own key. However, since they had decided
not to close off the door between the rooms, he usually came and went
through the shop. Besides, the dirty clothes were an inconvenience to
Gervaise because her husband never made the case he had promised and she
had to tuck the dirty laundry into any odd corner she could find. They
usually ended up under the bed and this was not very pleasant on warm
summer nights. She also found it a nuisance having to make up Etienne's
bed every evening in the shop. When her employees worked late, the lad
had to sleep in a chair until they finished.

Goujet had mentioned sending Etienne to Lille where a machinist he knew
was looking for apprentices. As the boy was unhappy at home and eager to
be out on his own, Gervaise seriously considered the proposal. Her only
fear was that Lantier would refuse. Since he had come to live with them
solely to be near his son, surely he wouldn't want to lose him only two
weeks after he moved in. However he approved whole-heartedly when she
timidly broached the matter to him. He said that young men needed to
see a bit of the country. The morning that Etienne left Lantier made a
speech to him, kissed him and ended by saying:

"Never forget that a workingman is not a slave, and that whoever is not
a workingman is a lazy drone."

The household was now able to get into the new routine. Gervaise became
accustomed to having dirty laundry lying all around. Lantier was forever
talking of important business deals. Sometimes he went out, wearing
fresh linen and neatly combed. He would stay out all nigh