up in his shed! A bell! That's
good for slaves. Ah, well! It can ring to-day! They won't catch me again
at the anvil! For five days past I've been sticking there; I may give
myself a rest now. If he deducts anything, I'll send him to blazes."

"I," said Coupeau, with an air of importance, "I'm obliged to leave you;
I'm off to work. Yes, I promised my wife. Amuse yourselves; my spirit
you know remains with my pals."

The others chuffed him. But he seemed so decided that they all
accompanied him when he talked of going to fetch his tools from Pere
Colombe's. He took his bag from under the seat and laid it on the ground
before him whilst they had a final drink. But at one o'clock the party
was still standing drinks. Then Coupeau, with a bored gesture placed the
tools back again under the seat. They were in his way; he could not get
near the counter without stumbling against them. It was too absurd;
he would go to Bourguignon's on the morrow. The other four, who were
quarrelling about the question of salaries, were not at all surprised
when the zinc-worker, without any explanation, proposed a little stroll
on the Boulevard, just to stretch their legs. They didn't go very far.
They seemed to have nothing to say to each other out in the fresh air.
Without even consulting each other with so much as a nudge, they slowly
and instinctively ascended the Rue des Poissonniers, where they went to
Francois's and had a glass of wine out of the bottle. Lantier pushed his
comrades inside the private room at the back; it was a narrow place with
only one table in it, and was separated from the shop by a dull glazed
partition. He liked to do his drinking in private rooms because it
seemed more respectable. Didn't they like it here? It was as comfortable
as being at home. You could even take a nap here without being
embarrassed. He called for the newspaper, spread it out open before
him, and looked through it, frowning the while. Coupeau and My-Boots had
commenced a game of piquet. Two bottles of wine and five glasses were
scattered about the table.

They emptied their glasses. Then Lantier read out loud:

"A frightful crime has just spread consternation throughout the Commune
of Gaillon, Department of Seine-et-Marne. A son has killed his father
with blows from a spade in order to rob him of thirty sous."

They all uttered a cry of horror. There was a fellow whom they would
have taken great pleasure in seeing guillotined! No, the guillot