ver the
matter every day. He grumbled at everything, sniffed at the dishes of
potatoes--a mess he could not eat, he would say, without having the
colic. The least jangling now turned to quarrels, in which they accused
one another of being the cause of all their troubles, and it was a devil
of a job to restore harmony before they all retired for the night.

Lantier sensed a crisis coming and it exasperated him to realise that
this place was already so thoroughly cleaned out that he could see the
day coming when he'd have to take his hat and seek elsewhere for his bed
and board. He had become accustomed to this little paradise where he was
nicely treated by everybody. He should have blamed himself for eating
himself out of house and home, but instead he blamed the Coupeaus for
letting themselves be ruined in less than two years. He thought Gervaise
was too extravagant. What was going to happen to them now?

One evening in December they had no dinner at all. There was not a
radish left. Lantier, who was very glum, went out early, wandering about
in search of some other den where the smell of the kitchen would bring
a smile to one's face. He would now remain for hours beside the stove
wrapt in thought. Then, suddenly, he began to evince a great friendship
for the Poissons. He no longer teased the policeman and even went so far
as to concede that the Emperor might not be such a bad fellow after all.
He seemed to especially admire Virginie. No doubt he was hoping to board
with them. Virginie having acquainted him with her desire to set up in
some sort of business, he agreed with everything she said, and declared
that her idea was a most brilliant one. She was just the person for
trade--tall, engaging and active. Oh! she would make as much as she
liked. The capital had been available for some time, thanks to an
inheritance from an aunt. Lantier told her of all the shopkeepers who
were making fortunes. The time was right for it; you could sell anything
these days. Virginie, however, hesitated; she was looking for a shop
that was to be let, she did not wish to leave the neighborhood.
Then Lantier would take her into corners and converse with her in an
undertone for ten minutes at a time. He seemed to be urging her to do
something in spite of herself; and she no longer said "no," but appeared
to authorize him to act. It was as a secret between them, with winks and
words rapidly exchanged, some mysterious understanding which betra