his room for a little rest. They only kept a candle alight, standing
on the ground behind the wardrobe. But towards three o'clock Gervaise
abruptly jumped out of bed, shivering and oppressed with anguish. She
thought she had felt a cold breath pass over her body. The morsel
of candle had burnt out; she tied on her petticoats in the dark, all
bewildered, and with feverish hands. It was not till she got into the
little room, after knocking up against the furniture, that she was able
to light a small lamp. In the midst of the oppressive silence of
night, the zinc-worker's snores alone sounded as two grave notes. Nana,
stretched on her back, was breathing gently between her pouting lips.
And Gervaise, holding down the lamp which caused big shadows to dance
about the room, cast the light on mother Coupeau's face, and beheld it
all white, the head lying on the shoulder, the eyes wide open. Mother
Coupeau was dead.

Gently, without uttering a cry, icy cold yet prudent, the laundress
returned to Lantier's room. He had gone to sleep again. She bent over
him and murmured:

"Listen, it's all over, she's dead."

Heavy with sleep, only half awake, he grunted at first:

"Leave me alone, get into bed. We can't do her any good if she's dead."

Then he raised himself on his elbow and asked:

"What's the time?"

"Three o'clock."

"Only three o'clock! Get into bed quick. You'll catch cold. When it's
daylight, we'll see what's to be done."

But she did not listen to him, she dressed herself completely. Bundling
himself in the blankets, Lantier muttered about how stubborn women were.
What was the hurry to announce a death in the house? He was irritated at
having his sleep spoiled by such gloomy matters.

Meanwhile, Gervaise had moved her things back into her own room. Then
she felt free to sit down and cry, no longer fearful of being caught
in Lantier's room. She had been fond of mother Coupeau and felt a deep
sorrow at her loss. She sat, crying by herself, her sobs loud in the
silence, but Coupeau never stirred. She had spoken to him and even
shaken him and finally decided to let him sleep. He would be more of a
nuisance if he woke up.

On returning to the body, she found Nana sitting up in bed rubbing her
eyes. The child understood, and with her vicious urchin's curiosity,
stretched out her neck to get a better view of her grandmother; she
said nothing but she trembled slightly, surprised and satisfied in the
presence of t