er husband to the Asylum of Sainte-Anne, because the
day before he had suddenly gone wild. Oh! a total leave-taking of
his senses; attempts to crack his skull against the wall; howls which
prevented the other patients from sleeping. It all came from drink, it
seemed. Gervaise went home very upset. Well, her husband had gone crazy.
What would it be like if he came home? Nana insisted that they should
leave him in the hospital because he might end by killing both of them.

Gervaise was not able to go to Sainte-Anne until Sunday. It was
a tremendous journey. Fortunately, the omnibus from the Boulevard
Rochechouart to La Glaciere passed close to the asylum. She went down
the Rue de la Sante, buying two oranges on her way, so as not to arrive
empty-handed. It was another monumental building, with grey courtyards,
interminable corridors and a smell of rank medicaments, which did not
exactly inspire liveliness. But when they had admitted her into a cell
she was quite surprised to see Coupeau almost jolly. He was just then
seated on the throne, a spotlessly clean wooden case, and they both
laughed at her finding him in this position. Well, one knows what an
invalid is. He squatted there like a pope with his cheek of earlier
days. Oh! he was better, as he could do this.

"And the pneumonia?" inquired the laundress.

"Done for!" replied he. "They cured it in no time. I still cough a
little, but that's all that is left of it."

Then at the moment of leaving the throne to get back into his bed,
he joked once more. "It's lucky you have a strong nose and are not
bothered."

They laughed louder than ever. At heart they felt joyful. It was by way
of showing their contentment without a host of phrases that they thus
joked together. One must have had to do with patients to know the
pleasure one feels at seeing all their functions at work again.

When he was back in bed she gave him the two oranges and this filled
him with emotion. He was becoming quite nice again ever since he had
had nothing but tisane to drink. She ended by venturing to speak to him
about his violent attack, surprised at hearing him reason like in the
good old times.

"Ah, yes," said he, joking at his own expense; "I talked a precious lot
of nonsense! Just fancy, I saw rats and ran about on all fours to put
a grain of salt under their tails. And you, you called to me, men were
trying to kill you. In short, all sorts of stupid things, ghosts in
broad daylight. O