alking with his knees well apart, with that
movement peculiar to the military when endeavoring to save their
carefully polished boots from the mud.

In passing the ladies he bowed, but only stared contemptuously at the
men, who, be it said, had the dignity not to lift their hats, though
Loiseau made a faint gesture in that direction.

Boule de Suif blushed up to her eyes, and the three married women felt
it a deep humiliation to have encountered this soldier while they were
in the company of the young woman he had treated so cavalierly.

The conversation then turned upon him, his general appearance, his face.
Madame Carre-Lamadon, who had known a great many officers and was
competent to judge of them "en connoisseur," considered this one really
not half bad--she even regretted that he was not French, he would have
made such a fascinating hussar, and would certainly have been much run
after.

Once indoors again, they did not know what to do with themselves. Sharp
words were exchanged on the most insignificant pretexts. The silent
dinner did not last long, and they shortly afterwards went to bed,
hoping to kill time by sleep.

They came down next morning with jaded faces and tempers on the thin
edge. The women scarcely addressed a word to Boule de Suif.

Presently the church bell began to ring; it was for a christening. Boule
de Suif had a child out at nurse with some peasants near Yvetot. She did
not see it once in a year and never gave it a thought, but the idea of
this baby which was going to be baptized filled her heart with sudden
and violent tenderness for her own, and nothing would satisfy her but
that she should assist at the ceremony.

No sooner was she gone than they all looked at one another and proceeded
to draw up their chairs; for everybody felt that things had come to that
point that something must be decided upon. Loiseau had an inspiration:
that they should propose to the officer to keep Boule de Suif and let
the rest go.

Monsieur Follenvie undertook the mission, but returned almost
immediately. The German, who had some knowledge of human nature, had
simply turned him out of the room. He meant to retain the whole party
so long as his desire was unsatisfied.

At this Madame Loiseau's plebeian tendencies got the better of her. "But
surely we are not going to sit down calmly here and die of old age! As
that is her trade, I don't see that she has any right to refuse one man
more than another. Why,