ass her nights in
weeping, and execrate the whole world.

Seeing that other woman make herself at home in the shop and adopt a
tone of familiarity with the young man, all Germinie's jealous instincts
were aroused and changed to furious rage. Her hatred flew to arms and
rebelled, with her disgust, against the shameless, brazen-faced
creature, who could be seen on Sunday sitting at table on the outer
boulevards with soldiers, and who had blue marks on her face on Monday.
She did her utmost to induce Madame Jupillon to turn her away; but she
was one of the best customers of the creamery, and the _cremiere_ mildly
refused to close her doors upon her. Germinie had recourse to the son
and told him that she was a miserable creature. But that only served to
attach the young man the closer to the vile woman, whose evil reputation
delighted him. Moreover, he had the cruel mischievous instinct of youth,
and he redoubled his attentions to her simply to see "the nose" that
Germinie made and to enjoy her despair. Soon Germinie discovered that
the woman's intentions were more serious than she had at first supposed:
she began to understand what she wanted of the child,--for the tall
youth of seventeen was still a child in her eyes. Thenceforward she hung
upon their steps; she was always beside them, never left them alone for
a moment, made one at all their parties, at the theatre or in the
country, joined them in all their walks, was always at hand and in the
way, seeking to hold Adele back, and to restore her sense of decency by
a word in an undertone: "A mere boy! ain't you ashamed?" she would say
to her. And the other would laugh aloud, as if it were a good joke.

When they left the theatre, enlivened and heated by the feverish
excitement of the performance and the place; when they returned from an
excursion to the country, laden with a long day's sunshine, intoxicated
with the blue sky and the pure air, excited by the wine imbibed at
dinner, amid the sportive liberties in which the woman of the people,
drunk with enjoyment and with the delights of unlimited good cheer, and
with the senses keyed up to the highest pitch of joviality, makes bold
to indulge at night, Germinie tried to be always between the maid and
Jupillon. She never relaxed her efforts to break the lovers' hold upon
each other's arms, to unbind them, to uncouple them. Never wearying of
the task, she was forever separating them, luring them away from each
other. She