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Updated: July 10, 2025
The child's arms were round her sister Henriette, a baby who had just been weaned. She stood with a sad, solemn face and serious, melancholy eyes but shed no tears. When Bijard slipped and fell Gervaise and Father Bru helped the poor creature to her feet, who then burst into sobs. Lalie went to her side, but she did not cry, for the child was already habituated to such scenes.
Especially since the woman said she had hurt herself falling. She wanted to save him from the scaffold, but she screamed all night long before she died." Goujet clenched his hands and remained silent. "She weaned her youngest only two weeks ago, little Jules," Gervaise went on. "That's lucky for the baby, he won't have to suffer. Still, there's the child Lalie and she has two babies to look after.
"I do not know whether the piano brought us ill luck, but Lâlie had not even time to learn four songs before she disappeared like the wind, just as she had come, flick-flack, good-night, good-bye; perhaps from spite, because she had found letters from other women on my table, perhaps to renew her advertisement, as she was not one of those to hang onto one man and become a fixture.
"What is the matter with you fools? Have you been struck dumb? I heard you all talking and laughing merrily enough before I came in. Where are your tongues now? Here! Take off my shoes!" Lalie, considerably disheartened at not having received her customary kick, turned very pale as she obeyed. He was sitting on the side of the bed.
Misery might blow into the room as much as it liked, carry off the chattels and spread all the dirt and refuse about. Lalie, however, came behind and tidied everything, imparting, at least, some appearance of comfort within. She might not be rich, but you realized that there was a housewife in the place.
But her face bore the traces of such frightful agony that Gervaise fell on her knees by the side of the bed. She knew that the child had had a cough for a month, and she saw the blood trickling from the corners of her mouth. "It is not my fault," Lalie murmured. "I thought I was strong enough, and I washed the floor. I could not finish the windows though. Everything but those are clean.
Just as she was turning into the passage at the top, little Lalie, who heard her footsteps, hastened to meet her, opening her arms caressingly, and saying, with a smile: "Madame Gervaise, papa has not returned. Just come and see my little children sleeping. Oh! they look so pretty!" But on beholding the laundress' besotted face, she tremblingly drew back.
The two children were cutting out pictures in a corner, but Lalie was in bed, lying very straight and pale, with the sheet pulled over her chin. "What is the matter?" asked Gervaise anxiously. Lalie slowly lifted her white lids and tried to speak. "Nothing," she said faintly; "nothing, I assure you!" Then as her eyes closed she added: "I am only a little lazy and am taking my ease."
She stood aghast at the scene and then was seized with noble rage. "Let her be!" she cried. "I will go myself and summon the police." Bijard growled like an animal who is disturbed over his prey. "Why do you meddle?" he exclaimed. "What business is it of yours?" And with another adroit movement he cut Lalie across the face. The blood gushed from her lip.
In vain did the cold blast of poverty blow through that chamber and bring with it dirt and disorder. Lalie was always there; she cleaned and scrubbed and gave to everything a look of gentility. There was little money but much cleanliness within those four walls.
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