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Updated: June 26, 2025
The civil marriage was fixed for half-past ten. The day was clear and the sun intensely hot. In order not to excite observation the bridal pair, the mother and the four witnesses, separated Gervaise walked in front, having the arm of Lorilleux, while M. Madinier gave his to Mamma Coupeau; on the opposite sidewalk were Coupeau, Boche and Bibi-la-Grillade.
One evening Madame Lorilleux had the spitefulness to ask Gervaise suddenly: "Well! And your shop, when are you going to take it?" "Yes," chuckled Lorilleux, "the landlord's still waiting for you." Gervaise was astonished. She had completely forgotten the shop; but she saw the wicked joy of those people, at the thought that she would no longer be able to take it, and she was bursting with anger.
When a conversation finally did get started, it concerned the building's tenants. Madame Lorilleux asked her husband if he had heard the people on the fourth floor having a fight. They fought every day. The husband usually came home drunk and the wife had her faults too, yelling in the filthiest language.
The forge was blazing, its white flame lighting up the narrow workroom, whilst Madame Lorilleux set a coil of gold wire to heat. Lorilleux, in front of his worktable, was perspiring with the warmth as he soldered the links of a chain together. And it smelt nice. Some cabbage soup was simmering on the stove, exhaling a steam which turned Gervaise's heart topsy-turvy, and almost made her faint.
They walked on in silence until they reached the Hotel Boncoeur, and just as Coupeau gave the two women a push toward each other and bade them kiss and be friends, a man who wished to pass them on the right gave a violent lurch to the left and came between them. "Look out!" cried Lorilleux. "It is Father Bazonge. He is pretty full tonight." Gervaise, in great terror, flew toward the door.
When Gervaise emerged from the corridor on to the landing, she could not help saying, with tears in her eyes: "That doesn't promise much happiness." Coupeau shook his head furiously. He would get even with Lorilleux for that evening. Had anyone ever seen such a miserly fellow? To think that they were going to walk off with two or three grains of his gold dust!
But, as the discussion was becoming too heated, Coupeau had to interfere. "Ah, well! How simple you all are to quarrel about politics. Politics are all humbug! Do such things exist for us? Let there be any one as king, it won't prevent me earning my five francs a day, and eating and sleeping; isn't that so? No, it's too stupid to argue about!" Lorilleux shook his head.
But there was no use trying to tell Coupeau anything. Any real man in his situation would have beaten his wife and put a stop to it all. All they wanted was for him to insist on respect for his family. Mon Dieu! If she, Madame Lorilleux, had acted like that, Coupeau wouldn't be so complacent. He would have stabbed her for sure with his shears.
They had several times distrusted Gervaise; she looked about so queerly, and now they would not take their eyes off her. Gervaise went toward Lorilleux as she spoke. "Take care!" he said roughly. "You will carry off some of the particles of gold on the soles of your shoes. It looks really as if you had greased them!" Gervaise drew back.
They shove it at you so; it's like being at the painless dentist's who doesn't give you time to cry out. Here you get a painless wedding!" "Yes, it's a quick job," Lorilleux smirked. "In five minutes you're tied together for the rest of your life. You poor Young Cassis, you've had it." The four witnesses whacked Coupeau on the shoulders as he arched his back against the friendly blows.
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