. She tried to soften the Lorilleuxs. But the husband ended
by no longer answering her. The wife was now at the forge scouring
a piece of chain in the little, long-handled brass saucepan full of
lye-water. She still affectedly turned her back, as though a hundred
leagues away. And Gervaise continued speaking, watching them pretending
to be absorbed in their labor in the midst of the black dust of the
workshop, their bodies distorted, their clothes patched and greasy, both
become stupidly hardened like old tools in the pursuit of their narrow
mechanical task. Then suddenly anger again got the better of her and she
exclaimed:

"Very well, I'd rather it was so; keep your money! I'll give mother
Coupeau a home, do you hear? I picked up a cat the other evening, so I
can at least do the same for your mother. And she shall be in want of
nothing; she shall have her coffee and her drop of brandy! Good heavens!
what a vile family!"

At these words Madame Lorilleux turned round. She brandished the
saucepan as though she was about to throw the lye-water in her
sister-in-law's face. She stammered with rage:

"Be off, or I shall do you an injury! And don't count on the five francs
because I won't give a radish! No, not a radish! Ah well, yes, five
francs! Mother would be your servant and you would enjoy yourself with
my five francs! If she goes to live with you, tell her this, she may
croak, I won't even send her a glass of water. Now off you go! Clear
out!"

"What a monster of a woman!" said Gervaise violently slamming the door.

On the morrow she brought mother Coupeau to live with her, putting her
bed in the inner room where Nana slept. The moving did not take long,
for all the furniture mother Coupeau had was her bed, an ancient walnut
wardrobe which was put in the dirty-clothes room, a table, and two
chairs. They sold the table and had the chairs recaned. From the very
first the old lady took over the sweeping. She washed the dishes and
made herself useful, happy to have settled her problem.

The Lorilleux were furious enough to explode, especially since Madame
Lerat was now back on good terms with the Coupeaus. One day the two
sisters, the flower-maker and the chainmaker came to blows about
Gervaise because Madame Lerat dared to express approval of the way she
was taking care of their mother. When she noticed how this upset the
other, she went on to remark that Gervaise had magnificent eyes, eyes
warm enough to set paper