But Mme Robert had caught sight of Satin, and leaving Laure, she ran up and behaved charmingly, telling her how much she regretted not having been at home the day before.  When Satin, however, who was ravished at this treatment, insisted on finding room for her at the table, she vowed she had already dined.  She had simply come up to look about her.  As she stood talking behind her new friend’s chair she leaned lightly on her shoulders and in a smiling, coaxing manner remarked: 

“Now when shall I see you?  If you were free—­”

Nana unluckily failed to hear more.  The conversation vexed her, and she was dying to tell this honest lady a few home truths.  But the sight of a troop of new arrivals paralyzed her.  It was composed of smart, fashionably dressed women who were wearing their diamonds.  Under the influence of perverse impulse they had made up a party to come to Laure’s—­whom, by the by, they all treated with great familiarity—­to eat the three-franc dinner while flashing their jewels of great price in the jealous and astonished eyes of poor, bedraggled prostitutes.  The moment they entered, talking and laughing in their shrill, clear tones and seeming to bring sunshine with them from the outside world, Nana turned her head rapidly away.  Much to her annoyance she had recognized Lucy Stewart and Maria Blond among them, and for nearly five minutes, during which the ladies chatted with Laure before passing into the saloon beyond, she kept her head down and seemed deeply occupied in rolling bread pills on the cloth in front of her.  But when at length she was able to look round, what was her astonishment to observe the chair next to hers vacant!  Satin had vanished.

“Gracious, where can she be?” she loudly ejaculated.

The sturdy, fair woman who had been overwhelming Satin with civil attentions laughed ill-temperedly, and when Nana, whom the laugh irritated, looked threatening she remarked in a soft, drawling way: 

“It’s certainly not me that’s done you this turn; it’s the other one!”

Thereupon Nana understood that they would most likely make game of her and so said nothing more.  She even kept her seat for some moments, as she did not wish to show how angry she felt.  She could hear Lucy Stewart laughing at the end of the next saloon, where she was treating a whole table of little women who had come from the public balls at Montmartre and La Chapelle.  It was very hot; the servant was carrying away piles of dirty plates with a strong scent of boiled fowl and rice, while the four gentlemen had ended by regaling quite half a dozen couples with capital wine in the hope of making them tipsy and hearing some pretty stiffish things.  What at present most exasperated Nana was the thought of paying for Satin’s dinner.  There was a wench for you, who allowed herself to be amused and then made off with never a thank-you in company with the first petticoat that came by!  Without doubt it was only