“I have my reasons,” Florent replied.

Lisa shrugged her shoulders.  “Come now,” said she, “you really can’t be serious, I’m sure.  I can understand that you are not in love with the Government, but it would be too absurd to let your opinions prevent you from earning your living.  And, besides, my dear fellow, the Emperor isn’t at all a bad sort of man.  You don’t suppose, do you, that he knew you were eating mouldy bread and tainted meat?  He can’t be everywhere, you know, and you can see for yourself that he hasn’t prevented us here from doing pretty well.  You are not at all just; indeed you are not.”

Gavard, however, was getting very fidgety.  He could not bear to hear people speak well of the Emperor.

“No, no, Madame Quenu,” he interrupted; “you are going too far.  It is a scoundrelly system altogether.”

“Oh, as for you,” exclaimed Lisa vivaciously, “you’ll never rest until you’ve got yourself plundered and knocked on the head as the result of all your wild talk.  Don’t let us discuss politics; you would only make me angry.  The question is Florent, isn’t it?  Well, for my part, I say that he ought to accept this inspectorship.  Don’t you think so too, Quenu?”

Quenu, who had not yet said a word, was very much put out by his wife’s sudden appeal.

“It’s a good berth,” he replied, without compromising himself.

Then, amidst another interval of awkward silence, Florent resumed:  “I beg you, let us drop the subject.  My mind is quite made up.  I shall wait.”

“You will wait!” cried Lisa, losing patience.

Two rosy fires had risen to her cheeks.  As she stood there, erect, in her white apron, with rounded, swelling hips, it was with difficulty that she restrained herself from breaking out into bitter words.  However, the entrance of another person into the shop arrested her anger.  The new arrival was Madame Lecoeur.

“Can you let me have half a pound of mixed meats at fifty sous the pound?” she asked.

She at first pretended not to notice her brother-in-law; but presently she just nodded her head to him, without speaking.  Then she scrutinised the three men from head to foot, doubtless hoping to divine their secret by the manner in which they waited for her to go.  She could see that she was putting them out, and the knowledge of this rendered her yet more sour and angular, as she stood there in her limp skirts, with her long, spider-like arms bent and her knotted fingers clasped beneath her apron.  Then, as she coughed slightly, Gavard, whom the silence embarrassed, inquired if she had a cold.

She curtly answered in the negative.  Her tightly stretched skin was of a red-brick colour on those parts of her face where her bones protruded, and the dull fire burning in her eyes and scorching their lids testified to some liver complaint nurtured by the querulous jealousy of her disposition.  She turned round again towards the counter, and watched each movement made by Lisa as she served her with the distrustful glance of one who is convinced that an attempt will be made to defraud her.