But she herself felt terribly changed and worn.
To begin with, she was no longer below, her face raised to heaven, feeling content and courageous and aspiring to a handsome lodging.

She was right up under the roof, among the most wretched, in the dirtiest hole, the part that never received a ray of sunshine.

And that explained her tears; she could scarcely feel enchanted with her fate.
However, when Gervaise had grown somewhat used to it, the early days of the little family in their new home did not pass off so badly.
The winter was almost over, and the trifle of money received for the furniture sold to Virginie helped to make things comfortable.

Then with the fine weather came a piece of luck, Coupeau was engaged to work in the country at Etampes; and he was there for nearly three months without once getting drunk, cured for a time by the fresh air.

One has no idea what a quench it is to the tippler's thirst to leave Paris where the very streets are full of the fumes of wine and brandy.