But the bridge had shaken, and she herself seemed impressed by this departure at full speed.

She turned round as if to follow the invisible engine, the noise of which was dying away.
She caught a glimpse of open country through a gap between tall buildings.

Oh, if only she could have taken a train and gone away, far away from this poverty and suffering.

She might have started an entirely new life! Then she turned to look at the posters on the bridge sidings.
One was on pretty blue paper and offered a fifty-franc reward for a lost dog.

Someone must have really loved that dog! Gervaise slowly resumed her walk.