He had been crying for two hours upstairs in his room; he wept like a child, biting his pillow so as not to be heard by the neighbors.

For three nights past he had been unable to sleep.

It could not go on like that.
"Listen, Madame Gervaise," said he, with a swelling in his throat and on the point of bursting out crying again; "we must end this, mustn't we?
We'll go and get married.

It's what I want.

I've quite made up my mind." Gervaise showed great surprise.