On the morrow, Lorilleux, as godfather, gave the mother six pounds of sugar.

They certainly did things properly! At the baptism supper which took place at the Coupeaus that evening, they did not come empty-handed.

Lorilleux carried a bottle of fine wine under each arm and his wife brought a large custard pie from a famous pastry shop on Chaussee Clignancourt.

But the Lorilleuxs made sure that the entire neighborhood knew they had spent twenty francs.

As soon as Gervaise learned of their gossiping, furious, she stopped giving them credit for generosity.
It was at the christening feast that the Coupeaus ended by becoming intimately acquainted with their neighbors on the opposite side of the landing.