At first it was arranged that they should merely wash the paint.
But this paint, originally maroon, was so dirty and so sad-looking, that Gervaise allowed herself to be tempted to have the whole of the frontage painted a light blue with yellow moldings.

Then the repairs seemed as though they would last for ever.

Coupeau, as he was still not working, arrived early each morning to see how things were going.

Boche left the overcoat or trousers on which he was working to come and supervise.
Both of them would stand and watch with their hands behind their backs, puffing on their pipes.
The painters were very merry fellows who would often desert their work to stand in the middle of the shop and join the discussion, shaking their heads for hours, admiring the work already done.

The ceiling had been whitewashed quickly, but the paint on the walls never seemed to dry in a hurry.
Around nine o'clock the painters would arrive with their paint pots which they stuck in a corner.