She had prepared some boiled starch to make it look new again.

She was gently passing a little iron rounded at both ends over the inside of the crown of the cap, when a bony-looking woman entered the shop, her face covered with red blotches and her skirts sopping wet.

It was a washerwoman who employed three assistants at the wash-house in the Rue de la Goutte-d'Or.
"You've come too soon, Madame Bijard!" cried Gervaise.

"I told you to call this evening.

I'm too busy to attend to you now!" But as the washerwoman began lamenting and fearing that she would not be able to put all the things to soak that day, she consented to give her the dirty clothes at once.