That squint-eyed Augustine had tyrannized over them all during the dessert, pilfering their strawberries and frightening them with the most abominable threats.

Now she felt very ill, and was bent double upon a stool, not uttering a word, her face ghastly pale.

Fat Pauline had let her head fall against Etienne's shoulder, and he himself was sleeping on the edge of the table.

Nana was seated with Victor on the rug beside the bedstead, she had passed her arm round his neck and was drawing him towards her; and, succumbing to drowsiness and with her eyes shut, she kept repeating in a feeble voice: "Oh! Mamma, I'm not well; oh! mamma, I'm not well." "No wonder!" murmured Augustine, whose head was rolling about on her shoulders, "they're drunk; they've been singing like grown up persons." Gervaise received another blow on beholding Etienne.

She felt as though she would choke when she thought of the youngster's father being there in the other room, eating cake, and that he had not even expressed a desire to kiss the little fellow.