But after a quarrel, when the laundress had bullied her, the old woman was not sparing in her allusions.

She would say that she knew men who were precious fools and women who were precious hussies, and she would mutter words far more biting, with the sharpness of language pertaining to an old waistcoat-maker.

The first time this had occurred Gervaise looked at her straight in the face without answering.

Then, also avoiding going into details, she began to defend herself with reasons given in a general sort of way.

When a woman had a drunkard for a husband, a pig who lived in filth, that woman was to be excused if she sought for cleanliness elsewhere.