'You wretched coward!' exclaimed Claire, planting herself in front of her sister.
La Normande sprang up, quivering with anger, and let the shawl fall to the floor.
'Ah, you've been playing the spy, have you?' she screamed. 'Dare to repeat what you've just said!'
'You wretched coward!' repeated Claire, in still more insulting tones than before.
Thereupon La Normande struck Claire with all her force; and in return Claire, turning terribly pale, sprang upon her sister and dug her nails into her neck. They struggled together for a moment or two, tearing at each other's hair and trying to choke one another. Claire, fragile though she was, pushed La Normande backward with such tremendous violence that they both fell against the wardrobe, smashing the mirror on its front. Muche was roaring, and old Madame Mehudin called to Mademoiselle Saget to come and help her separate the sisters. Claire, however, shook herself free.
'Coward! Coward!' she cried; 'I'll go and tell the poor fellow that it is you who have betrayed him.'
Her mother, however, blocked the doorway, and would not let her pass, while La Normande seized her from behind, and then, Mademoiselle Saget coming to the assistance of the other two, the three of them dragged Claire into her bedroom and locked the door upon her, in spite of all her frantic resistance. In her rage she tried to kick the door down, and smashed everything in the room. Soon afterwards, however, nothing could be heard except a furious scratching, the sound of metal scarping at the plaster. The girl was trying to loosen the door hinges with the points of her scissors.
'She would have murdered me if she had had a knife,' said La Normande, looking about for her clothes, in order to dress herself. 'She'll be doing something dreadful, you'll see, one of these days, with that jealousy of hers! We mustn't let her get out on any account: she'd bring the whole neighbourhood down upon us!'
Mademoiselle Saget went off in all haste. She reached the corner of the Rue Pirouette just as the commissary of police was re-entering the side passage of the Quenu-Gradelles' house. She grasped the situation at once, and entered the shop with such glistening eyes that Lisa enjoined silence by a gesture which called her attention to the presence of Quenu, who was hanging up some pieces of salt pork. As soon as he had returned to the kitchen, the old maid in a low voice described the scenes that had just taken place at the Mehudins'. Lisa, as she bent over the counter, with her hand resting on a dish of larded veal, listened to her with the happy face of one who triumphs. Then, as a customer entered the shop, and asked for a couple of pig's trotters, Lisa wrapped them up, and handed them over with a thoughtful air.
'For my own part, I bear La Normande no ill-will,' she said to Mademoiselle Saget, when they were alone again. 'I used to be very fond of her, and have always been sorry that other people made mischief between us. The proof that I've no animosity against her is here in this photograph, which I saved from falling into the hands of the police, and which I'm quite ready to give her back if she will come and ask me for it herself.'
She took the photograph out of her pocket as she spoke. Mademoiselle Saget scrutinised it and sniggered as she read the inscription, 'Louise, to her dear friend Florent.'
'I'm not sure you'll be acting wisely,' she said in her cutting voice. 'You'd do better to keep it.'
'No, no,' replied Lisa; 'I'm anxious for all this silly nonsense to come to an end. To-day is the day of reconciliation. We've had enough unpleasantness, and the neighbourhood's now going to be quiet and peaceful again.'
'Well, well, shall I go and tell La Normande that you are expecting her?' asked the old maid.
'Yes; I shall be very glad if you will.'
Mademoiselle Saget then made her way back to the Rue Pirouette, and greatly frightened the fish-girl by telling her that she had just seen her photograph in Lisa's pocket. She could not, however, at once prevail upon her to comply with her rival's terms. La Normande propounded conditions of her own. She would go, but Madame Quenu must come to the door of the shop to receive her. Thus the old maid was obliged to make another couple of journeys between the two rivals before their meeting could be satisfactorily arranged. At last, however, to her great delight, she succeeded in negotiating the peace which was destined to cause so much talk and excitement. As she passed Claire's door for the last time she still heard the sound of the scissors scraping away at the plaster.
When she had at last carried a definite reply to Madame Quenu, Mademoiselle Saget hurried off to find Madame Lecoeur and La Sarriette; and all three of them took up their position on the footway at the corner of the fish market, just in front of the pork shop. Here they would be certain to have a good view of every detail of the meeting. They felt extremely impatient, and while pretending to chat together kept an anxious look-out in the direction of the Rue Pirouette, along which La Normande must come. The news of the reconciliation was already travelling through the markets, and while some saleswomen stood up behind their stalls trying to get a view of what was taking place, others, still more inquisitive, actually left their places and took up a position in the covered way. Every eye in the markets was directed upon the pork shop; the whole neighbourhood was on the tip-toe of expectation.
It was a very solemn affair. When La Normande at last turned the corner of the Rue Pirouette the excitement was so great that the women held their breath.
'She has got her diamonds on,' murmured La Sarriette.
'Just look how she stalks along,' added Madame Lecoeur; 'the stuck-up creature!'
The beautiful Norman was, indeed, advancing with the mien of a queen who condescends to make peace. She had made a most careful toilet, frizzing her hair and turning up a corner of her apron to display her cashmere skirt. She had even put on a new and rich lace bow. Conscious that the whole market was staring at her, she assumed a still haughtier air as she approached the pork shop. When she reached the door she stopped.
'Now it's beautiful Lisa's turn,' remarked Mademoiselle Saget. 'Mind you pay attention.'
Beautiful Lisa smilingly quitted her counter. She crossed the shop- floor at a leisurely pace, and came and offered her hand to the beautiful Norman. She also was smartly dressed, with her dazzling linen and scrupulous neatness. A murmur ran through the crowd of fish- wives, all their heads gathered close together, and animated chatter ensued. The two women had gone inside the shop, and the
'See!' suddenly exclaimed Mademoiselle Saget, 'the beautiful Norman's buying something! What is it she's buying? It's a chitterling, I believe! Ah! Look! look! You didn't see it, did you? Well, beautiful Lisa just gave her the photograph; she slipped it into her hand with the chitterling.'
Fresh salutations were then seen to pass between the two women; and the beautiful Lisa, exceeding even the courtesies which had been agreed upon, accompanied the beautiful Norman to the footway. There they stood laughing together, exhibiting themselves to the neighbourhood like a couple of good friends. The markets were quite delighted; and the saleswomen returned to their stalls, declaring that everything had passed off extremely well.
Mademoiselle Saget, however, detained Madame Lecoeur and La Sarriette. The drama was not over yet. All three kept their eyes fixed on the house opposite with such keen curiosity that they seemed trying to penetrate the very walls. To pass the time away they once more began to talk of the beautiful Norman.
'She's without a lover now,' remarked Madame Lecoeur.
'Oh! she's got Monsieur Lebigre,' replied La Sarriette, with a laugh.
'But surely Monsieur Lebigre won't have anything more to say to her.'
Mademoiselle Saget shrugged her shoulders. 'Ah, you don't know him,' she said. 'He won't care a straw about all this business. He knows what he's about, and La Normande is rich. They'll come together in a couple of months, you'll see. Old Madame Mehudin's been scheming to bring about their marriage for a long time past.'
'Well, anyway,' retorted the butter dealer, 'the commissary found Florent at her lodgings.'
'No, no, indeed; I'm sure I never told you that. The long spindle- shanks had gone way,' replied the old maid. She paused to take a breath; then resumed in an indignant tone, 'What distressed me most was to hear of all the abominable things that the villain had taught little Muche. You'd really never believe it. There was a whole bundle of papers.'
'What sort of abominable things?' asked La Sarriette with interest.
'Oh, all kinds of filth. The commissary said there was quite sufficient there to hang him. The fellow's a perfect monster! To go and demoralise a child! Why, it's almost past believing! Little Muche is certainly a scamp, but that's no reason why he should be given over to the 'Reds,' is it?'
'Certainly not,' assented the two others.
'However, all these mysterious goings-on will come to an end now. You remember my telling you once that
