"When Venus roams at eventide."

From the second verse onward people looked at each other all over the
house. Was this some jest, some wager on Bordenave's part? Never had a
more tuneless voice been heard or one managed with less art. Her manager
judged of her excellently; she certainly sang like a squirt. Nay, more,
she didn't even know how to deport herself on the stage: she thrust her
arms in front of her while she swayed her whole body to and fro in a
manner which struck the audience as unbecoming and disagreeable. Cries
of "Oh, oh!" were already rising in the pit and the cheap places. There
was a sound of whistling, too, when a voice in the stalls, suggestive of
a molting cockerel, cried out with great conviction:

"That's very smart!"

All the house looked round. It was the cherub, the truant from the
boarding-school, who sat with his fine eyes very wide open and his fair
face glowing very hotly at sight of Nana. When he saw everybody
turning toward him he grew extremely red at the thought of having thus
unconsciously spoken aloud. Daguenet, his neighbor, smilingly examined
him; the public laughed, as though disarmed and no longer anxious to
hiss; while the young gentlemen in white gloves, fascinated in their
turn by Nana's gracious contours, lolled back in their seats and
applauded.

"That's it! Well done! Bravo!"

Nana, in the meantime, seeing the house laughing, began to laugh
herself. The gaiety of all redoubled itself. She was an amusing