"Get along with you, get along with you," exclaimed beautiful Lisa. "I
know quite well whom I've got to deal with!"

The fish-girl went off, hurling behind her a coarse expression which
left Lisa quivering. The whole scene had passed so quickly that the
three men, overcome with amazement, had not had time to interfere.
Lisa soon recovered herself, and was resuming the conversation, without
making any allusion to what had just occurred, when the shop girl,
Augustine, returned from an errand on which she had been sent. Lisa
thereupon took Gavard aside, and after telling him to say nothing for
the present to Monsieur Verlaque, promised that she would undertake to
convince her brother-in-law in a couple of days' time at the utmost.
Quenu then returned to his kitchen, while Gavard took Florent off with
him. And as they were just going into Monsieur Lebigre's to drink a drop
of vermouth together he called his attention to three women standing in
the covered way between the fish and poultry pavilions.

"They're cackling together!" he said with an envious air.

The markets were growing empty, and Mademoiselle Saget, Madame Lecoeur,
and La Sarriette alone lingered on the edge of the footway. The old maid
was holding forth.

"As I told you before, Madame Lecoeur," said she, "they've always got
your brother-in-law in their shop. You saw him there yourself just now,
didn't you?"

"Oh yes, indeed! He was sitting on a table, and seemed quite at home."