with her so roughly as almost to dislocate her arms. One evening Florent
witnessed the periodical settlement of accounts between her and Charvet.
She had just received her pay, and Charvet wanted to borrow ten francs
from her; but she first of all insisted that they must reckon up
how matters stood between them. They lived together in a voluntary
partnership, each having complete control of his or her earnings, and
strictly paying his or her expenses. By so doing, said they, they were
under no obligations to one another, but retained entire freedom. Rent,
food, washing, and amusements, were all noted down and added up. That
evening, when the accounts had been verified, Clemence proved to Charvet
that he already owed her five francs. Then she handed him the other ten
which he wished to borrow, and exclaimed: "Recollect that you now owe me
fifteen. I shall expect you to repay me on the fifth, when you get paid
for teaching little Lehudier."

When Rose was summoned to receive payment for the "drinks," each
produced the few coppers required to discharge his or her liability.
Charvet laughingly called Clemence an aristocrat because she drank grog.
She wanted to humiliate him, said he, and make him feel that he earned
less than she did, which, as it happened, was the fact. Beneath his
laugh, however, there was a feeling of bitterness that the girl should
be better circumstanced than himself, for, in spite of his theory of the
equality of the sexes, this lowered him.

Although the discussions in the little room had virtually no result,
they served to exercise the speakers' lungs. A tremendous hubbub
proceeded from the sanctum, and the panes of frosted glass vibrated
like drum-skins. Sometimes the uproar became so great that Rose, while
languidly serving some blouse-wearing customer in the shop, would turn
her head uneasily.