(surprised)
What is it you’re doing?
LANTIER
What am I doing? I am changing my residence.
COUPEAU
Huh?
LANTIER
I’ve had enough of this hell. I am resuming my life as a bachelor.
COUPEAU
You’re abandoning Gervaise?
LANTIER
A bit, my nephew! Let’s see, I’m not forgetting anything. (he looks around) That, that’s mine. (stops before the money) Bah! Since she’s working with her washerwoman tomorrow. (puts the money in his pocket, then looks out the window) There are some cabs on the square. En route! (leaving the trunk on the landing) You can deliver her her key. Here! With a real goodbye on my part.
COUPEAU (following him)
Lantier! Lantier! You can’t possibly be doing this.
LANTIER (gaily)
Goodbye old boy. One of these days. (he leaves)
COUPEAU (alone)
Ah! Evil heart! To drag a woman who loves you from the end of France and leave her without a penny on the pavements of Paris! The police ought to pick up men like that! That poor Gervaise, I don’t have the heart to announce it to her myself, I would weep with her! I’m going to have her key sent to her. She will understand. (leaves and shuts the door)
CURTAIN
ACT I, SCENE 2
A large washhouse at La Chapelle. A vast hangar with large empty bays. Rows of wash pails to the right and left.
At Rise, a great uproar. Songs and the noise of beating.
CATHERINE
Where’d I put my soap? They’ve taken my soap again.
LOUISE
Give me the soda.
MADAME BOCHE (at the right, near the audience)
But, where’s Charles the washboy? (calling) Charles! Charles! (seeing him arrive) Finally, that’s lucky.
CHARLES
What do you want, Madame Boche?
MADAME BOCHE
A pail of hot water and fast.
JULIETTE (laughing)
Especially, don’t think about drinking it on the way.
CATHERINE
Oh, it’s not with water that he freshens up.
MADAME BOCHE
What a barracks this wash place is! When you don’t need a thing, you get immediate service.
JULIETTE and CATHERINE (singing at the left)
Boom, boom, boom,
Margay’s doing the wash!
Boom, boom, boom, the wash is beaten.
Boom, boom, boom, go wash his heart
Boom, boom, boom, all filthy with sorrow!
CHARLES (bringing a pail of hot water to Madame Boche)
That’s your water. It’s a sou.
MADAME BOCHE (giving him a sou)
Here, my lad. By the way, you know I’m keeping a place for a neighbor girl who’s going to come. Oh! There she is now! (seeing Gervaise enter, calling) Over here, my little friend.
GERVAISE
Thanks, Madame Boche.
MADAME BOCHE
Put yourself there. (Gervaise opens her box) Your pack is quite small! Before noon we will have finished that and we can go to lunch. You’re not taking a bucket of lye water?
GERVAISE (meanwhile has pulled out her linen)
Oh. Hot water is fine. It knows me.
MADAME BOCHE
It knows you, huh? You were a washerwoman in your country?
GERVAISE (rolling up her sleeves and beating her linen)
Yes, yes, a washerwoman at ten years old. Eight years since then We went to the river. Ah, it was much nicer than here. There was a spot under the trees with clear running water. (she stops beating) The water is hard in Paris.
MADAME BOCHE
That’s not surprising, from agreement with the population. As I left you just now, I met Mr. Lantier on the street.
GERVAISE
Yes, he came back. Heavens! I forgot my blue.
MADAME BOCHE
Don’t disturb yourself. I have some at your service.
GERVAISE
Thanks.
MADAME BOCHE
Between you and me, I think he’s a bit of a chaser.
GERVAISE (emotionally)
Lantier! What do you mean?
MADAME BOCHE
Why, I don’t know anything, or at least nothing much. Virginia—indeed, you know that big Virginia, my tenant.
GERVAISE (more and more uneasy)
Yes! Well?
MADAME BOCHE
Well, every time he meets her, he jokes with her.
GERVAISE (exploding)
I’m not mistaken. It was with Virginia he went last night to the Grand Balcony.
MADAME BOCHE (very lit up)
To the Grand Balcony, you saw them. (aside) So that’s it. (aloud) Ah, my little friend, you are deceiving yourself. He jokes with her but it never goes farther than that—my word of honor!
GERVAISE
Ah! That girl! If I was sure! If I was sure!
(Virginia enters)
