She was descending the stairs when she met Jupillon.
"Hallo!" said he, "where are you going? going out?"
"I am going to lie in——It took me during the day. There was a great dinner-party here——Oh! but it was hard work! Why do you come here? I told you never to come; I don't want you to!"
"Because——I'll tell you——because just now I absolutely must have forty francs. 'Pon my word, I must."
"Forty francs! Why I have just that for the midwife!"
"That's hard luck——look out! What do you want to do?" And he offered his arm to assist her. "Cristi! I'm going to have hard work to get 'em all the same."
He had opened the carriage door.
"Where do you want him to take you?"
"To La Bourbe," said Germinie. And she slipped the forty francs into his hand.
"No, no," said Jupillon.