Germinie was preparing the dinner. She was whipping cream in an earthen bowl on her knees, when suddenly she felt the first pains. She looked at her face in the bit of a broken mirror that she had above her kitchen dresser, and saw that she was pale. She went down to Adele: "Give me your mistress's rouge," she said. And she put some on her cheeks. Then she went up again, and, refusing to listen to the voice of her suffering, finished cooking the dinner. It had to be served, and she served it. At dessert, she leaned against the furniture and grasped the backs of chairs as she passed the plates, hiding her torture with the ghastly set smile of people whose entrails are writhing. "How's this, are you sick?" said her mistress, looking sharply at her. "Yes, mademoiselle, a little--it may be the charcoal or the hot kitchen." "Go to bed--we don't need you any more, and you can clean up to-morrow." She went down to Adele once more. "It's come," she said; "call a cab quick. It was Rue de la Huchette where you said your midwife lives, wasn't it? opposite a copper planer's? Haven't you a pen and paper?" And she sat down to write a line to her mistress. She told her that she was too ill to work, that she had gone to the hospital, but would not tell her where, because she would fatigue herself coming to see her; that she would come back within a week. "There you are!" said Adele, all out of breath, giving her the number of the cab. "I can stay there," said Germinie; "not a word to mademoiselle. That's all. Swear you won't say a word to her!" 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. "Oh! nonsense----there or somewhere else! Besides, I have seven francs left." The cab started away. Jupillon stood for a moment motionless on the sidewalk, looking at the two napoleons in his hand. Then he ran after the cab, stopped it, and said to Germinie through the window: "At least, I can go with you?" "No, I am in too much pain, I'd rather be alone," she replied, writhing on the cushions of the cab.