Then Boche begged Gervaise to show them once more what Coupeau did. The demand became general, and it was pointed out to her that she ought not to refuse, for there were two neighbors there who had not seen her representation the night previous and who had come in expressly to witness it. They made a space in the center of the room, and a shiver of expectation ran through the little crowd. Gervaise was very reluctant. She was really afraid--afraid of making herself ill. She finally made the attempt but drew back again hastily. No, she could not; it was quite impossible. Everyone was disappointed, and Virginie went away. Then everyone began to talk of the Poissons. A warrant had been served on them the night before. Poisson was to lose his place. As to Lantier, he was hovering around a woman who thought of taking the shop and meant to sell hot tripe. Lantier was in luck, as usual. As they talked someone caught sight of Gervaise and pointed her out to the others. She was at the very back of the loge, her feet and hands trembling, imitating Coupeau, in fact. They spoke to her. She stared wildly about, as if awaking from a dream, and then left the room. The next day she left the house at noon, as she had done before. And as she entered Sainte-Anne's she heard the same terrific sounds. When she reached the cell she found Coupeau raving mad! He was fighting in the middle of the cell with invisible enemies. He tried to hide himself; he talked and he answered, as if there were twenty persons. Gervaise watched him with distended eyes. He fancied himself on a roof, laying down the sheets of zinc. He blew the furnace with his mouth, and he went down on his knees and made a motion as if he had soldering irons in his hand. He was troubled by his shoes: it seemed as if he thought they were dangerous. On the next roofs stood persons who insulted him by letting quantities of rats loose. He stamped here and there in his desire to kill them and the spiders too! He pulled away his clothing to catch the creatures who, he said, intended to burrow under his skin. In another minute he believed himself to be a locomotive and puffed and panted. He darted toward the window and looked down into the street as if he were on a roof. "Look!" he said. "There is a traveling circus. I see the lions and the panthers making faces at me. And there is Clemence. Good God, man, don't fire!" And he gesticulated to the men who, he said, were pointing their guns at him. He talked incessantly, his voice growing louder and louder, higher and higher. "Ah, it is you, is it? But please keep your hair out of my mouth." And he passed his hand over his face as if to take away the hair. "Who is it?" said the keeper. "My wife, of course." He looked at the wall, turning his back to Gervaise, who felt very strange, and looked at the wall to see if she were there! He talked on.