Norine's intrigue with Beauchene had ended in
the usual way. He had soon tired of the girl and betaken himself to some
other passing fancy, leaving her to her tears, her shame, and all the
consequences of her fault; for although it had hitherto been possible for
her to conceal her condition from her parents, she was unable to deceive
her sister, who was her constant companion. The two girls were always
bickering, and Norine had for some time lived in dread of scandal and
exposure. And that day the trouble came to a climax, beginning with a
trivial dispute about a bit of glass-paper in the workroom, then
developing into a furious exchange of coarse, insulting language, and
culminating in a frantic outburst from Euphrasie, who shrieked to the
assembled work-girls all that she knew about her sister.
There was an outrageous scene: the sisters fought, clawing and scratching
one another desperately, and could not be separated until Beauchene,
Mathieu, and Morange, attracted by the extraordinary uproar, rushed into
the workroom and restored a little order. Fortunately for Beauchene,
Euphrasie did not know the whole truth, and Norine, after giving her
employer a humble, supplicating glance, kept silence; but old Moineaud
was present, and the public revelation of his daughter's shame sent him
into a fury.
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