She was dirty; she was stupid; she had knocked about in
all sorts of low places! After that he waxed frantic over the money
question. Did he spend six francs when he dined out? No, somebody was
treating him to a dinner; otherwise he would have eaten his ordinary
meal at home. And to think of spending them on that old procuress of a
Maloir, a jade he would chuck out of the house tomorrow! Yes, by jingo,
they would get into a nice mess if he and she were to go throwing six
francs out of the window every day!
"Now to begin with, I want your accounts," he shouted. "Let's see; hand
over the money! Now where do we stand?"
All his sordid avaricious instincts came to the surface. Nana was cowed
and scared, and she made haste to fetch their remaining cash out of
the desk and to bring it him. Up to that time the key had lain on this
common treasury, from which they had drawn as freely as they wished.
"How's this?" he said when he had counted up the money. "There are
scarcely seven thousand francs remaining out of seventeen thousand, and
we've only been together three months. The thing's impossible."
He rushed forward, gave the desk a savage shake and brought the drawer
forward in order to ransack it in the light of the lamp.
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