The new town hates us." She guessed rightly.

The sudden unpopularity of the Rougons was the work of a group of lawyers who were very much annoyed at the importance acquired by an old illiterate oil-dealer, whose house had been on the verge of bankruptcy.

The Saint-Marc quarter had shown no sign of life for the last two days.

The inhabitants of the old quarter and the new town alone remained in presence, and the latter had taken advantage of the panic to injure the yellow drawing-room in the minds of the tradespeople and working-classes.

Roudier and Granoux were said to be excellent men, honourable citizens, who had been led away by the Rougons' intrigues.