Round the four walls, the plaster of which was visible in parts where the dirty yellowish-grey paper was torn away, there were several stands covered with old cardboard boxes, parcels and discarded patterns under a thick coating of dust.

The gas had left what appeared to be like a daub of soot on the ceiling.

The two windows opened so wide that without leaving the work-table the girls could see the people walking past on the pavement over the way.
Madame Lerat arrived the first, in view of setting an example.

Then for a quarter of an hour the door swayed to and fro, and all the workgirls scrambled in, perspiring with tumbled hair.

One July morning Nana arrived the last, as very often happened.