The party, which was expecting him, again wriggled with laughter.

It seemed to upset the caterer.

What a rum card he was that My-Boots! One day he had eaten a dozen hard-boiled eggs and drank a dozen glasses of wine while the clock was striking twelve! There are not many who can do that.
And Mademoiselle Remanjou, deeply moved, watched My-Boots chew whilst Monsieur Madinier, seeking for a word to express his almost respectful astonishment, declared that such a capacity was extraordinary.
There was a brief silence.

A waiter had just placed on the table a ragout of rabbits in a vast dish as deep as a salad-bowl.

Coupeau, who liked fun, started another joke.
"I say, waiter, that rabbit's from the housetops.