The smell of lunch and the cigarette smoke filled the room with an ambient, steamy vapor.

The two ladies had again set to work dipping lumps of sugar in brandy and sucking the same.
For twenty minutes at least they played and sucked simultaneously when, the electric bell having rung a third time, Zoe bustled into the room and roughly disturbed them, just as if they had been her own friends.
"Look here, that's another ring.

You can't stay where you are.

If many folks call I must have the whole flat.

Now off you go, off you go!" Mme Maloir was for finishing the game, but Zoe looked as if she was going to pounce down on the cards, and so she decided to carry them off without in any way altering their positions, while Mme Lerat undertook the removal of the brandy bottle, the glasses and the sugar.