"It's a stunning property, my dear!" And then, too, they brought her quite a whiff of Parisian air, and talking all together with bursts of laughter and exclamation and emphatic little gestures, they gave her all the petty gossip of the week just past.

By the by, and how about Bordenave?
What had he said about her prank?
Oh, nothing much! After bawling about having her brought back by the police, he had simply put somebody else in her place at night.

Little Violaine was the understudy, and she had even obtained a very pretty success as the Blonde Venus.

Which piece of news made Nana rather serious.
It was only four o'clock in the afternoon, and there was some talk of taking a stroll around.
"Oh, I haven't told you," said Nana, "I was just off to get up potatoes when you arrived." Thereupon they all wanted to go and dig potatoes without even changing their dresses first.

It was quite a party.