continually murmuring in a low tone of voice:

"You know well enough, you know well enough. It's your sister. I'll
strangle her--your sister."

"Yes, go and try it on with my sister," resumed Virginie sneeringly.
"Ah! it's my sister! That's very likely. My sister looks a trifle
different to you; but what's that to me? Can't one come and wash one's
clothes in peace now? Just dry up, d'ye hear, because I've had enough of
it!"

But it was she who returned to the attack, after giving five or six
strokes with her beetle, intoxicated by the insults she had been giving
utterance to, and worked up into a passion. She left off and recommenced
again, speaking in this way three times:

"Well, yes! it's my sister. There now, does that satisfy you? They adore
each other. You should just see them bill and coo! And he's left you
with your children. Those pretty kids with scabs all over their faces!
You got one of them from a gendarme, didn't you? And you let three
others die because you didn't want to pay excess baggage on your
journey. It's your Lantier who told us that. Ah! he's been telling some
fine things; he'd had enough of you!"

"You dirty jade! You dirty jade! You dirty jade!" yelled Gervaise,
beside herself, and again seized with a furious trembling. She turned
round, looking once more about the ground; and only observing the little
tub, she seized hold of it by the legs, and flung the whole of the
bluing at Virginie's face.