The Bath Keepers; Or, Paris in Those Days, v.2 (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume VIII)

In a rain‑soaked quarter of Paris, the modest home of a bath‑keeper becomes a stage for domestic unrest. Young Ambroisine waits anxiously for her father’s return, the storm outside echoing the turmoil within. When Master Hugonnet finally stumbles in, his steps are heavy with drink, and his mood swings from irritable rage to feigned remorse, casting a strange pall over the cramped living room.

The evening spirals when the drunken barber confesses a violent encounter with a nervous solicitor—a clash sparked by a trivial request for pomade that escalates into a bruising bout. As thunder rattles the shutters, a sudden, frantic knock at the door reveals a pale, trembling woman, her arrival promising further complications. The scene sets a vivid portrait of Parisian life where humor, hardship, and mystery intertwine, inviting listeners to step into a world where even the smallest grievances can explode under a stormy sky.