noon
On Sunday , as Gervaise had a nice little repast ready for the evening , she decided that an excursion would give her an appetite . The letter from the asylum stared her in the face and worried her . The snow had melted ; the sky was gray and soft , and the air was fresh . She started at noon , as the days were now short and Sainte-Anne 's was a long distance off , but as there were a great many people in the street , she was amused . When she reached the hospital she heard a strange story . It seems that Coupeau -- how , no one could say -- had escaped from the hospital and had been found under the bridge . He had thrown himself over the parapet , declaring that armed men were driving him with the point of their bayonets .