about eleven o’clock
Assisted by Auguste and Leon , Quenu would stuff sausages-skins , prepare hams , melt down lard , and salt the different sorts of bacon . There was a tremendous noise of cauldrons and cleavers , and the odour of cooking spread through the whole house . All this was quite independent of the daily business in fresh pork , _ pate de fois gras _ , hare patty , galantine , saveloys and black-puddings . That evening , at about eleven o'clock , Quenu , after placing a couple of pots on the fire in order to melt down some lard , began to prepare the black-puddings . Auguste assisted him . At one corner of the square table Lisa and Augustine sat mending linen , whilst opposite to them , on the other side , with his face turned towards the fireplace , was Florent . Leon was mincing some sausage-meat on the oak block in a slow , rhythmical fashion .