for whom he appeared to have a profound admiration.
‘The hunting season’s not
over yet, is it, Louis?’
This time it was Louis who was
bemused.
‘How do I know? Why are you
asking?’
‘Because I was thinking about
going after rabbits.’
Again, it was Maigret who was the butt
of his comment. The explanation followed, as the cards were dealt and each player
arranged them in a fan in his left hand.
‘I went to see the man,
earlier.’
Which translated as: ‘I went to
warn Cageot’.
Audiat abruptly looked up.
‘What did he say?’
Louis frowned, probably thinking that
they were going too far.
‘He’s laughing! Apparently
he’s on home ground and he’s planning a little party.’
‘Diamonds trumps …
Tierce
haute
… OK?’
‘Four of a kind.’
Eugène was all keyed up and it was clear
he was not concentrating on the game but on coming up with fresh witticisms.
‘The Parisians,’ he stated,
‘go and spend their holidays in the country – in the Loire, for example. The
funny thing is, that the people from the Loire come and spend their holidays in
Paris.’
At last! He hadn’t been able to
resist the urge to let Maigret know that he knew all about him. And Maigret sat
there, puffing away on his pipe and warming his calvados in the hollow of his hand
before taking a sip.
‘Keep your eyes
on the game,’ retorted Louis, who kept darting anxious glances in the
direction of the door.
‘Trumps … and double trumps. A
twenty-point bonus, plus ten for the last trick …’
An individual who looked like a modest
Montmartre shopkeeper walked in and went over to wedge himself between Eugène and
his friend from Marseille, without saying a word. He shook both their hands and sat
slightly back, still without opening his mouth.
‘All right?’ asked
Louis.
The newcomer’s lips parted, and a
thin, reedy sound came out. He had lost his voice.
‘All right!’
‘You got it?’ Eugène bawled
in his ear, revealing that the man was deaf as well.
‘Twigged what?’ replied the
reedy voice.
They must have kicked him under the
table. Finally the deaf man’s gaze lighted on Maigret and rested on him for a
long moment. He gave a faint smile.
‘I get it.’
‘Clubs trumps … Pass …’
‘Pass …’
Rue Fontaine was coming back to life.
The neon signs were lit and the doormen were at their posts on the pavement. The
Floria’s doorman came in to buy cigarettes, but no one took any notice of
him.
‘Hearts trumps …’
Maigret was hot. He felt stiff all over
but he gave no sign of it and his expression remained the same as when he had begun
his long vigil.
‘I say!’
said Eugène suddenly to his hard-of-hearing neighbour, whom Maigret had recognized
as the owner of a brothel in Rue de Provence. ‘What do you call a locksmith
who doesn’t make locks any more?’
The comical aspect of this conversation
came from the fact that Eugène had to shout, while the other man answered in an
angelic voice:
‘A locksmith who—? I don’t
know.’
‘Well, I’d call him a
nobody.’
He played a card, picked up and played
again.
‘And a cop who’s no longer a
cop?’
The penny had dropped. His
neighbour’s face lit up and his voice was reedier than ever as he said:
‘A nobody!’
Then they all burst out laughing, even
Audiat, who gave a snigger. Something was stopping him from joining wholeheartedly
in the general mirth. He was visibly anxious, despite the presence of his friends.
And it was not solely on account of Maigret.
‘Léon!’ he shouted to the
night waiter. ‘Bring me a brandy and water.’
‘You’re drinking brandy
now?’
Eugène had noticed that Audiat was
losing his nerve and he was keeping a close eye on him.
‘You’d better go
easy.’
‘Go easy on what?’
‘How many Pernods did you have
before dinner?’
‘Damn you!’ replied Audiat
‘The hunting season’s not
over yet, is it, Louis?’
This time it was Louis who was
bemused.
‘How do I know? Why are you
asking?’
‘Because I was thinking about
going after rabbits.’
Again, it was Maigret who was the butt
of his comment. The explanation followed, as the cards were dealt and each player
arranged them in a fan in his left hand.
‘I went to see the man,
earlier.’
Which translated as: ‘I went to
warn Cageot’.
Audiat abruptly looked up.
‘What did he say?’
Louis frowned, probably thinking that
they were going too far.
‘He’s laughing! Apparently
he’s on home ground and he’s planning a little party.’
‘Diamonds trumps …
Tierce
haute
… OK?’
‘Four of a kind.’
Eugène was all keyed up and it was clear
he was not concentrating on the game but on coming up with fresh witticisms.
‘The Parisians,’ he stated,
‘go and spend their holidays in the country – in the Loire, for example. The
funny thing is, that the people from the Loire come and spend their holidays in
Paris.’
At last! He hadn’t been able to
resist the urge to let Maigret know that he knew all about him. And Maigret sat
there, puffing away on his pipe and warming his calvados in the hollow of his hand
before taking a sip.
‘Keep your eyes
on the game,’ retorted Louis, who kept darting anxious glances in the
direction of the door.
‘Trumps … and double trumps. A
twenty-point bonus, plus ten for the last trick …’
An individual who looked like a modest
Montmartre shopkeeper walked in and went over to wedge himself between Eugène and
his friend from Marseille, without saying a word. He shook both their hands and sat
slightly back, still without opening his mouth.
‘All right?’ asked
Louis.
The newcomer’s lips parted, and a
thin, reedy sound came out. He had lost his voice.
‘All right!’
‘You got it?’ Eugène bawled
in his ear, revealing that the man was deaf as well.
‘Twigged what?’ replied the
reedy voice.
They must have kicked him under the
table. Finally the deaf man’s gaze lighted on Maigret and rested on him for a
long moment. He gave a faint smile.
‘I get it.’
‘Clubs trumps … Pass …’
‘Pass …’
Rue Fontaine was coming back to life.
The neon signs were lit and the doormen were at their posts on the pavement. The
Floria’s doorman came in to buy cigarettes, but no one took any notice of
him.
‘Hearts trumps …’
Maigret was hot. He felt stiff all over
but he gave no sign of it and his expression remained the same as when he had begun
his long vigil.
‘I say!’
said Eugène suddenly to his hard-of-hearing neighbour, whom Maigret had recognized
as the owner of a brothel in Rue de Provence. ‘What do you call a locksmith
who doesn’t make locks any more?’
The comical aspect of this conversation
came from the fact that Eugène had to shout, while the other man answered in an
angelic voice:
‘A locksmith who—? I don’t
know.’
‘Well, I’d call him a
nobody.’
He played a card, picked up and played
again.
‘And a cop who’s no longer a
cop?’
The penny had dropped. His
neighbour’s face lit up and his voice was reedier than ever as he said:
‘A nobody!’
Then they all burst out laughing, even
Audiat, who gave a snigger. Something was stopping him from joining wholeheartedly
in the general mirth. He was visibly anxious, despite the presence of his friends.
And it was not solely on account of Maigret.
‘Léon!’ he shouted to the
night waiter. ‘Bring me a brandy and water.’
‘You’re drinking brandy
now?’
Eugène had noticed that Audiat was
losing his nerve and he was keeping a close eye on him.
‘You’d better go
easy.’
‘Go easy on what?’
‘How many Pernods did you have
before dinner?’
‘Damn you!’ replied Audiat
Similar Books
