Read Online North by Louis-Ferdinand Céline - Free Book Online
Authors: Louis-Ferdinand Céline
Tags: Biographical, Fiction, Literary, Historical fiction, General, Historical, World War, 1939-1945, War & Military, War stories, Adventure stories, Autobiographical fiction, 1939-1945 - Fiction, Picaresque literature
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the pince-nez didn't think they looked like their pictures either . . . they were from Carcassonne . . . they told us their story . . . our opinion? . . .
"Maybe we've changed a little, but not that much . . . What do you think, Madame? . . . Grief? The trip?"
That clerk with the monocle is a maniac or a scoundrel . . . anyway he's dangerous . . . he thinks it over, he makes us stand in the corner while he copies our papers . . . first by hand . . . then the machine . . . Mr. Coatee from Carcassonne, blazes! he's good and sick of it! . . . who do they think he is? . . . damn foolishness! Le Vigan agrees with him . . . they're putting us on! . . . that pen-pushing cop is going too far!
"I ask you, Monsieur! unrecognizable! Me! . . . Me! . . . my picture on every wall! all Europe has my picturel alas! alas! . . . and America! and that idiot doesn't recognize me! When did they let him out, I ask you . . . that's their police for you! Lousy slackers! that's what they are! . . . should have been in the train! our train! . . . I was in that train, Monsieur! . . . the last train from the Gare de l'Est . . . look at my suitcase!''
He goes over to the bench . . . he pulls his suitcase out from under . . . swings it through the air! . . . opens it . . . a wad of junk falls out. . . in shreds . . . his shirts . . . handkerchiefs . . . underdrawers . . .
"See what I mean? . . . after Epernay . . . a living target. . . that train! . . . from both embankments . . . crossfire . . . rat-tat-tat . . . rrrt! and not just my suitcases . . . how many dead? . . . well never know! I had three musette bags . . . I abandoned them! the underground is master of France! . . . I saw it, I know. . . Paris? . . . Paris tool you didn't know? . . . Seen it with my own eyes! . . ."
Standing there, he saw it all again . . .
"You have no ideal Gray Mice, ° telephone operators! . . . tongues torn out, hogtied, two by two in the Seine! . . . from the Pont de la Concorde!"
The couple, Goatee and his weeping willow, seemed dubious . . . No! Really?
"You don't believe me, Monsieur? . . . You yourself . . . right now . . . cross any bridge in Paris . . . and come and tell me about it . . ."
Those skeptics nauseated him! their own suitcases were riddled? . . . what does that amount to? three . . . four bullets . . .
"Come on, Ferd! I can't hold it!"
He goes out, he takes me with him . . . straight to the sign: Abort . . . W.C. . . . we go in . . .
"Those mugs are cops! couldn't you tell? from Carcassonne they say! . . . trying to make us talk! . . ."
"You think so?"
"Positive!" . . . mikes all over the place . . . the whole joint! . . ."
Possible . . . I think it over.
"Ferdinand, if we don't get out of here in an hour . . . no, right away! right away! . . . well never get out!"
Makes sense to me.
"Go get Lili! . . . we'll tell the guy at the window we're going across the street for lunch . . . we'll be right back . . . that we're leaving our, papers . . . all our papers! . . . and coming back with our pictures! . . . he's getting a rake-off . . . take it from me . . ."
"Yon got something there!"
I motion to Lili . . . We hop back to the office . . . well, I hop the best I can . . . our bureaucrat isn't there any more, gone out to eat . . . hell! it's another guy! This other guy listens to me . . . "Well be back, etc." . . . all right with him, but he warns us that we won't get anything to eat without our passports.
"I can give you a 'little permit'. . . best I can do . . . for the hausgericht . . . a simple meal . . ."
Yes! Yes!, it's all right with us. . . just so he lets us go, doesn't keep us there! maybe the couple from Perpignan is okay, not cops at all! . . . their real crime is not recognizing Le Vigan . . . from the theater . . . or the movies . . . who the hell can they be? . . . incredible . . . people like that would suck eggs! . . .
"Step on it, Ferd, don't wait for the other cop to come back!"
He prods us . .
"Maybe we've changed a little, but not that much . . . What do you think, Madame? . . . Grief? The trip?"
That clerk with the monocle is a maniac or a scoundrel . . . anyway he's dangerous . . . he thinks it over, he makes us stand in the corner while he copies our papers . . . first by hand . . . then the machine . . . Mr. Coatee from Carcassonne, blazes! he's good and sick of it! . . . who do they think he is? . . . damn foolishness! Le Vigan agrees with him . . . they're putting us on! . . . that pen-pushing cop is going too far!
"I ask you, Monsieur! unrecognizable! Me! . . . Me! . . . my picture on every wall! all Europe has my picturel alas! alas! . . . and America! and that idiot doesn't recognize me! When did they let him out, I ask you . . . that's their police for you! Lousy slackers! that's what they are! . . . should have been in the train! our train! . . . I was in that train, Monsieur! . . . the last train from the Gare de l'Est . . . look at my suitcase!''
He goes over to the bench . . . he pulls his suitcase out from under . . . swings it through the air! . . . opens it . . . a wad of junk falls out. . . in shreds . . . his shirts . . . handkerchiefs . . . underdrawers . . .
"See what I mean? . . . after Epernay . . . a living target. . . that train! . . . from both embankments . . . crossfire . . . rat-tat-tat . . . rrrt! and not just my suitcases . . . how many dead? . . . well never know! I had three musette bags . . . I abandoned them! the underground is master of France! . . . I saw it, I know. . . Paris? . . . Paris tool you didn't know? . . . Seen it with my own eyes! . . ."
Standing there, he saw it all again . . .
"You have no ideal Gray Mice, ° telephone operators! . . . tongues torn out, hogtied, two by two in the Seine! . . . from the Pont de la Concorde!"
The couple, Goatee and his weeping willow, seemed dubious . . . No! Really?
"You don't believe me, Monsieur? . . . You yourself . . . right now . . . cross any bridge in Paris . . . and come and tell me about it . . ."
Those skeptics nauseated him! their own suitcases were riddled? . . . what does that amount to? three . . . four bullets . . .
"Come on, Ferd! I can't hold it!"
He goes out, he takes me with him . . . straight to the sign: Abort . . . W.C. . . . we go in . . .
"Those mugs are cops! couldn't you tell? from Carcassonne they say! . . . trying to make us talk! . . ."
"You think so?"
"Positive!" . . . mikes all over the place . . . the whole joint! . . ."
Possible . . . I think it over.
"Ferdinand, if we don't get out of here in an hour . . . no, right away! right away! . . . well never get out!"
Makes sense to me.
"Go get Lili! . . . we'll tell the guy at the window we're going across the street for lunch . . . we'll be right back . . . that we're leaving our, papers . . . all our papers! . . . and coming back with our pictures! . . . he's getting a rake-off . . . take it from me . . ."
"Yon got something there!"
I motion to Lili . . . We hop back to the office . . . well, I hop the best I can . . . our bureaucrat isn't there any more, gone out to eat . . . hell! it's another guy! This other guy listens to me . . . "Well be back, etc." . . . all right with him, but he warns us that we won't get anything to eat without our passports.
"I can give you a 'little permit'. . . best I can do . . . for the hausgericht . . . a simple meal . . ."
Yes! Yes!, it's all right with us. . . just so he lets us go, doesn't keep us there! maybe the couple from Perpignan is okay, not cops at all! . . . their real crime is not recognizing Le Vigan . . . from the theater . . . or the movies . . . who the hell can they be? . . . incredible . . . people like that would suck eggs! . . .
"Step on it, Ferd, don't wait for the other cop to come back!"
He prods us . .
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