Read Online North by Louis-Ferdinand Céline - Free Book Online Page B

it's not there any more . . . the whole interior, beams, bricks, stairways, is hanging out the windows . . . or piled up outside the doors . . . in the distance you see bricks piled up to a certain height . . . what's left of a building . . . You get the knack . . . no sidewalk, only, a little path wide enough for one . . . between the high wall of garbage and the so-called houses . . . From the "Basler" to Schinder Street, all we saw after two minutes was chunks of house front swaying, crumbling . . . and the shutters . . . make you laugh! . . . in every gust of wind, there's a lot of wind in a city with no more buildings . . . it must be terrible in Hiroshima! bam! . . . a window came out at you! . . . might have killed you . . . with canes . . . without canes . . . ah, there it is, Schinderstrasse . . . No. 15 . . . the junkpile doesn't go above the first balcony . . . "Hotel Steinbock" . . . only a part of the sign is left . . . the bell doesn't work! never mind, in we go! . . . no one there! I look around . . . what's left or the Steinbock Hotel. . . I'd better find somebody . . . I see a little court in back . . . more heaps of garbage, bricks, etcetera . . . but not in order, not-neatly piled . . . oh no! . . . more like the outskirts of Paris in the old days . . . plus excrement . . . oh well! . . . that too is a style! . . . and almost black down there at the end . . . dark and moldy . . . on one side there's only the ground floor . . . no window, no door . . . curtains . . . Does anybody live in this hole? . . . I shout: hey! hey! . . . someone's coming out of the black mold . . . a moujik!  . . . I mean it, a real one! . . . beard, boots, baggy shirt . . . and a broad smile . . . anyway, he's friendly . . . he speaks German . . . not well but well enough . . . I answer him in pidgin Boche . . . we make out . . . he's the manager of the Steinbock . . . from Siberia, he tells me . . . prisoner? . . . deportee? . . .Vlasov? ° . . . I don't ask him . . . but he starts right in . . . an enthusiast! . . . singing the praises of his Siberia! . . . what are we waiting for? Siberia! So rich! . . . so full of game! flowers! greenery! hospitality! I can't imagine . . . those valleys! those pastures! . . . the shrubbery! . . . the gardenias! breathtaking! . . . a load of propaganda! . . . massive . . . we could leave right away! . . . go live in Siberia! . . . I raise objections . . . yes, yes, of course! but Berlin won't let us go . . . Is he an Intourist agent? I'll ask him . . . that must be his wife looking at us, she's lifting the curtain a little . . . a regular baba , slanting eyes, kerchief . . . she's not very talkative . . . I try to help . . . Le Vigan dives in . . . a hundred marks neatly folded . . . she sees we've got good manners . . . she signs to her moujik that we're acceptable . . . he can take us . . .
    "A room?"
    "A room. . . certainly! right away! . . . two rooms! of course! . . . wherever you like! second floor? . . . not bad . . . at least we won't sleep in the streets . . . and the chow? . . . is he going to ask us for coupons? . . . no, there'll be soup, their own soup, three messkits full, and black bread and beer . . . this hotel isn't'much to look at, but at least they're glad to have us! . . . the Russian occupation has its good side! up we go! . . . the stairs . . . steps missing! . . . you can't go any higher . . . the third floor isn't there any more . . . open sky . . . the second is fine . . . What numbers? . . . no difference . . . "pull! push!" Good joke!. . ..the doors don't open!. . . stuck! warped! . . . we all push! . . . the walls and partitions give way! . . . lovely!. . . a whole wall collapses on top of us . . . big hole. . . you can see into the room, you can even go in . . . in we go . . . with a pile of plaster, wallpaper, bricks . . . oh, two folding beds . . . for Lili, me, and Bébert . . . what about Le Vigan? The next room . . . not through the door, oh no! . . . we