"Look, here they are! The ham here, and the bread, and there's the
booze. Well, seeing it's there, you don't know what we're going to
do with it? We're going to share it out between us, eh, old pals?"






9

The Anger of Volpatte





WHEN Volpatte arrived from his sick-leave, after two months'
absence, we surrounded him. But he was sullen and silent, and tried
to get away.

"Well, what about it? Volpatte, have you nothing to tell us?"

"Tell us all about the hospital and the sick-leave, old cock, from
the day when you set off in your bandages, with your snout in
parenthesis! You must have seen something of the official shops.
Speak then, nome de Dieu!"

"I don't want to say anything at all about it," said Volpatte.