CROSSING PARIS
553
philosopher. Grandgil, in spite of the fact that he had not as much
intelligence (a heavy fellow, without manners, and with no more
conversation than a flat iron) was of a different stamp. He would
never reflect on these things, he'd say, the hell with
it!
He didn't
see the fault in the underdog, but in the fellow that got the best of
him. And maybe he was right.
As
they were passing by the Wine Market, Martin thought he
noticed a change in the atmosphere. The wind blew from the river
with a little less violence, it seemed, but colder. Their faces were
gnawed and burned on the right side, and their hands were turning
to stone on the handles of the valises.
.
As
soon as they set foot on the Ile Saint Louis, the two valise
carriers, without consulting each other and with simultaneous move–
ments, turned into a side street to get a moment's rest from the
assault of the wind. Here circulated a current of frozen air, which
seemed to them, after the blasts which they had been meeting, like
a summer breeze. The comparative silence of this protected place struck
them as something strange and disconcerting. After having groped
their way for a short distance, they took refuge in the angle of a
porte cochere and set down their burdens. It seemed to them that they
were in an enclosed place.
"Why do you work at this job?" asked Grandgil.
"I make my living this way. Every man to his trade."
"It's not much fun, this little dodge of yours. Ploughingtaround
with valises full of lead and the north wind cutting your throat, and
all that for the benefit of a thieving fellow that has the shakes. . . .
You could certainly find something better. A sharp guy like you...."
The man was speaking with detachment, in a calm voice. But
something in its intonations reminded Martin of the half-closed lids
and the ironic gleam of those little porcine eyes.
"Have you got something better to propose to me?"
"You ought to be working for yourself. Right now, anybody can
sell anything."
"And where is the money coming from? Maybe you are going
to give it to me?"
"Suppose you swipe Jamblier's pig, .and that you do as much
for your other clients. . . . "
