.. Even Boro, who was rather orderly when it came to girls and screwing, who was rather for music, took his broad in his lap and was giving her a workout! he was playing with one hand! looking jaunty! Cascade with the good cognac in his belly wanted everything patched up. no more sulking!.. no pigheadedness!. He wanted Angele to dry her tears, to joke and sing with spirit!.. They’d read the cards together!..
"Come on, Chick! Come on, Chick! Come!”
She wouldn’t have it!.. Didn’t want anything! Didn’t want to laugh! She was all tied up inside and that was all!.. She was yelling any old thing at him!.."You cuckold! You decrepit old prickhead!” She wanted a fight.
"You boloney! Men like you! A pound a dozen!” That’s what she said. "Give me the red wine, Veronique, red wine! ”
Veronique was clubfooted, squint-eyed and redheaded, she did the stations… A very nice girl, rather discreet, obedient. Veronique gave her the bottle… Cascade jumped up, he wouldn’t have it!.. Ah! he suspected what was up! He knew about her and bottles! She was going to let her have it in the mouth! He grabbed hold of her on the run!. She resisted.. She clung, she scratched! A kick in the schnozzle! she toppled over, sprawled out, and yowled.. Joconde sees her chance, her rival on the floor! throws herself on top with all her weight! she wants to rip her face apart!.. She’s a man-eater! Got to bleed! Cascade’s forced to jump in!.. Joconde’s yowling louder!..
"You filth! I don’t have a wig! Do your damnedest, you bitch! ”
More challenges!
She’s mounted on Angele and screaming in her ear, "I don’t have a wig, you filth!. Pull on it! You skunk!
"Wait with the wig! Wait, you tramp!”
Joconde’s choking!. Hooked up together like that!.. But Angele’s stronger, she twists the old one’s arm, she flattens her on her back!.. Now she’s on top.. Biting her cheeks with her fangs, like that. grr! and grr!
The old gal’s waving her arms, squirming. Angele grabs her again full of blood!.. She’s going to turn her upside down.. bang her head..
Cascade still wants to separate them! he dashes forward to save the bottles! he trips! upsets the table! all the glassware! Crrash!
The old one gets away, tucks up her skirt, capering about, dashing between the tables. the girls run after her!. she gets away, jiggling, fluttering, it’s wonderful to watch! stumbles, stops! She stands there, planted. she winks. she takes out her castanets. Ah, it’s a big challenge!.. And stamps her heel!. she’s a fury!. it’s a dance!. a trance!. her fingers all nerves!. her hands quivering all over!. crackling, spluttering!. small. small. tiny. still smaller.. grains. grains. mill.. even still smaller. trr!. trr!..
grainy. grainy. rrr!. that’s all!.. silence!. and.. tzix!. she’s off again!. The devil’s tail!. the tail’s caught!. trr!. rebounds!.. hup!. her whole train!. and roundabouts! and twirls! bounding like a panther! at the end of the room! her train running after her!. over there!.. hop it!.. she’s here!.. a kick at her furbelow!.. hup! sweeping off! Angele’s foaming. That’s the limit! She can’t take any more!
"You won’t do it, you punk! You won’t do it!” she screams!
And she stands there motionless, staring popeyed. Just hypnotized!. And then, hup! Without time to say oof! She’s up in the air! she sprang up! a knife in her fist! I see the blade!
Plop!. she launches out!. plunges it sideways!. Plup into the old one! right in the ass!.. in the old one’s ass! What a shriek!. It cuts through everything! tears everything!. the walls!.. the blinds!.. the street! They must have heard it from the square. They fall over one another!. I look at the door there wide open!. I take another squint!. Matthew’s standing there!. in the doorway!. No one saw him come!. He saw a real show!. Joconde sure bounded!.. with the knife in her ass! She’s jumping all around screaming.. she’s running all around us!.. she’s yelling "Help! ” She’s squeezing her ass in her two hands. flying all around!. all around the table!. Ow! wow! wow!. all around us!.. She’s miaowing!.. We’re nice and quiet!.. We look all right!. Not a peep out of Matthew!. Cascade bolts like lightning!.. He runs after Joconde!..
"Where’d she stick you, tell me! The bitch!.. Where’d she stick you, tell me, Mimine?”
"There! sweet darling!. there!. Ow! wow! ouch!”
And she starts sobbing and sobbing away!..
She stops running all the same!. She lifts up her skirt.. She shows him her ass.. all bleeding!.. How it’s flowing from the wound!. how it’s trickling!. All the girls lean over to see better. What it looks like? two lips like a mouth! right in the buttocks.. and how it’s bleeding!..
They start discussing it again..
"Don’t cry!”. Cascade’s consoling her. He kisses her.. coddles her.. rocks her.. Right away she starts yelling as loud as she can! Angele’s standing there flabbergasted. she’s sniffling… sobbing… doesn’t know what it’s all about! she drops her knife. plock!. the sound it makes..
They’ve got to decide now!. Got to take her to the hospital! Cascade’s giving orders. Ah! it starts all over!. at the word hospital!..
"I want to die here! ” she roars.
"You won’t die here, you slut!”
She doesn’t insist.
"I’ll die wherever you want, darling! But kizz your unhappy little girl!”
Has to kiss her again.. She’s bleeding all over the floor.
Her wound keeps trickling. We take a look at it..
"You’ve got a pretty ass, you know, you little rascal?”
He’s the one who thought that one up… He tries to make her laugh… so she’ll let herself be convinced quietly… so she’ll leave without a fuss… so she won’t bellow in the street while they’re taking her..
"Look! look!” says Cascade. "Look! You’re not the only one with a nice ass! ”
He’s unbuttoning himself!.. Some idea!.. He lets down his pants so we can see!. He shows us his can!. that it’s tattooed on both buttocks!. a rose on the right. a wolf’s face on the left!. A face with long teeth, just like that!.. and over it. "I bite everywhere!”. tattooed in green. You can’t say it’s not funny!. It’s some show for Matthew standing there in the doorway.. still saying nothing.. Cascade hasn’t noticed him.. he’s too busy on the floor on all fours!.. wiggling his can, jigging. with his little polka..
Matthew didn’t budge… He had a good view… I didn’t dare move either.. The old gal finally burst out laughing.. He managed her!. Ah! he’s a scream!..
The Queen of England Fell on her fanny Dancing the polka At the Opera Ball!
He was singing at the same time!
Good humor was restored!.. The old gal was still whimpering a little.. But between smiles.. and she was ready to leave..
"Boro!” he says… "and you, Foxy!.. You’ll both take her! ”
He’s buttoning his pants.
"You’ll ask for Clodovitz! London Hospital! Dr. Clodovitz!
Will you remember? You’ll say I sent you! Mireille, go get a taxi! You hear me, Mireille! And you two guys! Snap it up! Clodovitz knows me! He knows me! He knows what I need!.. And don’t screw things up! That I’m around!. And I’ll be there!. I’ll drop by! in a couple of days! Get going! He’ll understand me!. Clodovitz is a friend!. Clovis!.. Go on, baby-doll! we love you!. Go on, get a move on!”