The women were lolling on the benches, smoking, playing cards--at
"sixty-six,"--drinking beer. Frequently the male public of the car
provoked them, and they swore back in unceremonious language, in
hoarse voices. The young people treated them with wine and
cigarettes.
Horizon was here altogether unrecognizable; he was majestically
negligent and condescendingly jocose. On the other hand, cringing
ingratiation sounded in every word addressed to him by his female
clients. But he, having looked over all of them--this strange
mixture of Roumanians, Jewesses, Poles and Russians--and having
assured himself that all was in order, gave orders about the
sandwiches and majestically withdrew. At these moments he very
much resembled a drover, who is transporting by railroad cattle
for slaughter, and at a station drops in to look it over and to
feed it. After that he would return to his COUPE and again begin
to toy with his wife, and Hebrew anecdotes just poured from his
mouth.
At the long stops he would go out to the buffet only to see about
his lady clients.
Pages:
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238