OU_214051 UNIVERSA - Osmania University

296 MAINLY MAIGRET
It was as exciting as a dissection. Le Clinche sat motionless. He
had not turned towards the woman, but he could not help seeing
her, however vaguely, on his left—in any case, the pink splash of
her blouse.
His eyes were fixed, a leaden grey. And one hand, lying
on the table, closed very, very slowly, like the tentacles of a seaanimal.
One could foresee nothing yet. Would he get up and flee?
Would he throw himself on her as she went on talking? Would
he ... ?
No, none of these things. It was something quite different and
a hundred times more moving. It was not only his hand that
closed up, it was the whole man. He shrank and folded in on
himself.
His eyes became the same grey as his skin.
He did not move. Did he even breathe? Not a tremor. But his
motionlessness grew to nightmare intensity.
" This reminds me of another lover of mine, a married man with
three children. ..."
Marie Leonnec, breathing quickly, swallowed her chocolate in
a single gulp out of sheer embarrassment.
"... He was the world's most passionate man. Sometimes I
would refuse to see him, and then he would sob on the landing and
all the other lodgers would laugh their heads off. * My little Ad£le,
my adorable darling ...' The whole works you know! ...
Well, one Sunday I met him out walking with his wife and kids.
I heard his wife asking: ' Who's that woman?' And he said, as
solemn as a judge: ' Some woman of the street, I expect! . . . You
can tell by the ridiculous way she's dressed. . . .' "
And she laughed. She was playing to the gallery and watching
the effect of her behaviour on their faces.
" All the same, there are people who haven't much nerve. . . ."
Her companion again tried to silence her by saying something
in a low voice.
" You go to hell! Have you got the willies? I pay for my drinks,
don't I? ... I'm not doing anyone any harm! ... So they can't
say anything to me... . What about those peanuts, waiter? And
bring me another kiimmel. . .."
" Should we go? . . ." said Madame Maigret.
It was too late. Adele had got going. And they knew that if they
went she would stop at nothing to make a scene.