OU_214051 UNIVERSA - Osmania University

322 MAINLY MAIGRET
" Jean-Marie had talked to me of' my skirt/ ... He must have
been teasing even Fallut.... He had a shrill voice. ... I remember
catching the words: ' And if I told everyone that. . .'
" I only understood afterwards. ... It was he who had discovered
that the captain had a woman hidden in his cabin. . ..
He was quite proud about it... . He thought he was smart....
He was bad without knowing it. . ..
" Then this is what happened. . . . The captain made a movement
as if he'd hit him. .. . The kid, who was very quick, dodged the
blow and shouted something which must have been another threat
that he'd talk....
" Fallut's hand struck a stay. ... It must have hurt him and
made him mad with rage. . • .
" It was like the fable of the lion and the gnat. ... He forgot his
dignity and began chasing the kid, who ran away, laughing at first.
But gradually he got panicky....
" There was a chance that someone might hear and understand
immediately what it was all about.... Fallut was crazy with
anxiety....
" I saw him make a grab at Jean-Marie's shoulders, but, instead
of laying hold of him, he pushed him forward. . . .
" That's all. ... Accidents will happen. . . . His head struck a
capstan. ... I heard something frightful—a sort of dull thud. ...
/t was his skull...."
•
He passed his hands across his face. He was livid. Sweat was
pouring from his forehead.
" At this point a wave swept the deck. ... So that the figure was
already soaked when the captain bent over. ... At the same
moment he saw me.... Probably I'd forgotten to keep hidden. . . .
I took a few steps forward. ... I came up in time to see the body of
the boy crumple up and then stiffen in a way I shall never forget... .
" He was dead.. . . Senselessly! . .. And we stood staring at
each other without understanding, without realizing this frightful
thing. ...
" No one had seen or heard anything.... Fallut didn't dare
touch the child.... It was I who examined his chest, his hands,
and his cracked skull.... There was no blood.. •. No wound.
... Only the skull was bashed in....