Page 100 - down-and-out-in-paris-and-london

‘I put in that about the candle, because I had heard that
saints like having candles burnt in their honour. I meant to
keep my promise, of course. But I am an atheist and I didn’t
really believe that anything would come of it.
‘Well, I got into bed again, and five minutes later there
came a bang at the door. It was a girl called Maria, a big fat
peasant girl who lived at our hotel. She was a very stupid
girl, but a good sort, and I didn’t much care for her to see
me in the state I was in.
‘She cried out at the sight of me. ‘NOM DE DIEU!’ she
said, ‘what’s the matter with you? What are you doing in
bed at this time of day? QUELLE MINE QUE TU AS! You
look more like a corpse than a man.’
‘Probably I did look a sight. I had been five days without
food, most of the time in bed, and it was three days since I
had had a wash or a shave. The room was a regular pigsty,
too.
‘’What’s the matter?’ said Maria again.
‘’The matter!’ I said; ‘Jesus Christ! I’m starving. I haven’t
eaten for five days. That’s what’s the matter.’
‘Maria was horrified. ‘Not eaten for five days?’ she said.
‘But why? Haven’t you any money, then?’
‘’Money!’ I said. ‘Do you suppose I should be starving
if I had money? I’ve got just five sous in the world, and I’ve
pawned everything. Look round the room and see if there’s
anything more I can sell or pawn. If you can find anything
that will fetch fifty centimes, you’re cleverer than I am.’
‘Maria began looking round the room. She poked here
and there among a lot of rubbish that was lying about, and