Page 44 - down-and-out-in-paris-and-london

hunger; that, and being obliged to spit very frequently, and
the spittle being curiously white and flocculent, like cuck-
oo-spit. I do not know the reason for this, but everyone who
has gone hungry several days has noticed it.
On the third morning I felt very much better. I realized
that I must do something at once, and I decided to go and
ask Boris to let me share his two francs, at any rate for a day
or two. When I arrived I found Boris in bed, and furiously
angry. As soon as I came in he burst out, almost choking:
‘He has taken it back, the dirty thief! He has taken it
back!’
‘Who’s taken what?’ I said.
‘The Jew! Taken my two francs, the dog, the thief! He
robbed me in my sleep!’
It appeared that on the previous night the Jew had flatly
refused to pay the daily two francs. They had argued and
argued, and at last the Jew had consented to hand over the
money; he had done it, Boris said, in the most offensive
manner, making a little speech about how kind he was, and
extorting abject gratitude. And then in the morning he had
stolen the money back before Boris was awake.
This was a blow. I was horribly disappointed, for I had al-
lowed my belly to expect food, a great mistake when one is
hungry. However, rather to my surprise, Boris was far from
despairing. He sat up in bed, lighted his pipe and reviewed
the situation.
‘Now listen, MON AMI, this is a tight comer. We have
only twenty-five centimes between us, and I don’t suppose
the Jew will ever pay my two francs again. In any case his