286 ALONGSHORE v 



man !' is all they say. But in Boulogne he had to 

 be reminded that Jealous Continentals are apt to 

 use a knife. We did not want line affaire 

 passionnelle. His innocent desire to give his arm 

 to the sweetheart of a young workman all but 

 broke up one merry party we had formed. At a 

 quayside cabaret, where the girl who served us 

 spoke English, he bubbled over with satisfaction. 

 'Don't her laugh pretty !' he said. 



A pale frowning young man came in and sat 

 down beside her. 'What have those blackguards 

 YpoUssons'] been saying?' I heard him ask. 



'Oh ! they have spoken very, very politely, 

 avec line propriSte parfaite,' she said. 



If Jim had understood. . . . Thenceforward 

 she spoke in French only, and I had to translate It 

 to him. 



But he rapidly developed a sign-language of his 

 own. At 'Le Gal Marin' a number of men in light 

 blue trousers filed into the cafe. One fine, stout 

 fellow came directly up to Jim and shook hands. 



'Anglish?' 



'Yes — from the West Country." 



'I don't belong to Boulogne — no, no ! I come 

 from Calvados, I do,' he said pointedly, as If he 

 felt In Boulogne much as we had felt In London. 



