THE POOR TEAVELLEES. 161 



and expectation ; I would have given all the money I had to 

 see him pull out a watch. In that moment of uncertainty, a 

 thousand things passed in my mind. Perhaps I am deceived ; 

 she does not wear rings, but many women do not wear them. 

 Perhaps she does not like jewels. I know an extremely rich 

 lady who never will admit one in her dress. Alas ! the boy 

 only pulled out a pocket handkerchief. 



" A man then answered the person who had asked what 

 o'clock it was. He was a short man, rather thick-built than 

 fat. He appeared to be about fifty years old, and wore his 

 own grey hair. He was dressed in a surtout, with a waistcoat 

 and trowsers of black cloth. It was plain that this man 

 attached no idea to any colour, and had no partiality for one 

 more than another ; but that he was rich, and black, he had 

 been told, looked proper on all occasions. His boots were 

 large, the straps of his trowsers were not blacked ; his head 

 was wrapped in a large shirt collar, standing on end with 

 starch; he had cotton in his ears] his ears had been pierced, 

 but he wore no earrings. He displayed a large diamond in 

 his shirt, and another on his finger; his two hands were 

 almost constantly in the pockets of his trowsers; everything 

 pronounced him a low-minded man become rich. If he 

 answered the man who asked what the hour was, it was 

 only because it gave him a reasonable occasion to pull out 

 a large gold watch, with an immense bunch of seals; the 

 watch being pulled out, he made it strike close to his ear to 

 show it was a repeater. 



" The boy drew near and looked at the watch, whilst he 

 looked at the child, and perceived, as quickly as I had done, 

 his short and tight clothes. ' Well !' said he in a harsh tone, 

 'you will know me again, shan't you? you stare at me 

 enough.' 



" Two other men laughed at this coarse pleasantry. The 

 child became as red as fire. His mother called him with 

 a soft but sad voice ; first she scolded him a little, and then 

 she kissed him. She preferred telling him that he was wrong 

 to telling him he was poor. 



" I walked to the side as if to look at something, and with 

 a shove of the elbow turned the parvenu watch-owner round 

 on his centre. He grumbled a little ; I looked him fuU in 



M 



