"HOUSE OF PLEASURE" "We tried many ways to offer you 3 of my stories." "I think the simplest way is to tell them myself." "I've always liked the night." "I'm glad to talk to you in the dark as if I were seated next to you." "Maybe I am." "I'm worried because my tales are old and you are modern." "But we'll see." "Here's the 1st one." "There was a ball at the Dance Palace that night." "The orchestra's call burst like a storm of music." "It split the walls and spread everywhere." "Come in, ladies and gentlemen!" "Have a dance!" "The crowd poured in like a torrent from the 4 corners of Paris." "People from all classes who loved noisy pleasures that are a bit naughty." "Office workers, pimps, and girls..." "lots of girls!" "Girls in common cotton as well as sheer batiste, old diamond-laden ladies looking for their youth, poor 16-year olds wanting fun with big-spending men." "Dress suits hunting for young flesh, tasty, deflowered youth, roamed among the excited crowd, searching and picking up the scent." "In their midst appeared a man, thin and dressed as a dandy." "He looked like he was from a wax museum." "A strange caricature of a stylish young man." "Ladies and gentlemen, our great quadrille dancer, Mr. Granval!" "He danced awkwardly." "He seemed rusty as he tried to imitate the others." "He seemed stiff." "He was as heavy as a pug-dog playing with greyhounds." "You dance well." "You're lovely!" "Music!" "Music!" "Maestro, don't stop!" " Will he die?" " No, he just fainted." "A doctor!" "Over there!" "We need you, Doctor!" " You got him!" " Up there!" "He's up there!" "I didn't come here to..." "He's over there!" "A dancer who passed out!" "Don't you recognise me?" "Last winter at Nice?" "We danced together." " Indeed!" " We got separated." "Not this time!" "Come along!" "I'm glad to see you." "You're lovely!" "Sit down." "Thirsty?" "George, champagne!" "I'll be right back." "But I can't!" "I..." "He's tightly laced up." "I'll have to cut him free." "Get me some scissors!" "Scissors!" "Hurry!" " Brandy, Doctor?" " Not now!" "Well?" "Don't worry, it'll be all right." "What happened to me?" " Prevost?" " I'm here." "You'll see her later." "Don't move!" "Where do you live?" "Admiral St... the other side of Montmartre... at the end of Fishmonger St." "Go home and go to bed." "Don't move!" "Admiral St.!" "My hat!" " Go dance!" " Not alone!" "The building was tall and shabby, inhabited by a miserable, ragged crowd." "The stairs were gummy." "I can't go on!" "Courage!" "We're almost there." "And Funny Face?" "She'll wait?" "She'll wait." "Another flight?" "Yes." "Ring twice." "Your wife'll be asleep!" "No, she has insomnia." " Good Lord, now what?" " It's nothing." "He suddenly felt weak in a public place." " At a ball?" " You know?" "It's not the 1st time he's had a fall, jumping about." "You reassure me!" "He didn't eat, so as to be more lithe." "Then he had an absinthe, to perk him up." "Careful!" "3 steps!" "Why does he insist on dancing?" "I could tell you plenty!" "So they'll think he's young!" "So the girls'll think he's a gay-blade and... let him whisper dirty talk and rub against them with their scents and pomades." "Help me with the sleeve." "Now the shoes." "That's the hard part." "That's it." "And don't think he'll make room for me later!" "I'll have to sleep just anywhere!" "Sensualist!" "He plays the young man at the dances." "All of them!" "He comes home in such a state!" "What demon drives him to it?" "Regret!" "That he's no longer what he was!" "He had lots of success." "More than any tenor or general!" "Isn't he handsome for his age?" "I'll fix a hot-water bottle." "Surprised at his success?" "You didn't know him back then." "When I met him, I was completely hooked." "Like a fish on a pole." "He was so kind as to make you cry." "I went home with him and never left him..." "in spite of everything." " Married?" " Fortunately!" "If not, he'd have left me like the others." "I was his wife and maid." "He worked?" "He was No.1 at Marcel's." "Marcel?" "The hairdresser?" "By the Opera, with all the actresses." "I'll fix him a compress." "Ambrose did the rich ones." " Ambrose?" " That was him!" "They gave him a fortune in tips!" "They're all alike." "When they like a man, they have him!" "It's easy!" "I often waited for him all night." "He'd come in, his eyes shining with content." "He'd say... "Another, Denise!"" "What a man!" "He had to brag about it." "Some men take more pleasure in talking of it than in doing it." "But you're dressed for an evening out!" "No, I was there too." "No doubt you're not married." "When you are, it'll change." "I hope so." "Odd how a man has to chase after them!" "But that was his youth." "Now he's aged." "The day he saw his 1st grey hair..." "I cleaned the house singing!" "A man can change so quickly." "In just 2 years!" "The women stopped wanting him." "So he went to the dance halls." "As if in a frenzy!" "It's him!" "I'm all alone!" "Sorry to bore you with all this." "But you've given me a good lesson!" "Doctor!" "Give me your address, in case he gets worse." "I don't think you need worry." "He'll live a long time yet." "Good!" "I want him to live and... go on dancing." "The doctor pondered the eternal drama that is acted out daily, in many ways, in all worlds." "To the Dance Palace!" "I don't tell only sad stories." "Would you like something cheerier?" "Shall we say...spicier?" "A fairy tale for adults!" "It takes place in Normandy." "It begins in a small Channel port... in a not quite residential neighborhood." "I don't know if you see what I mean." "It's the story of a house." "Not a business house in the usual sense." "It's a house... how shall I say?" "I don't want to shock you but it's a "house"." "But a well-kept house!" "Each night at 11, the customers came by." "The 6 or 8 regulars never varied." "Not revellers but respectable merchants and young men of the town." "They teased the girls a bit or chatted calmly with Madam, whom they all respected." "Too late!" "Of good peasant stock, Madam had adopted her profession as if she were a milliner or draper." "Violent urban prejudices don't exist in the country." "A peasant says "It's a good trade..."" "and sends his child to run a harem as if it were a girls' school." "The house was a legacy from her uncle." "She and her husband sold their inn, thinking the new business more profitable." "They took over the place that had languished in its owners' absence." "They were worthy and well-loved by their employees and neighbors." "In 2 years the husband died of apoplexy." "His new job had made him inactive and stout and his health throttled him." "The house had 2 entries." "On the corner was a gloomy tavern open to sailors and laborers." "2 ladies saw to the customers' needs." "Louise, dressed as Liberty and nicknamed Cocote and Spanish Flora, known as Swinger due to her hip movements." "They looked like dishwashers in disguise." "They urged the men to drink." "They were aided by a waiter named Frédéric, beardless and strong as an ox." "The 3 other ladies formed a sort of aristocracy reserved for the 1st floor, for those in the Jupiter Room." "Fernande was a pink and white country girl." "From Marseilles, Raphaële played the Jewish beauty." "Rosa only stopped drinking to sing or singing to drink." "A little more!" "That's all!" "Bye, darling!" "Your vest!" "I'll call Raphaële!" "Thanks." "Mr. Dupuis, don't catch cold!" "Over the door burned a small lantern." "Sorry, but it will have to... go out for the story to begin." "One evening in May, the 1st to arrive, Mr. Poulin, wood-merchant and ex-mayor, found the door locked." "Anyone there?" "Duvert!" "Poulin!" " Where to?" " Same as always!" "Not you?" "Don't bother!" "Nobody's home!" "I know it's nobody's home!" "I'm not joking." "I'll have another look with you but it's closed." "You see!" "Closed!" "The café, too!" "The police must've closed it." "As mayor, I'd never have allowed such a thing." "That's how wars start!" "Let's go!" "I don't like this!" "We mustn't meet a soul!" "We'd look..." "Like what we are!" "It's unnecessary." "That's the English yelling." "They're used to fisticuffs." "For them, it's like fencing." "Look!" "Tourneveau!" "Yes, it's Saturday!" "I have sad news for you." "We were... you know where." "Closed?" "I know." "I was there earlier." "Then where are you going?" "To another place?" "I was only going back for conscience's sake." "But since you say so..." "Let's walk." "It's a nice night." "What's conscience have to do with it?" "You forget I'm a married man!" "A father!" "I go out only on Saturday!" "You bachelors are lucky." "You can go whenever you wish!" "Because we don't have homes!" "Solitude is tragic." "Isn't it?" "Worse!" "Let's walk." "It's a nice night." "Yes, a nice night." "Yes... a nice night." "The 3 men met young Mr. Philippe, the banker's son, another regular and Mr. Pimpesse, the tax-man." "Then they met Mr. Dupuis, the insurance agent." "Then, Mr. Vasse, the commerce arbitrator." "What's wrong?" "It's closed?" "What happened?" "Such misfortune!" "They went down to the jetty." "Beautiful!" "The foam on the crests of the waves!" "The monotonous sound of the sea..." "Beautiful!" " Not very cheerful!" " Indeed not!" "It had to happen on a Saturday!" "And I had such a good dinner!" "Mushrooms!" "In this season?" "Not from around here!" "Yes, they were!" "Not from this region!" "But that's what I ate!" "You didn't find them in this region!" "No, but my elder daughter did!" "She spent 2 hours in the woods picking them!" "What are you laughing at?" "She knows how to!" "She's 17!" "I'm sure she knows how to!" "You've insulted my daughter!" "As ex-mayor, I think our tax-man is wrong." "As mayor, I learned many things." "Such as?" "Well, a tax-man's salary is..." "A fresh dispute arose between Mr. Poulin and Mr. Dupuis about a tax-man's salary and possible gains." "Insults flew on both sides." "The others kept them from coming to blows." "Scoundrel?" "We'll see!" "I trust he'll see his lawyer." "Such behavior!" "Why argue for nothing?" "You call that nothing?" "You should be in bed and not arguing with your elders!" " He's still young." " I'm wrong?" "No, but he's young and we should..." "Boredom had made them bitter." "For a Saturday it's an odd Saturday!" "Peace settled over the troubled town." "Yet one man still roamed, cherishing vague hopes." "Yes... "Closed due to a 1st Communion."" "Madam's brother was a carpenter in their native village." "He knew his sister was doing well." "So he invited her for his child's 1st Communion." "Therefore, on Saturday morning..." "Madam and her ladies boarded the 8:00 express." "Have a nice holiday, ladies!" "What're you up to?" "I'm not used to so many clothes!" "Where do you think you are?" "With you!" "Don't be insolent!" ""A diplomatic crisis between Bolivia and Chile."" "That's far away!" ""Possibility of a war in the Pacific."" "What's "Pacific" mean?" "Peace!" "Tickets, please!" "You already saw them!" "I'll see them again!" "A peasant couple joined them." "The husband wore a blue blouse with wide sleeves plus an old tall hat." "Sitting upright, his wife had a face like a hen, a nose like a beak." " Watch that calf!" " Yeah." "You said that the last time..." "and it fell!" "No longer alone, the ladies became serious to make a proper impression." "Madame Rosa!" "It's a popular tune!" "The viscount taught it to me!" "Your husband!" "How is he?" "Not bad, my dear." "He's on a trip... to Paris." "What husband?" "Cocote!" "Her husband!" "You don't know him, dear." "He's extraordinarily thoughtful." "He sends me... robes every day!" "And jewels!" "Flowers, too!" "We drink nothing but champagne." "He kisses my hand." "He tells me things... so marvelous!" "But I've forgotten them ." "At Bolbec, at the last minute, a panting gentleman arrived with a beard, cane, rings, and a gold watch-chain." "He was heavily laden with a suitcase and parcels." "Julien Ledentu... traveller." "Madam Tellier and..." "The ladies are changing barracks?" "Please be civil!" "Sorry!" "I meant to say "convent"." "Leaving the pond?" "Going to be skewered?" "Don't dare hop out!" "Lost their panties!" "They want my garters!" "No, they don't!" "But the ladies do!" "What for?" "To give to your lovers!" "Sorry!" "To give to the love of your heart!" "It needs no garters!" "Lovely!" "That's worth a reward!" "The heart needs no garters!" "Careful!" "Here's the merchandise!" "Garters!" "Silk!" "All colors!" "I'd like the blue ones!" "Here they are." "The pink!" "The pink ones!" "Red!" "Here are the red ones!" "Mauve!" "Mauve!" "To go with your eyes!" "These are larger, more dignified!" "For a mistress!" "Yes!" "Here!" "The old couple left with their basket, ducks and umbrella." "The old lady was annoyed." "Hussies going to that devilish Paris!" "True!" "They're of no interest!" "Coming?" "Now, my little pussies!" "Let's try them on!" "Sir, I must ask you to mind your manners!" "Then I'll pack them up." "I'd have given you any pair you tried on." "Silk!" "All colors!" "For free!" "What?" "I said, for free!" "Pluck up your courage!" " A bargain!" " Flora!" "Later..." "It'd only take a second." "Garters don't buy familiarity!" "Sacrifices can be costly!" "Some give diamond garters!" "And they behave in tunnels!" "Such a cad!" "I'd never let you enter my house!" "At the next station, Joseph Rivet awaited them with a large chair-filled cart drawn by a white horse." "Careful with the parcel!" "Louise!" "Hand me your suitcase!" "Don't I get a kiss?" "This is Rosa!" "Rosa!" "Pass me your suitcase!" "Hurry up!" "I'm Joseph." " No need to kiss them!" " I'm polite!" "So start with me!" "I saved the best for last!" "Time to get everyone into the cart!" "Raphaële, Fernande and Flora can sit in front." "You know their names!" "I'm not thick-skulled!" "Thanks for the chairs!" "I'm not used to such a precious cargo." "Usually it's planks or 2 or 3 pigs, you know?" "Yes, we know pigs!" "I didn't mean anything nasty!" "All right, Julia, sit next to me." " And me?" " Rosa can sit between us." "Not at all!" "Raphaële!" "Fernande, there!" "Flora, in back!" "Louise, in back, to balance us!" " And me?" " Behind me." "She can hold on to..." "No, Rosa's the lightest." "She'll sit on Fernande's lap." "We're not well-seated." "You just drive!" "We're not seated right!" "Just see to the horse!" "The green landscape stretched along the road." "Flowering rapeseed... in sheets of rippling yellow spread its strong, wholesome, sweet and penetrating odor far and wide." "Past the fields colored by Nature's flowers drove the cart, with its own garish bouquet, drawn by the trotting horse." "It vanished behind tall trees to reappear beyond the green screen, flaunting its dazzling bevy of ladies among the yellow and green crops flecked with patches of red and blue." "The children?" "It's their Absolution." "And your daughter?" "Constance is there!" "Children need Religion so they can choose later." "Can we see her?" "No, not now!" "Mustn't disturb the cherubs!" "Pity!" "Hello, Maria!" " How nice!" " My pleasure!" "My wife!" " I hurt you?" " Of course not!" "Hurry!" "She's hungry!" "I'll fix a nice omelet." "Our turn!" "I'll get my cider." "You've never had any like it!" "Your daughter?" "You'll see her later." "Here's Miss Constance!" "Hurry!" "Kiss Auntie!" "She's grown!" "Hello, treasure!" "Beautiful!" "Some ladies are waiting for you!" "Say hello to each one!" "How pretty she is!" "So sweet!" "Looks like her mother!" "Nice kid!" "The present!" "From your aunt!" "Use a knife!" "Hope you like it!" "Here's your dress!" "It's too pretty!" "You like it, darling?" "I can see business is good!" "I mean... business!" "Watch what you say!" "The Good Lord understands things!" "Don't tear your dress!" "Hook it first!" "Hurry with the pins!" "Not all at once!" "She's so good!" " Like her father!" " Says you!" "Never saw such a dress!" "What would you know?" "You take me for a peasant?" "You're better than many city men!" "See?" "She knows as well as you do!" "Let's have fun!" "It's a Communion, not a funeral!" "Space being limited, sleeping arrangements were made." "Rivet slept in his workshop." "His wife and sister were in the main bedroom... next to Fernande and Raphaële." "Louise and Flora were in the kitchen." "Rosa was alone in a tiny attic room but she couldn't find it." "End of the hall!" "Good night!" "It's so dark!" "The boundless silence was almost religious." "It enfolded the village, calm and penetrating, reaching to the stars." " Well..." " What?" "I'm all excited." "I've got goose-flesh!" "'Cause there's no noise." "Think so?" "It's odd, huh?" "Can't sleep?" "Are you afraid?" "What is it?" "The silence is deafening!" "My heart's upside down!" "I can't sleep." "Me neither!" "I'm not used to sleeping alone!" "Go find the carpenter!" "Not on a night like this!" "It'd be bad luck!" " Who is it?" " It's me." "I'm coming." " What is it?" " I'm afraid." "I'm scared without Mama." "Want to come with me?" "I'd like that." "That way you won't be afraid." "Wait!" "Your dolly!" "You mustn't cry!" "You won't be afraid with me." "You're not scared now?" "All right?" "Sleep well... my darling." "At 5, the Angelus bells vigorously roused the ladies who were used to a full morning of well-earned repose." "The bells' plaintive tinkling rose in the air only to die away, like a feeble voice drowned in the blue." "The sun was already high in the radiant sky with a hint of pink on the horizon, the pale after-glow of dawn." "The communicants came out." "The parents, in their Sunday best and... with the clumsy movements of weary laborers followed their offspring." "The girls were lost in clouds of tulle as snowy as whipped cream." "They lined up near a nun in a stiff coif." "The little boys, like miniature waiters with plastered-down hair, walked with wide-spread legs to avoid spots on their trousers." "A family's glory was measured by the number of relatives from far away." "The carpenter's triumph was supreme." "The Tellier regiment followed Constance on parade like a general staff in full uniform." "The village was overwhelmed." "City ladies!" "Need some room?" "They can sit here." "Thanks, Mr. Mayor." "I'm honored to see such fine ladies who have brought us a breath of the city!" "I'll go in back." "Sit there!" "He's the Mayor?" "Yes." "Handsome!" "Rosa, you think he's handsome?" "It's a question of taste." "I think you're better." "Like a spark setting fire to a ripe field, the tears of Rosa and her friends swept the assembly." "Men, women, old folks, lads in new smocks..." "Soon all were sobbing as if something supernatural were hovering over them, the emanation of a soul, the mighty breath of a Being who was invisible and omnipotent." "You mustn't cry, Madam Rosa!" "Dear brethren, dear children," "I thank you from the bottom of my heart." "You've given me the greatest joy of my life." "The feast was served in the shop on a long trestle table." "The merriment was a bit subdued due to the morning's emotions." "But Rivet was happy and ready for drink." "He made his speech for the 4th time." "Ladies, I too wish to thank you." "You said that!" "Already!" "You can never say thank you enough!" "So I want to thank you for coming to our little party, so intimate... and like one big family and for bringing with you your beauty and your youth." "That's nice!" "Time to go, Joseph!" "Not now!" "I have to thank you!" "And we thank you for thanking us!" "But we want the 3:55 train!" "Never!" "Not as long as I live!" "You'll not take the 3:55!" "After the coffee, we'll have a nip!" "And then another nip!" "Then... supper!" "Come on!" "No supper and no little nip!" "Closing for 1 day is all right, but not 2!" "I understand... but even so I have to thank you!" "After you've harnessed up!" "The ladies must pack." "Come along, ladies!" "Everyone downstairs in 5 minutes!" "Please, Louise!" "Hurry!" "Behave yourself, Flora!" "We'll eat in the cart!" "She forgot..." "Flora!" "Get dressed!" "Sorry, but if we're to be on time!" "Hurry up, Joseph!" "Harness up!" "I'll harness, I'll harness!" "You can't imagine!" "Thanks again all the same." "Joseph!" "Come here!" "Obey your sister, Joseph!" "What a scoundrel!" "I'm telling you to come here!" "You're a disgrace to the family!" "Joseph, do as I say!" "For a family day, you could've at least..." "I can at least say thanks." "Now what?" "Me?" "Nothing!" "You were with Rosa?" "Of course I was with Rosa!" "I had to thank her!" "They were all so nice!" "I'll harness up now." "Now listen, Maria!" "They're like family, no?" "It's awful to harness up now!" "It's time to get going!" "They set off, like the day before." "The white horse trotted briskly along." "The sun drenched the flowering fields and the ladies couldn't resist it." "Alas, 'tis gone!" "My dimpled arms," "My legs so trim are yesterday's charms!" "Why did you make me so pretty?" "Of that, I know not a thing!" "Unless God calls to me" "My confessor shall know nothing!" "When I went up to your room" "I'd been drinking..." "an' was overheated." "So... don't be mad at me, eh?" "Thank you." "Quick, ladies!" "Don't miss the train!" "Raphaële!" "Fernande!" "Hurry up, children!" "We won't miss it!" "Watch those high heels!" "Let's go!" "We could've had fun." "There's a time for everything!" "Is the train leaving?" "It won't go without you!" "I think there's room here." "But me!" "I'm sad to see you go!" "All aboard!" "Maybe I'll come see you next month!" "All right, but don't act silly!" "Goodbye, Madam Rosa!" "See you soon!" "See you soon, Madam Rosa!" "That night the tiny lantern announced the return of the flock to the fold." "The news spread like wildfire." "Have a nice trip?" "Mr. Philippe even sent a message to Mr. Tourneveau, the fish-curer." "A sailor brought a note." "Bad news?" "He seemed happy." "Mr. Tourneveau, the fish-curer?" "Yes." "You have a letter for me?" "What is it?" "Read it yourself!" "Come at once." "The cargo of fish has... returned to port." "They've returned!" "My hat!" "A ship was missing?" "I don't burden you with all my worries!" " They're back?" " I guess." "They're back?" " Madam?" " In her office." "Raphaële!" "Have a nice time?" "A real vacation!" " Madam?" " Upstairs." "I'm glad to see you again!" "And I'm glad to see you!" "It's good you're back tonight." "If not, the week would've been sad!" "Oh, I was already bored!" "Where did you go with your cargo?" " I mean, your flock!" " The country!" "They'll tell you all about it!" "The champagne's on me!" "10 bottles of champagne for Mr. Tourneveau!" " How much?" " 10 francs each!" "Not a very friendly price!" "For you, 6 francs a bottle!" "Will you be as generous with your favors?" "Tonight!" "What?" "You agree?" "I want everyone happy tonight!" "I can't believe my ears!" "Frédéric, flowers everywhere!" "It turned into a regular ball, a real celebration!" "A wave of joy swept over the Tellier house." "At midnight the dancing went on!" "You've just seen pleasure meet purity." "In "The Mask", pleasure met love." "And now..." "Pleasure and Death." "Not true death." "A moral burial." "A bit tragic, but it ends in marriage." "The tale is told by a Parisian columnist to whom I'll loan my voice..." "as I often do." "Yes, that's him." "I've known him 30 years." "Why'd he marry that poor girl?" "For the same reason as any marriage!" "Folly!" " Even so!" " There's no "even so"!" "No cure for stupidity!" "For the couple you see, the accident happened in a special way." "The girl risked everything she had." "Risked?" "Who knows?" "Who knows anything about women?" "They lie without knowing or understanding." "Yet the honesty of their feelings and their sudden reactions baffle our logic and upset our plans." "I witnessed their first encounter." "Jean hesitated between landscapes or genre painting." "He hated nudes." "He didn't know the girl was a model." "He was entranced by her walk, her childlike, sensual face, her quiet elegance and her divine waist." "Her name was Josephine." "As she passed, she had no idea her Fate had been settled." "And what a Fate!" "He fell in love with her." "She thought he loved her completely." "It's curious that when you want a woman you believe you can no longer live without her." "Well, he believed he loved her." "He swore fidelity to her and lived with her completely." "The soup!" "All right, at ease!" " Love me?" " I adore you!" " You?" " It's over!" "Idiot!" "I'll kill you!" "Pity!" "So young!" "I'll kill me!" "All women say that!" "I'd do it!" "Fix lunch instead!" "What're we having?" "Some lovely fish!" "Great!" "Big ones?" "Wait till I open the can!" "Sardines!" "When you become known, we'll have salmon!" "You won't be able to eat it then!" "That's life, my love!" "Old age and salmon..." "youth and sardines!" "Why do you look at me that way?" "I like to look at you... 'cause you're lovely and..." "And?" "I like you!" "And you love me." "I love you!" "Couldn't live without me?" "I don't think so." "You should be sure." "I'm sure!" "I love how you move." "Your everyday movements are so graceful!" "When you bend to me or get into a car or lift your arm or give me your hand... or eat sardines!" "No one eats sardines like you!" "For 3 months, Jean never noticed that Josephine was like all models." "But his new way of painting was a hit." " I want No.8." " No.8!" "If you please." " Mr..." " Leconte." "It's sold!" "It's sold!" "Thank you!" "You're sold!" "Yes, you're sold!" "Darling!" "Know what?" "We'll rent a country house!" "Not new!" "An old one!" "One we'll slowly fix up and..." " The money!" " We'll manage!" "And trees!" "I can see a tree!" "One hit by lightning!" "Not that way!" "Like this!" "There, they had their first spat." "I know it's already happened to you, that disgust follows possession, that we must be able to live with each other not due to physical hunger that soon dies but in a harmony of temperaments and moods." "We were walking in the forest, silently penetrated by the cool of the river that enveloped us and bathed our minds in happiness." "Then, Josephine yelled." "See that big fish jump?" "Yes, I saw it." "No!" "You had your back to it!" "True." "My mind's a blank." "Then don't say you saw it!" "Going to Paris?" "I don't know yet." "You like walking without talking?" "Folks talk if they're not dumb." "And you?" "Oh, so many people talk and say nothing." "You mean me?" "Not especially." "Just everyone!" "Shut up!" "Please!" "Why?" "I bother you?" "You spoil the landscape!" "What?" "You didn't always think so!" "Gad!" "And so began the scene, hateful and stupid with insults and recriminations." "And tears." "Everything!" "In 3 months she was fighting the invincible, invisible ties with which Habit binds our lives." "You come home at this hour?" "I'll come home at any hour!" "Meanwhile, I fix your dinner and wait!" "I'm not your maid!" "If you don't like it, it's easy!" "You want me to leave!" "They argued all day." "And they fought." "You're not going out!" "The key!" "You're hurting me!" "Give me the key!" "You do like work!" "Work's all I do like!" "He needs more and more money." "He's hooked." "Maybe it's for a farewell gift!" "Painters don't know how to break off." "This time he's gone." "Bravo!" "I couldn't turn her out!" "Thanks for taking me in!" "Perfectly natural!" "We'll not get in each other's way." "We'll manage." "We're both making money." "What'll she do?" "What should she?" "Put your things down." "You'll forget her." "I'll put your bed by the window." "Don't worry." "You didn't make her hateful." "Maybe I was hateful first." "You had had enough." "When it begins to come to an end..." "Sit down." "Maybe I was wrong." "Was it out of love?" "Or pride?" "She looked for him." "No one had seen him." "She waited up each night." "One evening about 9..." "Jean was working." "He felt liberated." "It's her, isn't it?" "Look, I don't think he can..." "I knew he was here!" "You always hated me!" "I don't want money!" "Nor your letter!" "Nor to be dismissed!" "Don't treat me like just any girl!" "I didn't chase after you!" "You begged me!" "You took me!" "Now... keep me!" "You going to stick to me till I die?" "Let me explain things." "No need!" "Listen to me!" "I've something to tell you but no scenes!" "Don't take life so tragically!" "That does no good." "He still loves you but..." "He loves you but it's the classic story." "His family has a bride he must marry." "Understand?" "I understand quite well." "So... no scene, eh?" "Pay no attention to me!" "He says you're getting married." "Yes." "If you do, I'll kill myself." "I swear I'll kill myself!" "So do it!" "Don't defy me, Jean!" "I'll go out the window." "It's upstairs." "Upstairs!" "There you are." "Her legs were smashed." "I thought he'd go insane." "Was he trying to make amends or was he truly moved by her act?" "He married her." "But his life was over." "All he had left was his work." "That's the story." "He ignores you?" "He won't forgive me." "He's wrong." "He's found love, fame and fortune." "Isn't that happiness?" "Even so, it's quite sad." "But happiness is no lark!" "Subtitling by ECLAIR GROUP"