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Original
Literary translation
§ 10.1
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Mr. Planchet had never liked sleeping on a bench, even in fine weather.
§ 10.2
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So he proposed to Catherine the same makeshift camping scheme that had worked for him once before and had indirectly brought him into the young woman's acquaintance.
§ 10.3
…
The idea was to find a well-patronized garage in Belfort…
§ 10.4
?
Well-patronized?
§ 10.5
, …
For tourists of Mr. Planchet’s sort, well-patronized garages have the disadvantage of being disturbed by comings and goings that prevent nonpaying customers from enjoying the hospitality of the limousines…
§ 10.6
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They slipped past three garages, but each time they had the annoyance of finding intruders there, some washing cars, others refitting tires, still others engaged in idle conversations that they could just as well have carried on at the bistro next door.
§ 10.7
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From garage to garage, their haphazard search brought them to the station square.
§ 10.8
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Planchet, with a plan of his own, led his companion toward the waiting rooms.
§ 10.9
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But at this watchful station, an employee, stern-looking, stood at the entrance and admitted only travelers with tickets to the waiting rooms.
§ 10.10
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Although the waiting rooms were well guarded, the same could not be said of the left-luggage office, where Mr. Planchet had cast a searching glance.
§ 10.11
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Against the wall he saw a pile of sacks that looked soft to him.
§ 10.12
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The pile seemed to taper down as it approached the wall.
§ 10.13
: ( ).
There was surely a spot where one could slip between the wall and the top of the pile: the pile would then form a sort of parapet that screened you from view (Mr. Planchet had some experience of trench warfare).
§ 10.14
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For the moment, the counter closing off the left-luggage office had a gap in it, thanks to the temporary lifting of its horizontal flap.
§ 10.15
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The attendant, on stepping away briefly, had neglected to lower the hatch cover.
§ 10.16
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Indeed, if there were no careless attendants, the world would be uninhabitable.
§ 10.17
; .
Mr. Planchet still had his box of sleeping pills on him; he offered one to Catherine, who had never taken any before.
§ 10.18
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But he made her see how valuable such a drug was when one had a night to spend in a left-luggage office.
§ 10.19
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Alas! The sacks, however soft they looked, were sacks of potatoes, and however effective “Écrasol” ordinarily was, it could hardly contend with such uncomfortable conditions.
§ 10.20
.
It worked much better on Catherine.
§ 10.21
— — , …
Mr. Planchet awoke at daybreak, perhaps just as well, and shook his companion awake…
§ 10.22
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And both of them left their makeshift lodging without disturbing the attendant’s deep sleep.
§ 10.23
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Fortunately, the station and its surroundings were deserted.
§ 10.24
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But across the square, an unpretentious establishment, already open, served coffee for twenty centimes and small bread rolls for three sous.
§ 10.25
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It seemed as though the proprietor had gauged Mr. Planchet’s financial resources precisely.
§ 10.26
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Every last one of their fourteen sous was spent there.
§ 10.27
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Nevertheless, although the coffee was nothing special, it had done much to revive our travelers.
§ 10.28
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Certainly, the situation of this couple could have been better.
§ 10.29
.
But Catherine now trusted Planchet, and Planchet trusted Catherine.
§ 10.30
, , .
Besides, they were happy to be together, and that happiness was no less for having gone unspoken.