WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.780 align:middle line:90% 00:00:00.780 --> 00:00:04.420 align:middle line:84% Let's pick you up without eating it. 00:00:04.420 --> 00:00:06.810 align:middle line:84% I don't have to eat it, I can just stand here 00:00:06.810 --> 00:00:07.830 align:middle line:90% and it picks me up. 00:00:07.830 --> 00:00:09.990 align:middle line:90% Thank you. 00:00:09.990 --> 00:00:11.980 align:middle line:90% This is really a debut for me. 00:00:11.980 --> 00:00:16.149 align:middle line:84% I've never done anything like this before. 00:00:16.149 --> 00:00:18.720 align:middle line:84% My life, I've read other people's works 00:00:18.720 --> 00:00:21.390 align:middle line:84% or I've read a talk for an occasion, 00:00:21.390 --> 00:00:25.590 align:middle line:84% but really I never thought of the unthinkable, 00:00:25.590 --> 00:00:27.570 align:middle line:84% of reading from my own published work. 00:00:27.570 --> 00:00:34.530 align:middle line:84% And I'm glad it's under your auspices, Ms. Shelton. 00:00:34.530 --> 00:00:38.220 align:middle line:84% I think I have a feeling of security. 00:00:38.220 --> 00:00:42.330 align:middle line:84% You've handled a lot of strange readers in your time 00:00:42.330 --> 00:00:47.910 align:middle line:84% and it's a very distinguished group of people who have read. 00:00:47.910 --> 00:00:50.850 align:middle line:84% And I'm glad to be added as a fellow 00:00:50.850 --> 00:00:57.120 align:middle line:90% eccentric to this long list. 00:00:57.120 --> 00:01:01.320 align:middle line:84% And with due respect for the academic setting 00:01:01.320 --> 00:01:10.800 align:middle line:84% of tonight's seance, I want to offer a few remarks. 00:01:10.800 --> 00:01:16.530 align:middle line:84% Coming among poets as I do with my own prose, 00:01:16.530 --> 00:01:23.055 align:middle line:84% a crow among swans, I surely present a drab image. 00:01:23.055 --> 00:01:25.620 align:middle line:90% 00:01:25.620 --> 00:01:32.100 align:middle line:84% My aim in writing is to make music, however simple, 00:01:32.100 --> 00:01:36.630 align:middle line:84% to accompany my meaning, which is of course the aim of poetry, 00:01:36.630 --> 00:01:40.140 align:middle line:90% or should be. 00:01:40.140 --> 00:01:43.590 align:middle line:84% And from the gravity of your brochure, which 00:01:43.590 --> 00:01:48.810 align:middle line:84% announced this evening, some may expect a reading 00:01:48.810 --> 00:01:54.930 align:middle line:84% of equal gravity such as my recent article on computers 00:01:54.930 --> 00:01:57.038 align:middle line:90% in the Wall Street Journal. 00:01:57.038 --> 00:02:02.410 align:middle line:90% 00:02:02.410 --> 00:02:03.760 align:middle line:90% My aim is much lower. 00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:06.740 align:middle line:90% 00:02:06.740 --> 00:02:11.210 align:middle line:84% Years ago, aspiring to be a novelist, 00:02:11.210 --> 00:02:16.610 align:middle line:84% I believed that longer is better and I ignored lines 00:02:16.610 --> 00:02:19.910 align:middle line:84% by an early American poet, I think 00:02:19.910 --> 00:02:24.890 align:middle line:84% it was Thomas Bailey Aldrich, who wrote, 00:02:24.890 --> 00:02:27.260 align:middle line:84% "What mighty epics have been wrecked 00:02:27.260 --> 00:02:32.270 align:middle line:84% by time since Herrick launched his cockle shells of rhyme." 00:02:32.270 --> 00:02:35.610 align:middle line:90% 00:02:35.610 --> 00:02:39.030 align:middle line:84% When I came finally to realize that writing which 00:02:39.030 --> 00:02:45.270 align:middle line:84% bored me would also bore others, would that more novelists would 00:02:45.270 --> 00:02:51.150 align:middle line:84% do the same, I found myself sharing Willa Cather's wish 00:02:51.150 --> 00:02:55.080 align:middle line:84% to throw all the furniture out the window 00:02:55.080 --> 00:03:00.270 align:middle line:84% and leave the stage as bare as in Greek tragedy or Scotch 00:03:00.270 --> 00:03:02.940 align:middle line:90% ballad. 00:03:02.940 --> 00:03:06.870 align:middle line:84% So I wrote a short work meant to be 00:03:06.870 --> 00:03:10.110 align:middle line:84% to the novel something of what the string quartet is 00:03:10.110 --> 00:03:12.720 align:middle line:90% to the symphony. 00:03:12.720 --> 00:03:17.250 align:middle line:84% That is one for a few voices playing variations 00:03:17.250 --> 00:03:20.340 align:middle line:90% on a single theme. 00:03:20.340 --> 00:03:26.250 align:middle line:84% It seems as old as man, the way of a man with a maid or vice 00:03:26.250 --> 00:03:28.290 align:middle line:90% versa. 00:03:28.290 --> 00:03:32.700 align:middle line:84% Today in the fashionable world of explicit sex, 00:03:32.700 --> 00:03:36.540 align:middle line:90% mine is an old fashioned book. 00:03:36.540 --> 00:03:39.180 align:middle line:84% For I believe that the most moving way 00:03:39.180 --> 00:03:45.840 align:middle line:84% of writing about sex, the most various and subtle, 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:51.695 align:middle line:84% is the before and the after, not the during. 00:03:51.695 --> 00:03:56.470 align:middle line:90% 00:03:56.470 --> 00:03:59.510 align:middle line:84% And like many a first novel, mine 00:03:59.510 --> 00:04:03.140 align:middle line:84% failed to find favor with a publisher. 00:04:03.140 --> 00:04:10.460 align:middle line:84% I buried it deeper ever than plummet would sound 00:04:10.460 --> 00:04:16.790 align:middle line:84% and I pursued an academic career which after 30 years at UCLA 00:04:16.790 --> 00:04:19.249 align:middle line:90% brought me here 15 years ago. 00:04:19.249 --> 00:04:21.800 align:middle line:90% 00:04:21.800 --> 00:04:26.720 align:middle line:84% 36 years passed before my book was published 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:30.050 align:middle line:84% and then it went into a paperback, 00:04:30.050 --> 00:04:36.830 align:middle line:84% into a French translation, and into movie rights, 00:04:36.830 --> 00:04:42.140 align:middle line:84% lacking now a producer with big bucks and a train. 00:04:42.140 --> 00:04:45.995 align:middle line:90% 00:04:45.995 --> 00:04:48.740 align:middle line:84% But calling a book The Blue Train 00:04:48.740 --> 00:04:52.775 align:middle line:84% meant a very good sale to railroad buffs. 00:04:52.775 --> 00:04:58.490 align:middle line:90% 00:04:58.490 --> 00:05:02.030 align:middle line:84% Was that meant to be autobiographical? 00:05:02.030 --> 00:05:04.490 align:middle line:90% Of course not. 00:05:04.490 --> 00:05:08.510 align:middle line:84% When my wife, who refused to come tonight out 00:05:08.510 --> 00:05:15.440 align:middle line:84% of an excess of pride in me, when she said crossly, 00:05:15.440 --> 00:05:24.740 align:middle line:84% "you know very well those women weren't like that," I agreed. 00:05:24.740 --> 00:05:31.370 align:middle line:84% The writers would write as to re-orchestrate his past 00:05:31.370 --> 00:05:38.180 align:middle line:84% and to please himself and perhaps a few readers. 00:05:38.180 --> 00:05:42.470 align:middle line:84% In those ecstatic moments when writing is everything, 00:05:42.470 --> 00:05:46.460 align:middle line:84% these lines of Omar the tent maker possess 00:05:46.460 --> 00:05:51.980 align:middle line:84% the writer: ah, love, could thou and I with fate 00:05:51.980 --> 00:05:55.820 align:middle line:84% conspire to grasp this sorry scheme of things 00:05:55.820 --> 00:06:00.080 align:middle line:84% entire, would not we shatter it to bits-- 00:06:00.080 --> 00:06:05.900 align:middle line:84% and then remould it nearer to the heart's desire. 00:06:05.900 --> 00:06:15.020 align:middle line:84% So I shall read the episode from The Blue Train called Choice. 00:06:15.020 --> 00:06:19.760 align:middle line:84% The narrator is a young American doctor doing graduate work 00:06:19.760 --> 00:06:22.790 align:middle line:90% in endocrinology. 00:06:22.790 --> 00:06:26.330 align:middle line:84% He has French blood in his veins. 00:06:26.330 --> 00:06:30.410 align:middle line:84% His paternal grandfather was a Burgundian vintner 00:06:30.410 --> 00:06:37.580 align:middle line:84% from Auxerre, a town not far from Dijon. 00:06:37.580 --> 00:06:46.400 align:middle line:84% The time is 1930, the setting, a town in the heart of France, 00:06:46.400 --> 00:06:49.385 align:middle line:84% a safe distance from the fleshpots of Paris. 00:06:49.385 --> 00:06:55.540 align:middle line:90% 00:06:55.540 --> 00:07:01.600 align:middle line:84% And then one day in early spring when I'd finished lunch 00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:05.500 align:middle line:84% and was about to leave for the Faculty of Sciences, 00:07:05.500 --> 00:07:10.000 align:middle line:84% a British couple named Penfield entered the cafe. 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:14.470 align:middle line:84% They were students of landscape design living in Dijon 00:07:14.470 --> 00:07:19.660 align:middle line:84% who were writing a thesis on ancient Burgundian parks. 00:07:19.660 --> 00:07:22.630 align:middle line:84% I'd met them one weekend at Versailles 00:07:22.630 --> 00:07:27.940 align:middle line:84% where we had gone to see the Basilique de la Madeleine. 00:07:27.940 --> 00:07:32.380 align:middle line:84% Burton Penfield was tall, thin, and bespectacled. 00:07:32.380 --> 00:07:35.920 align:middle line:84% His wife, Mildred, a plump Irish woman 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:41.890 align:middle line:84% with rose petal skin and honey colored hair. 00:07:41.890 --> 00:07:46.910 align:middle line:84% A woman was with him I'd never seen before. 00:07:46.910 --> 00:07:50.740 align:middle line:84% The cafe was crowded; mine was the only table 00:07:50.740 --> 00:07:53.500 align:middle line:90% with empty seats. 00:07:53.500 --> 00:07:54.130 align:middle line:90% "May we?" 00:07:54.130 --> 00:07:55.870 align:middle line:90% Penfield asked. 00:07:55.870 --> 00:07:56.890 align:middle line:90% "Please do. 00:07:56.890 --> 00:07:58.840 align:middle line:90% I'll be leaving." 00:07:58.840 --> 00:08:01.600 align:middle line:84% "Stay," Mildred Penfield said, "and meet 00:08:01.600 --> 00:08:05.620 align:middle line:90% my friend, Mrs. Davies." 00:08:05.620 --> 00:08:10.820 align:middle line:84% The woman's eyes met mine and I was the first to look away. 00:08:10.820 --> 00:08:16.240 align:middle line:84% Hers were green eyes and a blank white face. 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:17.950 align:middle line:84% "We've been trying to persuade Joyce 00:08:17.950 --> 00:08:21.100 align:middle line:84% to see Vézelay and now that she's this close," 00:08:21.100 --> 00:08:26.530 align:middle line:84% Mildred Penfield said, "but she insists on going through." 00:08:26.530 --> 00:08:27.190 align:middle line:90% "To?" 00:08:27.190 --> 00:08:29.800 align:middle line:90% I asked to be polite. 00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:33.610 align:middle line:90% "Cannes," Mrs. Penfield replied. 00:08:33.610 --> 00:08:36.400 align:middle line:84% "Have you been to Vézelay again?" 00:08:36.400 --> 00:08:36.940 align:middle line:90% "No. 00:08:36.940 --> 00:08:39.100 align:middle line:90% I've been too busy." 00:08:39.100 --> 00:08:42.610 align:middle line:84% "And what occupies Mr. Burgoyne so urgently?" 00:08:42.610 --> 00:08:44.890 align:middle line:90% Mrs. Davies asked. 00:08:44.890 --> 00:08:47.680 align:middle line:84% "Jack is a science student at the medical faculty," 00:08:47.680 --> 00:08:48.760 align:middle line:90% Penfield said. 00:08:48.760 --> 00:08:52.270 align:middle line:84% "He's a slave to his studies, especially since he 00:08:52.270 --> 00:08:56.210 align:middle line:90% was in Paris last winter." 00:08:56.210 --> 00:08:59.560 align:middle line:84% "I do not care for doctors," the woman said. 00:08:59.560 --> 00:09:02.080 align:middle line:84% "Oh, Jack would never actually cut into you," 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:03.460 align:middle line:90% Penfield explained. 00:09:03.460 --> 00:09:08.680 align:middle line:84% "He's more apt to dissect you philosophically." 00:09:08.680 --> 00:09:13.540 align:middle line:84% "Jolly brilliant, these Americans," Mrs. Penfield said. 00:09:13.540 --> 00:09:16.360 align:middle line:84% "I would not have taken Mr. Burgoyne for an American," 00:09:16.360 --> 00:09:18.590 align:middle line:90% Mrs. Davies said. 00:09:18.590 --> 00:09:22.300 align:middle line:84% "Well, would you like to see my passport?" 00:09:22.300 --> 00:09:26.590 align:middle line:84% "The Americans I have known have all been writers." 00:09:26.590 --> 00:09:32.410 align:middle line:84% "Well, one finds what one seeks," I said. 00:09:32.410 --> 00:09:36.340 align:middle line:84% Our eyes met again and this time hers dropped 00:09:36.340 --> 00:09:42.050 align:middle line:84% and she lit a cigarette and she blew the smoke in my face. 00:09:42.050 --> 00:09:45.565 align:middle line:84% "Thanks, " I said, "I happen to like the Gauloise bleu." 00:09:45.565 --> 00:09:48.220 align:middle line:90% 00:09:48.220 --> 00:09:51.340 align:middle line:84% The Penfields were embarrassed and I rose. 00:09:51.340 --> 00:09:55.510 align:middle line:84% "Well, back to the formaldehyde vat," I said, 00:09:55.510 --> 00:09:57.220 align:middle line:90% "where life is less hazardous." 00:09:57.220 --> 00:10:00.100 align:middle line:90% 00:10:00.100 --> 00:10:05.015 align:middle line:84% Mrs. Davies smiled faintly and I shook hands with all three 00:10:05.015 --> 00:10:05.515 align:middle line:90% and left. 00:10:05.515 --> 00:10:08.440 align:middle line:90% 00:10:08.440 --> 00:10:09.430 align:middle line:90% All afternoon 00:10:09.430 --> 00:10:14.200 align:middle line:84% in the laboratory, her perfume lingered on my hand. 00:10:14.200 --> 00:10:19.750 align:middle line:84% It was an exotic smell soap and water did not remove. 00:10:19.750 --> 00:10:25.300 align:middle line:84% And I recalled her chic clothes, her long legs crossed high up, 00:10:25.300 --> 00:10:31.570 align:middle line:84% her thin face with wide mouth and above all, her green eyes. 00:10:31.570 --> 00:10:35.050 align:middle line:84% I had not seen her hair but she was wearing a tightly wound 00:10:35.050 --> 00:10:37.240 align:middle line:90% dark green silk turban. 00:10:37.240 --> 00:10:41.390 align:middle line:90% 00:10:41.390 --> 00:10:45.020 align:middle line:84% I went to the movies that night to see Charlie Chaplin 00:10:45.020 --> 00:10:49.190 align:middle line:90% in Les Lumières de la Ville. 00:10:49.190 --> 00:10:53.240 align:middle line:84% It was the third time I had seen it, enthralled by the master 00:10:53.240 --> 00:10:56.180 align:middle line:84% pantomimist and the musical score 00:10:56.180 --> 00:10:58.250 align:middle line:90% he had composed for the picture. 00:10:58.250 --> 00:11:01.010 align:middle line:84% And I walked up the aisle afterward humming 00:11:01.010 --> 00:11:04.700 align:middle line:90% the little flower girl song. 00:11:04.700 --> 00:11:08.450 align:middle line:84% And then in the crowded foyer, I found myself 00:11:08.450 --> 00:11:13.100 align:middle line:90% pressed against Joyce Davies. 00:11:13.100 --> 00:11:16.100 align:middle line:90% She was with the Penfields. 00:11:16.100 --> 00:11:19.280 align:middle line:84% And when she turned to see who was crowding her, 00:11:19.280 --> 00:11:22.250 align:middle line:90% our faces nearly touched. 00:11:22.250 --> 00:11:28.490 align:middle line:84% Hers cut like a knife only for a moment then her eyes widened 00:11:28.490 --> 00:11:35.390 align:middle line:84% in recognition and I saw that the green was amber flecked. 00:11:35.390 --> 00:11:38.210 align:middle line:84% "Monsieur le docteur," she murmured 00:11:38.210 --> 00:11:41.720 align:middle line:90% with the faintest of smiles. 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:43.790 align:middle line:84% "We're going to the Miroir for coffee," 00:11:43.790 --> 00:11:47.020 align:middle line:84% Penfield said, "won't you join us?" 00:11:47.020 --> 00:11:48.710 align:middle line:90% "Oh, please excuse me," I said. 00:11:48.710 --> 00:11:51.230 align:middle line:90% "I have work to do." 00:11:51.230 --> 00:11:53.570 align:middle line:84% "It would give me pleasure if you would come," 00:11:53.570 --> 00:11:57.290 align:middle line:90% Mrs. Davies said in French. 00:11:57.290 --> 00:11:59.180 align:middle line:84% "I thought you didn't like Americans," 00:11:59.180 --> 00:12:02.930 align:middle line:90% I countered, also in French. 00:12:02.930 --> 00:12:05.960 align:middle line:84% "Are there not exceptions to the rules?" 00:12:05.960 --> 00:12:10.980 align:middle line:84% "Oh, I assure you of my profoundest gratitude. 00:12:10.980 --> 00:12:16.220 align:middle line:84% Do come," she said in English, "I'll behave." 00:12:16.220 --> 00:12:20.630 align:middle line:84% There's a whiff of a perfume that decided it. 00:12:20.630 --> 00:12:24.920 align:middle line:84% I went with them up there on Rue de la Liberté to the Brasserie 00:12:24.920 --> 00:12:30.500 align:middle line:84% du Miroir and a string orchestra was playing the ballet music 00:12:30.500 --> 00:12:34.010 align:middle line:90% from Le Cid. 00:12:34.010 --> 00:12:36.560 align:middle line:84% The Penfields and I fell into a discussion 00:12:36.560 --> 00:12:40.280 align:middle line:84% of Cluny in southern Burgundy and the merits 00:12:40.280 --> 00:12:44.180 align:middle line:90% of Viollet-le-Duc's work 00:12:44.180 --> 00:12:47.180 align:middle line:84% while Joyce Davies listened, watching 00:12:47.180 --> 00:12:50.120 align:middle line:84% the face of each speaker, her own 00:12:50.120 --> 00:12:53.465 align:middle line:84% veiled in smoke from the strong cigarette she favored. 00:12:53.465 --> 00:12:56.090 align:middle line:90% 00:12:56.090 --> 00:12:59.000 align:middle line:84% "Are you always this silent," I challenged her 00:12:59.000 --> 00:13:02.180 align:middle line:90% in a lull of our talk. 00:13:02.180 --> 00:13:05.270 align:middle line:84% "I'm afraid of angering you again." 00:13:05.270 --> 00:13:07.350 align:middle line:84% "Joyce is still fatigued from her journey," 00:13:07.350 --> 00:13:09.020 align:middle line:90% Mrs. Penfield explained. 00:13:09.020 --> 00:13:14.540 align:middle line:84% "She came across on the trans-Siberian." 00:13:14.540 --> 00:13:15.660 align:middle line:90% "All the way across?" 00:13:15.660 --> 00:13:20.480 align:middle line:84% I asked, "what kind of equipment do they have on that train." 00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:21.800 align:middle line:90% "Horrible. 00:13:21.800 --> 00:13:23.510 align:middle line:90% The food was even worse. 00:13:23.510 --> 00:13:26.240 align:middle line:90% It took two weeks. 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:29.480 align:middle line:84% And she wants to leave tomorrow," Mrs. Penfield said. 00:13:29.480 --> 00:13:33.950 align:middle line:84% "We're frightfully annoyed with her." 00:13:33.950 --> 00:13:37.940 align:middle line:84% "Go on talking architecture," she said, "It's so reassuring." 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:40.550 align:middle line:90% 00:13:40.550 --> 00:13:45.050 align:middle line:90% She intrigued me, who was she? 00:13:45.050 --> 00:13:49.100 align:middle line:84% Not French, although she spoke it fluently. 00:13:49.100 --> 00:13:55.760 align:middle line:84% I kept trying to place the perfume, was it Chinese? 00:13:55.760 --> 00:14:00.500 align:middle line:84% I did not leave as early as I had intended to do. 00:14:00.500 --> 00:14:03.380 align:middle line:84% It was Monday night and the Miroir 00:14:03.380 --> 00:14:08.900 align:middle line:84% and the town's other cafes all closed at 11:00. 00:14:08.900 --> 00:14:13.400 align:middle line:84% "Just as I'm waking up," Mrs. Davies protested. 00:14:13.400 --> 00:14:19.140 align:middle line:84% "Is there nowhere open that I may stand a round of Pernod?" 00:14:19.140 --> 00:14:26.030 align:middle line:84% "The buffet de la gare," I said, "is open all night." 00:14:26.030 --> 00:14:28.940 align:middle line:84% "Shall we go there then?' she asked. 00:14:28.940 --> 00:14:31.430 align:middle line:84% "Well, we'd better not," Penfield said. 00:14:31.430 --> 00:14:33.500 align:middle line:90% "Jack, you go with Joyce. 00:14:33.500 --> 00:14:38.100 align:middle line:84% A bit of nightlife will do you good." 00:14:38.100 --> 00:14:41.180 align:middle line:90% I did not protest. 00:14:41.180 --> 00:14:44.420 align:middle line:84% So we separated, the Penfields going off 00:14:44.420 --> 00:14:46.910 align:middle line:84% to their apartment and Mrs. Davies 00:14:46.910 --> 00:14:52.130 align:middle line:84% and I re-tracing the Rue de la Liberté to the Place Darcy 00:14:52.130 --> 00:14:55.340 align:middle line:90% and on to the railway station. 00:14:55.340 --> 00:15:02.030 align:middle line:84% We walked silently under an arch of plane trees in new leaf. 00:15:02.030 --> 00:15:07.100 align:middle line:84% In a smoky buffet, she removed her coat for the first time 00:15:07.100 --> 00:15:11.810 align:middle line:84% and I saw that she was a mature woman. 00:15:11.810 --> 00:15:19.670 align:middle line:84% Full breasted, round armed, thin only in face and shapely legs. 00:15:19.670 --> 00:15:21.920 align:middle line:84% "Oh, I see that you approve of me," she said. 00:15:21.920 --> 00:15:24.140 align:middle line:84% "I suppose you'll be wanting to sleep with me 00:15:24.140 --> 00:15:27.440 align:middle line:90% before the night is over." 00:15:27.440 --> 00:15:28.610 align:middle line:90% I stood up in anger. 00:15:28.610 --> 00:15:34.160 align:middle line:90% 00:15:34.160 --> 00:15:36.260 align:middle line:84% "Sorry," she said taking my hand, 00:15:36.260 --> 00:15:38.750 align:middle line:84% "I seem to be fated to annoy you." 00:15:38.750 --> 00:15:41.750 align:middle line:90% 00:15:41.750 --> 00:15:45.530 align:middle line:84% "You're accustomed to men finding you irresistible," 00:15:45.530 --> 00:15:47.510 align:middle line:90% I said. 00:15:47.510 --> 00:15:49.770 align:middle line:90% "You speak the truth." 00:15:49.770 --> 00:15:52.640 align:middle line:84% "Have you tried not wearing that perfume?" 00:15:52.640 --> 00:15:55.710 align:middle line:90% "I do not wear perfume." 00:15:55.710 --> 00:15:57.350 align:middle line:90% "What is it then?" 00:15:57.350 --> 00:15:59.300 align:middle line:90% "It's on my clothes. 00:15:59.300 --> 00:16:03.260 align:middle line:84% Our closets were made of sandalwood." 00:16:03.260 --> 00:16:05.540 align:middle line:90% "In China?" 00:16:05.540 --> 00:16:08.150 align:middle line:90% "Indo-China." 00:16:08.150 --> 00:16:10.970 align:middle line:84% "So that's an oriental mask you wear?" 00:16:10.970 --> 00:16:11.480 align:middle line:90% "Yes. 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:13.380 align:middle line:90% For protection." 00:16:13.380 --> 00:16:15.350 align:middle line:90% "Well, I'd take it off." 00:16:15.350 --> 00:16:17.564 align:middle line:90% "Why should I?" 00:16:17.564 --> 00:16:19.790 align:middle line:84% I stood up, "Where are you staying? 00:16:19.790 --> 00:16:21.620 align:middle line:84% I'd better take you to your hotel. 00:16:21.620 --> 00:16:25.175 align:middle line:84% We don't seem to be getting along." 00:16:25.175 --> 00:16:28.280 align:middle line:84% Her face softened and she took a long swallow 00:16:28.280 --> 00:16:30.830 align:middle line:90% of the milky Pernod. 00:16:30.830 --> 00:16:32.510 align:middle line:90% "Please don't." 00:16:32.510 --> 00:16:34.940 align:middle line:90% She lit a Gauloise. 00:16:34.940 --> 00:16:38.720 align:middle line:90% "I'm beginning to relax." 00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:40.850 align:middle line:90% "Why so tense?" 00:16:40.850 --> 00:16:43.550 align:middle line:84% "I suppose it was the long journey. 00:16:43.550 --> 00:16:45.470 align:middle line:90% Men on the train annoyed me. 00:16:45.470 --> 00:16:48.470 align:middle line:90% There was no privacy." 00:16:48.470 --> 00:16:50.840 align:middle line:90% "I want nothing from you." 00:16:50.840 --> 00:16:54.020 align:middle line:84% "I'm beginning to see that you don't." 00:16:54.020 --> 00:16:56.270 align:middle line:90% "Who are you?" 00:16:56.270 --> 00:16:57.740 align:middle line:90% "You know my name." 00:16:57.740 --> 00:16:59.180 align:middle line:90% "Oh, let's not spar." 00:16:59.180 --> 00:17:02.180 align:middle line:84% "You want me to take my hair down?" she asked. 00:17:02.180 --> 00:17:05.750 align:middle line:90% "Well, it might help." 00:17:05.750 --> 00:17:07.550 align:middle line:90% She began to unwind the turban. 00:17:07.550 --> 00:17:09.470 align:middle line:90% "I wrapped it too tight. 00:17:09.470 --> 00:17:11.210 align:middle line:90% It's giving me a headache." 00:17:11.210 --> 00:17:13.730 align:middle line:84% And her hair came down in a flood, thick 00:17:13.730 --> 00:17:17.869 align:middle line:84% and curly and copper red clear to her shoulders. 00:17:17.869 --> 00:17:19.670 align:middle line:90% I reached out and touched it. 00:17:19.670 --> 00:17:22.190 align:middle line:90% "Well, it burned me." 00:17:22.190 --> 00:17:22.880 align:middle line:90% She laughed. 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:27.170 align:middle line:84% "It's all my own nor do I tint it." 00:17:27.170 --> 00:17:30.780 align:middle line:84% "Why you hide such beautiful hair?" 00:17:30.780 --> 00:17:35.300 align:middle line:84% "I attract enough attention without this bonfire." 00:17:35.300 --> 00:17:40.940 align:middle line:84% "Well," I said, "it is indeed an incendiary red." 00:17:40.940 --> 00:17:46.580 align:middle line:84% "Now tell me who you are. " "Oh, please don't be an aggressive 00:17:46.580 --> 00:17:50.810 align:middle line:84% American just as I'm beginning to like you." 00:17:50.810 --> 00:17:53.270 align:middle line:84% "Do you dislike all men at first?" 00:17:53.270 --> 00:17:55.385 align:middle line:90% "Yeah, mostly." 00:17:55.385 --> 00:17:58.280 align:middle line:84% "I don't suppose I'm any different from the rest. 00:17:58.280 --> 00:18:01.160 align:middle line:90% I'm just a man." 00:18:01.160 --> 00:18:04.500 align:middle line:90% "That is obvious," she said. 00:18:04.500 --> 00:18:06.470 align:middle line:84% "Why don't we be simple with each other?" 00:18:06.470 --> 00:18:07.090 align:middle line:90% I asked. 00:18:07.090 --> 00:18:11.330 align:middle line:84% "Dijon is a poor place for melodrama." 00:18:11.330 --> 00:18:14.540 align:middle line:84% "Don't you find it dull here?" she asked. 00:18:14.540 --> 00:18:17.480 align:middle line:90% "I do not seek excitement." 00:18:17.480 --> 00:18:19.580 align:middle line:90% "Why are you here?" 00:18:19.580 --> 00:18:20.900 align:middle line:90% "To work. 00:18:20.900 --> 00:18:22.355 align:middle line:90% Why are you?" 00:18:22.355 --> 00:18:27.920 align:middle line:84% "I'm passing through and to see Mildred. 00:18:27.920 --> 00:18:29.780 align:middle line:90% Do you sometimes go to Paris?" 00:18:29.780 --> 00:18:30.920 align:middle line:90% she asked. 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:33.230 align:middle line:84% "No," I said, "not since December. 00:18:33.230 --> 00:18:37.850 align:middle line:90% The severe cold burned me." 00:18:37.850 --> 00:18:43.140 align:middle line:84% "Your paradox fails to hide the presence of a woman," she said. 00:18:43.140 --> 00:18:45.680 align:middle line:90% "Oh, but you're perceptive." 00:18:45.680 --> 00:18:48.810 align:middle line:90% "Tell me about her." 00:18:48.810 --> 00:18:52.010 align:middle line:84% "She returned to the Arctic Circle." 00:18:52.010 --> 00:18:56.840 align:middle line:84% "Tiens," she said, "an Eskimo, how exotic." 00:18:56.840 --> 00:18:59.180 align:middle line:90% We laughed. 00:18:59.180 --> 00:19:03.140 align:middle line:84% "What do you do to amuse yourself?" she asked. 00:19:03.140 --> 00:19:04.560 align:middle line:90% "We were at the movie," I said. 00:19:04.560 --> 00:19:06.440 align:middle line:90% "Don't you remember?" 00:19:06.440 --> 00:19:08.390 align:middle line:90% "Was that tonight?" 00:19:08.390 --> 00:19:11.510 align:middle line:90% "No, after midnight last night. 00:19:11.510 --> 00:19:15.380 align:middle line:90% We met yesterday noon." 00:19:15.380 --> 00:19:17.405 align:middle line:84% "Do you have a girl here?" she asked. 00:19:17.405 --> 00:19:21.080 align:middle line:90% 00:19:21.080 --> 00:19:23.090 align:middle line:90% "No." 00:19:23.090 --> 00:19:24.710 align:middle line:90% "Lucky you. 00:19:24.710 --> 00:19:27.020 align:middle line:90% Was the one in Paris good?" 00:19:27.020 --> 00:19:27.560 align:middle line:90% I laughed. 00:19:27.560 --> 00:19:31.520 align:middle line:84% "She was really Swedish, not Eskimo." 00:19:31.520 --> 00:19:32.990 align:middle line:90% "Where is she now?" 00:19:32.990 --> 00:19:36.560 align:middle line:84% "She went home to Stockholm to be married." 00:19:36.560 --> 00:19:39.860 align:middle line:90% "Lucky you she left." 00:19:39.860 --> 00:19:41.660 align:middle line:84% The train caller entered the buffet 00:19:41.660 --> 00:19:45.330 align:middle line:84% and poured out a torrent of words. 00:19:45.330 --> 00:19:48.530 align:middle line:84% "I thought I knew French," she laughed. 00:19:48.530 --> 00:19:51.150 align:middle line:84% "He's calling the blue train," I explained. 00:19:51.150 --> 00:19:55.160 align:middle line:84% "It's due to make a 10 minute stop. 00:19:55.160 --> 00:19:57.950 align:middle line:90% You want to go see?" 00:19:57.950 --> 00:20:01.010 align:middle line:90% "Whither thou goest." 00:20:01.010 --> 00:20:04.010 align:middle line:84% So I put 50 centimes pieces in the vending 00:20:04.010 --> 00:20:08.870 align:middle line:84% machine for billets de quai and we gained the platform. 00:20:08.870 --> 00:20:10.670 align:middle line:84% And we waited beside the main line 00:20:10.670 --> 00:20:13.700 align:middle line:84% into the deluxe sleeping car train from Calais 00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:19.520 align:middle line:84% and Paris came in precisely at midnight. 00:20:19.520 --> 00:20:21.440 align:middle line:84% Blinds were pulled on the windows 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:24.740 align:middle line:90% of the blue and gold wagons-lit. 00:20:24.740 --> 00:20:27.800 align:middle line:84% A mechanic hurried along with a flashlight 00:20:27.800 --> 00:20:33.200 align:middle line:84% crouching to check the journaled boxes with a rap of his hammer. 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:37.970 align:middle line:84% A few people boarded, no one got off. 00:20:37.970 --> 00:20:40.820 align:middle line:84% The blue train carried only through passengers 00:20:40.820 --> 00:20:42.995 align:middle line:90% for Marseilles and beyond. 00:20:42.995 --> 00:20:46.700 align:middle line:90% 00:20:46.700 --> 00:20:51.350 align:middle line:84% We walked back along the train, drawn by a lighted unshaded 00:20:51.350 --> 00:20:53.330 align:middle line:90% window. 00:20:53.330 --> 00:20:57.800 align:middle line:84% There we paused and gazed up and we 00:20:57.800 --> 00:21:02.990 align:middle line:84% saw four red faced Englishmen in shirtsleeves sitting, 00:21:02.990 --> 00:21:06.770 align:middle line:90% rigidly erect, playing cards. 00:21:06.770 --> 00:21:09.950 align:middle line:84% We were so close that I could read the label on their bottle 00:21:09.950 --> 00:21:12.740 align:middle line:90% of Johnnie Walker. 00:21:12.740 --> 00:21:15.740 align:middle line:90% One man looked down and saw us. 00:21:15.740 --> 00:21:19.280 align:middle line:90% His lips moved soundlessly. 00:21:19.280 --> 00:21:22.580 align:middle line:84% The other three turned and looked. 00:21:22.580 --> 00:21:27.950 align:middle line:84% Their faces were expressionless, and we stared up at them. 00:21:27.950 --> 00:21:31.280 align:middle line:90% They turned back to their cards. 00:21:31.280 --> 00:21:34.040 align:middle line:84% The train began to move and gather speed. 00:21:34.040 --> 00:21:38.750 align:middle line:84% And as the fourgon passed us, we saw the baggage master standing 00:21:38.750 --> 00:21:43.550 align:middle line:84% in the open side door, his ill-fitting red-corded black 00:21:43.550 --> 00:21:48.530 align:middle line:84% uniform open at the throat, in the act of tilting a wine 00:21:48.530 --> 00:21:51.260 align:middle line:90% bottle to his lips. 00:21:51.260 --> 00:21:55.370 align:middle line:84% "Santé," I called, as the car glided past. 00:21:55.370 --> 00:21:58.610 align:middle line:90% His Adam's apple twitched. 00:21:58.610 --> 00:22:01.880 align:middle line:84% He removed the bottle from his mouth. 00:22:01.880 --> 00:22:05.720 align:middle line:84% "À la vôtre, m'sieu'dame," he said. 00:22:05.720 --> 00:22:10.070 align:middle line:84% Joyce squeezed my arm and laughed, 00:22:10.070 --> 00:22:12.140 align:middle line:84% and we walked the length of the platform 00:22:12.140 --> 00:22:16.520 align:middle line:84% after the departing train until finally its rear lights 00:22:16.520 --> 00:22:19.730 align:middle line:90% disappeared around a curve. 00:22:19.730 --> 00:22:22.970 align:middle line:84% And we walked out from under the great iron shell 00:22:22.970 --> 00:22:27.200 align:middle line:84% and saw the yard signals turn red. 00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:30.980 align:middle line:84% And the air was damp, and smelled of cold smoke 00:22:30.980 --> 00:22:34.790 align:middle line:90% and hot, oily machinery. 00:22:34.790 --> 00:22:36.950 align:middle line:84% I told her of the last times I was 00:22:36.950 --> 00:22:43.340 align:middle line:84% there, and of Nancy and Erda, and what I'd learned from them. 00:22:43.340 --> 00:22:47.060 align:middle line:84% Joyce clung to my arm, and as we walked in slow strides 00:22:47.060 --> 00:22:52.640 align:middle line:84% together, and I spoke of my successes and failures, 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:54.410 align:middle line:90% I touched her hair. 00:22:54.410 --> 00:22:59.120 align:middle line:84% It was beaded with moisture, the bitter smell of coal 00:22:59.120 --> 00:23:03.050 align:middle line:84% smoke blended with her sandalwood. 00:23:03.050 --> 00:23:07.910 align:middle line:84% We drifted back under the arch of the station. 00:23:07.910 --> 00:23:12.050 align:middle line:84% "I call it my cathedral," I said. 00:23:12.050 --> 00:23:15.770 align:middle line:90% "Shall we eat something?" 00:23:15.770 --> 00:23:18.200 align:middle line:90% "As you like. 00:23:18.200 --> 00:23:23.420 align:middle line:84% I seem to be yours without your asking for me." 00:23:23.420 --> 00:23:25.910 align:middle line:84% "Well," I said, "you have grown wonderfully gentle." 00:23:25.910 --> 00:23:28.760 align:middle line:90% 00:23:28.760 --> 00:23:32.210 align:middle line:84% We entered the buffet and ordered ham and Gruyere 00:23:32.210 --> 00:23:36.890 align:middle line:90% sandwiches, coffee, and brandy. 00:23:36.890 --> 00:23:41.000 align:middle line:84% "In a few more minutes," I said, "the Simplon Orient Express 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:43.460 align:middle line:90% is due, and then to Rome. 00:23:43.460 --> 00:23:48.560 align:middle line:84% And at 2:38 there's the Bordeaux-Strasbourg Rapide, 00:23:48.560 --> 00:23:51.470 align:middle line:84% the only fast train and all of France that 00:23:51.470 --> 00:23:53.135 align:middle line:90% does not originate in Paris. 00:23:53.135 --> 00:23:56.050 align:middle line:90% 00:23:56.050 --> 00:23:58.600 align:middle line:84% "Well," she said, "I am coming to the conclusion 00:23:58.600 --> 00:24:02.440 align:middle line:90% that you like trains." 00:24:02.440 --> 00:24:03.250 align:middle line:90% "Yes," I said. 00:24:03.250 --> 00:24:07.030 align:middle line:84% "I often come here at night to see them pass. 00:24:07.030 --> 00:24:13.870 align:middle line:84% I do not visit the buffet, so it costs only 50 centimes. 00:24:13.870 --> 00:24:14.500 align:middle line:90% She laughed. 00:24:14.500 --> 00:24:19.000 align:middle line:84% "I thought I never wanted to see a train again." 00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:24.550 align:middle line:84% "Now tell me," I said, "are you an international spy?" 00:24:24.550 --> 00:24:26.170 align:middle line:90% "Heavens, no. 00:24:26.170 --> 00:24:27.820 align:middle line:84% The Russians took me for a whore. 00:24:27.820 --> 00:24:30.370 align:middle line:90% 00:24:30.370 --> 00:24:33.190 align:middle line:84% I might look like one, and I am no virgin, 00:24:33.190 --> 00:24:35.230 align:middle line:90% but I've never taken money. 00:24:35.230 --> 00:24:38.860 align:middle line:84% And isn't that the definition of a whore? 00:24:38.860 --> 00:24:40.470 align:middle line:90% Well, I would if I had to. 00:24:40.470 --> 00:24:42.220 align:middle line:84% But then, I've never lacked money, 00:24:42.220 --> 00:24:46.240 align:middle line:84% so I shouldn't boast of my virtue." 00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:48.280 align:middle line:90% "Well," I observed, "you-- 00:24:48.280 --> 00:24:50.620 align:middle line:90% you've known many men." 00:24:50.620 --> 00:24:52.180 align:middle line:90% "Ah, too many." 00:24:52.180 --> 00:24:54.760 align:middle line:90% "Is there a Mr. Davies?" 00:24:54.760 --> 00:24:57.130 align:middle line:90% "That is my maiden name." 00:24:57.130 --> 00:24:59.020 align:middle line:90% "You were married?" 00:24:59.020 --> 00:25:02.770 align:middle line:90% "Yes, to a Frenchman." 00:25:02.770 --> 00:25:05.290 align:middle line:84% "You will understand my natural curiosity 00:25:05.290 --> 00:25:07.780 align:middle line:90% about your antecedents," I said. 00:25:07.780 --> 00:25:10.930 align:middle line:84% "Well," she laughed, "that's much nicer than 'who are 00:25:10.930 --> 00:25:18.300 align:middle line:84% you?'" "Our manners improve with practice," I observed. 00:25:18.300 --> 00:25:20.220 align:middle line:90% She laughed. 00:25:20.220 --> 00:25:23.580 align:middle line:84% "My father was a Welsh adventurer and my mother 00:25:23.580 --> 00:25:25.380 align:middle line:90% an English noblewoman. 00:25:25.380 --> 00:25:27.240 align:middle line:90% He earned his living by cards. 00:25:27.240 --> 00:25:29.920 align:middle line:84% And when he was blinded in an accident, 00:25:29.920 --> 00:25:33.030 align:middle line:84% he killed my mother and committed suicide. 00:25:33.030 --> 00:25:35.265 align:middle line:84% And I was sent to a convent in Rouen." 00:25:35.265 --> 00:25:37.980 align:middle line:90% 00:25:37.980 --> 00:25:41.520 align:middle line:84% "I once thought of studying there," I said. 00:25:41.520 --> 00:25:44.670 align:middle line:84% "Well," she said, "it's much like Dijon, though busier 00:25:44.670 --> 00:25:47.850 align:middle line:90% because of the river commerce. 00:25:47.850 --> 00:25:52.430 align:middle line:84% They're all alike, however, these provincial holes. 00:25:52.430 --> 00:25:58.170 align:middle line:84% Well, at 15 I was seduced by a high ecclesiastic, 00:25:58.170 --> 00:26:02.160 align:middle line:84% and became his mistress until he died of apoplexy 00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:04.992 align:middle line:90% from overeating." 00:26:04.992 --> 00:26:07.422 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHTER] 00:26:07.422 --> 00:26:10.340 align:middle line:90% 00:26:10.340 --> 00:26:12.350 align:middle line:84% "Then I married a wealthy importer 00:26:12.350 --> 00:26:15.050 align:middle line:90% and we moved to Indochina. 00:26:15.050 --> 00:26:19.820 align:middle line:84% 10 years in Saigon, and then alcohol did for him. 00:26:19.820 --> 00:26:23.420 align:middle line:90% As it will do for me, I fear. 00:26:23.420 --> 00:26:26.390 align:middle line:84% I turned down an even dozen proposals, more or less 00:26:26.390 --> 00:26:30.050 align:middle line:84% legitimate, took my maiden name, and here I 00:26:30.050 --> 00:26:34.850 align:middle line:84% am in a buffet de la gare de Dijon. 00:26:34.850 --> 00:26:37.280 align:middle line:84% "And where to the Penfields come in?" 00:26:37.280 --> 00:26:39.650 align:middle line:90% I asked. 00:26:39.650 --> 00:26:42.740 align:middle line:90% "Mildred was in the convent. 00:26:42.740 --> 00:26:44.240 align:middle line:90% We've kept in touch. 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:46.550 align:middle line:84% I was curious to see if she could still 00:26:46.550 --> 00:26:51.770 align:middle line:84% excite me the way she did when we were girls." 00:26:51.770 --> 00:26:54.530 align:middle line:90% "Well," I said, "does she?" 00:26:54.530 --> 00:26:56.570 align:middle line:90% And she smiled. 00:26:56.570 --> 00:27:00.950 align:middle line:84% "You didn't give me time to find out." 00:27:00.950 --> 00:27:03.170 align:middle line:90% "Do I excite you?" 00:27:03.170 --> 00:27:09.710 align:middle line:84% She finished her brandy and then said, "Yes, you do." 00:27:09.710 --> 00:27:10.670 align:middle line:90% "Are you in a hurry?" 00:27:10.670 --> 00:27:12.050 align:middle line:90% I asked. 00:27:12.050 --> 00:27:14.150 align:middle line:90% "No, I like talking with you. 00:27:14.150 --> 00:27:16.850 align:middle line:90% There's no hurry." 00:27:16.850 --> 00:27:19.970 align:middle line:90% "What takes you to Cannes?" 00:27:19.970 --> 00:27:23.750 align:middle line:84% "My husband left me a villa at Antibes. 00:27:23.750 --> 00:27:28.040 align:middle line:84% I want to see whether to keep it or sell it." 00:27:28.040 --> 00:27:30.440 align:middle line:90% "Then you're not a spy?" 00:27:30.440 --> 00:27:32.540 align:middle line:84% "Oh, you're sweet, Jack Burgoyne. 00:27:32.540 --> 00:27:34.370 align:middle line:90% Have you forgiven me?" 00:27:34.370 --> 00:27:35.810 align:middle line:90% "For what?" 00:27:35.810 --> 00:27:38.390 align:middle line:90% "The rude things I said." 00:27:38.390 --> 00:27:40.550 align:middle line:90% "That was yesterday." 00:27:40.550 --> 00:27:43.490 align:middle line:90% "Is today tomorrow?" 00:27:43.490 --> 00:27:45.050 align:middle line:90% "It grows late," I said. 00:27:45.050 --> 00:27:47.120 align:middle line:90% "Are you tired?" 00:27:47.120 --> 00:27:48.410 align:middle line:90% "I'm not sure. 00:27:48.410 --> 00:27:53.480 align:middle line:84% Perhaps in a state of ecstatic fatigue." 00:27:53.480 --> 00:27:56.210 align:middle line:90% "We need fresh air," I said. 00:27:56.210 --> 00:27:59.360 align:middle line:90% "Which is your hotel?" 00:27:59.360 --> 00:28:02.570 align:middle line:90% "La Bourgogne." 00:28:02.570 --> 00:28:03.170 align:middle line:90% I laughed. 00:28:03.170 --> 00:28:04.340 align:middle line:90% "It belongs to me. 00:28:04.340 --> 00:28:07.610 align:middle line:84% I own the entire Duchy of Burgundy. 00:28:07.610 --> 00:28:11.510 align:middle line:90% It was my grand patrimony." 00:28:11.510 --> 00:28:14.090 align:middle line:90% "May I be your first duchess?" 00:28:14.090 --> 00:28:17.930 align:middle line:84% "Joyce the Red, all hail," I toasted her. 00:28:17.930 --> 00:28:18.620 align:middle line:90% She laughed. 00:28:18.620 --> 00:28:21.050 align:middle line:84% "I don't know which has gone most to my head-- 00:28:21.050 --> 00:28:24.860 align:middle line:90% you, the brandy, or the trains. 00:28:24.860 --> 00:28:28.880 align:middle line:90% But I've never been this happy. 00:28:28.880 --> 00:28:31.820 align:middle line:84% Do you learn this art at school?" 00:28:31.820 --> 00:28:32.600 align:middle line:90% "Yes," I said. 00:28:32.600 --> 00:28:37.460 align:middle line:84% "It is the Burgundian bedside manner." 00:28:37.460 --> 00:28:41.750 align:middle line:84% "But you're not wanting anything from me," she said. 00:28:41.750 --> 00:28:42.350 align:middle line:90% "Don't I?" 00:28:42.350 --> 00:28:43.130 align:middle line:90% I asked. 00:28:43.130 --> 00:28:45.230 align:middle line:90% "Do you?" 00:28:45.230 --> 00:28:45.980 align:middle line:90% "Yes," I said. 00:28:45.980 --> 00:28:47.510 align:middle line:90% "Your hair." 00:28:47.510 --> 00:28:50.540 align:middle line:90% "Sorry, it's not removable." 00:28:50.540 --> 00:28:53.810 align:middle line:90% "I want to bury my face in it." 00:28:53.810 --> 00:28:58.310 align:middle line:84% "Didn't you say we needed fresh air," she countered. 00:28:58.310 --> 00:29:02.000 align:middle line:84% "You don't want to see the other trains?" 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:03.110 align:middle line:90% "No," she said. 00:29:03.110 --> 00:29:05.240 align:middle line:90% "Not tonight." 00:29:05.240 --> 00:29:08.090 align:middle line:84% She smiled, and then said, "I was wrong. 00:29:08.090 --> 00:29:09.500 align:middle line:90% I am in a hurry." 00:29:09.500 --> 00:29:12.260 align:middle line:90% 00:29:12.260 --> 00:29:15.470 align:middle line:84% So we went out into the damp air. 00:29:15.470 --> 00:29:20.360 align:middle line:84% We walked arm in arm up the street, and a group of soldiers 00:29:20.360 --> 00:29:23.390 align:middle line:84% came toward us, walking in the middle of the street, 00:29:23.390 --> 00:29:27.200 align:middle line:84% clinging together and singing drunkenly. 00:29:27.200 --> 00:29:31.190 align:middle line:84% We stopped and watched them reel past. 00:29:31.190 --> 00:29:33.170 align:middle line:90% They paid no attention to us. 00:29:33.170 --> 00:29:36.080 align:middle line:90% 00:29:36.080 --> 00:29:39.980 align:middle line:84% "You haven't told me," she said, "that I smoke and drink 00:29:39.980 --> 00:29:41.670 align:middle line:90% too much." 00:29:41.670 --> 00:29:42.170 align:middle line:90% "Do you?" 00:29:42.170 --> 00:29:43.280 align:middle line:90% I asked. 00:29:43.280 --> 00:29:44.840 align:middle line:90% "Yes," she said. 00:29:44.840 --> 00:29:46.475 align:middle line:84% "Well," I said, "that's settled." 00:29:46.475 --> 00:29:50.900 align:middle line:90% 00:29:50.900 --> 00:29:55.130 align:middle line:84% We reached her hotel on the Place Darcy. 00:29:55.130 --> 00:30:00.920 align:middle line:84% The lobby was deserted and the room clerk was snoring. 00:30:00.920 --> 00:30:06.350 align:middle line:84% We leaned against the wall at the elevator. 00:30:06.350 --> 00:30:11.990 align:middle line:84% "Journey's end," she said, and drew my face to her hair. 00:30:11.990 --> 00:30:14.930 align:middle line:84% We stood for a long moment, and then she 00:30:14.930 --> 00:30:17.780 align:middle line:84% opened the elevator door and held it for me. 00:30:17.780 --> 00:30:20.240 align:middle line:90% "Will you?" she asked. 00:30:20.240 --> 00:30:23.660 align:middle line:90% "Willingly, I replied. 00:30:23.660 --> 00:30:27.050 align:middle line:84% We mounted to her room on the fifth and top floor, 00:30:27.050 --> 00:30:30.590 align:middle line:84% and she undressed swiftly and lay on the bed 00:30:30.590 --> 00:30:32.420 align:middle line:90% and waited for me to join her. 00:30:32.420 --> 00:30:36.659 align:middle line:90% 00:30:36.659 --> 00:30:39.014 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHTER] 00:30:39.014 --> 00:30:48.224 align:middle line:90% 00:30:48.224 --> 00:30:52.402 align:middle line:84% There's a powerful emotion called thirst. 00:30:52.402 --> 00:30:54.807 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHTER] 00:30:54.807 --> 00:30:59.630 align:middle line:90% 00:30:59.630 --> 00:31:03.976 align:middle line:90% It was nearly noon when I awoke. 00:31:03.976 --> 00:31:06.436 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHTER] 00:31:06.436 --> 00:31:08.410 align:middle line:90% 00:31:08.410 --> 00:31:08.950 align:middle line:90% How nice. 00:31:08.950 --> 00:31:12.100 align:middle line:90% 00:31:12.100 --> 00:31:16.870 align:middle line:84% Joyce was still asleep, her hair like fire on the pillow. 00:31:16.870 --> 00:31:22.990 align:middle line:84% We'd enjoyed long, deliberate, deeply satisfying intercourse, 00:31:22.990 --> 00:31:24.940 align:middle line:90% and I felt refreshed. 00:31:24.940 --> 00:31:28.450 align:middle line:84% I dressed quietly, and as I was about to leave without waking 00:31:28.450 --> 00:31:30.820 align:middle line:90% her, I saw her eyes open. 00:31:30.820 --> 00:31:33.190 align:middle line:90% I sat on the edge of the bed. 00:31:33.190 --> 00:31:34.750 align:middle line:90% She reached up her arms. 00:31:34.750 --> 00:31:38.260 align:middle line:84% I held her and kissed her, and she laughed and fell back. 00:31:38.260 --> 00:31:44.170 align:middle line:84% And on her milk-white skin, her hair was all the redder. 00:31:44.170 --> 00:31:48.430 align:middle line:84% "I'd forgotten," she said, "how good it can be." 00:31:48.430 --> 00:31:50.020 align:middle line:90% "Ha," I said. 00:31:50.020 --> 00:31:51.790 align:middle line:84% "You'd think we'd done it for years." 00:31:51.790 --> 00:31:54.370 align:middle line:90% 00:31:54.370 --> 00:31:57.280 align:middle line:84% "I wanted you the moment I saw you," she said. 00:31:57.280 --> 00:31:59.500 align:middle line:90% "But you nearly drove me away." 00:31:59.500 --> 00:32:02.320 align:middle line:90% "Oh, horrible thought." 00:32:02.320 --> 00:32:03.460 align:middle line:90% "I'm late," I said. 00:32:03.460 --> 00:32:04.915 align:middle line:90% "Will you be here after lab?" 00:32:04.915 --> 00:32:07.620 align:middle line:90% 00:32:07.620 --> 00:32:12.210 align:middle line:84% "I was going to take the 7:30 Rapide." 00:32:12.210 --> 00:32:13.500 align:middle line:90% "Don't." 00:32:13.500 --> 00:32:15.480 align:middle line:90% "You want me to stay?" 00:32:15.480 --> 00:32:18.000 align:middle line:90% "Yes." 00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:20.580 align:middle line:90% "What will we do?" 00:32:20.580 --> 00:32:23.340 align:middle line:90% "What we did." 00:32:23.340 --> 00:32:24.930 align:middle line:90% "You want more?" 00:32:24.930 --> 00:32:26.880 align:middle line:90% "Yes." 00:32:26.880 --> 00:32:31.590 align:middle line:84% "Well, so do I. Is there a quiet cafe where I could sit and have 00:32:31.590 --> 00:32:34.380 align:middle line:90% a drink until you come?" 00:32:34.380 --> 00:32:39.390 align:middle line:84% "The Concord, directly across the Place." 00:32:39.390 --> 00:32:43.440 align:middle line:84% "It'll take me until then to get the tangles out of my hair." 00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:44.790 align:middle line:90% "Don't bother," I said. 00:32:44.790 --> 00:32:46.350 align:middle line:90% "I'll only put them back in." 00:32:46.350 --> 00:32:49.700 align:middle line:90% 00:32:49.700 --> 00:32:52.490 align:middle line:84% When I returned at six, I found Joyce 00:32:52.490 --> 00:32:56.240 align:middle line:84% seated on the leather banquette at the Concorde, 00:32:56.240 --> 00:33:01.220 align:middle line:84% a Pernod in front of her, a cigarette in her hand. 00:33:01.220 --> 00:33:04.160 align:middle line:84% Before she saw me, her face was expressionless, 00:33:04.160 --> 00:33:06.320 align:middle line:90% as it was when we first met. 00:33:06.320 --> 00:33:09.200 align:middle line:84% And then as I approached, her eyes widened, 00:33:09.200 --> 00:33:14.360 align:middle line:84% her face relaxed, the lines disappeared, and she smiled. 00:33:14.360 --> 00:33:17.810 align:middle line:84% We shook hands, and I sat beside her 00:33:17.810 --> 00:33:22.610 align:middle line:84% and ordered a demi of Vézelise, the blonde pilsner-type beer 00:33:22.610 --> 00:33:26.180 align:middle line:90% featured at the Concorde. 00:33:26.180 --> 00:33:27.410 align:middle line:90% "À toi." 00:33:27.410 --> 00:33:30.950 align:middle line:84% She lifted her glass, drank it half down. 00:33:30.950 --> 00:33:33.560 align:middle line:84% Then lit her cigarette, and we were enveloped 00:33:33.560 --> 00:33:37.730 align:middle line:90% in a cloud of the acrid smoke. 00:33:37.730 --> 00:33:43.130 align:middle line:84% "How is it," I ask, "that you smoke the worker's cigarette?" 00:33:43.130 --> 00:33:44.240 align:middle line:90% "Did we not labor?" 00:33:44.240 --> 00:33:44.780 align:middle line:90% she asked. 00:33:44.780 --> 00:33:47.570 align:middle line:90% 00:33:47.570 --> 00:33:51.590 align:middle line:84% "Truth is, I like everything strong. 00:33:51.590 --> 00:33:53.780 align:middle line:90% You." 00:33:53.780 --> 00:33:56.240 align:middle line:84% "Oh, you're a strange one," I said. 00:33:56.240 --> 00:33:58.410 align:middle line:90% "Do you like me?" 00:33:58.410 --> 00:34:01.500 align:middle line:84% "I haven't had time to think about it." 00:34:01.500 --> 00:34:02.690 align:middle line:90% "Did it go well for you? 00:34:02.690 --> 00:34:04.130 align:middle line:90% You're not too tired?" 00:34:04.130 --> 00:34:04.850 align:middle line:90% "No," I said. 00:34:04.850 --> 00:34:06.180 align:middle line:90% "Recharged." 00:34:06.180 --> 00:34:08.179 align:middle line:90% "I too," she said. 00:34:08.179 --> 00:34:10.790 align:middle line:90% "Then you are not leaving?" 00:34:10.790 --> 00:34:12.350 align:middle line:90% "You want me to stay?" 00:34:12.350 --> 00:34:13.699 align:middle line:90% "Yes," I said. 00:34:13.699 --> 00:34:15.560 align:middle line:90% "You are good medicine." 00:34:15.560 --> 00:34:18.429 align:middle line:90% 00:34:18.429 --> 00:34:23.070 align:middle line:84% The time passed as we drifted along in quiet talk, 00:34:23.070 --> 00:34:28.830 align:middle line:84% she on Pernod and I on beer, there in the peacefulness 00:34:28.830 --> 00:34:33.719 align:middle line:84% of the cafe La Concorde, its paneled gilt mirrored walls 00:34:33.719 --> 00:34:40.350 align:middle line:84% reflecting the older Dijonnais who frequented it as a club. 00:34:40.350 --> 00:34:43.290 align:middle line:84% Merchants and professional men and matrons 00:34:43.290 --> 00:34:48.030 align:middle line:84% too came for aperitifs and tea, chess, the newspapers, 00:34:48.030 --> 00:34:49.530 align:middle line:90% and talk. 00:34:49.530 --> 00:34:51.989 align:middle line:84% The waiters were old professionals-- 00:34:51.989 --> 00:34:56.489 align:middle line:90% deliberate, impersonal, skilled. 00:34:56.489 --> 00:34:59.220 align:middle line:84% When ours brought more drinks, Joyce's face 00:34:59.220 --> 00:35:02.400 align:middle line:84% would resume her habitual green-eyed mask. 00:35:02.400 --> 00:35:06.060 align:middle line:84% And then when he had left, she turned to me and smiled, 00:35:06.060 --> 00:35:09.120 align:middle line:84% and her eyes widened and were again amber flecked. 00:35:09.120 --> 00:35:13.230 align:middle line:90% 00:35:13.230 --> 00:35:16.470 align:middle line:84% Toward eight, she paid for the accumulation of saucers, 00:35:16.470 --> 00:35:21.330 align:middle line:84% and we strolled up to Rue de la Liberté to the Place d'Armes. 00:35:21.330 --> 00:35:25.710 align:middle line:84% And there at a table, behind a hedge of potted privet, 00:35:25.710 --> 00:35:30.090 align:middle line:84% on the terrace of the Restaurant du Pré aux Clercs, 00:35:30.090 --> 00:35:34.675 align:middle line:84% we dined on steak, potatoes, salad, and Beaujolais 00:35:34.675 --> 00:35:35.175 align:middle line:90% en carafe. 00:35:35.175 --> 00:35:38.730 align:middle line:90% 00:35:38.730 --> 00:35:42.570 align:middle line:84% It was beginning to grow dark, and the pigeons 00:35:42.570 --> 00:35:45.960 align:middle line:84% were settling to roost on the ledges of the Hotel 00:35:45.960 --> 00:35:51.930 align:middle line:84% de Ville, the great structure of honey-colored limestone, which 00:35:51.930 --> 00:35:53.790 align:middle line:84% stood where the Dukes of Burgundy 00:35:53.790 --> 00:35:56.860 align:middle line:90% had once built their palace. 00:35:56.860 --> 00:35:59.130 align:middle line:84% The vanished rulers were symbolized 00:35:59.130 --> 00:36:04.080 align:middle line:84% by stone helmets, which rose from the cornices in silhouette 00:36:04.080 --> 00:36:07.680 align:middle line:90% against the eggshell sky. 00:36:07.680 --> 00:36:11.340 align:middle line:84% A trolley car rocked crazily across the Place 00:36:11.340 --> 00:36:13.920 align:middle line:84% and disappeared down the main street 00:36:13.920 --> 00:36:17.295 align:middle line:90% with a squeal of flange wheels. 00:36:17.295 --> 00:36:20.070 align:middle line:90% 00:36:20.070 --> 00:36:23.830 align:middle line:84% Our waiter lit the candles on our table, 00:36:23.830 --> 00:36:27.510 align:middle line:84% and as we emptied the second carafe, 00:36:27.510 --> 00:36:31.510 align:middle line:84% Joyce took my hand across the cloth. 00:36:31.510 --> 00:36:34.920 align:middle line:90% "Mœurs de province," she said. 00:36:34.920 --> 00:36:38.460 align:middle line:84% "Bearable only when one knows they are not permanent. 00:36:38.460 --> 00:36:42.150 align:middle line:90% That one can escape them." 00:36:42.150 --> 00:36:43.830 align:middle line:90% "But not tonight," I said. 00:36:43.830 --> 00:36:45.180 align:middle line:90% "No," she said. 00:36:45.180 --> 00:36:47.220 align:middle line:90% "Not tonight." 00:36:47.220 --> 00:36:51.900 align:middle line:84% I held her knee between my knees and our hands too were joined. 00:36:51.900 --> 00:36:55.470 align:middle line:90% "When will you leave?" 00:36:55.470 --> 00:36:57.210 align:middle line:90% I asked. 00:36:57.210 --> 00:37:00.420 align:middle line:84% "Oh, let us live each day," she said. 00:37:00.420 --> 00:37:02.700 align:middle line:90% "And night," I added. 00:37:02.700 --> 00:37:04.440 align:middle line:90% "Again, so soon?" 00:37:04.440 --> 00:37:08.010 align:middle line:90% "Oh, it was long ago," I said. 00:37:08.010 --> 00:37:10.410 align:middle line:84% "We met only yesterday," she said. 00:37:10.410 --> 00:37:13.650 align:middle line:90% "A century ago." 00:37:13.650 --> 00:37:17.670 align:middle line:84% "You are unusually romantic for one studying the sciences," 00:37:17.670 --> 00:37:19.380 align:middle line:90% she said. 00:37:19.380 --> 00:37:22.980 align:middle line:84% "Well, haven't you heard of Arthur Schnitzler, 00:37:22.980 --> 00:37:27.750 align:middle line:84% of Somerset Maugham, of James Joyce, all of whom 00:37:27.750 --> 00:37:30.240 align:middle line:90% studied medicine?" 00:37:30.240 --> 00:37:31.170 align:middle line:90% "No," she said. 00:37:31.170 --> 00:37:35.280 align:middle line:84% "I have small culture and large appetite." 00:37:35.280 --> 00:37:38.140 align:middle line:90% 00:37:38.140 --> 00:37:40.760 align:middle line:90% "Stay, and I will teach you." 00:37:40.760 --> 00:37:42.480 align:middle line:90% "Oh, you have," she said. 00:37:42.480 --> 00:37:46.260 align:middle line:90% 00:37:46.260 --> 00:37:50.130 align:middle line:84% We strolled back up the street to her hotel. 00:37:50.130 --> 00:37:53.370 align:middle line:84% It was now dark, and the bright shop windows 00:37:53.370 --> 00:37:56.940 align:middle line:84% offered beautiful displays of mustard jars, 00:37:56.940 --> 00:38:00.210 align:middle line:90% gingerbread, and confections. 00:38:00.210 --> 00:38:06.090 align:middle line:84% Dijon specialties on view for the passersby. 00:38:06.090 --> 00:38:10.350 align:middle line:84% A soft spring rain was falling as we turned in and again 00:38:10.350 --> 00:38:12.570 align:middle line:90% mounted to her room. 00:38:12.570 --> 00:38:14.640 align:middle line:84% There we opened the tall windows that 00:38:14.640 --> 00:38:18.090 align:middle line:84% looked across a courtyard with elms and chestnuts 00:38:18.090 --> 00:38:21.240 align:middle line:84% in leaf, to the cathedral of Saint Benigne. 00:38:21.240 --> 00:38:23.820 align:middle line:90% 00:38:23.820 --> 00:38:25.560 align:middle line:90% The air smelled strong-- 00:38:25.560 --> 00:38:30.150 align:middle line:84% of wet earth, of sandalwood, and tobacco. 00:38:30.150 --> 00:38:33.780 align:middle line:84% And our lips tasted of wine as we stood at the open window 00:38:33.780 --> 00:38:38.655 align:middle line:84% in a searching kiss, hearing the sound of rain on the leaves. 00:38:38.655 --> 00:38:41.400 align:middle line:90% 00:38:41.400 --> 00:38:47.460 align:middle line:84% And thus a week went by, each day and night the same for us. 00:38:47.460 --> 00:38:51.300 align:middle line:84% We met at the Concorde, we dined at the Pré aux Clerc, 00:38:51.300 --> 00:38:54.030 align:middle line:84% we walked up the street to our hotel. 00:38:54.030 --> 00:39:00.210 align:middle line:84% We stood at the open window, kissed, undressed, made love. 00:39:00.210 --> 00:39:03.180 align:middle line:84% Each morning I went away refreshed to the day's work 00:39:03.180 --> 00:39:06.660 align:middle line:90% at the Faculty of Science. 00:39:06.660 --> 00:39:10.770 align:middle line:84% There were no variations in the slow and muted music 00:39:10.770 --> 00:39:13.050 align:middle line:90% that we made. 00:39:13.050 --> 00:39:20.130 align:middle line:84% I was not in love as I had known it before, nor even infatuated. 00:39:20.130 --> 00:39:23.700 align:middle line:84% When we met in the afternoon, it was as friends. 00:39:23.700 --> 00:39:26.370 align:middle line:84% And it was not until we had finished dinner 00:39:26.370 --> 00:39:28.950 align:middle line:84% and were holding hands across the table, 00:39:28.950 --> 00:39:32.580 align:middle line:84% our knees gripped together, relaxed, assured, 00:39:32.580 --> 00:39:36.150 align:middle line:84% and I saw her peaceful smiling face, 00:39:36.150 --> 00:39:38.550 align:middle line:84% that I began to feel a desire again. 00:39:38.550 --> 00:39:41.260 align:middle line:90% 00:39:41.260 --> 00:39:42.300 align:middle line:90% "Shall we go now?" 00:39:42.300 --> 00:39:43.770 align:middle line:90% I asked. 00:39:43.770 --> 00:39:48.640 align:middle line:84% "Oh," she said, "it's lovely not being in a hurry." 00:39:48.640 --> 00:39:51.660 align:middle line:90% "But I am now." 00:39:51.660 --> 00:39:55.215 align:middle line:84% "Well," she laughed, "so am I. You go and I will follow." 00:39:55.215 --> 00:39:57.720 align:middle line:90% 00:39:57.720 --> 00:40:03.570 align:middle line:84% The Penfields called us the stuffy old married couple. 00:40:03.570 --> 00:40:06.180 align:middle line:84% Our sole concession to sociability 00:40:06.180 --> 00:40:09.840 align:middle line:84% was to go with them one evening to the movie. 00:40:09.840 --> 00:40:15.780 align:middle line:84% It was a René Clair's Sous le Toits de Paris. 00:40:15.780 --> 00:40:18.120 align:middle line:84% "All those train whistles," Joyce 00:40:18.120 --> 00:40:25.230 align:middle line:84% said, as we talked after love, "they'll haunt me forever." 00:40:25.230 --> 00:40:28.200 align:middle line:84% "He used them as a leitmotif in the film." 00:40:28.200 --> 00:40:30.990 align:middle line:90% 00:40:30.990 --> 00:40:33.180 align:middle line:90% "It'll be ours," she said. 00:40:33.180 --> 00:40:35.370 align:middle line:84% "That first night at the station, 00:40:35.370 --> 00:40:41.200 align:middle line:84% those Englishmen have never known enchantment like this." 00:40:41.200 --> 00:40:45.300 align:middle line:84% "Listen, " I said, "you can hear the yard engines." 00:40:45.300 --> 00:40:47.460 align:middle line:84% "And the rain on the leaves," she said. 00:40:47.460 --> 00:40:50.390 align:middle line:84% "Oh Jack, it's too good to last." 00:40:50.390 --> 00:40:52.125 align:middle line:90% And I kissed her words away. 00:40:52.125 --> 00:41:01.740 align:middle line:90% 00:41:01.740 --> 00:41:07.110 align:middle line:84% Sunday afternoon, we walked to the park on the only fine 00:41:07.110 --> 00:41:10.260 align:middle line:90% day since she had come. 00:41:10.260 --> 00:41:12.990 align:middle line:84% It was the first time I'd been there since the winter 00:41:12.990 --> 00:41:15.915 align:middle line:90% walk with Erda. 00:41:15.915 --> 00:41:20.070 align:middle line:84% Now the trees made a green sky overhead. 00:41:20.070 --> 00:41:23.970 align:middle line:84% Thrushes sang and a cuckoo called. 00:41:23.970 --> 00:41:28.680 align:middle line:84% Children rolled hoops down the long walks. 00:41:28.680 --> 00:41:31.710 align:middle line:84% We reached the riverbank and sat on a stone bench. 00:41:31.710 --> 00:41:34.260 align:middle line:84% And across the stream the grassy field 00:41:34.260 --> 00:41:38.220 align:middle line:84% was the nesting place of larks, and they rose up singing. 00:41:38.220 --> 00:41:41.030 align:middle line:90% 00:41:41.030 --> 00:41:45.170 align:middle line:84% "I was reading Henry James's Little Tour in France," I said, 00:41:45.170 --> 00:41:47.420 align:middle line:84% "and it's here on this very bench 00:41:47.420 --> 00:41:51.300 align:middle line:90% that he brings it to a close. 00:41:51.300 --> 00:41:52.565 align:middle line:90% He did not like Dijon." 00:41:52.565 --> 00:41:55.160 align:middle line:90% 00:41:55.160 --> 00:41:58.370 align:middle line:84% "He was probably alone," Joyce said. 00:41:58.370 --> 00:42:02.120 align:middle line:84% "I'd go mad if I were here alone. 00:42:02.120 --> 00:42:07.370 align:middle line:84% I'll only remember it because of you." 00:42:07.370 --> 00:42:11.180 align:middle line:90% "You sound sad," I said. 00:42:11.180 --> 00:42:16.490 align:middle line:84% "Nostalgic, I guess, remembering Sunday afternoon walks along 00:42:16.490 --> 00:42:20.150 align:middle line:90% the river in Rouen. 00:42:20.150 --> 00:42:24.980 align:middle line:90% Now I'll add Dijon to memory." 00:42:24.980 --> 00:42:27.920 align:middle line:90% "What are you telling me?" 00:42:27.920 --> 00:42:29.870 align:middle line:90% "That I'll be leaving." 00:42:29.870 --> 00:42:31.580 align:middle line:90% "No." 00:42:31.580 --> 00:42:34.760 align:middle line:84% "You didn't think I'd stay forever?" 00:42:34.760 --> 00:42:37.670 align:middle line:90% "But it's only been a week." 00:42:37.670 --> 00:42:42.020 align:middle line:90% "I intended to stay only a day." 00:42:42.020 --> 00:42:47.120 align:middle line:84% "We could pool our money," I said, "and share an apartment." 00:42:47.120 --> 00:42:49.280 align:middle line:84% "Money is not the problem," she said. 00:42:49.280 --> 00:42:50.480 align:middle line:90% "What is?" 00:42:50.480 --> 00:42:51.180 align:middle line:90% "It's you. 00:42:51.180 --> 00:42:52.370 align:middle line:90% You're losing weight. 00:42:52.370 --> 00:42:55.130 align:middle line:84% You can't go on with such a regime. 00:42:55.130 --> 00:42:58.580 align:middle line:84% What you have been lavishing on me belongs to your work." 00:42:58.580 --> 00:42:59.240 align:middle line:90% "Oh," I said. 00:42:59.240 --> 00:43:01.910 align:middle line:90% "I have enough for both. 00:43:01.910 --> 00:43:04.910 align:middle line:90% Never felt better." 00:43:04.910 --> 00:43:07.130 align:middle line:84% "Nothing in excess, my husband used 00:43:07.130 --> 00:43:12.300 align:middle line:84% to say when I began on the second bottle of Pernod." 00:43:12.300 --> 00:43:14.580 align:middle line:84% "I've never known one like you," I said. 00:43:14.580 --> 00:43:18.110 align:middle line:90% "You do not keep me aroused." 00:43:18.110 --> 00:43:22.160 align:middle line:84% "Well," she laughed, "I take that as a compliment." 00:43:22.160 --> 00:43:23.570 align:middle line:90% "Stay," I pleaded. 00:43:23.570 --> 00:43:26.660 align:middle line:84% "We'll find an apartment tomorrow." 00:43:26.660 --> 00:43:30.020 align:middle line:84% "Oh, now you're being that aggressive American. 00:43:30.020 --> 00:43:31.970 align:middle line:84% Don't forget," she said, "I've loved you 00:43:31.970 --> 00:43:34.790 align:middle line:90% because you weren't one." 00:43:34.790 --> 00:43:36.350 align:middle line:90% "Be reasonable," I said. 00:43:36.350 --> 00:43:37.250 align:middle line:90% "Oh, I am. 00:43:37.250 --> 00:43:42.050 align:middle line:84% Jack, you've been the first who's not sought to reform me. 00:43:42.050 --> 00:43:48.170 align:middle line:84% I truly have bad habits, and a worse character." 00:43:48.170 --> 00:43:50.690 align:middle line:84% "We've had other things to do," I said. 00:43:50.690 --> 00:43:52.520 align:middle line:90% "Oh, lovely things," she said. 00:43:52.520 --> 00:43:56.180 align:middle line:90% "And all lovely things do pass. 00:43:56.180 --> 00:44:00.300 align:middle line:84% You're poet enough to know that." 00:44:00.300 --> 00:44:04.100 align:middle line:84% "I refuse to be categorized," I said. 00:44:04.100 --> 00:44:06.440 align:middle line:90% She stood up. 00:44:06.440 --> 00:44:07.640 align:middle line:90% "Let's walk. 00:44:07.640 --> 00:44:12.440 align:middle line:84% Talking is not good this afternoon." 00:44:12.440 --> 00:44:15.350 align:middle line:90% She had her way. 00:44:15.350 --> 00:44:17.150 align:middle line:84% We wandered back through the park, 00:44:17.150 --> 00:44:21.260 align:middle line:84% then returned to town along the riverbank and the canal path, 00:44:21.260 --> 00:44:24.200 align:middle line:84% past the hospital and the Faculty of Science, 00:44:24.200 --> 00:44:27.560 align:middle line:84% and the workers' quarter, and the Rue Monge, 00:44:27.560 --> 00:44:30.770 align:middle line:84% and the statue of Bossuet preaching, 00:44:30.770 --> 00:44:34.400 align:middle line:90% a fat pigeon on his head. 00:44:34.400 --> 00:44:37.040 align:middle line:84% I showed her a secret garden behind the stone 00:44:37.040 --> 00:44:39.620 align:middle line:90% wall of a deserted hotel. 00:44:39.620 --> 00:44:43.490 align:middle line:84% There against the side of the building was a well shrine with 00:44:43.490 --> 00:44:48.830 align:middle line:84% a stone Cupid and the inscription 'to paramour, 00:44:48.830 --> 00:44:51.950 align:middle line:90% 1539.' 00:44:51.950 --> 00:44:55.430 align:middle line:84% Lilacs had run wild, and the bushes 00:44:55.430 --> 00:44:57.380 align:middle line:84% were covered with purple blossoms, 00:44:57.380 --> 00:45:01.130 align:middle line:84% and the air was sweet with their fragrance. 00:45:01.130 --> 00:45:04.610 align:middle line:84% "Oh," she said, "I could have loved you well. 00:45:04.610 --> 00:45:07.955 align:middle line:84% Why was it not you who came over the convent wall?" 00:45:07.955 --> 00:45:11.400 align:middle line:90% 00:45:11.400 --> 00:45:15.420 align:middle line:84% We reached the Place Émile Zola as the fanfare 00:45:15.420 --> 00:45:22.500 align:middle line:84% of the PLM, the Paris, Lyon, et Mediterranée, 00:45:22.500 --> 00:45:25.470 align:middle line:84% began its Sunday afternoon concert, 00:45:25.470 --> 00:45:28.080 align:middle line:84% a dozen middle-aged railway workers 00:45:28.080 --> 00:45:31.740 align:middle line:84% in sloppy blue and red uniforms, blowing 00:45:31.740 --> 00:45:35.340 align:middle line:90% blasts of strident music. 00:45:35.340 --> 00:45:41.070 align:middle line:84% We found a table on the terrace of the tiny Cafe du Midi. 00:45:41.070 --> 00:45:46.210 align:middle line:84% The leafy square was thronged with promenading Dijonnais. 00:45:46.210 --> 00:45:50.170 align:middle line:84% Children had scrambled atop the [AUDIO OUT].. 00:45:50.170 --> 00:45:54.460 align:middle line:84% --were gaping over the crowd at the sweaty musicians. 00:45:54.460 --> 00:45:57.280 align:middle line:84% We drank warm beer from green bottles, 00:45:57.280 --> 00:46:02.050 align:middle line:84% and it was a spectacle Breughel would have relished. 00:46:02.050 --> 00:46:05.050 align:middle line:84% The music and the shouting, the barking dogs, 00:46:05.050 --> 00:46:08.750 align:middle line:84% and the roaring motorcycles made conversation impossible. 00:46:08.750 --> 00:46:12.910 align:middle line:90% 00:46:12.910 --> 00:46:17.500 align:middle line:84% When it grew dark, we walked on to the Pré aux Clerc 00:46:17.500 --> 00:46:19.450 align:middle line:90% for dinner. 00:46:19.450 --> 00:46:23.920 align:middle line:84% The Place d'Armes was also peopled with promenaders, 00:46:23.920 --> 00:46:26.920 align:middle line:90% the quieter bourgeoisie. 00:46:26.920 --> 00:46:30.820 align:middle line:84% And behind the hedge we were able to talk again. 00:46:30.820 --> 00:46:33.640 align:middle line:84% "Oh," I said, "it's a poem by Rimbaud. 00:46:33.640 --> 00:46:36.020 align:middle line:90% Listen." 00:46:36.020 --> 00:46:36.170 align:middle line:84% Les tilleuls sentent bon dans les bons soirs de juin! 00:46:36.170 --> 00:46:38.295 align:middle line:84% L'air est parfois si doux, qu'on ferme la paupière. 00:46:38.295 --> 00:46:47.590 align:middle line:90% 00:46:47.590 --> 00:46:51.670 align:middle line:84% "And where was when he wrote that?" she asked. 00:46:51.670 --> 00:46:54.430 align:middle line:90% "In Charleville," I explained. 00:46:54.430 --> 00:46:57.130 align:middle line:90% "Ah, the dreary North. 00:46:57.130 --> 00:47:00.835 align:middle line:90% What escapists you poets are. 00:47:00.835 --> 00:47:06.040 align:middle line:84% But if I shut my eyes, I'm back in Rouen. 00:47:06.040 --> 00:47:11.170 align:middle line:84% Oh Jack, why did it have to be the way it was?" 00:47:11.170 --> 00:47:12.200 align:middle line:90% "Stay," I said. 00:47:12.200 --> 00:47:14.470 align:middle line:90% "We'll make it over." 00:47:14.470 --> 00:47:17.230 align:middle line:90% "An old drunkard like me? 00:47:17.230 --> 00:47:19.600 align:middle line:90% No, you're my last man. 00:47:19.600 --> 00:47:22.960 align:middle line:84% I intend to live with women after this. 00:47:22.960 --> 00:47:26.680 align:middle line:84% Anyway, I'll be dead of lung cancer before I'm 40. 00:47:26.680 --> 00:47:27.940 align:middle line:90% Look at my fingers. 00:47:27.940 --> 00:47:31.030 align:middle line:90% You'd think I was Chinese. 00:47:31.030 --> 00:47:32.710 align:middle line:90% What could I give you? 00:47:32.710 --> 00:47:33.820 align:middle line:90% A child? 00:47:33.820 --> 00:47:37.030 align:middle line:84% No, the good father took care of that. 00:47:37.030 --> 00:47:40.000 align:middle line:84% He told me it was an appendectomy when he destroyed 00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:43.150 align:middle line:90% my ability to bear a child. 00:47:43.150 --> 00:47:49.450 align:middle line:84% My best gift to you would be my body and alcohol." 00:47:49.450 --> 00:47:51.100 align:middle line:90% "Don't talk like that," I said. 00:47:51.100 --> 00:47:53.980 align:middle line:90% "You never have before." 00:47:53.980 --> 00:47:56.770 align:middle line:84% "You're hearing the true me," she said. 00:47:56.770 --> 00:48:00.850 align:middle line:84% "I've hidden her for a week, thanks to you. 00:48:00.850 --> 00:48:04.630 align:middle line:84% Now you must face her, you fool." 00:48:04.630 --> 00:48:07.081 align:middle line:90% "Please be reasonable." 00:48:07.081 --> 00:48:09.850 align:middle line:84% "Ah," she said, "it's been a lovely week for me. 00:48:09.850 --> 00:48:13.300 align:middle line:84% I've gained the weight you've lost. 00:48:13.300 --> 00:48:15.100 align:middle line:90% The lines are gone from my face. 00:48:15.100 --> 00:48:17.650 align:middle line:90% My hair is glossy again." 00:48:17.650 --> 00:48:22.000 align:middle line:84% "And your green eyes have turned amber," I said. 00:48:22.000 --> 00:48:24.010 align:middle line:84% "You haven't asked anything of me. 00:48:24.010 --> 00:48:28.360 align:middle line:84% For God's sake, don't start now." 00:48:28.360 --> 00:48:31.930 align:middle line:84% "I ask only that you stay for a while." 00:48:31.930 --> 00:48:35.680 align:middle line:84% "You're a damn fool, John Burgoyne." 00:48:35.680 --> 00:48:37.780 align:middle line:84% She began to laugh hysterically, and I 00:48:37.780 --> 00:48:41.725 align:middle line:84% realized that for the first time, she was drunk. 00:48:41.725 --> 00:48:44.680 align:middle line:90% 00:48:44.680 --> 00:48:47.530 align:middle line:84% I went across the square to the carriage stand 00:48:47.530 --> 00:48:52.510 align:middle line:84% and I came back for her, and we drove to the hotel. 00:48:52.510 --> 00:48:54.100 align:middle line:90% And there she was quiet. 00:48:54.100 --> 00:48:57.880 align:middle line:84% And when we were in bed, she was violent in love, 00:48:57.880 --> 00:49:01.280 align:middle line:90% and then lay exhausted. 00:49:01.280 --> 00:49:05.410 align:middle line:84% It was nearing 11 when she pushed me gently out of bed. 00:49:05.410 --> 00:49:06.880 align:middle line:90% "Go," she said. 00:49:06.880 --> 00:49:10.510 align:middle line:90% "Let's both get a good sleep." 00:49:10.510 --> 00:49:12.850 align:middle line:90% She watched me dress. 00:49:12.850 --> 00:49:15.820 align:middle line:84% And then when I was putting on my shoes, 00:49:15.820 --> 00:49:19.390 align:middle line:84% she knelt naked and tied the laces. 00:49:19.390 --> 00:49:23.050 align:middle line:84% I buried my face in her hair as she hugged my knees. 00:49:23.050 --> 00:49:26.260 align:middle line:84% Sandalwood, tobacco, wine, and woman 00:49:26.260 --> 00:49:29.140 align:middle line:84% were blended in one strong perfume. 00:49:29.140 --> 00:49:32.020 align:middle line:84% I drew her up and held her against me. 00:49:32.020 --> 00:49:34.510 align:middle line:90% "You will stay?" 00:49:34.510 --> 00:49:36.190 align:middle line:90% "Yes, but go now. 00:49:36.190 --> 00:49:39.070 align:middle line:90% I'm so tired," she said. 00:49:39.070 --> 00:49:40.330 align:middle line:90% "Tomorrow?" 00:49:40.330 --> 00:49:41.530 align:middle line:90% "Oui, à demain." 00:49:41.530 --> 00:49:48.160 align:middle line:90% 00:49:48.160 --> 00:49:51.040 align:middle line:84% She pushed me into the hall and I heard the door lock. 00:49:51.040 --> 00:49:54.160 align:middle line:90% 00:49:54.160 --> 00:49:57.070 align:middle line:84% All the next day, I was impatient to see her. 00:49:57.070 --> 00:49:58.660 align:middle line:84% It was the first time I had not been 00:49:58.660 --> 00:50:01.630 align:middle line:90% able to concentrate on my work. 00:50:01.630 --> 00:50:05.620 align:middle line:84% On my way to the Concorde, I bought a nosegay lilies 00:50:05.620 --> 00:50:09.610 align:middle line:90% of the valley, porte bonheur. 00:50:09.610 --> 00:50:13.780 align:middle line:84% The first time I had taken her flowers. 00:50:13.780 --> 00:50:16.840 align:middle line:90% She was not in the cafe. 00:50:16.840 --> 00:50:20.110 align:middle line:84% I crossed the Place to the hotel. 00:50:20.110 --> 00:50:22.210 align:middle line:84% The room clerk stared when I asked 00:50:22.210 --> 00:50:25.450 align:middle line:90% him to ring Madame Davies. 00:50:25.450 --> 00:50:27.040 align:middle line:90% "She's left." 00:50:27.040 --> 00:50:28.990 align:middle line:90% "What?" 00:50:28.990 --> 00:50:31.870 align:middle line:90% "She's no longer here." 00:50:31.870 --> 00:50:35.380 align:middle line:84% "You mean that she has checked out?" 00:50:35.380 --> 00:50:37.420 align:middle line:90% "That's a fact." 00:50:37.420 --> 00:50:39.820 align:middle line:90% "Since when?" 00:50:39.820 --> 00:50:44.918 align:middle line:84% "She left last night, soon after you did." 00:50:44.918 --> 00:50:47.440 align:middle line:90% "Where's she gone?" 00:50:47.440 --> 00:50:52.660 align:middle line:84% "She said that she was taking the Deluxe at midnight." 00:50:52.660 --> 00:50:53.710 align:middle line:90% "The blue train?" 00:50:53.710 --> 00:50:55.120 align:middle line:90% I asked. 00:50:55.120 --> 00:50:56.980 align:middle line:90% "Yes, that's the one. 00:50:56.980 --> 00:50:58.780 align:middle line:90% Le Train Bleu. 00:50:58.780 --> 00:51:01.194 align:middle line:90% For the Cote d'Azur. 00:51:01.194 --> 00:51:05.350 align:middle line:84% Oh," the clerk laughed, "some people have all the luck. 00:51:05.350 --> 00:51:08.620 align:middle line:84% They say it's fine weather down there." 00:51:08.620 --> 00:51:09.850 align:middle line:90% "Doubtless," I said. 00:51:09.850 --> 00:51:14.340 align:middle line:84% "But did not madame leave a message for me?" 00:51:14.340 --> 00:51:15.840 align:middle line:90% "She left nothing. 00:51:15.840 --> 00:51:19.510 align:middle line:84% Nothing at all, save the scent of a strange perfume." 00:51:19.510 --> 00:51:22.150 align:middle line:90% 00:51:22.150 --> 00:51:23.620 align:middle line:90% "She was alone?" 00:51:23.620 --> 00:51:25.240 align:middle line:90% I ventured. 00:51:25.240 --> 00:51:28.300 align:middle line:90% "Oh, but certainly." 00:51:28.300 --> 00:51:31.615 align:middle line:84% I thrust the lilies into my pocket, and I left the hotel. 00:51:31.615 --> 00:51:33.970 align:middle line:90% It had begun to rain. 00:51:33.970 --> 00:51:36.130 align:middle line:84% I crossed the square to the Concorde 00:51:36.130 --> 00:51:39.130 align:middle line:90% and I sat down on the banquette. 00:51:39.130 --> 00:51:43.660 align:middle line:84% The old flat-footed garçon came for my order. 00:51:43.660 --> 00:51:46.210 align:middle line:90% "Monsieur desires?" 00:51:46.210 --> 00:51:47.620 align:middle line:90% "The usual," I said. 00:51:47.620 --> 00:51:50.410 align:middle line:90% 00:51:50.410 --> 00:51:53.370 align:middle line:90% "Shall I bring madame's?" 00:51:53.370 --> 00:51:54.310 align:middle line:90% "No," I said. 00:51:54.310 --> 00:51:57.280 align:middle line:90% "She will not be here." 00:51:57.280 --> 00:52:00.550 align:middle line:84% The waiter peered at me, then elaborately wiped off 00:52:00.550 --> 00:52:04.180 align:middle line:84% the marble top table with his towel. 00:52:04.180 --> 00:52:07.960 align:middle line:84% "Then you are alone," he concluded. 00:52:07.960 --> 00:52:11.470 align:middle line:90% "That, alas, is the exact truth. 00:52:11.470 --> 00:52:15.610 align:middle line:84% She took The Blue Train last night." 00:52:15.610 --> 00:52:16.300 align:middle line:90% "Well," he said. 00:52:16.300 --> 00:52:18.190 align:middle line:90% "I'm truly sorry to hear that. 00:52:18.190 --> 00:52:21.622 align:middle line:90% You made a brave couple." 00:52:21.622 --> 00:52:25.000 align:middle line:84% "Well," I said, "that's life, my friend." 00:52:25.000 --> 00:52:28.120 align:middle line:90% "True," the garçon said. 00:52:28.120 --> 00:52:32.215 align:middle line:84% "One learns from experience that it's not all roses." 00:52:32.215 --> 00:52:35.050 align:middle line:90% 00:52:35.050 --> 00:52:35.930 align:middle line:90% C'est tout. 00:52:35.930 --> 00:52:37.364 align:middle line:90% Merci. 00:52:37.364 --> 00:52:41.596 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:52:41.596 --> 00:53:06.103 align:middle line:90%