Finally Boris produced our precious store of money
and paid fivefrancs on account. Thatafternoon Boriss friend, another waiter, came to
take us to therendezvous. Probably it seems differentwhen one is doing it
voluntarily and is not underfed at the start.
He was a good fellow when one got to know him;
hereminded me of Benvenuto Cellini, somehow. Here was a job at last, and I was ready
to jump at it.
It seemedhardly fair to promise working a month,
and then leave in the middle. Boris told me of an exiled Russian duke whom he
hadonce met, who frequented expensive restaurants. VIIIWe had now twenty-eight
francs in hand, and could start looking forwork once more. The so-and-so, sir, the
waiter would answer. Curse it, what can one do on bread and potatoes?
Scullions, naked to the waist, were stoking the
firesand scouring huge copper saucepans with sand.
He wouldlie in bed almost weeping, cursing the Jew
with whom he lived.
Boris told me of an exiled Russian duke whom he
hadonce met, who frequented expensive restaurants. He would lie till evening in the
greyish, verminous sheets,smoking and reading old newspapers.
Well, well, the Russian soldier fears
nothing.
The miserable thing only costabout twenty francs.
He wouldlie in bed almost weeping, cursing the Jew with whom he lived. When our
money came to an end I stopped looking for work, and wasanother day without
food.
I threw the fifty-franc, note on to the table. Then
hebeckoned to the breakfast cook and pointed at me. Before speaking he dragged a
bent loaf from his pocket and threwit up to me. Well, well, the Russian soldier
fears nothing. We will give you a permanent job if you like, he said. The Russians
talkedquickly and eagerly, with smiles and shrugs of the shoulders. He had friends,
mostly ex-officers like himself,here and there all over Paris.
Well, then, go back quickly and tell the CHEF DU
PERSONNEL you arequite ready to work for a month. We had an excellent dinner from
the leavings of the higher employees.
Apparently this was the Russian way of doing
business. I hoped to catch enough fora meal, but of course I did not.
Round that were counters where a mob of waiters and
PLONGEURSclamoured with trays.
You are, for example, making toast, when bang! As
soon as I came in he burst out, almostchoking:He has taken it back, the dirty
thief!
What fools we looked, standing there with our
parcel!
Very often we used to break offchunks of ice and
suck them while we worked. The headwaiter says he would enjoy calling an Englishman
names.