Look, there’s his boots – take a good look at ’em!’
We could hear them being thrown down the stairs, bumping against the steps; one fell right down to the bottom and lay in the doorway, in the full glare of light, a patent-leather boot, all shining and elegant … No one dared touch it.
The infuriated voice grew less loud, retreated along the passages to the accompaniment of banging doors, and suddenly ceased.
Then everyone looked at each other; no one could believe their own ears.
The couples, still arm in arm, stood there perplexed, keyed-up for what might happen next; then, little by little, sly smiles appeared on mocking lips and ran all through the room, gradually turning into bantering laughter till the band on the platform caught the infection and laughed as heartily as everyone else.
I looked round for Aimee and saw that she was as white as the bodice of her dress, her eyes were stretched wide, staring at the boot, the focal point of the entire room’s gaze.
A young man charitably went up to her, and offered to take her outside for a little to recover herself … She cast panic-stricken glances all around her, then burst into sobs and rushed hurriedly from the room. (Weep, weep, my girl, these painful moments will bring you hours of even sweeter pleasures.) After this flight, no one hesitated to restrain their wholehearted amusement; everyone was nudging each other and saying:
‘I say, did you see that!’
It was then that I heard just beside me a hysterical laugh, a piercing, suffocating laugh, vainly stifled in a handkerchief.
It was Luce, who was writhing, doubled-up, on a sofa, crying with pleasure, and wearing such an expression of unmitigated bliss on her face that I was overcome with laughter too.
‘You’ve not gone out of your mind, have you, Luce, laughing like that?’
‘Ah! Ah! … oh! let me alone … it’s too good … Oh! I’d never have dared to hope for that! Ah! Ah!
I can go now, that’ll keep me bucked for ages … Lord, how that’s done me good! …’
I took her off into a corner to calm her down a little.
In the ballroom, everyone was chattering hard and no one was dancing any more … What a scandal there would be in the morning! … But a violin launched a stray note, the cornets and trombones took it up; a couple timidly began a polka step, two others imitated them, then all the rest followed suit; someone shut the little door to hide the scandalous boot and the dance started up again, all the gayer and wilder for having witnessed such a comic, such a totally unexpected interlude!
As for myself, I was going home to bed, completely happy at having crowned my schooldays with such a memorable night.
Farewell to the classroom; farewell, Mademoiselle and her girl friend; farewell, feline little Luce and spiteful Anais!
I am going to leave you to make my entry into the world; – I shall be very much astonished if I enjoy myself there as much as I have at school.