We were speaking of adventures, and each one of us was relating his story of delightful
experiences, surprising meetings, on the train, in a hotel, at the seashore. According to
Roger des Annettes, the seashore was particularly favorable to the little blind god.
Gontran, who was keeping mum, was asked what he thought of it.
"I guess Paris is about the best place for that," he said. "Woman is like a precious trinket,
we appreciate her all the more when we meet her in the most unexpected places; but the
rarest ones are only to be found in Paris."
He was silent for a moment, and then continued:
"By Jove, it's great! Walk along the streets on some spring morning. The little women,
daintily tripping along, seem to blossom out like flowers. What a delightful, charming
sight! The dainty perfume of violet is everywhere. The city is gay, and everybody notices
the women. By Jove, how tempting they are in their light, thin dresses, which
occasionally give one a glimpse of the delicate pink flesh beneath!
"One saunters along, head up, mind alert, and eyes open. I tell you it's great! You see her
in the distance, while still a block away; you already know that she is going to please you
at closer quarters. You can recognize her by the flower on her hat, the toss of her head, or
her gait. She approaches, and you say to yourself: 'Look out, here she is!' You come
closer to her and you devour her with your eyes.
"Is it a young girl running errands for some store, a young woman returning from church,
or hastening to see her lover? What do you care? Her well-rounded bosom shows through
the thin waist. Oh, if you could only take her in your arms and fondle and kiss her! Her
glance may be timid or bold, her hair light or dark. What difference does it make? She
brushes against you, and a cold shiver runs down your spine. Ah, how you wish for her
all day! How many of these dear creatures have I met this way, and how wildly in love I
would have been had I known them more intimately.
"Have you ever noticed that the ones we would love the most distractedly are those
whom we never meet to know? Curious, isn't it? From time to time we barely catch a
glimpse of some woman, the mere sight of whom thrills our senses. But it goes no
further. When I think of all the adorable creatures that I have elbowed in the streets of
Paris, I fairly rave. Who are they! Where are they? Where can I find them again? There is
a proverb which says that happiness often passes our way; I am sure that I have often
passed alongside the one who could have caught me like a linnet in the snare of her fresh
beauty."
Roger des Annettes had listened smilingly. He answered: "I know that as well as you do.
This is what happened to me: About five years ago, for the first time I met, on the Pont de
