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By Root 1260 0

despite the fact that she was thirty-two; she was tall, bony and flat-chested, and her skin bore the unmistakable signs of a life of profligacy. Her head seemed to lunge forward, with big blazing eyes, like a racehorse straining at the leash. It was said that she drank. All the men at the station had at one time or another called to pay her their respects in the house near the engine shed, which she shared with her brother and which she allowed to get into the most dreadful state of neglect. Her brother came from the Auvergne. He was one of those men who always got his own way — very strict on discipline and highly thought of by his employers. But his sister was an embarrassment to him. At one point he had even been threatened with the sack. It was only thanks to him that the Company kept Philomène on; he himself let her live in the house out of family loyalty. Even so, whenever he caught her there with a man, he would beat her black and blue and leave her lying on the floor half dead. But Philomène and Pecqueux were just right for each other; he was someone she could get on with — a rough, happy-go-lucky chap who didn’t take life too seriously. Pecqueux went round joking about it, telling everyone he’d never need another woman in his life. He’d traded in his fat wife for a thin one! But Séverine, who was strongly attached to Victoire, found it very insulting and had told Philomène in no uncertain terms what she thought of her. She now avoided her as much as possible. She wouldn’t even say hello to her.

‘I’ll see you later, Pecqueux,’ Philomène called out rudely. ‘I’m not hanging around here, listening to Monsieur Roubaud giving you a lecture from his missus!’

But Pecqueux seemed to find it all very amusing.

‘Hang on,’ he said. ‘He’s only joking.’

‘I promised I’d take a couple of eggs round to Madame Lebleu,’ she said. ‘I’ll see you later!’

She had mentioned Madame Lebleu quite deliberately, knowing the secret rivalry that existed between the cashier’s wife and Séverine, and wanting to annoy Séverine by making it appear that she was well in with Madame Lebleu. Even so, when she heard Pecqueux ask Roubaud about his tussle with the Sub-Prefect, her ears pricked up and she stayed to listen.

‘I hear it’s been sorted out,’ said Pecqueux. ‘You must be very pleased, Monsieur Roubaud.’

‘Very pleased,’ answered Roubaud.

Pecqueux gave him a knowing wink.

‘You didn’t need to worry though, did you?’ he said. ‘When you’ve got the big guns on your side, eh! You know who I mean ... My wife’s got a lot to thank him for too.’

Roubaud couldn’t bear to listen to these allusions to Grandmorin and quickly interrupted.

‘So you’re not leaving till tonight?’ he said.

‘That’s right,’ Pecqueux answered. ‘The engine’s nearly ready. They’ve just finished adjusting the coupling-rod. I’m still waiting for my driver; he went away for the day. You know him, don’t you? Jacques Lantier. He comes from your neck of the woods.’

Roubaud made no answer; he was lost in thought — miles away. He came to with a start: ‘Who did you say? Jacques Lantier? Yes, I know Lantier. Only to say hello to, mind you. I didn’t know him in Plassans. He was younger than me. The first time I met him was here, in Le Havre. He did a little job for my wife last autumn; he took something over to two cousins of hers in Dieppe. He’s a good driver, they tell me.’

Roubaud was saying whatever came into his head. He suddenly walked away.

‘Cheerio, Pecqueux,’ he said. ‘There’s something I need to see to.’

When Roubaud had gone, Philomène decided to leave too, walking away with long, loping strides. Pecqueux remained standing where he was, his hands in his pockets, delighted at having nothing to do on such a fine morning. Suddenly, much to his surprise, Roubaud reappeared round the side of the hut. Whatever it was he’d needed to see to had not taken him very long. What had he come to spy on, Pecqueux wondered.

It was almost nine o‘clock as Roubaud made his way back under the platform roof. He walked to the far end of the platform, stopped outside the parcels office, looked all