CHAPTER xvii

new suit arrived — the suit from Marseille
JL that Christophe would wear for his First Com-
munion. Loup's marmoset eyes all but dropped from
his head, so astonished was he at its glossy black
splendour. And what stockings! as soft as though
woven of silk; and the spotless white shirt of the
finest linen; and the funny stiff collar that the Eng-
lish boys wore; and the wide flottant tie, and the
wide ribbon badge to be worn on the sleeve — a
white satin band with a big round rosette and ele-
gant streamers. And the shoes! so thin, so incredibly
shiny, with laces as silky and soft as the stockings;
but above all, one truly magnificent thing — the suit
in addition to jacket and breeches, had actually got
a real grown-up waistcoat, a waistcoat with striped
sateen at the back and a manly, neat little strap with
a buckle!
Oh, but le tout petit Ldup must regret his pert
inattention to Monsieur le Cure, his suckings and
scrunchings of sweets during class, his sudden and
often embarrassing questions, all of which had led
to Monsieur le Cure's stem words: 'You are not yet
sufficiently serious, my child; I fear we shall have to
delay your Communion.5 And now here was Christo-
phe dressed up in the suit, and examining himself in
their mother's best mirror, then complaining that
the shoes felt too tight for his feet and begging to wear
his ugly old sandals. And now here was Christophe
thrusting a finger down the funny stiff collar that
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