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They were sitting round a cafe table when Albert joined them. Rene, Robert,
Adolphe, Georges and Theodore were there.
"How's everything?" asked Robert amicably.
"All right," said Albert.
He called the waiter.
"I'll have a picon," he said.
Adolphe turned towards him:
"Well, Albert, what's new?"
"Nothing much."
"Nice day," said Robert.
"Bit cold," said Adolphe.
"Oh I say, I saw something funny today," said Albert.
"It is warm though," said Robert.
"What?" asked Rene.
"In the bus, going to lunch," replied Albert.
"What bus?"
"The S."
"What did you see?" asked Robert.
"I had to wait for at least three before I could get on."
"Not surpassing at that time of day," said Adolphe.
"Well, what did you see?" asked Rene.
"We were terribly squashed," said Albert.
"Good opportunity for pinching bottoms."
"Pooh," said Albert. "That's got nothing to do with it."
"Go on, then."
"There was a queer sort of chap next to me."
"What was he like?" asked Rene.
"As if someone'd been having a tug of war with it."
"An elongation," said Georges.
"And his hat, now I come to think of it; a queer sort of hat."
"What was it like?" asked Rene.
"Didn't have a ribbon, but a plaited cord round it."

"Funny," said Robert.
"Then again," continued Albert, "he was the peevish type."
"How come?" asked Rene.
"He started to pick on the chap next to him."
"How come?" asked Rene.
"He said he was treading on his toes."
"On purpose?" asked Robert.
"On purpose," said Albert.
"And then what?"
"Then what? He simply went and sat down."
"Is that all?" asked Rene.
"No. Funny thing is, I saw him again two hours later."
"Where?" asked Rene.
"In front of the gare Saint-Lazare.""What was he doing there?"
"I don't know," said Albert. "He was walking up and down with a pal who was calling
his attention to the fact that the button of his overcoat was a bit too low."
"That is in fact the advice I was giving him," said Theodore.