Moreover, his timidity had worn off by contact with his gay companions, and he returned to the provinces despising everyone who had not with varnished shoes trodden the asphalt of the boulevards.
D’ailleurs, sa timidité s’était usée au contact des compagnies folâtres, et il revenait en province, méprisant tout ce qui ne foulait pas d’un pied verni l’asphalte du boulevard.