After having in the course of his life saved a dozen mates from death, risking his bones in fire-damps and landslips, he was yielding to things which he would not have been able to express, compelled to do thus, fascinated by this young girl's white neck.
Apres avoir, en sa vie, sauvé de la mort une douzaine de camarades, risquant ses os dans le grisou et dans les éboulements, il cédait a des choses qu'il n'aurait pu dire, a un besoin de faire ça, a la fascination de ce cou blanc de jeune fille.