And never had a stone whistled by his ears; he only met men who were silent and slow to salute him; most often he came upon lovers, who cared nothing for politics and took their fill of pleasure in holes and corners.
Et jamais une pierre n'avait sifflé a ses oreilles, il ne rencontrait que des hommes silencieux et lents a le saluer, il tombait le plus souvent sur des amoureux, qui se moquaient de la politique et se bourraient de plaisir, dans les coins.