Quite unlike me he was folding and arranging his school clothes in a bitter and distracted way, but with much care. I still see him drop his heavy belt on a chair, over the back of which he folded his black overall extremely creased and soiled, then take off a kind of dark blue tunic which he wore under his overall, and stooping with his back to me, spread the garment at the foot of his bed . .. But when he stood up again and turned to face me, I saw that in place of the brass button uniform waistcoat that should be under the tunic, he was wearing a queer silk waistcoat, cut very open and fastened by a row of small and closely set mother-of-pearl buttons.
Tout au contraire de moi, il pliait et rangeait, d’un air distrait et amer, mais avec soin, ses habits d’écolier, Je le revois plaquant sur une chaise sa lourde ceinture ; pliant sur le dossier sa blouse noire extraordinairement fripée et salie ; retirant une espèce de paletot gros bleu qu’il avait sous sa blouse, et se penchant en me tournant le dos, pour l’étaler sur le pied de son lit… Mais lorsqu’il se redressa et se retourna vers moi, je vis qu’il portait, au lieu du petit gilet à boutons de cuivre, qui était d’uniforme sous le paletot, un étrange gilet de soie, très ouvert, que fermait dans le bas un rang serré de petits boutons de nacre.