'Just look and tell me,' said he, suddenly turning round, 'have I got a sun on my back?'
The retired almond-dealers could no longer keep serious, but burst into loud laughter. The captain, who was the jester of the company, winked.
'A sun?' he asked, 'where? I can only see a moon.'
The others shook with laughter. They thought the captain excessively witty.
'A moon?' said Mouret; 'be kind enough to remove it. It has caused me much inconvenience.'
The captain gave him three or four taps on the back, and then exclaimed:
'There, you are rid of it now. But it must, indeed, be extremely inconvenient to have a moon on one's back. You are not looking very well.'
'I am not very well,' Mouret replied in his listless indifferent way.
Then, imagining that he heard a titter, he added:
'But I am very well taken care of at home. My wife is very kind and attentive, and quite spoils me. But I need rest, and that is the reason why I don't come out now as I used to do. Directly I am better, I shall look after business again.'