Well, one night on the white road I perceived just in front of me a man walking. Oh! I was constantly meeting those night travelers of the Parisian suburbs so much dreaded by belated citizens. This man went on slowly before me with a heavy load on his shoulders.
I came right up to him by quickening my pace so much that my footsteps rang on the road. He stopped and turned round; then, as I kept approaching nearer and nearer, he crossed to the opposite side of the road.
As I rapidly passed him, he called out to me:
"Hallo! good evening, monsieur."
I responded:
"Good evening, mate."
He went on:
"Are you going far?"
"I am going to Paris."
"You won't be long getting there; you're going at a good pace. As for me, I have too big a load on my shoulders to walk so quickly."