“Les bourgeois a la lanterne, nom de dieu!”
“My name's Eddy Chambers,” said the American.
“Mine's John Andrews.”
“How long've you been out?”
“Two days.”
Eddy let the air out through his teeth in a whistle.
“I got away from a labor battalion in Paris. They'd picked me up in Chartres without a pass.”
“Gee, I've been out a month an' more. Was you infantry too?”
“Yes. I was in the School Detachment in Paris when I was picked up. But I never could get word to them. They just put me to work without a trial. Ever been in a labor battalion?”
“No, thank Gawd, they ain't got my number yet.”