Suddenly he started up; he had been dozing. He asked an old man with a beautifully pointed white beard the way to rue du Faubourg St. Honore.
After losing his way a couple of times, he walked listlessly up some marble steps where a great many men in khaki were talking. Leaning against the doorpost was Walters. As he drew near Andrews heard him saying to the man next to him:
“Why, the Eiffel tower was the first piece of complete girder construction ever built.... That's the first thing a feller who's wide awake ought to see.”
“Tell me the Opery's the grandest thing to look at,” said the man next it.
“If there's wine an' women there, me for it.”
“But that isn't interesting like the Eiffel tower is,” persisted Walters.
“Say, Walters, I hope you haven't been waiting for me,” stammered Andrews.
“No, I've been waiting in line to see the guy about courses.... I want to start this thing right.”
“I guess I'll see them tomorrow,” said Andrews.
“Say have you done anything about a room, Andy? Let's you and me be bunkies.”
“All right.... But maybe you won't want to room where I do, Walters.”
“Where's that? In the Latin Quarter?... You bet. I want to see some French life while I am about it.”
“Well, it's too late to get a room to-day.”
“I'll get a fellow I know to put me up.... Then tomorrow, we'll see. Well, so long,” said Andrews, moving away.
“Wait. I'm coming with you.... We'll walk around town together.”
The rabbit was rather formless, very fluffy and had a glance of madness in its pink eye with a black center. It hopped like a sparrow along the pavement, emitting a rubber tube from its back, which went up to a bulb in a man's hand which the man pressed to make the rabbit hop. Yet the rabbit had an air of organic completeness. Andrews laughed inordinately when he first saw it. The vendor, who had a basket full of other such rabbits on his arm, saw Andrews laughing and drew timidly near to the table; he had a pink face with little, sensitive lips rather like a real rabbit's, and large frightened eyes of a wan brown.
“Do you make them yourself?” asked Andrews, smiling.
The man dropped his rabbit on the table with a negligent air.
He made the rabbit turn a somersault by suddenly pressing the bulb hard. Andrews laughed and the rabbit man laughed.