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Updated: June 4, 2025
But he had no sooner come face to face with Christophe than he felt like a little boy again in his presence: he was furious and ashamed. He muttered hurriedly: "In my office.... We shall be able to talk better there." Christophe recognized Diener's habitual prudence. But when they were in the office and the door was shut, Diener showed no eagerness to offer him a chair.
Diener would have had many objections to make not that any one was waiting for him, but because it was hard for him to come to any sudden decision, whatever it might be. He was methodical, and needed to be prepared beforehand. But Jean-Christophe's question was put in such a tone as allowed of no refusal. He let himself be dragged off, and they began to talk again.
He remained standing, making clumsy explanations: "Very glad.... I was just going out.... They thought I had gone.... But I must go ... I have only a minute ... a pressing appointment...." Christophe understood that the clerk had lied to him, and that the lie had been arranged by Diener to get rid of him. His blood boiled: but he controlled himself, and said dryly: "There is no hurry."
If I were alone!... But my uncle ... you know, the business is his. I can do nothing without him...." Christophe went crimson. He went up to Diener, who stepped back hurriedly to the door and opened it, and held himself in readiness to call for help, if necessary. But Christophe only thrust his face near his and bawled: "You swine!"
He had been very intimate with Diener when he was fourteen or fifteen. The shy, reserved boy had been attracted by Christophe's gusty independence: he had tried hard to imitate him, quite ridiculously: that had both irritated and flattered Christophe. Then they had made plans for the overturning of the world.
He would not go.... Why should he not go?... If that scoundrel Diener, who had been his friend, had given him such a welcome, what had he to expect from a rascal whom he had handled roughly, who had good cause to hate him? Vain humiliations! His blood boiled at the thought.
"Then," Christophe went on, "you know that I am not here for fun. I have had to fly. I have nothing. I must live." Diener was waiting for that, for the request. "Ah!" he said pompously. "It is very tiresome, very tiresome. Life here is hard. Everything is so dear. We have enormous expenses. And all these assistants..." Christophe cut him short contemptuously: "I am not asking you for money."
In the end Diener had gone abroad for his education in business, and they did not see each other again: but Christophe had news of him from time to time from the people in the town with whom Diener remained on friendly terms. As for Sylvain Kohn, his relation with Christophe had been of another kind altogether.
They dared not frankly approach the subject; they returned to it again and again with awkward questions. Finally they plunged, and Jean-Christophe learned that his new friend was called Otto Diener, and was the son of a rich merchant in the town. It appeared, naturally, that they had friends in common, and little by little their tongues were loosed.
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