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As The Young Pole lay in bed of an evening after lumieres eteintes, he would guy his somewhat massive neighbour in a childish almost girlish voice, shouting with laughter when The Triangle rose on one arm and volleyed Dutch at him, pausing whenever The Triangle's good-nature threatened to approach the breaking point, resuming after a minute or two when The Triangle appeared to be on the point of falling into the arms of Morpheus.

One by one the curious and enthusiastic faded from me, and I was left with the few whom I already considered my friends; with which few B. and myself proceeded to wile away the time remaining before Lumieres Eteintes.

I was for some reason angry at Rockyfeller I think I had a curious notion that if I couldn't have a light after "lumieres eteintes" and if my very good friends were none of them allowed to have one, then, by God! neither should Rockyfeller. "It is useless to sleep," said One Eyed Dah-veed in French and Spanish. "True," I agreed; "therefore, let's make all the noise we can."

... and then at last it was lumieres eteintes; and les deux americains lay in their beds in the cold rotten darkness, talking in low voices of the past, of Petroushka, of Paris, of that brilliant and extraordinary and impossible something: Life. Morning. Whitish. Inevitable. Deathly cold. There was a great deal of hurry and bustle in The Enormous Room.

One evening, some days after everyone who was fit for la commission had enjoyed the privilege of examination by that inexorable and delightful body one evening very late, in fact, just before lumieres eteintes, a strange planton arrived in The Enormous Room and hurriedly read a list of five names, adding: "demain partis, a bonne heure" and shut the door behind him.

At the canteen he had purchased a large number of candles in addition to a great assortment of dainties which he and Judas were busily enjoying when the planton came up, counted us twice, divided by three, gave the order "Lumieres eteintes," and descended, locking the door behind him. Everyone composed himself for miserable sleep.