Page:Georges Eekhoud - Escal Vigor, a novel.djvu/272

248 The two camps, the two different sexes, have the air of enemies seeking to draw one another, keeping on the qui-vive, defending their positions. They observe, hail one another, cheapen, bargain, job. It is forbidden to lovers to accouple before evening. In the dancing booths the men frisk and spin about among themselves, and the women do the same. Cynical, uncouth, leaping: massive and wanton leapers!

If, during the day, a band of women encounter a column of men, there is a crossfire, a canonnade of enormously obscene remarks. Closer fighting becomes longer and more general; time to steal a kiss or let one be stolen, with abundance of pushing to and fro, pinching, and other preliminary familiarities. Jackets and frocks, petticoats and breeches, get rumpled and tumbled amid the wriggling and contortions of the love-hot hurly-burly that takes place.

At nightfall, after sunset, a furious flourish of trumpets, sounded from the four quarters of the island, gives the signal for the hour of serious engagements. The lovers then join their favourite girls, and, as soon as formed, the couples, whether of engaged persons or of partners for the night only,