The tea

For a moment Serti was convinced that Véronique had come back; that she was behind the door of his room, and that out of a marvellous concern, she didn’t want to wake him before having made tea. Unfortunately, as Véronique grasped the teapot, she found it so hot that she almost let it fall down. But afrait to wake Oskar abruptly, she kept it in her hand, concentrating all her forces in order not to slip away a cry of pain which would have had the indelicacy of reminding Oskar of the one he set up as he was falling.
When the pain sarted to fade away, the tea was then too cold to be served, and Véronique made another pot of tea in utmost silence.
Alone in his emergency bed, Oskar Serti was so moved by all that attentiveness that he accepted easely to wait another moment for the return of Véronique de Coulanges by his side.

Half-asleep, Serti had the impression that Yeronique had come back; that she was in a neighbouring room, to surprise him, in the utmost silence, with making tea. But just before opening the door of Oskar's room, she noticed that a fine needle planted in the heel of her shoe was scratching the floor and producing the same sound as the tearing of Oskar 5 clothes as he was scraping himself on the rocky foothill. Not to remind him of any painful memories, she put the tray down to remove the needle. Unfortunately, the needle entered her thumb so deeply that she didn't dare to remove it immediately, afraid of setting up a cry of pain so violent that it could have traumatized Oskar.

When the lancinating pain was slowly disappearing, she bravely removed the needle without saying a word; but as she was taking up the tray again she realized that the tea was cold, and without making any noise, she decided to make another pot of tea.
~lone in his emergency bed, Oskar Serti was so moved by so much obligingness that he easily accepted to wait another moment for the return of Yeronique de Coulanges by his side.

For a fraction of a second, Oskar ~erti had the feeling that Yeronique had returned; that she was at the other side of the door, surprising him with making tea in the utmost silence. But, it was so intensely cold, that the water reserve had completely frozen. Yeronique de Coulanges took a lump of ice to put it in a saucepan which was unfortunately too small to hold it entirely. ~fraid of reminding Oskar of the painful noise of the ice which had given away under his feet, Yeronique didn~t dare to crush the lump, and decided to hold it against her stomach in order to thaw it out silently.
She only had the time to heat the water, gathered so patiently, on the fire, when she fell victim to abdominal cramps, which were so terrible that she was paralyzed with pain for several long minutes.
When Yeronique could finally move, she discovered that the water for the tea had completely evaporated, and she had to decide in the utmost silence to make another pot of tea.
~lone in his emergency bed, Oskar Serti was so deeply touched by so much dedication that he easily accepted to wait another moment for the return of Yeronique de Coulanges by his side.

At regular intervals Serti imagined that Yeronique de Coulanges had come back; that she was at the other side of the door, and that in the utmost silence she was surprising him with making tea. But when she took the teapot from the cupboard, she perceived with dismay that the tea had been named "Yertigo of the Mountain". ~fraid that Oskar would keep his new terror of summits, she tasted the tea to verify if its name was justified. ~s only one cup couldn't give her the right answer to the question, she was constrained to drink the whole teapot, without unfortunately resolving the problem.
But the quantity of theme that she had just lapped up, hrought her in such a state of excitement that she had to wait for several long minutes before being able to make another pot of tea, in the utmost Silence.
~lone in his emergency bed, Oskar Serti was encouraged so by so much regard, that he easily accepted to wait another moment for the return of Yeronique de Coulanges by his side.

When the night was falling, Serti imagined that Yeronique had already come back; t~at she was in another room of the refuge, and that she was surpising him with making tea in a religious silence. But just before opening the door of Oskar~s room, she was horrified to see that the little motiv which decorated the teapot represented a rocky foothill practically identical to the one that had just hurt Oskar. Not to make him suffer any more, she decided to scratch away the decoration with the tip of her nail. Unfortunately, during this operation, she turned over her nail so painfully that she immediately sopped her hand in the boiling tea of Oskar, secretly hoping to deaden the tip of her finger, or at
the worst, to better spread the pain.
~s she withdrew her fingers from the teapot, she noticed that the tea had gone cold. Without making any noise, she decided then to make another pot of tea.
~lone in his emergency bed, Oskar Serti was so moved by Sn much devotion, that he easily accepted to wait ann ther tnome~~t for the return of Yeronique de Coulanges by his side.