Tisserand sat down again at my side; he was trembling in every limb. He watched the couple, hypnotized. I waited a minute or more; this slow dance, I recalled, went on forever. Then I shook him gently by the shoulder, repeating ‘Raphaël’ over and again. —What can I do? he asked. —Go and have a wank. —You reckon it’s hopeless? —Sure. It’s been hopeless for a long time, from the very beginning. You will never represent, Raphaël, a young girl’s erotic dream. You have to resign yourself to the inevitable; such things are not for you. It’s already too late, in any case. The sexual failure you’ve
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