CHAPTER 26Accustomed to these occurrences or blind to their significance,my companions were less affected by Omphale's departure than I; thesuperior returned an hour later to lead away the supper's girls ofwhom I was one Ä we were only four: the girl of twelve, she ofsixteen, she of twenty-three, and me. Everything went more or lessas upon other days; I only noticed that the Girls of the Watch werenot on hand, that the monks often whispered in each other's ears,that they drank much, that they limited themselves violently toexciting desires they did not once consummate, and that they sentus away at an early hour without retaining any of us for their ownbeds.... I deduced what I could from what I observed, because,under such circumstances, one keeps a sharp eye upon everything,but what did t
