The patron said: "That is how things go. You are lucky to be alive. You should receive a great deal of compensation. Your face is no longer very attractive."
O'Mara presented an extraordinary sight. One side of his face was terribly bruised and discoloured from the bridge of the nose to the chin. The skin had begun to turn a brownish hue under his eyes. Both his lips were split, and there was a jagged tear—caused by the safety catch of Morosc's pistol—down one cheek.
He put the croissants in his right-hand pocket; picked up the drink; went to a table in the corner.
He rested his injured hand on the table; took out the croissants; began to eat. His mouth was dry and his burned fingers were very painful. He hoped that he would not lose the fingernails. He hoped that would not happen, not
