Chapter Sixty-Two
Denis first realized he abhorred mankind when his father had forced him to accompany him on his visit to the brand new horse abattoir owned by Sir Govern, his English meat dealer. “Are you a sissy? Sir Govern’s daughter is coming too. What will Grace Govern think of young French manhood if you keep waffling on with these soft-bellied opinions about – for God’s sake – animals?”
Denis had no choice.
Later, he would tell himself that he didn’t remember what precisely had happened in the meat factory. He dreamed about it for years, woke, ground his teeth with a rage that pushed him ever further into fury – cursed his father, himself, Grace Govern, her father… In the morning light, he would tell himself to keep his cool. He had nothing in common with the butchers in Govern’
