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into howls of merrriment.
Joanny's excitement rose in this hubbub. The desire for a scrap came to him, as did an audacity which made his timidity towards Fermina Marquez seem absurd. He devised the simplest of seduction plans. First of all, he contemplated writing a fine letter imbued with respect and affection like the one with which La Nouvelle Heloise begins. Then he thought that a short note would be better. Finally, he decided not to write at all but to present himself straightforwardly as a friend, and as a friend to the whole Marquez family. Initially, it was of the first importance to gain the trust of Mama Dolore. And for that, he had to become her nephew's friend and protector.
As  it happened,   little Marquez,   a spoilt child,   wholly lacked tact in his relations with his schoolfellows. He regarded Saint Augustine's as a hotel, a far less luxurious one than the English and French hotels in which he had lived since leaving Bogota it is true, but for all that he regarded it as a hotel where payment procured service. And Mama Dolore gave him too much pocket money. Instead of responding to those teasing him with his fists, he would hand out sweetmeats to them, hoping by this means to be left alone.  Unfortunately, the outcome of this ploy was not the one he had been counting on. His tormentors returned to tease him more than ever. So he would call them tramps and  beggars and boast about his father's wealth: "We came as far as Southampton in our very own ship," he used to shout with pride. Finally, one day he was dragged beneath the pump in the yard and drenched. Those who had soaked Marquez were placed in isolation. No snub was spared him. He spent the greater part of his nights choking back his sobs, his head buried under his bolster. He had already lost a lot of weight. In a few days, Leniot could put all that to rights. He would do so. That was the real way of insinuating himself into this family.  Afterwards, he would see . . . There were still two and a half months before the summer holidays.
Joanny stood up, in euphoria. He felt a sort of debonair impatience which he had experienced as yet only once; on the day before his departure for Italy last Easter break. He was unable to remain in his place; he would have liked to be able to sing.
Without asking for Mr Lebrun's permission, he went and took Schrader's large atlas from the prep room's bookcase and looked up the map of Colombia in it.
"Mr Leniot, for having moved without permission you will be given nought for conduct."
Joanny smiled disdainfully.  He studied the geographical outline of the Colombian republic with care, as if he had planned a trip in this country.  The principal port on the Caribbean Sea was called Cartagena; it was from here that she must have left. The prep group had fallen silent for a moment, astonished to hear a black mark being given to the best pupil for the first time. The expression on Leniot's face was observed with curiosity. But Mr Lebrun pursued his advantage. He was handing out a stream of "noughts for conduct".  And the rowdiness of the bait intensified. At the end of the room where he was seated, Pablo Iturria raised the lid of his desk then let it come down again with a resounding crash and, turning to the monitor, bellowed: "Calla, hombre, calla!"
Joanny, who had not stopped smiling, returned to his seat. He was full of self-confidence. Above all, he felt safe, whatever happened. "Even supposing the worst, my father is the last person to reproach me for having seduced the daughter of a millionnaire!" he said to himself. He saw his whole life stretching out in front of him as an inexhaustible stock of success and happiness.
"Mr Leniot, you do appreciate that a report will be sent to the prefect of studies along with your nought for conduct."
The nervous exhilaration which had until then borne Joanny up, plummeted all of a sudden: this black mark and report meant that he would be excluded from the roll of honour