Chapter 2 - A Gift from the Gods

Summary

Schaunard and Marcel, having maintained a valiant focus on work all morning, suddenly suspended their labors.

“My God, I’m so hungry!” said Schaunard. And, as an afterthought, he added, “Don't we get to have lunch today?”

Marcel seemed astonished by this highly inopportune question. “Since when do we have lunch two days in row?” he asked. “Yesterday was Thursday.” He finished his answer by waving his maulstick in the air and reciting the church commandment:

On Friday you must take no meat

Nor anything like it may you eat.

Schaunard was at a loss for a reply so he turned back to his painting, an image of an open field on which a red tree and a blue tree could be seen shaking hands with their branches. It was a clear allusion to the pleasures of friendship and was, without a doubt, profoundly philosophical.

Just then the concierge knocked at the door to deliver a letter for Marcel.

“That will be three sous,” he said.

“Are you sure?” the artist replied. “Well that's alright, you can pay us later.”

And he closed the door in the concierge's face. Taking the letter, Marcel broke the seal.

After reading the first few words, he began leaping around the studio like an acrobat and singing the following famous ballad at the top of his lungs, thus demonstrating that he had attained jubilation's summit:

Four young men who lived in the town

With sickness they were all struck down

To hospital they were taken away

Hey hey! Hey hey! Hey hey! Hey hey!

“Yes!” Schaunard said as he joined in:

They were placed side by side in a very large bed

Two at the foot and two at the head.

“We both know it!” said Marcel as he continued:

A Sister of Mercy soon came their way

Hey hey! Hey hey! Hey hey! Hey hey! “

If you don't quiet down,” said Schaunard, who was starting to feel symptoms of madness closing in, “I’ll play the allegro from my symphony The Influence of Blue in the Arts.” And he began to approach the piano.

This threat had the effect of cold water falling on a boiling liquid. Marcel became quite calm almost as though a spell had been cast on him.

“But wait!” he said, handing the letter to his friend. “Look at this.”