第14章

类别:其他 作者:Victor Hugo字数:23925更新时间:18/12/19 16:58:50
CHAPTERV。 THEKEYTOTHEREDDOOR。 Inthemeantime,publicminorhadinformedthearchdeaconofthemiraculousmannerinwhichthegypsyhadbeensaved。Whenhelearnedit,heknewnotwhathissensationswere。HehadreconciledhimselftolaEsmeralda’sdeath。 Inthatmatterhewastranquil;hehadreachedthebottomofpersonalsuffering。Thehumanheart(DoraClaudehadmeditateduponthesematters)cancontainonlyacertainquantityofdespair。Whenthespongeissaturated,theseamaypassoveritwithoutcausingasingledropmoretoenterit。 Now,withlaEsmeraldadead,thespongewassoaked,allwasatanendonthisearthforDomClaude。Buttofeelthatshewasalive,andPhoebusalso,meantthattortures,shocks,alternatives,life,werebeginningagain。AndClaudewaswearyofallthis。 Whenheheardthisnews,heshuthimselfinhiscellinthecloister。Heappearedneitheratthemeetingsofthechapternorattheservices。Heclosedhisdooragainstall,evenagainstthebishop。Heremainedthusimmuredforseveralweeks。Hewasbelievedtobeill。Andsohewas,infact。 Whatdidhedowhilethusshutup?Withwhatthoughtswastheunfortunatemancontending?Washegivingfinalbattletohisformidablepassion?Washeconcoctingafinalplanofdeathforherandofperditionforhimself? HisJehan,hischerishedbrother,hisspoiledchild,cameoncetohisdoor,knocked,swore,entreated,gavehisnamehalfascoreoftimes。Claudedidnotopen。 Hepassedwholedayswithhisfaceclosetothepanesofhiswindow。Fromthatwindow,situatedinthecloister,hecouldseelaEsmeralda’schamber。Heoftensawherselfwithhergoat,sometimeswithQuasimodo。Heremarkedthelittleattentionsoftheuglydeafman,hisobedience,hisdelicateandsubmissivewayswiththegypsy。Herecalled,forhehadagoodmemory,andmemoryisthetormentorofthejealous,herecalledthesingularlookofthebellringer,bentonthedanceruponacertainevening。HeaskedhimselfwhatmotivecouldhaveimpelledQuasimodotosaveher。 Hewasthewitnessofathousandlittlescenesbetweenthegypsyandthedeafman,thepantomimeofwhich,viewedfromafarandcommentedonbyhispassion,appearedverytendertohim。Hedistrustedthecapriciousnessofwomen。 Thenhefeltajealousywhichbecouldneverhavebelievedpossibleawakeningwithinhim,ajealousywhichmadehimreddenwithshameandindignation:\"Onemightcondonethecaptain,butthisone!\"Thisthoughtupsethim。 Hisnightswerefrightful。Assoonashelearnedthatthegypsywasalive,thecoldideasofspectreandtombwhichhadpersecutedhimforawholedayvanished,andthefleshreturnedtogoadhim。Heturnedandtwistedonhiscouchatthethoughtthatthedark-skinnedmaidenwassonearhim。 EverynighthisdeliriousimaginationrepresentedlaEsmeraldatohiminalltheattitudeswhichhadcausedhisbloodtoboilmost。Hebeheldheroutstretchedupontheponiardedcaptain,hereyesclosed,herbeautifulbarethroatcoveredwithPhoebus’sblood,atthatmomentofblisswhenthearchdeaconhadimprintedonherpalelipsthatkisswhoseburntheunhappygirl,thoughhalfdead,hadfelt。Hebeheldher,again,strippedbythesavagehandsofthetorturers,allowingthemtobareandtoencloseinthebootwithitsironscrew,hertinyfoot,herdelicateroundedleg,herwhiteandsuppleknee。 AgainhebeheldthativorykneewhichaloneremainedoutsideofTorterue’shorribleapparatus。Lastly,hepicturedtheyounggirlinhershift,withtheropeaboutherneck,shouldersbare,feetbare,almostnude,ashehadseenheronthatlastday。Theseimagesofvoluptuousnessmadehimclenchhisfists,andashiverrunalonghisspine。 Onenight,amongothers,theyheatedsocruellyhisvirginandpriestlyblood,thathebithispillow,leapedfromhisbed,flungonasurpliceoverhisshirt,andlefthiscell,lampinhand,halfnaked,wild,hiseyesaflame。 Heknewwheretofindthekeytothereddoor,whichconnectedthecloisterwiththechurch,andhealwayshadabouthim,asthereaderknows,thekeyofthestaircaseleadingtothetowers。 CHAPTERVI。 CONTINUATIONOFTHEKEYTOTHEREDDOOR。 Thatnight,laEsmeraldahadfallenasleepinhercell,fullofoblivion,ofhope,andofsweetthoughts。Shehadalreadybeenasleepforsometime,dreamingasalways,ofPhoebus,whenitseemedtoherthatsheheardanoisenearher。Shesleptlightlyanduneasily,thesleepofabird;amerenothingwakedher。Sheopenedhereyes。Thenightwasverydark。 Nevertheless,shesawafiguregazingatherthroughthewindow;alamplightedupthisapparition。ThemomentthatthefiguresawthatlaEsmeraldahadperceivedit,itblewoutthelamp。Buttheyounggirlhadhadtimetocatchaglimpseofit;hereyesclosedagainwithterror。 \"Oh!\"shesaidinafaintvoice,\"thepriest!\" Allherpastunhappinesscamebacktoherlikeaflashoflightning。Shefellbackonherbed,chilled。 Amomentlatershefeltatouchalongherbodywhichmadehershuddersothatshestraightenedherselfupinasittingposture,wideawakeandfurious。 Thepriesthadjustslippedinbesideher。Heencircledherwithbotharms。 Shetriedtoscreamandcouldnot。 \"Begone,monster!begoneassassin!\"shesaid,inavoicewhichwaslowandtremblingwithwrathandterror。 \"Mercy!mercy!\"murmuredthepriest,pressinghislipstohershoulder。 Sheseizedhisbaldheadbyitsremnantofhairandtriedtothrustasidehiskissesasthoughtheyhadbeenbites。 \"Mercy!\"repeatedtheunfortunateman。\"Ifyoubutknewwhatmyloveforyouis!’Tisfire,meltedlead,athousanddaggersinmyheart。\" Shestoppedhistwoarmswithsuperhumanforce。 \"Letmego,\"shesaid,\"orIwillspitinyourface!\" Hereleasedher。\"Vilifyme,strikeme,bemalicious!Dowhatyouwill!Buthavemercy!loveme!\" Thenshestruckhimwiththefuryofachild。Shemadeherbeautifulhandsstifftobruisehisface。\"Begone,demon!\" \"Loveme!lovemepity!\"criedthepoorpriestreturningherblowswithcaresses。 Allatonceshefelthimstrongerthanherself。 \"Theremustbeanendtothis!\"hesaid,gnashinghisteeth。 Shewasconquered,palpitatinginhisarms,andinhispower。Shefeltawantonhandstrayingoverher。Shemadealasteffort,andbegantocry:\"Help!Help!Avampire! avampire!\" Nothingcame。Djalialonewasawakeandbleatingwithanguish。 \"Hush!\"saidthepantingpriest。 Allatonce,asshestruggledandcrawledonthefloor,thegypsy’shandcameincontactwithsomethingcoldandmetal- lic-itwasQuasimodo’swhistle。Sheseizeditwithaconvulsivehope,raisedittoherlipsandblewwithallthestrengththatshehadleft。Thewhistlegaveaclear,piercingsound。 \"Whatisthat?\"saidthepriest。 Almostatthesameinstanthefelthimselfraisedbyavigorousarm。Thecellwasdark;hecouldnotdistinguishclearlywhoitwasthatheldhimthus;butheheardteethchatteringwithrage,andtherewasjustsufficientlightscatteredamongthegloomtoallowhimtoseeabovehisheadthebladeofalargeknife。 ThepriestfanciedthatheperceivedtheformofQuasimodo。 Heassumedthatitcouldbenoonebuthe。Herememberedtohavestumbled,asheentered,overabundlewhichwasstretchedacrossthedoorontheoutside。But,asthenewcomerdidnotutteraword,heknewnotwhattothink。Heflunghimselfonthearmwhichheldtheknife,crying: \"Quasimodo!\"Heforgot,atthatmomentofdistress,thatQuasimodowasdeaf。 Inatwinkling,thepriestwasoverthrownandaleadenkneerestedonhisbreast。 FromtheangularimprintofthatkneeherecognizedQuasimodo;butwhatwastobedone?howcouldhemaketheotherrecognizehim?thedarknessrenderedthedeafmanblind。 Hewaslost。Theyounggirl,pitilessasanenragedtigress,didnotintervenetosavehim。Theknifewasapproachinghishead;themomentwascritical。Allatonce,hisadversaryseemedstrickenwithhesitation。 \"Nobloodonher!\"hesaidinadullvoice。 Itwas,infact,Quasimodo’svoice。 Thenthepriestfeltalargehanddragginghimfeetfirstoutofthecell;itwastherethathewastodie。Fortunatelyforhim,themoonhadrisenafewmomentsbefore。 Whentheyhadpassedthroughthedoorofthecell,itspaleraysfelluponthepriest’scountenance。Quasimodolookedhimfullintheface,atremblingseizedhim,andhereleasedthepriestandshrankback。 Thegypsy,whohadadvancedtothethresholdofhercell,beheldwithsurprisetheirrolesabruptlychanged。Itwasnowthepriestwhomenaced,Quasimodowhowasthesuppliant。 Thepriest,whowasoverwhelmingthedeafmanwithgesturesofwrathandreproach,madethelatteraviolentsigntoretire。 Thedeafmandroppedhishead,thenhecameandkneltatthegypsy’sdoor,——\"Monseigneur,\"hesaid,inagraveandresignedvoice,\"youshalldoallthatyoupleaseafterwards,butkillmefirst。\" Sosaying,hepresentedhisknifetothepriest。Thepriest,besidehimself,wasabouttoseizeit。Buttheyounggirlwasquickerthanbe;shewrenchedtheknifefromQuasimodo’shandsandburstintoafranticlaugh,——\"Approach,\"shesaidtothepriest。 Sheheldthebladehigh。Thepriestremainedundecided。 Shewouldcertainlyhavestruckhim。 Thensheaddedwithapitilessexpression,wellawarethatshewasabouttopiercethepriest’sheartwiththousandsofred-hotirons,—— \"Ah!IknowthatPhoebusisnotdead! ThepriestoverturnedQuasimodoonthefloorwithakick,and,quiveringwithrage,dartedbackunderthevaultofthestaircase。 Whenhewasgone,Quasimodopickedupthewhistlewhichhadjustsavedthegypsy。 \"Itwasgettingrusty,\"hesaid,ashehandeditbacktoher; thenheleftheralone。 Theyounggirl,deeplyagitatedbythisviolentscene,fellbackexhaustedonherbed,andbegantosobandweep。Herhorizonwasbecominggloomyoncemore。 Thepriesthadgropedhiswaybacktohiscell。 Itwassettled。DomClaudewasjealousofQuasimodo! Herepeatedwithathoughtfulairhisfatalwords:\"Nooneshallhaveher。\" BOOKTENTH。 CHAPTERI。 GRINGOIREHASMANYGOODIDEASINSUCCESSION——RUEDESBERNARDINS。 AssoonasPierreGringoirehadseenhowthiswholeaffairwasturning,andthattherewoulddecidedlybetherope,hanging,andotherdisagreeablethingsfortheprincipalpersonagesinthiscomedy,hehadnotcaredtoidentifyhimselfwiththematterfurther。Theoutcastswithwhomhehadremained,reflectingthat,afterall,itwasthebestcompanyinParis,——theoutcastshadcontinuedtointerestthemselvesinbehalfofthegypsy。Hehadthoughtitverysimpleonthepartofpeoplewhohad,likeherself,nothingelseinprospectbutCharmolueandTorterue,andwho,unlikehimself,didnotgallopthroughtheregionsofimaginationbetweenthewingsofPegasus。Fromtheirremarks,hehadlearnedthathiswifeofthebrokencrockhadtakenrefugeinNotre-Dame,andhewasverygladofit。Buthefeltnotemptationtogoandseeherthere。Hemeditatedoccasionallyonthelittlegoat,andthatwasall。Moreover,hewasbusyexecutingfeatsofstrengthduringthedayforhisliving,andatnighthewasengagedincomposingamemorialagainsttheBishopofParis,forherememberedhavingbeendrenchedbythewheelsofhismills,andhecherishedagrudgeagainsthimforit。HealsooccupiedhimselfwithannotatingthefineworkofBaudry-le- Rouge,BishopofNoyonandTournay,_DeCupaPetrarum_,whichhadgivenhimaviolentpassionforarchitecture,aninclinationwhichhadreplacedinhishearthispassionforhermeticism,ofwhichitwas,moreover,onlyanaturalcorollary,sincethereisanintimaterelationbetweenhermeticismandmasonry。Gringoirehadpassedfromtheloveofanideatotheloveoftheformofthatidea。 OnedayhehadhaltednearSaintGermain-l’Auxerrois,atthecornerofamansioncalled\"For-l’Evêque\"(theBishop’sTribunal),whichstoodoppositeanothercalled\"For-le-Roi\" (theKing’sTribunal)。AtthisFor-l’Evêque,therewasacharmingchapelofthefourteenthcentury,whoseapsewasonthestreet。Gringoirewasdevoutlyexaminingitsexteriorsculptures。Hewasinoneofthosemomentsofegotistical,exclusive,supreme,enjoymentwhentheartistbeholdsnothingintheworldbutart,andtheworldinart。Allatoncehefeelsahandlaidgravelyonhisshoulder。Heturnsround。 Itwashisoldfriend,hisformermaster,monsieurthearchdeacon。 Hewasstupefied。Itwasalongtimesincehehadseenthearchdeacon,andDomClaudewasoneofthosesolemnandimpassionedmen,ameetingwithwhomalwaysupsetstheequilibriumofascepticalphilosopher。 Thearchdeaconmaintainedsilenceforseveralminutes,duringwhichGringoirehadtimetoobservehim。HefoundDomClaudegreatlychanged;paleasawinter’smorning,withholloweyes,andhairalmostwhite。Thepriestbrokethesilenceatlength,bysaying,inatranquilbutglacialtone,—— \"Howdoyoudo,MasterPierre?\" \"Myhealth?\"repliedGringoire。\"Eh!eh!onecansaybothonethingandanotheronthatscore。Still,itisgood,onthewhole。Itakenottoomuchofanything。Youknow,master,thatthesecretofkeepingwell,accordingtoHippocrates;~idest: cibi,potus,somni,venus,omniamoderatasint~。\" \"Soyouhavenocare,MasterPierre?\"resumedthearchdeacon,gazingintentlyatGringoire。 \"None,i’faith!\" \"Andwhatareyoudoingnow?\" \"Yousee,master。Iamexaminingthechisellingofthesestones,andthemannerinwhichyonderbas-reliefisthrownout。\" Thepriestbegantosmilewiththatbittersmilewhichraisesonlyonecornerofthemouth。 \"Andthatamusesyou?\" \"’Tisparadise!\"exclaimedGringoire。Andleaningoverthesculptureswiththefascinatedairofademonstratoroflivingphenomena:\"Doyounotthink,forinstance,thatyonmetamorphosisinbas-reliefisexecutedwithmuchadroitness,delicacyandpatience?Observethatslendercolumn。Aroundwhatcapitalhaveyouseenfoliagemoretenderandbettercaressedbythechisel。HerearethreeraisedbossesofJeanMaillevin。Theyarenotthefinestworksofthisgreatmaster。 Nevertheless,thenaivete,thesweetnessofthefaces,thegayetyoftheattitudesanddraperies,andthatinexplicablecharmwhichismingledwithallthedefects,renderthelittlefiguresverydivertinganddelicate,perchance,eventoomuchso。Youthinkthatitisnotdiverting?\" \"Yes,certainly!\"saidthepriest。 \"Andifyouweretoseetheinteriorofthechapel!\"resumedthepoet,withhisgarrulousenthusiasm。\"Carvingseverywhere。 ’Tisasthicklyclusteredastheheadofacabbage!Theapseisofaverydevout,andsopeculiarafashionthatIhaveneverbeheldanythinglikeitelsewhere!\" DomClaudeinterruptedhim,—— \"Youarehappy,then?\" Gringoirerepliedwarmly;—— \"Onmyhonor,yes!FirstIlovedwomen,thenanimals。 NowIlovestones。Theyarequiteasamusingaswomenandanimals,andlesstreacherous。\" Thepriestlaidhishandonhisbrow。Itwashishabitualgesture。 \"Really?\" \"Stay!\"saidGringoire,\"onehasone’spleasures!\"Hetookthearmofthepriest,wholethimhavehisway,andmadehimenterthestaircaseturretofFor-l’Evêque。\"Hereisastaircase!everytimethatIseeitIamhappy。ItisofthesimplestandrarestmannerofstepsinParis。Allthestepsarebevelledunderneath。Itsbeautyandsimplicityconsistintheinterspacingofboth,beingafootormorewide,whichareinterlaced,interlocked,fittedtogether,enchainedenchased,interlinedoneuponanother,andbiteintoeachotherinamannerthatistrulyfirmandgraceful。\" \"Andyoudesirenothing?\" \"No。\" \"Andyouregretnothing?\" \"Neitherregretnordesire。Ihavearrangedmymodeoflife。\" \"Whatmenarrange,\"saidClaude,\"thingsdisarrange。\" \"IamaPyrrhonianphilosopher,\"repliedGringoire,\"andI holdallthingsinequilibrium。\" \"Andhowdoyouearnyourliving?\" \"Istillmakeepicsandtragediesnowandthen;butthatwhichbringsmeinmostistheindustrywithwhichyouareacquainted,master;carryingpyramidsofchairsinmyteeth。\" \"Thetradeisbutaroughoneforaphilosopher。\" \"’Tisstillequilibrium,\"saidGringoire。\"Whenonehasanidea,oneencountersitineverything。\" \"Iknowthat,\"repliedthearchdeacon。 Afterasilence,thepriestresumed,—— \"Youare,nevertheless,tolerablypoor?\" \"Poor,yes;unhappy,no。\" Atthatmoment,atramplingofhorseswasheard,andourtwointerlocutorsbehelddefilingattheendofthestreet,acompanyoftheking’sunattachedarchers,theirlancesbornehigh,anofficerattheirhead。Thecavalcadewasbrilliant,anditsmarchresoundedonthepavement。 \"Howyougazeatthatofficer!\"saidGringoire,tothearchdeacon。 \"BecauseIthinkIrecognizehim。\" \"Whatdoyoucallhim?\" \"Ithink,\"saidClaude,\"thathisnameisPhoebusdeChateaupers。\" \"Phoebus!Acuriousname!ThereisalsoaPhoebus,ComtedeFoix。IrememberhavingknownawenchwhosworeonlybythenameofPhoebus。\" \"Comeawayfromhere,\"saidthepriest。\"Ihavesomethingtosaytoyou。\" Fromthemomentofthattroop’spassing,someagitationhadpiercedthroughthearchdeacon’sglacialenvelope。Hewalkedon。Gringoirefollowedhim,beingaccustomedtoobeyhim,likeallwhohadonceapproachedthatmansofullofascendency。TheyreachedinsilencetheRuedesBernardins,whichwasnearlydeserted。HereDomClaudepaused。 \"Whathaveyoutosaytome,master?\"Gringoireaskedhim。 \"Doyounotthinkthatthedressofthosecavalierswhomwehavejustseenisfarhandsomerthanyoursandmine?\" Gringoiretossedhishead。 \"I’faith!Ilovebettermyredandyellowjerkin,thanthosescalesofironandsteel。Afinepleasuretoproduce,whenyouwalk,thesamenoiseastheQuayofOldIron,inanearthquake!\" \"So,Gringoire,youhavenevercherishedenvyforthosehandsomefellowsintheirmilitarydoublets?\" \"Envyforwhat,monsieurthearchdeacon?theirstrength,theirarmor,theirdiscipline?Betterphilosophyandindependenceinrags。Iprefertobetheheadofaflyratherthanthetailofalion。\" \"Thatissingular,\"saidthepriestdreamily。\"Yetahandsomeuniformisabeautifulthing。\" Gringoire,perceivingthathewasinapensivemood,quittedhimtogoandadmiretheporchofaneighboringhouse。Hecamebackclappinghishands。 \"Ifyouwerelessengrossedwiththefineclothesofmenofwar,monsieurthearchdeacon,Iwouldentreatyoutocomeandseethisdoor。IhavealwayssaidthatthehouseoftheSieurAubryhadthemostsuperbentranceintheworld。\" \"PierreGringoire,\"saidthearchdeacon,\"Whathaveyoudonewiththatlittlegypsydancer?\" \"LaEsmeralda?Youchangetheconversationveryabruptly。\" \"Wasshenotyourwife?\" \"Yes,byvirtueofabrokencrock。Weweretohavefouryearsofit。Bytheway,\"addedGringoire,lookingatthearchdeaconinahalfbanteringway,\"areyoustillthinkingofher?\" \"Andyouthinkofhernolonger?\" \"Verylittle。Ihavesomanythings。Goodheavens,howprettythatlittlegoatwas!\" \"Hadshenotsavedyourlife?\" \"’Tistrue,pardieu!\" \"Well,whathasbecomeofher?Whathaveyoudonewithher?\" \"Icannottellyou。Ibelievethattheyhavehangedher。\" \"Youbelieveso?\" \"Iamnotsure。WhenIsawthattheywantedtohangpeople,Iretiredfromthegame。\" \"Thatisallyouknowofit?\" \"Waitabit。IwastoldthatshehadtakenrefugeinNotre-Dame,andthatshewassafethere,andIamdelightedtohearit,andIhavenotbeenabletodiscoverwhetherthegoatwassavedwithher,andthatisallIknow。\" \"Iwilltellyoumore,\"criedDomClaude;andhisvoice,hithertolow,slow,andalmostindistinct,turnedtothunder。 \"Shehasinfact,takenrefugeinNotre-Dame。Butinthreedaysjusticewillreclaimher,andshewillbehangedontheGrève。Thereisadecreeofparliament。\" \"That’sannoying,\"saidGringoire。 Thepriest,inaninstant,becamecoldandcalmagain。 \"Andwhothedevil,\"resumedthepoet,\"hasamusedhimselfwithsolicitingadecreeofreintegration?Whycouldn’ttheyleaveparliamentinpeace?WhatharmdoesitdoifapoorgirltakesshelterundertheflyingbuttressesofNotre- Dame,besidetheswallows’nests?\" \"Therearesatansinthisworld,\"remarkedthearchdeacon。 \"’Tisdevilishbadlydone,\"observedGringoire。 Thearchdeaconresumedafterasilence,—— \"So,shesavedyourlife?\" \"Amongmygoodfriendstheoutcasts。AlittlemoreoralittlelessandIshouldhavebeenhanged。Theywouldhavebeensorryforitto-day。\" \"Wouldnotyouliketodosomethingforher?\" \"Iasknothingbetter,DomClaude;butwhatifIentanglemyselfinsomevillanousaffair?\" \"Whatmattersit?\" \"Bah!whatmattersit?Youaregood,master,thatyouare!Ihavetwogreatworksalreadybegun。\" Thepriestsmotehisbrow。Inspiteofthecalmwhichheaffected,aviolentgesturebetrayedhisinternalconvulsionsfromtimetotime。 \"Howisshetobesaved?\" Gringoiresaidtohim;\"Master,Iwillreplytoyou;~Ilpadelt~,whichmeansinTurkish,’Godisourhope。’\" \"Howisshetobesaved?\"repeatedClaudedreamily。 Gringoiresmotehisbrowinhisturn。 \"Listen,master。Ihaveimagination;Iwilldeviseexpedientsforyou。Whatifoneweretoaskherpardonfromtheking?\" \"OfLouisXI。!Apardon!\" \"Whynot?\" \"Totakethetiger’sbonefromhim!\" Gringoirebegantoseekfreshexpedients。 \"Well,stay!ShallIaddresstothemidwivesarequestaccompaniedbythedeclarationthatthegirliswithchild!\" Thismadethepriest’sholloweyeflash。 \"Withchild!knave!doyouknowanythingofthis?\" Gringoirewasalarmedbyhisair。Hehastenedtosay,\"Oh,no,notI!Ourmarriagewasareal~forismaritagium~。I stayedoutside。Butonemightobtainarespite,allthesame。\" \"Madness!Infamy!Holdyourtongue!\" \"Youdowrongtogetangry,\"mutteredGringoire。\"Oneobtainsarespite;thatdoesnoharmtoanyone,andallowsthemidwives,whoarepoorwomen,toearnfortydeniersparisis。\" Thepriestwasnotlisteningtohim! \"Butshemustleavethatplace,nevertheless!\"hemurmured,\"thedecreeistobeexecutedwithinthreedays。Moreover,therewillbenodecree;thatQuasimodo!Womenhaveverydepravedtastes!\"Heraisedhisvoice:\"MasterPierre,Ihavereflectedwell;thereisbutonemeansofsafetyforher。\" \"What?Iseenonemyself。\" \"Listen,MasterPierre,rememberthatyouoweyourlifetoher。Iwilltellyoumyideafrankly。Thechurchiswatchednightandday;onlythoseareallowedtocomeout,whohavebeenseentoenter。Henceyoucanenter。Youwillcome。Iwillleadyoutoher。Youwillchangeclotheswithher。Shewilltakeyourdoublet;youwilltakeherpetticoat。\" \"Sofar,itgoeswell,\"remarkedthephilosopher,\"andthen?\" \"Andthen?shewillgoforthinyourgarments;youwillremainwithhers。Youwillbehanged,perhaps,butshewillbesaved。\" Gringoirescratchedhisear,withaveryseriousair。 \"Stay!\"saidhe,\"thatisanideawhichwouldneverhaveoccurredtomeunaided。\" AtDomClaude’sproposition,theopenandbenignfaceofthepoethadabruptlycloudedover,likeasmilingItalianlandscape,whenanunluckysquallcomesupanddashesacloudacrossthesun。 \"Well!Gringoire,whatsayyoutothemeans?\" \"Isay,master,thatIshallnotbehanged,perchance,butthatIshallbehangedindubitably。 \"Thatconcernsusnot。\" \"Thedeuce!\"saidGringoire。 \"Shehassavedyourlife。’Tisadebtthatyouaredischarging。\" \"ThereareagreatmanyotherswhichIdonotdischarge。\" \"MasterPierre,itisabsolutelynecessary。\" Thearchdeaconspokeimperiously。\" \"Listen,DomClaude,\"repliedthepoetinutterconsternation。 Youclingtothatidea,andyouarewrong。IdonotseewhyIshouldgetmyselfhangedinsomeoneelse’splace。\" \"Whathaveyou,then,whichattachesyousostronglytolife?\" \"Oh!athousandreasons!\" \"Whatreasons,ifyouplease?\" \"What?Theair,thesky,themorning,theevening,themoonlight,mygoodfriendsthethieves,ourjeerswiththeoldhagsofgo-betweens,thefinearchitectureofParistostudy,threegreatbookstomake,oneofthembeingagainstthebishopsandhismills;andhowcanItellall?Anaxagorassaidthathewasintheworldtoadmirethesun。Andthen,frommorningtillnight,Ihavethehappinessofpassingallmydayswithamanofgenius,whoismyself,whichisveryagreeable。\" \"Aheadfitforamulebell!\"mutteredthearchdeacon。 \"Oh!tellmewhopreservedforyouthatlifewhichyourendersocharmingtoyourself?Towhomdoyouoweitthatyoubreathethatair,beholdthatsky,andcanstillamuseyourlark’smindwithyourwhimsicalnonsenseandmadness?Wherewouldyoube,haditnotbeenforher? Doyouthendesirethatshethroughwhomyouarealive,shoulddie?thatsheshoulddie,thatbeautiful,sweet,adorablecreature,whoisnecessarytothelightoftheworldandmoredivinethanGod,whileyou,halfwise,andhalffool,avainsketchofsomething,asortofvegetable,whichthinksthatitwalks,andthinksthatitthinks,youwillcontinuetolivewiththelifewhichyouhavestolenfromher,asuselessasacandleinbroaddaylight?Come,havealittlepity,Gringoire;begenerousinyourturn;itwasshewhosettheexample。\" Thepriestwasvehement。Gringoirelistenedtohimatfirstwithanundecidedair,thenhebecametouched,andwoundupwithagrimacewhichmadehispallidfaceresemblethatofanew-borninfantwithanattackofthecolic。 \"Youarepathetic!\"saidhe,wipingawayatear。\"Well! Iwillthinkaboutit。That’saqueerideaofyours——Afterall,\"hecontinuedafterapause,\"whoknows?perhapstheywillnothangme。Hewhobecomesbetrotheddoesnotalwaysmarry。Whentheyfindmeinthatlittlelodgingsogrotesquelymuffledinpetticoatandcoif,perchancetheywillburstwithlaughter。Andthen,iftheydohangme,——well!thehalterisasgoodadeathasany。’Tisadeathworthyofasagewhohaswaveredallhislife;adeathwhichisneitherfleshnorfish,likethemindofaveritablesceptic;adeathallstampedwithPyrrhonismandhesitation,whichholdsthemiddlestationbetwixtheavenandearth,whichleavesyouinsuspense。’Tisaphilosopher’sdeath,andIwasdestinedthereto,perchance。Itismagnificenttodieasonehaslived。\" Thepriestinterruptedhim:\"Isitagreed。\" \"Whatisdeath,afterall?\"pursuedGringoirewithexaltation。 \"Adisagreeablemoment,atoll-gate,thepassageoflittletonothingness。SomeonehavingaskedCercidas,theMegalopolitan,ifhewerewillingtodie:’Whynot?’hereplied;’foraftermydeathIshallseethosegreatmen,Pythagorasamongthephilosophers,Hecataeusamonghistorians,Homeramongpoets,Olympusamongmusicians。’\" Thearchdeacongavehimhishand:\"Itissettled,then? Youwillcometo-morrow?\" ThisgesturerecalledGringoiretoreality。 \"Ah!i’faithno!\"hesaidinthetoneofamanjustwakingup。\"Behanged!’tistooabsurd。Iwillnot。\" \"Farewell,then!\"andthearchdeaconaddedbetweenhisteeth:\"I’llfindyouagain!\" \"Idonotwantthatdevilofamantofindme,\"thoughtGringoire;andheranafterDomClaude。\"Stay,monsieurthearchdeacon,noill-feelingbetweenoldfriends!Youtakeaninterestinthatgirl,mywife,Imean,and’tiswell。YouhavedevisedaschemetogetheroutofNotre-Dame,butyourwayisextremelydisagreeabletome,Gringoire。IfIhadonlyanotheronemyself!Ibegtosaythataluminousinspirationhasjustoccurredtome。IfIpossessedanexpedientforextricatingherfromadilemma,withoutcompromisingmyownnecktotheextentofasinglerunningknot,whatwouldyousaytoit?Willnotthatsufficeyou?IsitabsolutelynecessarythatIshouldbehanged,inorderthatyoumaybecontent?\" Thepriesttoreoutthebuttonsofhiscassockwithimpatience:\"Streamofwords!Whatisyourplan?\" \"Yes,\"resumedGringoire,talkingtohimselfandtouchinghisnosewithhisforefingerinsignofmeditation,——\"that’sit!——Thethievesarebravefellows!——ThetribeofEgyptloveher!——Theywillriseatthefirstword!——Nothingeasier!——Asuddenstroke——Undercoverofthedisorder,theywilleasilycarryheroff!——Beginningto-morrowevening。 Theywillasknothingbetter。 \"Theplan!speak,\"criedthearchdeaconshakinghim。 Gringoireturnedmajesticallytowardshim:\"Leaveme! YouseethatIamcomposing。\"Hemeditatedforafewmomentsmore,thenbegantoclaphishandsoverhisthought,crying:\"Admirable!successissure!\" \"Theplan!\"repeatedClaudeinwrath。 Gringoirewasradiant。 \"Come,thatImaytellyouthatverysoftly。’Tisatrulygallantcounter-plot,whichwillextricateusallfromthematter。 Pardieu,itmustbeadmittedthatIamnofool。\" Hebrokeoff。 \"Oh,bytheway!isthelittlegoatwiththewench?\" \"Yes。Thedeviltakeyou!\" \"Theywouldhavehangeditalso,wouldtheynot?\" \"Whatisthattome?\" \"Yes,theywouldhavehangedit。Theyhangedasowlastmonth。Theheadsmanloveththat;heeatsthebeastafterwards。 TakemyprettyDjali!Poorlittlelamb!\" \"Malediction!\"exclaimedDomClaude。\"Youaretheexecutioner。Whatmeansofsafetyhaveyoufound,knave? Mustyourideabeextractedwiththeforceps?\" \"Veryfine,master,thisisit。\" Gringoirebenthisheadtothearchdeacon’sheadandspoketohiminaverylowvoice,castinganuneasyglancethewhilefromoneendtotheotherofthestreet,thoughnoonewaspassing。Whenhehadfinished,DomClaudetookhishandandsaidcoldly:\"’Tiswell。Farewelluntilto-morrow。\" \"Untilto-morrow,\"repeatedGringoire。And,whilethearchdeaconwasdisappearinginonedirection,hesetoffintheother,sayingtohimselfinalowvoice:\"Here’sagrandaffair,MonsieurPierreGringoire。Nevermind!’Tisnotwrittenthatbecauseoneisofsmallaccountoneshouldtakefrightatagreatenterprise。Bitoucarriedagreatbullonhisshoulders;thewater-wagtails,thewarblers,andthebuntingstraversetheocean。\" CHAPTERII。 TURNVAGABOND。 Onre-enteringthecloister,thearchdeaconfoundatthedoorofhiscellhisbrotherJehanduMoulin,whowaswaitingforhim,andwhohadbeguiledthetediumofwaitingbydrawingonthewallwithabitofcharcoal,aprofileofhiselderbrother,enrichedwithamonstrousnose。 DomClaudehardlylookedathisbrother;histhoughtswereelsewhere。Thatmerryscamp’sfacewhosebeaminghadsooftenrestoredserenitytothepriest’ssombrephysiognomy,wasnowpowerlesstomeltthegloomwhichgrewmoredenseeverydayoverthatcorrupted,mephitic,andstagnantsoul。 \"Brother,\"saidJehantimidly,\"Iamcometoseeyou。\" Thearchdeacondidnotevenraisehiseyes。 \"Whatthen?\" \"Brother,\"resumedthehypocrite,\"youaresogoodtome,andyougivemesuchwisecounselsthatIalwaysreturntoyou。\" \"Whatnext?\" \"Alas!brother,youwereperfectlyrightwhenyousaidtome,——\"Jehan!Jehan!~cessatdoctorumdoctrina,discipulorumdisciplina~。Jehan,bewise,Jehan,belearned,Jehan,passnotthenightoutsideofthecollegewithoutlawfuloccasionanddueleaveofthemaster。CudgelnotthePicards:~noli,Joannes,verberarePicardos~。Rotnotlikeanunletteredass,~quasiasinusillitteratus~,onthestrawseatsoftheschool。 Jehan,allowyourselftobepunishedatthediscretionofthemaster。Jehangoeveryeveningtochapel,andsingthereananthemwithverseandorisontoMadamethegloriousVirginMary——Alas!whatexcellentadvicewasthat!\" \"Andthen?\" \"Brother,youbeholdaculprit,acriminal,awretch,alibertine,amanofenormities!Mydearbrother,Jehanhathmadeofyourcounselsstrawanddungtotrampleunderfoot。 Ihavebeenwellchastisedforit,andGodisextraordinarilyjust。AslongasIhadmoney,Ifeasted,Ileadamadandjoyouslife。Oh!howuglyandcrabbedbehindisdebauchwhichissocharminginfront!NowIhavenolongerablank;Ihavesoldmynapery,myshirtandmytowels;nomoremerrylife! ThebeautifulcandleisextinguishedandIhavehenceforth,onlyawretchedtallowdipwhichsmokesinmynose。Thewenchesjeeratme。Idrinkwater——Iamoverwhelmedwithremorseandwithcreditors。 \"Therest?\"saidthearchdeacon。 \"Alas!myverydearbrother,Ishouldliketosettledowntoabetterlife。Icometoyoufullofcontrition,Iampenitent。Imakemyconfession。Ibeatmybreastviolently。 YouarequiterightinwishingthatIshouldsomedaybecomealicentiateandsub-monitorinthecollegeofTorchi。AtthepresentmomentIfeelamagnificentvocationforthatprofession。ButIhavenomoreinkandImustbuysome;I havenomorepaper,Ihavenomorebooks,andImustbuysome。 Forthispurpose,Iamgreatlyinneedofalittlemoney,andIcometoyou,brother,withmyheartfullofcontrition。\" \"Isthatall?\" \"Yes,\"saidthescholar。\"Alittlemoney。\" \"Ihavenone。\" Thenthescholarsaid,withanairwhichwasbothgraveandresolute:\"Well,brother,Iamsorrytobeobligedtotellyouthatveryfineoffersandpropositionsarebeingmadetomeinanotherquarter。Youwillnotgivemeanymoney?No。InthatcaseIshallbecomeaprofessionalvagabond。\" Asheutteredthesemonstrouswords,heassumedthemienofAjax,expectingtoseethelightningsdescenduponhishead。 Thearchdeaconsaidcoldlytohim,- \"Becomeavagabond。\" Jehanmadehimadeepbow,anddescendedthecloisterstairs,whistling。 Atthemomentwhenhewaspassingthroughthecourtyardofthecloister,beneathhisbrother’swindow,heheardthatwindowopen,raisedhiseyesandbeheldthearchdeacon’ssevereheademerge。 \"Gotothedevil!\"saidDomClaude;\"hereisthelastmoneywhichyouwillgetfromme?\" Atthesametime,thepriestflungJehanapurse,whichgavethescholarabigbumpontheforehead,andwithwhichJehanretreated,bothvexedandcontent,likeadogwhohadbeenstonedwithmarrowbones。 CHAPTERIII。 LONGLIVEMIRTH。 ThereaderhasprobablynotforgottenthatapartoftheCourdeMiracleswasenclosedbytheancientwallwhichsurroundedthecity,agoodlynumberofwhosetowershadbegun,evenatthatepoch,tofalltoruin。Oneofthesetowershadbeenconvertedintoapleasureresortbythevagabonds。Therewasadrain-shopintheundergroundstory,andtherestintheupperstories。Thiswasthemostlively,andconsequentlythemosthideous,pointofthewholeoutcastden。Itwasasortofmonstroushive,whichbuzzedtherenightandday。 Atnight,whentheremainderofthebeggarhordeslept,whentherewasnolongerawindowlightedinthedingyfa?adesofthePlace,whennotacrywasanylongertobeheardproceedingfromthoseinnumerablefamilies,thoseant-hillsofthieves,ofwenches,andstolenorbastardchildren,themerrytowerwasstillrecognizablebythenoisewhichitmade,bythescarletlightwhich,flashingsimultaneouslyfromtheair-holes,thewindows,thefissuresinthecrackedwalls,escaped,sotospeak,fromitseverypore。 Thecellarthen,wasthedram-shop。ThedescenttoitwasthroughalowdoorandbyastaircaseassteepasaclassicAlexandrine。Overthedoor,bywayofasigntherehungamarvellousdaub,representingnewsonsanddeadchickens,* withthis,punbelow:~Auxsonneurspourlestrépassés~,——Thewringersforthedead。 *~Solsneufs:pouletstués~。 OneeveningwhenthecurfewwassoundingfromallthebelfriesinParis,thesergeantsofthewatchmighthaveobserved,haditbeengrantedtothemtoentertheformidableCourtofMiracles,thatmoretumultthanusualwasinprogressinthevagabonds’tavern,thatmoredrinkingwasbeingdone,andlouderswearing。OutsideinthePlace,there,weremanygroupsconversinginlowtones,aswhensomegreatplanisbeingframed,andhereandthereaknavecrouchingdownengagedinsharpeningavillanousironbladeonapaving-stone。 Meanwhile,inthetavernitself,wineandgamingofferedsuchapowerfuldiversiontotheideaswhichoccupiedthevagabonds’lairthatevening,thatitwouldhavebeendifficulttodivinefromtheremarksofthedrinkers,whatwasthematterinhand。Theymerelyworeagayerairthanwastheirwont,andsomeweaponcouldbeseenglitteringbetweenthelegsofeachofthem,——asickle,anaxe,abigtwo-edgedswordorthehookofanoldhackbut。 Theroom,circularinform,wasveryspacious;butthetablesweresothicklysetandthedrinkerssonumerous,thatallthatthetaverncontained,men,women,benches,beer-jugs,allthatweredrinking,allthatweresleeping,allthatwereplaying,thewell,thelame,seemedpileduppell-mell,withasmuchorderandharmonyasaheapofoystershells。Therewereafewtallowdipslightedonthetables;buttherealluminaryofthistavern,thatwhichplayedthepartinthisdram-shopofthechandelierofanoperahouse,wasthefire。 Thiscellarwassodampthatthefirewasneverallowedtogoout,eveninmidsummer;animmensechimneywithasculpturedmantel,allbristlingwithheavyironandironsandcookingutensils,withoneofthosehugefiresofmixedwoodandpeatwhichatnight,invillagestreetsmakethereflectionofforgewindowsstandoutsoredontheoppositewalls。Abigdoggravelyseatedintheasheswasturningaspitloadedwithmeatbeforethecoals。 Greataswastheconfusion,afterthefirstglanceonecoulddistinguishinthatmultitude,threeprincipalgroupswhichthrongedaroundthreepersonagesalreadyknowntothereader。 Oneofthesepersonages,fantasticallyaccoutredinmanyanorientalrag,wasMathiasHungadiSpicali,DukeofEgyptandBohemia。Theknavewasseatedonatablewithhislegscrossed,andinaloudvoicewasbestowinghisknowledgeofmagic,bothblackandwhite,onmanyagapingfacewhichsurroundedhim。Anotherrabblepressedclosearoundouroldfriend,thevaliantKingofThunes,armedtotheteeth。 ClopinTrouillefou,withaveryseriousairandinalowvoice,wasregulatingthedistributionofanenormouscaskofarms,whichstoodwideopeninfrontofhimandfromwhencepouredoutinprofusion,axes,swords,bassinets,coatsofmail,broadswords,lance-heads,arrows,andviretons,*likeapplesandgrapesfromahornofplenty。Everyonetooksomethingfromthecask,oneamorion,anotheralong,straightsword,anotheradaggerwithacross——shapedhilt。Theverychildrenwerearmingthemselves,andtherewereevencripplesinbowlswho,inarmorandcuirass,madetheirwaybetweenthelegsofthedrinkers,likegreatbeetles。 *Anarrowwithapyramidalheadofironandcopperspiralwings,bywhicharotatorymotionwascommunicated。 Finally,athirdaudience,themostnoisy,themostjovial,andthemostnumerous,encumberedbenchesandtables,inthemidstofwhichharanguedandsworeaflute-likevoice,whichescapedfrombeneathaheavyarmor,completefromcasquetospurs。Theindividualwhohadthusscrewedawholeoutfituponhisbody,wassohiddenbyhiswarlikeaccoutrementsthatnothingwastobeseenofhispersonsaveanimpertinent,red,snubnose,arosymouth,andboldeyes。Hisbeltwasfullofdaggersandponiards,ahugeswordonhiship,arustedcross-bowathisleft,andavastjugofwineinfrontofhim,withoutreckoningonhisright,afatwenchwithherbosomuncovered。Allmouthsaroundhimwerelaughing,cursing,anddrinking。 Addtwentysecondarygroups,thewaiters,maleandfemale,runningwithjugsontheirheads,gamblerssquattingovertaws,merelles,*dice,vachettes,theardentgameoftringlet,quarrelsinonecorner,kissesinanother,andthereaderwillhavesomeideaofthiswholepicture,overwhichflickeredthelightofagreat,flamingfire,whichmadeathousandhugeandgrotesqueshadowsdanceoverthewallsofthedrinkingshop。 *Agameplayedonachecker-boardcontainingthreeconcentricsetsofsquares,withsmallstones。Thegameconsistedingettingthreestonesinarow。 Asforthenoise,itwasliketheinsideofabellatfullpeal。 Thedripping-pan,wherecrackledarainofgrease,filledwithitscontinualsputteringtheintervalsofthesethousanddialogues,whichintermingledfromoneendoftheapartmenttotheother。 Inthemidstofthisuproar,attheextremityofthetavern,onthebenchinsidethechimney,sataphilosophermeditatingwithhisfeetintheashesandhiseyesonthebrands。ItwasPierreGringoire。 \"Bequick!makehaste,armyourselves!wesetoutonthemarchinanhour!\"saidClopinTrouillefoutohisthieves。 Awenchwashumming,—— \"~Bonsoirmonpèreetmamere,Lesdernierscouvrentlefeu~。\"* *Goodnight,fatherandmother,thelastcoverupthefire。 Twocardplayersweredisputing,—— \"Knave!\"criedthereddestfacedofthetwo,shakinghisfistattheother;\"I’llmarkyouwiththeclub。YoucantaketheplaceofMistigriinthepackofcardsofmonseigneurtheking。\" \"Ugh!\"roaredaNorman,recognizablebyhisnasalaccent; \"wearepackedinherelikethesaintsofCaillouville!\" \"Mysons,\"theDukeofEgyptwassayingtohisaudience,inafalsettovoice,\"sorceressesinFrancegotothewitches’ sabbathwithoutbroomsticks,orgrease,orsteed,merelybymeansofsomemagicwords。ThewitchesofItalyalwayshaveabuckwaitingforthemattheirdoor。Allareboundtogooutthroughthechimney。\" Thevoiceoftheyoungscamparmedfromheadtofoot,dominatedtheuproar。 \"Hurrah!hurrah!\"hewasshouting。\"Myfirstdayinarmor!Outcast!Iamanoutcast。Givemesomethingtodrink。Myfriends,mynameisJehanFrolloduMoulin,andIamagentleman。MyopinionisthatifGodwerea~gendarme~,hewouldturnrobber。Brothers,weareabouttosetoutonafineexpedition。Laysiegetothechurch,burstinthedoors,dragoutthebeautifulgirl,saveherfromthejudges,saveherfromthepriests,dismantlethecloister,burnthebishopinhispalace——allthiswewilldoinlesstimethanittakesforaburgomastertoeataspoonfulofsoup。Ourcauseisjust,wewillplunderNotre-Dameandthatwillbetheendofit。WewillhangQuasimodo。DoyouknowQuasimodo,ladies?HaveyouseenhimmakehimselfbreathlessonthebigbellonagrandPentecostfestival!~CorneduPère~!’tisveryfine!Onewouldsayhewasadevilmountedonaman。Listentome,myfriends;Iamavagabondtothebottomofmyheart,Iamamemberoftheslangthiefganginmysoul,Iwasbornanindependentthief。Ihavebeenrich,andIhavedevouredallmyproperty。Mymotherwantedtomakeanofficerofme;myfather,asub-deacon;myaunt,acouncillorofinquests;mygrandmother,prothonotarytotheking;mygreataunt,atreasureroftheshortrobe,——andIhavemademyselfanoutcast。Isaidthistomyfather,whospithiscurseinmyface;tomymother,whosettoweepingandchattering,pooroldlady,likeyonderfagotontheand-irons。Longlivemirth!IamarealBicêtre。Waitress,mydear,morewine。Ihavestillthewherewithaltopay。I wantnomoreSurènewine。Itdistressesmythroat。I’daslief,~corboeuf~!garglemythroatwithabasket。\" Meanwhile,therabbleapplaudedwithshoutsoflaughter; andseeingthatthetumultwasincreasingaroundhim,thescholarcried,。 \"Oh!whatafinenoise!~Populidebacchantispopulosadebacchatio~!\"Thenhebegantosing,hiseyeswimminginecstasy,inthetoneofacanonintoningvespers,~Quoecantica!quoeorgana!quoecantilenoe!quoemeloclioehicsinefinedecantantur!Sonantmellifluahymnorumorgana,suavissimaangelorummelodia,canticacanticorummira~! Hebrokeoff:\"Tavern-keeperofthedevil,givemesomesupper!\" Therewasamomentofpartialsilence,duringwhichthesharpvoiceoftheDukeofEgyptrose,ashegaveinstructionstohisBohemians。 \"TheweaseliscalledAdrune;thefox,Blue-foot,ortheRaceroftheWoods;thewolf,Gray-foot,orGold-foot;thebeartheOldMan,orGrandfather。Thecapofagnomeconfersinvisibility,andcausesonetobeholdinvisiblethings。 Everytoadthatisbaptizedmustbecladinredorblackvelvet,abellonitsneck,abellonitsfeet。Thegodfatherholdsitshead,thegodmotheritshinderparts。’TisthedemonSidragasumwhohaththepowertomakewenchesdancestarknaked。\" \"Bythemass!\"interruptedJehan,\"IshouldliketobethedemonSidragasum。\" Meanwhile,thevagabondscontinuedtoarmthemselvesandwhisperattheotherendofthedram-shop。 \"ThatpoorEsmeralda!\"saidaBohemian。\"Sheisoursister。Shemustbetakenawayfromthere。\" \"IsshestillatNotre-Dame?\"wentonamerchantwiththeappearanceofaJew。 \"Yes,pardieu!\" \"Well!comrades!\"exclaimedthemerchant,\"toNotre-Dame! Somuchthebetter,sincethereareinthechapelofSaintsFéréolandFerrutiontwostatues,theoneofJohntheBaptist,theotherofSaint-Antoine,ofsolidgold,weighingtogethersevenmarksofgoldandfifteenestellins;andthepedestalsareofsilver-gilt,ofseventeenmarks,fiveounces。 Iknowthat;Iamagoldsmith。\" HeretheyservedJehanwithhissupper。Ashethrewhimselfbackonthebosomofthewenchbesidehim,heexclaimed,—— \"BySaintVoult-de-Lucques,whompeoplecallSaintGoguelu,Iamperfectlyhappy。Ihavebeforemeafoolwhogazesatmewiththesmoothfaceofanarchduke。Hereisoneonmyleftwhoseteetharesolongthattheyhidehischin。Andthen,IamliketheMarshaldeGiéatthesiegeofPontoise,Ihavemyrightrestingonahillock。~Ventre- Mahom~!Comrade!youhavetheairofamerchantoftennis- balls;andyoucomeandsityourselfbesideme!Iamanobleman,myfriend!Tradeisincompatiblewithnobility。 Getoutofthat!Holahé!Youothers,don’tfight!What,BaptisteCroque-Oison,youwhohavesuchafinenosearegoingtoriskitagainstthebigfistsofthatlout!Fool! ~Noncuiquamdatumesthaberenasum~——noteveryoneisfavoredwithanose。Youarereallydivine,JacquelineRonge-Oreille!’tisapitythatyouhavenohair!Holà! mynameisJehanFrollo,andmybrotherisanarchdeacon。 Maythedevilflyoffwithhim!AllthatItellyouisthetruth。Inturningvagabond,Ihavegladlyrenouncedthehalfofahousesituatedinparadise,whichmybrotherhadpromisedme。~Dimidiamdomuminparadiso~。Iquotethetext。I haveafiefintheRueTirechappe,andallthewomenareinlovewithme,astrueasSaintEloywasanexcellentgoldsmith,andthatthefivetradesofthegoodcityofParisarethetanners,thetawers,themakersofcross-belts,thepurse-makers,andthesweaters,andthatSaintLaurentwasburntwitheggshells。Isweartoyou,comrades。 \"~Quejenebeuvraidepiment,Devantunan,sijecyment~。* *ThatIwilldrinknospicedandhoneyedwineforayear,ifIamlyingnow。 \"’Tismoonlight,mycharmer;seeyonderthroughthewindowhowthewindistearingthecloudstotatters!EventhuswillIdotoyourgorget——Wenches,wipethechildren’snosesandsnuffthecandles——ChristandMahom!WhatamIeatinghere,Jupiter?Ohé!innkeeper!thehairwhichisnotontheheadsofyourhussiesonefindsinyouromelettes。Oldwoman!Ilikebaldomelettes。Maythedevilconfoundyou!——A finehostelryofBeelzebub,wherethehussiescombtheirheadswiththeforks! \"~Etjen’aimoi,Parlasang-Dieu! Nifoi,niloi,Nifeu,nilieu,Niroi,NiDieu。\"* *AndbythebloodofGod,Ihaveneitherfaithnorlaw,norfirenordwelling-place,norkingnorGod。 Inthemeantime,ClopinTrouillefouhadfinishedthedistributionofarms。HeapproachedGringoire,whoappearedtobeplungedinaprofoundrevery,withhisfeetonanandiron。 \"FriendPierre,\"saidtheKingofThunes,\"whatthedevilareyouthinkingabout?\" Gringoireturnedtohimwithamelancholysmile。 \"Ilovethefire,mydearlord。Notforthetrivialreasonthatfirewarmsthefeetorcooksoursoup,butbecauseithassparks。SometimesIpasswholehoursinwatchingthesparks。 Idiscoverathousandthingsinthosestarswhicharesprinkledovertheblackbackgroundofthehearth。Thosestarsarealsoworlds。\" \"Thunder,ifIunderstandyou!\"saidtheoutcast。\"Doyouknowwhato’clockitis?\" \"Idonotknow,\"repliedGringoire。 ClopinapproachedtheDukeofEgypt。 \"ComradeMathias,thetimewehavechosenisnotagoodone。KingLouisXI。issaidtobeinParis。\" \"Anotherreasonforsnatchingoursisterfromhisclaws,\" repliedtheoldBohemian。 \"Youspeaklikeaman,Mathias,\"saidtheKingofThunes。 \"Moreover,wewillactpromptly。Noresistanceistobefearedinthechurch。Thecanonsarehares,andweareinforce。Thepeopleoftheparliamentwillbewellbalkedto-morrowwhentheycometoseekher!GutsofthepopeI don’twantthemtohangtheprettygirl!\" Chopinquittedthedram-shop。 Meanwhile,Jehanwasshoutinginahoarsevoice: \"Ieat,Idrink,Iamdrunk,IamJupiter!Eh!Pierre,theSlaughterer,ifyoulookatmelikethatagain,I’llfillipthedustoffyournoseforyou。\" Gringoire,tornfromhismeditations,begantowatchthewildandnoisyscenewhichsurroundedhim,mutteringbetweenhisteeth:\"~Luxuriosaresvinumettumultuosaebrietas~。 Alas!whatgoodreasonIhavenottodrink,andhowexcellentlyspokeSaint-Benoit:’~Vinumapostatarefacitetiamsapientes!’\" Atthatmoment,Clopinreturnedandshoutedinavoiceofthunder:\"Midnight!\" Atthisword,whichproducedtheeffectofthecalltobootandsaddleonaregimentatahalt,alltheoutcasts,men,women,children,rushedinamassfromthetavern,withgreatnoiseofarmsandoldironimplements。 Themoonwasobscured。 TheCourdesMiracleswasentirelydark。Therewasnotasinglelight。Onecouldmakeoutthereathrongofmenandwomenconversinginlowtones。Theycouldbeheardbuzzing,andagleamofallsortsofweaponswasvisibleinthedarkness。Clopinmountedalargestone。 \"Toyourranks,Argot!\"*hecried。\"Fallintoline,Egypt! Formranks,Galilee!\" *Menofthebrotherhoodofslang:thieves。 Amovementbeganinthedarkness。Theimmensemultitudeappearedtoforminacolumn。Afterafewminutes,theKingofThunesraisedhisvoiceoncemore,—— \"Now,silencetomarchthroughParis!Thepasswordis,’Littleswordinpocket!’ThetorcheswillnotbelightedtillwereachNotre-Dame!Forward,march!\" Tenminuteslater,thecavaliersofthewatchfledinterrorbeforealongprocessionofblackandsilentmenwhichwasdescendingtowardsthePontanChange,throughthetortuousstreetswhichpiercetheclose-builtneighborhoodofthemarketsineverydirection。 CHAPTERIV。 ANAWKWARDFRIEND。 Thatnight,Quasimododidnotsleep。Hehadjustmadehislastroundofthechurch。Hehadnotnoticed,thatatthemomentwhenhewasclosingthedoors,thearchdeaconhadpassedclosetohimandbetrayedsomedispleasureonseeinghimboltingandbarringwithcaretheenormousironlockswhichgavetotheirlargeleavesthesolidityofawall。DomClaude’sairwasevenmorepreoccupiedthanusual。Moreover,sincethenocturnaladventureinthecell,hehadconstantlyabusedQuasimodo,butinvaindidheilltreat,andevenbeathimoccasionally,nothingdisturbedthesubmission,patience,thedevotedresignationofthefaithfulbellringer。Heenduredeverythingonthepartofthearchdeacon,insults,threats,blows,withoutmurmuringacomplaint。Atthemost,hegazeduneasilyafterDomClaudewhenthelatterascendedthestaircaseofthetower;butthearchdeaconhadabstainedfrompresentinghimselfagainbeforethegypsy’seyes。 Onthatnight,accordingly,Quasimodo,afterhavingcastaglanceathispoorbellswhichhesoneglectednow,Jacqueline,Marie,andThibauld,mountedtothesummitoftheNortherntower,andtheresettinghisdarklanturn,wellclosed,upontheleads,hebegantogazeatParis。Thenight,aswehavealreadysaid,wasverydark。Pariswhich,sotospeakwasnotlightedatthatepoch,presentedtotheeyeaconfusedcollectionofblackmasses,cuthereandtherebythewhitishcurveoftheSeine。Quasimodonolongersawanylightwiththeexceptionofonewindowinadistantedifice,whosevagueandsombreprofilewasoutlinedwellabovetheroofs,inthedirectionofthePorteSainte-Antoine。 Therealso,therewassomeoneawake。 Astheonlyeyeofthebellringerpeeredintothathorizonofmistandnight,hefeltwithinhimaninexpressibleuneasiness。Forseveraldayshehadbeenuponhisguard。Hehadperceivedmenofsinistermien,whonevertooktheireyesfromtheyounggirl’sasylum,prowlingconstantlyaboutthechurch。Hefanciedthatsomeplotmightbeinprocessofformationagainsttheunhappyrefugee。Heimaginedthatthereexistedapopularhatredagainsther,asagainsthimself,andthatitwasverypossiblethatsomethingmighthappensoon。Henceheremaineduponhistoweronthewatch,\"dreaminginhisdream-place,\"asRabelaissays,withhiseyedirectedalternatelyonthecellandonParis,keepingfaithfulguard,likeagooddog,withathousandsuspicionsinhismind。 Allatonce,whilehewasscrutinizingthegreatcitywiththateyewhichnature,byasortofcompensation,hadmadesopiercingthatitcouldalmostsupplytheotherorganswhichQuasimodolacked,itseemedtohimthattherewassomethingsingularabouttheQuaydelaVieille-Pelleterie,thattherewasamovementatthatpoint,thatthelineoftheparapet,standingoutblacklyagainstthewhitenessofthewaterwasnotstraightandtranquil,likethatoftheotherquays,butthatitundulatedtotheeye,likethewavesofariver,orliketheheadsofacrowdinmotion。 Thisstruckhimasstrange。Heredoubledhisattention。 ThemovementseemedtobeadvancingtowardstheCity。 Therewasnolight。Itlastedforsometimeonthequay; thenitgraduallyceased,asthoughthatwhichwaspassingwereenteringtheinterioroftheisland;thenitstoppedaltogether,andthelineofthequaybecamestraightandmotionlessagain。 AtthemomentwhenQuasimodowaslostinconjectures,itseemedtohimthatthemovementhadre-appearedintheRueduParvis,whichisprolongedintothecityperpendicularlytothefa?adeofNotre-Dame。Atlength,denseaswasthedarkness,hebeheldtheheadofacolumndebouchfromthatstreet,andinaninstantacrowd——ofwhichnothingcouldbedistinguishedinthegloomexceptthatitwasacrowd——spreadoverthePlace。 Thisspectaclehadaterrorofitsown。Itisprobablethatthissingularprocession,whichseemedsodesirousofconcealingitselfunderprofounddarkness,maintainedasilencenolessprofound。Nevertheless,somenoisemusthaveescapedit,wereitonlyatrampling。Butthisnoisedidnotevenreachourdeafman,andthisgreatmultitude,ofwhichhesawhardlyanything,andofwhichheheardnothing,thoughitwasmarchingandmovingsonearhim,produceduponhimtheeffectofarabbleofdeadmen,mute,impalpable,lostinasmoke。Itseemedtohim,thathebeheldadvancingtowardshimafogofmen,andthathesawshadowsmovingintheshadow。 Thenhisfearsreturnedtohim,theideaofanattemptagainstthegypsypresenteditselfoncemoretohismind。 Hewasconscious,inaconfusedway,thataviolentcrisiswasapproaching。Atthatcriticalmomenthetookcounselwithhimself,withbetterandprompterreasoningthanonewouldhaveexpectedfromsobadlyorganizedabrain。Oughthetoawakenthegypsy?tomakeherescape?Whither?Thestreetswereinvested,thechurchbackedontheriver。Noboat,noissue!——Therewasbutonethingtobedone;toallowhimselftobekilledonthethresholdofNotre-Dame,toresistatleastuntilsuccorarrived,ifitshouldarrive,andnottotroublelaEsmeralda’ssleep。Thisresolutiononcetaken,hesettoexaminingtheenemywithmoretranquillity。 Thethrongseemedtoincreaseeverymomentinthechurchsquare。Only,hepresumedthatitmustbemakingverylittlenoise,sincethewindowsonthePlaceremainedclosed。 Allatonce,aflameflashedup,andinaninstantsevenoreightlightedtorchespassedovertheheadsofthecrowd,shakingtheirtuftsofflameinthedeepshade。QuasimodothenbehelddistinctlysurgingintheParvisafrightfulherdofmenandwomeninrags,armedwithscythes,pikes,billhooksandpartisans,whosethousandpointsglittered。Hereandthereblackpitchforksformedhornstothehideousfaces。