就去读小说网 > 文学电子书 > 雨果 悲惨世界 英文版2 >

第61章

雨果 悲惨世界 英文版2-第61章

小说: 雨果 悲惨世界 英文版2 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



h contained every form of anguish; stifled by every form of cynicism:
  〃Bah!〃
  And she began to hum these words to a gay air:〃J'ai faim; mon pere。〃
  I am hungry; father。 
   Pas de fricot。 I have no food。 
   J'ai froid; ma mere。
   I am cold; mother。 
   Pas de tricot。 I have no clothes。 
   Grelotte;
  Lolotte! Lolotte!
   Shiver; Sanglote;
  Sob; Jacquot!〃
  Jacquot!〃
  She had hardly finished this couplet; when she exexclaimed:
  〃Do you ever go to the play; Monsieur Marius?
  I do。
  I have a little brother who is a friend of the artists; and who gives me tickets sometimes。
  But I don't like the benches in the galleries。 One is cramped and unfortable there。
  There are rough people there sometimes; and people who smell bad。〃
  Then she scrutinized Marius; assumed a singular air and said:
  〃Do you know; Mr。 Marius; that you are a very handsome fellow?〃
  And at the same moment the same idea occurred to them both; and made her smile and him blush。
  She stepped up to him; and laid her hand on his shoulder:
  〃You pay no heed to me; but I know you; Mr。 Marius。
  I meet you here on the staircase; and then I often see you going to a person named Father Mabeuf who lives in the direction of Austerlitz; sometimes when I have been strolling in that quarter。 It is very being to you to have your hair tumbled thus。〃
  She tried to render her voice soft; but only succeeded in making it very deep。
  A portion of her words was lost in the transit from her larynx to her lips; as though on a piano where some notes are missing。
  Marius had retreated gently。
  〃Mademoiselle;〃 said he; with his cool gravity; 〃I have here a package which belongs to you; I think。
  Permit me to return it to you。〃
  And he held out the envelope containing the four letters。
  She clapped her hands and exclaimed:
  〃We have been looking everywhere for that!〃
  Then she eagerly seized the package and opened the envelope; saying as she did so:
  〃Dieu de Dieu! how my sister and I have hunted!
  And it was you who found it!
  On the boulevard; was it not?
  It must have been on the boulevard?
  You see; we let it fall when we were running。 It was that brat of a sister of mine who was so stupid。
  When we got home; we could not find it anywhere。
  As we did not wish to be beaten; as that is useless; as that is entirely useless; as that is absolutely useless; we said that we had carried the letters to the proper persons; and that they had said to us: ‘Nix。' So here they are; those poor letters!
  And how did you find out that they belonged to me?
  Ah! yes; the writing。
  So it was you that we jostled as we passed last night。
  We couldn't see。 I said to my sister:
  ‘Is it a gentleman?'
  My sister said to me: ‘I think it is a gentleman。'〃
  In the meanwhile she had unfolded the petition addressed to 〃the benevolent gentleman of the church of Saint…Jacquesdu…Haut…Pas。〃
  〃Here!〃 said she; 〃this is for that old fellow who goes to mass。 By the way; this is his hour。
  I'll go and carry it to him。 Perhaps he will give us something to breakfast on。〃
  Then she began to laugh again; and added:
  〃Do you know what it will mean if we get a breakfast today? It will mean that we shall have had our breakfast of the day before yesterday; our breakfast of yesterday; our dinner of to…day; and all that at once; and this morning。
  e!
  Parbleu! if you are not satisfied; dogs; burst!〃
  This reminded Marius of the wretched girl's errand to himself。 He fumbled in his waistcoat pocket; and found nothing there。
  The young girl went on; and seemed to have no consciousness of Marius' presence。
  〃I often go off in the evening。
  Sometimes I don't e home again。  winter; before we came here; we lived under the arches of the bridges。
  We huddled together to keep from freezing。 My little sister cried。
  How melancholy the water is!
  When I thought of drowning myself; I said to myself:
  ‘No; it's too cold。' I go out alone; whenever I choose; I sometimes sleep in the ditches。 Do you know; at night; when I walk along the boulevard; I see the trees like forks; I see houses; all black and as big as Notre Dame; I fancy that the white walls are the river; I say to myself:
  ‘Why; there's water there!'
  The stars are like the lamps in illuminations; one would say that they smoked and that the wind blew them out; I am bewildered; as though horses were breathing in my ears; although it is night; I hear hand…organs and spinning…machines; and I don't know what all。
  I think people are flinging stones at me; I flee without knowing whither; everything whirls and whirls。 You feel very queer when you have had no food。〃
  And then she stared at him with a bewildered air。
  By dint of searching and ransacking his pockets; Marius had finally collected five francs sixteen sous。
  This was all he owned in the world for the moment。
  〃At all events;〃 he thought; 〃there is my dinner for to…day; and to…morrow we will see。〃
  He kept the sixteen sous; and handed the five francs to the young girl。
  She seized the coin。
  〃Good!〃 said she; 〃the sun is shining!〃
  And; as though the sun had possessed the property of melting the avalanches of slang in her brain; she went on:
  〃Five francs! the shiner! a monarch! in this hole!
  Ain't this fine! You're a jolly thief!
  I'm your humble servant!
  Bravo for the good fellows!
  Two days' wine! and meat! and stew! we'll have a royal feast! and a good fill!〃
  She pulled her chemise up on her shoulders; made a low bow to Marius; then a familiar sign with her hand; and went towards the door; saying:
  〃Good morning; sir。
  It's all right。
  I'll go and find my old man。〃
  As she passed; she caught sight of a dry crust of bread on the mode; which was moulding there amid the dust; she flung herself upon it and bit into it; muttering:
  〃That's good! it's hard! it breaks my teeth!〃
  Then she departed。
  A ROSE IN MISERY 
  A very young girl was standing in the half…open door。
  The dormer window of the garret; through which the light fell; was precisely opposite the door; and illuminated the figure with a wan light。 She was a frail; emaciated; slender creature; there was nothing but a chemise and a petticoat upon that chilled and shivering nakedness。 Her girdle was a string; her head ribbon a string; her pointed shoulders emerged from her chemise; a blond and lymphatic pallor; earth…colored collar…bones; red hands; a half…open and degraded mouth; missing teeth; dull; bold; base eyes; she had the form of a young girl who has missed her youth; and the look of a corrupt old woman; fifty years mingled with fifteen; one of those beings which are both feeble and horrible; and which cause those to shudder whom they do not cause to weep。
  Marius had risen; and was staring in a sort of stupor at this being; who was almost like the forms of the shadows which traverse dreams。
  The most heart…breaking thing of all was; that this young girl had not e into the world to be homely。
  In her early childhood she must even have been pretty。
  The grace of her age was still struggling against the hideous; premature decrepitude of debauchery and poverty。 The remains of beauty were dying away in that face of sixteen; like the pale sunlight which is extinguished under hideous clouds at dawn on a winter's day。
  That face was not wholly unknown to Marius。
  He thought he remembered having seen it somewhere。
  〃What do you wish; Mademoiselle?〃 he asked。
  The young girl replied in her voice of a drunken convict:
  〃Here is a letter for you; Monsieur Marius。〃
  She called Marius by his name; he could not doubt that he was the person whom she wanted; but who was this girl?
  How did she know his name?
  Without waiting for him to tell her to advance; she entered。 She entered resolutely; staring; with a sort of assurance that made the heart bleed; at the whole room and the unmade bed。
  Her feet were bare。
  Large holes in her petticoat permitted glimpses of her long legs and her thin knees。
  She was shivering。
  She held a letter in her hand; which she presented to Marius。
  Marius; as he opened the letter; noticed that the enormous wafer which sealed it was still moist。
  The message could not have e from a distance。
  He read:
  My amiable neighbor; young man:
  I have learned of your goodness to me; that you paid my rent six months ago。
  I bless you; young man。 My eldest daughter will tell you that we have been without a morsel of bread for two days; four persons and my spouse ill。
  If I am not deseaved in my opinion; I think I may hope that your generous heart will melt at this statement and the desire will subjugate you to be propitious to me by daigning to lavish on me a slight favor。
  I am with the distinguished consideration which is due to the benefactors of humanity; 
  Jondrette。
  P。S。 My eldest daughter will await your orders; dear Monsieur Marius。
  This letter; ing in the very midst of the mysterious adventure which had occupied Marius' thoughts 

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的