雨果 悲惨世界 英文版2-第63章

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　　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。


BOOK　EIGHTH。THE　WICKED　POOR　MAN
CHAPTER　V　
　　A　PROVIDENTIAL　PEEP…HOLE
　　Marius　had　lived　for　five　years　in　poverty；　in　destitution；　even　in　distress；　but　he　now　perceived　that　he　had　not　known　real　misery。
　　True　misery　he　had　but　just　had　a　view　of。　It　was　its　spectre　which　had　just　passed　before　his　eyes。　In　fact；　he　who　has　only　beheld　the　misery　of　man　has　seen　nothing；　the　misery　of　woman　is　what　he　must　see；　he　who　has　seen　only　the　misery　of　woman　has　seen　nothing；　he　must　see　the　misery　of　the　child。
　　When　a　man　has　reached　his　last　extremity；　he　has　reached　his　last　resources　at　the　same　time。
　　Woe　to　the　defenceless　beings　who　surround　him！
　　Work；　wages；　bread；　fire；　courage；　good　will；　all　fail　him　simultaneously。
　　The　light　of　day　seems　extinguished　without；　the　moral　light　within；　in　these　shadows　man　encounters　the　feebleness　of　the　woman　and　the　child；　and　bends　them　violently　to　ignominy。
　　Then　all　horrors　bee　possible。
　　Despair　is　surrounded　with　fragile　partitions　which　all　open　on　either　vice　or　crime。
　　Health；　youth；　honor；　all　the　shy　delicacies　of　the　young　body；　the　heart；　virginity；　modesty；　that　epidermis　of　the　soul；　are　manipulated　in　sinister　wise　by　that　fumbling　which　seeks　resources；　which　encounters　opprobrium；　and　which　acodates　itself　to　it。　Fathers；　mothers；　children；　brothers；　sisters；　men；　women；　daughters；　adhere　and　bee　incorporated；　almost　like　a　mineral　formation；　in　that　dusky　promiscuousness　of　sexes；　relationships；　ages；　infamies；　and　innocences。
　　They　crouch；　back　to　back；　in　a　sort　of　hut　of　fate。　They　exchange　woe…begone　glances。
　　Oh；　the　unfortunate　wretches！　How　pale　they　are！
　　How　cold　they　are！
　　It　seems　as　though　they　dwelt　in　a　planet　much　further　from　the　sun　than　ours。
　　This　young　girl　was　to　Marius　a　sort　of　messenger　from　the　realm　
of　sad　shadows。
　　She　revealed　to　him　a　hideous　side　of　the　night。
　　Marius　almost　reproached　himself　for　the　preoccupations　of　revery　and　passion　which　had　prevented　his　bestowing　a　glance　on　his　neighbors　up　to　that　day。
　　The　payment　of　their　rent　had　been　a　mechanical　movement；　which　any　one　would　have　yielded　to；　but　he；　Marius；　should　have　done　better　than　that。
　　What！　only　a　wall　separated　him　from　those　abandoned　beings　who　lived　gropingly　in　the　dark　outside　the　pale　of　the　rest　of　the　world；　he　was　elbow　to　elbow　with　them；　he　was；　in　some　sort；　the　last　link　of　the　human　race　which　they　touched；　he　heard　them　live；　or　rather；　rattle　in　the　death　agony　beside　him；　and　he　paid　no　heed　to　them！　Every　day；　every　instant；　he　heard　them　walking　on　the　other　side　of　the　wall；　he　heard　them　go；　and　e；　and　speak；　and　he　did　not　even　lend　an　ear！
　　And　groans　lay　in　those　words；　and　he　did　not　even　listen　to　them；　his　thoughts　were　elsewhere；　given　up　to　dreams；　to　impossible　radiances；　to　loves　in　the　air；　to　follies；　and　all　the　while；　human　creatures；　his　brothers　in　Jesus　Christ；　his　brothers　in　the　people；　were　agonizing　in　vain　beside　him！　He　even　formed　a　part　of　their　misfortune；　and　he　aggravated　it。　For　if　they　had　had　another　neighbor　who　was　less　chimerical　and　more　attentive；　any　ordinary　and　charitable　man；　evidently　their　indigence　would　have　been　noticed；　their　signals　of　distress　would　have　been　perceived；　and　they　would　have　been　taken　hold　of　and　rescued！　They　appeared　very　corrupt　and　very　depraved；　no　doubt；　very　vile；　very　odious　even；　but　those　who　fall　without　being　degraded　are　rare；　besides；　there　is　a　point　where　the　unfortunate　and　the　infamous　unite　and　are　confounded　in　a　single　word；　a　fatal　word；　the　miserable；　whose　fault　is　this？
　　And　then　should　not　the　charity　be　all　the　more　profound；　in　proportion　as　the　fall　is　great？
　　While　reading　himself　this　moral　lesson；　for　there　were　occasions　on　which　Marius；　like　all　truly　honest　hearts；　was　his　own　pedagogue　and　scolded　himself　more　than　he　deserved；　he　stared　at　the　wall　which　separated　him　from　the　Jondrettes；　as　though　he　were　able　to　make　his　gaze；　full　of　pity；　penetrate　that　partition　and　warm　these　wretched　people。
　　The　wall　was　a　thin　layer　of　plaster　upheld　by　lathes　and　beams；　and；　as　the　reader　had　just　learned；　it　allowed　the　sound　of　voices　and　words　to　be　clearly　distinguished。　Only　a　man　as　dreamy　as　Marius　could　have　failed　to　perceive　this　long　before。
　　There　was　no　paper　pasted　on　the　wall；　either　on　the　side　of　the　Jondrettes　or　on　that　of　Marius；　the　coarse　construction　was　visible　in　its　nakedness。
　　Marius　examined　the　partition；　almost　unconsciously；　sometimes　revery　examines；　observes；　and　scrutinizes　as　thought　would。
　　All　at　once　he　sprang　up；　he　had　just　perceived；　near　the　top；　close　to　the　ceiling；　a　triangular　hole；　which　resulted　from　the　space　between　three　lathes。　The　plaster　which　should　have　filled　this　cavity　was　missing；　and　by　mounting　on　the　mode；　a　view　could　be　had　through　this　aperture　into　the　Jondrettes'　attic。
　　miseration　has；　and　should　have；　its　curiosity。
　　This　aperture　formed　a　sort　of　peep…hole。　It　is　permissible　to　gaze　at　misfortune　like　a　traitor　in　order　to　succor　it。＇27＇
　　＇27＇　The　peep…hole　is　a　Judas　in　French。
　　Hence　the　half…punning　allusion。
　　〃Let　us　get　some　little　idea　of　what　these　people　are　like；〃　thought　Marius；　〃and　in　what　condition　they　are。〃
　　He　climbed　upon　the　mode；　put　his　eye　to　the　crevice；　and　looked。


BOOK　EIGHTH。THE　WICKED　POOR　MAN
CHAPTER　VI　
　　THE　WILD　MAN　IN　HIS　LAIR
　　Cities；　like　forests；　have　their　caverns　in　which　all　the　most　wicked　and　formidable　creatures　which　they　contain　conceal　themselves。
　　Only；　in　cities；　that　which　thus　conceals　itself　is　ferocious；　unclean；　and　petty；　that　is　to　say；　ugly；　in　forests；　that　which　conceals　itself　is　ferocious；　savage；　and　grand；　that　is　to　say；　beautiful。
　　Taking　one　lair　with　another；　the　beast's　is　preferable　to　the　man's。　Caverns　are　better　than　hovels。
　　What　Marius　now　beheld　was　a　hovel。
　　Marius　was　poor；　and　his　chamber　was　poverty…stricken；　but　as　his　poverty　was　noble；　his　garret　was　neat。
　　The　den　upon　which　his　eye　now　rested　was　abject；　dirty；　fetid；　pestiferous；　mean；　sordid。
　　The　only　furniture　consisted　of　a　straw　chair；　an　infirm　table；　some　old　bits　of　crockery；　and　in　two　of　the　corners；　two　indescribable　pallets；　all　the　light　was　furnishd　by　a　dormer　window　of　four　panes；　draped　with　spiders'　webs。
　　Through　this　aperture　there　penetrated　just　enough　light　to　make　the　face　of　a　man　appear　like　the　face　of　a　phantom。
　　The　walls　had　a　leprous　aspect；　and　were　covered　with　seams　and　scars；　like