雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第110部分

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　foot。
　　She　made　no　plaint；　but　she　was　weary；　and　Jean　Valjean　perceived　it　by　the　way　she　dragged　more　and　more　on　his　hand　as　she　walked。
　　He　took　her　on　his　back。　Cosette；　without　letting　go　of　Catherine；　laid　her　head　on　Jean　Valjean's　shoulder；　and　there　fell　asleep。　


BOOK　FOURTH。THE　GORBEAU　HOVEL
CHAPTER　I　
　　MASTER　GORBEAU
　　Forty　years　ago；　a　rambler　who　had　ventured　into　that　unknown　country　of　the　Salpetriere；　and　who　had　mounted　to　the　Barriere　d'Italie　by　way　of　the　boulevard；　reached　a　point　where　it　might　be　said　that　Paris　disappeared。
　　It　was　no　longer　solitude；　for　there　were　passers…by；　it　was　not　the　country；　for　there　were　houses　and　streets；　it　was　not　the　city；　for　the　streets　had　ruts　like　highways；　and　the　grass　grew　in　them；　it　was　not　a　village；　the　houses　were　too　lofty。
　　What　was　it；　then？
　　It　was　an　inhabited　spot　where　there　was　no　one；　it　was　a　desert　place　where　there　was　some　one；　it　was　a　boulevard　of　the　great　city；　a　street　of　Paris；　more　wild　at　night　than　the　forest；　more　gloomy　by　day　than　a　cemetery。
　　It　was　the　old　quarter　of　the　Marche…aux…Chevaux。
　　The　rambler；　if　he　risked　himself　outside　the　four　decrepit　walls　of　this　Marche…aux…Chevaux；　if　he　consented　even　to　pass　beyond　the　Rue　du　Petit…Banquier；　after　leaving　on　his　right　a　garden　protected　by　high　walls；　then　a　field　in　which　tan…bark　mills　rose　like　gigantic　beaver　huts；　then　an　enclosure　encumbered　with　timber；　with　a　heap　of　stumps；　sawdust；　and　shavings；　on　which　stood　a　large　dog；　barking；　then　a　long；　low；　utterly　dilapidated　wall；　with　a　little　black　door　in　mourning；　laden　with　mosses；　which　were　covered　with　flowers　in　the　spring；　then；　in　the　most　deserted　spot；　a　frightful　and　decrepit　building；　on　which　ran　the　inscription　in　large　letters：
　　POST　NO　BILLS；this　daring　rambler　would　have　reached　little　known　latitudes　at　the　corner　of　the　Rue　des　Vignes…Saint…Marcel。　There；　near　a　factory；　and　between　two　garden　walls；　there　could　be　seen；　at　that　epoch；　a　mean　building；　which；　at　the　first　glance；　seemed　as　small　as　a　thatched　hovel；　and　which　was；　in　reality；　as　large　as　a　cathedral。　It　presented　its　side　and　gable　to　the　public　road；　hence　its　apparent　diminutiveness。
　　Nearly　the　whole　of　the　house　was　hidden。　Only　the　door　and　one　window　could　be　seen。
　　This　hovel　was　only　one　story　high。
　　The　first　detail　that　struck　the　observer　was；　that　the　door　could　never　have　been　anything　but　the　door　of　a　hovel；　while　the　window；　if　it　had　been　carved　out　of　dressed　stone　instead　of　being　in　rough　masonry；　might　have　been　the　lattice　of　a　lordly　mansion。
　　The　door　was　nothing　but　a　collection　of　worm…eaten　planks　roughly　bound　together　by　cross…beams　which　resembled　roughly　hewn　logs。　It　opened　directly　on　a　steep　staircase　of　lofty　steps；　muddy；　chalky；　plaster…stained；　dusty　steps；　of　the　same　width　as　itself；　which　could　be　seen　from　the　street；　running　straight　up　like　a　ladder　and　disappearing　in　the　darkness　between　two　walls。
　　The　top　of　the　shapeless　bay　into　which　this　door　shut　was　masked　by　a　narrow　scantling　in　the　centre　of　which　a　triangular　hole　had　been　sawed；　which　served　both　as　wicket　and　air…hole　when　the　door　was　closed。　On　the　inside　of　the　door　the　figures　52　had　been　traced　with　a　couple　of　strokes　of　a　brush　dipped　in　ink；　and　above　the　scantling　the　same　hand　had　daubed　the　number　50；　so　that　one　hesitated。　Where　was　one？
　　Above　the　door　it　said；　〃Number　50〃；　the　inside　replied；　〃no；　Number　52。〃
　　No　one　knows　what　dust…colored　figures　were　suspended　like　draperies　from　the　triangular　opening。
　　The　window　was　large；　sufficiently　elevated；　garnished　with　Venetian　blinds；　and　with　a　frame　in　large　square　panes；　only　these　large　panes　were　suffering　from　various　wounds；　which　were　both　concealed　and　betrayed　by　an　ingenious　paper　bandage。　And　the　blinds；　dislocated　and　unpasted；　threatened　passers…by　rather　than　screened　the　occupants。
　　The　horizontal　slats　were　missing　here　and　there　and　had　been　naively　replaced　with　boards　nailed　on　perpendicularly；　so　that　what　began　as　a　blind　ended　as　a　shutter。
　　This　door　with　an　unclean；　and　this　window　with　an　honest　though　dilapidated　air；　thus　beheld　on　the　same　house；　produced　the　effect　of　two　inplete　beggars　walking　side　by　side；　with　different　miens　beneath　the　same　rags；　the　one　having　always　been　a　mendicant；　and　the　other　having　once　been　a　gentleman。
　　The　staircase　led　to　a　very　vast　edifice　which　resembled　a　shed　which　had　been　converted　into　a　house。
　　This　edifice　had；　for　its　intestinal　tube；　a　long　corridor；　on　which　opened　to　right　and　left　sorts　of　partments　of　varied　dimensions　which　were　inhabitable　under　stress　of　circumstances；　and　rather　more　like　stalls　than　cells。　These　chambers　received　their　light　from　the　vague　waste　grounds　in　the　neighborhood。
　　All　this　was　dark；　disagreeable；　wan；　melancholy；　sepulchral；　traversed　according　as　the　crevices　lay　in　the　roof　or　in　the　door；　by　cold　rays　or　by　icy　winds。
　　An　interesting　and　picturesque　peculiarity　of　this　sort　of　dwelling　is　the　enormous　size　of　the　spiders。
　　To　the　left　of　the　entrance　door；　on　the　boulevard　side；　at　about　the　height　of　a　man　from　the　ground；　a　small　window　which　had　been　walled　up　formed　a　square　niche　full　of　stones　which　the　children　had　thrown　there　as　they　passed　by。
　　A　portion　of　this　building　has　recently　been　demolished。　From　what　still　remains　of　it　one　can　form　a　judgment　as　to　what　it　was　in　former　days。
　　As　a　whole；　it　was　not　over　a　hundred　years　old。　A　hundred　years　is　youth　in　a　church　and　age　in　a　house。　It　seems　as　though　man's　lodging　partook　of　his　ephemeral　character；　and　God's　house　of　his　eternity。
　　The　postmen　called　the　house　Number　50…52；　but　it　was　known　in　the　neighborhood　as　the　Gorbeau　house。
　　Let　us　explain　whence　this　appellation　was　derived。
　　Collectors　of　petty　details；　who　bee　herbalists　of　anecdotes；　and　prick　slippery　dates　into　their　memories　with　a　pin；　know　that　there　was　in　Paris；　during　the　last　century；　about　1770；　two　attorneys　at　the　Chatelet　named；　one　Corbeau　（Raven）；　the　other　Renard　（Fox）。　The　two　names　had　been　forestalled　by　La　Fontaine。　The　opportunity　was　too　fine　for　the　lawyers；　they　made　the　most　of　it。　A　parody　was　immediately　put　in　circulation　in　the　galleries　of　the　court…house；　in　verses　that　limped　a　little：
　　Maitre　Corbeau；　sur　un　dossier　perche；＇13＇　
　　Tenait　dans　son　bee　une　saisie　executoire；　
　　Maitre　Renard；　par　l'odeur　alleche；　
　　Lui　fit　a　peu　pres　cette　histoire：　He！　bonjour。
　　Etc。
　　＇13＇　Lawyer　Corbeau；　perched　on　a　docket；　held　in　his　beak　a　writ　of　execution；　Lawyer　Renard；　attracted　by　the　smell；　addressed　him　nearly　as　follows；　etc。
　　The　two　honest　practitioners；　embarrassed　by　the　jests；　and　finding　the　bearing　of　their　heads　interfered　with　by　the　shouts　of　laughter　which　followed　them；　resolved　to　get　rid　of　their　names；　and　hit　upon　the　expedient　of　applying　to　the　king。
　　Their　petition　was　presented　to　Louis　XV。
　　on　the　same　day　when　the　Papal　Nuncio；　on　the　one　hand；　and　the　Cardinal　de　la　Roche…Aymon　on　the　other；　both　devoutly　kneeling；　were　each　engaged　in　putting　on；　in　his　Majesty's　presence；　a　slipper　on　the　bare　feet　of　Madame　du　Barry；　who　had　just　got　out　of　bed。
　　The　king；　who　was　laughing；　continued　to　laugh；　passed　gayly　from　the　two　bishops　to　the　two　lawyers；　and　bestowed　on　these　limbs　of　the　law　their　former　names；　or　nearly　so。
　　By　the　kings　mand；　Maitre　Corbeau　was　permitted　to　add　a　tail　to　his　initial　letter　and　to　call　himself　Gorbeau。　Maitre　Renard　was　less　lucky；　all　he　obtained　was　leave　to　place　a　P　in　front　of　his　R；　and　to　call　himself　Prenard；　so　that　the　second　name　bore　almost　as　much　resemblance　as　the　first。
　　Now；　according　to　local　tradition；　this　Maitre　Gorbeau　had　been　the　proprietor　of　the　building　numbered　50…52　on　the　Boulevard　de　l'Hopital。　He　was　even　the　author　of　the　monumental　window。
　　Hence　the　edifice　bore　the　name　of　the　Gorbeau　house。
　　Opposite　this　house；　among　the　trees　of　the　boulevard；　rose　a　great　elm　which　was　three…quarters　dead；　almost　directly　facing　it　opens　the　Rue　de　la　Barriere　des　Gobelins；　a　street　then　without　houses；　unpaved；　planted　with　unhealthy　trees；　which　was　green　or　muddy　according　to　the　season；　and　which　ended　squarely　in　the　exterior　wall　of　Paris。
　　An　odor　of　copperas　issued　in　puffs　from　the　roofs　of　the　neighboring　factory。
　　The　barrier　was　close　at　hand。
　　In　1823　the　city　wall　was　still　in　existence。
　　This　barrier　itself　evoked　gloomy　fancies　in　the　mind。
　　It　was　the　road　to　Bicetre。
　　It　was　through　it　that；　under　the　Empire　and　the　Restoration；　prisoners　condemned　to　death　re…entered　Paris　on　the　day　of　their　execution。
　　It　was　there；　that；　about　1829；　was　mitted　that　mysterious　assassination；　called　〃The　assassination　of　the　Fontainebleau　barrier；〃　whose　authors　justice　was　never　able　to　discover；　a　melancholy　problem　which　has　never　been　elucidated；　a　frightful　enigma　which　has　never　been　unriddled。
　　Take　a　few　steps；　and　you　e　upon　that　fatal　Rue　Croulebarbe；　where　Ulbach　stabbed　the　goat…girl　of　Ivry　to　the　so