雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第128部分

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！


　　Two　narrow　tables；　each　flanked　by　two　wooden　benches；　formed　two　long　parallel　lines　from　one　end　to　the　other　of　the　refectory。
　　The　walls　were　white；　the　tables　were　black；　these　two　mourning　colors　constitute　the　only　variety　in　convents。
　　The　meals　were　plain；　and　the　food　of　the　children　themselves　severe。
　　A　single　dish　of　meat　and　vegetables　bined；　or　salt　fishsuch　was　their　luxury。
　　This　meagre　fare；　which　was　reserved　for　the　pupils　alone；　was；　nevertheless；　an　exception。　The　children　ate　in　silence；　under　the　eye　of　the　mother　whose　turn　it　was；　who；　if　a　fly　took　a　notion　to　fly　or　to　hum　against　the　rule；　opened　and　shut　a　wooden　book　from　time　to　time。　This　silence　was　seasoned　with　the　lives　of　the　saints；　read　aloud　from　a　little　pulpit　with　a　desk；　which　was　situated　at　the　foot　of　the　crucifix。
　　The　reader　was　one　of　the　big　girls；　in　weekly　turn。　At　regular　distances；　on　the　bare　tables；　there　were　large；　varnished　bowls　in　which　the　pupils　washed　their　own　silver　cups　and　knives　and　forks；　and　into　which　they　sometimes　threw　some　scrap　of　tough　meat　or　spoiled　fish；　this　was　punished。
　　These　bowls　were　called　ronds　d'eau。　The　child　who　broke　the　silence　〃made　a　cross　with　her　tongue。〃
　　Where？
　　On　the　ground。
　　She　licked　the　pavement。　The　dust；　that　end　of　all　joys；　was　charged　with　the　chastisement　of　those　poor　little　rose…leaves　which　had　been　guilty　of　chirping。
　　There　was　in　the　convent　a　book　which　has　never　been　printed　except　as　a　unique　copy；　and　which　it　is　forbidden　to　read。
　　It　is　the　rule　of　Saint…Benoit。　An　arcanum　which　no　profane　eye　must　penetrate。　Nemo　regulas；　seu　constitutiones　nostras；　externis　municabit。
　　The　pupils　one　day　succeeded　in　getting　possession　of　this　book；　and　set　to　reading　it　with　avidity；　a　reading　which　was　often　interrupted　by　the　fear　of　being　caught；　which　caused　them　to　close　the　volume　precipitately。
　　From　the　great　danger　thus　incurred　they　derived　but　a　very　moderate　amount　of　pleasure。
　　The　most　〃interesting　thing〃　they　found　were　some　unintelligible　pages　about　the　sins　of　young　boys。
　　They　played　in　an　alley　of　the　garden　bordered　with　a　few　shabby　fruit…trees。　In　spite　of　the　extreme　surveillance　and　the　severity　of　the　punishments　administered；　when　the　wind　had　shaken　the　trees；　they　sometimes　succeeded　in　picking　up　a　green　apple　or　a　spoiled　apricot　or　an　inhabited　pear　on　the　sly。
　　I　will　now　cede　the　privilege　of　speech　to　a　letter　which　lies　before　me；　a　letter　written　five　and　twenty　years　ago　by　an　old　pupil；　now　Madame　la　Duchesse　de　one　of　the　most　elegant　women　in　Paris。
　　I　quote　literally：　〃One　hides　one's　pear　or　one's　apple　as　best　one　may。　When　one　goes　up　stairs　to　put　the　veil　on　the　bed　before　supper；　one　stuffs　them　under　one's　pillow　and　at　night　one　eats　them　in　bed；　and　when　one　cannot　do　that；　one　eats　them　in　the　closet。〃　That　was　one　of　their　greatest　luxuries。
　　Onceit　was　at　the　epoch　of　the　visit　from　the　archbishop　to　the　convent　one　of　the　young　girls；　Mademoiselle　Bouchard；　who　was　connected　with　the　Montmorency　family；　laid　a　wager　that　she　would　ask　for　a　day's　leave　of　absencean　enormity　in　so　austere　a　munity。　The　wager　was　accepted；　but　not　one　of　those　who　bet　believed　that　she　would　do　it。
　　When　the　moment　came；　as　the　archbishop　was　passing　in　front　of　the　pupils；　Mademoiselle　Bouchard；　to　the　indescribable　terror　of　her　panions；　stepped　out　of　the　ranks；　and　said；　〃Monseigneur；　a　day's　leave　of　absence。〃
　　Mademoiselle　Bouchard　was　tall；　blooming；　with　the　prettiest　little　rosy　face　in　the　world。　M。　de　Quelen　smiled　and　said；　〃What；　my　dear　child；　a　day's　leave　of　absence！
　　Three　days　if　you　like。
　　I　grant　you　three　days。〃　The　prioress　could　do　nothing；　the　archbishop　had　spoken。　Horror　of　the　convent；　but　joy　of　the　pupil。
　　The　effect　may　be　imagined。
　　This　stern　cloister　was　not　so　well　walled　off；　however；　but　that　the　life　of　the　passions　of　the　outside　world；　drama；　and　even　romance；　did　not　make　their　way　in。
　　To　prove　this；　we　will　confine　ourselves　to　recording　here　and　to　briefly　mentioning　a　real　and　incontestable　fact；　which；　however；　bears　no　reference　in　itself　to；　and　is　not　connected　by　any　thread　whatever　with　the　story　which　we　are　relating。
　　We　mention　the　fact　for　the　sake　of　pleting　the　physiognomy　of　the　convent　in　the　reader's　mind。
　　About　this　time　there　was　in　the　convent　a　mysterious　person　who　was　not　a　nun；　who　was　treated　with　great　respect；　and　who　was　addressed　as　Madame　Albertine。
　　Nothing　was　known　about　her；　save　that　she　was　mad；　and　that　in　the　world　she　passed　for　dead。　Beneath　this　history　it　was　said　there　lay　the　arrangements　of　fortune　necessary　for　a　great　marriage。
　　This　woman；　hardly　thirty　years　of　age；　of　dark　plexion　and　tolerably　pretty；　had　a　vague　look　in　her　large　black　eyes。　Could　she　see？
　　There　was　some　doubt　about　this。
　　She　glided　rather　than　walked；　she　never　spoke；　it　was　not　quite　known　whether　she　breathed。
　　Her　nostrils　were　livid　and　pinched　as　after　yielding　up　their　last　sigh。
　　To　touch　her　hand　was　like　touching　snow。　She　possessed　a　strange　spectral　grace。
　　Wherever　she　entered；　people　felt　cold。
　　One　day　a　sister；　on　seeing　her　pass；　said　to　another　sister；　〃She　passes　for　a　dead　woman。〃
　　〃Perhaps　she　is　one；〃　replied　the　other。
　　A　hundred　tales　were　told　of　Madame　Albertine。
　　This　arose　from　the　eternal　curiosity　of　the　pupils。
　　In　the　chapel　there　was　a　gallery　called　L'OEil　de　Boeuf。
　　It　was　in　this　gallery；　which　had　only　a　circular　bay；　an　oeil　de　boeuf；　that　Madame　Albertine　listened　to　the　offices。
　　She　always　occupied　it　alone　because　this　gallery；　being　on　the　level　of　the　first　story；　the　preacher　or　the　officiating　priest　could　be　seen；　which　was　interdicted　to　the　nuns。　One　day　the　pulpit　was　occupied　by　a　young　priest　of　high　rank；　M。　Le　Duc　de　Rohan；　peer　of　France；　officer　of　the　Red　Musketeers　in　1815　when　he　was　Prince　de　Leon；　and　who　died　afterward；　in　1830；　as　cardinal　and　Archbishop　of　Besancon。
　　It　was　the　first　time　that　M。　de　Rohan　had　preached　at　the　Petit…Picpus　convent。　Madame　Albertine　usually　preserved　perfect　calmness　and　plete　immobility　during　the　sermons　and　services。
　　That　day；　as　soon　as　she　caught　sight　of　M。　de　Rohan；　she　half　rose；　and　said；　in　a　loud　voice；　amid　the　silence　of　the　chapel；　〃Ah！
　　Auguste！〃
　　The　whole　munity　turned　their　heads　in　amazement；　the　preacher　raised　his　eyes；　but　Madame　Albertine　had　relapsed　into　her　immobility。　A　breath　from　the　outer　world；　a　flash　of　life；　had　passed　for　an　instant　across　that　cold　and　lifeless　face　and　had　then　vanished；　and　the　mad　woman　had　bee　a　corpse　again。
　　Those　two　words；　however；　had　set　every　one　in　the　convent　who　had　the　privilege　of　speech　to　chattering。
　　How　many　things　were　contained　in　that　〃Ah！
　　Auguste！〃　what　revelations！
　　M。　de　Rohan's　name　really　was　Auguste。
　　It　was　evident　that　Madame　Albertine　belonged　to　the　very　highest　society；　since　she　knew　M。　de　Rohan；　and　that　her　own　rank　there　was　of　the　highest；　since　she　spoke　thus　familiarly　of　so　great　a　lord；　and　that　there　existed　between　them　some　connection；　of　relationship；　perhaps；　but　a　very　close　one　in　any　case；　since　she　knew　his　〃pet　name。〃
　　Two　very　severe　duchesses；　Mesdames　de　Choiseul　and　de　Serent；　often　visited　the　munity；　whither　they　penetrated；　no　doubt；　in　virtue　of　the　privilege　Magnates　mulieres；　and　caused　great　consternation　in　the　boarding…school。　When　these　two　old　ladies　passed　by；　all　the　poor　young　girls　trembled　and　dropped　their　eyes。
　　Moreover；　M。　de　Rohan；　quite　unknown　to　himself；　was　an　object　of　attention　to　the　school…girls。　At　that　epoch　he　had　just　been　made；　while　waiting　for　the　episcopate；　vicar…general　of　the　Archbishop　of　Paris。
　　It　was　one　of　his　habits　to　e　tolerably　often　to　celebrate　the　offices　in　the　chapel　of　the　nuns　of　the　Petit…Picpus。　Not　one　of　the　young　recluses　could　see　him；　because　of　the　serge　curtain；　but　he　had　a　sweet　and　rather　shrill　voice；　which　they　had　e　to　know　and　to　distinguish。
　　He　had　been　a　mousquetaire；　and　then；　he　was　said　to　be　very　coquettish；　that　his　handsome　brown　hair　was　very　well　dressed　in　a　roll　around　his　head；　and　that　he　had　a　broad　girdle　of　magnificent　moire；　and　that　his　black　cassock　was　of　the　most　elegant　cut　in　the　world。
　　He　held　a　great　place　in　all　these　imaginations　of　sixteen　years。
　　Not　a　sound　from　without　made　its　way　into　the　convent。
　　But　there　was　one　year　when　the　sound　of　a　flute　penetrated　thither。　This　was　an　event；　and　the　girls　who　were　at　school　there　at　the　time　still　recall　it。
　　It　was　a　flute　which　was　played　in　the　neighborhood。
　　This　flute　always　played　the　same　air；　an　air　which　is　very　far　away　nowadays；〃My　Zetulbe；　e　reign　o'er　my　soul；〃and　it　was　heard　two　or　three　times　a　day。
　　The　young　girls　passed　hours　in　listening　to　it；　the　vocal　mothers　were　upset　by　it；　brains　were　busy；　punishments　descended　in　showers。
　　This　lasted　for　several　months。　The　girls　were　all　more　or　less　in　love　with　the　unknown　musician。　Each　one　dreamed　that　she　was　Zetulbe