雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第129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！


　that　she　was　Zetulbe。
　　The　sound　of　the　flute　proceeded　from　the　direction　of　the　Rue　Droit…Mur；　and　they　would　have　given　anything；　promised　everything；　attempted　anything　for　the　sake　of　seeing；　of　catching　a　glance；　if　only　for　a　second；　of　the　〃young　man〃　who　played　that　flute　so　deliciously；　and　who；　no　doubt；　played　on　all　these　souls　at　the　same　time。
　　There　were　some　who　made　their　escape　by　a　back　door；　and　ascended　to　the　third　story　on　the　Rue　Droit…Mur　side；　in　order　to　attempt　to　catch　a　glimpse　through　the　gaps。
　　Impossible！
　　One　even　went　so　far　as　to　thrust　her　arm　through　the　grating；　and　to　wave　her　white　handkerchief。　Two　were　still　bolder。
　　They　found　means　to　climb　on　a　roof；　and　risked　their　lives　there；　and　succeeded　at　last　in　seeing　〃the　young　man。〃　He　was　an　old　emigre　gentleman；　blind　and　penniless；　who　was　playing　his　flute　in　his　attic；　in　order　to　pass　the　time。


BOOK　SIXTH。LE　PETIT…PICPUS
CHAPTER　VI　
　　THE　LITTLE　CONVENT
　　In　this　enclosure　of　the　Petit…Picpus　there　were　three　perfectly　distinct　buildings；the　Great　Convent；　inhabited　by　the　nuns；　the　Boarding…school；　where　the　scholars　were　lodged；　and　lastly；　what　was　called　the　Little　Convent。
　　It　was　a　building　with　a　garden；　in　which　lived　all　sorts　of　aged　nuns　of　various　orders；　the　relics　of　cloisters　destroyed　in　the　Revolution；　a　reunion　of　all　the　black；　gray；　and　white　medleys　of　all　munities　and　all　possible　varieties；　what　might　be　called；　if　such　a　coupling　of　words　is　permissible；　a　sort　of　harlequin　convent。
　　When　the　Empire　was　established；　all　these　poor　old　dispersed　and　exiled　women　had　been　accorded　permission　to　e　and　take　shelter　under　the　wings　of　the　Bernardines…Benedictines。　The　government　paid　them　a　small　pension；　the　ladies　of　the　Petit…Picpus　received　them　cordially。
　　It　was　a　singular　pell…mell。　Each　followed　her　own　rule；　Sometimes　the　pupils　of　the　boarding…school　were　allowed；　as　a　great　recreation；　to　pay　them　a　visit；　the　result　is；　that　all　those　young　memories　have　retained　among　other　souvenirs　that　of　Mother　Sainte…Bazile；　Mother　Sainte…Scolastique；　and　Mother　Jacob。
　　One　of　these　refugees　found　herself　almost　at　home。
　　She　was　a　nun　of　Sainte…Aure；　the　only　one　of　her　order　who　had　survived。　The　ancient　convent　of　the　ladies　of　Sainte…Aure　occupied；　at　the　beginning　of　the　eighteenth　century；　this　very　house　of　the　Petit…Picpus；　which　belonged　later　to　the　Benedictines　of　Martin　Verga。
　　This　holy　woman；　too　poor　to　wear　the　magnificent　habit　of　her　order；　which　was　a　white　robe　with　a　scarlet　scapulary；　had　piously　put　it　on　a　little　manikin；　which　she　exhibited　with　placency　and　which　she　bequeathed　to　the　house　at　her　death。　In　1824；　only　one　nun　of　this　order　remained；　to…day；　there　remains　only　a　doll。
　　In　addition　to　these　worthy　mothers；　some　old　society　women　had　obtained　permission　of　the　prioress；　like　Madame　Albertine；　to　retire　into　the　Little　Convent。
　　Among　the　number　were　Madame　Beaufort　d'Hautpoul　and　Marquise　Dufresne。
　　Another　was　never　known　in　the　convent　except　by　the　formidable　noise　which　she　made　when　she　blew　her　nose。
　　The　pupils　called　her　Madame　Vacarmini　（hubbub）。
　　About　1820　or　1821；　Madame　de　Genlis；　who　was　at　that　time　editing　a　little　periodical　publication　called　l'Intrepide；　asked　to　be　allowed　to　enter　the　convent　of　the　Petit…Picpus　as　lady　resident。　The　Duc　d'Orleans　remended　her。
　　Uproar　in　the　hive；　the　vocal…mothers　were　all　in　a　flutter；　Madame　de　Genlis　had　made　romances。　But　she　declared　that　she　was　the　first　to　detest　them；　and　then；　she　had　reached　her　fierce　stage　of　devotion。
　　With　the　aid　of　God；　and　of　the　Prince；　she　entered。
　　She　departed　at　the　end　of　six　or　eight　months；　alleging　as　a　reason；　that　there　was　no　shade　in　the　garden。
　　The　nuns　were　delighted。
　　Although　very　old；　she　still　played　the　harp；　and　did　it　very　well。
　　When　she　went　away　she　left　her　mark　in　her　cell。
　　Madame　de　Genlis　was　superstitious　and　a　Latinist。
　　These　two　words　furnish　a　tolerably　good　profile　of　her。
A　few　years　ago；　there　were　still　to　be　seen；　pasted　in　the　inside　of　a　little　cupboard　in　her　cell　in　which　she　locked　up　her　silverware　and　her　jewels；　these　five　lines　in　Latin；　written　with　her　own　hand　in　red　ink　on　yellow　paper；　and　which；　in　her　opinion；　possessed　the　property　of　frightening　away　robbers：
　　Imparibus　meritis　pendent　tria　corpora　ramis：＇15＇　
　　Dismas　et　Gesmas；　media　est　divina　potestas；　
　　Alta　petit　Dismas；　infelix；　infima；　Gesmas；　
　　Nos　et　res　nostras　conservet　summa　potestas。　
　　Hos　versus　dicas；　ne　tu　furto　tua　perdas。
　　＇15＇　On　the　boughs　hang　three　bodies　of　unequal　merits：　Dismas　and　Gesmas；　between　is　the　divine　power。
　　Dismas　seeks　the　heights；　Gesmas；　unhappy　man；　the　lowest　regions；　the　highest　power　will　preserve　us　and　our　effects。
　　If　you　repeat　this　verse；　you　will　not　lose　your　things　by　theft。
　　These　verses　in　sixth　century　Latin　raise　the　question　whether　the　two　thieves　of　Calvary　were　named；　as　is　monly　believed；　Dismas　and　Gestas；　or　Dismas　and　Gesmas。
　　This　orthography　might　have　confounded　the　pretensions　put　forward　in　the　last　century　by　the　Vite　de　Gestas；　of　a　descent　from　the　wicked　thief。　However；　the　useful　virtue　attached　to　these　verses　forms　an　article　of　faith　in　the　order　of　the　Hospitallers。
　　The　church　of　the　house；　constructed　in　such　a　manner　as　to　separate　the　Great　Convent　from　the　Boarding…school　like　a　veritable　intrenchment；　was；　of　course；　mon　to　the　Boarding…school；　the　Great　Convent；　and　the　Little　Convent。
　　The　public　was　even　admitted　by　a　sort　of　lazaretto　entrance　on　the　street。
　　But　all　was　so　arranged；　that　none　of　the　inhabitants　of　the　cloister　could　see　a　face　from　the　outside　world。
　　Suppose　a　church　whose　choir　is　grasped　in　a　gigantic　hand；　and　folded　in　such　a　manner　as　to　form；　not；　as　in　ordinary　churches；　a　prolongation　behind　the　altar；　but　a　sort　of　hall；　or　obscure　cellar；　to　the　right　of　the　officiating　priest；　suppose　this　hall　to　be　shut　off　by　a　curtain　seven　feet　in　height；　of　which　we　have　already　spoken；　in　the　shadow　of　that　curtain；　pile　up　on　wooden　stalls　the　nuns　in　the　choir　on　the　left；　the　school…girls　on　the　right；　the　lay…sisters　and　the　novices　at　
the　bottom；　and　you　will　have　some　idea　of　the　nuns　of　the　Petit…Picpus　assisting　at　divine　service。
　　That　cavern；　which　was　called　the　choir；　municated　with　the　cloister　by　a　lobby。
　　The　church　was　lighted　from　the　garden。
　　When　the　nuns　were　present　at　services　where　their　rule　enjoined　silence；　the　public　was　warned　of　their　presence　only　by　the　folding　seats　of　the　stalls　noisily　rising　and　falling。


BOOK　SIXTH。LE　PETIT…PICPUS
CHAPTER　VII　
　　SOME　SILHOUETTES　OF　THIS　DARKNESS
　　During　the　six　years　which　separate　1819　from　1825；　the　prioress　of　the　Petit…Picpus　was　Mademoiselle　de　Blemeur；　whose　name；　in　religion；　was　Mother　Innocente。
　　She　came　of　the　family　of　Marguerite　de　Blemeur；　author　of　Lives　of　the　Saints　of　the　Order　of　Saint…Benoit。　She　had　been　re…elected。　She　was　a　woman　about　sixty　years　of　age；　short；　thick；　〃singing　like　a　cracked　pot；〃　says　the　letter　which　we　have　already　quoted；　an　excellent　woman；　moreover；　and　the　only　merry　one　in　the　whole　convent；　and　for　that　reason　adored。　She　was　learned；　erudite；　wise；　petent；　curiously　proficient　in　history；　crammed　with　Latin；　stuffed　with　Greek；　full　of　Hebrew；　and　more　of　a　Benedictine　monk　than　a　Benedictine　nun。
　　The　sub…prioress　was　an　old　Spanish　nun；　Mother　Cineres；　who　was　almost　blind。
　　The　most　esteemed　among　the　vocal　mothers　were　Mother　Sainte…Honorine；　the　treasurer；　Mother　Sainte…Gertrude；　the　chief　mistress　of　the　novices；　Mother…Saint…Ange；　the　assistant　mistress；　Mother　Annonciation；　the　sacristan；　Mother　Saint…Augustin；　the　nurse；　the　only　one　in　the　convent　who　was　malicious；　then　Mother　Sainte…Mechtilde　（Mademoiselle　Gauvain）；　very　young　and　with　a　beautiful　voice；　Mother　des　Anges　（Mademoiselle　Drouet）；　who　had　been　in　the　convent　of　the　Filles…Dieu；　and　in　the　convent　du　Tresor；　between　Gisors　and　Magny；　Mother　Saint…Joseph　（Mademoiselle　de　Cogolludo）；　Mother　Sainte…Adelaide　（Mademoiselle　d'Auverney）；　Mother　Misericorde　（Mademoiselle　de　Cifuentes；　who　could　not　resist　austerities）；　Mother　passion　（Mademoiselle　de　la　Miltiere；　received　at　the　age　of　sixty　in　defiance　of　the　rule；　and　very　wealthy）；　Mother　Providence　（Mademoiselle　de　Laudiniere）；　Mother　Presentation　（Mademoiselle　de　Siguenza）；　who　was　prioress　in　1847；　and　finally；　Mother　Sainte…Celigne　（sister　of　the　sculptor　Ceracchi）；　who　went　mad；　Mother　Sainte…Chantal　（Mademoiselle　de　Suzon）；　who　went　mad。
　　There　was　also；　among　the　prettiest　of　them；　a　charming　girl　of　three　and　twenty；　who　was　from　the　Isle　de　Bourbon；　a　descendant　of　the　Chevalier　Roze；　whose　name　had　been　Mademoiselle　Roze；　and　who　was　called　Mother　Assumption。
　　Mother　Sainte…Mechtilde；　intrusted　with　the　singing　and　the　choir；　was　fond　of　making　use　of　the　pupils　in　this　quarter。
　　She　usually　took　a　plete　scale　of　them；　that　is　to　say；　seven；　from　ten　to　sixteen　years　of　age；　inclusive；　of　assorted　voices　and　sizes；　whom