雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第130部分

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　　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　she　made　sing　standing；　drawn　up　in　a　line；　side　by　side；　according　to　age；　from　the　smallest　to　the　largest。
　　This　presented　to　the　eye；　something　in　the　nature　of　a　reed…pipe　of　young　girls；　a　sort　of　living　Pan…pipe　made　of　angels。
　　Those　of　the　lay…sisters　whom　the　scholars　loved　most　were　Sister　Euphrasie；　Sister　Sainte…Marguerite；　Sister　Sainte…Marthe；　who　was　in　her　dotage；　and　Sister　Sainte…Michel；　whose　long　nose　made　them　laugh。
　　All　these　women　were　gentle　with　the　children。
　　The　nuns　were　severe　only　towards　themselves。
　　No　fire　was　lighted　except　in　the　school；　and　the　food　was　choice　pared　to　that　in　the　convent。　Moreover；　they　lavished　a　thousand　cares　on　their　scholars。
　　Only；　when　a　child　passed　near　a　nun　and　addressed　her；　the　nun　never　replied。
　　This　rule　of　silence　had　had　this　effect；　that　throughout　the　whole　convent；　speech　had　been　withdrawn　from　human　creatures；　and　bestowed　on　inanimate　objects。
　　Now　it　was　the　church…bell　which　spoke；　now　it　was　the　gardener's　bell。
　　A　very　sonorous　bell；　placed　beside　the　portress；　and　which　was　audible　throughout　the　house；　indicated　by　its　varied　peals；　which　formed　a　sort　of　acoustic　telegraph；　all　the　actions　of　material　life　which　were　to　be　performed；　and　summoned　to　the　parlor；　in　case　of　need；　such　or　such　an　inhabitant　of　the　house。
　　Each　person　and　each　thing　had　its　own　peal。
　　The　prioress　had　one　and　one；　the　sub…prioress　one　and　two。
　　Six…five　announced　lessons；　so　that　the　pupils　never　said　〃to　go　to　lessons；〃　but　〃to　go　to　six…five。〃　Four…four　was　Madame　de　Genlis's　signal。
　　It　was　very　often　heard。
　　〃C'est　le　diable　a　quatre；it's　the　very　deucesaid　the　uncharitable。　Tennine　strokes　announced　a　great　event。
　　It　was　the　opening　of　the　door　of　seclusion；　a　frightful　sheet　of　iron　bristling　with　bolts　which　only　turned　on　its　hinges　in　the　presence　of　the　archbishop。
　　With　the　exception　of　the　archbishop　and　the　gardener；　no　man　entered　the　convent；　as　we　have　already　said。
　　The　schoolgirls　saw　two　others：
　　one；　the　chaplain；　the　Abbe　Banes；　old　and　ugly；　whom　they　were　permitted　to　contemplate　in　the　choir；　through　a　grating；　the　other　the　drawing…master；　M。　Ansiaux；　whom　the　letter；　of　which　we　have　perused　a　few　lines；　calls　M。　Anciot；　and　describes　as　a　frightful　old　hunchback。
　　It　will　be　seen　that　all　these　men　were　carefully　chosen。
　　Such　was　this　curious　house。


BOOK　SIXTH。LE　PETIT…PICPUS
CHAPTER　VIII　
　　POST　CORDA　LAPIDES
　　After　having　sketched　its　moral　face；　it　will　not　prove　unprofitable　to　point　out；　in　a　few　words；　its　material　configuration。　The　reader　already　has　some　idea　of　it。
　　The　convent　of　the　Petit…Picpus…Sainte…Antoine　filled　almost　the　whole　of　the　vast　trapezium　which　resulted　from　the　intersection　of　the　Rue　Polonceau；　the　Rue　Droit…Mur；　the　Rue　Petit…Picpus；　and　the　unused　lane；　called　Rue　Aumarais　on　old　plans。　These　four　streets　surrounded　this　trapezium　like　a　moat。　The　convent　was　posed　of　several　buildings　and　a　garden。　The　principal　building；　taken　in　its　entirety；　was　a　juxtaposition　of　hybrid　constructions　which；　viewed　from　a　bird's…eye　view；　outlined；　with　considerable　exactness；　a　gibbet　laid　flat　on　the　ground。　The　main　arm　of　the　gibbet　occupied　the　whole　of　the　fragment　of　the　Rue　Droit…Mur　prised　between　the　Rue　Petit…Picpus　and　the　Rue　Polonceau；　the　lesser　arm　was　a　lofty；　gray；　severe　grated　facade　which　faced　the　Rue　Petit…Picpus；　the　carriage　entrance　No。　62　marked　its　extremity。
　　Towards　the　centre　of　this　facade　was　a　low；　arched　door；　whitened　with　dust　and　ashes；　where　the　spiders　wove　their　webs；　and　which　was　open　only　for　an　hour　or　two　on　Sundays；　and　on　rare　occasions；　when　the　coffin　of　a　nun　left　the　convent。　This　was　the　public　entrance　of　the　church。
　　The　elbow　of　the　gibbet　was　a　square　hall　which　was　used　as　the　servants'　hall；　and　which　the　nuns　called　the　buttery。
　　In　the　main　arm　were　the　cells　of　the　mothers；　the　sisters；　and　the　novices。
　　In　the　lesser　arm　lay　the　kitchens；　the　refectory；　backed　up　by　the　cloisters　and　the　church。
　　Between　the　door　No。　62　and　the　corner　of　the　closed　lane　Aumarais；　was　the　school；　which　was　not　visible　from　without。　The　remainder　of　the　trapezium　formed　the　garden；　which　was　much　lower　than　the　level　of　the　Rue　Polonceau；　which　caused　the　walls　to　be　very　much　higher　on　the　inside　than　on　the　outside。　The　garden；　which　was　slightly　arched；　had　in　its　centre；　on　the　summit　of　a　hillock；　a　fine　pointed　and　conical　fir…tree；　whence　ran；　as　from　the　peaked　boss　of　a　shield；　four　grand　alleys；　and；　ranged　by　twos　in　between　the　branchings　of　these；　eight　small　ones；　so　that；　if　the　enclosure　had　been　circular；　the　geometrical　plan　of　the　alleys　would　have　resembled　a　cross　superposed　on　a　wheel。　As　the　alleys　all　ended　in　the　very　irregular　walls　of　the　garden；　they　were　of　unequal　length。
　　They　were　bordered　with　currant　bushes。　At　the　bottom；　an　alley　of　tall　poplars　ran　from　the　ruins　of　the　old　convent；　which　was　at　the　angle　of　the　Rue　Droit…Mur　to　the　house　of　the　Little　Convent；　which　was　at　the　angle　of　the　Aumarais　lane。　In　front　of　the　Little　Convent　was　what　was　called　the　little　garden。　To　this　whole；　let　the　reader　add　a　courtyard；　all　sorts　of　varied　angles　formed　by　the　interior　buildings；　prison　walls；　the　long　black　line　of　roofs　which　bordered　the　other　side　of　the　Rue　Polonceau　for　its　sole　perspective　and　neighborhood；　and　he　will　be　able　to　form　for　himself　a　plete　image　of　what　the　house　of　the　Bernardines　of　the　Petit…Picpus　was　forty　years　ago。　This　holy　house　had　been　built　on　the　precise　site　of　a　famous　tennis…ground　of　the　fourteenth　to　the　sixteenth　century；　which　was　called　the　〃tennis…ground　of　the　eleven　thousand　devils。〃
　　All　these　streets；　moreover；　were　more　ancient　than　Paris。
　　These　names；　Droit…Mur　and　Aumarais；　are　very　ancient；　the　streets　which　bear　them　are　very　much　more　ancient　still。
　　Aumarais　Lane　was　called　Maugout　Lane；　the　Rue　Droit…Mur　was　called　the　Rue　des　Eglantiers；　for　God　opened　flowers　before　man　cut　stones。


BOOK　SIXTH。LE　PETIT…PICPUS
CHAPTER　IX　
　　A　CENTURY　UNDER　A　GUIMPE
　　Since　we　are　engaged　in　giving　details　as　to　what　the　convent　of　the　Petit…Picpus　was　in　former　times；　and　since　we　have　ventured　to　open　a　window　on　that　discreet　retreat；　the　reader　will　permit　us　one　other　little　digression；　utterly　foreign　to　this　book；　but　characteristic　and　useful；　since　it　shows　that　the　cloister　even　has　its　original　figures。
　　In　the　Little　Convent　there　was　a　centenarian　who　came　from　the　Abbey　of　Fontevrault。
　　She　had　even　been　in　society　before　the　Revolution。　She　talked　a　great　deal　of　M。　de　Miromesnil；　Keeper　of　the　Seals　under　Louis　XVI。
　　and　of　a　Presidentess　Duplat；　with　whom　she　had　been　very　intimate。
　　It　was　her　pleasure　and　her　vanity　to　drag　in　these　names　on　every　pretext。
　　She　told　wonders　of　the　Abbey　of　Fontevrault；　that　it　was　like　a　city；　and　that　there　were　streets　in　the　monastery。
　　She　talked　with　a　Picard　accent　which　amused　the　pupils。
　　Every　year；　she　solemnly　renewed　her　vows；　and　at　the　moment　of　taking　the　oath；　she　said　to　the　priest；　〃Monseigneur　Saint…Francois　gave　it　to　Monseigneur　Saint…Julien；　Monseigneur　Saint…Julien　gave　it　to　Monseigneur　Saint…Eusebius；　Monseigneur　Saint…Eusebius　gave　it　to　Monseigneur　Saint…Procopius；　etc。；　etc。；　and　thus　I　give　it　to　you；　father。〃
　　And　the　school…girls　would　begin　to　laugh；　not　in　their　sleeves；　but　under　their　veils；　charming　little　stifled　laughs　which　made　the　vocal　mothers　frown。
　　On　another　occasion；　the　centenarian　was　telling　stories。
　　She　said　that　in　her　youth　the　Bernardine　monks　were　every　whit　as　good　as　the　mousquetaires。
　　It　was　a　century　which　spoke　through　her；　but　it　was　the　eighteenth　century。
　　She　told　about　the　custom　of　the　four　wines；　which　existed　before　the　Revolution　in　Champagne　and　Bourgogne。　When　a　great　personage；　a　marshal　of　France；　a　prince；　a　duke；　and　a　peer；　traversed　a　town　in　Burgundy　or　Champagne；　the　city　fathers　came　out　to　harangue　him　and　presented　him　with　four　silver　gondolas　into　which　they　had　poured　four　different　sorts　of　wine。　On　the　first　goblet　this　inscription　could　be　read；　monkey　wine；　on　the　second；　lion　wine；　on　the　third；　sheep　wine；　on　the　fourth；　hog　wine。
　　These　four　legends　express　the　four　stages　descended　by　the　drunkard；　the　first；　intoxication；　which　enlivens；　the　second；　that　which　irritates；　the　third；　that　which　dulls；　and　the　fourth；　that　which　brutalizes。
　　In　a　cupboard；　under　lock　and　key；　she　kept　a　mysterious　object　of　which　she　thought　a　great　deal。
　　The　rule　of　Fontevrault　did　not　forbid　this。
　　She　would　not　show　this　object　to　anyone。　She　shut　herself　up；　which　her　rule　allowed　her　to　do；　and　hid　herself；　every　time　that　she　desired　to　contemplate　it。　If　she　heard　a　footstep　in　the　corridor；　she　closed　the　cupboard　again　as　hastily　as　it　was　possible　with　her　aged　hands。
　　As　soon　as　it　was　mentioned　to　her；　she　became　si