雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第21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！


　　soup；　made　with　water；　oil；　bread；　and　salt；　a　little　bacon；　a　bit　of　mutton；　figs；　a　fresh　cheese；　and　a　large　loaf　of　rye　bread。
　　She　had；　of　her　own　accord；　added　to　the　Bishop's　ordinary　fare　a　bottle　of　his　old　Mauves　wine。
　　The　Bishop's　face　at　once　assumed　that　expression　of　gayety　which　is　peculiar　to　hospitable　natures。
　　〃To　table！〃　he　cried　vivaciously。　As　was　his　custom　when　a　stranger　supped　with　him；　he　made　the　man　sit　on　his　right。
　　Mademoiselle　Baptistine；　perfectly　peaceable　and　natural；　took　her　seat　at　his　left。
　　The　Bishop　asked　a　blessing；　then　helped　the　soup　himself；　according　to　his　custom。
　　The　man　began　to　eat　with　avidity。
　　All　at　once　the　Bishop　said：
　　〃It　strikes　me　there　is　something　missing　on　this　table。〃
　　Madame　Magloire　had；　in　fact；　only　placed　the　three　sets　of　forks　and　spoons　which　were　absolutely　necessary。
　　Now；　it　was　the　usage　of　the　house；　when　the　Bishop　had　any　one　to　supper；　to　lay　out　the　whole　six　sets　of　silver　on　the　table…clothan　innocent　ostentation。　
This　graceful　semblance　of　luxury　was　a　kind　of　child's　play；　which　was　full　of　charm　in　that　gentle　and　severe　household；　which　raised　poverty　into　dignity。
　　Madame　Magloire　understood　the　remark；　went　out　without　saying　a　word；　and　a　moment　later　the　three　sets　of　silver　forks　and　spoons　demanded　by　the　Bishop　were　glittering　upon　the　cloth；　symmetrically　arranged　before　the　three　persons　seated　at　the　table。


BOOK　SECONDTHE　FALL
CHAPTER　IV　
　　DETAILS　CONCERNING　THE　CHEESE…DAIRIES　OF　PONTARLIER。
　　　Now；　in　order　to　convey　an　idea　of　what　passed　at　that　table；　we　cannot　do　better　than　to　transcribe　here　a　passage　from　one　of　Mademoiselle　Baptistine's　letters　to　Madame　Boischevron；　wherein　the　conversation　between　the　convict　and　the　Bishop　is　described　with　ingenious　minuteness。
　　　〃。　。　。　This　man　paid　no　attention　to　any　one。
　　He　ate　with　the　voracity　of　a　starving　man。
　　However；　after　supper　he　said：
　　〃‘Monsieur　le　Cure　of　the　good　God；　all　this　is　far　too　good　for　me；　but　I　must　say　that　the　carters　who　would　not　allow　me　to　eat　with　them　keep　a　better　table　than　you　do。'
　　〃Between　ourselves；　the　remark　rather　shocked　me。
　　My　brother　replied：
　　〃‘They　are　more　fatigued　than　I。'
　　〃‘No；'　returned　the　man；　‘they　have　more　money。
　　You　are　poor；　I　see　that　plainly。
　　You　cannot　be　even　a　curate。
　　Are　you　really　a　cure？
　　Ah；　if　the　good　God　were　but　just；　you　certainly　ought　to　be　a　cure！'
　　〃‘The　good　God　is　more　than　just；'　said　my　brother。
　　〃A　moment　later　he　added：
　　〃‘Monsieur　Jean　Valjean；　is　it　to　Pontarlier　that　you　are　going？'
　　〃‘With　my　road　marked　out　for　me。'
　　〃I　think　that　is　what　the　man　said。
　　Then　he　went　on：
　　〃‘I　must　be　on　my　way　by　daybreak　to…morrow。　Travelling　is　hard。　If　the　nights　are　cold；　the　days　are　hot。'
　　〃‘You　are　going　to　a　good　country；'　said　my　brother。
　　‘During　the　Revolution　my　family　was　ruined。
　　I　took　refuge　in　Franche…te　at　first；　and　there　I　lived　for　some　time　by　the　toil　of　my　hands。　My　will　was　good。
　　I　found　plenty　to　occupy　me。
　　One　has　only　to　choose。　There　are　paper　mills；　tanneries；　distilleries；　oil　factories；　watch　factories　on　a　large　scale；　steel　mills；　copper　works；　twenty　iron　foundries　at　least；　four　of　which；　situated　at　Lods；　at　Chatillon；　at　Audincourt；　and　at　Beure；　are　tolerably　large。'
　　〃I　think　I　am　not　mistaken　in　saying　that　those　are　the　names　which　my　brother　mentioned。
　　Then　he　interrupted　himself　and　addressed　me：
　　〃‘Have　we　not　some　relatives　in　those　parts；　my　dear　sister？'
　　〃I　replied；
　　〃‘We　did　have　some；　among　others；　M。　de　Lucenet；　who　was　captain　of　the　gates　at　Pontarlier　under　the　old　regime。'
　　〃‘Yes；'　resumed　my　brother；　‘but　in　'93；　one　had　no　longer　any　relatives；　one　had　only　one's　arms。
　　I　worked。
　　They　have；　in　the　country　of　Pontarlier；　whither　you　are　going；　Monsieur　Valjean；　a　truly　patriarchal　and　truly　charming　industry；　my　sister。　It　is　their　cheese…dairies；　which　they　call　fruitieres。'
　　〃Then　my　brother；　while　urging　the　man　to　eat；　explained　to　him；　with　great　minuteness；　what　these　fruitieres　of　Pontarlier　were；　that　they　were　divided　into　two　classes：
　　the　big　barns　which　belong　to　the　rich；　and　where　there　are　forty　or　fifty　cows　which　produce　from　seven　to　eight　thousand　cheeses　each　summer；　and　the　associated　fruitieres；　which　belong　to　the　poor；　these　are　the　peasants　of　mid…mountain；　who　hold　their　cows　in　mon；　and　share　the　proceeds。　‘They　engage　the　services　of　a　cheese…maker；　whom　they　call　the　grurin；　the　grurin　receives　the　milk　of　the　associates　three　times　a　day；　and　marks　the　quantity　on　a　double　tally。
　　It　is　towards　the　end　of　April　that　the　work　of　the　cheese…dairies　begins；　it　is　towards　the　middle　of　June　that　the　cheese…makers　drive　their　cows　to　the　mountains。'
　　〃The　man　recovered　his　animation　as　he　ate。
　　My　brother　made　him　drink　that　good　Mauves　wine；　which　he　does　not　drink　himself；　because　he　says　that　wine　is　expensive。
　　My　brother　imparted　all　these　details　with　that　easy　gayety　of　his　with　which　you　are　acquainted；　interspersing　his　words　with　graceful　attentions　to　me。
　　He　recurred　frequently　to　that　fortable　trade　of　grurin；　as　though　he　wished　the　man　to　understand；　without　advising　him　directly　and　harshly；　that　this　would　afford　him　a　refuge。
　　One　thing　struck　me。　This　man　was　what　I　have　told　you。
　　Well；　neither　during　supper；　nor　during　the　entire　evening；　did　my　brother　utter　a　single　word；　with　the　exception　of　a　few　words　about　Jesus　when　he　entered；　which　could　remind　the　man　of　what　he　was；　nor　of　what　my　brother　was。　To　all　appearances；　it　was　an　occasion　for　preaching　him　a　little　sermon；　and　of　impressing　the　Bishop　on　the　convict；　so　that　a　mark　of　the　passage　might　remain　behind。
　　This　might　have　appeared　to　any　one　else　who　had　this；　unfortunate　man　in　his　hands　to　afford　a　chance　to　nourish　his　soul　as　well　as　his　body；　and　to　bestow　upon　him　some　reproach；　seasoned　with　moralizing　and　advice；　or　a　little　miseration；　with　an　exhortation　to　conduct　himself　better　in　the　future。　My　brother　did　not　even　ask　him　from　what　country　he　came；　nor　what　was　his　history。
　　For　in　his　history　there　is　a　fault；　and　my　brother　seemed　to　avoid　everything　which　could　remind　him　of　it。
　　To　such　a　point　did　he　carry　it；　that　at　one　time；　when　my　brother　was　speaking　of　the　mountaineers　of　Pontarlier；　who　exercise　a　gentle　labor　near　heaven；　and　who；　he　added；　are　happy　because　they　are　innocent；　he　stopped　short；　fearing　lest　in　this　remark　there　might　have　escaped　him　something　which　might　wound　the　man。　By　dint　of　reflection；　I　think　I　have　prehended　what　was　passing　in　my　brother's　heart。
　　He　was　thinking；　no　doubt；　that　this　man；　whose　name　is　Jean　Valjean；　had　his　misfortune　only　too　vividly　present　in　his　mind；　that　the　best　thing　was　to　divert　him　from　it；　and　to　make　him　believe；　if　only　momentarily；　that　he　was　a　person　like　any　other；　by　treating　him　just　in　his　ordinary　way。
　　Is　not　this　indeed；　to　understand　charity　well？
　　Is　there　not；　dear　Madame；　something　truly　evangelical　in　this　delicacy　which　abstains　from　sermon；　from　moralizing；　from　allusions？　and　is　not　the　truest　pity；　when　a　man　has　a　sore　point；　not　to　touch　it　at　all？
　　It　has　seemed　to　me　that　this　might　have　been　my　brother's　private　thought。　In　any　case；　what　I　can　say　is　that；　if　he　entertained　all　these　ideas；　he　gave　no　sign　of　them；　from　beginning　to　end；　even　to　me　he　was　the　same　as　he　is　every　evening；　and　he　supped　with　this　Jean　Valjean　with　the　same　air　and　in　the　same　manner　in　which　he　would　have　supped　with　M。　Gedeon　le　Provost；　or　with　the　curate　of　the　parish。
　　〃Towards　the　end；　when　he　had　reached　the　figs；　there　came　a　knock　at　the　door。
　　It　was　Mother　Gerbaud；　with　her　little　one　in　her　arms。　My　brother　kissed　the　child　on　the　brow；　and　borrowed　fifteen　sous　which　I　had　about　me　to　give　to　Mother　Gerbaud。
　　The　man　was　not　paying　much　heed　to　anything　then。
　　He　was　no　longer　talking；　and　he　seemed　very　much　fatigued。
　　After　poor　old　Gerbaud　had　taken　her　departure；　my　brother　said　grace；　then　he　turned　to　the　man　and　said　to　him；　‘You　must　be　in　great　need　of　your　bed。'
　　Madame　Magloire　cleared　the　table　very　promptly。
　　I　understood　that　we　must　retire；　in　order　to　allow　this　traveller　to　go　to　sleep；　and　we　both　went　up　stairs。
　　Nevertheless；　I　sent　Madame　Magloire　down　a　moment　later；　to　carry　to　the　man's　bed　a　goat　skin　from　the　Black　Forest；　which　was　in　my　room。
　　The　nights　are　frigid；　and　that　keeps　one　warm。　It　is　a　pity　that　this　skin　is　old；　all　the　hair　is　falling　out。　My　brother　bought　it　while　he　was　in　Germany；　at　Tottlingen；　near　the　sources　of　the　Danube；　as　well　as　the　little　ivory…handled　knife　which　I　use　at　table。
　　〃Madame　Magloire　returned　immediately。
　　We　said　our　prayers　in　the　drawing…room；　where　we　hang　up　the　linen；　and　then　we　each　retired　to　our　own　chambers；　without　saying　a　word　to　each　other。〃


BOOK　SECONDTHE　FALL
CHAPTER　V　
　　TRANQUILLITY
　　　After　bidding　his　sister　good　night；　Monseigneur　Bienvenu　too