雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第41部分

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　　When　Cosette's　mother　had　taken　her　departure；　the　man　said　to　the　woman：
　　〃That　will　serve　to　pay　my　note　for　one　hundred　and　ten　francs　which　falls　due　to…morrow；　I　lacked　fifty　francs。
　　Do　you　know　that　I　should　have　had　a　bailiff　and　a　protest　after　me？　You　played　the　mouse…trap　nicely　with　your　young　ones。〃
　　〃Without　suspecting　it；〃　said　the　woman。


BOOK　FOURTH。TO　CONFIDE　IS　SOMETIMES　TO　DELIVER　INTO　A　PERSON'S　POWER
CHAPTER　II　
　　FIRST　SKETCH　OF　TWO　UNPREPOSSESSING　FIGURES
　　　The　mouse　which　had　been　caught　was　a　pitiful　specimen；　but　the　cat　rejoices　even　over　a　lean　mouse。
　　Who　were　these　Thenardiers？
　　Let　us　say　a　word　or　two　of　them　now。
　　We　will　plete　the　sketch　later　on。
　　These　beings　belonged　to　that　bastard　class　posed　of　coarse　people　who　have　been　successful；　and　of　intelligent　people　who　have　descended　in　the　scale；　which　is　between　the　class　called　〃middle〃　and　the　class　denominated　as　〃inferior；〃　and　which　bines　some　of　the　defects　of　the　second　with　nearly　all　the　vices　of　the　first；　without　possessing　the　generous　impulse　of　the　workingman　nor　the　honest　order　of　the　bourgeois。
　　They　were　of　those　dwarfed　natures　which；　if　a　dull　fire　chances　to　warm　them　up；　easily　bee　monstrous。
　　There　was　in　the　woman　a　substratum　of　the　brute；　and　in　the　man　the　material　for　a　blackguard。　Both　were　susceptible；　in　the　highest　degree；　of　the　sort　of　hideous　progress　which　is　acplished　in　the　direction　of　evil。
　　There　exist　crab…like　souls　which　are　continually　retreating　towards　the　darkness；　retrograding　in　life　rather　than　advancing；　employing　experience　to　augment　their　deformity；　growing　incessantly　worse；　and　being　more　and　more　impregnated　with　an　ever…augmenting　blackness。　This　man　and　woman　possessed　such　souls。
　　Thenardier；　in　particular；　was　troublesome　for　a　physiognomist。　One　can　only　look　at　some　men　to　distrust　them；　for　one　feels　that　they　are　dark　in　both　directions。
　　They　are　uneasy　in　the　rear　and　threatening　in　front。
　　There　is　something　of　the　unknown　about　them。　One　can　no　more　answer　for　what　they　have　done　than　for　what　they　will　do。
　　The　shadow　which　they　bear　in　their　glance　denounces　them。　From　merely　hearing　them　utter　a　word　or　seeing　them　make　a　gesture；　one　obtains　a　glimpse　of　sombre　secrets　in　their　past　and　of　sombre　mysteries　in　their　future。
　　This　Thenardier；　if　he　himself　was　to　be　believed；　had　been　a　soldier　a　sergeant；　he　said。
　　He　had　probably　been　through　the　campaign　of　1815；　and　had　even　conducted　himself　with　tolerable　valor；　it　would　seem。　We　shall　see　later　on　how　much　truth　there　was　in　this。
　　The　sign　of　his　hostelry　was　in　allusion　to　one　of　his　feats　of　arms。　He　had　painted　it　himself；　for　he　knew　how　to　do　a　little　of　everything；　and　badly。
　　It　was　at　the　epoch　when　the　ancient　classical　romance　which；　after　having　been　Clelie；　was　no　longer　anything　but　Lodoiska；　still　noble；　but　ever　more　and　more　vulgar；　having　fallen　from　Mademoiselle　de　Scuderi　to　Madame　Bournon…Malarme；　and　from　Madame　de　Lafayette　to　Madame　Barthelemy…Hadot；　was　setting　the　loving　hearts　of　the　portresses　of　Paris　aflame；　and　even　ravaging　the　suburbs　to　some　extent。　Madame　Thenardier　was　just　intelligent　enough　to　read　this　sort　of　books。　She　lived　on　them。
　　In　them　she　drowned　what　brains　she　possessed。　This　had　given　her；　when　very　young；　and　even　a　little　later；　a　sort　of　pensive　attitude　towards　her　husband；　a　scamp　of　a　certain　depth；　a　ruffian　lettered　to　the　extent　of　the　grammar；　coarse　and　fine　at　one　and　the　same　time；　but；　so　far　as　sentimentalism　was　concerned；　given　to　the　perusal　of　Pigault…Lebrun；　and　〃in　what　concerns　the　sex；〃　as　he　said　in　his　jargona　downright；　unmitigated　lout。
　　His　wife　was　twelve　or　fifteen　years　younger　than　he　was。
　　Later　on；　when　her　hair；　arranged　in　a　romantically　drooping　fashion；　began　to　grow　gray；　when　the　Magaera　began　to　be　developed　from　the　Pamela；　the　female　Thenardier　was　nothing　but　a　coarse；　vicious　woman；　who　had　dabbled　in　stupid　romances。
　　Now；　one　cannot　read　nonsense　with　impunity。　The　result　was　that　her　eldest　daughter　was　named　Eponine；　as　for　the　younger；　the　poor　little　thing　came　near　being　called　Gulnare；　I　know　not　to　what　diversion；　effected　by　a　romance　of　Ducray…Dumenil；　she　owed　the　fact　that　she　merely　bore　the　name　of　Azelma。
　　However；　we　will　remark　by　the　way；　everything　was　not　ridiculous　and　superficial　in　that　curious　epoch　to　which　we　are　alluding；　and　which　may　be　designated　as　the　anarchy　of　baptismal　names。　By　the　side　of　this　romantic　element　which　we　have　just　indicated　there　is　the　social　symptom。
　　It　is　not　rare　for　the　neatherd's　boy　nowadays　to　bear　the　name　of　Arthur；　Alfred；　or　Alphonse；　and　for　the　viteif　there　are　still　any　vitesto　be　called　Thomas；　Pierre；　or　Jacques。
　　This　displacement；　which　places　the　〃elegant〃　name　on　the　plebeian　and　the　rustic　name　on　the　aristocrat；　is　nothing　else　than　an　eddy　of　equality。
　　The　irresistible　penetration　of　the　new　inspiration　is　there　as　everywhere　else。　Beneath　this　apparent　discord　there　is　a　great　and　a　profound　thing；　the　French　Revolution。


BOOK　FOURTH。TO　CONFIDE　IS　SOMETIMES　TO　DELIVER　INTO　A　PERSON'S　POWER
CHAPTER　III　
　　　It　is　not　all　in　all　sufficient　to　be　wicked　in　order　to　prosper。　The　cook…shop　was　in　a　bad　way。
　　Thanks　to　the　traveller's　fifty…seven　francs；　Thenardier　had　been　able　to　avoid　a　protest　and　to　honor　his　signature。
　　On　the　following　month　they　were　again　in　need　of　money。
　　The　woman　took　Cosette's　outfit　to　Paris；　and　pawned　it　at　the　pawnbroker's　for　sixty　francs。　As　soon　as　that　sum　was　spent；　the　Thenardiers　grew　accustomed　to　look　on　the　little　girl　merely　as　a　child　whom　they　were　caring　for　out　of　charity；　and　they　treated　her　accordingly。
　　As　she　had　no　longer　any　clothes；　they　dressed　her　in　the　cast…off　petticoats　and　chemises　of　the　Thenardier　brats；　that　is　to　say；　in　rags。　They　fed　her　on　what　all　the　rest　had　lefta　little　better　than　the　dog；　a　little　worse　than　the　cat。
　　Moreover；　the　cat　and　the　dog　were　her　habitual　table…panions；　Cosette　ate　with　them　under　the　table；　from　a　wooden　bowl　similar　to　theirs。
　　The　mother；　who　had　established　herself；　as　we　shall　see　later　on；　at　M。　sur　M。；　wrote；　or；　more　correctly；　caused　to　be　written；　a　letter　every　month；　that　she　might　have　news　of　her　child。　The　Thenardiers　replied　invariably；　〃Cosette　is　doing　wonderfully　well。〃
　　At　the　expiration　of　the　first　six　months　the　mother　sent　seven　francs　for　the　seventh　month；　and　continued　her　remittances　with　tolerable　regularity　from　month　to　month。
　　The　year　was　not　pleted　when　Thenardier　said：
　　〃A　fine　favor　she　is　doing　us；　in　sooth！
　　What　does　she　expect　us　to　do　with　her　seven　francs？〃　and　he　wrote　to　demand　twelve　francs。
　　The　mother；　whom　they　had　persuaded　into　the　belief　that　her　child　was　happy；　〃and　was　ing　on　well；〃　submitted；　and　forwarded　the　twelve　francs。
　　Certain　natures　cannot　love　on　the　one　hand　without　hating　on　the　other。
　　Mother　Thenardier　loved　her　two　daughters　passionately；　which　caused　her　to　hate　the　stranger。
　　It　is　sad　to　think　that　the　love　of　a　mother　can　possess　villainous　aspects。
　　Little　as　was　the　space　occupied　by　Cosette；　it　seemed　to　her　as　though　it　were　taken　from　her　own；　and　that　that　little　child　diminished　the　air　which　her　daughters　breathed。　This　woman；　like　many　women　of　her　sort；　had　a　load　of　caresses　and　a　burden　of　blows　and　injuries　to　dispense　each　day。　If　she　had　not　had　Cosette；　it　is　certain　that　her　daughters；　idolized　as　they　were；　would　have　received　the　whole　of　it；　but　the　stranger　did　them　the　service　to　divert　the　blows　to　herself。　Her　daughters　received　nothing　but　caresses。
　　Cosette　could　not　make　a　motion　which　did　not　draw　down　upon　her　head　a　heavy　shower　of　violent　blows　and　unmerited　chastisement。
　　The　sweet；　feeble　being；　who　should　not　have　understood　anything　of　this　world　or　of　God；　incessantly　punished；　scolded；　ill…used；　beaten；　and　seeing　beside　her　two　little　creatures　like　herself；　who　lived　in　a　ray　of　dawn！
　　Madame　Thenardier　was　vicious　with　Cosette。
　　Eponine　and　Azelma　were　vicious。
　　Children　at　that　age　are　only　copies　of　their　mother。　The　size　is　smaller；　that　is　all。
　　A　year　passed；　then　another。
　　People　in　the　village　said：
　　〃Those　Thenardiers　are　good　people。
　　They　are　not　rich；　and　yet　they　are　bringing　up　a　poor　child　who　was　abandoned　on　their　hands！〃
　　They　thought　that　Cosette's　mother　had　forgotten　her。
　　In　the　meanwhile；　Thenardier；　having　learned；　it　is　impossible　to　say　by　what　obscure　means；　that　the　child　was　probably　a　bastard；　and　that　the　mother　could　not　acknowledge　it；　exacted　fifteen　francs　a　month；　saying　that　〃the　creature〃　was　growing　and　〃eating；〃　and　threatening　to　send　her　away。
　　〃Let　her　not　bother　me；〃　he　exclaimed；　〃or　I'll　fire　her　brat　right　into　the　middle　of　her　secrets。　I　must　have　an　increase。〃
　　The　mother　paid　the　fifteen　francs。
　　From　year　to　year　the　child　grew；　and　so　did　her　wretchedness。
　　As　long　as　Cosette　was　little；　she　was　the　scape…goat　of　the　two　other　children；　as　soon　as　s