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第20节

the hunchback of notre dame-第20节

小说: the hunchback of notre dame 字数: 每页4000字

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The reader can judge of the effect which this proposition produced upon Gringoire; who beheld life slipping away from him; and who was beginning to lose his hold upon it。  He clutched at it again with energy。

〃Certainly I will; and right heartily;〃 said he。

〃Do you consent;〃 resumed Clopin; 〃to enroll yourself among the people of the knife?〃

〃Of the knife; precisely;〃 responded Gringoire。

〃You recognize yourself as a member of the free bourgeoisie?〃* added the King of Thunes。


*  A high…toned sharper。


〃Of the free bourgeoisie。〃

〃Subject of the Kingdom of Argot?〃

〃Of the Kingdom of Argot*。〃


*  Thieves。


〃A vagabond?〃

〃A vagabond。〃

〃In your soul?〃

〃In my soul。〃

〃I must call your attention to the fact;〃 continued the king; 〃that you will be hung all the same。〃

〃The devil!〃 said the poet。

〃Only;〃 continued Clopin imperturbably; 〃you will be hung later on; with more ceremony; at the expense of the good city of Paris; on a handsome stone gibbet; and by honest men。 That is a consolation。〃

〃Just so;〃 responded Gringoire。

〃There are other advantages。  In your quality of a high…toned sharper; you will not have to pay the taxes on mud; or the poor; or lanterns; to which the bourgeois of Paris are subject。〃

〃So be it;〃 said the poet。  〃I agree。  I am a vagabond; a thief; a sharper; a man of the knife; anything you please; and I am all that already; monsieur; King of Thunes; for I am a philosopher; ~et omnia in philosophia; omnes in philosopho continentur~;all things are contained in philosophy; all men in the philosopher; as you know。〃

The King of Thunes scowled。

〃What do you take me for; my friend?  What Hungarian Jew patter are you jabbering at us?  I don't know Hebrew。 One isn't a Jew because one is a bandit。  I don't even steal any longer。  I'm above that; I kill。  Cut…throat; yes; cutpurse; no。〃

Gringoire tried to slip in some excuse between these curt words; which wrath rendered more and more jerky。

〃I ask your pardon; monseigneur。  It is not Hebrew; 'tis Latin。〃

〃I tell you;〃 resumed Clopin angrily; 〃that I'm not a Jew; and that I'll have you hung; belly of the synagogue; like that little shopkeeper of Judea; who is by your side; and whom I entertain strong hopes of seeing nailed to a counter one of these days; like the counterfeit coin that he is!〃

So saying; he pointed his finger at the little; bearded Hungarian Jew who had accosted Gringoire with his ~facitote caritatem~; and who; understanding no other language beheld with surprise the King of Thunes's ill…humor overflow upon him。

At length Monsieur Clopin calmed down。

〃So you will be a vagabond; you knave?〃 he said to our poet。

〃Of course;〃 replied the poet。

〃Willing is not all;〃 said the surly Clopin; 〃good will doesn't put one onion the more into the soup; and 'tis good for nothing except to go to Paradise with; now; Paradise and the thieves' band are two different things。  In order to be received among the thieves;* you must prove that you are good for something; and for that purpose; you must search the manikin。〃


* L'argot。


〃I'll search anything you like;〃 said Gringoire。

Clopin made a sign。  Several thieves detached themselves from the circle; and returned a moment later。  They brought two thick posts; terminated at their lower extremities in spreading timber supports; which made them stand readily upon the ground; to the upper extremity of the two posts they fitted a cross…beam; and the whole constituted a very pretty portable gibbet; which Gringoire had the satisfaction of beholding rise before him; in a twinkling。  Nothing was lacking; not even the rope; which swung gracefully over the cross…beam。

〃What are they going to do?〃 Gringoire asked himself with some uneasiness。  A sound of bells; which he heard at that moment; put an end to his anxiety; it was a stuffed manikin; which the vagabonds were suspending by the neck from the rope; a sort of scarecrow dressed in red; and so hung with mule…bells and larger bells; that one might have tricked out thirty Castilian mules with them。  These thousand tiny bells quivered for some time with the vibration of the rope; then gradually died away; and finally became silent when the manikin had been brought into a state of immobility by that law of the pendulum which has dethroned the water clock and the hour…glass。 Then Clopin; pointing out to Gringoire a rickety old stool placed beneath the manikin; 〃Climb up there。〃

〃Death of the devil!〃 objected Gringoire; 〃I shall break my neck。  Your stool limps like one of Martial's distiches; it has one hexameter leg and one pentameter leg。〃

〃Climb!〃 repeated Clopin。

Gringoire mounted the stool; and succeeded; not without some oscillations of head and arms; in regaining his centre of gravity。

〃Now;〃 went on the King of Thunes; 〃twist your right foot round your left leg; and rise on the tip of your left foot。〃

〃Monseigneur;〃 said Gringoire; 〃so you absolutely insist on my breaking some one of my limbs?〃

Clopin tossed his head。

〃Hark ye; my friend; you talk too much。  Here's the gist of the matter in two words: you are to rise on tiptoe; as I tell you; in that way you will be able to reach the pocket of the manikin; you will rummage it; you will pull out the purse that is there;and if you do all this without our hearing the sound of a bell; all is well: you shall be a vagabond。 All we shall then have to do; will be to thrash you soundly for the space of a week。〃

〃~Ventre…Dieu~!  I will be careful;〃 said Gringoire。  〃And suppose I do make the bells sound?〃

〃Then you will be hanged。  Do you understand?〃

〃I don't understand at all;〃 replied Gringoire。

〃Listen; once more。  You are to search the manikin; and take away its purse; if a single bell stirs during the operation; you will be hung。  Do you understand that?〃

〃Good;〃 said Gringoire; 〃I understand that。  And then?〃

〃If you succeed in removing the purse without our hearing the bells; you are a vagabond; and you will be thrashed for eight consecutive days。  You understand now; no doubt?〃

〃No; monseigneur; I no longer understand。  Where is the advantage to me? hanged in one case; cudgelled in the other?〃

〃And a vagabond;〃 resumed Clopin; 〃and a vagabond; is that nothing?  It is for your interest that we should beat you; in order to harden you to blows。〃

〃Many thanks;〃 replied the poet。

〃Come; make haste;〃 said the king; stamping upon his cask; which resounded like a huge drum!  Search the manikin; and let there be an end to this!  I warn you for the last time; that if I hear a single bell; you will take the place of the manikin。〃

The band of thieves applauded Clopin's words; and arranged themselves in a circle round the gibbet; with a laugh so pitiless that Gringoire perceived that he amused them too much not to have everything to fear from them。  No hope was left for him; accordingly; unless it were the slight chance of succeeding in the formidable operation which was imposed upon him; he decided to risk it; but it was not without first having addressed a fervent prayer to the manikin he was about to plunder; and who would have been easier to move to pity than the vagabonds。  These myriad bells; with their little copper tongues; seemed to him like the mouths of so many asps; open and ready to sting and to hiss。

〃Oh!〃 he said; in a very low voice; 〃is it possible that my life depends on the slightest vibration of the least of these bells?  Oh!〃 he added; with clasped hands; 〃bells; do not ring; hand…bells do not clang; mule…bells do not quiver!〃

He made one more attempt upon Trouillefou。

〃And if there should come a gust of wind?〃

〃You will be hanged;〃 replied the other; without hesitation。

Perceiving that no respite; nor reprieve; nor subterfuge was possible; he bravely decided upon his course of action; he wound his right foot round his left leg; raised himself on his left foot; and stretched out his arm: but at the moment when his hand touched the manikin; his body; which was now supported upon one leg only; wavered on the stool which had but three; he made an involuntary effort to support himself by the manikin; lost his balance; and fell heavily to the ground; deafened by the fatal vibration of the thousand bells of the manikin; which; yielding to the impulse imparted by his hand; described first a rotary motion; and then swayed majestically between the two posts。

〃Malediction!〃 he cried as he fell; and remained as though dead; with his face to the earth。

Meanwhile; he heard the dreadful peal above his head; the diabolical laughter of the vagabonds; and the voice of Trouillefou saying;

〃Pick me up that knave; and hang him without ceremony。〃 He rose。  They had already detached the manikin to make room for him。

The thieves made him mount the stool; Clopin came to him; passed the rope about his neck; and; tapping him on the shoulder;

〃Adieu; my friend。  You can't escape now; even if you digested with the pope's guts。〃

The word 〃Mercy!〃 died away upon Gringoire's lips。  He cast his eyes about him; but there was no hope: all were laughing。

〃Bellevigne de l'Etoile;〃 said the King of Thunes to an enormous vagabond; who stepped out from the ranks; 〃climb upon the 

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