the hunchback of notre dame-第22章

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！



〃Ah！　so　it　was　you；　master！〃　said　Clopin。　　〃I　was　there；　~xête　Dieu~！　　Well！　comrade；　is　that　any　reason；　because　you　bored　us　to　death　this　morning；　that　you　should　not　be　hung　this　evening？〃

〃I　shall　find　difficulty　in　getting　out　of　it；〃　said　Gringoire　to　himself。　　Nevertheless；　he　made　one　more　effort：　〃I　don't　see　why　poets　are　not　classed　with　vagabonds；〃　said　he。　〃Vagabond；　Aesopus　certainly　was；　Homerus　was　a　beggar；　Mercurius　was　a　thief〃

Clopin　interrupted　him：　〃I　believe　that　you　are　trying　to　blarney　us　with　your　jargon。　　Zounds！　let　yourself　be　hung；　and　don't　kick　up　such　a　row　over　it！〃

〃Pardon　me；　monseigneur；　the　King　of　Thunes；〃　replied　Gringoire；　disputing　the　ground　foot　by　foot。　　〃It　is　worth　troubleOne　moment！Listen　to　meYou　are　not　going　to　condemn　me　without　having　heard　me〃

His　unlucky　voice　was；　in　fact；　drowned　in　the　uproar　which　rose　around　him。　　The　little　boy　scraped　away　at　his　cauldron　with　more　spirit　than　ever；　and；　to　crown　all；　an　old　woman　had　just　placed　on　the　tripod　a　frying…pan　of　grease；　which　hissed　away　on　the　fire　with　a　noise　similar　to　the　cry　of　a　troop　of　children　in　pursuit　of　a　masker。

In　the　meantime；　Clopin　Trouillefou　appeared　to　hold　a　momentary　conference　with　the　Duke　of　Egypt；　and　the　Emperor　of　Galilee；　who　was　completely　drunk。　　Then　he　shouted　shrilly：　〃Silence！〃　and；　as　the　cauldron　and　the　frying…pan　did　not　heed　him；　and　continued　their　duet；　he　jumped　down　from　his　hogshead；　gave　a　kick　to　the　boiler；　which　rolled　ten　paces　away　bearing　the　child　with　it；　a　kick　to　the　frying…pan；　which　upset　in　the　fire　with　all　its　grease；　and　gravely　remounted　his　throne；　without　troubling　himself　about　the　stifled　tears　of　the　child；　or　the　grumbling　of　the　old　woman；　whose　supper　was　wasting　away　in　a　fine　white　flame。

Trouillefou　made　a　sign；　and　the　duke；　the　emperor；　and　the　passed　masters　of　pickpockets；　and　the　isolated　robbers；　came　and　ranged　themselves　around　him　in　a　horseshoe；　of　which　Gringoire；　still　roughly　held　by　the　body；　formed　the　centre。　　It　was　a　semicircle　of　rags；　tatters；　tinsel；　pitchforks；　axes；　legs　staggering　with　intoxication；　huge；　bare　arms；　faces　sordid；　dull；　and　stupid。　　In　the　midst　of　this　Round　Table　of　beggary；　Clopin　Trouillefou；as　the　doge　of　this　senate；　as　the　king　of　this　peerage；　as　the　pope　of　this　conclave；　dominated；　first　by　virtue　of　the　height　of　his　hogshead；　and　next　by　virtue　of　an　indescribable；　haughty；　fierce；　and　formidable　air；　which　caused　his　eyes　to　flash；　and　corrected　in　his　savage　profile　the　bestial　type　of　the　race　of　vagabonds。　　One　would　have　pronounced　him　a　boar　amid　a　herd　of　swine。

〃Listen；〃　said　he　to　Gringoire；　fondling　his　misshapen　chin　with　his　horny　hand；　〃I　don't　see　why　you　should　not　be　hung。　　It　is　true　that　it　appears　to　be　repugnant　to　you；　and　it　is　very　natural；　for　you　bourgeois　are　not　accustomed　to　it。　You　form　for　yourselves　a　great　idea　of　the　thing。　　After　all；　we　don't　wish　you　any　harm。　　Here　is　a　means　of　extricating　yourself　from　your　predicament　for　the　moment。　　Will　you　become　one　of　us？〃

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