the hunchback of notre dame-第51章

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deaf　man。

Quasimodo；　whom　nothing　warned　that　a　question　had　been　addressed　to　him；　continued　to　stare　intently　at　the　judge；　and　made　no　reply。　　The　judge；　being　deaf；　and　being　in　no　way　warned　of　the　deafness　of　the　accused；　thought　that　the　latter　had　answered；　as　all　accused　do　in　general；　and　therefore　he　pursued；　with　his　mechanical　and　stupid　self…possession；

〃Very　well。　　And　your　age？〃

Again　Quasimodo　made　no　reply　to　this　question。　　The　judge　supposed　that　it　had　been　replied　to；　and　continued；

〃Now；　your　profession？〃

Still　the　same　silence。　　The　spectators　had　begun；　meanwhile；　to　whisper　together；　and　to　exchange　glances。

〃That　will　do；〃　went　on　the　imperturbable　auditor；　when　he　supposed　that　the　accused　had　finished　his　third　reply。　　〃You　are　accused　before　us；　~primo~；　of　nocturnal　disturbance；　~secundo~；　of　a　dishonorable　act　of　violence　upon　the　person　of　a　foolish　woman；　~in　proejudicium　meretricis；　tertio~；　of　rebellion　and　disloyalty　towards　the　archers　of　the　police　of　our　lord；　the　king。　　Explain　yourself　upon　all　these　points。…Clerk；　have　you　written　down　what　the　prisoner　has　said　thus　far？〃

At　this　unlucky　question；　a　burst　of　laughter　rose　from　the　clerk's　table　caught　by　the　audience；　so　violent；　so　wild；　so　contagious；　so　universal；　that　the　two　deaf　men　were　forced　to　perceive　it。　　Quasimodo　turned　round；　shrugging　his　hump　with　disdain；　while　Master　Florian；　equally　astonished；　and　supposing　that　the　laughter　of　the　spectators　had　been　provoked　by　some　irreverent　reply　from　the　accused；　rendered　visible　to　him　by　that　shrug　of　the　shoulders；　apostrophized　him　indignantly；

〃You　have　uttered　a　reply；　knave；　which　deserves　the　halter。　Do　you　know　to　whom　you　are　speaking？〃

This　sally　was　not　fitted　to　arrest　the　explosion　of　general　merriment。　　It　struck　all　as　so　whimsical；　and　so　ridiculous；　that　the　wild　laughter　even　attacked　the　sergeants　of　the　Parloi…　aux…Bourgeois；　a　sort　of　pikemen；　whose　stupidity　was　part　of　their　uniform。　　Quasimodo　alone　preserved　his　seriousness；　for　the　good　reason　that　he　understood　nothing　of　what　was　going　on　around　him。　　The　judge；　more　and　more　irritated；　thought　it　his　duty　to　continue　in　the　same　tone；　hoping　thereby　to　strike　the　accused　with　a　terror　which　should　react　upon　the　audience；　and　bring　it　back　to　respect。

〃So　this　is　as　much　as　to　say；　perverse　and　thieving　knave　that　you　are；　that　you　permit　yourself　to　be　lacking　in　respect　towards　the　Auditor　of　the　Chatelet；　to　the　magistrate　committed　to　the　popular　police　of　Paris；　charged　with　searching　out　crimes；　delinquencies；　and　evil　conduct；　with　controlling　all　trades；　and　interdicting　monopoly；　with　maintaining　the　pavements；　with　debarring　the　hucksters　of　chickens；　poultry；　and　water…fowl；　of　superintending　the　measuring　of　fagots　and　other　sorts　of　wood；　of　purging　the　city　of　mud；　and　the　air　of　contagious　maladies；　in　a　word；　with　attending　continually　to　public　affairs；　without　wages　or　hope　of　salary！　　Do　you　know　that　I　am　called　Florian　Barbedienne；　actual　lieutenant　to　monsieur　the　provost；　and；　moreover；　commissioner；　inquisitor；　controller；　and　examiner；　with　equal　power　in　provostship；　bailiwick；　preservation；　and　inferior　court　of　judicature？〃

There　is　no　reason　why　a　deaf　man　talking　to　a　deaf　man　should　stop。　　God　knows　where　and　when　Master　Florian　would　have　landed；　when　thus　launched　at　full　speed　in　lofty　eloquence；　if　the　low　door　at　the　extreme　end　of　the　room　had　not　suddenly　opened；　and　given　entrance　to　the　provost　in　person。　　At　his　entrance　Master　Florian　did　not　stop　short；　but；　making　a　half…turn　on　his　heels；　and　aiming　at　the　provost　the　harangue　with　which　he　had　been　withering　Quasimodo　a　moment　before；

〃Monseigneur；〃　said　he；　〃I　demand　such　penalty　as　you　shall　deem　fitting　against　the　prisoner　here　present；　for　grave　and　aggravated　offence　against　the　court。〃

And　he　seated　himself；　utterly　breathless；　wiping　away　the　great　drops　of　sweat　which　fell　from　his　brow　and　drenched；　like　tears；　the　parchments　spread　out　before　him。　　Messire　Robert　d'Estouteville　frowned　and　made　a　gesture　so　imperious　and　significant　to　Quasimodo；　that　the　deaf　man　in　some　measure　understood　it。

The　provost　addressed　him　with　severity；　〃What　have　you　done　that　you　have　been　brought　hither；　knave？〃

The　poor　fellow；　supposing　that　the　provost　was　asking　his　name；　broke　the　silence　which　he　habitually　preserved；　and　replied；　in　a　harsh　and　guttural　voice；　〃Quasimodo。〃

The　reply　matched　the　question　so　little　that　the　wild　laugh　began　to　circulate　once　more；　and　Messire　Robert　exclaimed；　red　with　wrath；

〃Are　you　mocking　me　also；　you　arrant　knave？〃

〃Bellringer　of　Notre…Dame；〃　replied　Quasimodo；　supposing　that　what　was　required　of　him　was　to　explain　to　the　judge　who　he　was。

〃Bellringer！〃　interpolated　the　provost；　who　had　waked　up　early　enough　to　be　in　a　sufficiently　bad　temper；　as　we　have　said；　not　to　require　to　have　his　fury　inflamed　by　such　strange　responses。　　〃Bellringer！　　I'll　play　you　a　chime　of　rods　on　your　back　through　the　squares　of　Paris！　　Do　you　hear；　knave？〃

〃If　it　is　my　age　that　you　wish　to　know；〃　said　Quasimodo；　〃I　think　that　I　shall　be　twenty　at　Saint　Martin's　day。〃

This　was　too　much；　the　provost　could　no　longer　restrain　himself。

〃Ah！　you　are　scoffing　at　the　provostship；　wretch！　　Messieurs　the　sergeants　of　the　mace；　you　will　take　me　this　knave　to　the　pillory　of　the　Grève；　you　will　flog　him；　and　turn　him　for　an　hour。　　He　shall　pay　me　for　it；　~tête　Dieu~！　　And　I　order　that　the　present　judgment　shall　be　cried；　with　the　assistance　of　four　sworn　trumpeters；　in　the　seven　castellanies　of　the　viscomty　of　Paris。〃

The　clerk　set　to　work　incontinently　to　draw　up　the　account　of　the　sentence。

〃~Ventre　Dieu~！　'tis　well　adjudged！〃　cried　the　little　scholar；　Jehan　Frollo　du　Moulin；　from　his　corner。

The　provost　turned　and　fixed　his　flashing　eyes　once　more　on　Quasimodo。　　〃I　believe　the　knave　said　'~Ventre　Dieu~'　Clerk；　add　twelve　deniers　Parisian　for　the　oath；　and　let　the　vestry　of　Saint　Eustache　have　the　half　of　it；　I　have　a　particular　devotion　for　Saint　Eustache。〃

In　a　few　minutes　the　sentence　was　drawn　up。　　Its　tenor　was　simple　and　brief。　　The　customs　of　the　provostship　and　the　viscomty　had　not　yet　been　worked　over　by　President　Thibaut　Baillet；　and　by　Roger　Barmne；　the　king's　advocate；　they　had　not　been　obstructed；　at　that　time；　by　that　lofty　hedge　of　quibbles　and　procedures；　which　the　two　jurisconsults　planted　there　at　the　beginning　of　the　sixteenth　century。　　All　was　clear；　expeditious；　explicit。　　One　went　straight　to　the　point　then；　and　at　the　end　of　every　path　there　was　immediately　visible；　without　thickets　and　without　turnings；　the　wheel；　the　gibbet；　or　the　pillory。　　One　at　least　knew　whither　one　was　going。

The　clerk　presented　the　sentence　to　the　provost；　who　affixed　his　seal　to　it；　and　departed　to　pursue　his　round　of　the　audience　hall；　in　a　frame　of　mind　which　seemed　destined　to　fill　all　the　jails　in　Paris　that　day。　　Jehan　Frollo　and　Robin　Poussepain　laughed　in　their　sleeves。　　Quasimodo　gazed　on　the　whole　with　an　indifferent　and　astonished　air。

However；　at　the　moment　when　Master　Florian　Barbedienne　was　reading　the　sentence　in　his　turn；　before　signing　it；　the　clerk　felt　himself　moved　with　pity　for　the　poor　wretch　of　a　prisoner；　and；　in　the　hope　of　obtaining　some　mitigation　of　the　penalty；　he　approached　as　near　the　auditor's　ear　as　possible；　and　said；　pointing　to　Quasimodo；　〃That　man　is　deaf。〃

He　hoped　that　this　community　of　infirmity　would　awaken　Master　Florian's　interest　in　behalf　of　the　condemned　man。　But；　in　the　first　place；　we　have　already　observed　that　Master　Florian　did　not　care　to　have　his　deafness　noticed。　　In　the　next　place；　he　was　so　hard　of　hearing　That　he　did　not　catch　a　single　word　of　what　the　clerk　said　to　him；　nevertheless；　he　wished　to　have　the　appearance　of　hearing；　and　replied；　〃Ah！　ah！　that　is　different；　I　did　not　know　that。　　An　hour　more　of　the　pillory；　in　that　case。〃

And　he　signed　the　sentence　thus　modified。

〃'Tis　well　done；〃　said　Robin　Poussepain；　who　cherished　a　grudge　against　Quasimodo。　　〃That　will　teach　him　to　handle　people　roughly。〃




THE　RAT…HOLE。



The　reader　must　permi