the hunchback of notre dame-第7章

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in　his　ailing　arm。　　The　mendicant　received　both　the　alms　and　the　sarcasm　without　wincing；　and　continued；　in　lamentable　tones；

〃Charity；　please！〃

This　episode　considerably　distracted　the　attention　of　the　audience；　and　a　goodly　number　of　spectators；　among　them　Robin　Poussepain；　and　all　the　clerks　at　their　head；　gayly　applauded　this　eccentric　duet；　which　the　scholar；　with　his　shrill　voice；　and　the　mendicant　had　just　improvised　in　the　middle　of　the　prologue。

Gringoire　was　highly　displeased。　　On　recovering　from　his　first　stupefaction；　he　bestirred　himself　to　shout；　to　the　four　personages　on　the　stage；　〃Go　on！　　What　the　devil！go　on！〃　without　even　deigning　to　cast　a　glance　of　disdain　upon　the　two　interrupters。

At　that　moment；　he　felt　some　one　pluck　at　the　hem　of　his　surtout；　he　turned　round；　and　not　without　ill…humor；　and　found　considerable　difficulty　in　smiling；　but　he　was　obliged　to　do　so；　nevertheless。　　It　was　the　pretty　arm　of　Gisquette　la　Gencienne；　which；　passed　through　the　railing；　was　soliciting　his　attention　in　this　manner。

〃Monsieur；〃　said　the　young　girl；　〃are　they　going　to　continue？〃

〃Of　course；〃　replied　Gringoire；　a　good　deal　shocked　by　the　question。

〃In　that　case；　messire；〃　she　resumed；　〃would　you　have　the　courtesy　to　explain　to　me〃

〃What　they　are　about　to　say？〃　interrupted　Gringoire。　〃Well；　listen。〃

〃No；〃　said　Gisquette；　〃but　what　they　have　said　so　far。〃

Gringoire　started；　like　a　man　whose　wound　has　been　probed　to　the　quick。

〃A　plague　on　the　stupid　and　dull…witted　little　girl！〃　he　muttered；　between　his　teeth。

From　that　moment　forth；　Gisquette　was　nothing　to　him。

In　the　meantime；　the　actors　had　obeyed　his　injunction；　and　the　public；　seeing　that　they　were　beginning　to　speak　again；　began　once　more　to　listen；　not　without　having　lost　many　beauties　in　the　sort　of　soldered　joint　which　was　formed　between　the　two　portions　of　the　piece　thus　abruptly　cut　short。　　Gringoire　commented　on　it　bitterly　to　himself。　Nevertheless；　tranquillity　was　gradually　restored；　the　scholar　held　his　peace；　the　mendicant　counted　over　some　coins　in　his　hat；　and　the　piece　resumed　the　upper　hand。

It　was；　in　fact；　a　very　fine　work；　and　one　which；　as　it　seems　to　us；　might　be　put　to　use　to…day；　by　the　aid　of　a　little　rearrangement。　　The　exposition；　rather　long　and　rather　empty；　that　is　to　say；　according　to　the　rules；　was　simple；　and　Gringoire；　in　the　candid　sanctuary　of　his　own　conscience；　admired　its　clearness。　　As　the　reader　may　surmise；　the　four　allegorical　personages　were　somewhat　weary　with　having　traversed　the　three　sections　of　the　world；　without　having　found　suitable　opportunity　for　getting　rid　of　their　golden　dolphin。　　Thereupon　a　eulogy　of　the　marvellous　fish；　with　a　thousand　delicate　allusions　to　the　young　betrothed　of　Marguerite　of　Flanders；　then　sadly　cloistered　in　at　Amboise；　and　without　a　suspicion　that　Labor　and　Clergy；　Nobility　and　Merchandise　had　just　made　the　circuit　of　the　world　in　his　behalf。　　The　said　dauphin　was　then　young；　was　handsome；　was　stout；　and；　above　all　（magnificent　origin　of　all　royal　virtues）；　he　was　the　son　of　the　Lion　of　France。　　I　declare　that　this　bold　metaphor　is　admirable；　and　that　the　natural　history　of　the　theatre；　on　a　day　of　allegory　and　royal　marriage　songs；　is　not　in　the　least　startled　by　a　dolphin　who　is　the　son　of　a　lion。　　It　is　precisely　these　rare　and　Pindaric　mixtures　which　prove　the　poet's　enthusiasm。　　Nevertheless；　in　order　to　play　the　part　of　critic　also；　the　poet　might　have　developed　this　beautiful　idea　in　something　less　than　two　hundred　lines。　　It　is　true　that　the　mystery　was　to　last　from　noon　until　four　o'clock；　in　accordance　with　the　orders　of　monsieur　the　provost；　and　that　it　was　necessary　to　say　something。　　Besides；　the　people　listened　patiently。

All　at　once；　in　the　very　middle　of　a　quarrel　between　Mademoiselle　Merchandise　and　Madame　Nobility；　at　the　moment　when　Monsieur　Labor　was　giving　utterance　to　this　wonderful　line；

　　　　In　forest　ne'er　was　seen　a　more　triumphant　beast；

the　door　of　the　reserved　gallery　which　had　hitherto　remained　so　inopportunely　closed；　opened　still　more　inopportunely；　and　the　ringing　voice　of　the　usher　announced　abruptly；　〃His　eminence；　Monseigneur　the　Cardinal　de　Bourbon。〃




CHAPTER　III。

MONSIEUR　THE　CARDINAL。



Poor　Gringoire！　the　din　of　all　the　great　double　petards　of　the　Saint…Jean；　the　discharge　of　twenty　arquebuses　on　supports；　the　detonation　of　that　famous　serpentine　of　the　Tower　of　Billy；　which；　during　the　siege　of　Paris；　on　Sunday；　the　twenty…sixth　of　September；　1465；　killed　seven　Burgundians　at　one　blow；　the　explosion　of　all　the　powder　stored　at　the　gate　of　the　Temple；　would　have　rent　his　ears　less　rudely　at　that　solemn　and　dramatic　moment；　than　these　few　words；　which　fell　from　the　lips　of　the　usher；　〃His　eminence；　Monseigneur　the　Cardinal　de　Bourbon。〃

It　is　not　that　Pierre　Gringoire　either　feared　or　disdained　monsieur　the　cardinal。　　He　had　neither　the　weakness　nor　the　audacity　for　that。　　A　true　eclectic；　as　it　would　be　expressed　nowadays；　Gringoire　was　one　of　those　firm　and　lofty；　moderate　and　calm　spirits；　which　always　know　how　to　bear　themselves　amid　all　circumstances　（~stare　in　dimidio　rerum~）；　and　who　are　full　of　reason　and　of　liberal　philosophy；　while　still　setting　store　by　cardinals。　　A　rare；　precious；　and　never　interrupted　race　of　philosophers　to　whom　wisdom；　like　another　Ariadne；　seems　to　have　given　a　clew　of　thread　which　they　have　been　walking　along　unwinding　since　the　beginning　of　the　world；　through　the　labyrinth　of　human　affairs。　　One　finds　them　in　all　ages；　ever　the　same；　that　is　to　say；　always　according　to　all　times。　　And；　without　reckoning　our　Pierre　Gringoire；　who　may　represent　them　in　the　fifteenth　century　if　we　succeed　in　bestowing　upon　him　the　distinction　which　he　deserves；　it　certainly　was　their　spirit　which　animated　Father　du　Breul；　when　he　wrote；　in　the　sixteenth；　these　naively　sublime　words；　worthy　of　all　centuries：　〃I　am　a　Parisian　by　nation；　and　a　Parrhisian　in　language；　for　~parrhisia~　in　Greek　signifies　liberty　of　speech；　of　which　I　have　made　use　even　towards　messeigneurs　the　cardinals；　uncle　and　brother　to　Monsieur　the　Prince　de　Conty；　always　with　respect　to　their　greatness；　and　without　offending　any　one　of　their　suite；　which　is　much　to　say。〃

There　was　then　neither　hatred　for　the　cardinal；　nor　disdain　for　his　presence；　in　the　disagreeable　impression　produced　upon　Pierre　Gringoire。　　Quite　the　contrary；　our　poet　had　too　much　good　sense　and　too　threadbare　a　coat；　not　to　attach　particular　importance　to　having　the　numerous　allusions　in　his　prologue；　and；　in　particular；　the　glorification　of　the　dauphin；　son　of　the　Lion　of　France；　fall　upon　the　most　eminent　ear。　　But　it　is　not　interest　which　predominates　in　the　noble　nature　of　poets。　　I　suppose　that　the　entity　of　the　poet　may　be　represented　by　the　number　ten；　it　is　certain　that　a　chemist　on　analyzing　and　pharmacopolizing　it；　as　Rabelais　says；　would　find　it　composed　of　one　part　interest　to　nine　parts　of　self…esteem。

Now；　at　the　moment　when　the　door　had　opened　to　admit　the　cardinal；　the　nine　parts　of　self…esteem　in　Gringoire；　swollen　and　expanded　by　the　breath　of　popular　admiration；　were　in　a　state　of　prodigious　augmentation；　beneath　which　disappeared；　as　though　stifled；　that　imperceptible　molecule　of　which　we　have　just　remarked　upon　in　the　constitution　of　poets；　a　precious　ingredient；　by　the　way；　a　ballast　of　reality　and　humanity；　without　which　they　would　not　touch　the　earth。　　Gringoire　enjoyed　seeing；　feeling；　fingering；　so　to　speak　an　entire　assembly　（of　knaves；　it　is　true；　but　what　matters　that　？）　stupefied；　petrified；　and　as　though　asphyxiated　in　the　presence　of　the　incommensurable　tirades　which　welled　up　every　instant　from　all　parts　of　his　bridal　song。　　I　affirm　that　he　shared　the　general　beatitude；　and　that；　quite　the　reverse　of　La　Fontaine；　who；　at　the　presentation　of　his　comedy　of　the　〃Florentine；〃　asked；　〃Who　is　the　ill…bred　lout　who　made　that　rhapsody？〃　Gringoire　would　gladly　have　inquired　of　his　neighbor；　〃Whose　masterpiece　is　this？〃

The　reader　can　now　judge　of　the　effect　produced　upon　him　by　the　abrupt　and　unseasonable　arrival　of　the　cardinal。

That　which　he　had　to　fear　was　only　too　fully　realized。　The　entrance　of