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!
〃General Bauduin received orders to take the chateau of Hougomont which stands in the middle of the plain of Waterloo; with five battalions of his brigade。〃
She paused。
〃Ah!
Waterloo!
I know about that。
It was a battle long ago。 My father was there。
My father has served in the armies。
We are fine Bonapartists in our house; that we are!
Waterloo was against the English。〃
She laid down the book; caught up a pen; and exclaimed:
〃And I know how to write; too!〃
She dipped her pen in the ink; and turning to Marius:
〃Do you want to see?
Look here; I'm going to write a word to show you。〃
And before he had time to answer; she wrote on a sheet of white paper; which lay in the middle of the table:
〃The bobbies are here。〃
Then throwing down the pen:
〃There are no faults of orthography。
You can look。
We have received an education; my sister and I。 We have not always been as we are now。 We were not made〃
Here she paused; fixed her dull eyes on Marius; and burst out laughing; saying; with an intonation which contained every form of anguish; stifled by every form of cynicism:
〃Bah!〃
And she began to hum these words to a gay air:〃J'ai faim; mon pere。〃
I am hungry; father。
Pas de fricot。 I have no food。
J'ai froid; ma mere。
I am cold; mother。
Pas de tricot。 I have no clothes。
Grelotte;
Lolotte! Lolotte!
Shiver; Sanglote;
Sob; Jacquot!〃
Jacquot!〃
She had hardly finished this couplet; when she exexclaimed:
〃Do you ever go to the play; Monsieur Marius?
I do。
I have a little brother who is a friend of the artists; and who gives me tickets sometimes。
But I don't like the benches in the galleries。 One is cramped and unfortable there。
There are rough people there sometimes; and people who smell bad。〃
Then she scrutinized Marius; assumed a singular air and said:
〃Do you know; Mr。 Marius; that you are a very handsome fellow?〃
And at the same moment the same idea occurred to them both; and made her smile and him blush。
She stepped up to him; and laid her hand on his shoulder:
〃You pay no heed to me; but I know you; Mr。 Marius。
I meet you here on the staircase; and then I often see you going to a person named Father Mabeuf who lives in the direction of Austerlitz; sometimes when I have been strolling in that quarter。 It is very being to you to have your hair tumbled thus。〃
She tried to render her voice soft; but only succeeded in making it very deep。
A portion of her words was lost in the transit from her larynx to her lips; as though on a piano where some notes are missing。
Marius had retreated gently。
〃Mademoiselle;〃 said he; with his cool gravity; 〃I have here a package which belongs to you; I think。
Permit me to return it to you。〃
And he held out the envelope containing the four letters。
She clapped her hands and exclaimed:
〃We have been looking everywhere for that!〃
Then she eagerly seized the package and opened the envelope; saying as she did so:
〃Dieu de Dieu! how my sister and I have hunted!
And it was you who found it!
On the boulevard; was it not?
It must have been on the boulevard?
You see; we let it fall when we were running。 It was that brat of a sister of mine who was so stupid。
When we got home; we could not find it anywhere。
As we did not wish to be beaten; as that is useless; as that is entirely useless; as that is absolutely useless; we said that we had carried the letters to the proper persons; and that they had said to us: ‘Nix。' So here they are; those poor letters!
And how did you find out that they belonged to me?
Ah! yes; the writing。
So it was you that we jostled as we passed last night。
We couldn't see。 I said to my sister:
‘Is it a gentleman?'
My sister said to me: ‘I think it is a gentleman。'〃
In the meanwhile she had unfolded the petition addressed to 〃the benevolent gentleman of the church of Saint…Jacquesdu…Haut…Pas。〃
〃Here!〃 said she; 〃this is for that old fellow who goes to mass。 By the way; this is his hour。
I'll go and carry it to him。 Perhaps he will give us something to breakfast on。〃
Then she began to laugh again; and added:
〃Do you know what it will mean if we get a breakfast today? It will mean that we shall have had our breakfast of the day before yesterday; our breakfast of yesterday; our dinner of to…day; and all that at once; and this morning。
e!
Parbleu! if you are not satisfied; dogs; burst!〃
This reminded Marius of the wretched girl's errand to himself。 He fumbled in his waistcoat pocket; and found nothing there。
The young girl went on; and seemed to have no consciousness of Marius' presence。
〃I often go off in the evening。
Sometimes I don't e home again。 winter; before we came here; we lived under the arches of the bridges。
We huddled together to keep from freezing。 My little sister cried。
How melancholy the water is!
When I thought of drowning myself; I said to myself:
‘No; it's too cold。' I go out alone; whenever I choose; I sometimes sleep in the ditches。 Do you know; at night; when I walk along the boulevard; I see the trees like forks; I see houses; all black and as big as Notre Dame; I fancy that the white walls are the river; I say to myself:
‘Why; there's water there!'
The stars are like the lamps in illuminations; one would say that they smoked and that the wind blew them out; I am bewildered; as though horses were breathing in my ears; although it is night; I hear hand…organs and spinning…machines; and I don't know what all。
I think people are flinging stones at me; I flee without knowing whither; everything whirls and whirls。 You feel very queer when you have had no food。〃
And then she stared at him with a bewildered air。
By dint of searching and ransacking his pockets; Marius had finally collected five francs sixteen sous。
This was all he owned in the world for the moment。
〃At all events;〃 he thought; 〃there is my dinner for to…day; and to…morrow we will see。〃
He kept the sixteen sous; and handed the five francs to the young girl。
She seized the coin。
〃Good!〃 said she; 〃the sun is shining!〃
And; as though the sun had possessed the property of melting the avalanches of slang in her brain; she went on:
〃Five francs! the shiner! a monarch! in this hole!
Ain't this fine! You're a jolly thief!
I'm your humble servant!
Bravo for the good fellows!
Two days' wine! and meat! and stew! we'll have a royal feast! and a good fill!〃
She pulled her chemise up on her shoulders; made a low bow to Marius; then a familiar sign with her hand; and went towards the door; saying:
〃Good morning; sir。
It's all right。
I'll go and find my old man。〃
As she passed; she caught sight of a dry crust of bread on the mode; which was moulding there amid the dust; she flung herself upon it and bit into it; muttering:
〃That's good! it's hard! it breaks my teeth!〃
Then she departed。
A ROSE IN MISERY
A