Chapter 39 Notre Dame de Paris (3) Volume 6 A drop of water, a tear (3)

A Tale of Three Tacos At the time of this story the little room in the Tower Laurent was inhabited. If the judge wants to know who lives there, he only needs to listen to the conversation of three decent women and Taoists.When we drew the watchman's attention to the mouse hole, these three women and Taoists happened to walk along the river bank from the small castle to the river beach square. ①②③④ The original text is Latin. Two of them, judging by their attire, were well-to-do citizens of Paris.Soft snow-white crepe collar, red and blue striped blended tweed skirt, wool woven white socks tightly wrapped around the legs, colorful embroidery on the ankles, brown leather shoes with black soles and square heads, especially their hats, are fragrant. The pointed hats still worn by the women of the Pani region, adorned with ribbons, lace, and tinsel, could have rivaled those of the grenadiers of the Russian Guards, all of which showed that the two women belonged to wealthy The class of merchant women, whose status fell between what the servants now call wives and wives.They wore neither gold rings nor gold crosses, and it was easy to see that this was not due to their poverty, but simply a naive fear of being fined.The other companion was not badly dressed, but there was something indescribable in dress and manner, reminiscent of a provincial notary's wife.Judging from the way she wore the belt high above her hips, she hadn't been in Paris for a long time.Besides this, she had a pleated collar, knotted ribbons on her shoes, horizontal rather than straight stripes on her skirts, and a host of other nondescript arrangements, which would have turned out to be too much for refined tastes.

The first two walked forward, with the peculiar walk of a Parisian woman leading a provincial woman through Paris.The provincial woman was holding a fat boy by the hand, and the boy held a large piece of cake in his hand. ① The original text is Latin. We are sorry to have to add that due to the cold season he used his tongue as a handkerchief. The boy was being dragged along, and, as Virgil said, gaiting unsteadily, stumbling and making his mother cry out, in fact, his eyes were fixed on the cake in his hand, and he did not pay attention. look at the road.Probably because of some serious reason, he didn't bite the piece of cake, but looked at it affectionately.In fact, it was a bit cruel to turn the fat baby into a Tantalus when the pie should have gone to his mother.At this time, the three beautiful women (because the word "madame" was only used for noble ladies at that time) talked together.

"Come on, Madame Maiette," said the youngest and fattest of the three, a woman from the province. "I'm really afraid that we are late. I just heard from the people in Xiaobao that he will be taken to the pillar of shame soon." "Well! Come, Mme. Oudard Musnier, what you're talking about!" Another Parisian woman continued. "He's going to be at the Column of Infamy for two hours. We'll have time. My dear Maiette, have you ever seen the scaffold?" "Yes, in Reims." The provincial woman replied. "Oh, come on! What's your Lance's disgraceful stake? It's just a crappy cage to punish country folks. That's great!"

"Not just country people!" said Maiette. "At the woolen market! At Reims! We have seen many heinous murderers. They killed their fathers and mothers! They are just peasants! What do you think of us, Gervaise?" This foreign woman was really about to get angry because of her reputation as a shameful column in her hometown. Fortunately, Mrs. Oudard Musnier was wise and changed the subject in time. "By the way, Madame Mayette, what do you think of those Flemish envoys? Has Lance seen such a beautiful envoy?" "I admit that the only place to see such Flemish people is in Paris," replied Maiette.

① A character in ancient Greek mythology who was condemned to suffer eternal hunger and thirst for offending the gods. "There is a burly envoy in the imperial envoy who sells socks, have you seen it?" Udade asked. "I see," Maiette replied. "He looks like a Saturnus." "And that big fat man with a face like a big bald belly, did you see that too?" Gervaise asked again. "And that short guy with small eyes, red eyelids, eyelids like notched leaves, unkempt eyelashes like hairballs?" "Their horses are beautiful, all dressed up in the way of their country!" said Udard.

"Ah, my dear," interrupted Maiette from the provinces, and it was her turn to put on a show. "How would you have felt if you had seen the princes and royal entourage riding at the coronation in Reims in 1961, that is, eighteen years ago! Saddles and mantles, all kinds There are damascus, and gold filigree, all sable; Oh! how handsome are the young squires on horseback!" "Even so," Mrs. Oudard retorted coldly, "the horses of the Flemish envoys are still beautiful, and they went to the dinner of the governor of Paris at the city hall yesterday. The food and drink were rich, including candied almonds. and cinnamon wine, delicacies, and all sorts of delicacies."

"Where are you going, my good neighbour?" exclaimed Gervaise. "The Flemish envoys dined at the residence of the Cardinal at the Petit Bourbon Palace." "No. At City Hall!" "No. At the Petit Bourbon Palace!" ① The god of agriculture and forestry in ancient Greek mythology, with horns and hooves. "Evidently at the Town Hall," Oudard went on sharply, "it was Dr. Skrable who addressed them in Latin, and listened to them with delight. This is what my husband, the court-appointed bookseller, told me himself. " "It's obviously at the Petit Bourbon Palace," Gervaise also responded excitedly, "the gifts given to them by the steward of His Excellency Cardinal are: twelve half-liter bottles of cinnamon tonic wine, white, light red, scarlet; twenty-four boxes of yolk double macaroons from Lyons; twenty-four large candles, each weighing a good two pounds; six barrels of two hundred liters of Beaune wine, white and red The best wine in the world. That's absolutely true. I heard it from my husband, who is the head of the borough's reception room. He also this morning put the Flemish envoy with the Bolete-John. A comparison was made between the envoys of the Emperor Trebizond and those of the Emperor Trebizond, who had come to Paris from Mesopotamia in the previous dynasty and had earrings in their ears."

"They did dine at the town hall," retorted Oudad, a little unable to restrain himself at this boast, "and no one has ever seen such a sum of wine, meat, and almond cake." "I can tell you, too, that they were served at the Petit Bourbon by Le Seck, the garrison captain, and you are mistaken on that." "At City Hall, you can't go wrong!" "At Little Bourbon, my dear! That's right, and a magic lantern to light up the word HOPE on the big porch." "At the town hall! the town hall! Yes, Husson-le-Val even plays the flute."

"Tell you, no!" "Tell you, it is!" "Listen to me, no!" The fleshy Oudad was about to retaliate, and the quarrel might turn into a hand-to-hand hair-pulling, when, fortunately, Maiette suddenly shouted: "Look, there are so many people crowded on the bridge over there! What are they watching?" "Really," said Gervaise, "I heard the tambourine. I think Esmeralda must be playing tricks with her kid. Come on, Maiette! Widen your stride and hold on." Go away, child. You came to Paris to see novelties. Yesterday you saw the Flemish, and today you should see the Egyptian girl."

"Egyptian girl!" Maiette said, snapping back and grabbing his son's arm. "Bless God! She may abduct my child!—Come, Eustache!" As soon as the words fell, he ran along the river bank to the river beach square until he was far away from the bridge.Then the child she was holding fell down, and she stopped, out of breath.Oudad and Gervaise caught up. "That Egyptian girl will steal your child! You are so wild and queer," said Gervaise. Maiette shook her head thoughtfully when she heard this. "Strange to say, the sackclothed woman thought the same of Egyptian women."

Udard reminded. "Who is the Maid in Sackcloth?" Maiette asked. "Oh! It's Sister Gudul." Udad replied. "And who is Sister Gudul?" Maiette continued. "You are a real Lance, and you don't even know this!" Udard replied. "It's the hermit nun in the mouse hole!" "What! Is that the poor woman to whom we took this cake?" asked Maiette. Udard nodded. "Exactly. You'll see her from the window of her hut when you get to the beach. She thinks as you do of the Egyptian wanderers with their tambourines telling fortunes. She thinks of gypsies and Egyptians." I don’t know why this fear came from. But you, Maiette, when you heard about the gypsies and the Egyptians, you ran away with your life like this, why?” "Alas!" said Maiette, clasping her son's round head in her hands. "I don't want to be treated like that Paquette called Flowers." "Ah! That must be a sweet story; tell us quickly, my good Maiette," said Gervaise, taking her arm. "I would like to," replied Maiette, "but you are too Parisian to know about it. Then I will tell you, but I don't need to stand here and say it." Paquette was a pretty girl of eighteen, and I was then, and I was eighteen years ago, and now I am a mother of thirty-six, plump and radiant, with a husband and a son, to say Paquette is not like me today, that's all her own fault, besides, from the age of fourteen, she regretted it too late! Her father's name was Jubeto, bard and musician on the ship of Reims; Charles VII was crowned At that time, I was sailing down the Vill River in a boat from Cyrely to Muzon. The lady Virgin was also on board, and it was Jubeto who had performed before the Holy Driver. ① That is, the French heroine Joan of Arc (about 1412-1431) in the Hundred Years War between Britain and France. Pagett was very young when his old father died, with only his mother by his side.Her mother had an older brother, M. Mathieu Platon, a brassmaker and potter in Paris, Rue Palin-Garland, who died just last year.You see, she comes from a pretty good background.It was a pity that her mother, an honest woman, taught Paquette nothing but sewing and knick-knacks, and yet she grew up and was still very poor.The mother and daughter live on the street called 'Misery Street' along the river in Reims. Note this, which I believe is the source of Paquette's misfortune.In '61, the year our Saint Louis XI, God bless you, was coronated, Paquette was so lively and handsome that she was one of a kind, and everyone called her Flora.Poor girl!She has a mouthful of beautiful teeth, and she always smiles, so that people can see them.Having said that, girls who love to laugh end up crying, and beautiful teeth end up ruining beautiful eyes.Hua Xier is like this.She and her mother depended on each other for life and lived a difficult life.Since the death of the musician, the family had fallen into such a dire straits that they were completely ruined, and the mother and daughter could not earn more than six deniers a week, or two eagles, for a week of sewing.Back in the day, Papa Cubert had a unique coronation ceremony where he could earn twelve Paris soles for singing a song. Where did he find such a good opportunity?One winter, that is, the winter of 1961, the mother and daughter didn't even have a firewood stick, and the weather was so cold that Hua Xi'er's face was extremely red from the cold, and her name was always on the lips of the men: Pa Getter!Some people call her Pagarita ②!She went downhill. —Eustache, how dare you bite that pie! —She went to church one Sunday, and she wore a necklace with a gold cross around her neck, and it was obvious that she was done.Only fourteen years old!Look at such things!The first to hook up was the young viscount of Cormont Rey, who lived three kilometers from Reims.Then there was Sir Henri de Trion, a cavalier.Then, less visible, there was Chiar de Bollion, the fencing guard; then, less and less, Gerry Aubertjon, the meat-cutter servant of the imperial table, and Marcel de Veron, the barber of His Royal Highness the Dauphin. Reppy, Typhoon the cook, nicknamed 'The Monk'; in the end, one is not as good as the other, the older and the lower, and it is all right to pour it to Guillaume Racine, the harpist, and Thierry, who is in charge of the lamps. Lee De Mer.Poor Hua Xi'er became everyone's plaything.The value of her piece of gold had long been lost, and it was worth very little.What else is there to say, two sister-in-laws?In the year of the king's coronation in 1961, she even made a quilt for the king of the beggar gang! ——Yes, it was that year! At this point, Maiette, with tears in her eyes, sighed and wiped away a tear. ①The name of the French bronze coin, one ria is equivalent to a quarter of the sous (copper coin). ② means daisy. "It's not a thrilling story," said Gervaise, "and I don't see what it has to do with Egyptians, or with children." "Don't worry!" Maiette went on. "As for children, there's going to be one soon.—In '66, sixteen years since St. Paul's Day this month, Paquette gave birth to a little girl. Poor woman! She was delighted. She had longed for a child. Her mother, the honest woman who kept her eyes shut and pretended to be ignorant, was dead. There was nothing lovely in Paquette in this world, nor No one loves her anymore. In the five years since she started to fall, Hua Xier is really pitiful, alone, helpless in this world of mortals, being pointed at everywhere, scolded by people on the street, Beaten by the guards, mocked by boys in shabby suits. Then, twenty, and twenty is old for a coquettish woman. Licentiousness is getting cheaper and cheaper than selling needles and needles The work was much better earned, and every wrinkle was a guinea lost. The winter was hard again, and there was seldom any wood in the stove, and seldom bread in the cupboard. There was no work to be done, because Indulgence, one becomes lazy, and the laziness becomes more indulgent, and she sinks deeper and deeper, and she can no longer extricate herself.--The parish priest of Saint-Rémy explains why such women are more old than other poor women. Suffering from hunger and cold, or so to say." "Exactly," said Gervaise, "but what about the Egyptians?" "Wait a minute, Gervaise!" Oudard said, listening patiently. "If you tell the whole story at the beginning, what is there to say at the end? Go on, Maiette, please. Poor Frauille!" Maiette went on. "It is true that she is very sad and miserable. She washes her face with tears all day long, and her cheeks are sunken from crying. However, because of her humiliation, debauchery, and being spurned by others, she can't help thinking: If there is some kind of If something or someone can make her love and love her, then she will not be so disgraceful, so wanton, and so abandoned. It must be a child, because only a child can So innocent, she didn't care about it.—She realized it with difficulty. Before that she had tried to love a thief, and he was the only man who could have her, but after a while, she It was discovered that the thief also despised her.—— Most infatuated women always need a lover and a child to fill their hearts, otherwise it will be very miserable.——Since it is impossible to have a lover, she changed her mind and wanted to have one The child, and her pious heart has not been extinguished, so she kept praying to the merciful God that she wanted to have a child. Sincerely, the merciful God had mercy on her and gave her a daughter. Her happy appearance , needless to say, tears, caresses, kisses, madness. She nursed the baby herself, swaddled the only quilt on her own bed, and she was no longer cold and hungry. Then she regained her beauty, the old girl became a young mother, adultery resumed, people came to Hua Xier again, and her goods were patronized again. She used all the money she earned from these dirty activities to buy for her daughter Little blouses, bonnets, bibs, lace shirts, satin caps, and never even thought of buying myself a new quilt.—Mr. Eustache, tell you not to eat that pie, what do you do! —Little Anise, that was the girl's baptismal name, since Flora no longer has a surname, and to tell the truth, little Anise, dressed in silk and brocade, looked more like Dauphine. The princess is even more gorgeous! Especially her little shoes, even King Louis XI certainly did not have such shoes! Those little shoes were sewn and embroidered by the mother herself. The gown worn by Our Lady of Mercy. These little pink shoes are really as cute as they can be! Only my thumb is as long. If I hadn’t seen the child’s little feet taking off the shoes, it would be hard to believe that pair of pink shoes. The little feet fit in. Really, how small, how pretty, and how pink those little feet were! They surpassed the pink satin of the shoe uppers!—Oudad, when you have a child, you will know that there is nothing It’s even better than those little hands and feet.” "I can't ask for it," Oudard said with a sigh. "However, until Monsieur André Musnier is willing." "And," continued Maiette, "Paquette's child has more than just beautiful feet. She was four months old when I saw her, and she was a sweetheart! Her eyes were bigger than her mouth, and she had a beautiful head. Her hair was soft and black and curly. By the time she was sixteen she must have been a sprightly, dark-skinned beauty! Her mother loved her more madly every day, fondled her, kissed her, squeaked She, bathe her, dress her up, and almost swallow her! ① The name of the old province in eastern France. She is so happy for her daughter, and she can't forget God's kindness. Especially her daughter's pair She was so amazed at her beautiful rose-coloured feet, she was mad with joy! She kept pressing her lips to those little feet, and couldn't let her go. Putting her little shoes on, and taking them off again, I can't say enough I can’t get enough of her admiration, endless surprises, I can’t get enough of it all day long, full of love and compassion, I tried to teach her how to walk on the bed, and I was willing to kneel all my life, putting on and taking off the shoes of these little feet like the Holy Baby Jesus.” "It's a very touching and pleasant story, but where are the Egyptians?" murmured the quick-tempered Gervaise. "There it is!" Maiette replied. "One day a party of men on horseback came to Rance, and they looked very strange. They were a party of beggars and tramps, led by their duke and earl, and wandering all over the world. They were tanned, and their hair was curly. Hanging silver earrings, the woman is uglier than the man, has a darker face, wears nothing on her head, is holding an ugly imp on her body, an old shawl of coarse cloth made of twine is draped over her shoulders, and her hair is tied into a ponytail The shape. The children who crawled on their legs would scare away even the monkeys. They were excommunicated people who came straight from Lower Egypt through Poland to Reims. It is said that the Pope listened to them After repenting, they are required to wander in the mortal world for seven years without sleeping on the bed, as a sign of atonement. So they are called 'penitents', and they smell bad. It seems that they are originally Saracens, so they believe in Jupiter and have the right to claim ten tulivres from all archbishops, bishops, and abbots wearing crosses and mirells, as it has been prescribed to them by a papal bull. They are under the name of the King of Algiers and the Kaiser of Germany. The signboard came to Reims to tell fortunes. You can imagine that this alone is enough to prohibit them from entering the city of Reims. Therefore, the whole party is willing to camp at the gate of Brenna, and live in a mill that can still be seen today. On the mound next to the old lime pit. They read palms, and they talked so much that they could really predict that Judas would become Pope. However, all kinds of gossips were spread about it, saying that they kidnapped children and cut them. Purse, cannibalism. Prudent people advised the group of fools: 'Don't go!' But they ran away quietly. ① Medieval term for Muslims in Arabia and Spain. That was a real craze.In fact, some of the things they said would have surprised the Cardinal.Those Egyptian women read palms for their children, based on the signs of pagan and Turks, and told all kinds of miracles in a clear way. After hearing this, the mothers were all proud and proud of their children's wealth and life.This boy will be emperor, that one will be pope, and another will be general.Poor Huaxier, with an itchy heart, wanted to know her fate, whether pretty little Anis would one day be Empress of Armenia or something, so she took her daughter to meet the Egyptians.When the Egyptian women first saw the girl, they praised her, touched her gently with their hands, kissed her with dirty black lips, and marveled at her small hands.cough!Hua Xi'er was really happy when she said it!The Egyptian ladies were full of praise for the little girl's beautiful feet and beautiful shoes.The child was not yet a year old, but had learned to babble, and smiled at her mother like a little fool.She is chubby and chubby, and she can make many cute little movements like an angel.However, when he saw those Egyptian women, he was so frightened that he burst into tears.The mother kissed her more passionately, and when the fortune tellers said that little Anis was lucky, she walked away with her in her arms.Little Anise would be a beauty, a virgin, a queen.Hua Xi'er returned to the attic on Misery Street, thinking that she came back with a queen in her arms, and she was as proud as she was.The next day, the child was sleeping in her bed—she always slept with the child. Taking advantage of the time, she gently opened the door and left it ajar. Ness will one day be served by the King of England and the Grand Duke of Ethiopia himself, and all kinds of other amazing things are brought to this neighbor.When she got home, she didn't hear the baby crying when she went upstairs, thinking: 'This is great!The child is not awake yet. Suddenly, she found that the door of the room was wide open, which was much wider than when she left just now. No matter what happened, she still walked in. The poor mother hurried to the bed... The child was gone, and the bed was empty .There was no trace of the child, only a beautiful little shoe had fallen there.She rushed out of the door and rushed downstairs, banged her head against the wall, and yelled, "My child!Who is watching my child?Who took my baby? 'The streets were empty, her house was deserted, and there was no one to tell her anything.She ran all over the city, searched all the streets and alleys, ran around all day, like a madman, with a trance, and a terrible description, like a wild beast that has lost its cubs, sniffing at the doors and windows of every house. all at once.She was panting heavily, her hair was disheveled, and she looked frightening, and her eyes seemed to be on fire, drying up her tears.Seeing passers-by, he stopped and shouted: 'My daughter!my daughter!My beautiful little daughter!Whoever returns her to me, I am willing to be her slave, to be his dog's slave, and if he is willing, he can eat my heart and liver. ’ I met the priest of St. Remy’s church and said to him: ‘Mr. priest, I can dig the ground with my fingers, but you have to give me back my child! ’ — Oudard, this is heart-rending, and Monsieur Ponce Lacapour, the solicitor, is a hard-hearted man, and I cried when I saw him too. --'what!Poor mother! ' At night, when she came back to the house, when she was not at home, a female neighbor saw two Egyptian women sneaking up the stairs with a bag of something, then closed the door again, came downstairs, and hurriedly slip away.After the two of them left, they heard the cry of a child in Parent's room.When the mother came back and heard it, she laughed loudly, and immediately ran upstairs as if she had grown wings, and broke into the door as if a cannonball exploded... —— Udade, that is really shocking!It was not her little and lovely Agnes, such a ruddy and bright darling that good God had bestowed on her, but a hideous monster like a goblin, lame, one-eyed, misshapen, blind. Yelling was crawling around on the floor.She was so scared that she quickly covered her eyes.She said: 'Alas!Could it be that a witch turned my daughter into such a horrible beast? 'People hurriedly hugged the little bow-legged girl away, or they would drive her crazy. It must have been the birth of some Egyptian woman who had sold her soul to the devil. She seemed to be about four years old, and her speech was not human, but just words that she couldn't understand.Hua Xi'er threw herself at the little shoe, it was all that was left of her previous love.She stayed there for a long, long time without opening her mouth or panting. Everyone thought she had died.Suddenly, trembling all over, she frantically kissed the sacred little shoe all over, and burst into tears, as if her heart was broken.I daresay it would have been just as mournful if it had been us.She repeatedly shouted: "cough!My little daughter!My beautiful little daughter!Where are you? 'It makes people feel heartbroken after hearing it. I still cry when I think about it.You don't know, our children, that's our flesh and blood. — My poor Eustache!You, you, how handsome you are!You don't know how cute he is!Yesterday he said to me: 'I am going to be a cavalry guard when I grow up! 'Oh, my dear Eustache!If you lose, how can I live! —— Huaxier stood up abruptly, and then ran around the city of Reims, shouting, "Go to the Egyptian camp!"To the Egyptian camp!Captors, go burn those witches! ’ But the Egyptians were gone, and it was dark, and it was impossible to pursue them.The next day, in the bushes between Gaidi and Tiruva, eight kilometers from Reims, were found the remnants of a bonfire, a few ribbons of Paquette's children, spots of blood and some goat dung.The night that just passed was Saturday night, and there is no doubt that the Egyptians held witches and demons in the bushes and swallowed the little girl alive together with Beelzebub, the king of ghosts. Follow this custom.Hua Xi'er didn't cry after hearing these terrible things, she just moved her lips as if to speak, but she couldn't say anything.The next day, her black hair suddenly turned gray.The next day, she disappeared. " "It is indeed an appalling story," said Oudad, "and it would have brought tears to the eyes of a Burgundian." "No wonder you are terrified when you hear the Egyptians!" Gervaise put in. "It was right that you took your son and fled quickly, because this group of Egyptians also came from Poland." Udad continued. "No," said Gervaise. "I hear they come from Spain and Catalonia." "Catalunia? It's possible." Udard replied. "Poland, Catalonia, Valunia, I always confuse these three places. But one thing is certain, they are all Egyptians." "Besides, they must all have fangs, so they can eat children." Gervaise said emphatically. "I wouldn't be surprised if Esmeralda ate a little too, but she pursed her lips in an air of contempt. The white goat next to her was playing such tricks that there must be Crooked way." Maiette walked in silence.She was immersed in reverie, which was a bit like a continuation of a tragic story, and caused spiritual waves of shock, until it touched the depths of the soul, it would not stop.At this time, Gervaise said to her: "What is the whereabouts of Hua Xier, no one knows?" Maiette did not answer.Gervaise shook her arm, called her name, asked her again, and Maiette seemed to wake up from her contemplation. "Where is Hua Xier's whereabouts?" She repeated this sentence mechanically, as if she had just heard this question.Then, concentrating as hard as she could to understand the meaning of the sentence, she responded hastily, "Ah! Nobody knows." Maiette paused and said: "Some say that she was seen leaving Reims by the Fleschamber gate at dusk, others that she left the town by the old Baze gate at dawn. There is a poor man in the field of a certain market today. On the stone cross, I found the gold cross she had hung on it, the same gold jewelry that destroyed her in 1961, a gift from her first lover, the handsome Viscount Cormont Rey. No matter how poor Gait was, she was never willing to let go of it, and cherished it like a lifeline. Therefore, when we saw her throwing away the golden cross, we women thought she had committed suicide. However, the people at the Wonder Hotel Said that she had seen her go barefoot on the gravel road leading to Paris. But if that were the case, she would have to go out of the city by Wilmen, but this disagrees. It would be clearer to put it another way, I I am convinced that she did go out from Wilmen, but only from this world." "I don't understand," said Gervaise. "Well, that's a river," Maiette replied with a sad smile. "Poor Flora!" said Oudad, trembling. "I threw myself into the river and died!" "To die in the river!" Maiette continued. "Back in the day, Jubeto, a good old man, went down the river in a boat and passed under the Danger Bridge singing songs. Who knows that one day in the future, his dear little Paquette would also pass under this bridge, but neither No singing, no ships?" "And the little shoe?" asked Gervaise. "Disappeared with the mother," replied Maiette. "Poor little shoe!" said Oudad. Houdard, who was fat and sentimental, sighed after Maiette, and was satisfied here, but Gervaise was much more curious, and the question had not been exhausted. "And the monster?" she asked Maiette suddenly. "Which monster?" Maiette asked. "It's the little Egyptian monster that the witch left at Huaxi'er's house in exchange for her daughter's! What did you do with him? I wish you could drown him too." "No," replied Maiette. "What! Was it burned to death? Actually, it should be so, what a monster!" "Neither drowned nor burned, Gervaise. His Excellency the Archbishop took great care of the Egyptian boy, exorcised him, baptized him, carefully exorcised the devil from him, and sent him to Paris came to be adopted as an abandoned baby on a wooden bed in front of Notre-Dame." "The bishops!" murmured Gervaise. "They are full of knowledge, and they do things very well. I want to ask you, Udard, what is it like to count the devil as a foundling! This little monster must be a devil, come on, Mai. Etter, what has become of the little monster in Paris? I don't think any kind soul would take him in." "I don't know." The Lance woman replied. "At that time my husband bought the notary office of Boru, which was eight kilometers away from the city of Reims, and we didn't care about it any more; besides, there were two Cerne mounds in front of Boru, which blocked the view. , can't see the bell tower of Reims Cathedral." These three respectable female citizens have come to the river beach square after talking and talking like this.Concentrating on talking about their stories, they did not stop before passing the public prayer book of the Tower of Laurent, and subconsciously walked straight towards the column of shame. The sight of the crowd made them completely forget about the rat hole and their intention to pray there.Unexpectedly, Maiette, holding the fat six-year-old Eustache by the hand, suddenly reminded them of the thing. "Mom," he said, as if some instinct told him the mouse hole was over. "Can I eat pancakes now?" If Eustache had been more clever, that is to say, less greedy, he would have waited a little longer, and when he returned, he had returned to the University City, to the house of André Musnier in the Rue Madame de Valence, and waited until老鼠洞和玉米饼之间隔着塞纳河的两道河弯和老城的五座桥，那时才放大胆子，提出这样一个难为情的问题：“妈妈，现在可以吃饼了吗？” 厄斯塔舍此刻提出这个问题是很冒失的，却提醒了马伊埃特的注意。 “对啦，”她一下子叫了起来。“我们竟把隐修女给忘了！快告诉我老鼠洞在哪儿，我给她送饼去。” “马上就去。”乌达德说。“这可是一件善事。” 但对厄斯塔舍却不是好事了。 “哎哟，我的饼！”他说着，一下子高耸左肩，一下子又高耸右肩，连连直碰着各边耳朵，那是他极为不快的表示。 三个妇女转身往回走，到了罗朗塔楼附近，乌达德对另两个人说：“三个人可别同时都往洞里看，免得把麻衣女吓坏了。你俩装做念着祈祷书的赞主篇，而我把脸孔贴到窗洞口去看。麻衣女有点认得我。你们什么时候可以过去，我会告诉你们的。” 她独自走到窗洞口。她的眼睛刚往里面一瞄，脸上立即露出一种悲天悯人的表情，原来又快活又开朗的面容顿时改变了表情和脸色，仿佛从阳光下走到了月光下。眼睛湿了，嘴巴抽搐着像快要哭了起来。过了一会儿，她把一只手指按在嘴唇上示意要马伊埃特过去看。 马伊埃特心情激动，悄悄地踮起脚尖走了过去，就像走近一个垂死的人的床前那样。 两个女子站在老鼠洞装有栅栏的窗口前，一动也不动，大气也不敢出，朝洞里瞧着，眼前的景象实在悲惨。 那间斗室又窄又浅，顶上尖拱状，往里面看很像一顶主教的大法冠。光秃秃石板地面的一个角落里，有个女人，与其说是坐着，倒不如说是蹲着。下巴靠在膝盖上，两臂交叉，紧紧合抱在胸前。她就这样蜷缩成一团，一件麻袋状的褐色粗布长衫把她全身裹住，宽大的皱褶层叠，花白的长发从前面披下来，遮住面孔，顺着双腿直拖到脚上。乍一看，她活像映托在小屋阴暗底部的一个怪异的形体，一种似黑非黑的三棱体，被从窗洞口透进来的日光一映照，她身上有两种反差强烈的色调，一半阴暗，一半明亮，宛如人们在梦中或是在戈雅①的非凡作品中所见到那种半暗半明的鬼魂，苍白，呆板，阴森，蹲在坟墓上或靠在牢房的铁栅上，这既非女人，也非男人；既不是活人，也不是确定的形体；这是一个影象，是真实与虚幻交错、黑暗与光明交织的一种幻影。在那垂至地上的头发掩盖下，几乎分辨不出一个消瘦和冷峻的身影；从她的长袍下，隐隐约约露出一只挛缩在坚硬冰冷的石板地面上的赤脚。这紧裹在丧服下若隐若现的依稀形体，叫人看了不寒而栗。 ① 戈雅（1746—1828），西班牙著名画家。 这个仿佛被牢牢砌在石板上的形体，看上去没有动作，没有思想，没有呼吸。时值一月，穿着那件状如麻袋的单薄粗布衫，赤着脚瘫坐在花岗石地面上，没有火取暖，呆在一间阴暗的黑牢里，通风口是歪斜的，从外面进来的只是寒风，而不是阳光；对于这一切，她似乎并不痛苦，甚至连感觉也没有。仿佛她跟着这黑牢已化作石头，随着这季节已变成冰。她双手合掌，两眼发呆。第一眼看去以为是个鬼魂，第二眼以为是个石像。 然而，她那发青的嘴唇不时微开，好透口气，又不时颤抖，却像随风飘荡的树叶，死气沉沉，呆板木然。 可是，她那双暗淡的眼睛却露出一种难以形容的目光，一种深沉、阴郁、冷静的目光，不停地盯着小屋里一个无法从外面看得清的角落。这一目光仿佛把悲惨灵魂的一切伤感，都紧系在什么神秘的事物上。 这就是那个因其住处而被称为隐修女、又因其衣裳而被叫做麻衣女的人儿。 热尔维丝也走过来和马伊埃特及乌达德在一起了，三个女子都从窗洞口往里张望。她们的头把照进土牢里的微弱光线挡住了，那个不幸的女人虽然没有了光，但似乎并没有注意到她们。乌达德低声说道：“别打扰她。她出神入定，正在祈祷哩。” 这时候，马伊埃特仔细察看那张消瘦、憔悴、披头散发的脸孔，心里益发惴惴不安，眼里充满着泪水，不由悄悄嘀咕了一句：“要是真的，那可太奇怪了！” 她把脑袋从通气孔的栏栅当中伸进去，好不容易才看得见那悲惨女人一直盯着的那个角落。 她把头从窗洞缩回来时，只见她泪流满脸。 “你们叫这个女人什么来着？”她问乌达德。 “古杜尔修女。” “而我呀，就叫她花喜儿帕盖特。”马伊埃特接着说。 于是，伸出一根指头按住嘴唇，向呆若木鸡的乌达德示意，要她把头也伸进窗洞里去看一看。 乌达德瞧了一瞧，只见在隐修女阴沉的目光死盯着的角落里，有一只绣满金银箔片的粉红色小缎鞋。 热尔维丝也跟着去看，于是三个女子一起仔细瞧着那悲惨的母亲，情不自禁都哭了起来。 可是，她们端视也罢，落泪也罢，丝毫没有分散隐修女的注意力。她依然双掌紧合，双唇纹丝不动，双眼发呆。凡是知道她底细的人，看见她这样死盯着那只小鞋心都碎了。 三位女子没说一句话儿，她们不敢作声，甚至连悄声细语也不敢。眼见这种极度的沉默，这种极度的痛苦，这种极度的丧失记忆—— 除了一件东西外，其余的一切统统忘却了——，她们仿佛觉得置身在复活节或圣诞节的正祭台前，肃然起敬，沉思默想，随时准备下跪了。她们仿佛在耶稣受难纪念日刚刚走进了教堂那般。 末了，还是三个人当中最好奇、因而也最不易动感情的热尔维丝，试图让隐修女开口，便叫道：“嬷嬷！古杜尔嬷嬷！” 她这样叫了三遍，声音一遍比一遍高。隐修女纹丝不动，没应一声，没看一眼，没叹一口气，没有一点反应。 这回由乌达德来喊，声音更甜蜜更温柔：“嬷嬷！圣古杜尔嬷嬷！” 一样的沉默，一样的静寂。 “一个怪女人！”热尔维丝嚷道。“炮轰都无动于衷！” “也许聋了。”乌达德唉声叹气道。 “也许瞎了。”热尔维丝添上一句。 “也许死了。”马伊埃特接着说。 说得也是，灵魂即使还没有离开这麻木、沉睡、死气沉沉的躯体，至少早已退却并隐藏到深处去了，外部器官的感知再也传达不到了。 “那么只好把这块饼放在这窗口上啦。”乌达德说。“不过，哪个小孩会把饼拿走的。怎样才能把她叫醒呢？” 直到此时，厄斯塔舍一直很开心，有只大狗拖着一辆小车刚经过那里，把他深深吸引住了，但突然发现他母亲和两个阿姨正凑在窗洞口看什么东西，不由也好奇起来，便爬上一块界石，踮起脚尖，把红润的小胖脸贴到窗口上，喊道： “妈妈，看吧，我也来瞧一瞧！” 一听见这清脆、纯真、响亮的童声，隐修女不由颤抖了一下，猛然转过头来，动作迅猛，好比钢制弹簧一般；她伸出两只嶙峋的长手，把披在额头上的头发掠开来，用惊讶、苦楚、绝望的目光紧盯着孩子。这目光只不过像道闪电，一闪即逝。 “哦，我的上帝啊！”她突然叫了一声，同时又把脑袋藏在两膝中间，听那嘶哑的声音，它经过胸膛时似乎把胸膛都撕裂了。“至少别叫我看见别人的孩子！” “你好，太太。”孩子神情严肃地说道。 这一震撼有如山崩地裂，可以说把隐修女惊醒过来了。只见她从头到脚，全身一阵哆嗦，牙齿直打冷颤，格格发响，半抬起头来，两肘紧压住双腿，双手紧握住两脚，像要焐暖似的，她说：“噢！好冷！” “可怜的人呀，你要点火吗？”乌达德满怀怜悯地问道。 她摇了摇头，表示不要。 “那好吧，”乌达德又说，递给她一只小瓶子。“这是一点肉桂酒，可以给你暖暖身子，喝吧！” 她又摇摇头，眼睛定定地望着乌达德，应道：“水。” 乌达德坚持道：“不，嬷嬷，一月里凉水喝不得。应当喝一点酒，吃这块我们特地为你做的玉米发面饼。” 她推开马伊埃特递给她的饼，说道：“要黑面包。” “来吧，这儿有件大衣，比你身上的要暖和些。快披上吧！” 热尔维丝也顿生怜悯之心，脱下身上的羊毛披风，说道。 正如拒绝酒和饼一样，她不肯收下这件大衣，说：“一件粗布衣。” “不过，你多少也该看出来了吧，昨天是节日呀！”好心肠的乌达德又说。 “看出来了。”隐修女答道。“我水罐里已经两天没有水了。” 她停了一下又说：“大家过节，把我给忘了。人家做得对。 我不想世人，世人为什么要想我呢？冷灰对熄炭嘛。 " 话音一落，她好像说了这么多话感到疲乏了，又垂下头，靠在膝盖上。乌达德，头脑简单而心地善良，自以为听懂了她最后几句话的意思，认为她还在埋怨寒冷，便天真地答道： “这么说，你要一点火啦？” “火！”麻衣女说，腔调显得很怪。“那个已在地下十五年之久的可怜小娃娃，难道你也能给她生个火吗？” 她手脚哆嗦，声音发颤，眼睛闪亮，一下子跪了起来。忽然，伸出惨白枯瘦的手，指着那个正惊奇望着她的孩子，喊道：“快把这孩子带走！埃及婆娘就要来了！” 她随即一头扑倒在地下，额头碰在地面石板上，其响声就好比石头相击那样。那三个女子以为她死了，但过了一会儿，她又动起来了，只见她趴在地上，手脚并用，爬到放小鞋的那个角落去。这时她们三人不敢看下去了，再也瞅不见她了，只听到接连不断的亲吻声，接连不断的叹息声，间杂着撕心裂肺的哭叫声，一下又一下好像是头撞墙的闷浊声。接着，传来一个猛烈的撞声，把三个女子都吓得摇摇晃晃，随后就再也无声无息了。 “说不定撞死了？”热尔维丝说着，一边贸然把头伸到窗洞口去张望。“嬷嬷！古杜尔嬷嬷！” “古杜尔嬷嬷！”乌达德也喊道。 “啊！我的天呀！她不动了！”热尔维丝接着说。“她真的死了？古杜尔！古杜尔！” 马伊埃特一直哽咽在那里，连话也说不出来，这时使劲振作起精神来，说：“等一下。”随即俯身向着窗洞喊道：“帕盖特！花喜儿帕盖特！” 就是一个孩子放鞭炮，看见没有点燃，楞头楞脑去吹，结果鞭炮竟对着他的眼睛炸开了，即便如此，也没有像马伊埃特冷不防高喊古杜尔修女的真名实姓，把她吓得魂不附体。 隐修女浑身战栗，光着脚站起，一下子跳到窗洞口，两眼直冒火，把马伊埃特、乌达德，另一个女子和孩子吓得连忙往后退，一直退到河岸的栏杆边去了。 这当儿，隐修女那张阴森的脸孔出现在窗洞口，紧贴着窗栏。她发出可怕的笑声，喊道：“嗬！嗬！是那个埃及婆娘在喊我吧！” 就在这时候，她狂乱的目光被耻辱柱那边的情景吸引住了。她憎恶地皱起额头，两只骷髅般的胳膊伸到黑牢的外面，像垂死的人那样喘着粗气，声音嘶哑地吼道：“还是你，埃及妞！是你在叫我吧，你这偷小孩的贼婆娘！好呀！你该死！该死！该死！该死！”