the hunchback of notre dame-第13节

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He　was　roused　from　his　almost　lyric　ecstacy；　by　a　big　double　Saint…Jean　cracker；　which　suddenly　went　off　from　the　happy　cabin。　　It　was　the　cow　ferryman；　who　was　taking　his　part　in　the　rejoicings　of　the　day；　and　letting　off　fireworks。

This　cracker　made　Gringoire's　skin　bristle　up　all　over。

〃Accursed　festival！〃　he　exclaimed；　〃wilt　thou　pursue　me　everywhere？　　Oh！　good　God！　even　to　the　ferryman's！〃

Then　he　looked　at　the　Seine　at　his　feet；　and　a　horrible　temptation　took　possession　of　him：

〃Oh！〃　said　he；　〃I　would　gladly　drown　myself；　were　the　water　not　so　cold！〃

Then　a　desperate　resolution　occurred　to　him。　　It　was；　since　he　could　not　escape　from　the　Pope　of　the　Fools；　from　Jehan　Fourbault's　bannerets；　from　May　trusses；　from　squibs　and　crackers；　to　go　to　the　Place　de　Grève。

〃At　least；〃　he　said　to　himself；　〃I　shall　there　have　a　firebrand　of　joy　wherewith　to　warm　myself；　and　I　can　sup　on　some　crumbs　of　the　three　great　armorial　bearings　of　royal　sugar　which　have　been　erected　on　the　public　refreshment…stall　of　the　city。




CHAPTER　II。

THE　PLACE　DE　GREVE。



There　remains　to…day　but　a　very　imperceptible　vestige　of　the　Place　de　Grève；　such　as　it　existed　then；　it　consists　in　the　charming　little　turret；　which　occupies　the　angle　north　of　the　Place；　and　which；　already　enshrouded　in　the　ignoble　plaster　which　fills　with　paste　the　delicate　lines　of　its　sculpture；　would　soon　have　disappeared；　perhaps　submerged　by　that　flood　of　new　houses　which　so　rapidly　devours　all　the　ancient　fa？ades　of　Paris。

The　persons　who；　like　ourselves；　never　cross　the　Place　de　Grève　without　casting　a　glance　of　pity　and　sympathy　on　that　poor　turret　strangled　between　two　hovels　of　the　time　of　Louis　XV。；　can　easily　reconstruct　in　their　minds　the　aggregate　of　edifices　to　which　it　belonged；　and　find　again　entire　in　it　the　ancient　Gothic　place　of　the　fifteenth　century。

It　was　then；　as　it　is　to…day；　an　irregular　trapezoid；　bordered　on　one　side　by　the　quay；　and　on　the　other　three　by　a　series　of　lofty；　narrow；　and　gloomy　houses。　　By　day；　one　could　admire　the　variety　of　its　edifices；　all　sculptured　in　stone　or　wood；　and　already　presenting　complete　specimens　of　the　different　domestic　architectures　of　the　Middle　Ages；　running　back　from　the　fifteenth　to　the　eleventh　century；　from　the　casement　which　had　begun　to　dethrone　the　arch；　to　the　Roman　semicircle；　which　had　been　supplanted　by　the　ogive；　and　which　still　occupies；　below　it；　the　first　story　of　that　ancient　house　de　la　Tour　Roland；　at　the　corner　of　the　Place　upon　the　Seine；　on　the　side　of　the　street　with　the　Tannerie。　　At　night；　one　could　distinguish　nothing　of　all　that　mass　of　buildings；　except　the　black　indentation　of　the　roofs；　unrolling　their　chain　of　acute　angles　round　the　place；　for　one　of　the　radical　differences　between　the　cities　of　that　time；　and　the　cities　of　the　present　day；　lay　in　the　fa？ades　which　looked　upon　the　places　and　streets；　and　which　were　then　gables。　　For　the　last　two　centuries　the　houses　have　been　turned　round。

In　the　centre　of　the　eastern　side　of　the　Place；　rose　a　heavy　and　hybrid　construction；　formed　of　three　buildings　placed　in　juxtaposition。　　It　was　called　by　three　names　which　explain　its　history；　its　destination；　and　its　architecture：　〃The　House　of　the　Dauphin；〃　because　Charles　V。；　when　Dauphin；　had　inhabited　it；　〃The　Marchandise；〃　because　it　had　served　as　town　hall；　and　〃The　Pillared　House〃　（~domus　ad　piloria~）；　because　of　a　series　of　large　pillars　which　sustained　the　three　stories。　　The　city　found　there　all　that　is　required　for　a　city　like　Paris；　a　chapel　in　which　to　pray　to　God；　a　~plaidoyer~；　or　pleading　room；　in　which　to　hold　hearings；　and　to　repel；　at　need；　the　King's　people；　and　under　the　roof；　an　~arsenac~　full　of　artillery。　　For　the　bourgeois　of　Paris　were　aware　that　it　is　not　sufficient　to　pray　in　every　conjuncture；　and　to　plead　for　the　franchises　of　the　city；　and　they　had　always　in　reserve；　in　the　garret　of　the　town　hall；　a　few　good　rusty　arquebuses。　　The　Grève　had　then　that　sinister　aspect　which　it　preserves　to…day　from　the　execrable　ideas　which　it　awakens；　and　from　the　sombre　town　hall　of　Dominique　Bocador；　which　has　replaced　the　Pillared　House。　　It　must　be　admitted　that　a　permanent　gibbet　and　a　pillory；　〃a　justice　and　a　ladder；〃　as　they　were　called　in　that　day；　erected　side　by　side　in　the　centre　of　the　pavement；　contributed　not　a　little　to　cause　eyes　to　be　turned　away　from　that　fatal　place；　where　so　many　beings　full　of　life　and　health　have　agonized；　where；　fifty　years　later；　that　fever　of　Saint　Vallier　was　destined　to　have　its　birth；　that　terror　of　the　scaffold；　the　most　monstrous　of　all　maladies　because　it　comes　not　from　God；　but　from　man。

It　is　a　consoling　idea　（let　us　remark　in　passing）；　to　think　that　the　death　penalty；　which　three　hundred　years　ago　still　encumbered　with　its　iron　wheels；　its　stone　gibbets；　and　all　its　paraphernalia　of　torture；　permanent　and　riveted　to　the　pavement；　the　Grève；　the　Halles；　the　Place　Dauphine；　the　Cross　du　Trahoir；　the　Marché　aux　Pourceaux；　that　hideous　Montfau？on；　the　barrier　des　Sergents；　the　Place　aux　Chats；　the　Porte　Saint…Denis；　Champeaux；　the　Porte　Baudets；　the　Porte　Saint　Jacques；　without　reckoning　the　innumerable　ladders　of　the　provosts；　the　bishop　of　the　chapters；　of　the　abbots；　of　the　priors；　who　had　the　decree　of　life　and　death；without　reckoning　the　judicial　drownings　in　the　river　Seine；　it　is　consoling　to…day；　after　having　lost　successively　all　the　pieces　of　its　armor；　its　luxury　of　torment；　its　penalty　of　imagination　and　fancy；　its　torture　for　which　it　reconstructed　every　five　years　a　leather　bed　at　the　Grand　Chatelet；　that　ancient　suzerain　of　feudal　society　almost　expunged　from　our　laws　and　our　cities；　hunted　from　code　to　code；　chased　from　place　to　place；　has　no　longer；　in　our　immense　Paris；　any　more　than　a　dishonored　corner　of　the　Grève；than　a　miserable　guillotine；　furtive；　uneasy；　shameful；　which　seems　always　afraid　of　being　caught　in　the　act；　so　quickly　does　it　disappear　after　having　dealt　its　blow。




CHAPTER　III。

KISSES　FOR　BLOWS。



When　Pierre　Gringoire　arrived　on　the　Place　de　Grève；　he　was　paralyzed。　　He　had　directed　his　course　across　the　Pont　aux　Meuniers；　in　order　to　avoid　the　rabble　on　the　Pont　au　Change；　and　the　pennons　of　Jehan　Fourbault；　but　the　wheels　of　all　the　bishop's　mills　had　splashed　him　as　he　passed；　and　his　doublet　was　drenched；　it　seemed　to　him　besides；　that　the　failure　of　his　piece　had　rendered　him　still　more　sensible　to　cold　than　usual。　　Hence　he　made　haste　to　draw　near　the　bonfire；　which　was　burning　magnificently　in　the　middle　of　the　Place。　　But　a　considerable　crowd　formed　a　circle　around　it。

〃Accursed　Parisians！〃　he　said　to　himself　（for　Gringoire；　like　a　true　dramatic　poet；　was　subject　to　monologues）　〃there　they　are　obstructing　my　fire！　　Nevertheless；　I　am　greatly　in　need　of　a　chimney　corner；　my　shoes　drink　in　the　water；　and　all　those　cursed　mills　wept　upon　me！　　That　devil　of　a　Bishop　of　Paris；　with　his　mills！　　I'd　just　like　to　know　what　use　a　bishop　can　make　of　a　mill！　　Does　he　expect　to　become　a　miller　instead　of　a　bishop？　　If　only　my　malediction　is　needed　for　that；　I　bestow　it　upon　him！　and　his　cathedral；　and　his　mills！　　Just　see　if　those　boobies　will　put　themselves　out！　Move　aside！　　I'd　like　to　know　what　they　are　doing　there！　They　are　warming　themselves；　much　pleasure　may　it　give　them！　　They　are　watching　a　hundred　fagots　burn；　a　fine　spectacle！〃

On　looking　more　closely；　he　perceived　that　the　circle　was　much　larger　than　was　required　simply　for　the　purpose　of　getting　warm　at　the　king's　fire；　and　that　this　concourse　of　people　had　not　been　attracted　solely　by　the　beauty　of　the　hundred　fagots　which　were　burning。

In　a　vast　space　left　free　between　the　crowd　and　the　fire；　a　young　girl　was　dancing。

Whether　this　young　girl　was　a　human　being；　a　fairy；　or　an　angel；　is　what　Gringoire；　sceptical　philosopher　and　ironical　poet　that　he　was；　could　not　decide　at　the　first　moment；　so　fascinated　was　he　by　this　dazzling　vision。

She　was　not　tall；　though　she　seemed　so；　so　boldly　did　her　slender　form　dart　about。　　She　was　swarthy　of　complexion；　but　one　divined　that；　by　day；　her　skin　must　possess　that　beautiful　golden　tone　of　the　Andalusians　and　the　Roman　women。　　Her　little　foot；　too；　was　Andalusian；　for　it　was　both　pinched　and　at　ease　in　its　graceful　shoe。　　She　danced；　she　turned；　she　whirled　rapidly　about　on　an　old　Persian　rug；　spread　negligently　under　her　feet；　and　each　time　that　her　radiant　face　passed　before　you；　as　she　whirled；　her　great　black　eyes　darted　a　flash　of　lightning　at　you。

All　around　her；　all　glances　were　riveted；　all　mouths　open；　and；　in　fact；　when　she　danced　thus；　to　the　humming　of　the　Basque　tambourine；　which　her　two　pure；　rounded　arms　raised　above　her　head；　slender；　frail　and　vivacious　as　a　wasp；　with　her　corsage　of　gold　without　a　fold；　her　variegated　gown　puffing　out；　her　bare　shoulders；　her　delicate　limbs；　which　her　petticoat　revealed　at　times；　her　black　hair；　her　eyes　of　flame；　she　was　a　supernatural　creature。

〃In　truth；〃　said　Gringoire　to　himself；　〃she　is　a　salamander；　she　is　a　nymph；　she　is　a　goddess；　she　is　a　bacchante　of　the　Menelean　Mount！〃

At　that　moment；　one　of　the　salamander's　braids　of　hair　became　unfastened；　and　a　piece　of　yell