太子爷小说网 > 英语电子书 > a tale of two cities(双城记) >

第38节

a tale of two cities(双城记)-第38节

小说: a tale of two cities(双城记) 字数: 每页4000字

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!



ffer nothing。' 
 ‘He is right there; Jacques;' murmured Defarge; to him who had interrupted。 ‘Go on!' 
 ‘Good!' said the mender of roads; with an air of mystery。 ‘The tall man is lost; and he is soughthow many months? Nine; ten; eleven?' 
 ‘No matter; the number;' said Defarge。 ‘He is well hidden; but at last he is unluckily found。 Go on!' 
 ‘I am again at work upon the hillside; and the sun is again about to go to bed。 I am collecting my tools to descend to my cottage down in the village below; where it is already dark; when I raise my eyes; and see coming over the hill six soldiers。 In the midst of them is a tall man with his arms boundtied to his sideslike this!' 
 With the aid of his indispensable cap; he represented a man with his elbows bound fast at his hips; with cords that were knotted behind him。 
 ‘I stand aside; messieurs; by my heap of stones; to see the soldiers and their prisoner pass (for it is a solitary road; that; where any spectacle is well worth looking at); and at first; as they approach; I see no more than that they are six soldiers with a tall man bound; and that they are almost black to my sightexcept on the side of the sun going to bed where they have a red edge; messieurs。 Also; I see that their long shadows are on the hollow ridge on the opposite side of the road; and are on the hill above it; and are like the shadows of giants。 Also; I see that they are covered with dust; and that the dust moves with them as they come; tramp; tramp! But when they advance quite near to me; I recognise the tall man; and he recognises me。 Ah; but he would be well content to precipitate himself over the hillside once again; as on the evening when he and I first encountered; close to the same spot!' 
 He described it as if he were there; and it was evident that he saw it vividly; perhaps he had not seen much in his life。 
 ‘I do not show the soldiers that I recognise the tall man; he does not show the soldiers that he recognises me; we do it; and we know it; with our eyes。 ‘‘Come on!'' says the chief of that company; pointing to the village; ‘‘bring him fast to his tomb!'' and they bring him faster。 I follow。 His arms are swelled because of being bound so tight; his wooden shoes are large and clumsy; and he is lame。 Because he is lame; and consequently slow; they drive him with their gunslike this!' 
 He imitated the action of a man's being impelled forward by the butt…ends of muskets。 
 ‘As they descend the hill like madmen running a race; he falls。 They laugh and pick him up again。 His face is bleeding and covered with dust; but he cannot touch it; thereupon they laugh again。 They bring him into the village; all the village runs to look; they take him past the mill; and up to the prison; all the village sees the prison gate open in the darkness of the night; and swallow himlike this!' 
 He opened his mouth as wide as he could; and shut it with a sounding snap of his teeth。 Observant of his unwillingness to mar the effect by opening it again; Defarge said; ‘Go on; Jacques。' 
 ‘All the village;' pursued the mender of roads; on tiptoe and in a low voice; ‘withdraws; all the village whispers by the fountain; all the village sleeps; all the village dreams of that unhappy one; within the locks and bars of the prison on the crag; and never to come out of it; except to perish。 In the morning; with my tools upon my shoulder; eating my morsel of black bread as I go; I make a circuit by the prison; on my way to my work。 There I see him; high up; behind the bars of a lofty iron cage; bloody and dusty as last night; looking through。 He has no hand free; to wave to me; I dare not call to him; he regards me like a dead man。' 
 Defarge and the three glanced darkly at one another。 The looks of all of them were dark; repressed; and revengeful; as they listened to the countryman's story; the manner of all of them; while it was secret; was authoritative too。 They had the air of a rough tribunal; Jacques One and Two sitting on the old pallet…bed; each with his chin resting on his hand; and his eyes intent on the road…mender; Jacques Three; equally intent; on one knee behind them; with his agitated hand always gliding over the network of fine nerves about his mouth and nose; Defarge standing between them and the narrator; whom he had stationed in the light of the window; by turns looking from him to them; and from them to him。 
 ‘Go on; Jacques;' said Defarge。 
 ‘He remains up there in his iron cage some days。 The village looks at him by stealth; for it is afraid。 But it always looks up; from a distance; at the prison on the crag; and in the evening; when the work of the day is achieved and it assembles to gossip at the fountain; all faces are turned towards the prison。 Formerly; they were turned towards the posting…house; now; they are turned towards the prison。 They whisper at the fountain; that although condemned to death he will not be executed; they say that petitions have been presented in Paris; showing that he was enraged and made mad by the death of his child; they say that a petition has been presented to the King himself。 What do I know? It is possible。 Perhaps yes; perhaps no。' 
 ‘Listen then; Jacques;' Number One of that name sternly interposed。 ‘Know that a petition was presented to the King and Queen。 All here; yourself excepted; saw the King take it; in his carriage in the street; sitting beside the Queen。 It is Defarge whom you see here; who; at the hazard of his life; darted out before the horses; with the petition in his hand。' 
 ‘And once again listen; Jacques!' said the kneeling Number Three: his fingers ever wandering over and over those fine nerves; with a strikingly greedy air; as if he hungered for some thingthat was neither food nor drink; ‘the guard; horse and foot; surrounded the petitioner; and struck him blows。 You hear?' 
 ‘I hear; messieurs。' 
‘Go on then;' said Defarge。 
 ‘Again; on the other hand; they whisper at the fountain;' resumed the countryman; ‘that he is brought down into our country to be executed on the spot; and that he will very certainly be executed。 They even whisper that because he has slain Monseigneur; and because Monseigneur was the father of his tenantsserfswhat you willhe will be executed as a parricide。 One old man says at the fountain; that his right hand; armed with the knife; will be burnt off before his face; that; into wounds which will be made in his arms; his breast; and his legs; there will be poured boiling oil; melted lead; hot resin; wax; and sulphur; finally; that he will be torn limb from limb by four strong horses。 That old man says; all this was actually done to a prisoner who made an attempt on the life of the late King; Louis Fifteen。 But how do I know if he lies? 
I am not a scholar。' 
 ‘Listen once again then; Jacques!' said the man with the restless hand and the craving air。 ‘The name of that prisoner was Damiens; and it was all done in open day; in the open streets of this city of Paris; and nothing was more noticed in the vast concourse that saw it done; than the crowd of ladies of quality and fashion; who were full of eager attention to the lastto the last; Jacques; prolonged until nightfall; when he had lost two legs and an arm; and still breathed! And it was donewhy; how old are you?' 
 ‘Thirty…five;' said the mender of roads; who looked sixty。 
 ‘It was done when you were more than ten years old; you might have seen it。' 
 ‘Enough!' said Defarge; with grim impatience。 ‘Long live the Devil! Go on。' 
 ‘Well! Some whisper this; some whisper that; they sped of nothing else; even the fountain appears to fall to that tune。 At length; on Sunday night when all the village is asleep; come soldiers; winding down from the prison; and their guns ring on the stones of the little street。 Workmen dig; workmen hammer; soldiers laugh and sing; in the morning; by the fountain; there is raised a gallows forty feet high; poisoning the water。' 
 The mender of roads looked through rather than at the low ceiling; and pointed as if he saw the gallows somewhere in the sky。 
 ‘All work is stopped; all assemble there; nobody leads the cows out; the cows are there with the rest。 At midday; the roll of drums。 Soldiers have marched into the prison in the night; and he is in the midst of many soldiers。 He is bound as before; and in his mouth there is a gagtied so; with a tight string; making him look almost as if he laughed。' He suggested it; by creasing his face with his two thumbs; from the corners of his mouth to his ears。 ‘On the top of the gallows is fixed the knife; blade upwards; with its point in the air。 He is hanged there forty feet highand is left hanging; poisoning the water。 
 They looked at one another; as he used his blue cap to wipe his face; on which the perspiration had started afresh while he recalled the spectacle。 
 ‘It is frightful; messieurs。 How can the women and the children draw water! Who can gossip of an evening; under that shadow! Under it; have I said? When I left the village; Monday evening as the sun was going to bed; and looked back from the hill; the shadow struck across the church; across the mill; across the prisonseemed to strike across the earth; messieurs; to where the sky rests upon it!' 
 The hungry man gnawed one of his fingers a

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的