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第41节

a tale of two cities(双城记)-第41节

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

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 ‘You knit with great skill; madame。' 
 ‘I am accustomed to it。' 
 ‘A pretty pattern too!' 
 ‘You think so?' said madame; looking at him with a smile。 
‘Decidedly。 May one ask what it is for?' 
 ‘Pastime;' said madame; still looking at him with a smile; while her fingers moved nimbly。 
 ‘Not for use?' 
 ‘That depends。 I may find a use for it one day。 If I dowell;' said madame; drawing a breath and nodding her head with a stern kind of coquetry; ‘I'll use it!' 
 It was remarkable: but the taste of Saint Antoine seemed to be decidedly opposed to a rose on the headdress of Madame Defarge。 Two men had entered separately; and had been about to order drink; when; catching sight of that novelty; they faltered; made a pretence of looking about as if for some friend who was not there; and went away。 Nor; of those who had been there when this visitor entered; was there one left。 They had all dropped off。 The spy had kept his eyes open; but had been able to detect no sign。 They had lounged away in a poverty…stricken; purposeless; accidental manner; quite natural and unimpeachable。 
 ‘JOHN;' thought madame; checking off her work as her fingers knitted; and her eyes looked at the stranger。; ‘Stay long enough; and I shall knit ‘‘BARSAD'' before you go。' 
 ‘You have a husband; madame?' 
‘I have。' 
 ‘Children?' 
‘No children。' 
‘Business seems bad?' 
‘Business is very bad; the people are so poor。' 
 ‘Ah; the unfortunate; miserable people! So oppressed; tooas you say。' 
 ‘As you say;' madame retorted; correcting him; and deftly knitting an extra something into his name that boded him no good。 
 ‘Pardon me; certainly it was I who said so; but you naturally think so。 Of course。' 
 ‘I think?' returned madame; in a high voice。 ‘I and my husband have enough to do to keep this wine…shop open; without thinking。 All we think; here; is how to live。 That is the subject we think of; and it gives us; from morning to night; enough to think about; without embarrassing our heads concerning others。 I think for others? No; no。' 
 The spy; who was there to pick up any crumbs he could find or make; did not allow his baffled state to express itself in his sinister face; but; stood with an air of gossiping gallantry; leaning his elbow on Madame Defarge's little counter; and occasionally sipping his cognac。 
 ‘A bad business this; madame; of Gaspard's execution。 Ah! the poor Gaspard!' With a sigh of great compassion。 
 ‘My faith!' returned madame; coolly and lightly; ‘if people use knives for such purposes; they have to pay for it。 He knew beforehand what the price of his luxury was; he has paid the price。' 
 ‘I believe;' said the spy; dropping his soft voice to a tone that invited confidence; and expressing an injured revolutionary susceptibility in every muscle of his wicked face: ‘I believe there is much compassion and anger in this neighbourhood; touching the poor fellow? Between ourselves。' 
 ‘Is there?' asked madame; vacantly。 
‘Is there not?' 
 ‘Here is my husband!' said Madame Defarge。 
 As the keeper of the wine…shop entered at the door; the spy saluted him by touching his hat; and saying; with an engaging smile; ‘Good day; Jacques!' Defarge stopped short; and stared at him。 
 ‘Good day; Jacques!' the spy repeated; with not quite so much confidence; or quite so easy a smile under the stare。 
 ‘You deceive yourself; monsieur;' returned the keeper of the wine…shop。 ‘You mistake me for another。 That is not my name。 I am Ernest Defarge。' 
 ‘It is all the same;' said the spy; airily; but discomfited too: ‘good day!' 
 ‘Good day!' answered Defarge; drily。 
 ‘I was saying to madame; with whom I had the pleasure of chatting when you entered; that they tell me there isand no wonder!much sympathy and anger in Saint Antoine; touching the unhappy fate of poor Gaspard。' 
 ‘No one has told me so;' said Defarge; shaking his head。 ‘I know nothing of it。' 
 Having said it; he passed behind the little counter; and stood with his hand on the back of his wife's chair; looking over that barrier at the person to whom they were both opposed; and whom either of them would have shot with the greatest satisfaction。 
 The spy; well used to his business; did not change his unconscious attitude; but drained his little glass of cognac; took a sip of fresh water; and asked for another glass of cognac。 Madame Defarge poured it out for him; took to her knitting again; and hummed a little song over it。 
 ‘You seem to know this quarter well; that is to say; better than I do?' observed Defarge。 
 ‘Not at all; but I hope to know it better。 I am so profoundly interested in its miserable inhabitants。' 
 ‘Hah!' muttered Defarge。 
 ‘The pleasure of conversing with you; Monsieur Defarge; recalls to me;' pursued the spy; ‘that I have the honour of cherishing some interesting associations with your name。' 
 ‘Indeed!' said Defarge; with much indifference。 
 ‘Yes; indeed。 When Dr。 Manette was released; you; his old domestic; had the charge of him; I know。 He was delivered to you。 You see I am informed of the circumstances?' 
 ‘Such is the fact; certainly;' said Defarge。 He had had it conveyed to him; in an accidental touch of his wife's elbow as she knitted and warbled; that he would do best to answer; but always with brevity。 
 ‘It was to you;' said the spy; ‘that his daughter came; and it was from your care that his daughter took him; accompanied by a neat brown monsieur; how is he called?in a little wigLorryof the bank of Tellson and Companyover to England。' 
 ‘Such is the fact;' repeated Defarge。 
 ‘Very interesting remembrances' said the spy。 ‘I have known Dr。 Manette and his daughter; in England。' 
 ‘Yes?' said Defarge。 
 ‘You don't hear much about them now?' said the spy。 
‘No;' said Defarge。 
 ‘In effect;' madame struck in; looking up from her work and her little song; ‘we never hear about them。 We received the news of their safe arrival; and perhaps another letter; or perhaps Mo; but; since then; they have gradually taken their road in lifewe; oursand we have held no correspondence。' 
 ‘Perfectly so; madame;' replied the spy。 ‘She is going to be married。' 
 ‘Going?' echoed madame。 ‘She was pretty enough to have been married long ago。 You English are cold; it seems to me。' 
 ‘Oh! You know I am English。' 
 ‘I perceive your tongue is;' returned madame; ‘and what the tongue is; I suppose the man is。' 
 He did not take the identification as a compliment; but he made the best of it; and turned it off with a laugh。 After sipping his cognac to the end; he added: 
 ‘Yes; Miss Manette is going to be married。 But not to an Englishman; to one who; like herself; is French by birth。 And speaking of Gaspard (ah; poor Gaspard! It was cruel; cruel!) it is a curious thing that she is going to marry the nephew of' Monsieur the Marquis; for whom Gaspard was exalted to that height of so many feet; in other words; the present Marquis。 But he lives unknown in England; he is no Marquis there; he is Mr。 Charles Darnay。 D'Aulnais is the name of his mother's family。' 
 Madame Defarge knitted steadily; but the intelligence had a palpable effect upon her husband。 Do what he would; behind the little counter; as to the striking of a light and the lighting of his pipe; he was troubled; and his hand was not trustworthy。 The spy would have been no spy if he had failed to see it; or to record it in his mind。 
 Having made; at least; this one hit; whatever it might prove to be worth; and no customers coming in to help him to any other; Mr。 Barsad paid for what he had drunk; and took his leave: taking occasion to say; in a genteel manner; before he departed; that he looked forward to the pleasure of seeing Monsieur and Madame Defarge again。 For some minutes after he had emerged into the outer presence of Saint Antoine; the husband and wife remained exactly as he had left them; lest he should come back。 
 ‘Can it be true;' said Defarge; in a low voice; looking down at his wife as he stood smoking with his hand on the back of her chair: ‘what he has said of Ma'amselle Manette?' 
 ‘As he has said it;' returned madame; lifting her eyebrows a little; ‘it is probably false。 But it may be true。' 
 ‘If it is'Defarge began; and stopped。 
‘If it is?' repeated his wife。 
 ‘And if it does come; while we live to see it triumphI hope; for her sake; Destiny will keep her husband out of France。' 
 ‘Her husband's destiny;' said Madame Defarge; with her usual composure; ‘will take him where he is to go; and will lead him to the end that is to end him。 That is all I know。' 
 ‘But it is very strangenow; at least; is it not very strange'said Defarge; rather pleading with his wife to induce her to admit it; ‘that; after all our sympathy for Monsieur her father; and herself; her husband's name should be proscribed under your hand at this moment; by the side of that infernal dog's who has just left us?' 
 ‘Stranger things than that will happen when it does come;' answered madame。 ‘I have them both here; of a certainty; and they are both here for their merits; that is enough。' 
 She rolled up her knitting when she had said those words; and presently took the rose out of the handkerchief that was wound about her head。 Either Saint Antoine had an instinctive sense that the objectionable decoration was 

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