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第73节

a tale of two cities(双城记)-第73节

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 ‘〃At last she is dead?〃 said the elder; when I went in。 
 ‘〃She is dead;〃 said I。 
 ‘〃I congratulate you; my brother;〃 were his words as he turned round。 
 ‘He had before offered me money; which I had postponed taking。 He now gave me a rouleau of gold。 I took it from his hand; but laid it on the table。 I had considered the question; and had resolved to accept nothing。 
 ‘〃Pray excuse me;〃 said I。 〃Under the circumstances; no。〃 ‘They exchanged looks; but bent their heads to me as I bent mine to them; and we parted without another word on either side。 * * * * 
 ‘I am weary; weary; wearyworn down by misery。 I cannot read what I have written with this gaunt hand。 
 ‘Early in the morning; the rouleau of gold was left at m' door in a little box; with my name on the outside。 From the first; I had anxiously considered what I ought to do。 I decided; that day; to write privately to the Minister; stating the nature of the two eases to which I had been summoned; and the place to which I had gone: in effect; stating all the circumstances。 I knew what Court influence was; and what the immunities of the Nobles were; and I expected that the matter would never be heard of; but; I wished to relieve my own mind。 I had kept the matter a profound secret; even from my wife; and this; too; I resolved to state in my letter。 I had no apprehension whatever of my real danger; but I was conscious that there might be danger for others; if others were compromised by possessing the knowledge that I possessed。 
 ‘I was much engaged that day; and could not complete my letter that night。 I rose long before my usual time next morning to finish it。 It was the last day of the year。 The letter was lying before me just completed; when I was told that a lady waited; who wished to see me。 * * * * 
 ‘I am growing more and more unequal to the task I have set myself。 It is so cold; so dark; my senses are so benumbed; and the gloom upon me is so dreadful。 
 ‘The lady was young; engaging; and handsome; but not marked for long life。 She was in great agitation。 She presented herself to me as the wife of the Marquis St。 Evrémonde。 I connected the title by which the boy had addressed the elder brother; with the initial letter embroidered on the scarf; and had no difficulty in arriving at the conclusion that I had seen that nobleman very lately。 
 ‘My memory is still accurate; but I cannot write the words of Our conversation。 I suspect that I am watched more closely than I was; and I know not at what times I may be watched。 She had in part suspected; and in part discovered; the main facts of the cruel story; of her husband's share in it; and my being resorted to。 She did not know that the girl was dead。 Her hope had been; she said in great distress; to show her; in secret; a woman's sympathy。 Her hope had been to avert the wrath of Heaven from a House that had long been hateful to the suffering many。 
 ‘She had reasons for believing that there was a young sister living; and her greatest desire was; to help that sister。 I could tell her nothing but that there was such a sister; beyond that; I knew nothing。 Her inducement to come to me; relying on my confidence; had been the hope that I could tell her the name and place of abode。 Whereas; to this wretched hour I am ignorant of both。 * * * * 
 ‘These scraps of paper fail me。 One was taken from me; with a warning; yesterday。 I must finish my record to…day。 
 ‘She was a good; compassionate lady; and not happy in her marriage。 How could she be! The brother distrusted and disliked her; and his influence was all opposed to her; she stood in dread of him; and in dead of her husband too。 When I handed her down to the door; there was a child; a pretty boy from two to three years old; in her carriage。 
 ‘〃For his sake; Doctor;〃 she said; pointing to him in tears; 〃I would do all I can to make what poor amends I can。 He will never prosper in his inheritance otherwise。 I have a presentiment that if no other innocent atonement is made for this; it will one day be required of him。 What I have left to call my ownit is little beyond the worth of a few jewelsI will make it the first charge of his life to bestow; with the compassion and lamenting of his dead mother; on this injured family; if the sister can be discovered。〃 
 ‘She kissed the boy; and said; caressing him; 〃It is for thine own dear sake。 Thou wilt be faithful; little Charles?〃 The child answered her bravely; 〃Yes!〃 I kissed her hand; and she took him in her arms; and went away caressing him。 I never saw her more。 
 ‘As she had mentioned her husband's name in the faith that I knew it; I added no mention of it to my letter。 I sealed my letter; and; not trusting it out of my own hands; delivered it myself that day。 
 ‘That night; the last night of the year; towards nine o'clock; a man in a black dress rang at my gate; demanded to see me; and softly followed my servant; Ernest Defarge; a youth; upstairs。 When my servant came into the room where I sat with my wifeO my wife; beloved of my heart! My fair young English wife!we saw the man; who was supposed to be at the gate; standing silent behind him。 
 ‘An urgent case in the Rue St。 Honoré'; he said。 It would not detain me; he had a coach in waiting。 
 ‘It brought me here; it brought me to my grave。 When I was clear of the house; a black muffler was drawn tightly over my mouth from behind; and my arms were pinioned。 The two brothers crossed the road from a dark corner; and identified me with a single gesture。 The Marquis took from his pocket the letter I had written; showed it me; burnt it in the light of a lantern that was held; and extinguished the ashes with his foot。 Not a word was spoken。 I was brought here; I was brought to my living grave。 
 ‘If it had pleased GOD to put it in the hard heart of either of the brothers; in all these frightful years; to grant me any tidings of my dearest wifeso much as to let me know by a word whether alive or deadI might have thought that He had not quite abandoned them。 But; now I believe that the mark of the red cross is fatal to them; and that they have no part in His mercies。 And them and their descendants; to the last of their race; I; Alexandre Manette; unhappy prisoner; do this last night of the year 1767; in my unbearable agony; denounce to the times when all these things shall be answered for。 I denounce them to Heaven and to earth。' 
 A terrible sound arose when the reading of this document was done。 A sound of craving and eagerness that had nothing articulate in it but blood。 The narrative called up the most revengeful passions of the time; and there was not a head in the nation but must have dropped before it。 
 Little need; in presence of that tribunal and that auditory; to show how the Defarges had not made the paper public; with the other captured Bastille memorials borne in procession; and had kept it; biding their time。 Little need to show that this detested family name had long been anathematised by Saint Antoine; and was wrought into the fatal register。 The man never trod ground whose virtues and Services would have sustained him in that place that day; against such denunciation。 
 And all the worse for the doomed man; that the denouncer was a well…known citizen; his own attached friend; the father of his wife。 One of the frenzied aspirations of the populace was; for imitations of the questionable public virtues of antiquity; and for sacrifices and self…immolations on the people's altar。 Therefore when the President said (else had his own head quivered on his shoulders); that the good physician of the Republic would deserve better still of the Republic by rooting out an obnoxious family of Aristocrats; and would doubtless feel a sacred glow and joy in making his daughter a widow and her child an orphan; there was wild excitement; patriotic fervour; not a touch of human sympathy。 
 ‘Much influence around him; has that Doctor?' murmured Madame Defarge; smiling to The Vengeance。 ‘Save him now; my Doctor; save him!' 
 At every juryman's vote; there was a roar。 Another and another。 Roar and roar。 
 Unanimously voted。 At heart and by descent an Aristocrat; an enemy of the Republic; a notorious oppressor of the People。 Back to the Conciergerie; and Death within four…and…twenty hours! 


CHAPTER XI
Dusk
 
THE wretched wife of the innocent man thus doomed to die; under the sentence; as if she had been mortally stricken。 But; she uttered no sound; and so strong was the voice within her; representing that it was she of all the world who must uphold him in his misery and not augment it; that it quickly raised her; even from that shock。 
 The judges having to take part in a public demonstration out of doors; the tribunal adjourned。 The quick noise and movement of the court's emptying itself by many passages had not ceased; when Lucie stood stretching out her arms towards her husband; with nothing in her face but love and consolation。 
 ‘If I might touch him! If I might embrace him once! O; good citizens; if you would have so much compassion for us!' 
 There was but a gaoler left; along with two of the four men who had taken him last night; and Barsad。 The people had all poured out to the show in the streets。 Barsad proposed to the rest; ‘Let her embrace him then; it is

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