🔊 On the afternoon of that same Christmas Day, 1823, a man had walked for rather a long time in the most deserted part of the Boulevard de l'Hôpital in Paris. This man had the air of a person who is seeking lodgings, and he seemed to halt, by preference, at the most modest houses on that dilapidated border of the faubourg Saint-Marceau. We shall see further on that this man had, in fact, hired a chamber in that isolated quarter.

一八二三年那个圣诞节日的下午,有一个人在巴黎最荒僻的医院大道上走了相当长的时间。这人像是在寻找住处,他特别乐意在圣马尔索郊区那条破败的边界线上最简陋的房屋前停下脚步。后文将会看到,这人确实在那片偏僻的街区租下了一间屋子。

🔊

deserted /dɪˈzɜːrtɪd/

adj. 荒凉的,无人居住的➕

🔊

lodgings /ˈlɒdʒɪŋz/

n. 住所,临时住处➕

🔊 This man, in his attire, as in all his person, realized the type of what may be called the well-bred mendicant--extreme wretchedness combined with extreme cleanliness. This is a very rare mixture which inspires intelligent hearts with that double respect which one feels for the man who is very poor, and for the man who is very worthy. He wore a very old and very well brushed round hat; a coarse coat, worn perfectly threadbare, of an ochre yellow, a color that was not in the least eccentric at that epoch; a large waistcoat with pockets of a venerable cut; black breeches, worn gray at the knee, stockings of black worsted; and thick shoes with copper buckles. He would have been pronounced a preceptor in some good family, returned from the emigration. He would have been taken for more than sixty years of age, from his perfectly white hair, his wrinkled brow, his livid lips, and his countenance, where everything breathed depression and weariness of life. Judging from his firm tread, from the singular vigor which stamped all his movements, he would have hardly been thought fifty. The wrinkles on his brow were well placed, and would have disposed in his favor anyone who observed him attentively. His lip contracted with a strange fold which seemed severe, and which was humble. There was in the depth of his glance an indescribable melancholy serenity. In his left hand he carried a little bundle tied up in a handkerchief; in his right he leaned on a sort of a cudgel, cut from some hedge. This stick had been carefully trimmed, and had an air that was not too threatening; the most had been made of its knots, and it had received a coral-like head, made from red wax: it was a cudgel, and it seemed to be a cane.

这人的衣着和整个外表完全体现了那种所谓“体面乞丐”的形象--极度的穷困和极度的整洁结合在一起。这种罕见的混合体,会在有智慧的人心中激起双重敬意:既同情那个一贫如洗的人,又尊重那个极有品德的人。他戴着一顶非常旧但刷得很干净的圆帽；穿着一件粗呢外套,几乎磨得透亮,是一种赭黄色,在那个时代倒也不算太怪异；一件宽大的背心,口袋式样古老；黑裤子,膝盖处已磨得发灰；黑色的毛线袜子；还有厚底鞋,配着铜扣。人们可能会以为他是某个从流亡中归来的好人家的家庭教师。从他满头的白发、布满皱纹的前额、发青的嘴唇和那副充满压抑和厌倦之情的面容来看,人们会以为他年过六旬；但看他稳健的步伐、他动作中那种奇特的活力,又几乎不会认为他超过五十岁。他额头上的皱纹位置恰到好处,会让任何仔细观察他的人对他产生好感。他的嘴唇带着一种奇怪的褶皱,似乎既严厉又谦卑。他的眼神深处有一种难以描述的忧郁而宁静的神情。他左手拎着一个小包裹,裹在手帕里；右手拄着一根像是从树篱上砍下来的棍棒。这根棍子被仔细削过,看上去并不太吓人；上面的节疤被尽量利用,顶端还包了红蜡制成的珊瑚状头饰:这是一根棍棒,但看起来又像是一根手杖。

🔊

eccentric /ɪkˈsentrɪk/

adj. 古怪的,不同寻常的➕

🔊

melancholy /ˈmelənkɒli/

adj. 忧郁的,忧伤的➕

🔊 There are but few passersby on that boulevard, particularly in the winter. The man seemed to avoid them rather than to seek them, but this without any affectation. At that epoch, King Louis XVIII went nearly every day to Choisy-le-Roi: it was one of his favorite excursions. Towards two o'clock, almost invariably, the royal carriage and cavalcade was seen to pass at full speed along the Boulevard de l'Hôpital.

那条林荫道上行人稀少,尤其在冬天。那人似乎有意避开他们,而不是寻找他们,但这种态度毫不做作。在那个时代,路易十八几乎每天都去舒瓦西勒罗瓦,那是他最喜欢的郊游之一。差不多下午两点钟,总能看见皇家马车和骑兵队全速驶过医院大道。

🔊

affectation /ˌæfekˈteɪʃn/

n. 做作,矫揉造作➕

🔊

excursions /ɪkˈskɜːʃnz/

n. 短途旅行,远足➕

🔊 This served in lieu of a watch or clock to the poor women of the quarter who said, "It is two o'clock; there he is returning to the Tuileries." And some rushed forward, and others drew up in line, for a passing king always creates a tumult; besides, the appearance and disappearance of Louis XVIII produced a certain effect in the streets of Paris. It was rapid but majestic. This impotent king had a taste for a fast gallop; as he was not able to walk, he wished to run: that cripple would gladly have had himself drawn by the lightning. He passed, pacific and severe, in the midst of naked swords. His massive couch, all covered with gilding, with great branches of lilies painted on the panels, thundered noisily along. There was hardly time to cast a glance upon it. In the rear angle on the right there was visible on tufted cushions of white satin a large, firm, and ruddy face, a brow freshly powdered à l'oiseau royal, a proud, hard, crafty eye, the smile of an educated man, two great epaulets with bullion fringe floating over a bourgeois coat, the Golden Fleece, the cross of Saint Louis, the cross of the Legion of Honor, the silver plaque of the Saint-Esprit, a huge belly, and a wide blue ribbon: it was the king. Outside of Paris, he held his hat decked with white ostrich plumes on his knees enwrapped in high English gaiters; when he re-entered the city, he put on his hat and saluted rarely; he stared coldly at the people, and they returned it in kind. When he appeared for the first time in the Saint-Marceau quarter, the whole success which he produced is contained in this remark of an inhabitant of the faubourg to his comrade, "That big fellow yonder is the government." This infallible passage of the king at the same hour was, therefore, the daily event of the Boulevard de l'Hôpital.

这成了这个街区可怜的女人们的一种钟表或手表,她们会说:“两点了,他回杜伊勒里宫了。”于是有些人往前冲,有些人排成一行,因为国王经过总会引起一阵骚动；此外,路易十八的出现和消失,在巴黎的街道上也会产生某种效果。这种出现是迅速而威严的。这位跛足的国王喜欢疾驰；他不能走路,就希望奔跑；这个瘫子巴不得被闪电拖着走。他经过时,在出鞘的刀剑中显得平和而严厉。他那辆笨重的马车,浑身镀金,车门上画着大束的百合花,轰隆隆地驶过。几乎来不及看一眼。在车厢右后角,可以看到白色缎子的软垫上,有一张庞大、结实而红润的脸庞,额头刚扑了粉,发型仿照皇家之鸟,一只骄傲、冷酷、狡猾的眼睛,一个有教养的人的微笑,两个巨大的穗带肩章垂在平民式的外套上,金羊毛勋章、圣路易十字勋章、荣誉军团十字勋章、圣灵的银质徽章、一个大肚子和一条宽大的蓝绶带:那就是国王。在巴黎城外,他把那顶饰有白色鸵鸟羽毛的帽子放在膝盖上,膝盖裹在长筒英式马裤里；进城时,他就戴上帽子,很少行礼；他冷冷地瞪着人群,而人们也同样回瞪他。当他第一次出现在圣马尔索街区时,取得的全部效果,就包含在该郊区一个居民对他的同伴所说的一句话里:“那边那个大块头就是政府。”国王每天同一时刻的必到,就成了医院大道的日常事件。

🔊

majestic /məˈdʒestɪk/

adj. 雄伟的,庄严的➕

🔊

gilding /ˈɡɪldɪŋ/

n. 镀金,金饰➕

🔊 The promenader in the yellow coat evidently did not belong in the quarter, and probably did not belong in Paris, for he was ignorant as to this detail. When, at two o'clock, the royal carriage, surrounded by a squadron of the bodyguard all covered with silver lace, debouched on the boulevard, after having made the turn of the Salpêtrière, he appeared surprised and almost alarmed. There was no one but himself in this cross-lane. He drew up hastily behind the corner of the wall of an enclosure, though this did not prevent M. le Duc de Havré from spying him out.

穿黄外套的散步者显然不属于这个街区,大概也不属于巴黎,因为他对此一无所知。当两点钟时,皇家马车在一队浑身银饰的侍卫骑兵的簇拥下,绕过萨尔佩特里埃医院后拐上林荫道时,他显得惊讶甚至惊慌。这条横街上只有他一个人。他迅速躲到一块围地的墙角后面,但这并没有阻止阿夫雷公爵先生发现他。

🔊

ignorant /ˈɪɡnərənt/

adj. 无知的,不了解的➕

🔊

squadron /ˈskwɒdrən/

n. 中队,骑兵队➕

🔊 M. le Duc de Havré, as captain of the guard on duty that day, was seated in the carriage, opposite the king. He said to his Majesty, "Yonder is an evil-looking man." Members of the police, who were clearing the king's route, took equal note of him: one of them received an order to follow him. But the man plunged into the deserted little streets of the faubourg, and as twilight was beginning to fall, the agent lost trace of him, as is stated in a report addressed that same evening to M. le Comte d'Anglès, Minister of State, Prefect of Police.

阿夫雷公爵先生作为当天值班的侍卫长,坐在马车里,面对着国王。他对陛下说:“那边有个面相不善的人。”负责清理国王道路的警察同样注意到了他:其中一人奉命跟踪他。但那人钻进了郊区荒凉的小街,暮色开始降临,那个警探便失去了他的踪迹,正如当晚给国务大臣、警察局长当格莱伯爵先生的报告中所述。

🔊

twilight /ˈtwaɪlaɪt/

n. 黄昏,暮色➕

🔊

agent /ˈeɪdʒənt/

n. 探员,代理人➕

🔊 When the man in the yellow coat had thrown the agent off his track, he redoubled his pace, not without turning round many a time to assure himself that he was not being followed. At a quarter-past four, that is to say, when night was fully come, he passed in front of the theatre of the Porte Saint-Martin, where The Two Convicts was being played that day. This poster, illuminated by the theatre lanterns, struck him; for, although he was walking rapidly, he halted to read it. An instant later he was in the blind alley of La Planchette, and he entered the Pewter Platter, where the office of the coach for Lagny was then situated. This coach set out at half-past four. The horses were harnessed, and the travellers, summoned by the coachman, were hastily climbing the lofty iron ladder of the vehicle.

穿黄外套的人甩掉警探后,加快了脚步,还不时回头确认是否被跟踪。四时一刻,也就是夜幕完全降临时,他经过圣马丁门剧院,那天上演的是《两个苦役犯》。这张海报被剧院的灯笼照亮,吸引了他；尽管他走得很快,还是停下来读了一遍。片刻之后,他到了拉普朗歇特死胡同,进入了当时通往拉尼的马车站所在的锡盘旅馆。马车四点半出发。马已经套好,旅客们被车夫召唤,正匆匆爬上那高高的铁梯。

🔊

illuminated /ɪˈluːmɪneɪtɪd/

adj. 被照亮的➕

🔊

lofty /ˈlɒfti/

adj. 高耸的,崇高的➕

🔊 The man inquired:-- "Have you a place?" "Only one--beside me on the box," said the coachman. "I will take it." "Climb up." Nevertheless, before setting out, the coachman cast a glance at the traveller's shabby dress, at the diminutive size of his bundle, and made him pay his fare. "Are you going as far as Lagny?" demanded the coachman. "Yes," said the man. The traveller paid to Lagny. They started. When they had passed the barrier, the coachman tried to enter into conversation, but the traveller only replied in monosyllables. The coachman took to whistling and swearing at his horses. The coachman wrapped himself up in his cloak. It was cold. The man did not appear to be thinking of that. Thus they passed Gournay and Neuilly-sur-Marne.

那人问道:“有位子吗？”“只有一个--在我旁边,车夫座。”车夫说。“我坐。”“爬上来吧。”不过,出发前,车夫瞥了一眼那旅客寒酸的衣着和那小小的包裹,让他先付了车费。“您要去拉尼？”车夫问道。“是的。”那人说。旅客付了到拉尼的钱。他们出发了。过了关卡后,车夫想攀谈,但那旅客只回答单音节词。车夫便吹起口哨,对着马骂骂咧咧。车夫裹紧了大衣。天气很冷。那人似乎没在意。就这样,他们经过了古尔奈和巴黎地区马恩河畔的讷伊。

🔊

shabby /ˈʃæbi/

adj. 破旧的,寒酸的➕

🔊

diminutive /dɪˈmɪnjətɪv/

adj. 极小的,微小的➕

🔊 Towards six o'clock in the evening they reached Chelles. The coachman drew up in front of the carters' inn installed in the ancient buildings of the Royal Abbey, to give his horses a breathing spell. "I get down here," said the man. He took his bundle and his cudgel and jumped down from the vehicle. An instant later he had disappeared. He did not enter the inn. When the coach set out for Lagny a few minutes later, it did not encounter him in the principal street of Chelles. The coachman turned to the inside travellers. "There," said he, "is a man who does not belong here, for I do not know him. He had not the air of owning a sou, but he does not consider money; he pays to Lagny, and he goes only as far as Chelles. It is night; all the houses are shut; he does not enter the inn, and he is not to be found. So he has dived through the earth."

傍晚六点左右,他们到了谢尔。车夫在王修女院古老建筑里的车夫旅店前停下,让马喘口气。“我在这儿下车。”那人说。他拿起包裹和棍棒,跳下马车。片刻之后,他就不见了。他没有进旅店。几分钟后马车出发去拉尼时,在谢尔的主要街道上没再遇见他。车夫转向车内旅客。“瞧,”他说,“这人不是本地的,因为我不认识他。他看上去没有一个子儿,但他不在乎钱；他付了到拉尼的车费,却只坐到谢尔。天黑了,所有房子都关门了,他不进旅店,人也找不到了。所以他肯定是钻到地底下去了。”

🔊

encounter /ɪnˈkaʊntər/

v. 遇到,遭遇➕

🔊

dived /daɪvd/

v. 潜入,跳水（过去式）➕

🔊 The man had not plunged into the earth, but he had gone with great strides through the dark, down the principal street of Chelles, then he had turned to the right before reaching the church, into the crossroad leading to Montfermeil, like a person who was acquainted with the country and had been there before.

那人并没有钻到地底下,而是大步在黑暗中沿着谢尔的主要街道走去,然后在到达教堂前向右拐,走上了通往蒙费梅伊的岔路,像个熟悉当地情况、以前来过这里的人。

🔊

strides /straɪdz/

n. 大步,步伐（复数）➕

🔊

acquainted /əˈkweɪntɪd/

adj. 熟悉的,了解的➕

🔊 He followed this road rapidly. At the spot where it is intersected by the ancient tree-bordered road which runs from Gagny to Lagny, he heard people coming. He concealed himself precipitately in a ditch, and there waited until the passersby were at a distance. The precaution was nearly superfluous, however; for, as we have already said, it was a very dark December night. Not more than two or three stars were visible in the sky.

他沿着这条路快步走着。在一条古老的行道树路（从加尼通往拉尼）与之相交的地方,他听到有人过来。他迅速藏进一条沟里,等行人走远才出来。不过,这个防范措施几乎是多余的；因为,正如我们已经说过的,那是一个漆黑的十二月夜晚。天上只能看见两三颗星星。

🔊

concealed /kənˈsiːld/

v. 隐藏（过去式）➕

🔊

superfluous /suːˈpɜːrfluəs/

adj. 多余的,不必要的➕

🔊 It is at this point that the ascent of the hill begins. The man did not return to the road to Montfermeil; he struck across the fields to the right, and entered the forest with long strides. Once in the forest he slackened his pace, and began a careful examination of all the trees, advancing, step by step, as though seeking and following a mysterious road known to himself alone. There came a moment when he appeared to lose himself, and he paused in indecision. At last he arrived, by dint of feeling his way inch by inch, at a clearing where there was a great heap of whitish stones. He stepped up briskly to these stones, and examined them attentively through the mists of night, as though he were passing them in review. A large tree, covered with those excrescences which are the warts of vegetation, stood a few paces distant from the pile of stones. He went up to this tree and passed his hand over the bark of the trunk, as though seeking to recognize and count all the warts. Opposite this tree, which was an ash, there was a chestnut-tree, suffering from a peeling of the bark, to which a band of zinc had been nailed by way of dressing. He raised himself on tiptoe and touched this band of zinc. Then he trod about for awhile on the ground comprised in the space between the tree and the heap of stones, like a person who is trying to assure himself that the soil has not recently been disturbed. That done, he took his bearings, and resumed his march through the forest. It was the man who had just met Cosette.

正是在这里,上坡开始了。那人没有回到通往蒙费梅伊的路上；他向右穿过田野,大步走进森林。一进森林,他放慢了脚步,开始仔细审视所有的树,一步一步地前进,仿佛在寻找和沿着一条只有他自己知道的秘密道路。有一阵子他似乎迷路了,便犹豫地停下脚步。最后,他凭着摸索,一寸一寸地前进,来到了一块空地,那里有一大堆发白的石头。他飞快地走到这些石头前,在夜雾中仔细地观察它们,仿佛在检阅似的。离石堆几步远的地方,有一棵长满了疙瘩（植物上的疣）的大树。他走到这棵树前,用手抚摸树干的皮,好像在辨认和数上面的所有疙瘩。这棵树是一棵白蜡树,对面有一棵栗树,树皮剥落,好像钉了一圈锌皮作为包扎。他踮起脚尖,摸了摸那圈锌皮。然后,他在树和石堆之间的空地上踩了一会儿,像个想确认地面最近没有被翻动过的人。做完这些,他辨明了方向,又继续在森林中行走。这个人正是刚刚遇见珂赛特的那个人。

🔊

mysterious /mɪˈstɪəriəs/

adj. 神秘的➕

🔊

vegetation /ˌvedʒəˈteɪʃn/

n. 植被,植物➕

Book III. Accomplishment of the Promise Made to the Dead Woman – Chapter six: Which Possibly Proves Boulatruelle's Intelligence (第六章:或许能证明布拉特吕埃尔的智慧)

🔒 使用该功能需要授权码