登陆注册
3553900000096

第96章 BOOK Ⅶ(5)

It was a sight worthy of a more intelligent spectator than P us,to watch how these high-born maidens darted their envenomed tongues,and coiled and glided and wound serpent-like about the hapless dancing girl.Smiling and cruel,they pitilessly searched and appraised all her poor artless finery of spangles and tinsel.Then followed the heartless laugh,the cutting irony,humiliations without end.Sarcasm,supercilious praise,and spiteful glances descended on the gipsy girl from every side.One might have judged them to be those high-born Roman ladies who amused themselves by thrusting golden pins into the bosom of a beautiful slave,or graceful greyhounds circling with distended nostrils and flaming eyes round some poor hind of the forest,and only prevented by their master's eye from devouring it piecemeal.And what was she after all to these high-born damsels but a miserable dancing girl of the streets?They seemed to ignore the fact of her presence altogether,and spoke of her to her face as of something degraded and unclean,though diverting enough to make jest of.

The Egyptian was not insensible to these petty stings.From time to time a blush of shame burned in her cheek,a flash of anger in her eyes;a disdainful retort seemed to tremble on her lips,and she made the little contemptuous pout with which the reader is familiar.But she remained silent,motionless,her eyes fixed on P us with a look of resignation infinitely sweet and sad.In this gaze there mingled,too,both joy and tenderness;she seemed to restrain herself for fear of being driven away.

As for P us,he laughed and took the gipsy's part with a mixture of impertinence and pity.

'Let them talk,child!'he said,jingling his gold spurs.'Doubtless your costume is somewhat strange and extravagant;but when a girl is so charming as you,what does it matter?'

'Mon Dieu!'cried La Gaillefontaine,drawing up her swan-like neck,with a bitter smile.'It is evident that Messieurs the King's archers take fire easily at the bright gipsy eyes.'

'Why not?'said P us.

At this rejoinder,uttered carelessly by the captain,as one throws a stone at random without troubling to see where it falls,Colombe began to laugh and Amolette and Diane and Fleur-de-Lys,though a tear rose at the same time to the eye of the latter.

The gipsy girl,who had dropped her eyes as Colombe and La Gaillefontaine spoke,raised them now all radiant with joy and pride and fixed them again on P us.At that moment she was dazzlingly beautiful.

The elder lady,while she observed the scene,felt vaguely incensed without knowing exactly why.

'Holy Virgin!'she suddenly exclaimed,'what is this rubbing against my legs?Ah,the horrid beast!'

It was the goat,just arrived in search of its mistress,and which,in hurrying towards her,had got its horns entangled in the voluminous folds of the noble lady's gown,which always billowed round her wherever she sat.

This caused a diversion,and the gipsy silently freed the little creature.

'Ah,it is the little goat with the golden hoofs!'cried Berangère,jumping with joy.

The gipsy girl crouched on her knees and pressed her cheek fondly against the goat's sleek head,as if begging its forgiveness for having left it behind.

At this Diane bent over and whispered in Colombe's ear:'Ah,how did I not think of it before?This is the gipsy girl with the goat.They say she is a witch,and that her goat performs some truly miraculous tricks.'

'Very well,'said Colombe;'then let the goat amuse us in its turn,and show us a miracle.'

Diane and Colombe accordingly addressed the gipsy eagerly.

'Girl,make thy goat perform a miracle for us.'

'I do not know what you mean,'answered the gipsy.

'A miracle—a conjuring trick—a feat of witchcraft,in fact.'

'I do not understand,'she repeated,and fell to caressing the pretty creature again,murmuring fondly,'Djali!Djali!'

At that moment Fleur-de-Lys remarked a little embroidered leather bag hanging round the goat's neck.'What is that?'she asked of the gipsy.

The gipsy raised her large eyes to her and answered gravely,'That is my secret.'

Meanwhile the lady of the house had risen.'Come,gipsy girl,'she exclaimed angrily;'if thou and thy goat will not dance for us,what do you here?'

Without a word the gipsy rose and turned towards the door.But the nearer she approached it,the more reluctant became her step.An irresistible magnet seemed to hold her back.Suddenly she turned her brimming eyes on P us,and stood still.

'Vrai Dieu!'cried the captain,'you shall not leave us thus.Come back and dance for us.By-the-bye,sweetheart,how are you called?'

'Esmeralda,'answered the dancing girl,without taking her eyes off him.

At this strange name the girls burst into a chorus of laughter.

'Truly a formidable name for a demoiselle!'sneered Diane.

'You see now,'said Amelotte,'that she is a sorceress.'

'Child,'exclaimed Dame Al e solemnly,'your parents never drew that name for you out of the baptismal font!'

For some minutes past Berangère,to whom nobody was paying any attention,had managed to entice the goat into a corner with a piece of marchpane,and immediately they had become the best of friends.The inquisitive child had then detached the little bag from the goat's neck,opened it,and emptied its contents on to the floor.It was an alphabet,each letter being written separately on a small tablet of wood.No sooner were these toys displayed on the matting than,to the child's delighted surprise,the goat(of whose miracles this was no doubt one)proceeded to separate certain letters with her golden fore-foot,and by dint of pushing them gently about ranged them in a certain order.In a minute they formed a word,which the goat seemed practised in composing,to judge by the ease with which she accomplished the task.Berangère clasped her hands in admiration.

'Godmother Fleur-de-Lys,'she cried,'come and see what the goat has done!'

同类推荐
  • 岭表录异

    岭表录异

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 徐仙真录

    徐仙真录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 海东逸史

    海东逸史

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 战争与和平

    战争与和平

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 淳熙玉堂杂记

    淳熙玉堂杂记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 星罗九霄

    星罗九霄

    杀,杀尽一切该杀之人。吾无视一切法则,因为,我是魔。
  • 侠岚之清涟

    侠岚之清涟

    *注意避雷*主角是寡王。本文主辗迟x辰月,山鬼谣x云丹,弋痕夕x浮丘,游不动x碧婷据古篆记载——有这样一群人,传说,他们隐居于山林之间。传说…算了,我懒得抄了。总之,就是一个现代人因为一本书穿越回了侠岚的世界,成为了弋痕夕山鬼谣师弟的故事。“什么技能都封印不能用,你让我拿头打?可闭嘴吧你!”“我告诉你你敢打我试试,你信不信我身边藏着百八十个太极侠岚?”“我和你,其实从来都是同一个人。”“他心里,其实一直都牵挂着你。”“零的生命,真的很漫长啊。”_已完结
  • 在民国遇见鲁迅

    在民国遇见鲁迅

    《在民国遇见鲁迅》的宗旨:回到民国现场找回最真实的鲁迅。在很长一段时间里,鲁迅通常以七种姿态出现:迷惘的青年,激愤的斗士,孤傲的文人,冷酷的批评家,幽默的旁观者,改造汉语的翻译匠,自我流放的精神导师。这七个鲁迅要么被涂上了意识形态的涂料,被捧上政治斗争的神坛;要么就被污化为刻薄、不近人情、冷落冰霜的批评家、刀笔吏。但这些都不是真实的鲁迅,真实的鲁迅离我们越来越远,最终竟成了谜!《在民国遇见鲁迅》把鲁迅放回他生存的年代和“语境”中,去掉意识形态,去掉遮蔽,全面真实地还原了生活中有血有肉的真性情的鲁迅。
  • 超级疯狂的机器(小眼睛大发现)

    超级疯狂的机器(小眼睛大发现)

    你听说过木牛流马吗?你看见过漫步火星的机器人吗?你知道地雷为什么被称为藏在地下的杀手吗?中国古代的火箭长什么样?你对这个无奇不有的大千世界充满好奇吗?《小眼睛大发现》涵盖生物、自然、地理、历史、军事、化学等多个知识领域,它通过浅显易懂的语言和搞笑、幽默、夸张的漫画,超级实用的知识点,为孩子们提供了愉悦的阅读天地。本系列丛书介绍了形形色色的古代兵器、超级威猛的现代军事武器、世界各地最最疯狂的机器、大自然多种濒危物种以及强大的新型能源。书中的精彩内容不仅能激发孩子们发现新事物的能力,建立起灵活的思维方式,而且会引导孩子们对身边的世界产生全新的认识。
  • 人力资源部管理制度范本大全

    人力资源部管理制度范本大全

    本书是“企业规范化管理制度范本大全”丛书之一,由“时代光华管理培训研究中心”整体策划完成。由中国商学院MBA成就奖获得者李晶编著。本书立足中国企业实际,结合企业管理的实际需要,将枯燥的理论简单化、流程化、制度化,对人力资源部门管理的相关制度、流程、管理表格、文案等进行了介绍。本书囊括了几乎所有的与企业人力资源部门相关的管理制度、管理流程以及相关管理表格。
  • 矿业权交易操作实务

    矿业权交易操作实务

    本书从矿业权出让、转让的现场交易和网上交易两方面叙述了整个矿业权招标、拍卖、挂牌交易过程。详细列出了每个阶段、每个环节的操作方法和文本式样。可使初始接触矿业权的人士尽快了解矿业权交易操作,也可供经常接触矿业权的人士参考。
  • 假如巴黎相信爱情

    假如巴黎相信爱情

    本书是国内第一本揭露移民生存现状的小说。全书以叶子寻找母亲为主线,以叶子与安德烈的爱情为辅线,全面且深刻地揭露了法国风情以及外来移民的生存现状。
  • 减肥档案

    减肥档案

    一个简单朴素的减肥馆,一个不算苗条的减肥师,几个不算胖的减肥顾客,上演不一样的酸甜苦辣,经历起落沉浮的不同人生。且看相同的经历,不同的选择,谁才活的更精彩?幸福的人们是相似的,不幸的人们则各有各的不幸。有时候,造成这种不幸的正是我们自己。创造幸福的也是我们自己。相信我,苦难也是一种人生历练,正视它、战胜它,它就会成就你。敬告:千万不要小看女人的智慧,更不要把女人逼急了,因为被逼急的女人,非常恐怖。男同胞们,你们可要小心。
  • 超越平凡:自我的力量

    超越平凡:自我的力量

    安东尼·莫里斯·尼克编著的这本《超越平凡:自我的力量》介绍了心智的力量以及如何释放出心智的潜能以获取成功。它为自我帮助和自我发展指明了基本方向,实施为了成功而必须采取的行为,从而有所作为。它描述了无意识惊人的力量,展示了大脑的工作机理以及它是如何释放其巨大的力量并利用它在生活中获得成功。
  • 嫡女狂妃

    嫡女狂妃

    阳春三月,太阳懒懒的挂在空中,和煦的春风吹入山谷,抚平了草地,吹在湖面,泛起点点波纹。位于岚临皇朝西边的碧波湖,一身赤色的女子皱着脸蹲在那儿……【情节虚构,请勿模仿】