登陆注册
5256400000199

第199章 CHAPTER I(12)

I would prefer a stab in my own vitals to a scratch on her finger! You have the air of such a good lord! What I have told you explains the matter, does it not? Oh! if you have had a mother, monsiegneur! you are the captain, leave me my child! Consider that I pray you on my knees, as one prays to Jesus Christ! I ask nothing of any one; I am from Reims, gentlemen; I own a little field inherited from my uncle, Mahiet Pradon. I am no beggar. I wish nothing, but I do want my child! oh! I want to keep my child! The good God, who is the master, has not given her back to me for nothing! The king! you say the king! It would not cause him much pleasure to have my little daughter killed!

And then, the king is good! she is my daughter! she is my own daughter! She belongs not to the king! she is not yours! I want to go away! we want to go away! and when two women pass, one a mother and the other a daughter, one lets them go! Let us pass! we belong in Reims. Oh! you are very good, messieurs the sergeants, I love you all. You will not take my dear little one, it is impossible! It is utterly impossible, is it not? My child, my child!"We will not try to give an idea of her gestures, her tone, of the tears which she swallowed as she spoke, of the hands which she clasped and then wrung, of the heart-breaking smiles, of the swimming glances, of the groans, the sighs, the miserable and affecting cries which she mingled with her disordered, wild, and incoherent words. When she became silent Tristan l'Hermite frowned, but it was to conceal a tear which welled up in his tiger's eye. He conquered this weakness, however, and said in a curt tone,--"The king wills it."

Then he bent down to the ear of Rennet Cousin, and said to him in a very low tone,--"Make an end of it quickly!" Possibly, the redoubtable provost felt his heart also failing him.

The executioner and the sergeants entered the cell. The mother offered no resistance, only she dragged herself towards her daughter and threw herself bodily upon her.

The gypsy beheld the soldiers approach. The horror of death reanimated her,--"Mother!" she shrieked, in a tone of indescribable distress, "Mother! they are coming! defend me!""Yes, my love, I am defending you!" replied the mother, in a dying voice; and clasping her closely in her arms, she covered her with kisses. The two lying thus on the earth, the mother upon the daughter, presented a spectacle worthy of pity.

Rennet Cousin grasped the young girl by the middle of her body, beneath her beautiful shoulders. When she felt that hand, she cried, "Heuh!" and fainted. The executioner who was shedding large tears upon her, drop by drop, was about to bear her away in his arms. He tried to detach the mother, who had, so to speak, knotted her hands around her daughter's waist; but she clung so strongly to her child, that it was impossible to separate them. Then Rennet Cousin dragged the young girl outside the cell, and the mother after her. The mother's eyes were also closed.

At that moment, the sun rose, and there was already on the Place a fairly numerous assembly of people who looked on from a distance at what was being thus dragged along the pavement to the gibbet. For that was Provost Tristan's way at executions. He had a passion for preventing the approach of the curious.

There was no one at the windows. Only at a distance, at the summit of that one of the towers of Notre-Dame which commands the Grève, two men outlined in black against the light morning sky, and who seemed to be looking on, were visible.

Rennet Cousin paused at the foot of the fatal ladder, with that which he was dragging, and, barely breathing, with so much pity did the thing inspire him, he passed the rope around the lovely neck of the young girl. The unfortunate child felt the horrible touch of the hemp. She raised her eyelids, and saw the fleshless arm of the stone gallows extended above her head. Then she shook herself and shrieked in a loud and heartrending voice: "No! no! I will not!" Her mother, whose head was buried and concealed in her daughter's garments, said not a word; only her whole body could be seen to quiver, and she was heard to redouble her kisses on her child. The executioner took advantage of this moment to hastily loose the arms with which she clasped the condemned girl. Either through exhaustion or despair, she let him have his way. Then he took the young girl on his shoulder, from which the charming creature hung, gracefully bent over his large head. Then he set his foot on the ladder in order to ascend.

At that moment, the mother who was crouching on the pavement, opened her eyes wide. Without uttering a cry, she raised herself erect with a terrible expression; then she flung herself upon the hand of the executioner, like a beast on its prey, and bit it. It was done like a flash of lightning. The headsman howled with pain. Those near by rushed up.

With difficulty they withdrew his bleeding hand from the mother's teeth. She preserved a profound silence. They thrust her back with much brutality, and noticed that her head fell heavily on the pavement. They raised her, she fell back again. She was dead.

The executioner, who had not loosed his hold on the young girl, began to ascend the ladder once more.

同类推荐
  • 阿难同学经

    阿难同学经

    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。
  • The Epic of Kings

    The Epic of Kings

    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。
  • 巽隐集

    巽隐集

    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。
  • 伤寒论

    伤寒论

    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。
  • 佛说须摩提菩萨经

    佛说须摩提菩萨经

    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
  • 忍冬

    忍冬

    年少轻狂,总会有那些一二三事。这是一个在年少时犯错,长大后救赎的故事。
  • 我已等你

    我已等你

    结婚两年,沈溥终于明白一个道理:原来讨厌一个人真的不需要理由。讨厌她的性格爱好,讨厌她的外貌穿着,甚至于她的名字。就比如他的妻子:宋天真。
  • 降龙镇的那些人

    降龙镇的那些人

    小城傍着一条河,顺着河西行往上游走,离小城十来里有一座大水库。水库边上青山脚下原有一小村叫降龙村,因修水库,深山坳里的几村山民被迁移出山,合并移民到降龙村。降龙村人顿时多了起来,降龙村也升格成了降龙镇,有了东南西北四条街。小镇变成了几千人的大镇,镇上人烟稠密。降龙镇的人大多源自深山老林,深山老林里的人被大山养出一股彪悍豪爽之气。一二十年过去,这股根深蒂固的彪悍豪爽气不但未消,反而传给了后人。本来,人一上百就必有不同凡响的人物崭露头角,露了头角的人就不同他人,成了名人。
  • 恰似那年卿有意

    恰似那年卿有意

    堕天志有载,北泽千家楼,南苍九命殿,西邛一步登天梯,东烬望天楼上望天求,大荒解语阁中解天下,孑孑神陵空守神陵此间界中无神留!——堕天大陆,四万四千四百四十四年。
  • 巫墓

    巫墓

    二十世纪中的青年,误闯入大巫之墓,学得无数巫族绝技,同时在墓中渡过了五十年。五十年后,林醒白重回世间。
  • 笙歌

    笙歌

    十六岁的冉笙就像是被所有人严密保护起来的花朵,几乎从未踏出过临水堂一步,他被保护的太好,纯粹的让人心动,却也脆弱的不堪一击。所有的风雨我替你扛,所有的悲伤我为你尝,所有的幸福,为你奉上。情节虚构,切勿模仿
  • 洪荒之元炁祖师

    洪荒之元炁祖师

    炁者,元气也。万物皆由元气变化而成,一元复始而化天地万象。一个少年穿越而来,逐渐摸索被掩藏在时光的真相。所以,明悟元始,成就太上,一步通天掌元炁,以此成圣!
  • 仙途缈缈之桃花缘

    仙途缈缈之桃花缘

    浮生若梦,清清浅浅。此生只愿活的潇潇洒洒,怎奈仙途缈缈,不就是炼丹、制符、炼器、阵法嘛,看本姑娘信手拈来,至于那些扑上来的美男,拒绝?怎么忍心,留下?本姑娘不养闲人。某女腹黑的想免费的不要白不要用来看家护院做个打手还是不错的,没事看着也养眼。桃花男、冰山男、腹黑男,暖男……接踵而来,看本姑娘如何玩转异世。请大家多多支持,多多打赏,谢谢!
  • 刁蛮小药凰

    刁蛮小药凰

    从末世而来的军医宁小药有一个秘密,她能听懂小动物说话~肥猫黑胖说:督师是好人,喵嘎!麻雀灰爷爷说:督师是好人,啾!小耗子油瓶也说:督师是好人,吱!黄鼠狼大仙更是说:你跟督师是天生的一对~所有的小萌物都跟宁小药说,督师,督师,督师!于是宁小药相信,这个叫楼子规的督师一定是个好人,至于跟她是不是天生的一对……肥猫黑胖给了宁小药一爪子,督师被你下旨押到刑场要凌迟处死了啊,你这个昏君!!!【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 极品小农民系统

    极品小农民系统

    文化程度不高的李田,快奔三十的年纪,还一事无成,无车无房无女友,朋友数落,亲戚看不起,又遭遇失业,只能落魄回归农村…不想,一觉醒来,却意外开启了【极品小农民系统】。“什么?挖块地就能获得300元现金红包!”“种10棵小葱就能兑换《神农医书》!”“达到100级,还可以变帅?变年轻?”