登陆注册
5256400000037

第37章 CHAPTER VI(6)

"Listen, once more. You are to search the manikin, and take away its purse; if a single bell stirs during the operation, you will be hung. Do you understand that?""Good," said Gringoire; "I understand that. And then?""If you succeed in removing the purse without our hearing the bells, you are a vagabond, and you will be thrashed for eight consecutive days. You understand now, no doubt?""No, monseigneur; I no longer understand. Where is the advantage to me? hanged in one case, cudgelled in the other?""And a vagabond," resumed Clopin, "and a vagabond; is that nothing? It is for your interest that we should beat you, in order to harden you to blows.""Many thanks," replied the poet.

"Come, make haste," said the king, stamping upon his cask, which resounded like a huge drum! Search the manikin, and let there be an end to this! I warn you for the last time, that if I hear a single bell, you will take the place of the manikin."The band of thieves applauded Clopin's words, and arranged themselves in a circle round the gibbet, with a laugh so pitiless that Gringoire perceived that he amused them too much not to have everything to fear from them. No hope was left for him, accordingly, unless it were the slight chance of succeeding in the formidable operation which was imposed upon him; he decided to risk it, but it was not without first having addressed a fervent prayer to the manikin he was about to plunder, and who would have been easier to move to pity than the vagabonds. These myriad bells, with their little copper tongues, seemed to him like the mouths of so many asps, open and ready to sting and to hiss.

"Oh!" he said, in a very low voice, "is it possible that my life depends on the slightest vibration of the least of these bells? Oh!" he added, with clasped hands, "bells, do not ring, hand-bells do not clang, mule-bells do not quiver!"He made one more attempt upon Trouillefou.

"And if there should come a gust of wind?"

"You will be hanged," replied the other, without hesitation.

Perceiving that no respite, nor reprieve, nor subterfuge was possible, he bravely decided upon his course of action; he wound his right foot round his left leg, raised himself on his left foot, and stretched out his arm: but at the moment when his hand touched the manikin, his body, which was now supported upon one leg only, wavered on the stool which had but three; he made an involuntary effort to support himself by the manikin, lost his balance, and fell heavily to the ground, deafened by the fatal vibration of the thousand bells of the manikin, which, yielding to the impulse imparted by his hand, described first a rotary motion, and then swayed majestically between the two posts.

"Malediction!" he cried as he fell, and remained as though dead, with his face to the earth.

Meanwhile, he heard the dreadful peal above his head, the diabolical laughter of the vagabonds, and the voice of Trouillefou saying,--"Pick me up that knave, and hang him without ceremony."He rose. They had already detached the manikin to make room for him.

The thieves made him mount the stool, Clopin came to him, passed the rope about his neck, and, tapping him on the shoulder,--"Adieu, my friend. You can't escape now, even if you digested with the pope's guts."The word "Mercy!" died away upon Gringoire's lips. He cast his eyes about him; but there was no hope: all were laughing.

"Bellevigne de l'Etoile," said the King of Thunes to an enormous vagabond, who stepped out from the ranks, "climb upon the cross beam."Bellevigne de l'Etoile nimbly mounted the transverse beam, and in another minute, Gringoire, on raising his eyes, beheld him, with terror, seated upon the beam above his head.

"Now," resumed Clopin Trouillefou, "as soon as I clap my hands, you, Andry the Red, will fling the stool to the ground with a blow of your knee; you, Fran?ois Chante-Prune, will cling to the feet of the rascal; and you, Bellevigne, will fling yourself on his shoulders; and all three at once, do you hear?"Gringoire shuddered.

"Are you ready?" said Clopin Trouillefou to the three thieves, who held themselves in readiness to fall upon Gringoire. A moment of horrible suspense ensued for the poor victim, during which Clopin tranquilly thrust into the fire with the tip of his foot, some bits of vine shoots which the flame had not caught. "Are you ready?" he repeated, and opened his hands to clap. One second more and all would have been over.

But he paused, as though struck by a sudden thought.

同类推荐
  • 梦蕉亭杂记

    梦蕉亭杂记

    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。
  • 净土疑辩

    净土疑辩

    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。
  • 羯磨仪式

    羯磨仪式

    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。
  • 四教颂

    四教颂

    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。
  • Bunyan Characters

    Bunyan Characters

    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
  • 极品女配好威武

    极品女配好威武

    “秋怡贞,女,23岁,未婚,父母双亡,现居S市,X大毕业后一直闲赋在家。”秋怡贞仔细的听声音的来源后发现声音是直接传到脑中的,有点类似于无线电的感觉,冰冷的机械音在准确的说出自己的身份信息时,秋怡贞就已经相信它是经常出现在各种小说中的任务系统了。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 平台之治

    平台之治

    看见楼下社区大妈鬼鬼祟祟地投放鼠药,我又想起那次与老鼠的斗争。那时,前年夏天吧,我刚退休。老鼠出现时,我和女儿正站在平台上看一只白鹭从江对岸飞过来。这个时候的太阳还很亮,还不能被叫做夕阳。天空中很平静,鱼鳞云开始集聚,像是白鹭飞过太阳,闪亮透明的翅膀把阳光扇出了涟漪。白鹭有意降低高度,让我们看得清楚它捋成一束拖在身后的饰羽。我对女儿说,一般它都会在小区后面的山上作短暂驻留,梳理梳理羽毛,摆出许多不同的姿势,让那里的几个老年人拍摄和夸奖,这段时间都是这样。女儿不喜欢动物,眼睛早就不在白鹭身上。
  • 蓬刀人

    蓬刀人

    两宋之交,风雨如晦,政宣繁荣到极点后江河日下,六龙争时夺运,荒唐唱罢才知自己并非天命所选。……“天何时最黑?”“破晓将至。”“不,是暴雨将至。”……倏忽而生,怆然而灭。河岳不改,英灵长存。
  • 痕星星落落入繁

    痕星星落落入繁

    江湖盛世大宗,一夜之间宗门宗主夫妇二人死于非命,留下一双兄妹相依为命。而然,天不遂人愿,父母惨死,哥哥失踪,妹妹无奈独自一人撑起偌大宗门。江湖风云,多变诡狹,昔日宗门好友如同说好一般一同上那洞南山,破她宗门,杀她宗族。幸得母亲留下遗物冥蝶扇,助她保住宗门,留得栖身之所。十年以后,终得哥哥消息,隐姓埋名,告别一直抚养自己的姑姑,下了洞南山,入了江湖世。却不愿,一把冥蝶扇将她落入窘境,暗潮汹涌。再遇故人时,她以不记得他,在见哥哥时,他以不认得她。
  • 重生之最强审判

    重生之最强审判

    司法战神是一个组织,专为修仙界伸张正义,审判罪恶,可惜人丁凋零,只有师徒二人。师父早在五百年前陨落,徒儿独立支撑五百年后,遭人暗算,魂飞魄散于北宇。自此,诸修士皆以为修仙界的正义再无人管,殊不知那徒儿是诈死重生,终将归来……
  • 宅男的韩娱

    宅男的韩娱

    宅男逆袭女神,屌丝霸气上位,且看扑街作家如何成为辉煌编剧,才华倾倒整个韩国。
  • 我们生命中的七七

    我们生命中的七七

    本书为纪念2015年世界反法西斯战争胜利70周年而出版。十四年抗战不仅撼动世界,更影响了一代中国人的命运。本书精选十余位作家关于“七七”的记载文字,令人重新感受“七七”事变之于时代及其个人的意义,再次见证那段感人肺腑的民族记忆。
  • 帝台娇:殿下太任性

    帝台娇:殿下太任性

    花令羽一睡三百年,醒来后发现好像哪里不对劲?作为一个各大门派通缉榜上的头条、修仙界的泥石流,花令羽觉得,自己努力的空间非常大。反派就应该有反派的样子!可是,剧本好像不太对?“说好的为民除害收了我这个妖女呢?”“嗯,打不过。”某人懒懒回到。“你的隐士之风大侠之范呢?”??“唔,他们大概对我理解有误。”??“……你的属下找你回去主持大局。”?????某人微笑:“哦,我已经是过去式了。”花令羽咬牙:神他妈过去式!
  • 自己的园地

    自己的园地

    《自己的园地》是周作人学术性散文集,主要阐述周作人自己是对文艺的解读和态度,可以看成是一部文学批评文集,也是周作人极少展现的犀利尖锐的一面。《自己的园地》中收录的多为山水小品和随笔,有些散文对艺术的见解也十分独到,不仅讨论了国外优秀文学的创作理念,还对比研究了国内文学创作的不足之处,态度鲜明,言辞恳切,而在表达形式上则延续了他一贯散淡平和的文风。
  • 家族教育的历史传承:以闽北地区为例

    家族教育的历史传承:以闽北地区为例

    闽北是闽越文化的摇篮,素有“闽邦邹鲁”和“道南理窟”之称,人文荟萃,文化繁荣,蕴藏着积淀深厚的文化遗存。本书以闽北家族教育为切入点,综合运用田野调查和多学科的研究方法,以大量文史资料为基础,系统梳理了闽北家族教育历史传承的发展脉络,为世人打开了一扇了解闽北家族教育和文化研究的窗口,弘扬了传统教育的正能量,为当代教育以及传统文化的传承提供了有益的借鉴与启示。