雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第34章

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de　Lafayette　to　Madame　Barthelemy…Hadot；　was　setting　the　loving　hearts　of　the　portresses　of　Paris　aflame；　and　even　ravaging　the　suburbs　to　some　extent。　Madame　Thenardier　was　just　intelligent　enough　to　read　this　sort　of　books。　She　lived　on　them。
　　In　them　she　drowned　what　brains　she　possessed。　This　had　given　her；　when　very　young；　and　even　a　little　later；　a　sort　of　pensive　attitude　towards　her　husband；　a　scamp　of　a　certain　depth；　a　ruffian　lettered　to　the　extent　of　the　grammar；　coarse　and　fine　at　one　and　the　same　time；　but；　so　far　as　sentimentalism　was　concerned；　given　to　the　perusal　of　Pigault…Lebrun；　and　〃in　what　concerns　the　sex；〃　as　he　said　in　his　jargona　downright；　unmitigated　lout。
　　His　wife　was　twelve　or　fifteen　years　younger　than　he　was。
　　Later　on；　when　her　hair；　arranged　in　a　romantically　drooping　fashion；　began　to　grow　gray；　when　the　Magaera　began　to　be　developed　from　the　Pamela；　the　female　Thenardier　was　nothing　but　a　coarse；　vicious　woman；　who　had　dabbled　in　stupid　romances。
　　Now；　one　cannot　read　nonsense　with　impunity。　The　result　was　that　her　eldest　daughter　was　named　Eponine；　as　for　the　younger；　the　poor　little　thing　came　near　being　called　Gulnare；　I　know　not　to　what　diversion；　effected　by　a　romance　of　Ducray…Dumenil；　she　owed　the　fact　that　she　merely　bore　the　name　of　Azelma。
　　However；　we　will　remark　by　the　way；　everything　was　not　ridiculous　and　superficial　in　that　curious　epoch　to　which　we　are　alluding；　and　which　may　be　designated　as　the　anarchy　of　baptismal　names。　By　the　side　of　this　romantic　element　which　we　have　just　indicated　there　is　the　social　symptom。
　　It　is　not　rare　for　the　neatherd's　boy　nowadays　to　bear　the　name　of　Arthur；　Alfred；　or　Alphonse；　and　for　the　viteif　there　are　still　any　vitesto　be　called　Thomas；　Pierre；　or　Jacques。
　　This　displacement；　which　places　the　〃elegant〃　name　on　the　plebeian　and　the　rustic　name　on　the　aristocrat；　is　nothing　else　than　an　eddy　of　equality。
　　The　irresistible　penetration　of　the　new　inspiration　is　there　as　everywhere　else。　Beneath　this　apparent　discord　there　is　a　great　and　a　profound　thing；　the　French　Revolution。


BOOK　FOURTH。TO　CONFIDE　IS　SOMETIMES　TO　DELIVER　INTO　A　PERSON'S　POWER
CHAPTER　III　
　　　It　is　not　all　in　all　sufficient　to　be　wicked　in　order　to　prosper。　The　cook…shop　was　in　a　bad　way。
　　Thanks　to　the　traveller's　fifty…seven　francs；　Thenardier　had　been　able　to　avoid　a　protest　and　to　honor　his　signature。
　　On　the　following　month　they　were　again　in　need　of　money。
　　The　woman　took　Cosette's　outfit　to　Paris；　and　pawned　it　at　the　pawnbroker's　for　sixty　francs。　As　soon　as　that　sum　was　spent；　the　Thenardiers　grew　accustomed　to　look　on　the　little　girl　merely　as　a　child　whom　they　were　caring　for　out　of　charity；　and　they　treated　her　accordingly。
　　As　she　had　no　longer　any　clothes；　they　dressed　her　in　the　cast…off　petticoats　and　chemises　of　the　Thenardier　brats；　that　is　to　say；　in　rags。　They　fed　her　on　what　all　the　rest　had　lefta　little　better　than　the　dog；　a　little　worse　than　the　cat。
　　Moreover；　the　cat　and　the　dog　were　her　habitual　table…panions；　Cosette　ate　with　them　under　the　table；　from　a　wooden　bowl　similar　to　theirs。
　　The　mother；　who　had　established　herself；　as　we　shall　see　later　on；　at　M。　sur　M。；　wrote；　or；　more　correctly；　caused　to　be　written；　a　letter　every　month；　that　she　might　have　news　of　her　child。　The　Thenardiers　replied　invariably；　〃Cosette　is　doing　wonderfully　well。〃
　　At　the　expiration　of　the　first　six　months　the　mother　sent　seven　francs　for　the　seventh　month；　and　continued　her　remittances　with　tolerable　regularity　from　month　to　month。
　　The　year　was　not　pleted　when　Thenardier　said：
　　〃A　fine　favor　she　is　doing　us；　in　sooth！
　　What　does　she　expect　us　to　do　with　her　seven　francs？〃　and　he　wrote　to　demand　twelve　francs。
　　The　mother；　whom　they　had　persuaded　into　the　belief　that　her　child　was　happy；　〃and　was　ing　on　well；〃　submitted；　and　forwarded　the　twelve　francs。
　　Certain　natures　cannot　love　on　the　one　hand　without　hating　on　the　other。
　　Mother　Thenardier　loved　her　two　daughters　passionately；　which　caused　her　to　hate　the　stranger。
　　It　is　sad　to　think　that　the　love　of　a　mother　can　possess　villainous　aspects。
　　Little　as　was　the　space　occupied　by　Cosette；　it　seemed　to　her　as　though　it　were　taken　from　her　own；　and　that　that　little　child　diminished　the　air　which　her　daughters　breathed。　This　woman；　like　many　women　of　her　sort；　had　a　load　of　caresses　and　a　burden　of　blows　and　injuries　to　dispense　each　day。　If　she　had　not　had　Cosette；　it　is　certain　that　her　daughters；　idolized　as　they　were；　would　have　received　the　whole　of　it；　but　the　stranger　did　them　the　service　to　divert　the　blows　to　herself。　Her　daughters　received　nothing　but　caresses。
　　Cosette　could　not　make　a　motion　which　did　not　draw　down　upon　her　head　a　heavy　shower　of　violent　blows　and　unmerited　chastisement。
　　The　sweet；　feeble　being；　who　should　not　have　understood　anything　of　this　world　or　of　God；　incessantly　punished；　scolded；　ill…used；　beaten；　and　seeing　beside　her　two　little　creatures　like　herself；　who　lived　in　a　ray　of　dawn！
　　Madame　Thenardier　was　vicious　with　Cosette。
　　Eponine　and　Azelma　were　vicious。
　　Children　at　that　age　are　only　copies　of　their　mother。　The　size　is　smaller；　that　is　all。
　　A　year　passed；　then　another。
　　People　in　the　village　said：
　　〃Those　Thenardiers　are　good　people。
　　They　are　not　rich；　and　yet　they　are　bringing　up　a　poor　child　who　was　abandoned　on　their　hands！〃
　　They　thought　that　Cosette's　mother　had　forgotten　her。
　　In　the　meanwhile；　Thenardier；　having　learned；　it　is　impossible　to　say　by　what　obscure　means；　that　the　child　was　probably　a　bastard；　and　that　the　mother　could　not　acknowledge　it；　exacted　fifteen　francs　a　month；　saying　that　〃the　creature〃　was　growing　and　〃eating；〃　and　threatening　to　send　her　away。
　　〃Let　her　not　bother　me；〃　he　exclaimed；　〃or　I'll　fire　her　brat　right　into　the　middle　of　her　secrets。　I　must　have　an　increase。〃
　　The　mother　paid　the　fifteen　francs。
　　From　year　to　year　the　child　grew；　and　so　did　her　wretchedness。
　　As　long　as　Cosette　was　little；　she　was　the　scape…goat　of　the　two　other　children；　as　soon　as　she　began　to　develop　a　little；　that　is　to　say；　before　she　was　even　five　years　old；　she　became　the　servant　of　the　household。
　　Five　years　old！　the　reader　will　say；　that　is　not　probable。　Alas！　it　is　true。
　　Social　suffering　begins　at　all　ages。　Have　we　not　recently　seen　the　trial　of　a　man　named　Dumollard；　an　orphan　turned　bandit；　who；　from　the　age　of　five；　as　the　official　documents　state；　being　alone　in　the　world；　〃worked　for　his　living　and　stole〃？
　　Cosette　was　made　to　run　on　errands；　to　sweep　the　rooms；　the　courtyard；　the　street；　to　wash　the　dishes；　to　even　carry　burdens。
　　The　Thenardiers　considered　themselves　all　the　more　authorized　to　behave　in　this　manner；　since　the　mother；　who　was　still　at　M。　sur　M。；　had　bee　irregular　in　her　payments。
　　Some　months　she　was　in　arrears。
　　If　this　mother　had　returned　to　Montfermeil　at　the　end　of　these　three　years；　she　would　not　have　recognized　her　child。
　　Cosette；　so　pretty　and　rosy　on　her　arrival　in　that　house；　was　now　thin　and　pale。　She　had　an　indescribably　uneasy　look。
　　〃The　sly　creature；〃　said　the　Thenardiers。
　　Injustice　had　made　her　peevish；　and　misery　had　made　her　ugly。　Nothing　remained　to　her　except　her　beautiful　eyes；　which　inspired　pain；　because；　large　as　they　were；　it　seemed　as　though　one　beheld　in　them　a　still　larger　amount　of　sadness。
　　It　was　a　heart…breaking　thing　to　see　this　poor　child；　not　yet　six　years　old；　shivering　in　the　winter　in　her　old　rags　of　linen；　full　of　holes；　sweeping　the　street　before　daylight；　with　an　enormous　broom　in　her　tiny　red　hands；　and　a　tear　in　her　great　eyes。
　　She　was　called　the　Lark　in　the　neighborhood。
　　The　populace；　who　are　fond　of　these　figures　of　speech；　had　taken　a　fancy　to　bestow　this　name　on　this　trembling；　frightened；　and　shivering　little　creature；　no　bigger　than　a　bird；　who　was　awake　every　morning　before　any　one　else　in　the　house　or　the　village；　and　was　always　in　the　street　or　the　fields　before　daybreak。
　　Only　the　little　lark　never　sang。


BOOK　FIFTH。THE　DESCENT
CHAPTER　I　
　　THE　HISTORY　OF　A　PROGRESS　IN　BLACK　GLASS　TRINKETS
　　And　in　the　meantime；　what　had　bee　of　that　mother　who　according　to　the　people　at　Montfermeil；　seemed　to　have　abandoned　her　child？　Where　was　she？
　　What　was　she　doing？
　　After　leaving　her　little　Cosette　with　the　Thenardiers；　she　had　continued　her　journey；　and　had　reached　M。　sur　M。
　　This；　it　will　be　remembered；　was　in　1818。
　　Fantine　had　quitted　her　province　ten　years　before。
　　M。　sur　M。　had　changed　its　aspect。
　　While　Fantine　had　been　slowly　descending　from　wretchedness　to　wretchedness；　her　native　town　had　prospered。
　　About　two　years　previously　one　of　those　industrial　facts　which　are　the　grand　events　of　small　districts　had　taken　place。
　　This　detail　is　important；　and　we　regard　it　as　useful　to　develop　it　at　length；　we　should　almost　say；　to　underline　it。
　　From　time　immemorial；　M。　sur　M。　had　had　for　its　special　industry　the　imitation　of　English　jet　and　the　black　glass　trinkets　of　Germany。　This　industry　had　always　vegetated；　on　account　of　the　high　price　of　the　raw　material；　which　reacted　on　the　manufacture。　At　the　moment　when　Fantine　returned　to　M。　sur　M。；　an　unheard…of　transformation　had　taken　place　in　the　production　of　〃black　goods。〃　Towards　the　close　of　1815　a　man；　a　stranger；　had　established　himself　in　the　town；　and　had　been　inspired　with　the　idea　of　substituting；　in　this　manufacture；　gum…lac　for　resin；　and；　for　bracelets　in　particular；　slides　of　sheet…iron　simply　laid　together；　for　slides　of　soldered　sheet…iron。
　　This　very　small　change　had　effected　a　revolution。
　　This　very　small　change　had；　in　fact；　prodigiously　reduced　the　cost　of　the　raw　material；　which　had　rendered　it　possible　in　the　first　place；　to　raise　the　price　of　manufacture；　a　benefit　to　the　country；　in　the　second　place；　to　improve　the　workmanship；　an　advantage　to　the　consumer；　in　the　third　place；　to　sell　at　a　lower　price；　while　trebling　the　profit；　which　was　a　benefit　to　the　manufacturer。
　　Thus　three　results　ensued　from　one　idea。
　　In　less　than　three　years　the　inventor　of　this　process　had　bee　rich；　which　is　good；　and　had　made　every　one　about　him　rich；　which　is　better。
　　He　was　a　stranger　in　the　Department。
　　Of　his　origin；　nothing　was　known；　of　the　beginning　of　his　career；　very　little。　It　was　rumored　that　he　had　e　to　town　with　very　little　money；　a　few　hundred　francs　at　the　most。
　　It　was　from　this　slender　capital；　enlisted　in　the　service　of　an　ingenious　idea；　developed　by　method　and　thought；　that　he　had　drawn　his　own　fortune；　and　the　fortune　of　the　whole　countryside。
　　On　his　arrival　at　M。　sur　M。　he　had　only　the　garments；　the　appearance；　and　the　language　of　a　workingman。
　　It　appears　that　on　the　very　day　when　he　made　his　obscure　entry　into　the　little　town　of　M。　sur　M。；　just　at　nightfall；　on　a　December　evening；　knapsack　on　back　and　thorn　club　in　hand；　a　large　fire　had　broken　out　in　the　town…hall。　This　man　had　rushed　into　the　flames　and　saved；　at　the　risk　of　his　own　life；　two　children　who　belonged　to　the　captain　of　the　gendarmerie；　this　is　why　they　had　forgotten　to　ask