the crime of sylvestre bonnard-第2章

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〃I　will　sell　you　that　book　for　one　franc　twenty…five　centimes；　Monsieur；〃　replied　Coccoz；　whose　face　at　once　beamed　with　joy。　　〃It　is　historical；　and　you　will　be　pleased　with　it。　　I　know　now　just　what　suits　you。　　I　see　that　you　are　a　connoisseur。　　To…morrow　I　will　bring　you　the　Crimes　des　Papes。　　It　is　a　good　book。　　I　will　bring　you　the　edition　d'amateur；　with　coloured　plates。〃

I　begged　him　not　to　do　anything　of　the　sort；　and　sent　him　away　happy。　When　the　green　toilette　and　the　agent　had　disappeared　in　the　shadow　of　the　corridor　I　asked　my　housekeeper　whence　this　little　man　had　dropped　upon　us。

〃Dropped　is　the　word；〃　she　answered；　〃he　dropped　on　us　from　the　roof；　Monsieur；　where　he　lives　with　his　wife。〃

〃You　say　he　has　a　wife；　Therese？　　That　is　marvelous！　　Women　are　very　strange　creatures！　　This　one　must　be　a　very　unfortunate　little　woman。〃

〃I　don't　really　know　what　she　is；〃　answered　Therese；　〃but　every　morning　I　see　her　trailing　a　silk　dress　covered　with　grease…spots　over　the　stairs。　　She　makes　soft　eyes　at　people。　　And；　in　the　name　of　common　sense！　does　it　become　a　woman　that　has　been　received　here　out　of　charity　to　make　eyes　and　to　wear　dresses　like　that？　　For　they　allowed　the　couple　to　occupy　the　attic　during　the　time　the　roof　was　being　repaired；　in　consideration　of　the　fact　that　the　husband　is　sick　and　the　wife　in　an　interesting　condition。　　The　concierge　even　says　that　the　pain　came　on　her　this　morning；　and　that　she　is　now　confined。　　They　must　have　been　very　badly　off　for　a　child！〃

〃Therese；〃　I　replied；　〃they　had　no　need　of　a　child；　doubtless。　　But　Nature　had　decided　that　they　should　bring　one　into　the　world；　Nature　made　them　fall　into　her　snare。　　One　must　have　exceptional　prudence　to　defeat　Nature's　schemes。　　Let　us　be　sorry　for　them　and　not　blame　them！　　As　for　silk　dresses；　there　is　no　young　woman　who　does　not　like　them。　　The　daughters　of　Eve　adore　adornment。　　You　yourself；　Therese　who　are　so　serious　and　sensiblewhat　a　fuss　you　make　when　you　have　no　white　apron　to　wait　at　table　in！　　But；　tell　me；　have　they　got　everything　necessary　in　their　attic？〃

〃How　could　they　have　it；　Monsieur？〃　　my　housekeeper　made　answer。　　〃The　husband；　whom　you　have　just　seen；　used　to　be　a　jewellery…peddler　at　least；　so　the　concierge　tells　meand　nobody　knows　why　he　stopped　selling　watches。　　you　have　just　seen　that　his　is　now　selling　almanacs。　　That　is　no　way　to　make　an　honest　living；　and　I　never　will　believe　that　God's　blessing　can　come　to　an　almanac…peddler。　　Between　ourselves；　the　wife　looks　to　me　for　all　the　world　like　a　good…for…nothing　a　Marie…couche　toi…la。　　I　think　she　would　be　just　as　capable　of　bringing　up　a　child　as　I　should　be　of　playing　the　guitar。　　Nobody　seems　to　know　where　they　came　from；　but　I　am　sure　they　must　have　come　by　Misery's　coach　from　the　country　of　Sans…souci。〃

〃Wherever　they　have　come　from；　Therese；　they　are　unfortunate；　and　their　attic　is　cold。〃

〃Pardi！the　roof　is　broken　in　several　places　and　the　rain　comes　through　in　streams。　　They　have　neither　furniture　nor　clothing。　　I　don't　think　cabinet…makers　and　weavers　work　much　for　Christians　of　that　sect！〃

〃That　is　very　sad；　Therese；　a　Christian　woman　much　less　well　provided　for　than　this　pagan；　Hamilcar　here！what　does　she　have　to　say？〃

〃Monsieur；　I　never　speak　to　those　people；　I　don't　know　what　she　says　or　what　she　sings。　　But　she　sings　all　day　long；　I　hear　her　from　the　stairway　whenever　I　am　going　out　or　coming　in。〃

〃Well！　the　heir　of　the　Coccoz　family　will　be　able　to　say；　like　the　Egg　in　the　village　riddle：　Ma　mere　me　fit　en　chantant。　＇〃My　mother　sang　when　she　brought　me　into　the　world。〃＇　　The　like　happened　in　the　case　of　Henry　IV。　　When　Jeanne　d'Albret　felt　herself　about　to　be　confined　she　began　to　sing　an　old　Bearnaise　canticle：

　〃Notre…Dame　du　bout　du　pont；　　　Venez　a　mon　aide　en　cette　heure！　　　Priez　le　Dieu　du　ciel　　　Qu'il　me　delivre　vite；　　　Qu'il　me　donne　un　garcon！

〃It　is　certainly　unreasonable　to　bring　little　unfortunates　into　the　world。　　But　the　thing　is　done　every　day；　my　dear　Therese　and　all　the　philosophers　on　earth　will　never　be　able　to　reform　the　silly　custom。　Madame　Coccoz　has　followed　it；　and　she　sings。　　This　is　creditable　at　all　events！　　But；　tell　me；　Therese；　have　you　not　put　the　soup　to　boil　to…day？〃

〃Yes；　Monsieur；　and　it　is　time　for　me　to　go　and　skim　it。〃

〃Good！　but　don't　forget；　Therese；　to　take　a　good　bowl　of　soup　out　of　the　pot　and　carry　it　to　Madame　Coccoz；　our　attic　neighbor。〃

My　housekeeper　was　on　the　point　of　leaving　the　room　when　I　added；　just　in　time：

〃Therese；　before　you　do　anything　else；　please　call　your　friend　the　porter；　and　tell　him　to　take　a　good　bundle　of　wood　out　of　our　stock　and　carry　it　up　to　the　attic　of　those　Coccoz　folks。　　See；　above　all；　that　he　puts　a　first…class　log　in　the　lota　real　Christmas　log。　　As　for　the　homunculus；　if　he　comes　back　again；　do　not　allow　either　himself　or　any　of　his　yellow　books　to　come　in　here。〃

Having　taken　all　these　little　precautions　with　the　refined　egotism　of　an　old　bachelor；　I　returned　to　my　catalogue　again。

With　what　surprise；　with　what　emotion；　with　what　anxiety　did　I　therein　discover　the　following　mention；　which　I　cannot　even　now　copy　without　feeling　my　hand　tremble：

〃LA　LEGENDE　DOREE　DE　JACQUES　DE　GENES　（Jacques　de　Voragine）；　traduction　francaise；　petit　in…4。

〃This　MS。　of　the　fourteenth　century　contains；　besides　the　tolerably　complete　translation　of　the　celebrated　work　of　Jacques　de　Voragine；　1。　The　Legends　of　Saints　Ferreol；　Ferrution；　Germain；　Vincent；　and　Droctoveus；　2。　A　poem　'On　the　Miraculous　Burial　of　Monsieur　Saint…Germain　of　Auxerre。'　　This　translation；　as　well　as　the　legends　and　the　poem；　are　due　to　the　Clerk　Alexander。

〃This　MS。　is　written　upon　vellum。　　It　contains　a　great　number　of　illuminated　letters；　and　two　finely　executed　miniatures；　in　a　rather　imperfect　state　of　preservation：one　represents　the　Purification　of　the　Virgin；　and　the　other　the　Coronation　of　Proserpine。〃

What　a　discovery！　　Perspiration　moistened　my　forehead；　and　a　veil　seemed　to　come　before　my　eyes。　　I　trembled；　I　flushed；　and；　without　being　able　to　speak；　I　felt　a　sudden　impulse　to　cry　out　at　the　top　of　my　voice。

What　a　treasure！　　For　more　than　forty　years　I　had　been　making　a　special　study　of　the　history　of　Christian　Gaul；　and　particularly　of　that　glorious　Abbey　of　Saint…Germain…des…Pres；　whence　issued　forth　those　King…Monks　who　founded　our　national　dynasty。　　Now；　despite　the　culpable　insufficiency　of　the　description　given；　it　was　evident　to　me　that　the　MS。　of　the　Clerk　Alexander　must　have　come　from　the　great　Abbey。　　Everything　proved　this　fact。　　All　the　legends　added　by　the　translator　related　to　the　pious　foundation　of　the　Abbey　by　King　Childebert。　　Then　the　legend　of　Saint…Droctoveus　was　particularly　significant；　being　the　legend　of　the　first　abbot　of　my　dear　Abbey。　　The　poem　in　French　verse　on　the　burial　of　Saint…Germain　led　me　actually　into　the　nave　of　that　venerable　basilica　which　was　the　umbilicus　of　Christian　Gaul。

The　〃Golden　Legend〃　is　in　itself　a　vast　and　gracious　work。　　Jacques　de　Voragine；　Definitor　of　the　Order　of　Saint…Dominic；　and　Archbishop　of　Genoa；　collected　in　the　thirteenth　century　the　various　legends　of　Catholic　saints；　and　formed　so　rich　a　compilation　that　from　all　the　monasteries　and　castles　of　the　time　there　arouse　the　cry：　　〃This　is　the　'Golden　Legend。'〃　　The　〃Legende　Doree〃　was　especially　opulent　in　Roman　hagiography。　　Edited　by　an　Italian　monk；　it　reveals　its　best　merits　in　the　treatment　of　matters　relating　to　the　terrestrial　domains　of　Saint　Peter。　　Voragine　can　only　perceive　the　greater　saints　of　the　Occident　as　through　a　cold　mist。　　For　this　reason　the　Aquitanian　and　Saxon　translators　of　the　good　legend…writer　were　careful　to　add　to　his　recital　the　lives　of　their　own　national　saints。

I　have　read　and　collated　a　great　many　manuscripts　of　the　〃Golden　Legend。〃　　I　know　all　those　described　by　my　learned　colleague；　M。　Paulin　Paris；　in　his　handsome　catalogue　of　the　MSS。　of　the　Biblotheque　du　Roi。　　There　were　two　among　them　which　especially　drew　my　attention。　One　is　of　the　fourteenth　century　and　contains　a　translation　by　Jean　Belet；　the　other；　younger　by　a　century；　presents　the　version　of　Jacques　Vignay。　　Both　come　from　the　Colb