Чтение онлайн

на главную

Жанры

Собор Парижской богоматери / Notre-Dame de Paris
Шрифт:

“So you don’t want me for your husband?”

The young girl looked at him intently, and said, “No.”

“For your lover?” went on Gringoire.

She pouted, and replied, “No.”

“For your friend?” pursued Gringoire.

She gazed fixedly at him again, and said, after a momentary reflection, “Perhaps.”

This “perhaps” emboldened Gringoire.

“Do you know what friendship is?” he asked.

“Yes,” replied the gypsy; “it is to be brother and sister; two souls which touch without mingling, two fingers on one hand.”

“And love?” pursued Gringoire.

“Oh! love!” said she, and her voice trembled, and her eye beamed. “That is to be two and to be but one.”

Gringoire continued,—

“What must one be then, in order to please you?”

“A man.”

“And I—” said he, “what, then, am I?”

“A man has a helmet on his head, a sword in his hand, and golden spurs on his heels.”

“Good,” said Gringoire, “without a horse, no man. Do you love any one?”

“As a lover?—”

“Yes.”

She remained thoughtful for a moment, then said with a peculiar expression: “That I shall know soon.”

“Why not this evening?” resumed the poet tenderly. “Why not me?”

She cast a grave glance upon him and said,—

“I can never love a man who cannot protect me.”

Gringoire colored, and took the hint. It was evident that the young girl was alluding to the slight assistance which he had rendered her in the critical situation in which she had found herself two hours previously.

“How did you contrive to escape from the claws of Quasimodo?”

This question made the gypsy shudder.

“Oh! the horrible hunchback,” said she, hiding her face in her hands.

“Horrible, in truth,” said Gringoire, who clung to his idea; “but how did you manage to escape him?”

La Esmeralda smiled, sighed, and remained silent.

“Do you know why he followed you?” began Gringoire again.

“I don’t know,” said the young girl, and she added hastily, “but you were following me also, why were you following me?”

“In good faith,” responded Gringoire, “I don’t know either.”

The gypsy began to caress Djali.

“That’s a pretty animal of yours,” said Gringoire.

“She is my sister,” she answered.

“What is the meaning of the words, la Esmeralda?

“I don’t know,” said she.

“To what language do they belong?”

“They are Egyptian, I think.”

“I suspected as much,” said Gringoire, “you are not a native of France?”

“I don’t know.”

“At what age did you come to France?”

“When I was very young.”

“And when to Paris?”

“Last year.”

She made her customary pretty grimace. “I don’t even know your name.”

“My name? If you want it, here it is,—Pierre Gringoire.”

“I know a prettier one,” said she.

“Naughty girl!” retorted the poet. “Never mind, you shall not provoke me.”

Girl’s eyes were fixed on the ground.

Phoebus,” she said in a low voice. Then, turning towards the poet, “Phoebus,—what does that mean?”

“It is a Latin word which means sun.

“Sun!” she repeated.

“It is the name of a handsome archer, who was a god,” added Gringoire.

“A god!” repeated the gypsy, and there was something pensive and passionate in her tone.

At that moment, one of her bracelets became unfastened and fell. Gringoire stooped quickly to pick it up; when he straightened up, the young girl and the goat had disappeared. He heard the sound of a door bolt.

“Has she left me a bed, at least?” said our philosopher.

He made the tour of his cell. There was no piece of furniture adapted to sleeping purposes, except a tolerably long wooden coffer.

Book Third

Chapter I

Good Souls

Sixteen years previous to when this story takes place, one fine morning, on Quasimodo Sunday, a living creature had been deposited, after mass, in the church of Notre-Dame, on the wooden bed securely fixed in the vestibule on the left.

That appeared to excite the curiosity of the numerous group which had congregated about the wooden bed. The group was formed for the most part of women.

In the first row, and among those who were most bent over the bed, four were noticeable, who, from their clothes, were recognizable as attached to some devout sisterhood. They were Agn`es la Herme, Jehanne de la Tarme, Henriette la Gaulti`ere, Gauch`ere la Violette, all four widows, all four dames of the Chapel 'Etienne Haudry.

“What is this, sister?” said Agn`es to Gauch`ere, gazing at the little creature.

“What is to become of us,” said Jehanne, “if that is the way children are made now?”

“’Tis not a child, Agn`es.”

“’Tis an abortion of a monkey,” remarked Gauch`ere.

“’Tis a miracle,” interposed Henriette la Gaulti`ere.

“He yells loud enough to deafen a chanter,” continued Gauch`ere.

“I imagine,” said Agn`es la Herme, “that it is a beast, an animal,—something not Christian, in short, which ought to be thrown into the fire or into the water.”

It was, in fact, not a new-born child. It was a very angular and very lively little mass. Its head was deformed enough; one beheld only a forest of red hair, one eye, a mouth, and teeth. The eye wept, the mouth cried, and the teeth seemed to ask only to be allowed to bite.

Поделиться:
Популярные книги

Бывший муж

Рузанова Ольга
Любовные романы:
современные любовные романы
5.00
рейтинг книги
Бывший муж

Идеальный мир для Социопата 12

Сапфир Олег
12. Социопат
Фантастика:
фэнтези
постапокалипсис
рпг
7.00
рейтинг книги
Идеальный мир для Социопата 12

С Новым Гадом

Юнина Наталья
Любовные романы:
современные любовные романы
эро литература
7.14
рейтинг книги
С Новым Гадом

Как я строил магическую империю

Зубов Константин
1. Как я строил магическую империю
Фантастика:
фэнтези
попаданцы
аниме
5.00
рейтинг книги
Как я строил магическую империю

Опер. Девочка на спор

Бигси Анна
5. Опасная работа
Любовные романы:
современные любовные романы
эро литература
5.00
рейтинг книги
Опер. Девочка на спор

Дракон

Бубела Олег Николаевич
5. Совсем не герой
Фантастика:
фэнтези
попаданцы
9.31
рейтинг книги
Дракон

Мимик нового Мира 5

Северный Лис
4. Мимик!
Фантастика:
юмористическая фантастика
постапокалипсис
рпг
5.00
рейтинг книги
Мимик нового Мира 5

Везунчик. Дилогия

Бубела Олег Николаевич
Везунчик
Фантастика:
фэнтези
попаданцы
8.63
рейтинг книги
Везунчик. Дилогия

Маверик

Астахов Евгений Евгеньевич
4. Сопряжение
Фантастика:
боевая фантастика
постапокалипсис
рпг
5.00
рейтинг книги
Маверик

Релокант. По следам Ушедшего

Ascold Flow
3. Релокант в другой мир
Фантастика:
фэнтези
попаданцы
рпг
5.00
рейтинг книги
Релокант. По следам Ушедшего

Sos! Мой босс кровосос!

Юнина Наталья
Любовные романы:
современные любовные романы
5.00
рейтинг книги
Sos! Мой босс кровосос!

Сумеречный Стрелок 4

Карелин Сергей Витальевич
4. Сумеречный стрелок
Фантастика:
городское фэнтези
попаданцы
аниме
5.00
рейтинг книги
Сумеречный Стрелок 4

Покоритель Звездных врат

Карелин Сергей Витальевич
1. Повелитель звездных врат
Фантастика:
боевая фантастика
попаданцы
аниме
5.00
рейтинг книги
Покоритель Звездных врат

Эксперимент

Юнина Наталья
Любовные романы:
современные любовные романы
4.00
рейтинг книги
Эксперимент