The pious4 Bishop5 Nicolas, her uncle, cherished her more dearly every day, and was more deeply attached to her than one should be to any of God’s creatures. He loved her, undoubtedly6, in God; but he also loved her for herself; he took great delight in her, and he loved to love her; it was his only weakness. The Saints themselves are not always able to cut through all the ties of the flesh.
St. Nicolas loved his niece, with a pure love, but not without gratification of the senses. On the day following that on which he had learned of Robin7’s bankruptcy8, he went to see Mirande in order to hold pious converse9 with her, as was his duty, for he stood in the place of a father to her, and had taken charge of her education.
She lived in the upper town, near the Cathedral in a house called “The House of the Musicians,” because there were to be seen on its front men and animals playing on divers10 instruments. There were, notably11, an ass12 playing a flute13, and a philosopher, recognizable by his long beard and ink-horn, clashing cymbals14. Every one explained these figures according to his fancy. It was the finest dwelling-house in the town.
The Bishop found his niece crouching15 on the floor, with dishevelled hair, her eyes glittering with tears, by the side of an empty, open coffer, in a room full of confusion.
He inquired of her the reason of this affliction, and of the disorder16 that prevailed around her. Turning upon him her despairing gaze, she told him with a thousand sighs that Robin, the Robin who had escaped from the salting-tub, the darling Robin, having many a time told her that if she ever wanted a dress, an ornament17 or a jewel, he would gladly lend her the money wherewith to buy it, she had frequently had recourse to his kindness, which appeared inexhaustible; but that very morning a Jew called Seligmann had come to her with four sheriff’s officers, had presented the notes, signed by herself, which she had given Robin, and as she had not the money to pay them he had taken away all the clothes, head-dresses and jewels which she possessed18.
“He has taken,” she sobbed19, “my bodices and petticoats of velvet20, brocade and lace; my diamonds, my emeralds, my sapphires21, my jacinths, my amethysts22, my rubies23, my garnets, and my turquoises24; he has taken my great diamond cross, with angels’ heads in enamel25, my large necklace, consisting of two table diamonds, three cabochons, and six knots each of four pearls; he has taken my great collar of thirteen table diamonds, and twenty hanging pearls!”
And without saying more she wept bitterly into her handkerchief.
“My daughter,” answered the saintly Bishop, “a Christian26 virgin is sufficiently27 adorned28 when she wears modesty29 for a necklace, and chastity for a girdle. None the less, as the scion30 of a most noble and most illustrious family it was right that you should wear diamonds and pearls. Your jewels were the treasury31 of the poor, and I deplore32 the fact that they should have been snatched from you.”
He assured her that she would certainly recover them, either in this world or the next; he said everything possible to assuage33 her regret, and soothe34 her sorrow, and he comforted her. For she had a tender soul, which longed for consolation35. But he himself left her full of affliction.
On the following day, as he was about to celebrate Mass in the cathedral, the holy Bishop saw coming towards him, in the sacristy, the three Jews, Seligmann, Issachar, and Meyer, who, wearing green hats and fillets upon their shoulders, very humbly36 presented him the notes which Robin had made over to them. As the venerable pontiff could not pay diem, they called up twenty porters, with baskets, sacks, picklocks, carts, cords, and ladders, and commenced to pick the locks of the wardrobes, coffers, and tabernacles. The holy man cast on them a look which would have destroyed three Christians37. He threatened them with the penalties of sacrilege, both in this world and the next, he pointed38 out that their mere39 presence in the house of the God, whom they had crucified, called down the fire of heaven upon their heads. They listened with the calm of people for whom anathema40, reprobation41, malediction42, and execration43 were their daily bread. He then prayed to them, besought44 them, and promised to pay as soon as he could, twofold, threefold, tenfold, a hundredfold, the debt which they had acquired. They excused themselves politely for being unable to postpone45 the little transaction. The Bishop threatened to sound the tocsin, to rouse against them the people who would kill them like dogs for profaning46, violating, and stealing the miraculous47 images and holy relics48. They smilingly pointed to the sheriff’s officers, who were guarding them. They were protected by King Berln, for they lent him money. At this sight the holy Bishop, recognizing that resistance would be rebellion, and remembering Him who replaced the ear of Malchus, remained inert49 and speechless, and bitter tears dropped from his eyes. Seligmann, Issachar, and Meyer took away the golden shrines50 enriched with precious stones, enamels51 and cabochons, the reliquaries in the form of chalices52, lanterns, naves54, and towers, the portable altars of alabaster55 encased in gold and silver, the coffers enamelled by the skilful56 craftsmen57 of Limoges and the Rhine, the altar-crosses, the Gospels bound in carved ivory and antique cameos, the desks ornamented58 with festoons of trailing vines, the consular59 registers, the pyxes, the candelabra and candlesticks, the lamp, of which they blew out the sacred flame, and spilt the blessed oil on the tiles, the chandeliers like enormous crowns, the duplets with beads60 of pearl and amber61, the eucharistie doves, the ciboria, the chalices, the patens, the kisses of peace, incense62 boxes and flagons, the innumerable ex-votos—hands, arms, legs, eyes, mouths, and hearts, all of silver—the nose of King Sidoc, the breast of Queen Blandine, and the head in solid gold of Saint Cromadaire, the first apostle of Vervignole, and the blessed patron of Trinqueballe. They even carried off the miraculous image of St. Gibbosine, whom the people of Vervignole had never invoked63 in vain in time of pestilence64, famine, or war. This very ancient and venerable image was made of leaves of beaten gold nailed upon a core of cedar-wood, and was covered with precious stones of the bigness of ducks’ eggs, which emitted fiery65 rays of red, blue, yellow and violet and white. For the past three hundred years her enamelled eyes, wide open in her golden face, had compelled such respect from the inhabitants of Trinqueballe that they saw her in their dreams, splendid and terrible, threatening them with the direst penalties if they failed to supply her with sufficient quantities of virgin- wax and crown-pieces. St. Gibbosine groaned66, trembled, and tottered67 on her pedestal, and allowed herself to be carried away without resistance, out of the basilica to which, from time immemorial, she had drawn68 innumerable pilgrims.
After the departure of these sacrilegious thieves the holy Bishop Nicolas ascended69 the steps of the despoiled70 altar, and consecrated71 the blood of our Lord in an old silver chalice53, of German origin, thin and deeply dented72. He prayed for the afflicted73, and in particular for Robin, whom, by the will of God, he had rescued from the salting-box.
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1 innocence | |
n.无罪;天真;无害 | |
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2 virgin | |
n.处女,未婚女子;adj.未经使用的;未经开发的 | |
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3 credulous | |
adj.轻信的,易信的 | |
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4 pious | |
adj.虔诚的;道貌岸然的 | |
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5 bishop | |
n.主教,(国际象棋)象 | |
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6 undoubtedly | |
adv.确实地,无疑地 | |
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7 robin | |
n.知更鸟,红襟鸟 | |
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8 bankruptcy | |
n.破产;无偿付能力 | |
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9 converse | |
vi.谈话,谈天,闲聊;adv.相反的,相反 | |
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10 divers | |
adj.不同的;种种的 | |
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11 notably | |
adv.值得注意地,显著地,尤其地,特别地 | |
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12 ass | |
n.驴;傻瓜,蠢笨的人 | |
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13 flute | |
n.长笛;v.吹笛 | |
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14 cymbals | |
pl.铙钹 | |
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15 crouching | |
v.屈膝,蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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16 disorder | |
n.紊乱,混乱;骚动,骚乱;疾病,失调 | |
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17 ornament | |
v.装饰,美化;n.装饰,装饰物 | |
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18 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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19 sobbed | |
哭泣,啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 ); 哭诉,呜咽地说 | |
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20 velvet | |
n.丝绒,天鹅绒;adj.丝绒制的,柔软的 | |
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21 sapphires | |
n.蓝宝石,钢玉宝石( sapphire的名词复数 );蔚蓝色 | |
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22 amethysts | |
n.紫蓝色宝石( amethyst的名词复数 );紫晶;紫水晶;紫色 | |
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23 rubies | |
红宝石( ruby的名词复数 ); 红宝石色,深红色 | |
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24 turquoises | |
n.绿松石( turquoise的名词复数 );青绿色 | |
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25 enamel | |
n.珐琅,搪瓷,瓷釉;(牙齿的)珐琅质 | |
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26 Christian | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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27 sufficiently | |
adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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28 adorned | |
[计]被修饰的 | |
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29 modesty | |
n.谦逊,虚心,端庄,稳重,羞怯,朴素 | |
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30 scion | |
n.嫩芽,子孙 | |
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31 treasury | |
n.宝库;国库,金库;文库 | |
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32 deplore | |
vt.哀叹,对...深感遗憾 | |
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33 assuage | |
v.缓和,减轻,镇定 | |
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34 soothe | |
v.安慰;使平静;使减轻;缓和;奉承 | |
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35 consolation | |
n.安慰,慰问 | |
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36 humbly | |
adv. 恭顺地,谦卑地 | |
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37 Christians | |
n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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38 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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39 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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40 anathema | |
n.诅咒;被诅咒的人(物),十分讨厌的人(物) | |
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41 reprobation | |
n.斥责 | |
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42 malediction | |
n.诅咒 | |
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43 execration | |
n.诅咒,念咒,憎恶 | |
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44 besought | |
v.恳求,乞求(某事物)( beseech的过去式和过去分词 );(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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45 postpone | |
v.延期,推迟 | |
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46 profaning | |
v.不敬( profane的现在分词 );亵渎,玷污 | |
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47 miraculous | |
adj.像奇迹一样的,不可思议的 | |
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48 relics | |
[pl.]n.遗物,遗迹,遗产;遗体,尸骸 | |
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49 inert | |
adj.无活动能力的,惰性的;迟钝的 | |
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50 shrines | |
圣地,圣坛,神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 ) | |
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51 enamels | |
搪瓷( enamel的名词复数 ); 珐琅; 釉药; 瓷漆 | |
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52 chalices | |
n.高脚酒杯( chalice的名词复数 );圣餐杯;金杯毒酒;看似诱人实则令人讨厌的事物 | |
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53 chalice | |
n.圣餐杯;金杯毒酒 | |
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54 naves | |
n.教堂正厅( nave的名词复数 );本堂;中央部;车轮的中心部 | |
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55 alabaster | |
adj.雪白的;n.雪花石膏;条纹大理石 | |
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56 skilful | |
(=skillful)adj.灵巧的,熟练的 | |
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57 craftsmen | |
n. 技工 | |
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58 ornamented | |
adj.花式字体的v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59 consular | |
a.领事的 | |
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60 beads | |
n.(空心)小珠子( bead的名词复数 );水珠;珠子项链 | |
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61 amber | |
n.琥珀;琥珀色;adj.琥珀制的 | |
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62 incense | |
v.激怒;n.香,焚香时的烟,香气 | |
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63 invoked | |
v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 );行使(权利等);祈求救助;恳求 | |
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64 pestilence | |
n.瘟疫 | |
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65 fiery | |
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的 | |
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66 groaned | |
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦 | |
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67 tottered | |
v.走得或动得不稳( totter的过去式和过去分词 );踉跄;蹒跚;摇摇欲坠 | |
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68 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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69 ascended | |
v.上升,攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70 despoiled | |
v.掠夺,抢劫( despoil的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71 consecrated | |
adj.神圣的,被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣,给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 );奉献 | |
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72 dented | |
v.使产生凹痕( dent的过去式和过去分词 );损害;伤害;挫伤(信心、名誉等) | |
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73 afflicted | |
使受痛苦,折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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