Chapter 20

 In the court, which was enlivened by a parterre of roses, Jean,carrying a letter in his hand, was trying to find his bearingsaccording to the directions given him in a low voice, as if itwere a secret, by the lay-brother who acted as doorkeeper. Hewas wandering uncertainly from door to door along the walls ofthe old silent buildings when a little boy noticed his plightand accosted¹ him:

"Do you want to see the Director? He is in his study with mamma.

Go and wait in the parlour."This was a large hall with bare walls, a noble enough apartmentin its unadorned simplicity², in spite of the mean horsehair chairsthat stood round it. Above the fire-place, instead of a mirror,was a _Mater dolorosa_ that caught the eye by its dazzlingwhiteness. Big marble tears stood arrested in mid-career downthe cheeks, while the features expressed the pious³ absorptionof the Divine Mother's grief. Jean Servien read the inscriptioncut in red letters on the pedestal, which ran thus:

  PRESENTED TO THE REVEREND ABBE BORDIER,

               IN MEMORY OF

        PHILIPPE-GUY DE THIERERCHE,

             WHO DIED AT PAU,

   NOVEMBER 11, 1867, IN THE SEVENTEENTH

             YEAR OF HIS AGE,

  BY THE COUNTESS VALENTINE DE THIERERCHE,

       NéE DE BRUILLE DE SAINT-AMAND.

         _LAUDATE PUERI DOMINUM_

 

Then he forgot his anxieties, forgot he was there to beg foremployment, shook off the instinctive⁵ dread⁶ that had seized himon the threshold of the great silent house. He forgot his fearsand hopes--hopes of being promoted usher⁷! He was absorbed bythis cruel domestic drama revealed to him in the inscription⁴.

A scion⁸ of one of the greatest families of France, a pupil ofthe Abbé Bordier, attacked by phthisis in the midst of his nowprofitless studies and leaving school, not to enjoy life andtaste the glorious pleasures only those contemn¹⁰ who have drainedthem to the dregs, but to die at a southern town in the arms ofhis mother whose overwhelming, but still self-conscious griefwas symbolized¹¹ by this pompous¹² memorial of her sorrow. He couldfeel, he could see it all. The three Latin words that representthe stricken mother saying: "Children, praise ye the Lord whohath taken away my child," astonished him by their austere¹³ piety,while at the same time he admired the aristocratic bearing thatwas preserved even in the presence of death.

He was still lost in these day-dreams when an old priest beckonedhim to walk into an inner room. The worthy¹⁴ man took the letterof recommendation which Jean handed him, set on his big nose apair of spectacles with round glasses for all the world likethe two wheels of a miniature silver chariot, and proceeded toread the letter, holding it out at the full stretch of his arm.

The windows giving on the garden stood open, and a tendril ofwild vine hung down on to the desk at the foot of a crucifix ofold ivory, while a light breeze set the papers on it flutteringlike white wings.

The Abbé Bordier, his reading concluded, turned to the young man,showing a deeply lined countenance¹⁵ and a forehead beautifullypolished by age. He took off his spectacles and rubbed his eyes.

Then the worn eyelids¹⁶ lifted slowly and discovered a pair of greyeyes of a shade that somehow reminded you of an autumn morning.

He lay back in his armchair, his legs stretched out in front ofhim, displaying his silver-buckled shoes and black stockings.

"It seems then, my dear boy," he began, "you wish, so my venerablefriend the Abbé Marguerite informs me, to devote yourself toteaching; and your idea would be to prepare for your degree whileat the same time performing the duties of an assistant masterto supervise the boys at their work. It is a humble¹⁷ office; butit will depend entirely¹⁸ on yourself, my dear young friend, todignify it by a heartfelt zeal¹⁹ and a determination to succeed.

I shall entrust²⁰ the studies of the _Remove_ to your care. Ourbursar will inform you of the conditions attaching to the post."Jean bowed and made to leave the room; but suddenly the Abbé Bordierbeckoned him to stop and asked abruptly²¹:

"You understand the rules of verse?""Latin verse?" queried²² Jean.

"No, no! French verse. Now, would you rhyme _tr?ne_ with _couronne_?

The rhyme is not, it must be allowed, quite satisfactory to theear, yet the usage of the great writers authorizes²³ it."So saying, the old fellow laid hold of a bulky manuscript book.

"Listen," he cried, "listen. It is St. Fabricius addressing theProconsul Flavius:

  _Achève, fais dresser l'appareil souhaité  De ma mort, ou plut?t de ma félicité.

  Le Roi des Rois, du haut de son céleste tr?ne,  Déjà me tend la palme et tresse ma couronne._"Do you think it would be better if he said:

  _Achève, fais dresser l'appareil souhaité  De ma mort, ou plut?t de ma félicité.

  Je vois le Roi des Rois me tendre la couronne,  Quel n'en est le prix quand c'est Dieu qui la donne!_"Doubtless these latter lines are more correct than the others,but they are less vigorous, and a poet should never sacrificemeaning to metre.

  _Le Roi des Rois, du haut de son céleste tr?ne,  Déjà me tend la palme et tresse ma couronne."_This time, as he declaimed the verses, he went through thecorresponding gestures of tendering a gift and plaiting a garland.

"It is better so," he added, "better so!"Jean, in some surprise, said yes, it was certainly better.

"Certainly better, yes," cried the old poet, smiling with thehappy innocence²⁴ of a little child.

Then he confided²⁵ in Jean that it was a very difficult thing indeedto write poetry. You must get the c?sura in the right place,bring in the rhyme naturally, make your rhythm run in diverscadences, now strong, now sweet, sometimes onomatopoetic, useonly words either elevated in themselves or dignified²⁶ by thecircumstances.

He read one passage of his Tragedy because he had his doubtsabout the number of feet in the line, another because he thoughtit contained some bold strokes happily conceived, then a thirdto elucidate²⁷ the two first, eventually the whole five acts fromstart to finish. He acted the words as he read, modulating²⁸ hisvoice to suit the various characters, stamping and storming,and to adjust his black skullcap--it _would_ tumble off at thepathetic parts--dealing himself a succession of sounding slapson the crown of his head.

This sacred drama, in which no woman appeared, was to be playedby the pupils of the Institution at a forthcoming function. Theprevious year he had staged his first tragedy, _le Baptêmede Clovis_, in the same approved style. A regular, MonsieurSchuver, had arranged garlands of paper roses to represent thebattlefield of Tolbiac and the basilica at Rheims. To give awild, barbaric look to the boys who represented Clovis' henchmen,the sister superintendent²⁹ of the wardrobe had tacked⁹ up theirwhite trousers to the knee. But the Abbé Bordier hoped greaterthings still for his new piece.

Jean applauded and improved upon these ambitious projects. Hissuggestions for scenery and costumes were admirable. He wouldhave the ruthless Flavius seated on a curule chair of ivory,draped with purple, erected³⁰ before a portico³¹ painted on the backcloth. The costumes of the Roman soldiers, he insisted, mustbe copied from those on Trajan's Column.

His words opened superb vistas³² before the old priest's eyes;he was enchanted³³, ravished, yet full of doubts and fears. Alas³⁴!

Monsieur Schuver was quite helpless if it came to designing anythingmore ambitious than his paper roses. Then Jean must needs takea look round in the shed where the properties were stored, andthe two discussed together how the stage must be set and theside-scenes worked. Jean took measurements, drew up a plan, workedout an estimate. He manifested a passionate³⁵ eagerness that wassurprising, albeit³⁶ the old priest took it all as a matter ofcourse. A batten would come here, a practicable door there. Theactor would enter there...

But the worthy priest checked him:

"Say the reciter, my dear boy; _actor_ is not a word forself-respecting people."Barring this trifling³⁷ misunderstanding, they were in perfectaccord. The sun was setting by this time and the Abbé Bordier'sshadow, grotesquely³⁸ elongated³⁹, danced up and down the sandy floorof the shed, while the old, broken voice declaimed tags of versethat echoed to the furthest recesses⁴⁰ of the court. But Jean Servienwas smiling at the vision only _his_ eyes could see of Gabrielle,the inspirer of all his enthusiasm.

1 accosted   

v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭

参考例句：

• She was accosted in the street by a complete stranger. 在街上，一个完全陌生的人贸然走到她跟前搭讪。
• His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him. 他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

3 pious   

adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
• Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 inscription   

n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文

参考例句：

• The inscription has worn away and can no longer be read.铭文已磨损，无法辨认了。
• He chiselled an inscription on the marble.他在大理石上刻碑文。

5 instinctive   

adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的

参考例句：

• He tried to conceal his instinctive revulsion at the idea.他试图饰盖自己对这一想法本能的厌恶。
• Animals have an instinctive fear of fire.动物本能地怕火。

6 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

7 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

8 scion   

n.嫩芽，子孙

参考例句：

• A place is cut in the root stock to accept the scion.砧木上切开一个小口,来接受接穗。
• Nabokov was the scion of an aristocratic family.纳博科夫是一个贵族家庭的阔少。

9 tacked   

用平头钉钉( tack的过去式和过去分词 )； 附加，增补； 帆船抢风行驶，用粗线脚缝

参考例句：

• He tacked the sheets of paper on as carefully as possible. 他尽量小心地把纸张钉上去。
• The seamstress tacked the two pieces of cloth. 女裁缝把那两块布粗缝了起来。

10 contemn   

v.蔑视

参考例句：

• The wicked contemn God.恶人轻侮上帝。
• I contemn the people who treat children so cruelly.我蔑视如此虐待孩子的人。

11 symbolized   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• For Tigress, Joy symbolized the best a woman could expect from life. 在她看，小福子就足代表女人所应有的享受。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• A car symbolized distinction and achievement, and he was proud. 汽车象征着荣誉和成功，所以他很自豪。 来自辞典例句

12 pompous   

adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities.他有点自大，自视甚高。
• He is a good man underneath his pompous appearance. 他的外表虽傲慢，其实是个好人。

13 austere   

adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的

参考例句：

• His way of life is rather austere.他的生活方式相当简朴。
• The room was furnished in austere style.这间屋子的陈设都很简单朴素。

14 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

15 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

16 eyelids   

n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色

参考例句：

• She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop. 她太疲倦了，眼睑开始往下垂。
• Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

18 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

19 zeal   

n.热心，热情，热忱

参考例句：

• Revolutionary zeal caught them up,and they joined the army.革命热情激励他们，于是他们从军了。
• They worked with great zeal to finish the project.他们热情高涨地工作，以期完成这个项目。

20 entrust   

v.信赖，信托，交托

参考例句：

• I couldn't entrust my children to strangers.我不能把孩子交给陌生人照看。
• They can be entrusted to solve major national problems.可以委托他们解决重大国家问题。

21 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

22 queried   

v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问

参考例句：

• She queried what he said. 她对他说的话表示怀疑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"What does he have to do?\" queried Chin dubiously. “他有什么心事？”琴向觉民问道，她的脸上现出疑惑不解的神情。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

23 authorizes   

授权，批准，委托( authorize的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The dictionary authorizes the two spellings 'traveler' and 'traveller'. 字典裁定traveler和traveller两种拼法都对。
• The dictionary authorizes the two spellings "honor" and "honour.". 字典裁定 honor 及 honour 两种拼法均可。

24 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

25 confided   

v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等）

参考例句：

• She confided all her secrets to her best friend. 她向她最要好的朋友倾吐了自己所有的秘密。
• He confided to me that he had spent five years in prison. 他私下向我透露，他蹲过五年监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 dignified   

a.可敬的，高贵的

参考例句：

• Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。
• He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。

27 elucidate   

v.阐明，说明

参考例句：

• The note help to elucidate the most difficult parts of the text.这些注释有助于弄清文中最难懂的部分。
• This guide will elucidate these differences and how to exploit them.这篇指导将会阐述这些不同点以及如何正确利用它们。

28 modulating   

调整( modulate的现在分词 )； （对波幅、频率的）调制； 转调； 调整或改变（嗓音）的音调

参考例句：

• In his horn solo,he kept modulating from key to key. 他在喇叭独奏时不断地变调。
• Water vapour and clouds are the primary variables modulating direct solar absorption. 水汽和云是调节直接太阳吸收的主要要素。

29 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

30 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

31 portico   

n.柱廊，门廊

参考例句：

• A large portico provides a suitably impressive entrance to the chapel.小教堂入口处宽敞的柱廊相当壮观。
• The gateway and its portico had openings all around.门洞两旁与廊子的周围都有窗棂。

32 vistas   

长条形景色( vista的名词复数 )； 回顾； 展望； （未来可能发生的）一系列情景

参考例句：

• This new job could open up whole new vistas for her. 这项新工作可能给她开辟全新的前景。
• The picture is small but It'shows broad vistas. 画幅虽然不大，所表现的天地却十分广阔。

33 enchanted   

adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She was enchanted by the flowers you sent her. 她非常喜欢你送给她的花。
• He was enchanted by the idea. 他为这个主意而欣喜若狂。

34 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

35 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

36 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

37 trifling   

adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的

参考例句：

• They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
• So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利，不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。

38 grotesquely   

adv. 奇异地,荒诞地

参考例句：

• Her arched eyebrows and grotesquely powdered face were at once seductive and grimly overbearing. 眉棱棱着，在一脸的怪粉上显出妖媚而霸道。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• Two faces grotesquely disfigured in nylon stocking masks looked through the window. 2张戴尼龙长袜面罩的怪脸望着窗外。

39 elongated   

v.延长，加长( elongate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Modigliani's women have strangely elongated faces. 莫迪里阿尼画中的妇女都长着奇长无比的脸。
• A piece of rubber can be elongated by streching. 一块橡皮可以拉长。 来自《用法词典》

40 recesses   

n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭

参考例句：

• I could see the inmost recesses. 我能看见最深处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I had continually pushed my doubts to the darker recesses of my mind. 我一直把怀疑深深地隐藏在心中。 来自《简明英汉词典》