Madame Teutch, in despair, told them that her little Charles had been arrested at eight o'clock in the morning, and taken to prison. All day she had waited to see Saint-[Pg 81]Just, and had been unable to do so until five o'clock in the afternoon, when she had given him Charles's note.
Saint-Just had said to her: "Very well, if what you have told me is true he shall be set at liberty to-morrow."
Madame Teutch had come away with some slight hope; citizen Saint-Just did not seem as ferocious1 as he was reported to be.
Charles, although he was sure of his innocence2, since he had never had anything to do with politics in his whole life, grew impatient as the day passed without bringing him any news; but his impatience3 changed to uneasiness when the whole morning of the next day passed and the representative of the people did not send for him.
Saint-Just was not to blame, for he was one of the most scrupulous4 men in the world where a promise was concerned. A grand tour of inspection5 had been decided6 upon for the next day at dawn, that he might ascertain7 whether the orders he had given were being carried out. He did not return to his hotel until one o'clock, and then, remembering the promise he had given, he sent word to the prison that little Charles should be brought to him.
Saint-Just had been wet to the skin during the morning's excursion, and when the boy entered his room he was just putting the finishing touches to his fresh toilet by tying his cravat8.
The cravat, as is well known, was the essential point of Saint-Just's toilet. It was a scaffolding of muslin from which rose a handsome head, and it was partially9 intended to conceal10 the immense development of the jaws11, which is often noticeable in beasts of prey12 and in conquerors13. The most remarkable14 feature about Saint-Just's face was his large, limpid15 eyes, earnest, deep, and questioning, shadowed by heavy eyebrows16 which met above the nose whenever he frowned in impatience or, preoccupation. He had the pale complexion17 of that grayish tint18 so common to many of those laborious19 toilers of the Revolution, who, fearing a premature20 death, added nights to days in order to finish the[Pg 82] terrible work which the genius that watches over the grandeur21 of nations, and which we dare call Providence22, had intrusted to them. His lips were soft and fleshy, as befitted those of the sensual man whose first literary effort had expressed itself in an obscene book, but who, by a prodigious23 effort of will, had succeeded in dominating his temperament24, and in imposing25 upon himself a life of continence as far as women were concerned. While adjusting his cravat, or arranging the silky ends of his magnificent hair, he dictated26 to a secretary the orders, decrees, laws, and judgments27 which were destined28 to cover the walls of the most frequented squares, crossroads, and streets of Strasbourg, and which were posted in two languages.
In fact, so great was the sovereign, absolute, and aristocratic power of the representatives of the people who were sent to the armies, that they thought no more of cutting off heads than of switching off the top of some wayside plant. But that which rendered the style of Saint-Just's decrees remarkable was their conciseness29 and the brief, sonorous30, and vibrating voice in which he pronounced them. The first time that he spoke31 in the Convention, he demanded the king's arrest; and at the first words of the speech, cold, sharp, and cutting as steel, there was not one present who did not feel with a shudder32 that the king was doomed33.
When his cravat was tied Saint-Just turned to put on his coat, and saw the boy who was waiting.
He looked at him, trying to remember who he was; and then, suddenly pointing to the mantel-piece, he asked: "Was it you whom they arrested yesterday morning, and who sent me a note by the landlady34 of your inn?"
"Yes, citizen," answered Charles; "it was I."
"Then the men who arrested you allowed you to write to me?"
"I wrote before I was arrested."
"How was that?"
"I knew that I was going to be arrested."
"And you did not hide yourself?"
[Pg 83]
"What for? I was innocent, and they say that you are just."
Saint-Just looked at the boy in silence. He himself looked very young just then, with his shirt of whitest linen35 and large sleeves, his white waistcoat, and his artistically36 tied cravat.
"No, citizen; my parents are not aristocrats38."
"What are they?"
"How old are you?"
"A little over thirteen."
"Come nearer."
The boy obeyed.
"Upon my word, it's true," said Saint-Just; "he looks like a little girl. But you must have done something to be arrested."
"Two of my compatriots, citizens Ballu and Dumont, came to Strasbourg to secure the release of Adjutant-General Perrin. I knew that they were to be arrested during the night, and I sent them a little note of warning. My handwriting was recognized. I thought I was doing right. I appeal to your heart, citizen Saint-Just!"
Saint-Just placed his hand, which was as white and well cared for as that of a woman, upon the boy's shoulder.
"You are still a child," he replied, "and I will only say this: There is a sentiment even more holy than love of one's countrymen; it is love of one's country. Before being citizens of the same town we are children of the same country. A day will come when reason will have advanced sufficiently40 to value humanity more than patriotism41, when all men will be brothers, all nations as sisters, when tyrants42 will be the only enemies. You yielded to an honorable sentiment, the love of your neighbor, which is enjoined43 by the Evangelist; but in yielding to it you have forgotten a sentiment which is yet higher, more sacred, more sublime44. Devotion to your[Pg 84] country should come before everything else. If these men were enemies of their country, if they had transgressed45 its laws, you should not have interfered46 between them and the knife. I have no right to set myself up as an example, being one of the humblest servants of liberty; but I serve her according to my ability, I cause her to triumph whenever it lies within my power to do so; that is my sole ambition. Why am I to-day so calm and so proud of myself? It is because I have this very day, at the price of my own heart's blood, given a proof of respect for the law which I myself made."
He paused a moment to make sure that the child was listening attentively47. The boy did not lose a syllable48. On the contrary, as if already preparing to transmit them to posterity49, he was storing in his memory the words which fell from that strong mouth. Saint-Just continued:
"Since the shameful50 panic of Eisemberg, I issued a decree which forbade any soldier or officer to go to bed without being fully51 clothed. Well, on my tour of inspection this morning I looked forward to meeting a friend from my own part of the country, coming, like me, from the department of the Aisne; like me, from Blérancourt; and, like me again, a pupil in the college of Soissons. His regiment52 arrived yesterday, in the village of Schiltigheim. I directed my course therefore toward the village, and asked in what house Prosper53 Lenormand was lodged55. It was pointed56 out to me, and I hastened thither57. His room was on the first floor, and, although I have great control over myself, my heart beat high, as I mounted the stairs, at the thought of seeing my friend again after five years of separation. I entered the first room, calling out: 'Prosper! Prosper! Where are you? It is your old chum, Saint-Just.'
"I had no sooner spoken than the door opened, and a young man, clad only in his night-shirt, threw himself into my arms, crying: 'Saint-Just; my dear Saint-Just!'
"I wept as I pressed him to my heart, for that heart was about to receive a terrible blow.
[Pg 85]
"The friend of my childhood, whom I now saw for the first time after five years—he whom I had sought out myself, so eager was I to meet him again—he had violated the law which I had promulgated58 only three days before. He had incurred59 the death penalty.
"Then my heart yielded before the power of my will, and, turning to those present, I said calmly: 'Heaven be doubly praised, since I have seen you again, and since I can give, in the person of one so dear to me, a memorable60 lesson of discipline and a grand example of justice by sacrificing you to the public safety.'
"Then, speaking to those who accompanied me, I said: 'Do your duty.'
"I then embraced Prosper for the last time, and at a sign from me they conducted him out of the room."
"What for?" asked Charles.
"To shoot him. Was he not forbidden, under penalty of death, to go to bed with his clothes off?"
"But you pardoned him?" asked Charles, moved to tears.
"Ten minutes later he was dead."
Charles uttered a cry of terror.
"Your heart is still weak, poor child; read Plutarch and you will become a man. And what are you doing in Strasbourg?"
"I am studying, citizen," replied the child. "I have only been here three days."
"And what are you studying in Strasbourg?"
"Greek."
"It seems to me it would be more logical to study German. Besides, of what use is Greek, since the Laced?monians have written nothing?" Then, after a moment of silence, during which he continued to look curiously61 at the boy, he asked: "And who is the learned man who gives lessons in Greek in Strasbourg?"
"Euloge Schneider," answered Charles.
"What! Euloge Schneider knows Greek?" asked Saint-Just.
[Pg 86]
"He is one of the first Greek scholars of the day; he has translated Anacreon."
"The Monk62 of Cologne," exclaimed Saint-Just. "Euloge Schneider a Greek scholar! Well, so be it; go learn Greek of Euloge Schneider. But if I thought," he continued in a quivering voice, "that you would learn anything else of him I would rather strangle you."
Stunned63 by this outburst, the boy stood silent and motionless, leaning against the wall like a tapestried64 figure.
"Oh!" cried Saint-Just, becoming more and more excited, "it is traffickers like him, with his Greek, who destroy the holy cause of the Revolution. It is they who send forth65 mandates66 to arrest children thirteen years of age because they lodge54 in the same inn where the police have found two suspected travellers. It is thus that these wretches67 seek to curry68 favor with the Mountain. Ah, I swear to Heaven that I will soon do justice to these attempts which endanger our most precious liberties. There is urgent need of prompt justice, which shall serve as an example; I will execute it. They dare to reproach me with not giving them enough corpses69 to devour70. I will give them some! The Propagande wishes blood! It shall have it. And, to begin with, I will bathe it in the blood of its leaders. If I can only find a pretext71, if I can only have justice on my side, they shall see!"
Saint-Just, losing his cold calmness, became terrible in his threats; his eyebrows met and his nostrils72 dilated73 like those of a hunted lion; his complexion turned ashen74; he seemed to be looking for something animate75 or inanimate to crush.
Just then a messenger, who had recently dismounted, as could be seen from the splashes of mud flecking his garments, entered precipitately76, and, approaching Saint-Just, said a few words to him in an undertone. At these words an expression of joy, mingled77 with doubt, flitted across the representative's face. The news which had just been brought to him was so welcome that he dared not believe it.
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1
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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4
scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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6
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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7
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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8
cravat
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| n.领巾，领结；v.使穿有领结的服装，使结领结 | |
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9
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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11
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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13
conquerors
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| 征服者，占领者( conqueror的名词复数 ) | |
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14
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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15
limpid
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| adj.清澈的，透明的 | |
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16
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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17
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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18
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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19
laborious
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| adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅 | |
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20
premature
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| adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的 | |
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21
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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22
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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23
prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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24
temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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25
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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26
dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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27
judgments
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| 判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判 | |
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28
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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29
conciseness
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| n.简洁，简短 | |
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30
sonorous
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| adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇 | |
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31
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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32
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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33
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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34
landlady
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| n.女房东，女地主 | |
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35
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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36
artistically
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| adv.艺术性地 | |
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37
emigrants
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| n.（从本国移往他国的）移民( emigrant的名词复数 ) | |
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38
aristocrats
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| n.贵族( aristocrat的名词复数 ) | |
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39
battalion
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| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
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40
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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41
patriotism
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| n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义 | |
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42
tyrants
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| 专制统治者( tyrant的名词复数 )； 暴君似的人； （古希腊的）僭主； 严酷的事物 | |
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43
enjoined
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| v.命令( enjoin的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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45
transgressed
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| v.超越( transgress的过去式和过去分词 )；越过；违反；违背 | |
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46
interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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47
attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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48
syllable
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| n.音节；vt.分音节 | |
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49
posterity
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| n.后裔，子孙，后代 | |
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50
shameful
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| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
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51
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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52
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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53
prosper
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| v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣 | |
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54
lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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55
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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56
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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57
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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58
promulgated
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| v.宣扬（某事物）( promulgate的过去式和过去分词 )；传播；公布；颁布（法令、新法律等） | |
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59
incurred
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| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
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60
memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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61
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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62
monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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63
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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64
tapestried
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| adj.饰挂绣帷的，织在绣帷上的v.用挂毯（或绣帷）装饰( tapestry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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65
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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66
mandates
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| 托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式） | |
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67
wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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68
curry
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| n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革 | |
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69
corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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70
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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71
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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72
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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73
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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74
ashen
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| adj.灰的 | |
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75
animate
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| v.赋于生命，鼓励；adj.有生命的，有生气的 | |
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76
precipitately
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| adv.猛进地 | |
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77
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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