"How annoying!" she thought at first, "But medicine has made much progress lately. I shall get rid of it when I want. Ah! that Walloon! He will have toiled1 in vain. Can Macarée bring up the son of a vagabond? No, no, I condemn2 this embryo3 to death. I should never even preserve this foetus in alcohol. And thou, my belly4, if thou knewest how much I love thee since knowing thy goodness. What, wouldst stoop to carry such baggage as thou findest along the road? O too innocent belly, thou art unworthy of my selfish soul.
"What shall I say, o belly? thou'rt cruel, thou partest children from their parents. No! I love thee no longer. Thou'rt naught6 but a full bag, at this moment, o my belly, smiling at the nombril, o elastic7 belly, downy, polished, convex, sorrowful, round, silky, which ennobles me. For thou makest noble, o my belly, more beautiful than the sunlight. Thou shalt ennoble also the child of the Flemish vagabond and thou art worthy5 of the loins of Jupiter. What a misfortune! a moment ago I was about to destroy a child of noble race, my child who already lives in my beloved belly."
She opened the door suddenly and cried:
"Madame Dehan! Mademoiselle Baba!"
There was a rattling8 of doors and bolts and then the proprietors9 of Macarée's lodging10 came running out.
"I am pregnant," cried Macarée, "I am pregnant!"
She was sitting up in bed, her legs spread apart. Her skin looked very delicate. Macarée was narrow at the waist and broad-hipped.
"Poor little one," said Madame Dehan, who had but one eye, no waistline, a moustache, and limped. "After confinement11 women are just like crushed snail-shells. After confinement women are simply prey12 to disease (look at me!) an egg-shell full of all sorts of rubbish, incantations and other witch-spells. Ah! Ah! You have done very well."
"All foolishness," said Macarée. "The duty of women is to have children, and I am sure that their health is generally improved thereby13, both physically14 and morally."
"Where are you sick?" asked Mademoiselle Baba.
"Shut up! I say," exclaimed Madame Dehan. "Better go and look for my flask15 of Spa elixir16 and bring some little glasses."
Mademoiselle Baba brought the elixir. They drank of it.
"I feel better now," said Madame Dehan, "After so much emotion, I need to refresh myself."
She poured out another little glass of the elixir for herself, drank it and licked the last few drops up with her tongue.
"Think of it," she said finally, "think of it, Madame Macarée ... I swear by all that I hold sacred, Mademoiselle Baba can be my witness, this is the first time that such a thing has happened to one of my tenants17. And how many I have had! My Lord! Louise Bernier, whom they nicknamed Wrinkle, because she was so skinny; Marcelle la Carabinière (the freshest thing you ever saw!); Josuette, who died of a sunstroke in Christiania, the sun wishing thus to have his revenge of Joshua; Lili de Merc?ur, a grand name, mind you, (not hers of course) and then vile18 enough for a chic19 woman, as Merc?ur put it: 'You must pronounce it Mercure,' screwing up her mouth like a chicken's hole. Well she got hers, all right, they filled her as full of mercury as a thermometer. She would ask me in the morning; What sort of weather do you think we'll have today?' But I would always answer: 'You ought to know better than I...' Never, never in the world would any of those have become enceinte in my house."
"Oh well, it isn't as bad as that," said Macarée, "I also never had it happen to me before. Give me some advice, but make it short."
At this moment she arose.
"Oh!" cried Madame Dehan, "what a well-shaped behind you have! how sweet! how white! what embonpoint! Baba, Madame Macarée is going to put on her dressing20-gown. Serve coffee and bring the bilberry tart21."
Mademoiselle Baba came back; she brought a big platter with cups, a coffee pot, milk-pitcher, jar of honey, butter cakes and the bilberry tart.
"If you want some good advice," said Madame Dehan, wiping away with the back of her hand the coffee that dribbled23 down her chin, "You had better go and baptize your child."
"I shall make sure and do that," said Macarée.
"And I even think," said Mademoiselle Baba, "that it would be best to do it on the day he is born."
"In fact," Madam Dehan mumbled24, her mouth full of food, "you can never tell what may happen. Then you will nurse him yourself, and if I were you, if I had money like you, I should try to go to Rome before the confinement and get the Pope to bless me. Your child will never know either the paternal25 caress26 or blow, he will never utter the sweet name of papa. May the blessing27 of the Holy Papa at least follow him all his life."
And Madame Dehan began to sob28 like a kettle boiling over, while Macarée burst into tears as abundant as a spouting29 whale. But what of Mademoiselle Baba? Her lips blue with berries, she wept so hard that from her throat the sobs30 flooded down to her hymen and nearly choked her.
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1
toiled
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长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 ); 艰难缓慢地移动,跋涉 | |
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2
condemn
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vt.谴责,指责;宣判(罪犯),判刑 | |
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3
embryo
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n.胚胎,萌芽的事物 | |
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4
belly
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n.肚子,腹部;(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分,膛 | |
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5
worthy
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adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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6
naught
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n.无,零 [=nought] | |
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7
elastic
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n.橡皮圈,松紧带;adj.有弹性的;灵活的 | |
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8
rattling
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adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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9
proprietors
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n.所有人,业主( proprietor的名词复数 ) | |
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10
lodging
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n.寄宿,住所;(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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11
confinement
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n.幽禁,拘留,监禁;分娩;限制,局限 | |
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12
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
thereby
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adv.因此,从而 | |
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14
physically
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adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律 | |
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15
flask
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n.瓶,火药筒,砂箱 | |
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16
elixir
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n.长生不老药,万能药 | |
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17
tenants
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n.房客( tenant的名词复数 );佃户;占用者;占有者 | |
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18
vile
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adj.卑鄙的,可耻的,邪恶的;坏透的 | |
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19
chic
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n./adj.别致(的),时髦(的),讲究的 | |
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20
dressing
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n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料 | |
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21
tart
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adj.酸的;尖酸的,刻薄的;n.果馅饼;淫妇 | |
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22
scotch
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n.伤口,刻痕;苏格兰威士忌酒;v.粉碎,消灭,阻止;adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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23
dribbled
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v.流口水( dribble的过去式和过去分词 );(使液体)滴下或作细流;运球,带球 | |
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24
mumbled
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含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
paternal
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adj.父亲的,像父亲的,父系的,父方的 | |
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26
caress
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vt./n.爱抚,抚摸 | |
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27
blessing
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n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿 | |
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28
sob
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n.空间轨道的轰炸机;呜咽,哭泣 | |
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29
spouting
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n.水落管系统v.(指液体)喷出( spout的现在分词 );滔滔不绝地讲;喋喋不休地说;喷水 | |
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30
sobs
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啜泣(声),呜咽(声)( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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