At the end of the Rue1 Guenegaud, coming from the quays2, you find the Arcade3 of the Pont Neuf, a sort of narrow, dark corridor running from the Rue Mazarine to the Rue de Seine. This arcade, at the most, is thirty paces long by two in breadth. It is paved with worn, loose, yellowish tiles which are never free from acrid4 damp. The square panes5 of glass forming the roof, are black with filth6.
On fine days in the summer, when the streets are burning with heavy sun, whitish light falls from the dirty glazing7 overhead to drag miserably8 through the arcade. On nasty days in winter, on foggy mornings, the glass throws nothing but darkness on the sticky tiles--unclean and abominable9 gloom.
To the left are obscure, low, dumpy shops whence issue puffs10 of air as cold as if coming from a cellar. Here are dealers12 in toys, cardboard boxes, second-hand13 books. The articles displayed in their windows are covered with dust, and owing to the prevailing14 darkness, can only be perceived indistinctly. The shop fronts, formed of small panes of glass, streak15 the goods with a peculiar16 greenish reflex. Beyond, behind the display in the windows, the dim interiors resemble a number of lugubrious17 cavities animated18 by fantastic forms.
To the right, along the whole length of the arcade, extends a wall against which the shopkeepers opposite have stuck some small cupboards. Objects without a name, goods forgotten for twenty years, are spread out there on thin shelves painted a horrible brown colour. A dealer11 in imitation jewelry19, has set up shop in one of these cupboards, and there sells fifteen sous rings, delicately set out on a cushion of blue velvet20 at the bottom of a mahogany box.
Above the glazed21 cupboards, ascends22 the roughly plastered black wall, looking as if covered with leprosy, and all seamed with defacements.
The Arcade of the Pont Neuf is not a place for a stroll. You take it to make a short cut, to gain a few minutes. It is traversed by busy people whose sole aim is to go quick and straight before them. You see apprentices23 there in their working-aprons, work-girls taking home their work, persons of both sexes with parcels under their arms. There are also old men who drag themselves forward in the sad gloaming that falls from the glazed roof, and bands of small children who come to the arcade on leaving school, to make a noise by stamping their feet on the tiles as they run along. Throughout the day a sharp hurried ring of footsteps, resounds24 on the stone with irritating irregularity. Nobody speaks, nobody stays there, all hurry about their business with bent25 heads, stepping out rapidly, without taking a single glance at the shops. The tradesmen observe with an air of alarm, the passers-by who by a miracle stop before their windows.
The arcade is lit at night by three gas burners, enclosed in heavy square lanterns. These jets of gas, hanging from the glazed roof whereon they cast spots of fawn-coloured light, shed around them circles of pale glimmer26 that seem at moments to disappear. The arcade now assumes the aspect of a regular cut-throat alley27. Great shadows stretch along the tiles, damp puffs of air enter from the street. Anyone might take the place for a subterranean28 gallery indistinctly lit-up by three funeral lamps. The tradespeople for all light are contented29 with the faint rays which the gas burners throw upon their windows. Inside their shops, they merely have a lamp with a shade, which they place at the corner of their counter, and the passer-by can then distinguish what the depths of these holes sheltering night in the daytime, contain. On this blackish line of shop fronts, the windows of a cardboard-box maker30 are flaming: two schist-lamps pierce the shadow with a couple of yellow flames. And, on the other side of the arcade a candle, stuck in the middle of an argand lamp glass, casts glistening31 stars into the box of imitation jewelry. The dealer is dozing32 in her cupboard, with her hands hidden under her shawl.
A few years back, opposite this dealer, stood a shop whose bottle-green woodwork excreted damp by all its cracks. On the signboard, made of a long narrow plank33, figured, in black letters the word: MERCERY. And on one of the panes of glass in the door was written, in red, the name of a woman: _Therese Raquin_. To right and left were deep show cases, lined with blue paper.
During the daytime the eye could only distinguish the display of goods, in a soft, obscured light.
On one side were a few linen34 articles: crimped tulle caps at two and three francs apiece, muslin sleeves and collars: then undervests, stockings, socks, braces35. Each article had grown yellow and crumpled36, and hung lamentably37 suspended from a wire hook. The window, from top to bottom, was filled in this manner with whitish bits of clothing, which took a lugubrious aspect in the transparent38 obscurity. The new caps, of brighter whiteness, formed hollow spots on the blue paper covering the shelves. And the coloured socks hanging on an iron rod, contributed sombre notes to the livid and vague effacement39 of the muslin.
On the other side, in a narrower show case, were piled up large balls of green wool, white cards of black buttons, boxes of all colours and sizes, hair nets ornamented40 with steel beads41, spread over rounds of bluish paper, fasces of knitting needles, tapestry42 patterns, bobbins of ribbon, along with a heap of soiled and faded articles, which doubtless had been lying in the same place for five or six years. All the tints43 had turned dirty grey in this cupboard, rotting with dust and damp.
In summer, towards noon, when the sun scorched44 the squares and streets with its tawny45 rays, you could distinguish, behind the caps in the other window, the pale, grave profile of a young woman. This profile issued vaguely46 from the darkness reigning47 in the shop. To a low parched48 forehead was attached a long, narrow, pointed49 nose; the pale pink lips resembled two thin threads, and the short, nervy chin was attached to the neck by a line that was supple50 and fat. The body, lost in the shadow, could not be seen. The profile alone appeared in its olive whiteness, perforated by a large, wide-open, black eye, and as though crushed beneath thick dark hair. This profile remained there for hours, motionless and peaceful, between a couple of caps for women, whereon the damp iron rods had imprinted51 bands of rust52.
At night, when the lamp had been lit, you could see inside the shop which was greater in length than depth. At one end stood a small counter; at the other, a corkscrew staircase afforded communication with the rooms on the first floor. Against the walls were show cases, cupboards, rows of green cardboard boxes. Four chairs and a table completed the furniture. The shop looked bare and frigid53; the goods were done up in parcels and put away in corners instead of lying hither and thither54 in a joyous55 display of colour.
As a rule two women were seated behind the counter: the young woman with the grave profile, and an old lady who sat dozing with a smile on her countenance56. The latter was about sixty; and her fat, placid57 face looked white in the brightness of the lamp. A great tabby cat, crouching58 at a corner of the counter, watched her as she slept.
Lower down, on a chair, a man of thirty sat reading or chatting in a subdued59 voice with the young woman. He was short, delicate, and in manner languid. With his fair hair devoid60 of lustre61, his sparse62 beard, his face covered with red blotches63, he resembled a sickly, spoilt child arrived at manhood.
Shortly before ten o'clock, the old lady awoke. The shop was then closed, and all the family went upstairs to bed. The tabby cat followed the party purring, and rubbing its head against each bar of the banisters.
The lodging64 above comprised three apartments. The staircase led to a dining-room which also did duty as drawing-room. In a niche65 on the left stood a porcelain66 stove; opposite, a sideboard; then chairs were arranged along the walls, and a round table occupied the centre. At the further end a glazed partition concealed67 a dark kitchen. On each side of the dining-room was a sleeping apartment.
The old lady after kissing her son and daughter-in-law withdrew. The cat went to sleep on a chair in the kitchen. The married couple entered their room, which had a second door opening on a staircase that communicated with the arcade by an obscure narrow passage.
The husband who was always trembling with fever went to bed, while the young woman opened the window to close the shutter68 blinds. She remained there a few minutes facing the great black wall, which ascends and stretches above the arcade. She cast a vague wandering look upon this wall, and, without a word she, in her turn, went to bed in disdainful indifference69.
点击收听单词发音
1 rue | |
n.懊悔,芸香,后悔;v.后悔,悲伤,懊悔 | |
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2 quays | |
码头( quay的名词复数 ) | |
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3 arcade | |
n.拱廊;(一侧或两侧有商店的)通道 | |
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4 acrid | |
adj.辛辣的,尖刻的,刻薄的 | |
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5 panes | |
窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 ) | |
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6 filth | |
n.肮脏,污物,污秽;淫猥 | |
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7 glazing | |
n.玻璃装配业;玻璃窗;上釉;上光v.装玻璃( glaze的现在分词 );上釉于,上光;(目光)变得呆滞无神 | |
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8 miserably | |
adv.痛苦地;悲惨地;糟糕地;极度地 | |
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9 abominable | |
adj.可厌的,令人憎恶的 | |
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10 puffs | |
n.吸( puff的名词复数 );(烟斗或香烟的)一吸;一缕(烟、蒸汽等);(呼吸或风的)呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧 | |
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11 dealer | |
n.商人,贩子 | |
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12 dealers | |
n.商人( dealer的名词复数 );贩毒者;毒品贩子;发牌者 | |
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13 second-hand | |
adj.用过的,旧的,二手的 | |
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14 prevailing | |
adj.盛行的;占优势的;主要的 | |
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15 streak | |
n.条理,斑纹,倾向,少许,痕迹;v.加条纹,变成条纹,奔驰,快速移动 | |
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16 peculiar | |
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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17 lugubrious | |
adj.悲哀的,忧郁的 | |
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18 animated | |
adj.生气勃勃的,活跃的,愉快的 | |
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19 jewelry | |
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝 | |
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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 glazed | |
adj.光滑的,像玻璃的;上过釉的;呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式);上釉于,上光;(目光)变得呆滞无神 | |
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22 ascends | |
v.上升,攀登( ascend的第三人称单数 ) | |
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23 apprentices | |
学徒,徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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24 resounds | |
v.(指声音等)回荡于某处( resound的第三人称单数 );产生回响;(指某处)回荡着声音 | |
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25 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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26 glimmer | |
v.发出闪烁的微光;n.微光,微弱的闪光 | |
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27 alley | |
n.小巷,胡同;小径,小路 | |
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28 subterranean | |
adj.地下的,地表下的 | |
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29 contented | |
adj.满意的,安心的,知足的 | |
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30 maker | |
n.制造者,制造商 | |
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31 glistening | |
adj.闪耀的,反光的v.湿物闪耀,闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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32 dozing | |
v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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33 plank | |
n.板条,木板,政策要点,政纲条目 | |
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34 linen | |
n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的 | |
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35 braces | |
n.吊带,背带;托架( brace的名词复数 );箍子;括弧;(儿童)牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 );撑牢;使自己站稳;振作起来 | |
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36 crumpled | |
adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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37 lamentably | |
adv.哀伤地,拙劣地 | |
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38 transparent | |
adj.明显的,无疑的;透明的 | |
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39 effacement | |
n.抹消,抹杀 | |
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40 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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41 beads | |
n.(空心)小珠子( bead的名词复数 );水珠;珠子项链 | |
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42 tapestry | |
n.挂毯,丰富多采的画面 | |
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43 tints | |
色彩( tint的名词复数 ); 带白的颜色; (淡色)染发剂; 痕迹 | |
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44 scorched | |
烧焦,烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 ); 使(植物)枯萎,把…晒枯; 高速行驶; 枯焦 | |
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45 tawny | |
adj.茶色的,黄褐色的;n.黄褐色 | |
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46 vaguely | |
adv.含糊地,暖昧地 | |
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47 reigning | |
adj.统治的,起支配作用的 | |
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48 parched | |
adj.焦干的;极渴的;v.(使)焦干 | |
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49 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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50 supple | |
adj.柔软的,易弯的,逢迎的,顺从的,灵活的;vt.使柔软,使柔顺,使顺从;vi.变柔软,变柔顺 | |
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51 imprinted | |
v.盖印(imprint的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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52 rust | |
n.锈;v.生锈;(脑子)衰退 | |
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53 frigid | |
adj.寒冷的,凛冽的;冷淡的;拘禁的 | |
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54 thither | |
adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的 | |
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55 joyous | |
adj.充满快乐的;令人高兴的 | |
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56 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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57 placid | |
adj.安静的,平和的 | |
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58 crouching | |
v.屈膝,蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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59 subdued | |
adj. 屈服的,柔和的,减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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60 devoid | |
adj.全无的,缺乏的 | |
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61 lustre | |
n.光亮,光泽;荣誉 | |
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62 sparse | |
adj.稀疏的,稀稀落落的,薄的 | |
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63 blotches | |
n.(皮肤上的)红斑,疹块( blotch的名词复数 );大滴 [大片](墨水或颜色的)污渍 | |
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64 lodging | |
n.寄宿,住所;(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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65 niche | |
n.壁龛;合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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66 porcelain | |
n.瓷;adj.瓷的,瓷制的 | |
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67 concealed | |
a.隐藏的,隐蔽的 | |
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68 shutter | |
n.百叶窗;(照相机)快门;关闭装置 | |
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69 indifference | |
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 | |
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