The two sweethearts from the commencement found their intrigue1 necessary, inevitable2 and quite natural. At their first interview they conversed3 familiarly, kissing one another without embarrassment5, and without a blush, as if their intimacy6 had dated back several years. They lived quite at ease in their new situation, with a tranquillity7 and an independence that were perfect.
They made their appointments. Therese being unable to go out, it was arranged that Laurent should come to see her. In a clear, firm voice the young woman explained to him the plan she had conceived. The interview would take place in the nuptial8 chamber9. The sweetheart would pass by the passage which ran into the arcade10, and Therese would open the door on the staircase to him. During this time, Camille would be at his office, and Madame Raquin below, in the shop. This was a daring arrangement that ought to succeed.
Laurent accepted. There was a sort of brutal11 temerity12 in his prudence13, the temerity of a man with big fists. Choosing a pretext14, he obtained permission from his chief to absent himself for a couple of hours, and hastened to the Arcade of the Pont Neuf.
The dealer15 in imitation jewelry16 was seated just opposite the door of the passage, and he had to wait until she was busy, until some young work-girl came to purchase a ring or a brooch made of brass17. Then, rapidly entering the passage, he ascended18 the narrow, dark staircase, leaning against the walls which were clammy with damp. He stumbled against the stone steps, and each time he did so, he felt a red-hot iron piercing his chest. A door opened, and on the threshold, in the midst of a gleam of white light he perceived Therese, who closing the door after him, threw her arms about his neck.
Laurent was astonished to find his sweetheart handsome. He had never seen her before as she appeared to him then. Therese, supple19 and strong, pressed him in her arms, flinging her head backward, while on her visage coursed ardent20 rays of light and passionate21 smiles. This face seemed as if transfigured, with its moist lips and sparkling eyes. It now had a fond caressing22 look. It radiated. She was beautiful with the strong beauty born of passionate abandon.
When Laurent parted from her, after his initial visit, he staggered like a drunken man, and the next day, on recovering his cunning prudent23 calm, he asked himself whether he should return to this young woman whose kisses gave him the fever. First of all he positively24 decided25 to keep to himself. Then he had a cowardly feeling. He sought to forget, to avoid seeing Therese, and yet she always seemed to be there, implacably extending her arms. The physical suffering that this spectacle caused him became intolerable.
He gave way. He arranged another meeting, and returned to the Arcade of the Pont Neuf.
From that day forth26, Therese entered into his life. He did not yet accept her, although he bore with her. He had his hours of terror, his moments of prudence, and, altogether this intrigue caused him disagreeable agitation27. But his discomfort28 and his fears disappeared. The meetings continued and multiplied.
Therese experienced no hesitation29. She went straight where her passion urged her to go. This woman whom circumstances had bowed down, and who had at length drawn30 herself up erect31, now revealed all her being and explained her life.
"Oh! if you only knew," said she, "how I have suffered. I was brought up in the tepid32 damp room of an invalid33. I slept in the same bed as Camille. At night I got as far away from him as I could, to avoid the sickly odour of his body. He was naughty and obstinate34. He would not take his physic unless I shared it with him. To please my aunt I was obliged to swallow a dose of every drug. I don't know how it is I have survived. They made me ugly. They robbed me of the only thing I possessed35, and it is impossible for you to love me as I love you."
"I do not wish them any harm. They brought me up, they received me, and shielded me from misery37. But I should have preferred abandonment to their hospitality. I had a burning desire for the open air. When quite young, my dream was to rove barefooted along the dusty roads, holding out my hand for charity, living like a gipsy. I have been told that my mother was a daughter of the chief of a tribe in Africa. I have often thought of her, and I understood that I belonged to her by blood and instinct. I should have liked to have never parted from her, and to have crossed the sand slung38 at her back.
"Ah! what a childhood! I still feel disgust and rebellion, when I recall the long days I passed in the room where Camille was at death's door. I sat bent39 over the fire, stupidly watching the infusions40 simmer, and feeling my limbs growing stiff. And I could not move. My aunt scolded me if I made a noise. Later on, I tasted profound joy in the little house beside the river; but I was already half feeble, I could barely walk, and when I tried to run I fell down. Then they buried me alive in this vile41 shop."
After a pause, she resumed:
"You will hardly credit how bad they have made me. They have turned me into a liar4 and a hypocrite. They have stifled42 me with their middle-class gentleness, and I can hardly understand how it is that there is still blood in my veins44. I have lowered my eyes, and given myself a mournful, idiotic45 face like theirs. I have led their deathlike life. When you saw me I looked like a blockhead, did I not? I was grave, overwhelmed, brutalised. I no longer had any hope. I thought of flinging myself into the Seine.
"But previous to this depression, what nights of anger I had. Down there at Vernon, in my frigid46 room, I bit my pillow to stifle43 my cries. I beat myself, taxed myself with cowardice47. My blood was on the boil, and I would have lacerated my body. On two occasions, I wanted to run away, to go straight before me, towards the sun; but my courage failed. They had turned me into a docile48 brute49 with their tame benevolence50 and sickly tenderness. Then I lied, I always lied. I remained there quite gentle, quite silent, dreaming of striking and biting."
After a silence, she continued:
"I do not know why I consented to marry Camille. I did not protest, from a feeling of a sort of disdainful indifference51. I pitied the child. When I played with him, I felt my fingers sink into the flesh of his limbs as into damp clay. I took him because my aunt offered him to me, and because I never intended to place any restraint on my actions on his account.
"I found my husband just the same little suffering boy whose bed I had shared when I was six years old. He was just as frail52, just as plaintive53, and he still had that insipid54 odour of a sick child that had been so repugnant to me previously55. I am relating all this so that you may not be jealous. I was seized with a sort of disgust. I remembered the physic I had drank. I got as far away from him as the bed would allow, and I passed terrible nights. But you, you----"
Therese drew herself up, bending backward, her fingers imprisoned56 in the massive hands of Laurent, gazing at his broad shoulders, and enormous neck.
"You, I love you," she continued. "I loved you from the day Camille pushed you into the shop. You have perhaps no esteem57 for me, because I gave way at once. Truly, I know not how it happened. I am proud. I am passionate. I would have liked to have beaten you, the first day, when you kissed me. I do not know how it was I loved you; I hated you rather. The sight of you irritated me, and made me suffer. When you were there, my nerves were strained fit to snap. My head became quite empty. I was ready to commit a crime.
"Oh! how I suffered! And I sought this suffering. I waited for you to arrive. I loitered round your chair, so as to move in your breath, to drag my clothes over yours. It seemed as though your blood cast puffs58 of heat on me as I passed, and it was this sort of burning cloud in which you were enveloped59, that attracted me, and detained me beside you in spite of my secret revolt. You remember when you were painting here: a fatal power attracted me to your side, and I breathed your air with cruel delight. I know I seemed to be begging for kisses, I felt ashamed of my bondage60, I felt I should fall, if you were to touch me. But I gave way to my cowardice, I shivered with cold, waiting until you chose to take me in your arms."
When Therese ceased speaking, she was quivering, as though proud at being avenged61. In this bare and chilly62 room were enacted63 scenes of burning lust64, sinister65 in their brutality66.
On her part Therese seemed to revel67 in daring. The only precaution she would take when expecting her lover was to tell her aunt she was going upstairs to rest. But then, when he was there she never bothered about avoiding noise, walking about and talking. At first this terrified Laurent.
"For God's sake," he whispered, "don't make so much noise. Madame Raquin will hear."
Therese would laugh. "Who cares, you are always so worried. She is at her counter and won't leave. She is too afraid of being robbed. Besides, you can hide."
Laurent's passion had not yet stifled his native peasant caution, but soon he grew used to the risks of these meetings, only a few yards from the old woman.
One day, fearing her niece was ill, Madame Raquin climbed the stairs. Therese never bothered to bolt the bedroom door.
At the sound of the woman's heavy step on the wooden stairs, Laurent became frantic68. Therese laughed as she saw him searching for his waistcoat and hat. She grabbed his arm and pushed him down at the foot of the bed. With perfect self-possession she whispered:
"Stay there. Don't move."
She threw all his clothes that were lying about over him and covered them with a white petticoat she had taken off. Without losing her calm, she lay down, half-naked, with her hair loose.
When Madame Raquin quietly opened the door and tiptoed to the bed the younger woman pretended to be asleep. Laurent, under all the clothes was in a panic.
"Therese," asked the old lady with some concern, "are you all right, my dear?"
Therese, opening her eyes and yawning, answered that she had a terrible migraine. She begged her aunt to let her sleep some more. The old lady left the room as quietly as she had entered it.
"So you see," Therese said triumphantly69, "there is no reason to worry. These people are not in love. They are blind."
At other times Therese seemed quite mad, wandering in her mind. She would see the cat, sitting motionless and dignified70, looking at them. "Look at Francois," she said to Laurent. "You'd think he understands and is planning to tell Camille everything to-night. He knows a thing or two about us. Wouldn't it be funny if one day, in the shop, he just started talking."
This idea was delightful71 to Therese but Laurent felt a shudder72 run through him as he looked at the cat's big green eyes. Therese's hold on him was not total and he was scared. He got up and put the cat out of the room.
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1
intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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conversed
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| v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 ) | |
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liar
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| n.说谎的人 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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nuptial
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| adj.婚姻的，婚礼的 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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arcade
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| n.拱廊；(一侧或两侧有商店的)通道 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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temerity
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| n.鲁莽，冒失 | |
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prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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dealer
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| n.商人，贩子 | |
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jewelry
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| n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝 | |
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17
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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18
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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supple
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| 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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20
ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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21
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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23
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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30
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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32
tepid
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| adj.微温的，温热的，不太热心的 | |
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33
invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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34
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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35
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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38
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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39
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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40
infusions
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| n.沏或泡成的浸液（如茶等）( infusion的名词复数 )；注入，注入物 | |
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41
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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42
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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43
stifle
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| vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止 | |
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44
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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45
idiotic
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| adj.白痴的 | |
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46
frigid
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| adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的 | |
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47
cowardice
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| n.胆小，怯懦 | |
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48
docile
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| adj.驯服的，易控制的，容易教的 | |
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49
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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50
benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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51
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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52
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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53
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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54
insipid
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| adj.无味的，枯燥乏味的，单调的 | |
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55
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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56
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57
esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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58
puffs
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| 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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59
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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60
bondage
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| n.奴役，束缚 | |
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61
avenged
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| v.为…复仇，报…之仇( avenge的过去式和过去分词 )；为…报复 | |
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chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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63
enacted
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| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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64
lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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65
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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66
brutality
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| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
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67
revel
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| vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢 | |
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68
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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69
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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70
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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71
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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72
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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