Chapter XVIII

　　In fact, the news had just come, that the Western Railroad, the lastone that had remained open, was now cut off.

Paris was invested; and so rapid had been the investment, that itcould hardly be believed.

People went in crowds on all the culminating points, the hills ofMontmartre, and the heights of the Trocadero. Telescopes had beenerected there; and every one was anxious to scan the horizon, andlook for the Prussians.

But nothing could be discovered. The distant fields retained theirquiet and smiling aspect under the mild rays of the autumn sun.

So that it really required quite an effort of imagination to realizethe sinister¹ fact, to understand that Paris, with its two millionsof inhabitants, was indeed cut off from the world and separated fromthe rest of France, by an insurmountable circle of steel.

Doubt, and something like a vague hope, could be traced in the toneof the people who met on the streets, saying,"Well, it's all over: we can't leave any more. Letters, even,cannot pass. No more news, eh?"But the next day, which was the 19th of September, the mostincredulous were convinced.

For the first time Paris shuddered² at the hoarse³ voice of the cannon⁴,thundering on the heights of Chatillon. The siege of Paris, thatsiege without example in history, had commenced.

The life of the Favorals during these interminable days of anguishand suffering, was that of a hundred thousand other families.

Incorporated in the battalion⁵ of his ward⁶, the cashier of the MutualCredit went off two or three times a week, as well as all hisneighbors, to mount guard on the ramparts, - a useless serviceperhaps, but which those that performed it did not look upon as such,- a very arduous⁸ service, at any rate, for poor merchants, accustomedto the comforts of their shops, or the quiet of their offices.

To be sure, there was nothing heroic in tramping through the mud,in receiving the rain or the snow upon the back, in sleeping on theground or on dirty straw, in remaining on guard with the thermometertwenty degrees below the freezing-point. But people die of pleurisyquite as certainly as of a Prussian bullet; and many died of it.

Maxence showed himself but rarely at Rue⁹ St. Gilles: enlisted¹⁰ in abattalion of sharpshooters, he did duty at the advanced posts. And,as to Mme. Favoral and Mlle. Gilberte, they spent the day trying toget something to live on. Rising before daylight, through rain orsnow, they took their stand before the butcher's stall, and, afterwaiting for hours, received a small slice of horse-meat.

Alone in the evening, by the side of the hearth¹¹ where a few piecesof green wood smoked without burning, they started at each of thedistant reports of the cannon. At each detonation¹² that shook thewindow-panes, Mme. Favoral thought that it was, perhaps, the onethat had killed her son.

And Mlle. Gilberte was thinking of Marius de Tregars. The accurseddays of November and December had come. There were constant rumorsof bloody¹³ battles around Orleans. She imagined Marius, mortallywounded, expiring on the snow, alone, without help, and without afriend to receive his supreme¹⁴ will and his last breath.

One evening the vision was so clear, and the impression so strong,that she started up with a loud cry.

"What is it?" asked Mme. Favoral, alarmed. "What is the matter?"With a little perspicacity¹⁵, the worthy¹⁶ woman could easily haveobtained her daughter's secret; for Mlle. Gilberte was not incondition to deny anything. But she contented¹⁷ herself with anexplanation which meant nothing, and had not a suspicion, whenthe girl answered with a forced smile,"It's nothing, dear mother, nothing but an absurd idea that crossedmy mind."Strange to say, never had the cashier of the Mutual⁷ Credit been forhis family what he was during these months of trials.

During the first weeks of the siege he had been anxious, agitated,nervous; he wandered through the house like a soul in trouble; hehad moments of inconceivable prostration¹⁸, during which tears couldbe seen rolling down upon his cheeks, and then fits of angerwithout motive¹⁹.

But each day that elapsed had seemed to bring calm to his soul.

Little by little, he had become to his wife so indulgent and soaffectionate, that the poor helot felt her heart touched. He hadfor his daughter attentions which caused her to wonder.

Often, when the weather was fine, he took them out walking, leadingthem along the quays²⁰ towards a part of the walls occupied by thebattalion of their ward. Twice he took them to St. Onen, where thesharp-shooters were encamped to which Maxence belonged.

Another day he wished to take them to visit M. de Thaller's house,of which he had charge. They refused, and instead of getting angry,as he certainly would have done formerly²¹, he commenced describing tohem the splendors²² of the apartments, the magnificent furniture, thecarpets and the hangings, the paintings by the great masters, theobjects of arts, the bronzes, in a word, all that dazzling luxuryof which financiers make use, somewhat as hunters do of the mirrorwith which larks²³ are caught.

Of business, nothing was ever said.

He went every morning as far as the office of the Mutual Credit;but, as he said, it was solely²⁴ as a matter of form. Once in a longwhile, M. Saint Pavin and the younger Jottras paid a visit to theRue St. Gilles. They had suspended, - the one the payments of hisbanking house; the other, the publication of "The Financial Pilot."But they were not idle for all that; and, in the midst of the publicdistress, they still managed to speculate upon something, no oneknew what, and to realize profits.

They rallied pleasantly the fools who had faith in the defence, andimitated in the most laughable manner the appearance, under theirsoldier's coat, of three or four of their friends who had joinedthe marching battalions²⁵. They boasted that they had no privationsto endure, and always knew where to find the fresh butter wherewithto dress the large slices of beef which they possessed²⁶ the art offinding. Mme. Favoral heard them laugh; and M. Saint Pavin, themanager of " The Financial Pilot," exclaimed,"Come, come! we would be fools to complain. It is a generalliquidation, without risks and without costs." Their mirth hadsomething revolting in it; for it was now the last and most acuteperiod of the siege.

At the beginning. the greatest optimists²⁷ hardly thought that Pariscould hold out longer than six weeks. And now the investment hadlasted over four months. The population was reduced to namelessarticles of food. The supply of bread had failed; the wounded, forlack of a little soup, died in the ambulances; old people andchildren perished by the hundred; on the left bank the shells camedown thick and fast, the weather was intensely cold, and there wasno more fuel.

And yet no one complained. From the midst of that population oftwo millions of inhabitants, not one voice rose to beg for theircomfort, their health, their life even, at the cost of acapitulation.

Clear-sighted men had never hoped that Paris alone could compelthe raising of the siege; but they thought, that by holding out,and keeping the Prussians under its walls, Paris would give toFrance time to rise, to organize armies, and to rush upon the enemy.

There was the duty of Paris; and Paris was toiling²⁸ to fulfil it tothe utmost limits of possibility, reckoning as a victory each daythat it gained.

Unfortunately, all this suffering was to be in vain. The fatalhour struck, when, supplies being exhausted²⁹, it became necessaryto surrender. During three days the Prussians camped in the ChampsElysees, gazing with longing³⁰ eyes upon that city, object of theirmost eager desires, - that Paris within which, victorious³¹ thoughthey were, they had not dared to venture. Then, soon after,communications were reopened; and one morning, as he received aletter from Switzerland,"It is from the Baron³² de Thaller!" exclaimed M. Favoral.

Exactly so. The manager of the Mutual Credit was a prudent³³ man.

Pleasantly situated³⁴ in Switzerland, he was in nowise anxious toreturn to Paris before being quite certain that he had no risksto run.

Upon receiving M. Favoral's assurances to that effect, he started;and, almost at the same time the elder Jottras and M. Costeclarmade their appearance.

1 sinister   

adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的

参考例句：

• There is something sinister at the back of that series of crimes.在这一系列罪行背后有险恶的阴谋。
• Their proposals are all worthless and designed out of sinister motives.他们的建议不仅一钱不值，而且包藏祸心。

2 shuddered   

v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车，车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 hoarse   

adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的

参考例句：

• He asked me a question in a hoarse voice.他用嘶哑的声音问了我一个问题。
• He was too excited and roared himself hoarse.他过于激动，嗓子都喊哑了。

4 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。

5 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

6 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

7 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

8 arduous   

adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的

参考例句：

• We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
• The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。

9 rue   

n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔

参考例句：

• You'll rue having failed in the examination.你会悔恨考试失败。
• You're going to rue this the longest day that you live.你要终身悔恨不尽呢。

10 enlisted   

adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持）

参考例句：

• enlisted men and women 男兵和女兵
• He enlisted with the air force to fight against the enemy. 他应募加入空军对敌作战。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 hearth   

n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面

参考例句：

• She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来，在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。
• She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里，打开电灯。

12 detonation   

n.爆炸；巨响

参考例句：

• A fearful detonation burst forth on the barricade.街垒传来一阵骇人的爆炸声。
• Within a few hundreds of microseconds,detonation is complete.在几百微秒之内，爆炸便完成了。

13 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

14 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

15 perspicacity   

n. 敏锐, 聪明, 洞察力

参考例句：

• Perspicacity includes selective code, selective comparing and selective combining. 洞察力包括选择性编码、选择性比较、选择性联合。
• He may own the perspicacity and persistence to catch and keep the most valuable thing. 他可能拥有洞察力和坚忍力，可以抓住和保有人生中最宝贵的东西。

16 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。

17 contented   

adj.满意的，安心的，知足的

参考例句：

• He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
• The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。

18 prostration   

n. 平伏, 跪倒, 疲劳

参考例句：

• a state of prostration brought on by the heat 暑热导致的虚脱状态
• A long period of worrying led to her nervous prostration. 长期的焦虑导致她的神经衰弱。

19 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

20 quays   

码头( quay的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She drove across the Tournelle bridge and across the busy quays to the Latin quarter. 她驾车开过图尔内勒桥，穿过繁忙的码头开到拉丁区。
• When blasting is close to such installations as quays, the charge can be reduced. 在靠近如码头这类设施爆破时，装药量可以降低。

21 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

22 splendors   

n.华丽( splendor的名词复数 )；壮丽；光辉；显赫

参考例句：

• The sun rose presently and sent its unobstructed splendors over the land. 没多大工夫，太阳就出来了，毫无阻碍，把它的光华异彩散布在大地之上。 来自辞典例句
• Her mortal frame could not endure the splendors of the immortal radiance. 她那世人的肉身禁不住炽热的神光。 来自辞典例句

23 larks   

n.百灵科鸟（尤指云雀）( lark的名词复数 )；一大早就起床；鸡鸣即起；（因太费力而不想干时说）算了v.百灵科鸟（尤指云雀）( lark的第三人称单数 )；一大早就起床；鸡鸣即起；（因太费力而不想干时说）算了

参考例句：

• Maybe if she heard the larks sing she'd write. 玛丽听到云雀的歌声也许会写信的。 来自名作英译部分
• But sure there are no larks in big cities. 可大城市里哪有云雀呢。” 来自名作英译部分

24 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

25 battalions   

n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍

参考例句：

• God is always on the side of the strongest battalions. 上帝总是帮助强者。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Two battalions were disposed for an attack on the air base. 配置两个营的兵力进攻空军基地。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

26 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

27 optimists   

n.乐观主义者( optimist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Even optimists admit the outlook to be poor. 甚至乐观的人都认为前景不好。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Optimists reckon house prices will move up with inflation this year. 乐观人士认为今年的房价将会随通货膨胀而上涨。 来自辞典例句

28 toiling   

长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉

参考例句：

• The fiery orator contrasted the idle rich with the toiling working classes. 这位激昂的演说家把无所事事的富人同终日辛劳的工人阶级进行了对比。
• She felt like a beetle toiling in the dust. She was filled with repulsion. 她觉得自己像只甲虫在地里挣扎，心中涌满愤恨。

29 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

30 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

31 victorious   

adj.胜利的，得胜的

参考例句：

• We are certain to be victorious.我们定会胜利。
• The victorious army returned in triumph.获胜的部队凯旋而归。

32 baron   

n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王

参考例句：

• Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。
• The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。

33 prudent   

adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
• You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。

34 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。