WHEN HE again came to, he was lying in Laure Richis’s bed. The reliquary of clothes and hair had been removed. A candle was burning on the night table. The window was ajar, and he could hear the exultation1 of the town’s revels2 in the distance. An-toine Richis was sitting on a footstool beside the bed watching him. He had placed Grenouille’s hand in his own and was stroking it.
Even before he opened his eyes, Grenouille had checked the atmosphere. Everything was quiet within him. There was no more boiling or bursting. His soul was again dominated as usual by cold night, just what he needed for a frosty and clear conscious mind to be directed to the outside world: there he smelled his perfume. It had changed. Its peaks had leveled off so that the core of Laure’s scent4 emerged more splendidly than ever-a mild, dark, glowing fire. He felt secure. He knew that he was unassailable for a few hours yet, and he opened his eyes.
Richis’s gaze rested on him. An infinite benevolence5 lay in that gaze: tenderness, compassion6, the empty, fatuous7 profundity8 of a lover.
He smiled, pressed Grenouille’s hand more tightly, and said, “It will all turn out all right. The magistrate9 has overturned the verdict. All the witnesses have recanted. You are free. You can do whatever you want. But I would like you to stay here with me. I have lost a daughter, but I want to gain you as my son. You’re very much like her. You are beautiful like her, your hair, your mouth, your hand ... I have been holding your hand all this time, your hand is like hers. And when I look into your eyes, it’s as if she were looking at me. You are her brother, and I want you to become my son, my friend, my pride and joy, my heir. Are your parents still alive?”
Grenouille shook his head, and Richis’s face turned beet10 red for joy. “Then will you be my son?” he stammered11, jumping up from his stool to sit on the edge of the bed and clasp Grenouille’s other hand as well. “Will you? Will you? Will you have me for a father?-Don’t say anything! Don’t speak! You are still too weak to talk. Just nod”
Grenouille nodded. And joy erupted from Richis’s every pore like scarlet12 sweat, and he bent13 down to Grenouille and kissed him on the mouth.
“Sleep now, my dear son!” he said, standing14 back up again. “I will keep watch over you until you have fallen asleep.” And after he had observed him in mute bliss15 for a long time: “You have made me very, very happy.”
Grenouille pulled the corners of his mouth apart, the way he had noticed people do when they smile. Then he closed his eyes. He waited a while before letting his respiration16 grow easy and deep like a sleeper’s. He could feel Richis’s loving gaze on his face. At one point he felt Richis bending forward again to kiss him, but then refraining for fear of waking him. Finally the candle was blown out, and Richis slipped on tiptoe from the room.
Grenouille lay there until he could no longer hear a sound in the house or the town. When he got up, it was already dawn. He dressed and stole away, softly down the hall, softly down the stairs, and through the salon17 out onto the terrace.
From there you could see over the city wall, out across the valley surrounding Grasse-in clear weather probably as far as the sea. A light fog, or better a haze18, hung now over the fields, and the odors that came from them-grass, broom, and rose-seemed washed clean, comfortably plain and simple. Grenouille crossed the garden and climbed over the wall.
Out on the parade grounds he had to fight his way through human effluvia before he reached open country. The whole area and the slopes looked like a gigantic, debauched army camp. Drunken forms by the thousands lay all about, exhausted19 by the dissipations of their nocturnal festivities, many of them naked, many half exposed, half covered by their clothes, which they had used as a sort of blanket to creep under. It stank20 of sour wine, of brandy, of sweat and piss, of baby shit and charred21 meat. The camp-fires where they had roasted, drunk, and danced were still smoking here and there. Now and then a murmur22 or a snigger would gurgle up from the thousands of snores. It was possible that a few people were still awake, guzzling23 away the last scraps24 of consciousness from their brains. But no one saw Grenouille, who carefully but quickly climbed over the scattered25 bodies as if moving across a swamp. And those who saw him did not recognize him. He no longer had any scent. The miracle was over.
Once he had crossed the grounds, he did not take the road toward Grenoble, nor the one to Cabris, but walked straight across the fields toward the west, never once turning to look back. When the sun rose, fat and yellow and scorching26 hot, he had long since vanished.
The people of Grasse awoke with a terrible hangover. Even those who had not drunk had heads heavy as lead and were wretchedly sick to their stomachs and wretchedly sick at heart. Out on the parade grounds, by bright sunlight, simple peasants searched for the clothes they had flung off in the excesses of their orgy; respectable women searched for their husbands and children; total strangers unwound themselves in horror from intimate embraces; acquaintances, neighbors, spouses27 were suddenly standing opposite each other painfully embarrassed by their public nakedness.
For many of them the experience was so ghastly, so completely inexplicable28 and incompatible29 with their genuine moral precepts30 that they had literally31 erased32 it from their memories the moment it happened and as a result truly could not recall any of it later. Others, who were not in such sovereign control of their faculties33 of perception, tried to shut their eyes, their ears, their minds to it-which was not all that easy, for the shame of it was too obvious and too universal. As soon as someone had found his effects and his kin3, he beat as hasty and inconspicuous a retreat as possible. By noon the grounds were as good as swept clean.
The townspeople did not emerge from their houses until evening, if at all, to pursue their most pressing errands. Their greetings when they met were of the most cursory34 sort; they made nothing but small talk. Not a word was said about the events of the morning and the previous night. They were as modest now as they had been uninhibited and brash yesterday. And they were all like that, for they were all guilty. Never was there greater harmony among the citizens of Grasse than on that day-people lived packed in cotton.
Of course, many of them, because of the offices they held, were forced to deal directly with what had happened. The continuity of public life, the inviolability of law and order demanded that swift measures be taken. The town council was in session by afternoon. The gentlemen-the second consul35 among them-embraced one another mutely as if by this conspiratorial36 gesture the body were newly constituted. Then without so much as mentioning the events themselves or even the name Grenouille, they unanimously resolved “immediately to have the scaffold and grandstand on the parade grounds dismantled37 and to have the trampled38 fields surrounding them restored to their former orderly state.” For this purpose, 160 livres were appropriated.
At the same time the judges met at the provost court. The magistrates39 agreed without debate to regard the “case of G.” as settled, to close the files, to place them in the archives without registry, and to open new proceedings40 against the thus-far unidentified murderer of twenty-five maidens41 in the region around Grasse. The order was passed to the police lieutenant42 to begin his investigation43 immediately.
By the next day, he had already made new discoveries. On the basis of incontrovertible evidence, he arrested Dominique Druot, maitre parfumeur in the rue44 de la Louve, since, after all, it was in his cabin that the clothes and hair of all the victims had been found. The judges were not deceived by the lies he told at first. After fourteen hours of torture, he confessed everything and even begged to be executed as soon as possible-which wish was granted and the execution set for the following day. They strung him up by the gray light of dawn, without any fuss, without scaffold or grandstand, with only the hangman, a magistrate of the court, a doctor, and a priest in attendance. Once death had occurred, had been verified and duly recorded, the body was promptly45 buried. With that the case was closed.
The town had forgotten it in any event, forgotten it so totally that travelers who passed through in the days that followed and casually46 inquired about Grasse’s infamous47 murderer of young maidens found not a single sane48 person who could give them any information. Only a few fools from the Charite, notorious lunatics, babbled49 something or other about a great feast on the place du Cours, on account of which they had been forced to vacate their rooms.
And soon life had returned completely to normal. People worked hard and slept well and went about their business and behaved decently. Water gushed50 as it always had from the fountains and wells, sending muck floating down the streets. Once again the town clung shabbily but proudly to its slopes above the fertile basin. The sun shone warmly. Soon it was May. They harvested roses.
收听单词发音 |
1
exultation
|
|
| n.狂喜，得意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
revels
|
|
| n.作乐( revel的名词复数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉v.作乐( revel的第三人称单数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
kin
|
|
| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
scent
|
|
| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
benevolence
|
|
| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
compassion
|
|
| n.同情，怜悯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
fatuous
|
|
| adj.愚昧的；昏庸的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
profundity
|
|
| n.渊博；深奥，深刻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
magistrate
|
|
| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
beet
|
|
| n.甜菜；甜菜根 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
stammered
|
|
| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
scarlet
|
|
| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
bliss
|
|
| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
respiration
|
|
| n.呼吸作用；一次呼吸；植物光合作用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
salon
|
|
| n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
haze
|
|
| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
exhausted
|
|
| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
stank
|
|
| n. (英)坝，堰，池塘 动词stink的过去式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
charred
|
|
| v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
murmur
|
|
| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
guzzling
|
|
| v.狂吃暴饮，大吃大喝( guzzle的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
scraps
|
|
| 油渣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
scorching
|
|
| adj. 灼热的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
spouses
|
|
| n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
inexplicable
|
|
| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
incompatible
|
|
| adj.不相容的，不协调的，不相配的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
precepts
|
|
| n.规诫，戒律，箴言( precept的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
literally
|
|
| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
erased
|
|
| v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
faculties
|
|
| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
cursory
|
|
| adj.粗略的；草率的；匆促的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
consul
|
|
| n.领事；执政官 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
conspiratorial
|
|
| adj.阴谋的，阴谋者的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
dismantled
|
|
| 拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
trampled
|
|
| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
magistrates
|
|
| 地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
proceedings
|
|
| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
maidens
|
|
| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
lieutenant
|
|
| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
investigation
|
|
| n.调查，调查研究 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
rue
|
|
| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
promptly
|
|
| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
casually
|
|
| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
infamous
|
|
| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
sane
|
|
| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
babbled
|
|
| v.喋喋不休( babble的过去式和过去分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
gushed
|
|
| v.喷，涌( gush的过去式和过去分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |