Part 4 Book 3 Chapter 2 Jean Valjean as a National Guard

However, properly speaking, he lived in the Rue¹ Plumet, and he had arranged his existence there in the following fashion: --

Cosette and the servant occupied the pavilion; she had the big sleeping-room with the painted pier-glasses, the boudoir with the gilded² fillets, the justice's drawing-room furnished with tapestries³ and vast arm-chairs; she had the garden. Jean Valjean had a canopied⁴ bed of antique damask in three colors and a beautiful Persian rug purchased in the Rue du Figuier-Saint-Paul at Mother Gaucher's, put into Cosette's chamber⁵, and, in order to redeem⁶ the severity of these magnificent old things, he had amalgamated⁷ with this bric-a-brac all the gay and graceful⁸ little pieces of furniture suitable to young girls, an etagere, a bookcase filled with gilt-edged books, an inkstand, a blotting-book, paper, a work-table incrusted with mother of pearl, a silver-gilt dressing-case, a toilet service in Japanese porcelain⁹. Long damask curtains with a red foundation and three colors, like those on the bed, hung at the windows of the first floor. On the ground floor, the curtains were of tapestry¹⁰. All winter long, Cosette's little house was heated from top to bottom. Jean Valjean inhabited the sort of porter's lodge¹¹ which was situated¹² at the end of the back courtyard, with a mattress¹³ on a folding-bed, a white wood table, two straw chairs, an earthenware¹⁴ water-jug, a few old volumes on a shelf, his beloved valise in one corner, and never any fire. He dined with Cosette, and he had a loaf of black bread on the table for his own use.

When Toussaint came, he had said to her: "It is the young lady who is the mistress of this house."--"And you, monsieur?" Toussaint replied in amazement¹⁵.--"I am a much better thing than the master, I am the father."

Cosette had been taught housekeeping in the convent, and she regulated their expenditure¹⁶, which was very modest. Every day, Jean Valjean put his arm through Cosette's and took her for a walk. He led her to the Luxembourg, to the least frequented walk,and every Sunday he took her to mass at Saint-Jacques-du-Haut-Pas, because that was a long way off. As it was a very poor quarter, he bestowed¹⁷ alms largely there, and the poor people surrounded him in church, which had drawn¹⁸ down upon him Thenardier's epistle: "To the benevolent¹⁹ gentleman of the church of Saint-Jacques-du-Haut-Pas." He was fond of taking Cosette to visit the poor and the sick. No stranger ever entered the house in the Rue Plumet. Toussaint brought their provisions, and Jean Valjean went himself for water to a fountain near by on the boulevard. Their wood and wine were put into a half-subterranean hollow lined with rock-work which lay near the Rue de Babylone and which had formerly²⁰ served the chief-justice as a grotto²¹; for at the epoch²² of follies²³ and "Little Houses" no love was without a grotto.

In the door opening on the Rue de Babylone, there was a box destined²⁴ for the reception of letters and papers; only, as the three inhabitants of the pavilion in the Rue Plumet received neither papers nor letters, the entire usefulness of that box, formerly the go-between of a love affair, and the confidant of a love-lorn lawyer, was now limited to the tax-collector's notices, and the summons of the guard. For M. Fauchelevent, independent gentleman, belonged to the national guard; he had not been able to escape through the fine meshes²⁵ of the census²⁶ of 1831. The municipal information collected at that time had even reached the convent of the Petit-Picpus, a sort of impenetrable and holy cloud, whence Jean Valjean had emerged in venerable guise²⁷, and, consequently, worthy²⁸ of mounting guard in the eyes of the townhall.

Three or four times a year, Jean Valjean donned his uniform and mounted guard; he did this willingly, however; it was a correct disguise which mixed him with every one, and yet left him solitary²⁹. Jean Valjean had just attained³⁰ his sixtieth birthday, the age of legal exemption³¹; but he did not appear to be over fifty; moreover, he had no desire to escape his sergeant-major nor to quibble with Comte de Lobau; he possessed³² no civil status, he was concealing³³ his name, he was concealing his identity,so he concealed³⁴ his age, he concealed everything; and, as we have just said, he willingly did his duty as a national guard; the sum of his ambition lay in resembling any other man who paid his taxes. This man had for his ideal, within, the angel, without, the bourgeois³⁵.

Let us note one detail, however; when Jean Valjean went out with Cosette, he dressed as the reader has already seen, and had the air of a retired³⁶ officer. When he went out alone, which was generally at night, he was always dressed in a workingman's trousers and blouse, and wore a cap which concealed his face. Was this precaution or humility³⁷? Both. Cosette was accustomed to the enigmatical side of her destiny, and hardly noticed her father's peculiarities³⁸. As for Toussaint, she venerated³⁹ Jean Valjean, and thought everything he did right.

One day, her butcher, who had caught a glimpse of Jean Valjean, said to her: "That's a queer fish." She replied: "He's a saint." Neither Jean Valjean nor Cosette nor Toussaint ever entered or emerged except by the door on the Rue de Babylone. Unless seen through the garden gate it would have been difficult to guess that they lived in the Rue Plumet. That gate was always closed. Jean Valjean had left the garden uncultivated, in order not to attract attention.

In this, possibly, he made a mistake.

其实，严格说来，他是住在卜吕梅街的，他把他的生活作了如下的安排：

珂赛特带着女仆住楼房，她有那间墙壁刷过漆的大卧房，那间装了金漆直线浮雕的起坐间，当年院长用的那间有地毯、壁衣和大圈椅的客厅，她还有那个花园。冉阿让在珂赛特的卧房里放了一张带一顶古式三色花缎帐幔的床和一条从圣保罗无花果树街戈什妈妈铺子里买来的古老而华丽的波斯地毯，并且，为了冲淡这些精美的古老陈设所引起的严肃气氛，在那些古物之外，他又配置了一整套适合少女的灵巧雅致的小用具：多宝槅、书柜和金边书籍、文具、吸墨纸、嵌螺钿的工作台、银质镀金的针线盒、日本瓷梳妆用具。楼上窗子上，挂的是和帐幔一致的三色深红花缎长窗帘，底层屋子里是毛织窗帘。整个冬季，珂赛特的房子里从上到下都是生了火的。他呢，住在后院的那种下房里，帆布榻上放一条草褥、一张白木桌、两张麦秸椅、一个陶瓷水罐，一块木板上放着几本旧书，他那宝贝提箱放在屋角里，从来不生火。他和珂赛特同桌进餐，桌上有一块为他准备的陈面包。杜桑进家时他对她说：“我们家里的主人是小姐。”杜桑感到有些诧异，她反问道：“那么，您呢，先棗生？”“我嘛，我比主人高多了，我是父亲。”

珂赛特在修院里学会了管理家务，现在的家用，为数不多，全归她调度。冉阿让每天都挽着珂赛特的臂膀，带她去散步。他领她到卢森堡公园里那条游人最少的小路上去走走，每星期日去做弥撒，老是在圣雅克·德·奥·巴教堂，因为那地方相当远。这是个很穷的地段，他在那里常常布施，在教堂里，他的四周总围满了穷人，因此德纳第在信里称他为“圣雅克·德·奥·巴教堂的行善的先生”。他喜欢带珂赛特去访贫问苦。卜吕梅街的那所房子从没有陌生人进去过。杜桑采购食物，冉阿让亲自到门外附近大路边的一个水龙头上去取水。木柴和酒，放在巴比伦街那扇门内附近的一个不怎么深的地窨子里，地窨子的壁上，铺了一层鹅卵石和贝壳之类的东西，是当年院长先生当作石窟用的，因为在外室和小房子盛行一时的那些年代里，没有石窟是不能想象爱情的。

在巴比伦街的那独扇的大门上，有个扑满式的箱子，是用来放信件和报刊的，不过住在卜吕梅街楼房里的这三位房客，从没有收到过报纸，也没有收到过信，这个曾为人传达风情并听取过脂粉贵人倾诉衷肠的箱子，到现在，它的唯一作用已只限于收受税吏的收款单和自卫军的通知了。因为，割风先生，固定年息领取者，参加了国民自卫军；他没能漏过一八三一年那次人口调查的密网。当时市府的调查一直追溯到小比克布斯修院，在那里遇到了无法穿透的神圣云雾，冉阿让既是从那面出来的，并经区政府证明为人正派，当然也就够得上参加兵役。

冉阿让每年总有三次或四次，穿上军服去站岗，而且他很乐意，因为，对他来说，这是一种正当的障眼法，既能和大家混在一起，又能单独值勤。冉阿让刚满六十岁，合法的免役年龄，但是他那模样还只象个五十以下的人，他完全没有意思要逃避他的连长，也不想去和罗博伯爵①抬杠，他没有公民地位，他隐瞒自己的姓名，他隐瞒自己的身份，他隐瞒自己的年龄，他隐瞒一切，但是，我们刚才已经说过，这是个意志坚定的国民自卫军。能和所有的人一样交付他的税款，这便是他的整个人生志趣。这个理想人物，在内心，是天使，在外表，是资产阶级。

①罗博（Lobau，1770?838），想是当时国民自卫军的长官。

然而有个细节我们得留意一下。冉阿让带着珂赛特一道出门时，他的衣着，正如我们所看到的，相当象一个退役军官。当他独自出门时，并且那总是在天黑以后，便经常穿一身工人的短上衣和长裤，戴一顶鸭舌帽，把脸遮起来。这是出于谨慎还是出于谦卑呢？两样都是。珂赛特已习惯于自己的离奇费解的命运，几乎没有注意她父亲的独特之处。至于杜桑，她对冉阿让是极其敬服的，觉得他的一举一动都无可非议。一天，那个经常卖肉给她的屠夫望见了冉阿让，对她说：“这是个古怪的家伙。”她回答说：“这是个圣人。”

冉阿让、珂赛特和杜桑从来都只从巴比伦街上的那扇门进出。如果不是他们偶然也在花园铁栏门内露露面，别人便难于猜想他们住在卜吕梅街。那道铁栏门是从来不开的。冉阿让也不修整那园子，免得惹人注意。

在这一点上他也许错了。

1 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。

2 gilded   

a.镀金的，富有的

参考例句：

• The golden light gilded the sea. 金色的阳光使大海如金子般闪闪发光。
• "Friends, they are only gilded disks of lead!" "朋友们，这只不过是些镀金的铅饼！ 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡

3 tapestries   

n.挂毯( tapestry的名词复数 )；绣帷，织锦v.用挂毯（或绣帷）装饰( tapestry的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The wall of the banqueting hall were hung with tapestries. 宴会厅的墙上挂有壁毯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The rooms were hung with tapestries. 房间里都装饰着挂毯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 canopied   

adj. 遮有天篷的

参考例句：

• Mist canopied the city. 薄雾笼罩着城市。
• The centrepiece was a magnificent canopied bed belonged to Talleyrand, the great 19th-century French diplomat. 展位中心是一架华丽的四柱床，它的故主是19世纪法国著名外交家塔列郎。

5 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

6 redeem   

v.买回，赎回，挽回，恢复，履行（诺言等）

参考例句：

• He had no way to redeem his furniture out of pawn.他无法赎回典当的家具。
• The eyes redeem the face from ugliness.这双眼睛弥补了他其貌不扬之缺陷。

7 amalgamated   

v.（使）（金属）汞齐化( amalgamate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）合并；联合；结合

参考例句：

• The company has now amalgamated with another local firm. 这家公司现在已与当地一家公司合并了。
• Those two organizations have been amalgamated into single one. 那两个组织已合并为一个组织。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

9 porcelain   

n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的

参考例句：

• These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.这些瓷盘的花纹很别致。
• The porcelain vase is enveloped in cotton.瓷花瓶用棉花裹着。

10 tapestry   

n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面

参考例句：

• How about this artistic tapestry and this cloisonne vase?这件艺术挂毯和这个景泰蓝花瓶怎么样？
• The wall of my living room was hung with a tapestry.我的起居室的墙上挂着一块壁毯。

11 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

12 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。

13 mattress   

n.床垫，床褥

参考例句：

• The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
• The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。

14 earthenware   

n.土器，陶器

参考例句：

• She made sure that the glassware and earthenware were always spotlessly clean.她总是把玻璃器皿和陶器洗刷得干干净净。
• They displayed some bowls of glazed earthenware.他们展出了一些上釉的陶碗。

15 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

16 expenditure   

n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗

参考例句：

• The entry of all expenditure is necessary.有必要把一切开支入账。
• The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether.我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。

17 bestowed   

赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was a title bestowed upon him by the king. 那是国王赐给他的头衔。
• He considered himself unworthy of the honour they had bestowed on him. 他认为自己不配得到大家赋予他的荣誉。

18 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

19 benevolent   

adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的

参考例句：

• His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him.他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。
• He was a benevolent old man and he wouldn't hurt a fly.他是一个仁慈的老人，连只苍蝇都不愿伤害。

20 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。

21 grotto   

n.洞穴

参考例句：

• We reached a beautiful grotto,whose entrance was almost hiden by the vine.我们到达了一个美丽的洞穴，洞的进口几乎被藤蔓遮掩著。
• Water trickles through an underground grotto.水沿着地下岩洞流淌。

22 epoch   

n.(新)时代；历元

参考例句：

• The epoch of revolution creates great figures.革命时代造就伟大的人物。
• We're at the end of the historical epoch,and at the dawn of another.我们正处在一个历史时代的末期，另一个历史时代的开端。

23 follies   

罪恶，时事讽刺剧； 愚蠢，蠢笨，愚蠢的行为、思想或做法( folly的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He has given up youthful follies. 他不再做年轻人的荒唐事了。
• The writings of Swift mocked the follies of his age. 斯威夫特的作品嘲弄了他那个时代的愚人。

24 destined   

adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的

参考例句：

• It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
• The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。

25 meshes   

网孔( mesh的名词复数 )； 网状物； 陷阱； 困境

参考例句：

• The net of Heaven has large meshes, but it lets nothing through. 天网恢恢，疏而不漏。
• This net has half-inch meshes. 这个网有半英寸见方的网孔。

26 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

27 guise   

n.外表，伪装的姿态

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors.他们假装成视察员进了学校。
• The thief came into the house under the guise of a repairman.那小偷扮成个修理匠进了屋子。

28 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。

29 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

30 attained   

（通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）

参考例句：

• She has attained the degree of Master of Arts. 她已获得文学硕士学位。
• Lu Hsun attained a high position in the republic of letters. 鲁迅在文坛上获得崇高的地位。

31 exemption   

n.豁免，免税额，免除

参考例句：

• You may be able to apply for exemption from local taxes.你可能符合资格申请免除地方税。
• These goods are subject to exemption from tax.这些货物可以免税。

32 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。

33 concealing   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Despite his outward display of friendliness, I sensed he was concealing something. 尽管他表现得友善，我还是感觉到他有所隐瞒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• SHE WAS BREAKING THE COMPACT, AND CONCEALING IT FROM HIM. 她违反了他们之间的约定，还把他蒙在鼓里。 来自英汉文学 - 三万元遗产

34 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

35 bourgeois   

adj./n.追求物质享受的(人)；中产阶级分子

参考例句：

• He's accusing them of having a bourgeois and limited vision.他指责他们像中产阶级一样目光狭隘。
• The French Revolution was inspired by the bourgeois.法国革命受到中产阶级的鼓励。

36 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

37 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

38 peculiarities   

n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪

参考例句：

• the cultural peculiarities of the English 英国人的文化特点
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another. 他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

39 venerated   

敬重（某人或某事物），崇敬( venerate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My father venerated General Eisenhower. 我父亲十分敬仰艾森豪威尔将军。
• He used the sacraments and venerated the saints. 他行使圣事，崇拜圣人。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史