Part 5 Book 5 Chapter 7 The Effects of Dreams Mingled with Happiness

The lovers saw each other every day. Cosette came with M. Fauchelevent.--"This is reversing things," said Mademoiselle Gillenormand, "to have the bride come to the house to do the courting like this." But Marius' convalescence¹ had caused the habit to become established, and the arm-chairs of the Rue² des Filles-du-Calvaire, better adapted to interviews than the straw chairs of the Rue de l'Homme Arme, had rooted it. Marius and M. Fauchelevent saw each other, but did not address each other. It seemed as though this had been agreed upon. Every girl needs a chaperon. Cosette could not have come without M. Fauchelevent. In Marius' eyes, M. Fauchelevent was the condition attached to Cosette. He accepted it. By dint³ of discussing political matters, vaguely⁴ and without precision, from the point of view of the general amelioration of the fate of all men, they came to say a little more than "yes" and "no." Once, on the subject of education, which Marius wished to have free and obligatory⁵, multiplied under all forms lavished⁶ on every one, like the air and the sun in a word, respirable for the entire population, they were in unison⁷, and they almost conversed⁸. M. Fauchelevent talked well, and even with a certain loftiness of language--still he lacked something indescribable. M. Fauchelevent possessed⁹ something less and also something more, than a man of the world.

Marius, inwardly, and in the depths of his thought, surrounded with all sorts of mute questions this M. Fauchelevent, who was to him simply benevolent¹⁰ and cold. There were moments when doubts as to his own recollections occurred to him. There was a void in his memory, a black spot, an abyss excavated¹¹ by four months of agony.--Many things had been lost therein. He had come to the point of asking himself whether it were really a fact that he had seen M. Fauchelevent, so serious and so calm a man, in the barricade¹².

This was not, however, the only stupor¹³ which the apparitions¹⁴ and the disappearances¹⁵ of the past had left in his mind. It must not be supposed that he was delivered from all those obsessions¹⁶ of the memory which force us, even when happy, even when satisfied, to glance sadly behind us. The head which does not turn backwards¹⁷ towards horizons that have vanished contains neither thought nor love. At times, Marius clasped his face between his hands, and the vague and tumultuous past traversed the twilight¹⁸ which reigned¹⁹ in his brain. Again he beheld²⁰ Mabeuf fall, he heard Gavroche singing amid the grape-shot, he felt beneath his lips the cold brow of Eponine; Enjolras, Courfeyrac, Jean Prouvaire, Combeferre, Bossuet, Grantaire, all his friends rose erect²¹ before him, then dispersed²² into thin air. Were all those dear, sorrowful, valiant²³, charming or tragic²⁴ beings merely dreams? Had they actually existed? The revolt had enveloped²⁵ everything in its smoke. These great fevers create great dreams. He questioned himself; he felt himself; all these vanished realities made him dizzy. Where were they all then? was it really true that all were dead? A fall into the shadows had carried off all except himself. It all seemed to him to have disappeared as though behind the curtain of a theatre. There are curtains like this which drop in life. God passes on to the following act.

And he himself--was he actually the same man? He, the poor man, was rich; he, the abandoned, had a family; he, the despairing, was to marry Cosette. It seemed to him that he had traversed a tomb, and that he had entered into it black and had emerged from it white, and in that tomb the others had remained. At certain moments, all these beings of the past, returned and present, formed a circle around him, and overshadowed him; then he thought of Cosette, and recovered his serenity²⁶; but nothing less than this felicity could have sufficed to efface²⁷ that catastrophe²⁸.

M. Fauchelevent almost occupied a place among these vanished beings. Marius hesitated to believe that the Fauchelevent of the barricade was the same as this Fauchelevent in flesh and blood, sitting so gravely beside Cosette. The first was, probably, one of those nightmares occasioned and brought back by his hours of delirium²⁹. However, the natures of both men were rigid³⁰, no question from Marius to M. Fauchelevent was possible. Such an idea had not even occurred to him. We have already indicated this characteristic detail.

Two men who have a secret in common, and who, by a sort of tacit agreement, exchange not a word on the subject, are less rare than is commonly supposed.

Once only, did Marius make the attempt. He introduced into the conversation the Rue de la Chanvrerie, and, turning to M. Fauchelevent, he said to him:

"Of course, you are acquainted with that street?"

"What street?"

"The Rue de la Chanvrerie."

"I have no idea of the name of that street," replied M. Fauchelevent, in the most natural manner in the world.

The response which bore upon the name of the street and not upon the street itself, appeared to Marius to be more conclusive³¹ than it really was.

"Decidedly," thought he, "I have been dreaming. I have been subject to a hallucination. It was some one who resembled him. M. Fauchelevent was not there."

这对情人天天见面。珂赛特和割风先生一同来。“事情颠倒过来了，”吉诺曼小姐说，“未婚妻亲自上门来让情人追求。”但马吕斯病后需要疗养，所以养成这个习惯，同时也因为受难修女街的沙发椅比武人街的草垫椅在促膝谈心时更加舒适，所以把她留住了。马吕斯和割风先生相见并不交谈，这好象是有了默契似的。女孩子都需要一个年长的人陪伴，没有割风先生，珂赛特就不可能来。对马吕斯来说，割风先生是珂赛特来到的条件。他接受了。当马吕斯把关于改善全民生活的政治问题含糊而不明确地摊在桌上谈时，他们相互要比说简单的“是”“不”稍稍多说了几句。有一次，关于教育问题，马吕斯认为应该是免费和强迫，应以各种方式使人人受教育，如同得到空气和阳光一样，一句话，要使全民都能受到教育，这时他们的看法一致了，并且相互间几乎是在进行交谈了。马吕斯这时注意到割风先生很会说话，在一定程度上谈吐甚至是高雅的。可是其中好象还缺少点什么。割风先生缺少某种上流社会绅士所具有的东西，但有些地方又有所超越。

在马吕斯的内心和思想深处，对这个仅仅是和气而又冷淡的割风先生有着各种没张口说出的疑问。有时他对自己的回忆发生怀疑。在他的记忆里有个窟窿，一个黑暗的场所，一个被四个月的垂死挣扎掘成的深渊。很多事在里面消失了。他甚至问自己在街垒里是否真见到了这样一位严肃而又镇静的割风先生。

再说过去的种种事物的出现和消逝并不是他思想里惟一感到惊奇的。不要认为他已摆脱了回忆一切的困扰，这些困扰，尽管在快乐的时候，尽管在心满意足的时候，也会使我们忧伤地回顾以往。不回顾消逝了的昨天的人是没有思想和感情的。有时候马吕斯两手托腮，于是骚乱而又模糊的往事就在他脑海深处掠过。他又见到马白夫倒下去，他听见伽弗洛什在枪林弹雨中唱歌，唇下又感到爱潘妮冰冷的额头；安灼拉、古费拉克、让·勃鲁维尔、公白飞、博须埃、格朗泰尔，所有他的朋友在他面前站起来又幻灭了。所有这些宝贵的、苦痛的、勇敢的、可爱的或悲惨的人是梦中之影还是真正存在过的？暴乱把一切都卷入了它的烟雾。这些热火朝天的人都怀着伟大的理想。他暗自发问，他在思索，消逝了的往事使他头晕目眩。他们究竟在哪里呢？难道真的都死去了吗？在黑暗中的一次跌倒，除了他一人之外，就把一切都带走了。他感到所有这一切好象都消失在剧院的一块幕布后面。生活中有着类似的幕落的场面。上帝又转到下一幕去了。

他自己还是原来的那个人吗？他原是穷苦的，但现在已变成富有的了；他是被遗弃的，现在有一个家了；他原是绝望的，现在要和珂赛特结婚了。他感到自己穿过了一座坟墓，进去时是黑的，出来时成白的了。这座坟墓，别人都留在里面没出来。有时这些过去的人，重新回来并出现在他眼前，围着他，使他沮丧；于是他想到珂赛特，心情又恢复了平静。惟有这一幸福才能消除这种灾难的印象。

割风先生几乎也处在这些消失的人中。马吕斯对于街垒中的割风先生是否就是面前这个有血有肉、庄重地坐在珂赛特旁边的割风先生，始终犹豫不敢相信。第一个割风可能是他在昏迷时刻的噩梦里出现而又幻灭了的。此外他俩的性情太不一样，马吕斯不可能向他摆出问题，也不曾想到过要这样做。我们也已经指出过这一特殊的细节。

两个人有个共同的秘密，而这也象一种默契一样，两人对这个问题并不交谈，而这也不象人们所想的那样比较罕见。

只有一次，马吕斯试探了一下。他在谈话中故意提到麻厂街，于是向割风先生转过身去问道：

“您认识这条街吧？”

“什么街？”

“麻厂街。”

“这一街名我没有一点印象。”割风先生回答他时语气非常自然。

他的回答是涉及街名，而不是涉及街道本身，马吕斯觉得这更说明问题。

“无疑的！”他想道，“肯定我做过乱梦。这是我的一种错觉。那是个和他相似的人。割风先生并没有去过那儿。”

1 convalescence   

n.病后康复期

参考例句：

• She bore up well during her convalescence.她在病后恢复期间始终有信心。
• After convalescence he had a relapse.他于痊愈之后，病又发作了一次。

2 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。

3 dint   

n.由于，靠；凹坑

参考例句：

• He succeeded by dint of hard work.他靠苦干获得成功。
• He reached the top by dint of great effort.他费了很大的劲终于爬到了顶。

4 vaguely   

adv.含糊地，暖昧地

参考例句：

• He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
• He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面，对一切都视而不见。

5 obligatory   

adj.强制性的，义务的，必须的

参考例句：

• It is obligatory for us to obey the laws.我们必须守法。
• It is obligatory on every citizen to safeguard our great motherland.保卫我们伟大的祖国是每一个公民应尽的义务。

6 lavished   

v.过分给予，滥施( lavish的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I lavished all the warmth of my pent-up passion. 我把憋在心里那一股热烈的情感尽量地倾吐出来。 来自辞典例句
• An enormous amount of attention has been lavished on these problems. 在这些问题上，我们已经花费了大量的注意力。 来自辞典例句

7 unison   

n.步调一致，行动一致

参考例句：

• The governments acted in unison to combat terrorism.这些国家的政府一致行动对付恐怖主义。
• My feelings are in unison with yours.我的感情与你的感情是一致的。

8 conversed   

v.交谈，谈话( converse的过去式 )

参考例句：

• I conversed with her on a certain problem. 我与她讨论某一问题。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She was cheerful and polite, and conversed with me pleasantly. 她十分高兴，也很客气，而且愉快地同我交谈。 来自辞典例句

9 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。

10 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。

11 excavated   

v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• The site has been excavated by archaeologists. 这个遗址已被考古学家发掘出来。
• The archaeologists excavated an ancient fortress. 考古学家们发掘出一个古堡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 barricade   

n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住

参考例句：

• The soldiers make a barricade across the road.士兵在路上设路障。
• It is difficult to break through a steel barricade.冲破钢铁障碍很难。

13 stupor   

v.昏迷；不省人事

参考例句：

• As the whisky took effect, he gradually fell into a drunken stupor.随着威士忌酒力发作，他逐渐醉得不省人事。
• The noise of someone banging at the door roused her from her stupor.梆梆的敲门声把她从昏迷中唤醒了。

14 apparitions   

n.特异景象( apparition的名词复数 )；幽灵；鬼；（特异景象等的）出现

参考例句：

• And this year occurs the 90th anniversary of these apparitions. 今年是她显现的九十周年纪念。 来自互联网
• True love is like ghostly apparitions: everybody talks about them but few have ever seen one. 真爱就如同幽灵显现：所有人都谈论它们，但很少有人见到过一个。 来自互联网

15 disappearances   

n.消失( disappearance的名词复数 )；丢失；失踪；失踪案

参考例句：

• Most disappearances are the result of the terrorist activity. 大多数的失踪案都是恐怖分子造成的。 来自辞典例句
• The espionage, the betrayals, the arrests, the tortures, the executions, the disappearances will never cease. 间谍活动、叛党卖国、逮捕拷打、处决灭迹，这种事情永远不会完。 来自英汉文学

16 obsessions   

n.使人痴迷的人（或物）( obsession的名词复数 )；着魔；困扰

参考例句：

• 95% of patients know their obsessions are irrational. 95％的病人都知道他们的痴迷是不理智的。 来自辞典例句
• Too often you get caught in your own obsessions. 所以你时常会沉迷在某个电影里。 来自互联网

17 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

18 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

19 reigned   

vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式）

参考例句：

• Silence reigned in the hall. 全场肃静。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Night was deep and dead silence reigned everywhere. 夜深人静，一片死寂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

20 beheld   

v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟

参考例句：

• His eyes had never beheld such opulence. 他从未见过这样的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soul beheld its features in the mirror of the passing moment. 灵魂在逝去的瞬间的镜子中看到了自己的模样。 来自英汉文学 - 红字

21 erect   

n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的

参考例句：

• She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。
• Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。

22 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

23 valiant   

adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人

参考例句：

• He had the fame of being very valiant.他的勇敢是出名的。
• Despite valiant efforts by the finance minister,inflation rose to 36%.尽管财政部部长采取了一系列果决措施，通货膨胀率还是涨到了36%。

24 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

25 enveloped   

v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was enveloped in a huge white towel. 她裹在一条白色大毛巾里。
• Smoke from the burning house enveloped the whole street. 燃烧着的房子冒出的浓烟笼罩了整条街。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 serenity   

n.宁静，沉着，晴朗

参考例句：

• Her face,though sad,still evoked a feeling of serenity.她的脸色虽然悲伤，但仍使人感觉安详。
• She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.她逃到相对安静的厨房里。

27 efface   

v.擦掉，抹去

参考例句：

• It takes many years to efface the unpleasant memories of a war.许多年后才能冲淡战争的不愉快记忆。
• He could not efface the impression from his mind.他不能把这个印象从心中抹去。

28 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

29 delirium   

n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋

参考例句：

• In her delirium, she had fallen to the floor several times. 她在神志不清的状态下几次摔倒在地上。
• For the next nine months, Job was in constant delirium.接下来的九个月，约伯处于持续精神错乱的状态。

30 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

31 conclusive   

adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的

参考例句：

• They produced some fairly conclusive evidence.他们提供了一些相当确凿的证据。
• Franklin did not believe that the French tests were conclusive.富兰克林不相信这个法国人的实验是结论性的。