Juliette had just attained1 her twentieth year when a certain Comte de Lorsange, a gentleman out of Anjou, about forty years of age, became so captivated by her he resolved to bestow2 his name upon her; he awarded her an income of twelve thousand pounds and assured her of the rest of his fortune were he to be the first to die; he gave her, as well, a house, servants, lackeys3, and the sort of mundane4 consideration which, in the space of two or three years, succeeded in causing her beginnings to be forgot.
It was at this point the fell Juliette, oblivious5 of all the fine feelings that had been hers by birthright and good education, warped6 by bad counsel and dangerous books, spurred by the desire to enjoy herself, but alone, and to have a name but not a single chain, bent7 her attentions to the culpable8 idea of abridging9 her husband's days. The odious10 project once conceived, she consolidated11 her scheme during those dangerous moments when the physical aspect is fired by ethical12 error, instants when one refuses oneself much less, for then nothing is opposed to the irregularity of vows13 or to the impetuosity of desires, and the voluptuousness14 one experiences is sharp and lively only by reason of the number of the restraints whence one bursts free, or their sanctity. The dream dissipated, were one to recover one's common-sense mood the thing would be of but mediocre15 import, 'tis the story of mental wrong-doing; everyone knows very well it offends no one; but, alas16! one sometimes carries the thing a little farther. What, one ventures to wonder, what would not be the idea's realization18, if its mere19 abstract shape has just exalted20, has just so profoundly moved one? The accursed reverie is vivified, and its existence is a crime.
Fortunately for herself, Madame de Lorsange executed it in such secrecy21 that she was sheltered from all pursuit and with her husband she buried all traces of the frightful22 deed which precipitated23 him into the tomb.
Once again become free, and a countess, Madame de Lorsange returned to her former habits; but, believing herself to have some figure in the world, she put somewhat less of the indecent in her deportment. 'Twas no longer a kept girl, 'twas a rich widow who gave pretty suppers at which the Court and the City were only too happy to be included; in a word, we have here a correct woman who, all the same, would to bed for two hundred louis, and who gave herself for five hundred a month.
Until she reached the age of twenty-six, Madame de Lorsange made further brilliant conquests: she wrought24 the financial downfall of three foreign ambassadors, four Farmers-general, two bishops25, a cardinal26, and three knights27 of the King's Order; but as it is rarely one stops after the first offense28, especially when it has turned out very happily, the unhappy Juliette blackened herself with two additional crimes similar to the first: one in order to plunder29 a lover who had entrusted30 a considerable sum to her, of which the man's family had no intelligence; the other in order to capture a legacy31 of one hundred thousand crowns another one of her lovers granted her in the name of a third, who was charged to pay her that amount after his death. To these horrors Madame de Lorsange added three or four infanticides. The fear of spoiling her pretty figure, the desire to conceal32 a double intrigue33, all combined to make her resolve to stifle34 the proof of her debauches in her womb; and these mis-deeds, like the others, unknown, did not prevent our adroit35 and ambitious woman from finding new dupes every day.
It is hence true that prosperity may attend conduct of the very worst, and that in the very thick of disorder36 and corruption37, all of what mankind calls happiness may shed itself bountifully upon life; but let this cruel and fatal truth cause no alarm; let honest folk be no more seriously tormented38 by the example we are going to present of disaster everywhere dogging the heels of Virtue39; this criminal felicity is deceiving, it is seeming only; independently of the punishment most certainly reserved by Providence40 for those whom success in crime has seduced41, do they not nourish in the depths of their soul a worm which unceasingly gnaws42, prevents them from finding joy in these fictive gleams of meretricious43 well-being44, and, instead of delights, leaves naught45 in their soul but the rending46 memory of the crimes which have led them to where they are? With what regards the luckless one fate persecutes47, he has his heart for his comfort, and the interior ecstasies48 virtues49 procure50 bring him speedy restitution51 for the injustice52 of men.
Such was the state of affairs with Madame de Lorsange when Monsieur de Corville, fifty, a notable wielding53 the influence and possessing the privileges described further above, resolved entirely54 to sacrifice himself for this woman and to attach her to himself forever. Whether thanks to diligent55 attention, whether to maneuver56, whether to policy on the part of Madame de Lorsange, he succeeded, and there had passed four years during which he dwelt with her, entirely as if with a legitimate57 wife, when the acquisition of a very handsome property not far from Montargis obliged both of them to go and spend some time in the Bourbonnais.
One evening, when the excellence58 of the weather had induced them to prolong their stroll beyond the bounds of their estate and toward Montargis, too fatigued59, both, to attempt to return home as they had left, they halted at the inn where the coach from Lyon stops, with the intention of sending a man by horse to fetch them a carriage. In a cool, low-ceilinged room in this house, looking out upon a courtyard, they took their ease and were resting when the coach we just mentioned drew up at the hostelry.
It is a commonplace amusement to watch the arrival of a coach and the passengers' descent: one wagers60 on the sort of persons who are in it, and if one has gambled upon a whore, an officer, a few abbots and a monk61, one is almost certain to win. Madame de Lorsange rises, Monsieur de Corville follows her; from the window they see the well-jolted company reel into the inn. There seemed to be no one left in the carriage when an officer of the mounted constabulary, stepping to the ground, received in his arms, from one of his comrades poised62 high on top of the coach, a girl of twenty-six or twenty-seven, dressed in a worn calico jacket and swathed to the eyes in a great black taffeta mantle63. She was bound hand and foot like a criminal, and in such a weakened state, she would surely have fallen had her guards not given her support. A cry of surprise and horror escaped from Madame de Lorsange: the girl turned and revealed, together with the loveliest figure imaginable, the most noble, the most agreeable, the most interesting visage, in brief, there were there all the charms of a sort to please, and they were rendered yet a thousand times more piquant64 by that tender and touching65 air innocence66 contributes to the traits of beauty.
Monsieur de Corville and his mistress could not suppress their interest in the miserable67 girl. They approached, they demanded of one of the troopers what the unhappy creature had done.
"She is accused of three crimes," replied the constable68, "'tis a question of murder, theft and arson69; but I wish to tell your lordship that my comrade and I have never been so reluctant to take a criminal into custody70; she's the most gentle thing, d'ye know, and seems to be the most honest too."
"Oh, la," said Monsieur de Corville, "it might easily be one of those blunders so frequent in the lower courts... and where were these crimes committed ?"
"At an inn several leagues from Lyon, it's at Lyon she was tried; in accordance with custom she's going to Paris for confirmation71 of the sentence and then will be returned to Lyon to be executed."
Madame de Lorsange, having heard these words, said in lowered voice to Monsieur de Corville, that she fain would have from the girl's own lips the story of her troubles, and Monsieur de Corville, who was possessed72 of the same desire, expressed it to the pair of guards and identified himself. The officers saw no reason not to oblige, everyone decided73 to stay the night at Montargis; comfortable accomodations were called for; Monsieur de Corville declared he would be responsible for the prisoner, she was unbound, and when she had been given something to eat, Madame de Lorsange, unable to control her very great curiosity, and doubtless saying to herself, "This creature, perhaps innocent, is, however, treated like a criminal, whilst about me all is prosperity... I who am soiled with crimes and horrors"; Madame de Lorsange I say, as soon as she observed the poor girl to be somewhat restored, to some measure reassured74 by the caresses75 they hastened to bestow upon her, besought76 her to tell how it had fallen out that she, with so very sweet a face, found herself in such a dreadful plight77.
"To recount you the story of my life, Madame," this lovely one in distress78 said to the Countess, "is to offer you the most striking example of innocence oppressed, is to accuse the hand of Heaven, is to bear complaint against the Supreme79 Being's will, is, in a sense, to rebel against His sacred designs... I dare not..." Tears gathered in this interesting girl's eyes and, after having given vent17 to them for a moment, she began her recitation in these terms.
Permit me to conceal my name and birth, Madame; without being illustrious, they are distinguished80, and my origins did not destine me to the humiliation81 to which you see me reduced. When very young I lost my parents; provided with the slender inheritance they had left me, I thought I could expect a suitable position and, refusing to accept all those which were not, I gradually spent, at Paris where I was born, the little I possessed; the poorer I became, the more I was despised; the greater became my need of support, the less I was able to hope for it; but from amongst all the severities to which I was exposed at the beginning of my woeful career, from amongst all the terrible proposals that were made me, I will cite to you what befell me at the home of Monsieur Dubourg, one of the capital's richest tradesmen. The woman with whom I had lodgings82 had recommended him to me as someone whose influence and wealth might be able to meliorate the harshness of my situation; after having waited a very long time in this man's antechamber, I was admitted; Monsieur Dubourg, aged83 forty-eight, had just risen out of bed, and was wrapped in a dressing84 gown which barely hid his disorder; they were about to prepare his coiffure; he dismissed his servants and asked me what I wanted with him.
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attained
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| （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） | |
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bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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lackeys
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| n.听差( lackey的名词复数 )；男仆（通常穿制服）；卑躬屈膝的人；被待为奴仆的人 | |
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mundane
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| adj.平凡的；尘世的；宇宙的 | |
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oblivious
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| adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的 | |
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warped
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| adj.反常的；乖戾的；（变）弯曲的；变形的v.弄弯，变歪( warp的过去式和过去分词 )；使（行为等）不合情理，使乖戾， | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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culpable
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| adj.有罪的，该受谴责的 | |
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abridging
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| 节略( abridge的现在分词 )； 减少； 缩短； 剥夺（某人的）权利（或特权等） | |
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odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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consolidated
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| a.联合的 | |
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ethical
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| adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的 | |
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vows
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| 誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿 | |
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voluptuousness
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| n.风骚，体态丰满 | |
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mediocre
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| adj.平常的，普通的 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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secrecy
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| n.秘密，保密，隐蔽 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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precipitated
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| v.（突如其来地）使发生( precipitate的过去式和过去分词 )；促成；猛然摔下；使沉淀 | |
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wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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bishops
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| （基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象 | |
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cardinal
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| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
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knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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legacy
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| n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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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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stifle
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| vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止 | |
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adroit
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| adj.熟练的，灵巧的 | |
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disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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41
seduced
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| 诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾引； 诱使堕落； 使入迷 | |
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42
gnaws
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| 咬( gnaw的第三人称单数 )； （长时间） 折磨某人； （使）苦恼； （长时间）危害某事物 | |
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43
meretricious
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| adj.华而不实的，俗艳的 | |
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44
well-being
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| n.安康，安乐，幸福 | |
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45
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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rending
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| v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 )；分裂；（因愤怒、痛苦等而）揪扯（衣服或头发等）；（声音等）刺破 | |
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persecutes
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| （尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的第三人称单数 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人 | |
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48
ecstasies
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| 狂喜( ecstasy的名词复数 )； 出神； 入迷； 迷幻药 | |
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49
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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50
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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restitution
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| n.赔偿；恢复原状 | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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53
wielding
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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54
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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diligent
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| adj.勤勉的，勤奋的 | |
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maneuver
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| n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略 | |
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legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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fatigued
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| adj. 疲乏的 | |
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wagers
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| n.赌注，用钱打赌( wager的名词复数 )v.在（某物）上赌钱，打赌( wager的第三人称单数 )；保证，担保 | |
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monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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piquant
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| adj.辛辣的，开胃的，令人兴奋的 | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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arson
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| n.纵火，放火 | |
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custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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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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reassured
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| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
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caresses
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| 爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) | |
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besought
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| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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81
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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lodgings
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| n. 出租的房舍, 寄宿舍 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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