The First Day — The Ambush Chapter 2

Paris Sleeps — The Bell Rings

On the 2d December, 1851, Representative Versigny, of the Haute–Sa?ne, who resided at Paris, at No. 4, Rue¹ Léonie, was asleep. He slept soundly; he had been working till late at night. Versigny was a young man of thirty-two, soft-featured and fair-complexioned, of a courageous² spirit, and a mind tending towards social and economical studies. He had passed the first hours of the night in the perusal³ of a book by Bastiat, in which he was making marginal notes, and, leaving the book open on the table, he had fallen asleep. Suddenly he awoke with a start at the sound of a sharp ring at the bell. He sprang up in surprise. It was dawn. It was about seven o’clock in the morning.

Never dreaming what could be the motive⁴ for so early a visit, and thinking that someone had mistaken the door, he again lay down, and was about to resume his slumber⁵, when a second ring at the bell, still louder than the first, completely aroused him. He got up in his night-shirt and opened the door.

Michel de Bourges and Théodore Bac entered. Michel de Bourges was the neighbor of Versigny; he lived at No. 16, Rue de Milan.

Théodore Bac and Michel were pale, and appeared greatly agitated⁶.

“Versigny,” said Michel, “dress yourself at once — Baune has just been arrested.”

“Bah!” exclaimed Versigny. “Is the Mauguin business beginning again?”

“It is more than that,” replied Michel. “Baune’s wife and daughter came to me half-an-hour ago. They awoke me. Baune was arrested in bed at six o’clock this morning.”

“What does that mean?” asked Versigny.

The bell rang again.

“This will probably tell us,” answered Michel de Bourges.

Versigny opened the door. It was the Representative Pierre Lefranc. He brought, in truth, the solution of the enigma⁷.

“Do you know what is happening?” said he.

“Yes,” answered Michel. “Baune is in prison.”

“It is the Republic who is a prisoner,” said Pierre Lefranc. “Have you read the placards?”

“No.”

Pierre Lefranc explained to them that the walls at that moment were covered with placards which the curious crowd were thronging⁸ to read, that he had glanced over one of them at the corner of his street, and that the blow had fallen.

“The blow!” exclaimed Michel. “Say rather the crime.”

Pierre Lefranc added that there were three placards — one decree and two proclamations — all three on white paper, and pasted close together.

The decree was printed in large letters.

The ex-Constituent Laissac, who lodged⁹, like Michel de Bourges, in the neighborhood (No. 4, Cité Gaillard), then came in. He brought the same news, and announced further arrests which had been made during the night.

There was not a minute to lose.

They went to impart the news to Yvan, the Secretary of the Assembly, who had been appointed by the Left, and who lived in the Rue de Boursault.

An immediate¹⁰ meeting was necessary. Those Republican Representatives who were still at liberty must be warned and brought together without delay.

Versigny said, “I will go and find Victor Hugo.”

It was eight o’clock in the morning. I was awake and was working in bed. My servant entered and said, with an air of alarm,—

“A Representative of the people is outside who wishes to speak to you, sir.”

“Who is it?”

“Monsieur Versigny:”

“Show him in.”

Versigny entered, and told me the state of affairs. I sprang out of bed.

He told me of the “rendezvous” at the rooms of the ex-Constituent Laissac.

“Go at once and inform the other Representatives,” said I.

He left me.

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 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

3 perusal   

n.细读，熟读；目测

参考例句：

• Peter Cooke undertook to send each of us a sample contract for perusal.彼得·库克答应给我们每人寄送一份合同样本供阅读。
• A perusal of the letters which we have published has satisfied him of the reality of our claim.读了我们的公开信后，他终于相信我们的要求的确是真的。

4 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。

5 slumber   

n.睡眠，沉睡状态

参考例句：

• All the people in the hotels were wrapped in deep slumber.住在各旅馆里的人都已进入梦乡。
• Don't wake him from his slumber because he needs the rest.不要把他从睡眠中唤醒，因为他需要休息。

6 agitated   

adj.被鼓动的，不安的

参考例句：

• His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定，回答全乱了。
• She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时，她十分焦虑。

7 enigma   

n.谜，谜一样的人或事

参考例句：

• I've known him for many years,but he remains something of an enigma to me.我与他相识多年，他仍然难以捉摸。
• Even after all the testimonies,the murder remained a enigma.即使听完了所有的证词，这件谋杀案仍然是一个谜。

8 thronging   

v.成群，挤满( throng的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Architects from around the world are thronging to Beijing theacross the capital. 来自世界各地的建筑师都蜂拥而至这座处处高楼耸立的大都市——北京。 来自互联网
• People are thronging to his new play. 人们成群结队地去看他那出新戏。 来自互联网

9 lodged   

v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属

参考例句：

• The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。