That night, la Esmeralda had fallen asleep in her cell, full of oblivion, of hope, and of sweet thoughts. She had already been asleep for some time, dreaming as always, of Phoebus, when it seemed to her that she heard a noise near her. She slept lightly and uneasily, the sleep of a bird; a mere1 nothing waked her. She opened her eyes. The night was very dark. Nevertheless, she saw a figure gazing at her through the window; a lamp lighted up this apparition2. The moment that the figure saw that la Esmeralda had perceived it, it blew out the lamp. But the young girl had had time to catch a glimpse of it; her eyes closed again with terror.
"Oh!" she said in a faint voice, "the priest!"
All her past unhappiness came back to her like a flash of lightning. She fell back on her bed, chilled.
A moment later she felt a touch along her body which made her shudder3 so that she straightened herself up in a sitting posture4, wide awake and furious.
The priest had just slipped in beside her. He encircled her with both arms.
She tried to scream and could not.
"Begone, monster! begone assassin!" she said, in a voice which was low and trembling with wrath5 and terror.
"Mercy! mercy!" murmured the priest, pressing his lips to her shoulder.
She seized his bald head by its remnant of hair and tried to thrust aside his kisses as though they had been bites.
"Mercy!" repeated the unfortunate man. "If you but knew what my love for you is! 'Tis fire, melted lead, a thousand daggers6 in my heart."
She stopped his two arms with superhuman force.
"Let me go," she said, "or I will spit in your face!"
He released her. "Vilify7 me, strike me, be malicious8! Do what you will! But have mercy! love me!"
Then she struck him with the fury of a child. She made her beautiful hands stiff to bruise9 his face. "Begone, demon10!"
"Love me! love mepity!" cried the poor priest returning her blows with caresses11.
All at once she felt him stronger than herself.
"There must be an end to this!" he said, gnashing his teeth.
She was conquered, palpitating in his arms, and in his power. She felt a wanton hand straying over her. She made a last effort, and began to cry: "Help! Help! A vampire12! a vampire!"
Nothing came. Djali alone was awake and bleating13 with anguish14.
"Hush15!" said the panting priest.
All at once, as she struggled and crawled on the floor, the gypsy's hand came in contact with something cold and metal- lic-it was Quasimodo's whistle. She seized it with a convulsive hope, raised it to her lips and blew with all the strength that she had left. The whistle gave a clear, piercing sound.
"What is that?" said the priest.
Almost at the same instant he felt himself raised by a vigorous arm. The cell was dark; he could not distinguish clearly who it was that held him thus; but he heard teeth chattering16 with rage, and there was just sufficient light scattered17 among the gloom to allow him to see above his head the blade of a large knife.
The priest fancied that he perceived the form of Quasimodo. He assumed that it could be no one but he. He remembered to have stumbled, as he entered, over a bundle which was stretched across the door on the outside. But, as the newcomer did not utter a word, he knew not what to think. He flung himself on the arm which held the knife, crying: "Quasimodo!" He forgot, at that moment of distress18, that Quasimodo was deaf.
In a twinkling, the priest was overthrown19 and a leaden knee rested on his breast.
From the angular imprint20 of that knee he recognized Quasimodo; but what was to be done? how could he make the other recognize him? the darkness rendered the deaf man blind.
He was lost. The young girl, pitiless as an enraged21 tigress, did not intervene to save him. The knife was approaching his head; the moment was critical. All at once, his adversary22 seemed stricken with hesitation23.
"No blood on her!" he said in a dull voice.
It was, in fact, Quasimodo's voice.
Then the priest felt a large hand dragging him feet first out of the cell; it was there that he was to die. Fortunately for him, the moon had risen a few moments before.
When they had passed through the door of the cell, its pale rays fell upon the priest's countenance24. Quasimodo looked him full in the face, a trembling seized him, and he released the priest and shrank back.
The gypsy, who had advanced to the threshold of her cell, beheld25 with surprise their roles abruptly26 changed. It was now the priest who menaced, Quasimodo who was the suppliant27.
The priest, who was overwhelming the deaf man with gestures of wrath and reproach, made the latter a violent sign to retire.
The deaf man dropped his head, then he came and knelt at the gypsy's door,--"Monseigneur," he said, in a grave and resigned voice, "you shall do all that you please afterwards, but kill me first."
So saying, he presented his knife to the priest. The priest, beside himself, was about to seize it. But the young girl was quicker than be; she wrenched28 the knife from Quasimodo's hands and burst into a frantic29 laugh,--"Approach," she said to the priest.
She held the blade high. The priest remained undecided.
She would certainly have struck him.
Then she added with a pitiless expression, well aware that she was about to pierce the priest's heart with thousands of red-hot irons,--
"Ah! I know that Phoebus is not dead!
The priest overturned Quasimodo on the floor with a kick, and, quivering with rage, darted30 back under the vault31 of the staircase.
When he was gone, Quasimodo picked up the whistle which had just saved the gypsy.
"It was getting rusty," he said, as he handed it back to her; then he left her alone.
The young girl, deeply agitated32 by this violent scene, fell back exhausted33 on her bed, and began to sob34 and weep. Her horizon was becoming gloomy once more.
The priest had groped his way back to his cell.
It was settled. Dom Claude was jealous of Quasimodo!
He repeated with a thoughtful air his fatal words: "No one shall have her."
那天晚上，拉·爱斯梅拉达带着一种忘怀一切和充满希望与温甜的心情，在她的小房间里睡得很熟。当她听到近旁有些声响时，她已经睡着了好一会了，并且象往常一样梦着弗比斯。她的睡眠一向轻微警觉，象鸟儿的睡眠似的，随便一点响动就会把她惊醒。她睁开眼睛，夜晚一片漆黑，这时她看见一张脸孔在窗口望着她，有一盏灯照着那个人影。那个人影发觉拉·爱斯梅拉达看见了他，便一口气把灯吹灭了，可是那姑娘还赶上瞧了一眼，她骇怕地闭上眼睛，用极轻微的声音说：“啊，是那个神甫！”
她过去的全部不幸象一道闪电似的都回到她的眼前，她倒在垫褥上，惊吓得好象冻僵了。
过了一会，她感到全身有一种使她战栗的接触，她清醒地狂怒地坐起来。
神甫刚刚溜到了她的身边，用双臂抱着她。
她想叫喊，但喊不出来。
“滚开，怪物！滚开，凶手！”她用愤怒和惊恐得战栗的低低的声音说。
“怜悯吧，怜悯吧！”神甫连连地亲吻她的肩膀，叽里咕噜地说道。
她双手抓住他那秃头上仅有的一撮头发，尽可能使他吻不到自己，似乎认为他是在咬她。
“怜悯吧！”那倒霉的人重复说道，“要是你能知道我对你的爱情是怎么回事，那是火，是烧熔的铅，是一千把插在我心上的刀子啊！”
他用超人的力气抓住她的胳膊，她吓坏了，向他说道：“放开我！否则我要向你脸上吐唾沫了！”
他放开了她。“咒骂我吧，打我吧，狠心吧！你愿意怎样都可以！但是怜悯吧，爱我吧！”
于是她象小孩般狂怒地打他，她弯起美丽的手指要去抓他的脸。“滚你的吧，妖怪！”
“爱我吧！爱我吧！怜悯吧！”可怜巴巴的神甫一面在她身上翻腾，一面不断用亲吻回答她的捶打。
忽然她感到他比自己的力气大得多。“应该来个了结啦！”他咬着牙说道。
她敌不过他了，在他的怀抱里喘息，在他的支配下，筋疲力尽，气喘吁吁。她感到他那色情的手在她身上乱摸，便鼓起最后一点力气喊道：“救命呀！到我这儿来呀！有个吸血鬼啦！有个吸血鬼啦！”
谁也没有来，只有羊儿惊醒了，痛苦地咩咩地叫。
“住口！”神甫喘息着说。
在挣扎着滚到地上的当儿，埃及姑娘的手忽然触到一个冰冷的铁器，那是伽西莫多的口哨。她带着希望的痉挛把它拿起来举到嘴边，用仅剩的一点力气拚命吹起来。哨子发出清亮尖锐的声音。
“那是什么东西？”神甫问道。
差不多就在那同一时刻，他觉得被一只有力的臂膀举了起来，房间里很黑，他看不见抓住他的人是谁，但是他听见愤怒地磨响牙齿的声音。黑暗中只有一点朦胧的光亮使他看得见头顶上有一把明晃晃的短刀。
神甫觉得看到的是伽西莫多，他猜想那只能是他，他记起进屋时曾经在门外踩着一包什么东西，何况那新来的人一句话也不说，他更断定是他了。
他抓住那举着短刀的胳膊喊道：“伽西莫多！”他情急之际，竟忘了伽西莫多是个聋子。
一眨眼之间，神甫就被扔到了地上，并且感到一个铅一般重的膝盖压在自己的胸口。由于那棱角凸出的膝盖的压力，使他认出了伽西莫多。可是怎么办呢？怎样使伽西莫多认出自己呢？黑夜使那聋子又成了瞎子。
他慌乱起来。那姑娘象激怒了的雌老虎似的毫无怜悯心，根本没打算救他。短刀迫近了他的脑袋，情势危急了，忽然对方好象犹豫起来。“别让血溅到她身上！”他用哑嗓子说道。
的的确确是伽西莫多的声音。
这时神甫感到一只粗大的手抓住他的脚，把他拖到了门外，那是他应当去死的地方。他真侥幸，那时月亮刚升起不多一会。
他们刚跨到小屋门外，苍白的月光正巧照在那神甫的脸上，伽西莫多看着神甫的脸，不禁浑身发抖，他放开神甫向后倒退。
走到了房间门槛上的埃及姑娘，惊异地看到两人交换了角色：现在是神甫在那儿威吓，伽西莫多在那儿哀求。
神甫用愤怒和责骂把聋子镇住，挥手叫他走开。
聋子低下头，随后在姑娘的房门外跪下来。“大人，”他用严肃而忍耐的声音说，“您先把我杀死吧，然后随您怎么办。”
这样说着，他就把短刀献给神甫。愤怒极了的神甫连忙伸手去抓刀，但那埃及姑娘比他更快，她从伽西莫多手里把刀夺过来，发出一声疯狂的大笑。
“过来吧！”她向神甫说。
她把刀高高举起。神甫心里七上八下，她真的象要砍下来哪！“你现在可不敢走过来了，无赖汉！”她向他喊道，随后又用毫无怜悯的表情说，“啊，我知道弗比斯并没有死！”她十分明白这句话象成千根烧红的铁扦直戳进神甫的心坎。
神甫一脚把伽西莫多踢倒在地，愤怒地发着抖冲到楼梯的拱顶下去了。
他走后，伽西莫多拾起刚才救了埃及姑娘的那个铁哨。“它已经生锈啦！”
他把口哨递给她说。随后他就走了开去，留下她独自一人。
刚才凶险的情景使姑娘非常激动，筋疲力尽地倒在垫褥上哭起来，她的天空重新变得阴暗了。
神甫也摸索着走回了他的房间。
事情就这样结束了，堂·克洛德竟对伽西莫多也产生了妒嫉！
他用深思熟虑的神气重复讲着那句要命的话：“谁也别想得到她！”
收听单词发音 |
1
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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daggers
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| 匕首，短剑( dagger的名词复数 ) | |
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vilify
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| v.诽谤，中伤 | |
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malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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bruise
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| n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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caresses
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| 爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) | |
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vampire
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| n.吸血鬼 | |
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bleating
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| v.（羊，小牛）叫( bleat的现在分词 )；哭诉；发出羊叫似的声音；轻声诉说 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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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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overthrown
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| adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词 | |
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imprint
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| n.印痕，痕迹；深刻的印象；vt.压印，牢记 | |
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enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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beheld
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| 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 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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suppliant
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| adj.哀恳的；n.恳求者，哀求者 | |
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wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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