Sophia walked alone, with tired limbs, up the damaged oak stairs to the flat. Chirac had decided1 that, in the circumstances of the victory, he would do well to go to the offices of his paper rather earlier than usual. He had brought her back to the Rue2 Breda. They had taken leave of each other in a sort of dream or general enchantment3 due to their participation4 in the vast national delirium5 which somehow dominated individual feelings. They did not define their relations. They had been conscious only of emotion.
The stairs, which smelt6 of damp even in summer, disgusted Sophia. She thought of the flat with horror and longed for green places and luxury. On the landing were two stoutish7, ill-dressed men, of middle age, apparently8 waiting. Sophia found her key and opened the door.
"Pardon, madame!" said one of the men, raising his hat, and they both pushed into the flat after her. They stared, puzzled, at the strips of paper pasted on the doors.
"What do you want?" she asked haughtily9. She was very frightened. The extraordinary interruption brought her down with a shock to the scale of the individual.
"I am the concierge10," said the man who had addressed her. He had the air of a superior artisan. "It was my wife who spoke11 to you this afternoon. This," pointing to his companion, "this is the law. I regret it, but ..."
The law saluted12 and shut the front door. Like the concierge, the law emitted an odour--the odour of uncleanliness on a hot August day.
"The rent?" exclaimed Sophia.
"No, madame, not the rent: the furniture!"
Then she learnt the history of the furniture. It had belonged to the concierge, who had acquired it from a previous tenant13 and sold it on credit to Madame Foucault. Madame Foucault had signed bills and had not met them. She had made promises and broken them. She had done everything except discharge her liabilities. She had been warned and warned again. That day had been fixed14 as the last limit, and she had solemnly assured her creditor15 that on that day she would pay. On leaving the house she had stated precisely16 and clearly that she would return before lunch with all the money. She had made no mention of a sick father.
Sophia slowly perceived the extent of Madame Foucault's duplicity and moral cowardice17. No doubt the sick father was an invention. The woman, at the end of a tether which no ingenuity18 of lies could further lengthen19, had probably absented herself solely20 to avoid the pain of witnessing the seizure21. She would do anything, however silly, to avoid an immediate22 unpleasantness. Or perhaps she had absented herself without any particular aim, but simply in the hope that something fortunate might occur. Perhaps she had hoped that Sophia, taken unawares, would generously pay. Sophia smiled grimly.
"Well," she said. "I can't do anything. I suppose you must do what you have to do. You will let me pack up my own affairs?"
She warned them as to the danger of opening the sealed rooms. The man of the law seemed prepared to stay in the corridor indefinitely. No prospect24 of delay disturbed him.
Strange and disturbing, the triumph of the concierge! He was a locksmith by trade. He and his wife and their children lived in two little dark rooms by the archway--an insignificant25 fragment of the house. He was away from home about fourteen hours every day, except Sundays, when he washed the courtyard. All the other duties of the concierge were performed by the wife. The pair always looked poor, untidy, dirty, and rather forlorn. But they were steadily26 levying27 toll28 on everybody in the big house. They amassed29 money in forty ways. They lived for money, and all men have what they live for. With what arrogant30 gestures Madame Foucault would descend31 from a carriage at the great door! What respectful attitudes and tones the ageing courtesan would receive from the wife and children of the concierge! But beneath these conventional fictions the truth was that the concierge held the whip. At last he was using it. And he had given himself a half-holiday in order to celebrate his second acquirement of the ostentatious furniture and the crimson32 lampshades. This was one of the dramatic crises in his career as a man of substance. The national thrill of victory had not penetrated33 into the flat with the concierge and the law. The emotions of the concierge were entirely34 independent of the Napoleonic foreign policy.
As Sophia, sick with a sudden disillusion35, was putting her things together, and wondering where she was to go, and whether it would be politic36 to consult Chirac, she heard a fluster37 at the front door: cries, protestations, implorings. Her own door was thrust open, and Madame Foucault burst in.
"Save me!" exclaimed Madame Foucault, sinking to the ground.
The feeble theatricality38 of the gesture offended Sophia's taste. She asked sternly what Madame Foucault expected her to do. Had not Madame Foucault knowingly exposed her, without the least warning, to the extreme annoyance39 of this visit of the law, a visit which meant practically that Sophia was put into the street?
"You must not be hard!" Madame Foucault sobbed40.
Sophia learnt the complete history of the woman's efforts to pay for the furniture: a farrago of folly41 and deceptions42. Madame Foucault confessed too much. Sophia scorned confession43 for the sake of confession. She scorned the impulse which forces a weak creature to insist on its weakness, to revel44 in remorse45, and to find an excuse for its conduct in the very fact that there is no excuse. She gathered that Madame Foucault had in fact gone away in the hope that Sophia, trapped, would pay; and that in the end, she had not even had the courage of her own trickery, and had run back, driven by panic into audacity46, to fall at Sophia's feet, lest Sophia might not have yielded and the furniture have been seized. From, beginning to end the conduct of Madame Foucault had been fatuous47 and despicable and wicked. Sophia coldly condemned48 Madame Foucault for having allowed herself to be brought into the world with such a weak and maudlin49 character, and for having allowed herself to grow old and ugly. As a sight the woman was positively50 disgraceful.
"Save me!" she exclaimed again. "I did what I could for you!"
Sophia hated her. But the logic51 of the appeal was irresistible52.
"But what can I do?" she asked reluctantly.
"Lend me the money. You can. If you don't, this will be the end for me."
"And a good thing, too!" thought Sophia's hard sense.
"How much is it?" Sophia glumly53 asked.
"It isn't a thousand francs!" said Madame Foucault with eagerness. "All my beautiful furniture will go for less than a thousand francs! Save me!"
She was nauseating54 Sophia.
"Please rise," said Sophia, her hands fidgeting undecidedly.
"I shall repay you, surely!" Madame Foucault asseverated55. "I swear!"
"Does she take me for a fool?" thought Sophia, "with her oaths!"
"No!" said Sophia. "I won't lend you the money. But I tell you what I will do. I will buy the furniture at that price; and I will promise to re-sell it to you as soon as you can pay me. Like that, you can be tranquil56. But I have very little money. I must have a guarantee. The furniture must be mine till you pay me."
"You are an angel of charity!" cried Madame Foucault, embracing Sophia's skirts. "I will do whatever you wish. Ah! You Englishwomen are astonishing."
Sophia was not an angel of charity. What she had promised to do involved sacrifice and anxiety without the prospect of reward. But it was not charity. It was part of the price Sophia paid for the exercise of her logical faculty57; she paid it unwillingly58. 'I did what I could for you!' Sophia would have died sooner than remind any one of a benefit conferred, and Madame Foucault had committed precisely that enormity. The appeal was inexcusable to a fine mind; but it was effective.
The men were behind the door, listening. Sophia paid out of her stock of notes. Needless to say, the total was more and not less than a thousand francs. Madame Foucault grew rapidly confidential59 with the man. Without consulting Sophia, she asked the bailiff to draw up a receipt transferring the ownership of all the furniture to Sophia; and the bailiff, struck into obligingness by glimpses of Sophia's beauty, consented to do so. There was much conferring upon forms of words, and flourishing of pens between thick, vile60 fingers, and scattering61 of ink.
Before the men left Madame Foucault uncorked a bottle of wine for them, and helped them to drink it. Throughout the evening she was insupportably deferential62 to Sophia, who was driven to bed. Madame Foucault contentedly63 went up to the sixth floor to occupy the servant's bedroom. She was glad to get so far away from the sulphur, of which a few faint fumes64 had penetrated into the corridor.
The next morning, after a stifling65 night of bad dreams, Sophia was too ill to get up. She looked round at the furniture in the little room, and she imagined the furniture in the other rooms, and dismally66 thought: "All this furniture is mine. She will never pay me! I am saddled with it."
It was cheaply bought, but she probably could not sell it for even what she had paid. Still, the sense of ownership was reassuring67.
The charwoman brought her coffee, and Chirac's newspaper; from which she learnt that the news of the victory which had sent the city mad on the previous day was utterly68 false. Tears came into her eyes as she gazed absently at all the curtained windows of the courtyard. She had youth and loveliness; according to the rules she ought to have been irresponsible, gay, and indulgently watched over by the wisdom of admiring age. But she felt towards the French nation as a mother might feel towards adorable, wilful69 children suffering through their own charming foolishness. She saw France personified in Chirac. How easily, despite his special knowledge, he had yielded to the fever! Her heart bled for France and Chirac on that morning of reaction and of truth. She could not bear to recall the scene in the Place de la Concorde. Madame Foucault had not descended70.
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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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rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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participation
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| n.参与，参加，分享 | |
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delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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stoutish
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| 略胖的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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haughtily
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| adv. 傲慢地, 高傲地 | |
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concierge
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| n.管理员；门房 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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creditor
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| n.债仅人，债主，贷方 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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cowardice
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| n.胆小，怯懦 | |
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ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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lengthen
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| vt.使伸长，延长 | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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seizure
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| n.没收；占有；抵押 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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levying
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| 征（兵）( levy的现在分词 )； 索取； 发动（战争）； 征税 | |
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toll
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| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
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amassed
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| v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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disillusion
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| vt.使不再抱幻想，使理想破灭 | |
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politic
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| adj.有智虑的；精明的；v.从政 | |
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fluster
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| adj.慌乱，狼狈，混乱，激动 | |
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38
theatricality
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| n.戏剧风格，不自然 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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42
deceptions
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| 欺骗( deception的名词复数 )； 骗术，诡计 | |
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confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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44
revel
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| vi.狂欢作乐，陶醉；n.作乐，狂欢 | |
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remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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fatuous
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| adj.愚昧的；昏庸的 | |
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48
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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49
maudlin
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| adj.感情脆弱的，爱哭的 | |
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50
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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51
logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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52
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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53
glumly
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| adv.忧郁地，闷闷不乐地；阴郁地 | |
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54
nauseating
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| adj.令人恶心的，使人厌恶的v.使恶心，作呕( nauseate的现在分词 ) | |
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55
asseverated
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| v.郑重声明，断言( asseverate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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60
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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61
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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62
deferential
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| adj. 敬意的，恭敬的 | |
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63
contentedly
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| adv.心满意足地 | |
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64
fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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65
stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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66
dismally
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| adv.阴暗地，沉闷地 | |
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67
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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68
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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69
wilful
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| adj.任性的，故意的 | |
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70
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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