第二百一十六章 1832年流行的一首英国歌曲的歌词
马吕斯在床沿上坐下。大概五点半钟了。离将要发生的事只差半小时了。他听见自己的动脉管在跳动，像黑暗中一只表的滴答声。黑暗中，一边是罪行前进，一边是正义来临，他想到了这双重的行进。他并不害怕，但想到即将发生的事，仍不免有些战栗。如同所有突然面临意想不到的冒险的人那样，整个这一天对他来说像一场梦，为了确信自己不是在做噩梦，他不得不去摸裤子口袋里那两支冰冷的手枪枪管。
雪已经不下了。月亮渐渐从雾气中挣脱出来，它的光和积雪的白色反光交织在一起，给房间带来一种黄昏般的景象。
容德雷特的破屋里亮着一盏灯。马吕斯看见墙洞上透出一股红光，在他看来像是血的颜色。
的确，那光不可能是蜡烛发出的。况且，容德雷特家毫无声息，没有一个人走动，没有一个人说话，连呼吸声也没有。那寂静是冰冷的、深沉的，要不是有那点光，他会以为自己旁边是座坟墓。
马吕斯轻轻脱下靴子，把它们推到床下。
过了几分钟。马吕斯听见楼下大门在门轴上转动的声音；一阵沉重的脚步上了楼，在走廊里匆匆走着；茅屋的门闩被哗啦一声拔起；是容德雷特回来了。
立刻就有好几个声音响了起来。全家都在那间阁楼里。只是在主人不在时，大家很安静，就像狼窝里少了狼时那样。
“是我。”他说。
“晚上好，爸爸。”两个女孩尖声嚷道。
“怎么样？”母亲问。
“一切顺利，”容德雷特回答，“不过我的脚冷得够呛。好！你换好衣服了。你做得对！要让人信任你。”
“我完全准备好了，可以出门了。”
“别忘了我要你干的事。你准能办到吗？”
“放心好了。”
“因为——”容德雷特说，他没把话说完。
马吕斯听见他放了一件沉重的东西在桌上，大概是他买来的那把凿子。
“顺便问一句，”容德雷特说，“你们在这里吃过东西没有？”
“吃了，”母亲说，“我弄了三个大土豆和一些盐。我借了火煮了它们。”
“好，”容德雷特说，“明天我带你们出去吃饭。我们吃鸭子和配菜。你们会像查理十世那样吃一顿大餐。一切顺利！”
接着他又加了一句：
“捕鼠夹打开了。猫儿们已经在里面了。”
他把声音压得更低，说：
“把这个放进火里。”
马吕斯听见一阵炭火被火钳或某种铁器敲打的声音。容德雷特又继续说：
“你给门轴上油了吗，好让它们不吱嘎响？”
“上了。”母亲回答。
“几点钟了？”
“快六点了。圣梅达钟楼刚敲过半点的钟声。”
“见鬼！”容德雷特叫了起来，“孩子们该去望风了。喂，你们俩，过来听我说。”
接着是一阵窃窃私语。
容德雷特的声音又响了起来：
“老布贡走了吗？”
“走了。”母亲说。
“你肯定我们邻居房间里没有人吗？”
“他整天都不在家。你知道得很清楚，这是他的晚饭时间。”
“你肯定吗？”
“肯定。”
“那也一样，”容德雷特说，“去看看他在不在，也没什么坏处。喂，我的好女儿，拿着蜡烛去看看。”
马吕斯手脚着地，悄悄地爬到床底下。
他刚藏好，就看见从他的门缝里射进一道光来。
“爸爸，”一个声音喊道，“他不在里面。”
他认出是大女儿的声音。
“你进去了吗？”父亲问道。
“没有，”姑娘回答，“但他的钥匙挂在门上，他肯定出去了。”
父亲喊道：
“还是进去看看。”
门打开了，马吕斯看见高个子容德雷特姑娘手里拿着蜡烛走进来。她和早上一样，只是在这光线下更加可憎。
她径直向床走来。马吕斯经历了一种难以形容的焦灼时刻；但在床旁边，墙上钉着一面镜子，这正是她要去的地方。她踮起脚来照镜子。在隔壁房间里能听到挪动铁器的声音。
她用掌心掠了掠头发，对着镜子微笑，用她那嘶哑、像从墓穴里发出的声音哼道：
我们的爱情持续了整整一个星期，
但幸福的瞬间是多么短暂！
相爱八天，这已是很不简单！
爱情时光本该永远延绵！
本该永远延绵！本该永远延绵！28
这时，马吕斯在发抖。他觉得她不可能听不见他的呼吸。
她走到窗前，带着她那半傻的样子朝外看。
“巴黎穿上白衬衫时多么丑啊！”她说。
她又回到镜子前，对着它搔首弄姿，一会儿正面，一会儿侧面，审视着自己。
“喂！”她父亲喊道，“你在那里干什么？”
“我在看床底下和家具后面，”她回答，一边继续整理头发，“没人。”
“笨蛋！”她父亲吼道，“马上给我过来！别浪费时间了！”
“来了！来了！”她说，“在这破窝里，什么事都干不成！”
她哼道：
你离开我去追求荣光；
我悲伤的心将跟随你到任何地方。29
她向镜子投去最后一眼，然后走出去，随手带上了门。
又过了一小会儿，马吕斯听到两个姑娘赤脚走在走廊里的声音，以及容德雷特向她们喊叫的声音：
“仔细听着！一个守在路障那边，另一个在小银行家街的拐角。一分钟也不要放松对这个房子大门的监视。一看到什么，马上跑回来！跑得越快越好！你们有钥匙可以进来。”
大女儿咕哝道：
“赤脚在雪地里放哨，亏你想得出来！”
“明天你们就会有小巧漂亮的绿色丝绸靴子了！”父亲说。
她们跑下楼，几秒钟后，外面的大门砰地关上，说明她们已经出去了。
现在，屋子里只剩下马吕斯、容德雷特一家，大概还有马吕斯在暮色中瞥见过的那些神秘人物，他们躲在无人居住的顶楼的房门后面。
WAS IN FASHION IN 1832
Marius seated himself on his bed. It might have been half-past five
o’clock. Only half an hour separated him from what was about to happen.
He heard the beating of his arteries as one hears the ticking of a
watch in the dark. He thought of the double march which was going on at
that moment in the dark,—crime advancing on one side, justice coming up
on the other. He was not afraid, but he could not think without a
shudder of what was about to take place. As is the case with all those
who are suddenly assailed by an unforeseen adventure, the entire day
produced upon him the effect of a dream, and in order to persuade
himself that he was not the prey of a nightmare, he had to feel the
cold barrels of the steel pistols in his trousers pockets.
It was no longer snowing; the moon disengaged itself more and more
clearly from the mist, and its light, mingled with the white reflection
of the snow which had fallen, communicated to the chamber a sort of
twilight aspect.
There was a light in the Jondrette den. Marius saw the hole in the wall
shining with a reddish glow which seemed bloody to him.
It was true that the light could not be produced by a candle. However,
there was not a sound in the Jondrette quarters, not a soul was moving
there, not a soul speaking, not a breath; the silence was glacial and
profound, and had it not been for that light, he might have thought
himself next door to a sepulchre.
Marius softly removed his boots and pushed them under his bed.
Several minutes elapsed. Marius heard the lower door turn on its
hinges; a heavy step mounted the staircase, and hastened along the
corridor; the latch of the hovel was noisily lifted; it was Jondrette
returning.
Instantly, several voices arose. The whole family was in the garret.
Only, it had been silent in the master’s absence, like wolf whelps in
the absence of the wolf.
“It’s I,” said he.
“Good evening, daddy,” yelped the girls.
“Well?” said the mother.
“All’s going first-rate,” responded Jondrette, “but my feet are beastly
cold. Good! You have dressed up. You have done well! You must inspire
confidence.”
“All ready to go out.”
“Don’t forget what I told you. You will do everything sure?”
“Rest easy.”
“Because—” said Jondrette. And he left the phrase unfinished.
Marius heard him lay something heavy on the table, probably the chisel
which he had purchased.
“By the way,” said Jondrette, “have you been eating here?”
“Yes,” said the mother. “I got three large potatoes and some salt. I
took advantage of the fire to cook them.”
“Good,” returned Jondrette. “To-morrow I will take you out to dine with
me. We will have a duck and fixings. You shall dine like Charles the
Tenth; all is going well!”
Then he added:—
“The mouse-trap is open. The cats are there.”
He lowered his voice still further, and said:—
