目 录 上一节 下一节 
令人怅惘的钟声忽然从远处传来，震撼着窗上的玻璃。圣美达正敲六点。 Jondrette marked off each stroke with a toss of his head. When the sixth had struck, he snuffed the candle with his fingers. 容德雷特用脑袋数着钟声，一响一点头。第六响敲过以后，他用手指掐熄了烛芯。 Then he began to pace up and down the room, listened at the corridor, walked on again, then listened once more."Provided only that he comes!" he muttered, then he returned to his chair. 接着他在屋子里踱来踱去，细听过道里的动静，听听走走，走走又听听。他嘴里嘟囔着：“只要他真肯来！”随后他又回到椅子边。 He had hardly reseated himself when the door opened. 他刚坐下，房门开了。 Mother Jondrette had opened it, and now remained in the corridor making a horrible, amiable grimace, which one of the holes of the dark-lantern illuminated from below. 容德雷特大娘推开房门，自己留在过道里，掩光灯上的一个窟窿眼儿从下面照着她那副满脸堆笑的丑态。 
“请进吧，先生。”她说。 "Enter, my benefactor," repeated Jondrette, rising hastily. “请进，我的恩人。”容德雷特连忙站起来跟着说。 M. Leblanc made his appearance. 白先生出现了。 He wore an air of serenity which rendered him singularly venerable. 他神态安详，使他显得异样地庄严可敬。 He laid four louis on the table. 他拿四个路易放在桌上。 
“法邦杜先生，”他说，“这是给您付房租和应急的。以后我们再说。” "May God requite it to you, my generous benefactor!" said Jondrette. And rapidly approaching his wife:-- “天主保佑您，我的慷慨的恩人！”容德雷特说，随即又连忙走近他女人身边说道： "Dismiss the carriage!" “把马车打发掉！” She slipped out while her husband was lavishing salutes and offering M. Leblanc a chair. An instant later she returned and whispered in his ear:-- 她悄悄地退了出去。她丈夫在白先生跟前极尽恭敬殷勤，扶着一把椅子请他坐下。过一会儿，她回来了，在他耳边低声说： "'Tis done." “成了。” 
从早不断落下的雪已积得那么厚，没人听到马车来，也没人听到马车走。 Meanwhile, M. Leblanc had seated himself. 这时白先生已经坐下。 Jondrette had taken possession of the other chair, facing M. Leblanc. 容德雷特占了白先生对面的那把椅子。 Now, in order to form an idea of the scene which is to follow, let the reader picture to himself in his own mind, a cold night,the solitudes of the Salpetriere covered with snow and white as winding-sheets in the moonlight, the taper-like lights of the street lanterns which shone redly here and there along those tragic boulevards,and the long rows of black elms, not a passer-by for perhaps a quarter of a league around, the Gorbeau hovel, at its highest pitch of silence, of horror, and of darkness; in that building,in the midst of those solitudes, in the midst of that darkness,the vast Jondrette garret lighted by a single candle, and in that den two men seated at a table, M. Leblanc tranquil, Jondrette smiling and alarming, the Jondrette woman, the female wolf, in one corner, and, behind the partition, Marius, invisible, erect, not losing a word, not missing a single movement, his eye on the watch, and pistol in hand. 现在，为了对以后的情节能有一个概念，希望读者能从自己心中想象出一个严寒的夜晚，妇女救济院那一带荒凉地段全盖满了雪，在月光中，白得象一幅漫无边际的殓尸巾，稀疏的路灯把那些阴惨惨的大路和长列的黑榆树映成了红色，在周围四分之一法里以内，也许一个行人也没有，戈尔博老屋寂静、黑暗，可怕到了极点，在这老屋里，在这凄凉昏黑的环境中，唯有容德雷特的那间空阔屋子里点着一支蜡烛，两个男人在这穷窟里坐在一张桌子的两旁，白先生神色安详，容德雷特笑容可掬而险恶骇人，他的女人，那头母狼，待在一个屋角里。隔墙背后，隐着马吕斯，他立着不动，不动声色，不漏掉一句话，不漏掉一个动作，眼睛窥察，手捏着枪。 However, Marius experienced only an emotion of horror, but no fear. He clasped the stock of the pistol firmly and felt reassured."I shall be able to stop that wretch whenever I please,"he thought. 马吕斯只受到鄙视心情的激动，毫不畏怯。他紧捏着枪柄，满怀信心。他心里想道：“这坏蛋，我随时都可以制伏他。” 
他还觉得警察已埋伏在左近，等待着约好的信号，准备一齐动手。 Moreover, he was in hopes, that this violent encounter between Jondrette and M. Leblanc would cast some light on all the things which he was interested in learning. 此外，他还希望从容德雷特和白先生这次凶险的遭遇中透露出一点消息，使他能够知道他所怀念的一切。 | 
