第 56 节
作者:北方网      更新:2021-02-21 16:34      字数:9322
  people; head behind head; and all their blazing eyes were directed
  at the queen; and words of hate; malediction; and threatening
  followed her every step which she took forward。
  〃See; see;〃 cried a woman; with dishevelled hair; which streamed out
  from her round cap; and fell down over her red; angry face〃 see;
  that is the baker's woman; and the monkey that jumps in front of her
  is the apprentice…boy! They can dress themselves up and be fine; for
  all is well with them; and they can eat cakes; while we have to go
  hungry。 But wait; only wait! times will be different by and by; and
  we shall see the baker…woman as hungry as we。 But when we have the
  bread; we will give her noneno; we will give her none!〃
  〃No; indeed; we will give her none!〃 roared; and cried; and laughed;
  and howled the mob。 And they all pressed closer up to the fence; and
  naked arms and clinched fists were thrust through the palings; and
  threatened the queen; and the dauphin; who walked in front of his
  mother。
  〃Will he be able to bear it? Will my poor boy not weep with fear and
  anxiety? 〃That was the only thought of the queen; as she walked on
  past the angry roars of the crowd。 To the dauphin alone all her
  looks were directed; not once did she glance at the fence; behind
  which the populace roared like a pack of lions。
  All at once the breath of the queen stopped; and her heart ceased
  beating; with horror。 She saw directly at the place where the path
  turned and ran away from the fence; but where; before making the
  turn; it ran very near the fence; the bare arm of a man extended
  through the paling as far as possible; and stretching in fact half…
  way across the path; as if it were a turnpike…bar stopping the way。
  The eyes of the queen; when they fell upon this dreadful; powerful
  arm; turned at once in deep alarm to the dauphin。 She saw him
  hesitate a little in his hurried course; and then go slowly forward。
  The queen quickened her steps in order to come up with the dauphin
  before he should reach the danger which confronted him。 The people
  outside of the fence; when they saw the manoeuvre of the man who was
  forcing his arm still farther in; stopped their shouting and lapsed
  into a breathless; eager silence; as sometimes is the case in a
  storm; between the successive bursts of wind and thunder。
  Every one felt that the touch of that threatening arm and that
  little child might be like the contact of steel and flint; and
  elicit sparks which should kindle the fires of another revolution。
  It was this feeling which made the crowd silent; the same feeling
  compelled the queen to quicken her steps; so that she was close to
  the dauphin before he had reached this terrible turnpike…bar。
  〃Come here; my son;〃 cried the queen; 〃give me your hand!〃
  But before she had time to grasp the hand of the little prince; he
  sprang forward and stood directly in front of the outstretched arm。
  〃My God! what will he do?〃 whispered the queen to herself。
  At the same instant; there resounded from behind the fence a loud;
  mighty bravo; and a thousand voices took it up and cried; 〃Bravo!
  bravo!〃
  The dauphin had stretched up his little white hand and laid it upon
  the brown; clinched fist that was stretched out toward him; and
  nodded pleasantly at the man who looked down so fiercely upon him。
  〃Good…day; sir!〃 he said; with a loud voice〃good…day!〃
  And he took hold with his little hand of the great hand of the man
  and shook it a little; as in friendly salutation。 〃Little knirps;〃
  roared the man; 〃what do you mean; and how dare you lay your little
  paw on the claws of the lion?〃
  〃Sir;〃 said the boy; smiling; 〃I thought you were stretching out
  your hand to reach me with it; and so I give you mine; and say;
  'Good…day; sir!'〃
  〃And if I wanted; I could crush your hand in my fist as if it were
  in a vise;〃 cried the man; holding the little hand firmly。
  〃You shall not do it;〃 cried hundreds and hundreds of voices in the
  crowd。 〃No; Simon; you shall not hurt the child。〃
  〃Who of you could hinder me if I wanted to?〃 asked the man; with a
  laugh。 〃See here; I hold the hand of the future King of France in my
  fist; and I can break it if I want to; and make it so that it can
  never lift the sceptre of France。 The little monkey thought he would
  take hold of my hand and make me draw it back; and now my hand has
  got his and holds it fast。 And mark this; boy; the time is past when
  kings seized us and trod us down; now we seize them and hold them
  fast; and do not let them go unless we will。〃
  〃Sir!〃 cried the queen; motioning back with a commanding gesture the
  two lackeys who were hurrying up to release the dauphin from the
  hand of the man; 〃sir; I beg you to withdraw your hand; and not to
  hinder us in our walk。〃
  〃Ah! you are there; too; madame; the baker's wife; are you?〃 cried
  the man; with a horrid laugh。 〃We meet once more; and the eyes of
  our most beautiful queen fall again upon the dirty; pitiable face of
  such a poor; wretched creature as; in your heavenly eyes; the
  cobbler Simon is!〃
  〃Are you Simon the cobbler?〃 asked Marie Antoinette。
  〃It is true; I bethink me now; I have spoken with you once before。
  It was when I carried the prince here; for the first time; to Notre
  Dame; that God would bless him; and that the people might see him。
  You stood then by my carriage; sir!〃
  〃Yes; it is true;〃 answered Simon; visibly flattered。 〃You have; at
  least; a good memory; queen。 But you ought to have paid attention to
  what I said to you。 I am no 'sir;' I am a simple cobbler; and earn
  my poor bit of bread in the sweat of my brow; while you strut about
  in your glory and happiness; and cheat God out of daylight。 Then I
  held the hand of your daughter in my fist; and she cried out for
  fear; merely because a poor fellow like me touched her。〃
  〃But; Mr。 Simon; you see very plainly that I do not cry out;〃 said
  the dauphin; with a smile。 〃I know that you do not want to do me any
  harm; and I ask you to be so good as to take away your arm; that my
  mamma can go on in her walk。〃
  〃But; suppose that I do not do as you want me to?〃 asked the
  cobbler; defiantly。 〃I suppose it would come that your mamma would
  dictate to me; and perhaps call some soldiers; and order them to
  shoot the dreadful people?〃
  〃You know; Master Simon; that I give no such command; and never gave
  any such;〃 said the queen; quickly。
  〃The king and I love our people; and never would give orders to our
  soldiers to fire upon them。〃
  〃Because you would not be sure; madame; that the soldiers would obey
  your commands; if you should;〃 laughed Simon。 〃Since we got rid of
  the Swiss guards; there are no soldiers left who would let
  themselves be torn in pieces for their king and queen; and you know
  well that if the soldiers should fire the first shot at us; the
  people would tear the soldiers in pieces afterward。 Yes; yes; the
  fine days at Versailles are past; here; in Paris; you must accustom
  yourself to ask; instead of command; and the arm of a single man of
  the people is enough to stop the Queen and the Dauphin of France。〃
  〃You are mistaken; sir;〃 said the queen; whose proud heart could no
  longer be restrained; and allow her to take this humble stand; 〃the
  Queen of France and her son will no longer be detained by you in
  their walk。〃
  And with a quick movement she caught the dauphin; struck back at the
  same moment the fist of the cobbler; snatched the boy away like
  lightning; and passed by before Simon had time to put his arm back。
  The people; delighted with this energetic and courageous action of
  the queenthe people; who would have howled with rage; if the queen
  had ordered her lackeys to push the cobbler back; now roared with
  admiration and with pleasure; to see the proud…hearted woman have
  the boldness to repel the assailant; and to free herself from him。
  They applauded; they laughed; they shouted from thousands upon
  thousands of throats; 〃Long live the queen! Long live the dauphin!〃
  and the cry passed along like wildfire through the whole mass of
  spectators behind the fence; and all eyes followed the tall and
  proud figure of the queen as she walked away。
  Only the eyes of Simon pursued her with a malicious glare; and his
  clinched fists threatened her behind her back。
  〃She shall pay for this!〃 he muttered; with a withering curse。 〃She
  has struck back my hand to…day; but the day will come when she will
  feel it upon her neck; and when I will squeeze the hand of the
  little rascal so that he shall cry out with pain! I believe now;
  what Marat has so often told me; that the time of vengeance is come;
  and that we must bring the crown down and tread it under our feet;
  that the people may rule! I will have my share in it。 I will help
  bring it down; and tread it under foot。 I hate the handsome Austrian
  woman; who perks up her nose; and thinks herself better than my
  wife; and if the golden time has come of which Marat speaks; when
  the people are the master; and the king is the servant; Marie
  Antoinette shall be my waiting…maid; and her son shall be my
  choreboy; and his buckle shall make acquaintance with my shoe…
  straps!〃
  And while Master Simon was muttering this to himself; he was making
  a way through the crowd w