英文
LXIII
At daybreak, when Remonencq had taken down his shutters and left his sister in charge of the shop, he came, after his wont of late, to inquire for his good friend Cibot. The portress was contemplating the Metzu, privately wondering how a little bit of painted wood could be worth such a lot of money.
Aha! said he, looking over her shoulder, "that is the one picture which M. Elie Magus regretted; with that little bit of a thing, he says, his happiness would be complete."
What would he give for it? asked La Cibot.
Why, if you will promise to marry me within a year of widowhood, I will undertake to get twenty thousand francs for it from Elie Magus; and unless you marry me you will never get a thousand francs for the picture.
Why not?
Because you would be obliged to give a receipt for the money, and then you might have a lawsuit with the heirs-at-law. If you were my wife, I myself should sell the thing to M. Magus, and in the way of business it is enough to make an entry in the day-book, and I should note that M. Schmucke sold it to me. There, leave the panel with me.... If your husband were to die you might have a lot of bother over it, but no one would think it odd that I should have a picture in the shop.... You know me quite well. Besides, I will give you a receipt if you like.
The covetous portress felt that she had been caught; she agreed to a proposal which was to bind her for the rest of her life to the marine-store dealer.
You are right, said she, as she locked the picture away in a chest; "bring me the bit of writing."
Remonencq beckoned her to the door. "I can see, neighbor, that we shall not save our poor dear Cibot," he said lowering his voice. "Dr.Poulain gave him up yesterday evening, and said that he could not last out the day.... It is a great misfortune. But after all, this was not the place for you.... You ought to be in a fine curiosity shop on the Boulevard des Capucines. Do you know that I have made nearly a hundred thousand francs in ten years? And if you will have as much some day, I will undertake to make a handsome fortune for you—as my wife. You would be the mistress—my sister should wait on you and do the work of the house, and—"
A heartrending moan from the little tailor cut the tempter short; the death agony had begun.
Go away, said La Cibot. "You are a monster to talk of such things and my poor man dying like this—"
Ah! it is because I love you, said Remonencq; "I could let everything else go to have you—"
If you loved me, you would say nothing to me just now, returned she.
And Remonencq departed to his shop, sure of marrying La Cibot.
Towards ten o'clock there was a sort of commotion in the street; M. Cibot was taking the Sacrament. All the friends of the pair, all the porters and porters' wives in the Rue de Normandie and neighboring streets, had crowded into the lodge, under the archway, and stood on the pavement outside. Nobody so much as noticed the arrival of M. Leopold Hannequin and a brother lawyer. Schwab and Brunner reached Pons' rooms unseen by Mme. Cibot. The notary, inquiring for Pons, was shown upstairs by the portress of a neighboring house. Brunner remembered his previous visit to the museum, and went straight in with his friend Schwab. Pons formally revoked his previous will and constituted Schmucke his universal legatee. This accomplished, he thanked Schwab and Brunner, and earnestly begged M. Leopold Hannequin to protect Schmucke's interests. The demands made upon him by last night's scene with La Cibot, and this final settlement of his worldly affairs, left him so faint and exhausted that Schmucke begged Schwab to go for the Abbe Duplanty; it was Pons' great desire to take the Sacrament, and Schmucke could not bring himself to leave his friend.
La Cibot, sitting at the foot of her husband's bed, gave not so much as a thought to Schmucke's breakfast—for that matter had been forbidden to return; but the morning's events, the sight of Pons' heroic resignation in the death agony, so oppressed Schmucke's heart that he was not conscious of hunger.
Towards two o'clock, however, as nothing had been seen of the old German, La Cibot sent Remonencq's sister to see whether Schmucke wanted anything; prompted not so much by interest as by curiosity. The Abbe Duplanty had just heard the old musician's dying confession, and the administration of the sacrament of extreme unction was disturbed by repeated ringing of the door-bell. Pons, in his terror of robbery, had made Schmucke promise solemnly to admit no one into the house; so Schmucke did not stir. Again and again Mlle. Remonencq pulled the cord, and finally went downstairs in alarm to tell La Cibot that Schmucke would not open the door; Fraisier made a note of this. Schmucke had never seen any one die in his life; before long he would be perplexed by the many difficulties which beset those who are left with a dead body in Paris, this more especially if they are lonely and helpless and have no one to act for them. Fraisier knew, moreover, that in real affliction people lose their heads, and therefore immediately after breakfast he took up his position in the porter's lodge, and sitting there in perpetual committee with Dr. Poulain, conceived the idea of directing all Schmucke's actions himself.
To obtain the important result, the doctor and the lawyer took their measures on this wise:—
The beadle of Saint-Francois, Cantinet by name, at one time a retail dealer in glassware, lived in the Rue d'Orleans, next door to Dr. Poulain and under the same roof. Mme. Cantinet, who saw to the letting of the chairs at Saint-Francois, once had fallen ill and Dr. Poulain had attended her gratuitously; she was, as might be expected, grateful, and often confided her troubles to him. The "nutcrackers," punctual in their attendance at Saint-Francois on Sundays and saints'-days, were on friendly terms with the beadle and the lowest ecclesiastical rank and file, commonly called in Paris le bas clerge, to whom the devout usually give little presents from time to time. Mme. Cantinet therefore knew Schmucke almost as well as Schmucke knew her. And Mme. Cantinet was afflicted with two sore troubles which enabled the lawyer to use her as a blind and involuntary agent. Cantinet junior, a stage-struck youth, had deserted the paths of the Church and turned his back on the prospect of one day becoming a beadle, to make his debut among the supernumeraries of the Cirque-Olympique; he was leading a wild life, breaking his mother's heart and draining her purse by frequent forced loans. Cantinet senior, much addicted to spirituous liquors and idleness, had, in fact, been driven to retire from business by those two failings. So far from reforming, the incorrigible offender had found scope in his new occupation for the indulgence of both cravings; he did nothing, and he drank with drivers of wedding-coaches, with the undertaker's men at funerals, with poor folk relieved by the vicar, till his morning's occupation was set forth in rubric on his countenance by noon.
Mme. Cantinet saw no prospect but want in her old age, and yet she had brought her husband twelve thousand francs, she said. The tale of her woes related for the hundredth time suggested an idea to Dr. Poulain. Once introduce her into the old bachelor's quarters, and it would be easy by her means to establish Mme. Sauvage there as working housekeeper. It was quite impossible to present Mme. Sauvage herself, for the "nutcrackers" had grown suspicious of every one. Schmucke's refusal to admit Mlle. Remonencq had sufficiently opened Fraisier's eyes. Still, it seemed evident that Pons and Schmucke, being pious souls, would take any one recommended by the Abbe, with blind confidence. Mme. Cantinet should bring Mme. Sauvage with her, and to put in Fraisier's servant was almost tantamount to installing Fraisier himself.
中文
六十三、荒唐的提议
天刚亮，雷蒙诺克开了铺门，由姊妹在那里看着，他照最近几天的习惯，过去看他的好朋友西卜了。西卜女人正打量着曼殊的画，心里奇怪怎么一块涂了颜色的小小的木板能值那么多钱。雷蒙诺克掩在西卜女人背后，从她肩膀上望过去，说道：
“哦呵！玛古斯因为没有能弄到这一张还在嘀咕；他说有了这件小玩意儿，就一辈子心满意足啦。”
“他愿意出多少呢？”
“你要答应做了寡妇以后嫁给我，我担保替你向玛古斯弄到两万法郎；要不然你这张画卖起来永远不会超过一千。”
“为什么？”
“因为你得以物主的身份开一张发票，那就得给继承人告上啦。倘若你是我的老婆，由我出面卖给玛古斯，我们做买卖的只要在进货簿上有笔账就行了，我可以写做是许模克卖给我的。得了吧，还是把画儿放在我家里……你丈夫一死，你就麻烦啦，不比我铺子里有张画，谁也不会奇怪……你是知道我的。再说，你要不相信，我可以给你一张收据。”
贪心的看门女人觉得自己犯的案给人拿住了，只得接受他的提议，而从此就摆脱不了这旧货商的束缚。
她把画往柜子里藏起，说道：“你的话不错，你就写个字条来吧。”
“邻居啊，”旧货商把西卜女人拉到门口，低声地说，“咱们的朋友西卜明明是没救的了；波冷医生昨天晚上就说没有希望，挨不过今天的……这当然是你大大的不幸！不过，话得说回来，这儿也不是你住的地方，你应当坐在加波西大街上一家漂亮的古董铺里。告诉你，我十年工夫，挣了近十万法郎，倘使有朝一日，你也有那么多钱，我担保替你好好地挣笔家私……只要你做我的老婆……将来你是老板娘啦……还有我的姊妹服侍你，替你打杂，而且……”
这一篇勾引的话给小裁缝一阵哼唧打断了，他已经到了临终的阶段。
“你走吧，”西卜女人说，“你真不是东西，我丈夫快死了，还跟我讲这种话……”
“啊！因为我爱你，把什么都忘了，一心只想得到你……”
“你要是爱我，这时候一句话都不应该说。”她回答。
于是雷蒙诺克踱回自己的铺子，知道跟西卜女人结婚是没有问题的了。
十点左右，大门四周乱成一片，因为西卜在受临终圣体了。西卜夫妇所有的朋友，诺曼底街和近段几条街上的看门的，挤满了门房、大门口的过道和街面。所以希华勃和勃罗纳，汉纳耿和他的一个同事先后来到的时候，谁也没注意，西卜女人更是看不见。隔壁屋子的看门女人，听见公证人问她邦斯住在哪一层，便指给他看了。勃罗纳从前来看过邦斯的收藏，这一回便不声不响，带着他的朋友往里直奔……邦斯把昨天的遗嘱正式撤销，另外立了一份，指定许模克为全部遗产的继承人。手续办完，邦斯谢过了希华勃与勃罗纳，又把许模克的利益郑重托付了汉纳耿，他就精神不济，衰弱到极点，因为半夜里对付西卜女人的那一场，刚才的吩咐后事等等，把他精力用尽了。许模克看到这种情形，不愿意再分身，就托希华勃去通知杜泼朗蒂神父，因为邦斯已经要求受临终圣体了。
西卜女人坐在丈夫床边，不再顾问许模克的饭食，而且她也给两位朋友撵走了。至于许模克，为了清早的事，又眼看朋友泰然自若地忍着临终苦难，心中悲恸欲绝，根本不觉得饥饿。
可是到下午两点光景，看门女人因为不看见德国人，又好奇又放心不下自己的利益，便托雷蒙诺克的姊妹，去问许模克可要点儿什么。那时杜泼朗蒂神父听完了邦斯的忏悔，正在举行临终的抹油体。雷蒙诺克小姐再三再四地拉着门铃，把这个仪式给扰乱了。可是邦斯怕人来偷东西，早已教许模克发过誓，对谁都不开门。雷蒙诺克小姐拉了半天铃没有结果，便慌慌张张地奔下去，告诉西卜女人说许模克不肯开门。这一节给弗莱齐埃在旁听了去，他料到许模克不久就得为难：这德国人从来没看见死过人，而在巴黎有个死人在手里，没有人帮忙，没有人代办丧事，其窘是可想而知的。弗莱齐埃也知道，真正悲伤的亲属，临时会一点主意都没有的。他从吃过饭以后就待在门房里跟波冷医生商量个不停，这时他决定亲自来指挥许模克的行动了。
波冷医生和弗莱齐埃能做到这一步，原因是这样的：
圣·法朗梭阿教堂的执事，从前是做玻璃生意的，叫作刚蒂南，住在奥莱昂街，跟波冷医生的屋子只有一墙之隔。刚蒂南太太在教堂里专管出租椅子，平日由波冷医生义务治病，为了感激的缘故对他很亲热，常常把自己的苦处讲给他听。两个榛子钳，逢着星期日与节日，总到圣·法朗梭阿教堂去望弥撒，跟执事、门丁、分发圣水的人都相当熟；这些人在巴黎被称为教会的小职员，往往从善男信女手里得到一些酒钱。所以刚蒂南太太和许模克也彼此很熟悉。弗莱齐埃能利用这太太做盲目的工具，是因为她有两块心病。刚蒂南的儿子，本有希望当教堂的门丁，可是他对戏剧着了迷，不愿意吃教会饭，进了奥林匹克马戏班当跑龙套，过着胡天胡地的生活，伤透了母亲的心，又把她的钱袋常常刮得精光。至于刚蒂南本人，又懒又爱喝酒，他为了这两个缺点把本行的买卖丢了。当了教堂的执事，糊涂虫非但不知悔改，反而觉得这职司更可以满足他的嗜好：他游手好闲，跟喜事车上的马夫、殡仪馆的员役和教士平日救济的穷光蛋混在一块儿喝酒，从中午起就满脸通红。
刚蒂南太太，据她自己说，当初还有一万二千法郎陪嫁，想不到老来没有好日子过。波冷医生听过上百遍的这些苦经，使他想起利用她把梭伐太太引进邦斯和许模克家里去当厨娘兼打杂。因为凭空把梭伐太太安插进去是绝对办不到的，两个榛子钳已经疑心到极点，刚才雷蒙诺克小姐没法进门，就足以使弗莱齐埃明白这一点。可是医生和律师都相信，只要是杜泼朗蒂神父介绍去的人，两个老音乐家准会闭着眼睛接受的。根据他们的计划，刚蒂南太太应当带着梭伐太太一块儿去；而弗莱齐埃的老妈子一进了门，就等于弗莱齐埃亲自到场了。
