36
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME.

with some effort, " what is the meaning of that
word ? "
" FATALITY."
Dom Claude turned pale, and the scholar care-
lessly continued : "And that word underneath,
engraven by the same hand, 'Avayveia, signifies
impurity. You see I do know something of
Greek."
The Archdeacon was silent. This Greek lesson
had made hiin thoughtful. Young Jehan, who
had all the art of a spoiled child, deemed it a
favorable moment for hazarding his request. As-
suming, therefore, as soothing a tone as possible,
he thus began : "My good brother, surely you will
not look morose and take a dislike to me, merely
on account of a few petty bruises and thumps
given in fair fight to a pack of little chits and
monkeys—quibusdam marmosetis. You see, I do
know something of Latin, brother Claude."
But this canting hypocrisy had not its accus-
tomed effect upon the stern senior. It did not re-
move a single wrinkle from the brow of the Arch-
deacon.   " Come to the point," said he dryly.
"Well,then," replied Jehan, screwing up his
courage ; " it is this—I want money."
At this straightforward declaration the coun-
tenance of the Archdeacon all at once assumed a
magisterial and paternal expression.
" You know, Monsieur Jehan," said he, " that
our fief of Tirechappe produces no more, deduct-
ing ground rent and other outgoings for the
twenty-one houses, than thirty-nine livres, eleven
sous, six deniers parisis. This is half as much
again as in the time of the Paclets, but 'tis no
great deal."
" I want money," repeated Jehan stoUally.
"You know that the official decided that our
twenty-one houses are liable to the payment of
fines to the bishopric, and that to relieve our-
selves from this homage we must pay the most
reverend bishop two marks in silver gilt at the
rate of six livres parisis. Now I have not yet
been able to save these two marks, as you well
know."
" I know that I want money," repeated Jehan
for the third time.
"Anjl what would you do with it ? "
At this question a glimmer of hope danced be-
fore the eyes of Jehan. He resumed his soft and
fawning manner.
" Look you, my dear brother Claude, it is not for
any bad purpose that 1 make this application. It
is not to play the gallant in taverns with your un-
zains, or to parade the streets of Paris in a suit of
fold brocade wi.h a lackey at my heels.   No,
rother; it is for an act of charity."
"What act of charity?" inquired Claude with
some surprise.
" There are two of my friends who have pro-
posed to purchase baby-linen for the child of a
poor widow in Haudry's alms-houses : it is a real
charity. It would cost three florins, and I wish to
contribute my share."
"A likely story!" observed the sagacious
Claude. "What sort of baby-linen must it be to
cost three florins—and that too for the infant of
one of the Haudry widows ! Since when have
those widows had young infants to provide clothes
for?"
" Well, then," cried Jehan, once more arming
himself with his usual impudence, "I want
money to go at night to see Isabeau la Thierrye."
"Dissolute wretch ! " exclaimed the priest.
"'Avayveîa," said Jehan.
This word, which stared the scholar in the face
on the wall of the cell produced an extraordinary
effect on the priest. He bit his lips, and his anger
was extinguished in a deep blush.
"Get you gone !" said he to Jehan; "I expect
some one."
Jehan made another attempt. " Brother Claude,
give me at least one petit parisis to get something
to eat."
" Where are you in Gratian's decretals ? " asked
Dom Claude.
" I have lost my exercises."
" Where arejyou in the Latin humanities ? "
" Somebody has stolen my Horace."
" Where are you in Aristotle ? "
" By my fay, brother ! —which of the fathers of
the church is it who says that heretics have in
all ages sought refuge under the briars of Aris-
totle's metaphysics ? Faugh upon Aristotle ! I
will not tear my religion to rags against his
metaphysics."
" Young man," replied the Archdeacon, "at the
last entry of the King, there was a gentleman
called Philippe de Comines, who had embroidered
on the trappings of his horse this motto, which I
counsel you to ponder well : Qui non laborat non
ma-nducet." [He that will not work neither shall
he eat.]
The scholar continued silent for a moment,
with his finger on his ear, his eye fixed upon the
floor, and a look of vexation. All at once turning
toward Claude with the brisk motion of a water-
wagtail, "Then, my good brother," said he, "you
refuse me a sou to buy me a crust at the baker's?"
" Qui non laborat non manducet."
At this inflexible answer of the Archdeacon's
Jehan covered his face with his hands, sobbed
like a woman, and cried in a tone of despair :
" 0 TO TO TO to run t "
"What is the meaning ot that ?" asked Claude,
Surprised at this yagary,
" Why," said the scholar, after rubbing his eyes
with his knuckles to give them the appearance of
weeping—"it is Greek—'tis an anapestof iEschy-
lus, which expresses grief to the life."
He then burst into a laugh so droll and so un-
governable that tlie Archdeacon could not help
smiling. It was in fact Claude's fault: why had
he so utterly spoiled the boy ?
" Nay now, my good brother Claude," resumed
Jehan, " only look at my worn-out buskins. Did
you ever see a more lamentable sight ? "
The Archdeacon had quickly resumed his former
sternness. " I will send you new buskins, but no
money."
"Only one poor petit parisis, brother I" be-
sought Jehan. " I will learn .Gratian by heart, I
will be a good Christian, a real Pythagoras of
learning and virtue. One petit parisis, pray !
Would you let me fall a prey to hunger which is
staring me in the face ? "
Dom Claude shook his wrinkled brow. " Qui
non laborat-----"
"Well then," cried Jehan, interrupting him,
"jollity for ever ! I will game, I will fight, I will
go to the tavern and the bordel ! "
So saying he threw up his cap, and snapped his
fingers like castanets. The Archdeacon eyed him
with gloomy look.
" Jehan," said he, " you are on a very slippery
descent.   Know you whither you are going ? "
" To the tavern," said Jehan.
"The tavern leads to the pillory."
" 'T is a lantern like any other; and it was per-
haps the one with which Diogenes found his
man."
" The pillory leads to the gallows."
" The gallows is a balance, which has a man at
one end and all the world at the other. 'T is a
fine thing to be the man."
" The gallows leads to hell."
" That is a rousing fire."
"Jehan, Jehan, the end will be bad."
" The beginning at least will have been good."
At this moment the sound of a footfall was
heard on the stairs.
" Silence ! " said the Archdeacon; " here is Mas-
ter Jacques. Hark ye, Jehan," added he, in a
lower tone, " be sure not to mention what you
shall have seen and heard here. Quick! hide
yourself under this furnace, and do n't so much
as breathe."
The scholar crept under the furnace. Here an
excellent idea occurred to him. "By-the-by,
brother Claude, I must have a florin for not breath-
ing."
" Silence ! you shall have it."
" But give it me now."
" There, take it ! " said the Archdeacon angrily,
throwing him his pouch. Jehan crawled as
far as he could under the furnace and the door
opened.
Chapter V.—The Two Men in Black.
Advorsum stimulus, laminas, crucesque, compedesaue
Nervos, catenas, carceres, numellas, pedlcas, Was —
but all to no purpose.   Oh ! he is a terrible fellow
He fairly puzzles me,"
" Havelyou found nothing further in his house? »
"Yes," said Master Jacques, groping in his
pouch; "this parchment. There are words upon
it which pass our comprehension: and yet Mon-
sieur Philippe Lheulier, the criminal advocate
knows something of Hebrew, which he picked up
in the affair of the Jews at Brussels."
As he thus spoke Master Jacques unrolled the
parchment.
" Give it to me," said the Archdeacon. He threw
his eye over it. "Pure magic, Master Jacques ' "
he exclaimed. "Emm Hetan—that is the cry of
the witches on their arrival at their sabbath meet-
ings. Per ipsum, et cum ipso, et in ipso—thai is.
the command which chains down the devil in hell.
Hox, pax, max—that belongs to medicine—a form
against the bite of mad dogs. Master Jacques
you are the King's proctor in the ecclesiastical
court: this parchment is abominable."
" We will apply the torture again. But here is.
something else," added Master Jacques, fumbling
a second time in his pouch, "that we have found
at Marc Cenaine's."
It was a vessel of the same family as those
which covered Dom Claude's furnace. "Aha!"
said the Archdeacon : " a crucible of alchymy ! "
"I must confess," resumed Master Jacques,
with his timid and awkward smile, " that I tried
it upon the furnace, but with no better luck than
with my own."
The Archdeacon examined the vessel. "What
has he engraved on his crucible ? Och, och—the
word that drives away fleas. This Marc Cenaine
is an ignoramus. I can easily believe that you
will not make gold with this. 'Tis fit to put in
your alcove in summer, and that is all."
" Talking of blunders," said the King's proctor,
" I have been examining the porch below before
I came up: is your reverence quite sure that the
one of the seven naked figures at the feet of Our
Lady, with wings at his heels, is Mercury ?"
" Certainly," replied the priest; " so it is stated
by Augustin Nypho, the Italian doctor, who had a
bearded demon that revealed every thing to him.-
But we will go down presently, and I will explain
this to you to be the text."
" Many thanks, master," said Charmolue, with a
very low obeisance. " But I had well nigh forgot-
ten—when doth it please you that I should order
the young sorceress to be apprehended ? "
" What sorceress ? "
" That Bohemian, you know, who comes every
day to dance in the Parvis, in despite of the pro-
hibition of the official. She has a goat which is
possessed, and has the devil's own horns, and
reads, and writes, and understands mathematics,
and would be enough to bring all Bohemia to the
gallows. The indictment '« quite ready. A hand-
some creature, upon mv soul, that dancer ! the
The person who entered had a black gown and
a gloomy look. Our friend Jehan, who had con-
trived to arrange himself in his hiding-place in
such a manner as to hear and see all that passed,
was struck at the first glance by the perfect sad-
ness of the garb and the countenance of the
visitor. A certain gentleness at the same time
overspread that face; but it was the gentleness of
a cat or a judge. The man was very gray, wrinkled,
and hard upon sixty: with white eyebrows, hang-
ing lip, and large hands. When Jehan saw that it
was nobody, that is to say, in all probability ome
physician or magistrate, and that nis nose was at a
great distance from his mouth, a sure sign
stupidity, he shrank back in his hole, vexed at the
prospect of having to pass an indefinite time in
so confined a posture and in such scurvy company.
The Archdeacon meanwhile had not even risen
to this personage. He motioned to him to be
seated on a stool near the door, and, after a few
moments' silence, in which he seemed to be pursu-
ing a previous meditation, he said with the tone
of a patron to his client, " Good-morrow, Master
Jacques."
"Good-morrow, master," replied the man In
black.
In the two ways of pronouncing on the one
hand that Master Jacques, and on the other that
master by way of eminence, there was as much
difference as between Monseigneur and Monsieur;
it clearly bespoke the teacher and the disciple.
" Well," resumed the Archdeacon, after another
silence, which Master Jacques took care not to in-
terrupt, " have you succeeded ? "
" Alas ! master," said the other with a sorrowful
smile, " I keep puffing away. More ashes than I
want, but not an atom of gold."
A gesture of displeasure" escaped Dom Claude.
"I was not talking of that, Master Jacques
Charmolue but of the proceedings against your
sorcerer, Marc Cenaine, I think you called him,
the butler of the Court of Accompts. Doth he
confess his guilt. Has the torture produced the
desired effect ? "
" Alas ! no," replied Master Jacques, still with
his sad smile; "we have not that consolation.
The man is as hard as a flint. We might boil him
in the Swine Market before he would confess.
However, we are sparing no pains to get to the
truth; his joints are all dislocated. We are try-
ing every thing we can think of, as old Plautus
I says:
brightest black eyes ! a pair of Egyptian car-
buncles ! when shall we begin ? "
The Archdeacon turned pale as death. " I will
tell you," stammered he, with a voice scarcely ar-
ticulate. Then with an effort he added : "For the
present go on with Marc Cenaine."
"Never fear," said Charmolue. smiling; "as
soon as I get back, I will have him strapped down
again to the leathern bed. But 't is a devil of a
fellow : he tries Pierrat Torterue himself, and his
hands are bigger than mine. As saith the good
Plautus:
Nudus vinctus centum pondo, es quando pendes per
pedes.
The windlass will be the best thing to set to work
upon him."
Dom Claude appeared to be absorbed in gloomy
reverie. Suddenly turning to Charmolue : "Master
Pierrat .... Master Jacques, I would say, go on
with Marc Cenaine."
" Ay, ay, Dom Claude. Poor man, he will have
suffered a martyrdom. But then what an idea, to
go to the sabbath ! a butler of the Court of
Accompts, who ought to know the text of Charle-
magne s ordinance, Stryga vei masca ! As for the
girl—Smeralda, as they call her—I shall await
your orders-----Ah, true ! and when we are at the
porch, you will also explain to me what the
gardener in low relief at the entrance of the
church is meant for ! Is it not the Sower ? Bey,.
master !   What think you ? "
Dom Claude, engrossed by his own reflections,
attended not to the speaker. Charmolue, follow-
ing the direction of his eye, perceived that it was
mechanically fixed .upon a large spider's web
stretched across the window. At that moment, a
giddy fly, attracted by the March sun, flew into
the net and became entangled in it. At the shoct
given to his web, an enormous spider rushed form
from his central cell, and then with one leap,
sprang upon the fly, which he doubled up witn
his fore-legs, while with his hideous sucker ne
attacked the head. " Poor. fly ! " said the proctor,
and raised his hand to rescue it. The Archdeacon,
suddenly starting up, held back his arm with con-
vulsive violence.                                              .,H
" Master Jacques ! " cried he, " meddle not witn.
fatality!"                                                      . „„
The proctor turned about in alarm : it seemed as
if his arm was held by iron pincers. The eye «i
the priest was fixed, wild, glaring, and gazed in-