Original Text
|
Modern Text
|
“‘Doctor, they are very proud, these Nobles; but we common dogs are proud too,
sometimes. They plunder us, outrage us, beat us, kill us; but we have a little
pride left, sometimes. She—have you seen her, Doctor?’
|
“‘Doctor, these nobles are very proud. But sometimes we peasants are proud,
too. They steal from us, anger us, beat us, and kill us. But sometimes we still
have a little pride left. She—have you seen her, doctor?’
|
“The shrieks and the cries were audible there, though subdued by the distance.
He referred to them, as if she were lying in our presence.
|
“The screams and cries could be heard there, although they were quieter and in
the distance. The boy referred to them as if she were lying there near
us.
|
“I said, ‘I have seen her.’
|
“I said, ‘I have seen her.’
|
“‘She is my sister, Doctor. They have had their shameful rights, these Nobles,
in the modesty and virtue of our sisters, many years, but we have had good girls
among us. I know it, and have heard my father say so. She was a good girl. She
was betrothed to a good young man, too: a tenant of his. We were all tenants of
his—that man’s who stands there. The other is his brother, the worst of a bad
race.’
|
“‘She is my sister, Doctor. They have taken their right as nobles and have had
their way with our sisters and peasant women for many years. But we have good
girls among us. I know it and have heard my father say so. My sister was a good
girl. She was engaged to a good young man too, a serf that belonged to this
noble. We were all serfs that belonged to him—that man standing there. The other
man is his brother. He is the worst of all of this terrible family.’
|
“It was with the greatest difficulty that the boy gathered bodily force to
speak; but, his spirit spoke with a dreadful emphasis.
|
“It was very difficult for the boy to find the strength to speak. But he spoke
with a dreadful passion.
|
“‘We were so robbed by that man who stands there, as all we common dogs are by
those superior Beings—taxed by him without mercy, obliged to work for him
without pay, obliged to grind our corn at his mill, obliged to feed scores of
his tame birds on our wretched crops, and forbidden for our lives to keep a
single tame bird of our own, pillaged and plundered to that degree that when we
chanced to have a bit of meat, we ate it in fear, with the door barred and the
shutters closed, that his people should not see it and take it from us—I say, we
were so robbed, and hunted, and were made so poor, that our father told us it
was a dreadful thing to bring a child into the world, and that what we should
most pray for, was, that our women might be barren and our miserable race die
out!’
|
“‘We were robbed by that man standing there, the way all peasants are robbed
by nobles. We were taxed mercilessly and forced to work for him without pay. We
were forced to grind our corn at his mill and forced to feed our poor crops to
his tame birds. We weren’t allowed to keep any tame birds ourselves. We were
robbed and abused so much that when we did have the luck to have a bit of meat
to eat, we ate it in fear, with the door barred and the shutters closed so no
one would see it and take it away from us. We were robbed, hunted, and made so
poor that our father told us that it was a terrible thing to bring a child into
the world. He told us that we should pray that our women would be unable to give
birth and that our family would die out!’
|
“I had never before seen the sense of being oppressed, bursting forth like a
fire. I had supposed that it must be latent in the people somewhere; but, I had
never seen it break out, until I saw it in the dying boy.
|
“I had never seen someone speak of their oppression so passionately before. I
had assumed that it had to be deep down inside the peasants somewhere, but I had
never seen it break out until I saw this dying boy.
|
“‘Nevertheless, Doctor, my sister married. He was ailing at that time, poor
fellow, and she married her lover, that she might tend and comfort him in our
cottage—our dog-hut, as that man would call it. She had not been married many
weeks, when that man’s brother saw her and admired her, and asked that man to
lend her to him—for what are husbands among us! He was willing enough, but my
sister was good and virtuous, and hated his brother with a hatred as strong as
mine. What did the two then, to persuade her husband to use his influence with
her, to make her willing?’
|
“‘Nevertheless, Doctor, my sister got married. Her husband was sick at the
time, the poor fellow. She married the man she loved so that she could take care
of him and comfort him in our cottage—our doghouse, as that man would call it.
She had only been married a few weeks when that man’s brother saw her and was
attracted to her. He asked her husband to lend her to him. What terrible
husbands are there among us! The husband was willing enough, but my sister was
good and virtuous. She hated this man’s brother as much as I did. What did the
two brothers do then to persuade her husband to convince her to go through with
it?’
|
“The boy’s eyes, which had been fixed on mine, slowly turned to the looker-on,
and I saw in the two faces that all he said was true. The two opposing kinds of
pride confronting one another, I can see, even in this Bastille; the
gentleman’s, all negligent indifference; the peasants, all trodden-down
sentiment, and passionate revenge.
|
“The boy had been staring into my eyes. He slowly turned to the brothers, and
I saw in their faces that everything he said was true. The pride of the boy
confronted the pride of the two brothers. Even here in the Bastille I can see
the gentleman’s indifference and the oppressed boy’s desire for revenge.
|