第58章 CHAPTER I(2)

"I imagine，" said Agnes la Herme， "that it is a beast， an animal，--the fruit of--a Jew and a sow； something not Christian， in short， which ought to be thrown into the fire or into the water.""I really hope，" resumed la Gaultière， "that nobody will apply for it.""Ah， good heavens！" exclaimed Agnes； "those poor nurses yonder in the foundling asylum， which forms the lower end of the lane as you go to the river， just beside Monseigneur the bishop！ what if this little monster were to be carried to them to suckle？ I'd rather give suck to a vampire.""How innocent that poor la Herme is！" resumed Jehanne； "don't you see， sister， that this little monster is at least four years old， and that he would have less appetite for your breast than for a turnspit."The "little monster" we should find it difficult ourselves to describe him otherwise， was， in fact， not a new-born child. It was a very angular and very lively little mass， imprisoned in its linen sack， stamped with the cipher of Messire Guillaume Chartier， then bishop of Paris， with a head projecting. That head was deformed enough； one beheld only a forest of red hair， one eye， a mouth， and teeth. The eye wept， the mouth cried， and the teeth seemed to ask only to be allowed to bite. The whole struggled in the sack， to the great consternation of the crowd， which increased and was renewed incessantly around it.

Dame Aloise de Gondelaurier， a rich and noble woman， who held by the hand a pretty girl about five or six years of age， and dragged a long veil about， suspended to the golden horn of her headdress， halted as she passed the wooden bed， and gazed for a moment at the wretched creature， while her charming little daughter， Fleur-de-Lys de Gondelaurier， spelled out with her tiny， pretty finger， the permanent inscription attached to the wooden bed： "Foundlings.""Really，" said the dame， turning away in disgust， "I thought that they only exposed children here."She turned her back， throwing into the basin a silver florin， which rang among the liards， and made the poor goodwives of the chapel of Etienne Haudry open their eyes.

A moment later， the grave and learned Robert Mistricolle， the king's protonotary， passed， with an enormous missal under one arm and his wife on the other (Damoiselle Guillemette la Mairesse)， having thus by his side his two regulators，--spiritual and temporal.

"Foundling！" he said， after examining the object； "found， apparently， on the banks of the river Phlegethon.""One can only see one eye，" observed Damoiselle Guillemette；"there is a wart on the other."

"It's not a wart，" returned Master Robert Mistricolle， "it is an egg which contains another demon exactly similar， who bears another little egg which contains another devil， and so on.""How do you know that？" asked Guillemette la Mairesse.

"I know it pertinently，" replied the protonotary.

"Monsieur le protonotare，" asked Gauchère， "what do you prognosticate of this pretended foundling？""The greatest misfortunes，" replied Mistricolle.

"Ah！ good heavens！" said an old woman among the spectators， "and that besides our having had a considerable pestilence last year， and that they say that the English are going to disembark in a company at Harfleur.""Perhaps that will prevent the queen from coming to Paris in the month of September，" interposed another； "trade is so bad already.""My opinion is，" exclaimed Jehanne de la Tarme， "that it would be better for the louts of Paris， if this little magician were put to bed on a fagot than on a plank.""A fine， flaming fagot，" added the old woman.

"It would be more prudent，" said Mistricolle.

For several minutes， a young priest had been listening to the reasoning of the Haudriettes and the sentences of the notary. He had a severe face， with a large brow， a profound glance. He thrust the crowd silently aside， scrutinized the "little magician，" and stretched out his hand upon him. It was high time， for all the devotees were already licking their chops over the "fine， flaming fagot.""I adopt this child，" said the priest.

He took it in his cassock and carried it off. The spectators followed him with frightened glances. A moment later， he had disappeared through the "Red Door，" which then led from the church to the cloister.

When the first surprise was over， Jehanne de la Tarme bent down to the ear of la Gaultière，--"I told you so， sister，--that young clerk， Monsieur Claude Frollo， is a sorcerer."