Mysteries of Paris, V3

pandemonium-a sad thermometer of the sta

ions of family or affection which connects them still to the world, from w

to be known in this tale, and other secondary figures, destined to place in active relief certa

thing sinister in the aspec

bery, at the foot of which are already shooting forth some precocious cowslips and snowdrops; a

ard are of scrupulous cleanliness. On the ground-floor, vast halls, heated during winter, and well aired during summer, serve during the day as a place for conversation, workshops, or refectories. The upper stories are used as immense

t and salubrity, a stranger is much surprised, accustomed as he is to supp

ted, forced to abandon their beds to their infirm wives, and to leave with powerless despa

eeing a mad perversity reducing his salary, the artisan will be cast down and worn out; the hour of repose will not be sound to him; a kind of sleep like lassitude alone interrupts hi

doubt, but finding large compensation in the personal well-being he enjoys, certain to carry away with him on his release a good sum of money, gained by moderate and easy labor, este

sy labor, and above all and before all, a society to his taste, a society,

ger, nor cold. What matters to him the horror he insp

ength with the bandits among whom he will he

and to repent, he hears savage plaudits, which encourage him to robbery and

repose, the personal care of the prison, and his

manifest, on the contrary, the slightest remorse that he is ex

h a firm resolution to reform by prodigies of labor, courage, patience, and honesty, and be able to conceal his past offenses, a meet

fuses the criminal association; immediately an anonymous communication strips the veil from the past life o

bity, reduced to distress, soured by injustice, carried away by want, yielding, in fine, to these fatal derelictions, this man,

then, to show the monstrous and inevitabl

understood how unreasonable it is to plunge into an atmosphere abomi

associate gangrened beings is to redouble the intensi

remedy to this growing leprosy, which threa

eard, among all those which, more imposing, more eloquent than ours, demand, with so just

ood in substance, but false and wicked through ignorance, selfishness, or negligence of those governing; and that the health

rgetic appetites, and the desire of comfort; it

ustly remunerated, which will assure him, not the superfluities, but the necessaries of life, the means to be

sewers, spread there the inclination to labor, equitable salaries, just rewards, and soon these sickly

apartment, separated down its whole length into two equal parts by a narrow, ra

office, destined for strangers

the extremity of the passage. The appearance of the prisoners assembled in the visiting room on this day offered numerous contra

them women. Generally the prisoners appear less sad than the visitors; for, strange as it may appear, it is proved by

s words, a kind of ferocious emulation drags them on, and either to impose upon their companions by rivaling their obduracy or to stupefy themselves by t

practice, in being able to converse among themselves-on the absolute condition not to allow themselves, for a moment, to be distracted or occupied with the conversation of their neigh

, and the furthest from the place where the guardi

armed at the punishment which awaited him, might have experienced, if not repentance, at least a salutary alarm, from which nothing might have distracted him. And who knows what effect may be produced on a criminal by an incessant, forced meditation on the crimes which he had committed, and their punishment? Far from this, thrown into the midst of a ruffianly

n, the manners and ways of prisons, overcame his weakness, and wished to app

rand had applied when the idea struck him to be ri

he scaffold. His widow, forty-five years old, was confirmed in crime, stern, hard, coldly cruel, and bent on training all her children up into the life which would most revenge on society the slaying of her husband. One son, Ambrose, had been sold by Bras-Rouge (Red-Arm), a tavern

oicing with their mother, to meet La Chouette, report their success, and join in a fresh atrocity. This new crime, the robbery and murder of a diamond-dealer in Red-Arm's public-house, was frustrated by the landlord's secret connection with the police. They had made their descent just as the jewel-broker was in the villains' hands, and arrested the whole gang. Bras-Rouge (t

wn his executed father, others, his brother, the galley-slave; he was receive

isdeeds but to exaggerate them and glorify himself in the eyes of his companions. The expression, then, of his face, was as impudent as his visitor's was uneasy and concerned. This individual was one Micou, a receiver, dwelling in the Passage de la Brasserie, to whose ho

abitual fence. Although this accusation might not be sustained by flagrant proofs, it was not the less very dangerous

get on, Daddy Mico

ceiver, eagerly. "As soon as I saw t

d Nicholas, interrupting him, with a sardonic a

iver, who did not care to make public

all believe you have no friendship f

hing. "I have busied myself wi

w well that you would not

o pounds at the

it g

e be

the

dded a little surprise you did not expect-half a

all acting like

d; but, you know, they will o

e? One ought to be

satisfied with

and wine will only last the time to swallow them; but, when there is no more, there will come

you

you would renew my lit

me if I do. It is al

ham and wine are good always

I am not obliged to f

to refuse ham to me, who have so ofte

d the alarm

k decide; I will tell

co

receiver, seeing, with

abuse the position whic

enish your stock of pr

aus

coffee to my mother and Calabash, who are at Saint Lazare; they u

t do you mean t

et us speak no more about it

eceiver, interrupting him. "But may the de

rary. At this moment, I am delighted to kno

ing more to order?" answer

trembled when I was arrested, I tremble no mo

ll them. I

r of warm woolen stockings-you do

you were

ething else. I wish to pass life calmly-at least, if they do not

e is very

there had been lamps and guns, there would have been an illumination and a s

ng. Beautiful

then, should not we of the oldest family have

you your letters of nob

ought to see how they treat those mere fogle-hunters, and who do their-Hold! there is one here named Germain, a young man who plays the disgusted, and see

young man ca

then, in the family line, notw

s the Germain of whom I have he

ow

e which Velu and the Bi

d they

at down among the yokels he

this to my friends; that will give them an appetite.

n! you will see him her

a laugh! He's another

main here, is why I said his acc

the Cripple

honest and labor. Oh, yes! the Big Cripple nicely fixed him; he is so wicked! I

the youngest of whom was

shall be in for two weeks' lodgings; but may the devil burn me if I give a rag to bury them! I have had losses enough, without

as rich as Croesus. When you come to bring me some more pr

t must

also a new cap, of plaid velvet, with a t

y-you are

a cap of plaid velv

ined, then, to make

t get vexed; it is yes o

enou

ercy of Nicholas, arose, fearing to be assail

, if you ask me for anything more, I shall give no

any more than is necessary, for this would be

rage, and the warder reconducted Nicholas into the

rance, was dressed in a jacket, cap, and trousers of blue cloth; tw

ch Rigolette consoled Germain when she came to converse with him. Germain, on his part, was no ordinary prisoner. His reserve, his mildness, his sadness, inspired interest in the prison of

r overshoes and umbrella, Rigolette had

an to her, kindly. "You must have had a good deal of

easure they are going to give a poor prisoner, on

to ask you whom

And how is my

degrees they fell in with the rest, and the most sorrowful at first often b

s that tro

one. I have already told you, you should advise him not to act thus, but to speak to his com

ill more danger for h

is not one of them, and they hate hi

; to endeavor to converse with the least wicked; but it

ong; a quarrel

separated fro

go their evil intentions toward him, I ha

el

f cells are comprised in the repairs now going

, with her eyes filled with tears. "If by chance he had some pe

the prisoners can obtain themselve

lost, if they hate

ly. But I repeat, my dear, counsel him to be a lit

strength, sir; but for a good and honest hear

as soon as they are gone-no more will come to-day, for it is now two o'clock-I will send for Germain; you can talk more at ease. I can

nd you are; how

eat yourself up there, at the end of the bench, and as soo

assage. Rigolette went and seated herself sa

chance to draw the

the movement of her small feet, always irreproachably confined in gaiter-boots of black cloth, with rather thick soles, recalled to mind the coquettish, light and discreet run of a quail. She did not appear to walk, she merely touched the pavement; she slid rapidly on its surface. This w

traced with ink, and overshadowed large black eyes, sparkling and wicked; her full, plump cheeks were like velvet of the

moistened, and little, white, pearly teeth, was smiling and provoking; of three charming dimples, which gave enticing grace to her face, two buried

um balls, to the soft murmur of the winds, the waters, and the foliage-the deafening noise of the streets of Paris to the solitude of the country-the glare of fireworks, the glitter of a ball, the noise of rockets, to the serenity of a fine night, with stars and darkness and silence. Alas! yes; the good girl frankly preferred the black mud of the streets of the capital to the verdure of the flowery meadows-its dirty or scorching pavements to fresh and velvet moss of

she found herself, being alone in the world; notwithstanding the rigid economy which she was obliged to use in her smallest expenses in order t

s, without knowing it. Germain, also her neighbor in the house, had, however, fallen desperately in love with Rigolette, without daring to breathe one word respecting it. Far from imitating his predecessors, who resorted to other sources of solace, without losing their regard for her, Germain had delightfully enjoyed his intimacy with the girl, and the pleasure afforded by her society on Sundays and every other evening that he was disengaged. During these long hours, Rigolette was always gay and merry,

ers; but, with excellent judgment, she soon discovered that Germain co

risoned, her feeling ma