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The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Notre-Dame de Paris), a novel by Victor Hugo |
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VOLUME II - BOOK NINTH - Chapter 6 - Continuation of the Key to the Red Door |
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_ That night, la Esmeralda had fallen asleep in her cell, full of oblivion, of hope, and of sweet thoughts. She had already been asleep for some time, dreaming as always, of Phoebus, when it seemed to her that she heard a noise near her. She slept lightly and uneasily, the sleep of a bird; a mere nothing waked her. She opened her eyes. The night was very dark. Nevertheless, she saw a figure gazing at her through the window; a lamp lighted up this apparition. The moment that the figure saw that la Esmeralda had perceived it, it blew out the lamp. But the young girl had had time to catch a glimpse of it; her eyes closed again with terror. "Oh!" she said in a faint voice, "the priest!" All her past unhappiness came back to her like a flash of A moment later she felt a touch along her body which made The priest had just slipped in beside her. He encircled She tried to scream and could not. "Begone, monster! begone assassin!" she said, in a voice "Mercy! mercy!" murmured the priest, pressing his lips She seized his bald head by its remnant of hair and tried to "Mercy!" repeated the unfortunate man. "If you but knew what She stopped his two arms with superhuman force. "Let me go," she said, "or I will spit in your face!" He released her. "Vilify me, strike me, be malicious! Do Then she struck him with the fury of a child. She made "Love me! love mepity!" cried the poor priest returning All at once she felt him stronger than herself. "There must be an end to this!" he said, gnashing his teeth. She was conquered, palpitating in his arms, and in his Nothing came. Djali alone was awake and bleating with anguish. "Hush!" said the panting priest. All at once, as she struggled and crawled on the floor, the "What is that?" said the priest. Almost at the same instant he felt himself raised by a The priest fancied that he perceived the form of Quasimodo. In a twinkling, the priest was overthrown and a leaden From the angular imprint of that knee he recognized He was lost. The young girl, pitiless as an enraged tigress, "No blood on her!" he said in a dull voice. It was, in fact, Quasimodo's voice. Then the priest felt a large hand dragging him feet first out When they had passed through the door of the cell, its pale The gypsy, who had advanced to the threshold of her cell, The priest, who was overwhelming the deaf man with gestures The deaf man dropped his head, then he came and knelt at So saying, he presented his knife to the priest. The priest, She held the blade high. The priest remained undecided. She would certainly have struck him. Then she added with a pitiless expression, well aware that "Ah! I know that Phoebus is not dead! The priest overturned Quasimodo on the floor with a kick, When he was gone, Quasimodo picked up the whistle which "It was getting rusty," he said, as he handed it back to her; The young girl, deeply agitated by this violent scene, fell The priest had groped his way back to his cell. It was settled. Dom Claude was jealous of Quasimodo! He repeated with a thoughtful air his fatal words: "No |