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Gringoire,thoroughlystunnedbyhisfall,remainedonthepavementinfrontoftheHolyVirginatthestreetcorner.
Littlebylittle,heregainedhissenses;atfirst,forseveralminutes,hewasfloatinginasortofhalf–somnolentrevery,whichwasnotwithoutitscharm,inwhichaerielfiguresofthegypsyandhergoatwerecoupledwithQuasimodo'sheavyfist.Thisstatelastedbutashorttime.
Adecidedlyvividsensationofcoldinthepartofhisbodywhichwasincontactwiththepavement,suddenlyarousedhimandcausedhisspirittoreturntothesurface.
"Whencecomesthischill?"hesaidabruptly,tohimself.Hethenperceivedthathewaslyinghalfinthemiddleofthegutter.
"Thatdevilofahunchbackedcyclops!"hemutteredbetweenhisteeth;andhetriedtorise.
Buthewastoomuchdazedandbruised;hewasforcedtoremainwherehewas.
Moreover,hishandwastolerablyfree;hestoppeduphisnoseandresignedhimself.
"ThemudofParis,"hesaidtohimself—fordecidedlyhethoughtthathewassurethatthegutterwouldprovehisrefugeforthenight;andwhatcanonedoinarefuge,exceptdream?
—"themudofParisisparticularlystinking;itmustcontainagreatdealofvolatileandnitricsalts.
That,moreover,istheopinionofMasterNicholasFlamel,andofthealchemists—"
Theword"alchemists"suddenlysuggestedtohismindtheideaofArchdeaconClaudeFrollo.
Herecalledtheviolentscenewhichhehadjustwitnessedinpart;thatthegypsywasstrugglingwithtwomen,thatQuasimodohadacompanion;andthemoroseandhaughtyfaceofthearchdeaconpassedconfusedlythroughhismemory."Thatwouldbestrange!"hesaidtohimself.
Andonthatfactandthatbasishebegantoconstructafantasticedificeofhypothesis,thatcard–castleofphilosophers;then,suddenlyreturningoncemoretoreality,"Come!I'mfreezing!"heejaculated.
Theplacewas,infact,becominglessandlesstenable.
EachmoleculeofthegutterboreawayamoleculeofheatradiatingfromGringoire'sloins,andtheequilibriumbetweenthetemperatureofhisbodyandthetemperatureofthebrook,begantobeestablishedinroughfashion.
Quiteadifferentannoyancesuddenlyassailedhim.
Agroupofchildren,thoselittlebare–footedsavageswhohavealwaysroamedthepavementsofParisundertheeternalnameof~gamins~,andwho,whenwewerealsochildrenourselves,threwstonesatallofusintheafternoon,whenwecameoutofschool,becauseourtrouserswerenottorn—aswarmoftheseyoungscampsrushedtowardsthesquarewhereGringoirelay,withshoutsandlaughterwhichseemedtopaybutlittleheedtothesleepoftheneighbors.
Theyweredraggingafterthemsomesortofhideoussack;andthenoiseoftheirwoodenshoesalonewouldhaverousedthedead.
Gringoirewhowasnotquitedeadyet,halfraisedhimself.
"Ohé,HennequinDandéche!Oh,JehanPincebourde!"
theyshoutedindeafeningtones,"oldEustacheMoubon,themerchantatthecorner,hasjustdied.
We'vegothisstrawpallet,we'regoingtohaveabonfireoutofit.It'stheturnoftheFlemishto–day!"
Andbehold,theyflungthepalletdirectlyuponGringoire,besidewhomtheyhadarrived,withoutespyinghim.
Atthesametime,oneofthemtookahandfulofstrawandsetofftolightitatthewickofthegoodVirgin.
"S'death!"growledGringoire,"amIgoingtobetoowarmnow?"
Itwasacriticalmoment.Hewascaughtbetweenfireandwater;hemadeasuperhumaneffort,theeffortofacounterfeiterofmoneywhoisonthepointofbeingboiled,andwhoseekstoescape.
Herosetohisfeet,flungasidethestrawpalletuponthestreeturchins,andfled.
"HolyVirgin!"shriekedthechildren;"'tisthemerchant'sghost!"
Andtheyfledintheirturn.
Thestrawmattressremainedmasterofthefield.
Belleforet,FatherLeJuge,andCorrozetaffirmthatitwaspickeduponthemorrow,withgreatpomp,bytheclergyofthequarter,andbornetothetreasuryofthechurchofSaintOpportune,wherethesacristan,evenaslateas1789,earnedatolerablyhandsomerevenueoutofthegreatmiracleoftheStatueoftheVirginatthecorneroftheRueMauconseil,whichhad,byitsmerepresence,onthememorablenightbetweenthesixthandseventhofJanuary,1482,exorcisedthedefunctEustacheMoubon,who,inordertoplayatrickonthedevil,hadathisdeathmaliciouslyconcealedhissoulinhisstrawpallet.
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