Notre-Dame de Paris — Chapter 37 in French
By Victor Hugo
Gringoire et toute la Cour des Miracles étaient dans une mortelle inquiétude. Gringoire and the entire Court of Miracles were suffering mortal anxiety. On ne savait depuis un grand mois ce qu’était devenue la Esmeralda, ce qui contristait fort le duc d’Égypte et ses amis les truands, ni ce qu’était devenue sa chèvre, ce qui redoublait la douleur de Gringoire. For a whole month they had not known what had become of la Esmeralda, which greatly pained the Duke of Egypt and his friends the vagabonds, nor what had become of the goat, which redoubled Gringoire's grief. Un soir, l’égyptienne avait disparu, et depuis lors n’avait plus donné signe de vie. One evening the gypsy had disappeared, and since that time had given no signs of life. Toutes recherches avaient été inutiles. All search had proved fruitless. Quelques sabouleux taquins disaient à Gringoire l’avoir rencontrée ce soir-là aux environs du Pont Saint-Michel s’en allant avec un officier ; mais ce mari à la mode de Bohême était un philosophe incrédule, et d’ailleurs il savait mieux que personne à quel point sa femme était vierge. Some tormenting bootblacks had told Gringoire about meeting her that same evening near the Pont Saint-Michel, going off with an officer; but this husband, after the fashion of Bohemia, was an incredulous philosopher, and besides, he, better than any one else, knew to what a point his wife was virginal. Il avait pu juger quelle pudeur inexpugnable résultait des deux vertus combinées de l’amulette et de l’égyptienne, et il avait mathématiquement calculé la résistance de cette chasteté à la seconde puissance. He had been able to form a judgment as to the unconquerable modesty resulting from the combined virtues of the amulet and the gypsy, and he had mathematically calculated the resistance of that chastity to the second power. Il était donc tranquille de ce côté. Accordingly, he was at ease on that score.
Aussi ne pouvait-il s’expliquer cette disparition. Still he could not understand this disappearance. C’était un chagrin profond. It was a profound sorrow. Il en eût maigri, si la chose eût été possible. He would have grown thin over it, had that been possible. Il en avait tout oublié, jusqu’à ses goûts littéraires, jusqu’à son grand ouvrage De figuris regularibus et irregularibus, qu’il comptait faire imprimer au premier argent qu’il aurait. He had forgotten everything, even his literary tastes, even his great work, De figuris reyularibus et irregularibus, which it was his intention to have printed with the first money which he should procure (for he had raved over printing, ever since he had seen the "Didascalon" of Hugues de Saint Victor, printed with the celebrated characters of Vindelin de Spire).
Un jour, en passant tristement devant la Tournelle criminelle, il aperçut une foule considérable à l'une des portes du Palais de Justice. One day, as he was passing sadly before the criminal Tournelle, he perceived a considerable crowd at one of the gates of the Palais de Justice.
Qu'est-ce que ceci ? "What is this?" demanda-t-il à un jeune homme qui en sortait. he inquired of a young man who was coming out.