Part 2 Book 8 Chapter 6 Between Four Planks

Who was in the coffin? The reader knows. Jean Valjean.

Jean Valjean had arranged things so that he could exist there, and he could almost breathe.

It is a strange thing to what a degree security of conscience confers security of the rest. Every combination thought out by Jean Valjean had been progressing, and progressing favorably, since the preceding day. He, like Fauchelevent, counted on Father Mestienne. He had no doubt as to the end. Never was there a more critical situation, never more complete composure.

The four planks of the coffin breathe out a kind of terrible peace. It seemed as though something of the repose of the dead entered into Jean Valjean's tranquillity.

From the depths of that coffin he had been able to follow, and he had followed, all the phases of the terrible drama which he was playing with death.

Shortly after Fauchelevent had finished nailing on the upper plank, Jean Valjean had felt himself carried out, then driven off. He knew, from the diminution in the jolting, when they left the pavements and reached the earth road. He had divined, from a dull noise, that they were crossing the bridge of Austerlitz. At the first halt, he had understood that they were entering the cemetery; at the second halt, he said to himself:--

"Here is the grave."

Suddenly, he felt hands seize the coffin, then a harsh grating against the planks; he explained it to himself as the rope which was being fastened round the casket in order to lower it into the cavity.

Then he experienced a giddiness.

The undertaker's man and the grave-digger had probably allowed the coffin to lose its balance, and had lowered the head before the foot. He recovered himself fully when he felt himself horizontal and motionless. He had just touched the bottom.

He had a certain sensation of cold.

A voice rose above him, glacial and solemn. He heard Latin words, which he did not understand, pass over him, so slowly that he was able to catch them one by one:--

"Qui dormiunt in terrae pulvere, evigilabunt; alii in vitam aeternam, et alii in approbrium, ut videant semper."

A child's voice said:--

"De profundis."

The grave voice began again:--

"Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine."

The child's voice responded:--

"Et lux perpetua luceat ei."

He heard something like the gentle patter of several drops of rain on the plank which covered him. It was probably the holy water.

He thought: "This will be over soon now. Patience for a little while longer. The priest will take his departure. Fauchelevent will take Mestienne off to drink. I shall be left. Then Fauchelevent will return alone, and I shall get out. That will be the work of a good hour."

The grave voice resumed

"Requiescat in pace."

And the child's voice said:--

"Amen."

Jean Valjean strained his ears, and heard something like retreating footsteps.

"There, they are going now," thought he. "I am alone."

All at once, he heard over his head a sound which seemed to him to be a clap of thunder.

It was a shovelful of earth falling on the coffin.

A second shovelful fell.

One of the holes through which he breathed had just been stopped up.

A third shovelful of earth fell.

Then a fourth.

There are things which are too strong for the strongest man. Jean Valjean lost consciousness.

是谁在那棺材里？大家都知道。冉阿让。

冉阿让想出了办法，在那里面能活着，他勉强可以呼吸。

确是奇怪，心境的安宁可以保证其他一切的安宁。冉阿让在事先推测的一整套全合了拍，并且从前一晚起，一切都进行得顺利。他和割风一样，把希望寄托在梅斯千爷爷身上。他对最后的结局毫不怀疑。从来没有比这更紧张的情势，也从来没有比这更彻底的安定。

那四块棺材板形成一种骇人的宁静。在冉阿让的镇定里，仿佛真有从此长眠的意味。

他从棺材底里，能够感受也确实是在感受他这次和死亡作游戏的戏剧场面是怎样一幕一幕进展的。

割风钉完上面那块盖板以后不久，冉阿让便觉得自己是在空间移动，继又随着车子向前进。由于震动的减轻，他感到他已从石块路面到了碎石路面，那就是说，他已离开街道到了大路上。在一阵空廓的声音里，他猜想那是在过奥斯特里茨桥。在第一次停下来时，他懂得他就要进公墓了，在第二次停下来时，他对自己说：“到了坟坑边了。”

他忽然觉得有许多手把住了棺材，接着在四面的木板上，起了一阵粗糙的摩擦声音，他明白，那是在棺材上绕绳子，准备结好了吊到洞里去。

随后他感到一阵头晕。

很可能是因为那些殡仪执事和埋葬工人让那棺材晃了几下并且是头先脚后吊下去的。他立即又完全恢复原状，感到自己平平稳稳地躺着。他刚碰到了底。

他微微地感到一股冷气。

从他上面传来一阵凄厉而严肃的嗓音。他听到一个个的拉丁字在慢慢地播送，他每个字都能抓住，但是全不懂：

“Quidormiuntinterraepulvere，evigilabunt；aliiinviA

tamaeternam，etaliiinopprobrium，utvideantsemper．”①

一个孩子的声音说：

“Deprofundis．”②

那低沉的声音又开始了：

“Requiem　eternam　dona　ei，domine．”③

孩子的声音回答着：

“Et　iux　perpetua　luceat　ei．”④

他听到在遮着他的那块板上有几滴雨点轻轻敲打的声音，那也许是洒圣水。

他心里想：“快结束了。再忍耐一下。神甫快走了。割风带着梅斯千去喝酒。大家把我留下。随后割风独自一人回来，我就出来了。这买卖总还得足足的个把钟头。”

那低沉的声音又说：

“Repuiescat　in　pace．”⑤

孩子的声音说：

“阿们。”

①“睡在尘土中的人们，醒来，让在永生中的人们和在屈辱中的人们永远看得见。”

②“从深渊的底里。”（是一首安魂诗起头的两个字）

③“主啊，请给他永久的安息。”

④“永恒的光照着他。”

⑤“愿他平安。”　

冉阿让，张着耳朵，听到一阵仿佛是许多脚步往远处走的声音。

“他们走了，”他心里想道，“就剩下我一个人了。”

突然一下，他听见他头上仿佛是遭到了雷打的声音。

那是落在棺材上的一锹土。

第二锹土又落下了。

他用来呼吸的孔已有一个被堵住了。

第三锹土又落下了。

接着又是第四锹。

有些事是最坚强的人也受不了的。冉阿让失去了知觉。