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M adame de Renal was coming out through the glass door which opened from the drawing room into the garden, when she saw, standing by the front door, a young peasant, almost a boy still, extremely pale and showing traces of recent tears. She felt sorry for the poor creature, who had come to a standstill by the front door, and evidently could not summon up courage to ring the bell.
Julien, who was facing the door, did not see her approach.He trembled when a pleasant voice sounded close to his ear, “What have you come for, my boy?”
Julien turned sharply round, and, struck by the charm of Madame de Renal's expression, forgot part of his shyness. A moment later, amazed by her beauty, he forgot everything, even his purpose in coming. Madame de Renal had repeated her question.
“I have come to be tutor, Madame.”
Madame de Renal looked at the large tears which lingered on the cheeks of this young peasant. Presently she burst out laughing, with all the wild joy of a girl; she was laughing at herself, and trying in vain to realise the full extent of her happiness. The contrast between her fears and what she now saw before her was a great event.
“Let us go indoors, Sir,” she said to him with an air of distinct embarrassment .
As soon as they were in the hall, she turned to Julien who was following her shyly. His air of surprise at the sight of so fine a house was an additional charm in the eyes of Madame de Renal. “For the first few days, you won't take the whip to my children, even if they don't know their lessons?”
Madame de Renal's face was close to his own, he could smell the perfume of a woman's summer clothing. Julien blushed deeply, and said with a sigh and in a faint voice.
“Fear nothing, Ma'am, I shall obey you in every respect.”
It was at this moment only, when her anxiety for her children was completely extinguished, that Madame de Renal was struck by Julien's extreme good looks.
“How old are you, sir?” she asked Julien.
“I shall soon be nineteen.”
“What is your name?”
“They call me Julien Sorel; Reverend Father Chelan will give you a good account of me. My brothers have always beaten me, do not listen to them if they speak evil of me to you; pardon my faults, Ma'am, I shall never have any evil intention.”
Mr. de Renal, who had heard the sound of voices, came out of his study addressing Julien, “It is essential that I speak to you before the children see you.”
He ushered Julien into one of the rooms and having shut the door, Mr. de Renal seated himself with seriousness.
“Here are thirty-six francs for the first month; but I must have your word that you will not give a penny of this money to your father.”
Mr. de Renal was annoyed with the old man, who, in this business, had proved more subtle than he himself.
“And now, Sir, it is not proper that the children should see you in a jacket. Come with me to the tailor's.”
More than an hour later, when Mr. de Renal returned with the new tutor dressed all in black, he found his wife still seated in the same place. She felt soothed by Julien's presence.
“Sir,” said Julien to Mr. de Renal, “I am uncomfortable in these new clothes; I, a humble peasant, have never worn any but short jackets; with your permission, I shall retire to my bedroom.”
“What think you of this tutor?” Mr. de Renal asked his wife, once Julien had left them.
With an almost instinctive impulse, of which she herself certainly was not aware, Madame de Renal concealed the truth from her husband.
“I am by no means as enchanted as you are with this little peasant; You will probably send him packing within a month.”
“Very well! At least by then Verrieres will have grown used to seeing a tutor with Mr. de Renal's children.”
An hour later, when he was introduced to the children,Julien was another man; he was quite serious.
Handing them each a Bible, he invited them to choose any page and read the first sentence.
Adolphe, the eldest boy, opened the book, read a word, and Julien repeated the whole page as easily as though he were speaking French. Mr. de Renal looked at his wife with an air of triumph.
That evening, the whole of Verrieres flocked to Mr. de Renal's to see the marvel . Julien answered them all with an air of gloom which kept them at a distance. His fame spread so rapidly through the town that, shortly afterwards, Mr. de Renal, afraid of losing him, suggested his signing a contract for two years.
“No, Sir,” Julien replied coldly, “if you chose to dismiss me, I should be obliged to go. A contract which binds me without putting you under any obligation is unfair, I must decline.”
Julien managed so skillfully that, less than a month after his coming to the house, Mr. de Renal himself respected him.The old priest, Chelan, having quarrelled with both Mr. de Renal and Mr. Valenod, there was no one who could betray Julien's former crazy admiration towards Napoleon.
standstill /ˈstændstɪl/ n. 停止，停顿
summon /ˈsʌmən/ vt. 鼓起；召集，召唤
linger /ˈlɪŋɡə/ vi. 继续存留；逗留
embarrassment / ɪ m ˈbærəsmənt/ n. 尴尬；阻碍；困窘
perfume /ˈpɜ:fju:m/ n. 香水
blush /blʌʃ/ vi. 脸红；羞愧；呈现红色
usher /ˈʌʃə/ vt. 引导；展示
soothe /su:θ/ vt. 安慰；缓和
uncomfortable / ˌ ʌn ˈkʌmftəbl/ adj. 不舒服的；不安的；不合意的
instinctive /ɪnˈstɪŋktɪv/ adj. 本能的；直觉的
enchant /ɪnˈtʃɑ:nt/ vt. 使着迷，使迷住
eldest /ˈeldɪst/ adj. 最年长的，年事最高的
marvel /ˈmɑ:vəl/ n. 令人惊异的人
gloom /ɡlu:m/ n. 阴暗，阴沉
quarrel /ˈkwɒrəl/ vi. 吵架；争论