Mademoiselle Cocotte 科科特小姐

We were just leaving the asylum when I saw a tall,thin man in a corner of the court who kept on calling an imaginary dog.He was crying in a soft,tender voice:"Cocotte!Come here,Cocotte,my beauty!"and slapping his thigh as one does when calling an animal.I asked the physician,"Who is that man?"He answered:"Oh!he is not at all interesting.He is a coachman named Francois,who became insane after drowning his dog."

我们正要从精神病院出来，这时我看到院子角落里一个高大清瘦的男人，一直在叫一只想象中的狗的名字，他用温柔亲切的声音不断喊着：“科科特！到这来，科科特，我的美人儿！”他还像人们叫动物那样拍着大腿。我问医生：“那个男人是谁？”他回答说：“哦！他的事没什么意思。他叫弗朗索瓦，是个马车夫，他把自己的狗淹死后就疯了。”

I insisted:"Tell me his story.The most simple and humble things are sometimes those which touch our hearts most deeply."

我一再请求医生：“讲讲他的故事。有时候最简单、最平常的故事反而最能触动我们心灵的深处。”

Here is this man's adventure,which was obtained from a friend of his,a groom:

以下就是这个男人的遭遇，是从他的一位马夫朋友那里得知的：

There was a family of rich bourgeois who lived in a suburb of Paris.They had a villa in the middle of a park,at the edge of the Seine.Their coachman was this Francois,a country fellow,somewhat dull,kind—hearted,simple and easy to deceive.

在巴黎的市郊有一户富裕的中产阶级家庭。他们在塞纳河边的一个花园中有座别墅。他们的车夫就是这个弗朗索瓦，一个农村小伙子，有点笨，但心地善良，为人简单，容易上当。

One evening,as he was returning home,a dog began to follow him.At first he paid no attention to it,but the creature's obstinacy at last made him turn round.He looked to see if he knew this dog.No,he had never seen it.It was a female dog and frightfully thin.She was trotting behind him with a mournful and famished look,her tail between her legs,her ears flattened against her head and stopping and starting whenever he did.

一天晚上，在他回家的路上，一条狗开始跟在他后面。起初他并没有在意，但这条固执的狗一直跟着，他只得回头。他想看看是否认得这狗。不，这条狗他从没见过。那是一条瘦得可怜的母狗。它夹着尾巴，耳朵贴在脸上，看起来很饿，一副可怜相，正跟着他走走停停。

He tried to chase this skeleton away and cried:

他想把这只瘦骨嶙峋的狗撵走，嚷道：

"Run along!Get out!Kss!kss!"She retreated a few steps,then sat down and waited.And when the coachman started to walk again she followed along behind him.

“滚开！快滚！呜！呜！”它退后几步，坐在那里等着。车夫一走，它又马上跟在后面。

He pretended to pick up some stones.The animal ran a little farther away,but came back again as soon as the man's back was turned.

车夫假装捡起石头砸它。它向稍远处跑开，但车夫刚一转身它又跟了过来。

Then the coachman Francois took pity on the beast and called her.The dog approached timidly.The man patted her protruding ribs,moved by the beast's misery,and he cried:"Come!come here!"Immediately she began to wag her tail,and,feeling herself taken in,adopted,she began to run along ahead of her new master.

车夫弗朗索瓦感到它很可怜，于是把它叫过来。这只母狗胆怯地靠过来。弗朗索瓦抚摸它凸起的肋骨，这个畜牲的不幸激起了他的同情，于是他说道：“来吧！跟我走吧！”母狗感到自己被接纳、被收留了，很是兴奋，立刻摇着尾巴，跑在新主人前面。

He made her a bed on the straw in the stable,then he ran to the kitchen for some bread.When she had eaten all she could she curled up and went to sleep.

车夫在马房的草堆里给它铺了张床，又跑去厨房拿了些面包。母狗吃饱喝足后，蜷缩身子睡着了。

When his employers heard of this the next day they allowed the coachman to keep the animal.It was a good beast,caressing and faithful,intelligent and gentle.

第二天庄园主人听说了这件事，他们也同意了车夫收留这只狗。它是只好狗，亲切、忠心、聪明、温顺。

Nevertheless Francois adored Cocotte,and he kept repeating:"That beast is human.She only lacks speech."

因此弗朗索瓦很喜欢它，总念叨着：“这狗真通人性，简直跟人一样。只是不能说话而已。”

He had a magnificent red leather collar made for her which bore these words engraved on a copper plate:"Mademoiselle Cocotte,belonging to the coachman Francois."

他给它做了一条华丽的红色皮子项圈，上面的铜牌上刻着：“科科特小姐，所有者：车夫弗朗索瓦。”

She was remarkably prolific and four times a year would give birth to a batch of little animals belonging to every variety of the canine race.Francois would pick out one which he would leave her and then he would unmercifully throw the others into the river.But soon the cook joined her complaints to those of the gardener.She would find dogs under the stove,in the ice box,in the coal bin,and they would steal everything they came across.

科科特很能生育，一年能生四窝小狗，而且种类繁多，各不相同。每次弗朗索瓦都会挑出一只留给它，剩下的只能无情地扔到河里。不久厨师也加入了花匠的行列，开始抱怨。炉堂下、冰箱里、煤房都能发现狗，它们见什么偷什么。

Finally the master,tired of complaints,impatiently ordered Francois to get rid of Cocotte.In despair the man tried to give her away.Nobody wanted her.Then he decided to lose her,and he gave her to a teamster,who was to drop her on the other side of Paris,near Joinville—le—Pont.

最终，庄园主人失去了耐性，对这些抱怨感到厌烦，命令弗朗索瓦把科科特扔掉。绝望中弗朗索瓦只好把科科特送人。没有人想要这只狗。于是他决定扔掉它，把它交给一个卡车司机，把它带到巴黎的另一端：茹安维尔勒蓬附近，在那里把它扔掉。

Cocotte returned the same day.Some decision had to be taken.Five francs was given to a train conductor to take her to Havre.He was to drop her there.

可是科科特当天就回来了。车夫只得痛下决心。他给了火车车长五法郞，请他把科科特带到勒阿弗尔。他在那里把它扔掉。

Three days later she returned to the stable,thin,footsore and tired out.

但是三天后，它又回到庄园，瘦弱、脚瘸、精疲力竭。

The master took pity on her and let her stay.But other dogs were attracted as before,and one evening,when a big dinner party was on,a stuffed turkey was carried away by one of them right under the cook's nose,and she did not dare to stop him.

庄园主人不忍心，把它留了下来。但是其他的公狗又像以前一样被吸引过来。一天晚上在举行一场盛大晚宴的时候，一只肥大的火鸡就在厨师的眼皮底下被一只公狗公然叼走了，但是那个厨师不敢挡它。

This time the master completely lost his temper and said angrily to Francois:"If you don't throw this beast into the water before—to—morrow morning,I'll put you out,do you hear?"

这次主人彻底发火了，气冲冲地对弗朗索瓦说：“如果明天天亮前你还没把这条狗扔到河里，我就把你轰出去，听清楚没有？”

The man was dumbfounded,and he returned to his room to pack his trunk,preferring to leave the place.Then he bethought himself that he could find no other situation as long as he dragged this animal about with him.He thought of his good position,where he was well paid and well fed,and he decided that a dog was really not worth all that.At last he decided to rid himself of Cocotte at daybreak.

弗朗索瓦吓得目瞪口呆，他情愿自己离开这里，也不会弄死那条狗，于是回到房间收拾行李。然后他想到了，只要他带着这条狗，就一定找不到去处。想到现在很好的生活环境，不错的工资和伙食，他觉得为了一条狗真是不值得。最终他决定在黎明前扔掉科科特。

He slept badly.He rose at dawn,and taking a strong rope,went to get the dog.She stood up slowly,shook herself,stretched and came to welcome her master.

他睡得不太好。天一亮他就起来了，拿了一根粗绳子，去抓科科特。科科特慢慢地站起来，抖了抖身子，伸伸懒腰，然后跑过来欢迎主人的到来。

Then his courage forsook him,and he began to pet her affectionately,stroking her long ears,kissing her muzzle and calling her tender names.

他一下子失去了勇气，开始亲切地拥抱它，抚摸它的长耳朵，亲吻它的鼻头，叫着它的昵称。

But a neighboring clock struck six.He could no longer hesitate.He opened the door,calling:"Come!"The beast wagged her tail,understanding that she was to be taken out.

附近的钟声敲了六下。他不能再犹豫了。他打开屋门，叫着：“过来！”那畜牲晃着尾巴，像听懂了似的跟了出来。

They reached the beach,and he chose a place where the water seemed deep.Then he knotted the rope round the leather collar and tied a heavy stone to the other end.He seized Cocotte in his arms and kissed her madly,as though he were taking leave of some human being.He held her to his breast,rocked her and called her "my dear little Cocotte,my sweet little Cocotte,"and she grunted with pleasure.

他们来到海滩，弗朗索瓦选了一处海水看起来比较深的地方。他把绳索的一头系到科科特的皮项圈上，另一头绑上一块大石头。他双手抓住科科特，发疯似的亲吻它，就像他要离开一个人似的。他把它抱在胸前，一边摇晃着一边叫着“我亲爱的小科科特，我可爱的小科科特。”它则沉浸在这溺爱之中，高兴地噜噜叫着。

Ten times he tried to throw her into the water and each time he lost courage.

多少次他想把它扔到河里，可每次又都退缩下来。

But suddenly he made up his mind and threw her as far from him as he could.At first she tried to swim,as she did when he gave her a bath,but her head,dragged down by the stone,kept going under,and she looked at her master with wild,human glances as she struggled like a drowning person.Then the front part of her body sank,while her hind legs waved wildly out of the water.Finally those also disappeared.

但是，突然他下定了决心，尽可能远地把它扔了出去。一开始它就像弗朗索瓦给它洗澡时那样，试图划水。但是由于石头的重量它的头不住地往下沉。它就像溺水的人挣扎时那样，用似人的惊恐目光看着弗朗索瓦。接着，它的前半身沉下去了，后腿奋力地蹬水想浮出水面。终于它的后腿也消失了。

Then,for five minutes,bubbles rose to the surface as though the river were boiling,and Francois,haggard,his heart beating,thought that he saw Cocotte struggling in the mud,and,with the simplicity of a peasant,he kept saying to himself:"What does the poor beast think of me now?"

有五分钟的时间河水就像煮沸似的一直冒水泡。弗朗索瓦很憔悴，心脏怦怦跳个不停，想象自己看到科科特在泥浆里挣扎，而且出于农民惯有的淳朴，他对自己说：“这可怜的家伙怎么看我呢？”

He almost lost his mind.He was ill for a month and every night he dreamed of his dog.He could feel her licking his hands and hear her barking.It was necessary to call in a physician.At last he recovered,and toward the end of June his employers took him to their estate at Biesard,near Rouen.

他几乎精神错乱。他病了足足有一个月，每晚他都梦见这只狗。甚至他都能感到它在舔自己的手，听到它的汪汪声。没有办法只得叫医生来。最后他康复了，快到六月末的时候，庄园主人把他带到鲁昂附近的比埃萨尔，他的主人在那里有另一处产业。

There again he was near the Seine.He began to take baths.Each morning he would go down with the groom and they would swim across the river.

他再一次来到塞纳河边。他开始在河里洗澡。每天早晨他都和那个马夫下到河里，然后一起游到河对岸去。

One day,as they were disporting themselves in the water,Francois suddenly cried to his companion:"Look what's coming!I'm going to give you a chop!"

一天他们正在河里打闹，弗朗索瓦突然向同伴叫道：“快看，什么东西过来了！我给你们弄份大餐来！”

It was an enormous,swollen corpse that was floating down with its feet sticking straight up in the air.

漂过来的是一个四脚竖直朝天，肿胀巨大的动物尸体。

Francois swam up to it,still joking:"Whew!it's not fresh.What a catch,old man!It isn't thin,either!"He kept swimming about at a distance from the animal that was in a state of decomposition.Then,suddenly,he was silent and looked at it:attentively.This time he came near enough to touch it.He looked fixedly at the collar,then he stretched out his arm,seized the neck,swung the corpse round and drew it up close to him and read on the copper which had turned green and which still stuck to the discolored leather:"Mademoiselle Cocotte,belonging to the coachman Francois."

弗朗索瓦游过去，还不住地开着玩笑：“哇！不太新鲜了啊。好家伙，个头真不小！还很肥实！”他和那具腐烂的尸体保持着一段距离，围着它游来游去。不一会儿，他突然沉默不语，仔细地看着这具尸体。这次他靠得足够近都能触到它了。他直勾勾地盯着项圈，然后张开手臂，抓住尸体的脖子，一下子把它翻过来，拖到跟前。脖颈上发绿的铜牌仍旧拴在已经褪色的红皮项圈上，他念道：“科科特小姐，所有者：车夫弗朗索瓦。”

The dead dog had come more than a hundred miles to find its master.

这只死去的母狗漂浮了一百多里地又回到了主人的身边。

He let out a frightful shriek and began to swim for the beach with all his might,still howling;and as soon as he touched land he ran away wildly,stark naked,through the country.He was insane!

他发出一声可怕的尖叫，一边嚎叫一边拼命向岸边游去。一上岸，就光着身子在田间疯跑起来。他疯了！