Calico Illustrated Classics: Hunchback of Notre Dame
Festival of Fools He lifted the man up and hurled him into the crowd The offi cial from Belgium approached him You are the ugliest creature ever He clapped his hand to the hunchback’s shoulder You are a big fellow I’d like to challenge you to a wrestling match But Quasimodo didn’t stir Ah the offi cial cried The church bells have made him deaf But this didn’t matter to the festivalgoers They had their Pope of Fools They placed a robe over his back and a paper crown on his head They hoisted him up on a litter and carried him about Quasimodo smiled down at all the well shaped men and women as they left the church and paraded him down the street 10
2 Esmeralda Pierre Gringoire was still at the theater He’d insisted that the play go on even though there were so few in attendance One by one they left too Only a few students remained One pointed out the window shouting It’s Esmeralda She is dancing in the square The others raced to the window They shouted Esmeralda Pierre gave up It’s useless Since night comes early in January it was already dusk when Pierre left the hall He was happy the day was over yet sad that his play had failed He desperately needed the money to pay his rent He was already six months behind 11
Pierre wandered about with nowhere to go Everyone was still celebrating the Festival of Fools I might as well join them he told himself He headed in the direction of the fi reworks music and bonfi res an area called the Place de Grève When Pierre reached the Place he was shivering numb and cold He hurried toward a magnifi cent bonfi re that blazed in the middle 12
of the square A large group of people had formed a circle around it Oh these cursed Parisians he cried They are shutting me away from the fi re But then he saw that the people were not warming themselves They were watching a girl dancing Pierre watched in fascination He was struck by her dazzling beauty She was not tall but her slender fi gure made it appear so Her skin was tinted gold her hair was thick and dark and her fl ashing eyes danced along with her She spun and twirled on an old Persian carpet spread out on the pavement With her arms held high she kept time with her tambourine Then the girl stopped dancing and called Djali A pretty little white goat trotted to her Djali said the girl it is your turn now She sat down and held her tambourine out Djali she continued what month is it The goat raised its leg and struck the tambourine once The crowd applauded since it was the fi rst month 13
