His duty?
No. Something more. And I in showing mercy upon him in my turn--what have I done? My duty?
No. Something more.
So there is something beyond duty?" Here he took fright; his balance became disjointed; one of the scales fell into the abyss, the other rose heavenward, and Javert was no less terrified by the one which was on high than by the one which was below.
Without being in the least in the world what is called Voltairian or a philosopher, or incredulous, being, on the contrary, respectful by instinct, towards the established church, he knew it only as an august fragment of the social whole; order was his dogma, and sufficed for him; ever since he had attained to man''s estate and the rank of a functionary, he had centred nearly all his religion in the police.
Being,--and here we employ words without the least irony and in their most serious acceptation, being, as we have said, a spy as other men are priests.
He had a superior, M. Gisquet; up to that day he had never dreamed of that other superior, God.
This new chief, God, he became unexpectedly conscious of, and he felt embarrassed by him.
This unforeseen presence threw him off his bearings; he did not know what to do with this superior, he, who was not ignorant of the fact that the subordinate is bound always to bow, that he must not disobey, nor find fault, nor discuss, and that, in the presence of a superior who amazes him too greatly, the inferior has no other resource than that of handing in his resignation.`本`作`品`由`思`兔`在`線`閱`讀`網`友`整`理`上`傳`