London or Rotterdam; and, I can tell you! you would have had blows of
the fist that could be heard in the Place; but these men excite our
pity. They ought at least, to give us a moorish dance, or some other
mummer! That is not what was told me; I was promised a feast of fools,
with the election of a pope. We have our pope of fools at Ghent also;
we're not behindhand in that, cross of God! But this is the way we
manage it; we collect a crowd like this one here, then each person in
turn passes his head through a hole, and makes a grimace at the rest;
time one who makes the ugliest, is elected pope by general acclamation;
that's the way it is. It is very diverting. Would you like to make your
pope after the fashion of my country? At all events, it will be less
wearisome than to listen to chatterers. If they wish to come and make
their grimaces through the hole, they can join the game. What say you,
Messieurs les bourgeois? You have here enough grotesque specimens of
both sexes, to allow of laughing in Flemish fashion, and there are
enough of us ugly in countenance to hope for a fine grinning match."

Gringoire would have liked to retort; stupefaction, rage, indignation,
deprived him of words. Moreover, the suggestion of the popular hosier
was received with such enthusiasm by these bourgeois who were flattered
at being called "squires," that all resistance was useless. There was
nothing to be done but to allow one's self to drift with the torrent.
Gringoire hid his face between his two hands, not being so fortunate
as to have a mantle with which to veil his head, like Agamemnon of
Timantis.

CHAPTER V. QUASIMODO.

In the twinkling of an eye, all was ready to execute Coppenole's idea.
Bourgeois, scholars and law clerks all set to work. The little chapel
situated opposite the marble table was selected for the scene of the
grinning match. A pane broken in the pretty rose window above the
door, left free a circle of stone through which it was agreed that the
competitors should thrust their heads. In order to reach it, it was only
necessary to mount upon a couple of hogsheads, which had been produced
from I know not where, and perched one upon the other, after a fashion.
It was settled that each candidate, man or woman (for it was possible to
choose a female pope), should, for the sake of leaving the impression of
his grimace fresh and complete, cover his face and remain concealed in
the chapel until the moment of hi