the sort of upper class ladies in the north,

是法国北部上层阶级的女性们
such as those people you're going to read about in Germinal--

就像你将在《萌芽》中读到的那些人一样
so that's a nice transition,

这是一种很好的转变
a vaguely nice transition--

一种潜移默化的改变
and that one of the things that they were able

他们由于强烈的宗教狂热的驱使
to do because of their intense religiosity was

而做成的一件事就是
organize their own households in ways

他们以个人所希望的方式
that they wanted to,

来组织自己的家庭
with crucifixes and statues

用耶稣受难像
of the Virgin Mary and all this kind of stuff,

和圣母玛利亚的雕像之类的东西
and that they carved out their own separate sphere

他们创造了属于他们自己的阶级
and participated in their charitable activities.

他们还参与慈善活动