Itwasnecessarythatoneshouldnotbeeithertoofatortoolean。
Thechangerhadforeseenonlyordinarymen。Hehadtakenthemeasure
ofthespeciesfromthefirstrascalwhocametohand，whois
neitherstoutnorthin，neithertallnorshort。Henceadaptations
whichweresometimesdifficultandfromwhichtheChanger’sclients
extricatedthemselvesasbesttheymight。Somuchtheworse
fortheexceptions！Thesuitofthestatesman，forinstance，
blackfromheadtofoot，andconsequentlyproper，wouldhavebeen
toolargeforPittandtoosmallforCastelcicala。Thecostume
ofastatesmanwasdesignatedasfollowsintheChanger’scatalogue；
wecopy:
\"Acoatofblackcloth，trowsersofblackwool，asilk
waistcoat，bootsandlinen。\"Onthemargintherestood:
ex—ambassador，andanotewhichwealsocopy:\"Inaseparatebox，
aneatlyfrizzedperuke，greenglasses，seals，andtwosmall
quillsaninchlong，wrappedincotton。\"Allthisbelonged
tothestatesman，theex—ambassador。Thiswholecostumewas，
ifwemaysoexpressourselves，debilitated；theseamswerewhite，
avaguebutton—holeyawnedatoneoftheelbows；moreover，oneofthe
coatbuttonswasmissingonthebreast；butthiswasonlydetail；
asthehandofthestatesmanshouldalwaysbethrustintohiscoat
andlaiduponhisheart，itsfunctionwastoconcealtheabsentbutton。
IfMariushadbeenfamiliarwiththeoccultinstitutionsofParis，
hewouldinstantlyhaverecognizeduponthebackofthevisitor
whomBasquehadjustshownin，thestatesman’ssuitborrowedfrom
thepick—me—down—thatshopoftheChanger。
Marius’disappointmentonbeholdinganothermanthantheonewhom
heexpectedtoseeturnedtothenewcomer’sdisadvantage。
Hesurveyedhimfromheadtofoot，whilethatpersonagemade
exaggeratedbows，anddemandedinacurttone:\"Whatdoyouwant？\"
Themanrepliedwithanamiablegrinofwhichthecaressingsmile
ofacrocodilewillfurnishsomeidea:
\"ItseemstomeimpossiblethatIshouldnothavealreadyhad
thehonorofseeingMonsieurleBaroninsociety。IthinkI
actuallydidmeetmonsieurpersonally，severalyearsago，atthe
houseofMadamelaPrincesseBagrationandinthedrawing—rooms
ofhisLordshiptheVicomteDambray，peerofFrance。\"
Itisalwaysagoodbitoftacticsinknaverytopretendtorecognize
someonewhomonedoesnotknow。
Mariuspaidattentiontothemannerofthisman’sspeech。
Hespiedonhisaccentandgesture，buthisdisappointmentincreased；
thepronunciationwasnasalandabsolutelyunlikethedry，
shrilltonewhichhehadexpected。Hewasutterlyrouted。
\"IknowneitherMadameBagrationnorM。Dambray，\"saidhe。
\"Ihaveneversetfootinthehouseofeitheroftheminmylife。\"
Thereplywasungracious。Thepersonage，determinedtobegracious
atanycost，insisted。
\"ThenitmusthavebeenatChateaubriand’sthatIhaveseenMonsieur！
IknowChateaubriandverywell。Heisveryaffable。Hesometimes
saystome:`Thenard，myfriend……won’tyoudrinkaglass
ofwinewithme？’\"Marius’browgrewmoreandmoresevere:
\"IhaveneverhadthehonorofbeingreceivedbyM。deChateaubriand。
Letuscutitshort。Whatdoyouwant？\"Themanbowedloweratthatharshvoice。
\"MonsieurleBaron，deigntolistentome。ThereisinAmerica，
inadistrictnearPanama，avillagecalledlaJoya。Thatvillage
iscomposedofasinglehouse，alarge，squarehouseofthreestories，
builtofbricksdriedinthesun，eachsideofthesquarefive
hundredfeetinlength，eachstoryretreatingtwelvefeetback
ofthestorybelow，insuchamannerastoleaveinfrontaterrace
whichmakesthecircuitoftheedifice，inthecentreaninnercourt
wheretheprovisionsandmunitionsarekept；nowindows，loopholes，
nodoors，ladders，ladderstomountfromthegroundtothefirstterrace，
andfromthefirsttothesecond，andfromthesecondtothethird，
ladderstodescendintotheinnercourt，nodoorstothechambers，
trap—doors，nostaircasestothechambers，ladders；intheevening
thetrapsareclosed，theladdersarewithdrawncarbinesand
blunderbussestrainedfromtheloopholes；nomeansofentering，
ahousebyday，acitadelbynight，eighthundredinhabitants，——
thatisthevillage。Whysomanyprecautions？becausethecountry
isdangerous；itisfullofcannibals。Thenwhydopeoplegothere？
becausethecountryismarvellous；goldisfoundthere。\"
\"Whatareyoudrivingat？\"interruptedMarius，whohadpassed
fromdisappointmenttoimpatience。
\"Atthis，MonsieurleBaron。Iamanoldandwearydiplomat。
Ancientcivilizationhasthrownmeonmyowndevices。Iwantto
trysavages。\"\"Well？\"
\"MonsieurleBaron，egotismisthelawoftheworld。Theproletarian
peasantwoman，whotoilsbytheday，turnsroundwhenthediligence
passesby，thepeasantproprietress，whotoilsinherfield，
doesnotturnround。Thedogofthepoormanbarksattherichman，
thedogoftherichmanbarksatthepoorman。Eachoneforhimself。
Self—interest——that’stheobjectofmen。Gold，that’stheloadstone。\"\"Whatthen？Finish。\"
\"IshouldliketogoandestablishmyselfatlaJoya。Therearethree
ofus。Ihavemyspouseandmyyounglady；averybeautifulgirl。
Thejourneyislongandcostly。Ineedalittlemoney。\"\"Whatconcernisthatofmine？\"demandedMarius。
Thestrangerstretchedhisneckoutofhiscravat，agesture
characteristicofthevulture，andrepliedwithanaugmentedsmile。\"HasnotMonsieurleBaronperusedmyletter？\"
Therewassometruthinthis。Thefactis，thatthecontentsofthe
epistlehadslippedMarius’mind。Hehadseenthewritingrather
thanreadtheletter。Hecouldhardlyrecallit。Butamoment
agoafreshstarthadbeengivenhim。Hehadnotedthatdetail:
\"myspouseandmyyounglady。\"
Hefixedapenetratingglanceonthestranger。Anexaminingjudge
couldnothavedonethelookbetter。Healmostlayinwaitforhim。Heconfinedhimselftoreplying:\"Statethecaseprecisely。\"
Thestrangerinsertedhistwohandsinbothhisfobs，drewhimself
upwithoutstraighteninghisdorsalcolumn，butscrutinizingMarius
inhisturn，withthegreengazeofhisspectacles。
\"Sobeit，MonsieurleBaron。Iwillbeprecise。Ihaveasecret
toselltoyou。\"\"Asecret？\"\"Asecret。\"\"Whichconcernsme？\"\"Somewhat。\"\"Whatisthesecret？\"Mariusscrutinizedthemanmoreandmoreashelistenedtohim。
\"Icommencegratis，\"saidthestranger。\"YouwillseethatI
aminteresting。\"\"Speak。\"\"MonsieurleBaron，youhaveinyourhouseathiefandanassassin。\"Mariusshuddered。\"Inmyhouse？no，\"saidhe。Theimperturbablestrangerbrushedhishatwithhiselbowandwenton:
\"Anassassinandathief。Remark，MonsieurleBaron，thatIdonot
herespeakofancientdeeds，deedsofthepastwhichhavelapsed，
whichcanbeeffacedbylimitationbeforethelawandbyrepentance
beforeGod。Ispeakofrecentdeeds，ofactualfactsasstill
unknowntojusticeatthishour。Icontinue。Thismanhas
insinuatedhimselfintoyourconfidence，andalmostintoyour
familyunderafalsename。Iamabouttotellyouhisrealname。
Andtotellittoyoufornothing。\"\"Iamlistening。\"\"HisnameisJeanValjean。\"\"Iknowit。\"\"Iamgoingtotellyou，equallyfornothing，whoheis。\"\"Sayon。\"\"Heisanex—convict。\"\"Iknowit。\"\"YouknowitsinceIhavehadthehonoroftellingyou。\"\"No。Iknewitbefore。\"
Marius’coldtone，thatdoublereplyof\"Iknowit，\"hislaconicism，
whichwasnotfavorabletodialogue，stirredupsomesmouldering
wrathinthestranger。Helaunchedafuriousglanceonthesly
atMarius，whichwasinstantlyextinguished。Rapidasitwas，
thisglancewasofthekindwhichamanrecognizeswhenhehasonce
beheldit；itdidnotescapeMarius。Certainflashescanonly
proceedfromcertainsouls；theeye，thatvent—holeofthethought，
glowswithit；spectacleshidenothing；tryputtingapaneofglass
overhell！Thestrangerresumedwithasmile:
\"IwillnotpermitmyselftocontradictMonsieurleBaron。Inanycase，
yououghttoperceivethatIamwellinformed。NowwhatIhave
totellyouisknowntomyselfalone。Thisconcernsthefortune
ofMadamelaBaronne。Itisanextraordinarysecret。Itisforsale——
Imakeyouthefirstofferofit。Cheap。Twentythousandfrancs。\"\"Iknowthatsecretaswellastheothers，\"saidMarius。Thepersonagefeltthenecessityofloweringhispriceatrifle。\"MonsieurleBaron，saytenthousandfrancsandIwillspeak。\"
\"Irepeattoyouthatthereisnothingwhichyoucantellme。
Iknowwhatyouwishtosaytome。\"Afreshflashgleamedintheman’seye。Heexclaimed:
\"ButImustdineto—day，nevertheless。Itisanextraordinarysecret，
Itellyou。MonsieurleBaron，Iwillspeak。Ispeak。Giveme
twentyfrancs。\"Mariusgazedintentlyathim:
\"Iknowyourextraordinarysecret，justasIknewJeanValjean’sname，
justasIknowyourname。\"\"Myname？\"\"Yes。\"
\"Thatisnotdifficult，MonsieurleBaron。Ihadthehonortowrite
toyouandtotellittoyou。Thenard。\"\"——Dier。\"\"Hey？\"\"Thenardier。\"\"Who’sthat？\"
Indangertheporcupinebristlesup，thebeetlefeignsdeath，
theoldguardformsinasquare；thismanburstintolaughter。
Thenheflickedagrainofdustfromthesleeveofhiscoat
withafillip。Mariuscontinued:
\"YouarealsoJondrettetheworkman，Fabantouthecomedian，
Genflotthepoet，DonAlvarestheSpaniard，andMistressBalizard。\"\"Mistresswhat？\"\"Andyoukeptapot—houseatMontfermeil。\"\"Apot—house！Never。\"\"AndItellyouthatyournameisThenardier。\"\"Idenyit。\"\"Andthatyouarearascal。Here。\"AndMariusdrewabank—notefromhispocketandflungitinhisface。\"Thanks！Pardonme！fivehundredfrancs！MonsieurleBaron！\"Andtheman，overcome，bowed，seizedthenoteandexaminedit。
\"Fivehundredfrancs！\"hebeganagain，takenaback。Andhestammered
inalowvoice:\"Anhonestrustler。\"[69]
[69]Unfafiotserieux。Fafiotistheslangtermforabank—bill，
derivedfromitsrustlingnoise。Thenbrusquely:\"Well，sobeit！\"heexclaimed。\"Letusputourselvesatourease。\"
Andwiththeagilityofamonkey，flingingbackhishair，
tearingoffhisspectacles，andwithdrawingfromhisnoseby
sleightofhandthetwoquillsofwhichmentionwasrecentlymade，
andwhichthereaderhasalsometwithonanotherpageofthisbook，
hetookoffhisfaceasthemantakesoffhishat。
Hiseyelightedup；hisunevenbrow，withhollowsinsomeplaces
andbumpsinothers，hideouslywrinkledatthetop，waslaidbare，
hisnosehadbecomeassharpasabeak；thefierceandsagacious
profileofthemanofpreyreappeared。
\"MonsieurleBaronisinfallible，\"hesaidinaclearvoicewhence
allnasaltwanghaddisappeared，\"IamThenardier。\"Andhestraighteneduphiscrookedback。
Thenardier，foritwasreallyhe，wasstrangelysurprised；
hewouldhavebeentroubled，hadhebeencapableofsuchathing。
Hehadcometobringastonishment，anditwashewhohadreceivedit。
Thishumiliationhadbeenworthfivehundredfrancstohim，and，takingit
allinall，heacceptedit；buthewasnonethelessbewildered。
HebeheldthisBaronPontmercyforthefirsttime，and，inspite
ofhisdisguise，thisBaronPontmercyrecognizedhim，andrecognized
himthoroughly。AndnotonlywasthisBaronperfectlyinformed
astoThenardier，butheseemedwellpostedastoJeanValjean。
Whowasthisalmostbeardlessyoungman，whowassoglacialand
sogenerous，whoknewpeople’snames，whoknewalltheirnames，
andwhoopenedhispursetothem，whobulliedrascalslikeajudge，
andwhopaidthemlikeadupe？
Thenardier，thereaderwillremember，althoughhehadbeenMarius’
neighbor，hadneverseenhim，whichisnotunusualinParis；
hehadformerly，inavagueway，heardhisdaughterstalkofaverypoor
youngmannamedMariuswholivedinthehouse。Hehadwrittentohim，
withoutknowinghim，theletterwithwhichthereaderisacquainted。
NoconnectionbetweenthatMariusandM。leBaronPontmercywas
possibleinhismind。
AsforthenamePontmercy，itwillberecalledthat，onthe
battlefieldofWaterloo，hehadonlyheardthelasttwosyllables，
forwhichhealwaysentertainedthelegitimatescornwhichone
owestowhatismerelyanexpressionofthanks。
However，throughhisdaughterAzelma，whohadstartedonthescent
ofthemarriedpaironthe16thofFebruary，andthroughhisown
personalresearches，hehadsucceededinlearningmanythings，and，
fromthedepthsofhisowngloom，hehadcontrivedtograspmore
thanonemysteriousclew。Hehaddiscovered，bydintofindustry，
or，atleast，bydintofinduction，hehadguessedwhotheman
waswhomhehadencounteredonacertaindayintheGrandSewer。
Fromthemanhehadeasilyreachedthename。HeknewthatMadame
laBaronnePontmercywasCosette。Buthemeanttobediscreet
inthatquarter。
WhowasCosette？Hedidnotknowexactlyhimself。Hedid，
indeed，catchaninklingofillegitimacy，thehistoryofFantine
hadalwaysseemedtohimequivocal；butwhatwastheuseoftalking
aboutthat？inordertocausehimselftobepaidforhissilence？
Hehad，orthoughthehad，betterwaresthanthatforsale。
And，accordingtoallappearances，ifheweretocomeandmake
totheBaronPontmercythisrevelation——andwithoutproof:
\"Yourwifeisabastard，\"theonlyresultwouldbetoattract
thebootofthehusbandtowardstheloinsoftherevealer。
FromThenardier’spointofview，theconversationwithMarius
hadnotyetbegun。Heoughttohavedrawnback，tohavemodified
hisstrategy，tohaveabandonedhisposition，tohavechanged
hisfront；butnothingessentialhadbeencompromisedasyet，
andhehadfivehundredfrancsinhispocket。Moreover，hehad
somethingdecisivetosay，and，evenagainstthisverywell—informed
andwell—armedBaronPontmercy，hefelthimselfstrong。
FormenofThenardier’snature，everydialogueisacombat。
Intheoneinwhichhewasabouttoengage，whatwashissituation？
Hedidnotknowtowhomhewasspeaking，buthedidknowofwhat
hewasspeaking，hemadethisrapidreviewofhisinnerforces，
andafterhavingsaid:\"IamThenardier，\"hewaited。
Mariushadbecomethoughtful。SohehadholdofThenardieratlast。
Thatmanwhomhehadsogreatlydesiredtofindwasbeforehim。
HecouldhonorColonelPontmercy’srecommendation。
Hefelthumiliatedthatthatheroshouldhaveownedanythingto
thisvillain，andthattheletterofchangedrawnfromthedepths
ofthetombbyhisfatheruponhim，Marius，hadbeenprotestedup
tothatday。Italsoseemedtohim，inthecomplexstateofhis
mindtowardsThenardier，thattherewasoccasiontoavengethe
Colonelforthemisfortuneofhavingbeensavedbysucharascal。
Inanycase，hewascontent。HewasabouttodelivertheColonel’s
shadefromthisunworthycreditoratlast，anditseemedtohim
thathewasonthepointofrescuinghisfather’smemoryfrom
thedebtors’prison。Bythesideofthisdutytherewasanother——
toelucidate，ifpossible，thesourceofCosette’sfortune。
Theopportunityappearedtopresentitself。PerhapsThenardier
knewsomething。Itmightproveusefultoseethebottomofthisman。Hecommencedwiththis。
Thenardierhadcausedthe\"honestrustler\"todisappearinhisfob，
andwasgazingatMariuswithagentlenessthatwasalmosttender。Mariusbrokethesilence。
\"Thenardier，Ihavetoldyouyourname。Now，wouldyouliketohave
metellyouyoursecret——theonethatyoucameheretorevealtome？
Ihaveinformationofmyown，also。YoushallseethatIknowmore
aboutitthanyoudo。JeanValjean，asyouhavesaid，isanassassin
andathief。Athief，becauseherobbedawealthymanufacturer，
whoseruinhebroughtabout。Anassassin，becauseheassassinated
police—agentJavert。\"\"Idon’tunderstand，sir，\"ejaculatedThenardier。
\"Iwillmakemyselfintelligible。Inacertainarrondissement
ofthePasdeCalais，therewas，in1822，amanwhohadfallenout
withjustice，andwho，underthenameofM。Madeleine，hadregained
hisstatusandrehabilitatedhimself。Thismanhadbecomeajust
maninthefullforceoftheterm。Inatrade，themanufacture
ofblackglassgoods，hemadethefortuneofanentirecity。
Asfarashispersonalfortunewasconcernedhemadethatalso，
butasasecondarymatter，andinsomesort，byaccident。
Hewasthefoster—fatherofthepoor。Hefoundedhospitals，
openedschools，visitedthesick，doweredyounggirls，supportedwidows，
andadoptedorphans；hewasliketheguardianangelofthecountry。
Herefusedthecross，hewasappointedMayor。Aliberatedconvict
knewthesecretofapenaltyincurredbythismaninformerdays；
hedenouncedhim，andhadhimarrested，andprofitedbythearrest
tocometoParisandcausethebankerLaffitte，——Ihavethefact
fromthecashierhimself，——bymeansofafalsesignature，tohand
overtohimthesumofoverhalfamillionwhichbelongedto
M。Madeleine。ThisconvictwhorobbedM。MadeleinewasJeanValjean。
Asfortheotherfact，youhavenothingtotellmeaboutiteither。
JeanValjeankilledtheagentJavert；heshothimwithapistol。
I，thepersonwhoisspeakingtoyou，waspresent。\"
ThenardiercastuponMariusthesovereignglanceofaconquered
manwholayshishandoncemoreuponthevictory，andwhohas
justregained，inoneinstant，allthegroundwhichhehaslost。
Butthesmilereturnedinstantly。Theinferior’striumphinthe
presenceofhissuperiormustbewheedling。ThenardiercontentedhimselfwithsayingtoMarius:\"MonsieurleBaron，weareonthewrongtrack。\"
Andheemphasizedthisphrasebymakinghisbunchofsealsexecute
anexpressivewhirl。\"What！\"brokeforthMarius，\"doyoudisputethat？Thesearefacts。\"
\"Theyarechimeras。TheconfidencewithwhichMonsieurleBaron
honorsmerendersitmydutytotellhimso。Truthandjustice
beforeallthings。Idonotliketoseefolksaccusedunjustly。
MonsieurleBaron，JeanValjeandidnotrobM。MadeleineandJean
ValjeandidnotkillJavert。\"\"Thisistoomuch！Howisthis？\"\"Fortworeasons。\"\"Whatarethey？Speak。\"
\"Thisisthefirst:hedidnotrobM。Madeleine，becauseit
isJeanValjeanhimselfwhowasM。Madeleine。\"\"Whattaleareyoutellingme？\"
\"Andthisisthesecond:hedidnotassassinateJavert，
becausethepersonwhokilledJavertwasJavert。\"\"Whatdoyoumeantosay？\"\"ThatJavertcommittedsuicide。\"\"Proveit！proveit！\"criedMariusbesidehimself。
Thenardierresumed，scanninghisphraseafterthemannerofthe
ancientAlexandrinemeasure:\"Police—agent—Ja—vert—was—found—drowned—un—der—a—boat—of—the—Pont—au—Change。\"
\"Butproveit！\"
Thenardierdrewfromhispocketalargeenvelopeofgraypaper，
whichseemedtocontainsheetsfoldedindifferentsizes。\"Ihavemypapers，\"hesaidcalmly。Andheadded:
\"MonsieurleBaron，inyourinterestsIdesiredtoknowJean
Valjeanthoroughly。IsaythatJeanValjeanandM。Madeleineareoneand
thesameman，andIsaythatJaverthadnootherassassinthanJavert。
IfIspeak，itisbecauseIhaveproofs。Notmanuscriptproofs——
writingissuspicious，handwritingiscomplaisant，——butprintedproofs。\"
Ashespoke，Thenardierextractedfromtheenvelopetwocopies
ofnewspapers，yellow，faded，andstronglysaturatedwithtobacco。
Oneofthesetwonewspapers，brokenateveryfoldandfallingintorags，
seemedmucholderthantheother。
\"Twofacts，twoproofs，\"remarkedThenardier。Andheoffered
thetwonewspapers，unfolded，toMarius，
Thereaderisacquaintedwiththesetwopapers。One，themostancient，
anumberoftheDrapeauBlancofthe25thofJuly，1823，thetext
ofwhichcanbeseeninthefirstvolume，establishedtheidentity
ofM。MadeleineandJeanValjean。
Theother，aMoniteurofthe15thofJune，1832，announcedthe
suicideofJavert，addingthatitappearedfromaverbalreport
ofJaverttotheprefectthat，havingbeentakenprisonerinthe
barricadeoftheRuedelaChanvrerie，hehadowedhislifetothe
magnanimityofaninsurgentwho，holdinghimunderhispistol，
hadfiredintotheair，insteadofblowingouthisbrains。
Mariusread。Hehadevidence，acertaindate，irrefragableproof，
thesetwonewspapershadnotbeenprintedexpresslyforthepurpose
ofbackingupThenardier’sstatements；thenoteprintedintheMoniteur
hadbeenanadministrativecommunicationfromthePrefectureofPolice。
Mariuscouldnotdoubt。
Theinformationofthecashier—clerkhadbeenfalse，andhehimself
hadbeendeceived。
JeanValjean，whohadsuddenlygrowngrand，emergedfromhiscloud。
Mariuscouldnotrepressacryofjoy。
\"Well，thenthisunhappywretchisanadmirableman！thewhole
ofthatfortunereallybelongedtohim！heisMadeleine，
theprovidenceofawholecountryside！heisJeanValjean，
Javert’ssavior！heisahero！heisasaint！\"
\"He’snotasaint，andhe’snotahero！\"saidThenardier。
\"He’sanassassinandarobber。\"
Andheadded，inthetoneofamanwhobeginstofeelthathe
possessessomeauthority:\"Letusbecalm。\"
Robber，assassin——thosewordswhichMariusthoughthaddisappeared
andwhichreturned，felluponhimlikeanice—coldshower—bath。\"Again！\"saidhe。
\"Always，\"ejaculatedThenardier。\"JeanValjeandidnotrobMadeleine，
butheisathief。HedidnotkillJavert，butheisamurderer。\"
\"Willyouspeak，\"retortedMarius，\"ofthatmiserabletheft，
committedfortyyearsago，andexpiated，asyourownnewspapersprove，
byawholelifeofrepentance，ofself—abnegationandofvirtue？\"
\"Isayassassinationandtheft，MonsieurleBaron，andIrepeat
thatIamspeakingofactualfacts。WhatIhavetorevealto
youisabsolutelyunknown。Itbelongstounpublishedmatter。
Andperhapsyouwillfindinitthesourceofthefortune
soskilfullypresentedtoMadamelaBaronnebyJeanValjean。
Isayskilfully，because，byagiftofthatnatureitwouldnotbeso
veryunskilfultoslipintoanhonorablehousewhosecomfortsonewould
thenshare，and，atthesamestroke，toconcealone’scrime，andto
enjoyone’stheft，toburyone’snameandtocreateforoneselfafamily。\"\"Imightinterruptyouatthispoint，\"saidMarius，\"butgoon。\"
\"MonsieurleBaron，Iwilltellyouall，leavingtherecompenseto
yourgenerosity。Thissecretisworthmassivegold。Youwillsaytome:
`WhydonotyouapplytoJeanValjean？’Foraverysimplereason；
Iknowthathehasstrippedhimself，andstrippedhimselfinyourfavor，
andIconsiderthecombinationingenious；buthehasnolongerason，
hewouldshowmehisemptyhands，and，sinceIaminneedofsome
moneyformytriptolaJoya，Ipreferyou，youwhohaveitall，
tohimwhohasnothing。Iamalittlefatigued，permitmetotake
achair。\"Mariusseatedhimselfandmotionedtohimtodothesame。
Thenardierinstalledhimselfonatuftedchair，pickedup
histwonewspapers，thrustthembackintotheirenvelope，
andmurmuredashepeckedattheDrapeauBlancwithhisnail:
\"Itcostmeagooddealoftroubletogetthisone。\"
Thatdonehecrossedhislegsandstretchedhimselfoutontheback
ofthechair，anattitudecharacteristicofpeoplewhoaresure
ofwhattheyaresaying，thenheentereduponhissubjectgravely，
emphasizinghiswords:
\"MonsieurleBaron，onthe6thofJune，1832，aboutayearago，
onthedayoftheinsurrection，amanwasintheGrandSewerofParis，
atthepointwherethesewerenterstheSeine，betweenthePontdes
InvalidesandthePontdeJena。\"
MariusabruptlydrewhischairclosertothatofThenardier。
Thenardiernoticedthismovementandcontinuedwiththedeliberation
ofanoratorwhoholdshisinterlocutorandwhofeelshisadversary
palpitatingunderhiswords:
\"Thisman，forcedtoconcealhimself，andforreasons，moreover，
whichareforeigntopolitics，hadadoptedthesewerashis
domicileandhadakeytoit。Itwas，Irepeat，onthe6th
ofJune；itmighthavebeeneighto’clockintheevening。
Themanhearsanoiseinthesewer。Greatlysurprised，hehides
himselfandliesinwait。Itwasthesoundoffootsteps，
someonewaswalkinginthedark，andcominginhisdirection。
Strangetosay，therewasanothermaninthesewerbesideshimself。
Thegratingoftheoutletfromthesewerwasnotfaroff。Alittle
lightwhichfellthroughitpermittedhimtorecognizethenewcomer，
andtoseethatthemanwascarryingsomethingonhisback。
Hewaswalkinginabentattitude。Themanwhowaswalkingina
bentattitudewasanex—convict，andwhathewasdraggingonhis
shoulderswasacorpse。Assassinationcaughtintheveryact，
ifevertherewassuchathing。Asforthetheft，thatisunderstood；
onedoesnotkillamangratis。Thisconvictwasonhisway
toflingthebodyintotheriver。Onefactistobenoticed，
thatbeforereachingtheexitgrating，thisconvict，whohadcome
alongdistanceinthesewer，must，necessarily，haveencountered
afrightfulquagmirewhereitseemsasthoughhemighthaveleft
thebody，butthesewermenwouldhavefoundtheassassinatedman
theverynextday，whileatworkonthequagmire，andthatdid
notsuittheassassin’splans。Hehadpreferredtotraversethat
quagmirewithhisburden，andhisexertionsmusthavebeenterrible，
foritisimpossibletoriskone’slifemorecompletely；Idon’t
understandhowhecouldhavecomeoutofthatalive。\"
Marius’chairapproachedstillnearer。Thenardiertookadvantage
ofthistodrawalongbreath。Hewenton:
\"MonsieurleBaron，asewerisnottheChampdeMars。Onelacks
everythingthere，evenroom。Whentwomenarethere，theymustmeet。
Thatiswhathappened。Themandomiciledthereandthepasser—by
wereforcedtobideachothergood—day，greatlytotheregret
ofboth。Thepasser—bysaidtotheinhabitant:——\"YouseewhatI
haveonmyback，Imustgetout，youhavethekey，giveittome。\"
Thatconvictwasamanofterriblestrength。Therewasnoway
ofrefusing。Nevertheless，themanwhohadthekeyparleyed，
simplytogaintime。Heexaminedthedeadman，buthecould
seenothing，exceptthatthelatterwasyoung，welldressed，
withtheairofbeingrich，andalldisfiguredwithblood。
Whiletalking，themancontrivedtotearandpulloffbehind，
withouttheassassinperceivingit，abitoftheassassinated
man’scoat。Adocumentforconviction，youunderstand；ameans
ofrecoveringthetraceofthingsandofbringinghomethecrime
tothecriminal。Heputthisdocumentforconvictioninhispocket。
Afterwhichheopenedthegrating，madethemangooutwithhis
embarrassmentonhisback，closedthegratingagain，andranoff，
notcaringtobemixedupwiththeremainderoftheadventure
andaboveall，notwishingtobepresentwhentheassassinthrew
theassassinatedmanintotheriver。Nowyoucomprehend。Theman
whowascarryingthecorpsewasJeanValjean；theonewhohadthekey
isspeakingtoyouatthismoment；andthepieceofthecoat……\"
Thenardiercompletedhisphrasebydrawingfromhispocket，
andholding，onalevelwithhiseyes，nippedbetweenhistwo
thumbsandhistwoforefingers，astripoftornblackcloth，
allcoveredwithdarkspots。
Mariushadsprungtohisfeet，pale，hardlyabletodrawhisbreath，
withhiseyesrivetedonthefragmentofblackcloth，and，without
utteringaword，withouttakinghiseyesfromthatfragment，
heretreatedtothewallandfumbledwithhisrighthandalong
thewallforakeywhichwasinthelockofacupboardnearthechimney。
Hefoundthekey，openedthecupboard，plungedhisarmintoit
withoutlooking，andwithouthisfrightenedgazequittingtherag
whichThenardierstillheldoutspread。ButThenardiercontinued:
\"MonsieurleBaron，Ihavethestrongestofreasonsforbelieving
thattheassassinatedyoungmanwasanopulentstrangerluredinto
atrapbyJeanValjean，andthebearerofanenormoussumofmoney。\"
\"Theyoungmanwasmyself，andhereisthecoat！\"criedMarius，
andheflungupontheflooranoldblackcoatallcoveredwithblood。
Then，snatchingthefragmentfromthehandsofThenardier，hecrouched
downoverthecoat，andlaidthetornmorselagainstthetatteredskirt。
Therentfittedexactly，andthestripcompletedthecoat。Thenardierwaspetrified。Thisiswhathethought:\"I’mstruckallofaheap。\"Mariusrosetohisfeettrembling，despairing，radiant。
HefumbledinhispocketandstalkedfuriouslytoThenardier，
presentingtohimandalmostthrustinginhisfacehisfistfilled
withbank—notesforfivehundredandathousandfrancs。
\"Youareaninfamouswretch！youarealiar，acalumniator，
avillain。Youcametoaccusethatman，youhaveonlyjustifiedhim；
youwantedtoruinhim，youhaveonlysucceededinglorifyinghim。
Anditisyouwhoarethethief！Anditisyouwhoaretheassassin！
Isawyou，ThenardierJondrette，inthatlairontheRuedel’Hopital。
Iknowenoughaboutyoutosendyoutothegalleysandevenfurther
ifIchoose。Hereareathousandfrancs，bullythatyouare！\"AndheflungathousandfrancnoteatThenardier。
\"Ah！JondretteThenardier，vilerascal！Letthisserveyouas
alesson，youdealerinsecond—handsecrets，merchantofmysteries，
rummageroftheshadows，wretch！Takethesefivehundredfrancs
andgetoutofhere！Waterlooprotectsyou。\"
\"Waterloo！\"growledThenardier，pocketingthefivehundredfrancs
alongwiththethousand。\"Yes，assassin！YoutheresavedthelifeofaColonel……\"\"OfaGeneral，\"saidThenardier，elevatinghishead。
\"OfaColonel！\"repeatedMariusinarage。\"Iwouldn’tgiveaha’penny
forageneral。Andyoucomeheretocommitinfamies！Itellyou
thatyouhavecommittedallcrimes。Go！disappear！Onlybehappy，
thatisallthatIdesire。Ah！monster！herearethreethousand
francsmore。Takethem。Youwilldepartto—morrow，forAmerica，
withyourdaughter；foryourwifeisdead，youabominableliar。
Ishallwatchoveryourdeparture，youruffian，andatthatmoment
Iwillcountouttoyoutwentythousandfrancs。Gogetyourself
hungelsewhere！\"
\"MonsieurleBaron！\"repliedThenardier，bowingtotheveryearth，
\"eternalgratitude。\"AndThenardierlefttheroom，understandingnothing，
stupefiedanddelightedwiththissweetcrushingbeneathsacksofgold，
andwiththatthunderwhichhadburstforthoverhisheadinbank—bills。
Struckbylightninghewas，buthewasalsocontent；andhewould
havebeengreatlyangeredhadhehadalightningrodtowardoff
suchlightningasthat。Letusfinishwiththismanatonce。
Twodaysaftertheeventswhichweareatthismomentnarrating，
hesetout，thankstoMarius’care，forAmericaunderafalsename，
withhisdaughterAzelma，furnishedwithadraftonNewYorkfortwenty
thousandfrancs。
ThemoralwretchednessofThenardier，thebourgeoiswhohadmissed
hisvocation，wasirremediable。HewasinAmericawhathehad
beeninEurope。Contactwithanevilmansometimessufficesto
corruptagoodactionandtocauseevilthingstospringfromit。
WithMarius’money，Thenardiersetupasaslave—dealer。
AssoonasThenardierhadleftthehouse，Mariusrushedtothegarden，
whereCosettewasstillwalking。
\"Cosette！Cosette！\"hecried。\"Come！comequick！Letusgo。
Basque，acarriage！Cosette，come。Ah！MyGod！Itwashe
whosavedmylife！Letusnotloseaminute！Putonyourshawl。\"Cosettethoughthimmadandobeyed。
Hecouldnotbreathe，helaidhishandonhishearttorestrain
itsthrobbing。Hepacedbackandforthwithhugestrides，
heembracedCosette:\"Ah！Cosette！Iamanunhappywretch！\"saidhe。
Mariuswasbewildered。HebegantocatchaglimpseinJean
Valjeanofsomeindescribablyloftyandmelancholyfigure。
Anunheard—ofvirtue，supremeandsweet，humbleinitsimmensity，
appearedtohim。TheconvictwastransfiguredintoChrist。
Mariuswasdazzledbythisprodigy。Hedidnotknowprecisely
whathebeheld，butitwasgrand。Inaninstant，ahackney—carriagestoodinfrontofthedoor。MariushelpedCosetteinanddartedinhimself。\"Driver，\"saidhe，\"Ruedel’HommeArme，Number7。\"Thecarriagedroveoff。
\"Ah！whathappiness！\"ejaculatedCosette。\"Ruedel’HommeArme，
Ididnotdaretospeaktoyouofthat。Wearegoingtosee
M。Jean。\"
\"Thyfather！Cosette，thyfathermorethanever。Cosette，I
guessit。Youtoldmethatyouhadneverreceivedtheletter
thatIsentyoubyGavroche。Itmusthavefallenintohishands。
Cosette，hewenttothebarricadetosaveme。Asitisanecessity
withhimtobeanangel，hesavedothersalso；hesavedJavert。
Herescuedmefromthatgulftogivemetoyou。Hecarriedme
onhisbackthroughthatfrightfulsewer。Ah！Iamamonster
ofingratitude。Cosette，afterhavingbeenyourprovidence，
hebecamemine。Justimagine，therewasaterriblequagmire
enoughtodrownoneahundredtimesover，todrownoneinmire。
Cosette！hemademetraverseit。Iwasunconscious；Isawnothing，
Iheardnothing，Icouldknownothingofmyownadventure。
Wearegoingtobringhimback，totakehimwithus，whetherhe
iswillingornot，heshallneverleaveusagain。Ifonlyheis
athome！Providedonlythatwecanfindhim，Iwillpasstherest
ofmylifeinveneratinghim。Yes，thatishowitshouldbe，
doyousee，Cosette？Gavrochemusthavedeliveredmylettertohim。
Allisexplained。Youunderstand。\"Cosettedidnotunderstandaword。\"Youareright，\"shesaidtohim。Meanwhilethecarriagerolledon。CHAPTERVANIGHTBEHINDWHICHTHEREISDAYJeanValjeanturnedroundattheknockwhichheheardonhisdoor。\"Comein，\"hesaidfeebly。Thedooropened。CosetteandMariusmadetheirappearance。Cosetterushedintotheroom。Mariusremainedonthethreshold，leaningagainstthejambofthedoor。\"Cosette！\"saidJeanValjean。
Andhesaterectinhischair，hisarmsoutstretchedandtrembling，
haggard，livid，gloomy，animmensejoyinhiseyes。Cosette，stiflingwithemotion，felluponJeanValjean’sbreast。\"Father！\"saidshe。JeanValjean，overcome，stammered:\"Cosette！she！you！Madame！itisthou！Ah！myGod！\"And，pressedcloseinCosette’sarms，heexclaimed:\"Itisthou！thouarthere！Thoudostpardonmethen！\"
Marius，loweringhiseyelids，inordertokeephistearsfromflowing，
tookastepforwardandmurmuredbetweenlipsconvulsivelycontracted
torepresshissobs:\"Myfather！\"\"Andyoualso，youpardonme！\"JeanValjeansaidtohim。Mariuscouldfindnowords，andJeanValjeanadded:\"Thanks。\"Cosettetoreoffhershawlandtossedherhatonthebed。\"Itembarrassesme，\"saidshe。
And，seatingherselfontheoldman’sknees，sheputasidehiswhite
lockswithanadorablemovement，andkissedhisbrow。JeanValjean，bewildered，letherhaveherownway。
Cosette，whoonlyunderstoodinaveryconfusedmanner，
redoubledhercaresses，asthoughshedesiredtopayMarius’debt。JeanValjeanstammered:
\"Howstupidpeopleare！IthoughtthatIshouldneverseeheragain。
Imagine，MonsieurPontmercy，attheverymomentwhenyouentered，
Iwassayingtomyself:`Allisover。Hereisherlittlegown，
Iamamiserableman，IshallneverseeCosetteagain，’andIwas
sayingthatattheverymomentwhenyouweremountingthestairs。
WasnotIanidiot？Justseehowidioticonecanbe！Onereckons
withoutthegoodGod。ThegoodGodsays:
\"`Youfancythatyouareabouttobeabandoned，stupid！No。No，
thingswillnotgoso。Come，thereisagoodmanyonderwhoisin
needofanangel。’Andtheangelcomes，andoneseesone’sCosette
again！andoneseesone’slittleCosetteoncemore！Ah！Iwas
veryunhappy。\"Foramomenthecouldnotspeak，thenhewenton:
\"IreallyneededtoseeCosettealittlebitnowandthen。Aheartneeds
abonetognaw。ButIwasperfectlyconsciousthatIwasintheway。
Igavemyselfreasons:`Theydonotwantyou，keepinyourowncourse，
onehasnottherighttoclingeternally。’Ah！Godbepraised，Isee
heroncemore！Dostthouknow，Cosette，thyhusbandisveryhandsome？
Ah！whataprettyembroideredcollarthouhaston，luckily。Iam
fondofthatpattern。Itwasthyhusbandwhochoseit，wasitnot？
Andthen，thoushouldsthavesomecashmereshawls。Letmecall
herthou，MonsieurPontmercy。Itwillnotbeforlong。\"AndCosettebeganagain:
\"Howwickedofyoutohaveleftuslikethat！Wheredidyougo？
Whyhaveyoustayedawaysolong？Formerlyyourjourneysonlylasted
threeorfourdays。IsentNicolette，theansweralwayswas:
`Heisabsent。’Howlonghaveyoubeenback？Whydidyou
notletusknow？Doyouknowthatyouareverymuchchanged？
Ah！whatanaughtyfather！hehasbeenill，andwehavenotknownit！
Stay，Marius，feelhowcoldhishandis！\"
\"Soyouarehere！MonsieurPontmercy，youpardonme！\"
repeatedJeanValjean。
AtthatwordwhichJeanValjeanhadjustutteredoncemore，
allthatwasswellingMarius’heartfoundvent。Heburstforth:
\"Cosette，doyouhear？hehascometothat！heasksmyforgiveness！
Anddoyouknowwhathehasdoneforme，Cosette？Hehassaved
mylife。Hehasdonemore——hehasgivenyoutome。Andafterhaving
savedme，andafterhavinggivenyoutome，Cosette，whathashe
donewithhimself？Hehassacrificedhimself。Beholdtheman。
Andhesaystometheingrate，tometheforgetful，tomethepitiless，
tometheguiltyone:Thanks！Cosette，mywholelifepassed
atthefeetofthismanwouldbetoolittle。Thatbarricade，
thatsewer，thatfurnace，thatcesspool，——allthathetraversed
forme，forthee，Cosette！Hecarriedmeawaythroughallthe
deathswhichheputasidebeforeme，andacceptedforhimself。
Everycourage，everyvirtue，everyheroism，everysanctity
hepossesses！Cosette，thatmanisanangel！\"\"Hush！hush！\"saidJeanValjeaninalowvoice。\"Whytellallthat？\"
\"Butyou！\"criedMariuswithawrathinwhichtherewasveneration，
\"whydidyounottellittome？Itisyourownfault，too。
Yousavepeople’slives，andyouconcealitfromthem！Youdomore，
underthepretextofunmaskingyourself，youcalumniateyourself。
Itisfrightful。\"\"Itoldthetruth，\"repliedJeanValjean。
\"No，\"retortedMarius，\"thetruthisthewholetruth；andthatyou
didnottell。YouwereMonsieurMadeleine，whynothavesaidso？
YousavedJavert，whynothavesaidso？Iowedmylifetoyou，
whynothavesaidso？\"
\"BecauseIthoughtasyoudo。Ithoughtthatyouwereintheright。
ItwasnecessarythatIshouldgoaway。Ifyouhadknownabout
thataffair，ofthesewer，youwouldhavemademeremainnearyou。
Iwasthereforeforcedtoholdmypeace。IfIhadspoken，itwould
havecausedembarrassmentineveryway。\"
\"Itwouldhaveembarrassedwhat？embarrassedwhom？\"retortedMarius。
\"Doyouthinkthatyouaregoingtostayhere？Weshallcarryyouoff。
Ah！goodheavens！whenIreflectthatitwasbyanaccidentthatIhave
learnedallthis。Youformapartofourselves。Youareherfather，
andmine。Youshallnotpassanotherdayinthisdreadfulhouse。
Donotimaginethatyouwillbehereto—morrow。\"
\"To—morrow，\"saidJeanValjean，\"Ishallnotbehere，butIshall
notbewithyou。\"
\"Whatdoyoumean？\"repliedMarius。\"Ah！comenow，wearenotgoing
topermitanymorejourneys。Youshallneverleaveusagain。
Youbelongtous。Weshallnotlooseourholdofyou。\"
\"Thistimeitisforgood，\"addedCosette。\"Wehaveacarriage
atthedoor。Ishallrunawaywithyou。Ifnecessary，Ishall
employforce。\"Andshelaughinglymadeamovementtolifttheoldmaninherarms。
\"Yourchamberstillstandsreadyinourhouse，\"shewenton。
\"Ifyouonlyknewhowprettythegardenisnow！Theazaleas
aredoingverywellthere。Thewalksaresandedwithriversand；
therearetinyvioletshells。Youshalleatmystrawberries。
Iwaterthemmyself。Andnomore`madame，’nomore`MonsieurJean，’
wearelivingunderaRepublic，everybodysaysthou，don’tthey，Marius？
Theprogrammeischanged。Ifyouonlyknew，father，Ihavehadasorrow，
therewasarobinredbreastwhichhadmadehernestinaholein
thewall，andahorriblecatateher。Mypoor，pretty，littlerobin
red—breastwhichusedtoputherheadoutofherwindowandlook
atme！Icriedoverit。Ishouldhavelikedtokillthecat。
Butnownobodycriesanymore。Everybodylaughs，everybodyishappy。
Youaregoingtocomewithus。Howdelightedgrandfatherwillbe！
Youshallhaveyourplotinthegarden，youshallcultivateit，
andweshallseewhetheryourstrawberriesareasfineasmine。
And，then，Ishalldoeverythingthatyouwish，andthen，youwillobey
meprettily。\"
JeanValjeanlistenedtoherwithouthearingher。Heheard
themusicofhervoiceratherthanthesenseofherwords；
oneofthoselargetearswhicharethesombrepearlsofthesoul
welledupslowlyinhiseyes。Hemurmured:\"TheproofthatGodisgoodisthatsheishere。\"\"Father！\"saidCosette。JeanValjeancontinued:
\"Itisquitetruethatitwouldbecharmingforustolivetogether。
Theirtreesarefullofbirds。IwouldwalkwithCosette。
Itissweettobeamonglivingpeoplewhobideachother`good—day，’
whocalltoeachotherinthegarden。Peopleseeeachotherfrom
earlymorning。Weshouldeachcultivateourownlittlecorner。
Shewouldmakemeeatherstrawberries。Iwouldmakehergather
myroses。Thatwouldbecharming。Only……\"Hepausedandsaidgently:\"Itisapity。\"
Theteardidnotfall，itretreated，andJeanValjeanreplacedit
withasmile。Cosettetookboththeoldman’shandsinhers。
\"MyGod！\"saidshe，\"yourhandsarestillcolderthanbefore。
Areyouill？Doyousuffer？\"\"I？No，\"repliedJeanValjean。\"Iamverywell。Only……\"Hepaused。\"Onlywhat？\"\"Iamgoingtodiepresently。\"CosetteandMariusshuddered。\"Todie！\"exclaimedMarius。\"Yes，butthatisnothing，\"saidJeanValjean。Hetookbreath，smiledandresumed:
\"Cosette，thouwerttalkingtome，goon，sothylittlerobin
red—breastisdead？Speak，sothatImayhearthyvoice。\"Mariusgazedattheoldmaninamazement。Cosetteutteredaheartrendingcry。
\"Father！myfather！youwilllive。Youaregoingtolive。
Iinsistuponyourliving，doyouhear？\"JeanValjeanraisedhisheadtowardsherwithadoration。
\"Oh！yes，forbidmetodie。Whoknows？PerhapsIshallobey。
Iwasonthevergeofdyingwhenyoucame。Thatstoppedme，
itseemedtomethatIwasbornagain。\"
\"Youarefullofstrengthandlife，\"criedMarius。\"Doyouimagine
thatapersoncandielikethis？Youhavehadsorrow，youshall
havenomore。ItisIwhoaskyourforgiveness，andonmyknees！
Youaregoingtolive，andtolivewithus，andtolivealongtime。
Wetakepossessionofyouoncemore。Therearetwoofusherewho
willhenceforthhavenootherthoughtthanyourhappiness。\"
\"Yousee，\"resumedCosette，allbathedintears，\"thatMariussays
thatyoushallnotdie。\"JeanValjeancontinuedtosmile。
\"Evenifyouweretotakepossessionofme，MonsieurPontmercy，
wouldthatmakemeotherthanIam？No，Godhasthoughtlikeyou
andmyself，andhedoesnotchangehismind；itisusefulforme
togo。Deathisagoodarrangement。Godknowsbetterthanwewhat
weneed。Mayyoubehappy，mayMonsieurPontmercyhaveCosette，
mayyouthwedthemorning，maytherebearoundyou，mychildren，
lilacsandnightingales；mayyourlifebeabeautiful，sunnylawn，
mayalltheenchantmentsofheavenfillyoursouls，andnowletme，
whoamgoodfornothing，die；itiscertainthatallthisisright。
Come，bereasonable，nothingispossiblenow，Iamfullyconsciousthat
allisover。Andthen，lastnight，Idrankthatwholejugofwater。
Howgoodthyhusbandis，Cosette！Thouartmuchbetteroffwithhim
thanwithme。\"Anoisebecameaudibleatthedoor。Itwasthedoctorentering。
\"Good—day，andfarewell，doctor，\"saidJeanValjean。\"Hereare
mypoorchildren。\"
Mariussteppeduptothedoctor。Headdressedtohimonlythis
singleword:\"Monsieur？……\"Buthismannerofpronouncingit
containedacompletequestion。Thedoctorrepliedtothequestionbyanexpressiveglance。
\"Becausethingsarenotagreeable，\"saidJeanValjean，\"thatis
noreasonforbeingunjusttowardsGod。\"Asilenceensued。Allbreastswereoppressed。
JeanValjeanturnedtoCosette。Hebegantogazeatherasthough
hewishedtoretainherfeaturesforeternity。
Inthedepthsoftheshadowintowhichhehadalreadydescended，
ecstasywasstillpossibletohimwhengazingatCosette。
Thereflectionofthatsweetfacelighteduphispalevisage。Thedoctorfeltofhispulse。
\"Ah！itwasyouthathewanted！\"hemurmured，lookingatCosette
andMarius。AndbendingdowntoMarius’ear，headdedinaverylowvoice:\"Toolate。\"
JeanValjeansurveyedthedoctorandMariusserenely，almostwithout
ceasingtogazeatCosette。Thesebarelyarticulatewordswereheardtoissuefromhismouth:\"Itisnothingtodie；itisdreadfulnottolive。\"
Allatonceherosetohisfeet。Theseaccessesofstrength
aresometimesthesignofthedeathagony。Hewalkedwithafirm
steptothewall，thrustingasideMariusandthedoctorwhotried
tohelphim，detachedfromthewallalittlecoppercrucifix
whichwassuspendedthere，andreturnedtohisseatwithallthe
freedomofmovementofperfecthealth，andsaidinaloudvoice，
ashelaidthecrucifixonthetable:\"Beholdthegreatmartyr。\"
Thenhischestsankin，hisheadwavered，asthoughtheintoxication
ofthetombwereseizingholduponhim。
Hishands，whichrestedonhisknees，begantopresstheirnails
intothestuffofhistrousers。
Cosettesupportedhisshoulders，andsobbed，andtriedtospeak
tohim，butcouldnot。
Amongthewordsmingledwiththatmournfulsalivawhich
accompaniestears，theydistinguishedwordslikethefollowing:
\"Father，donotleaveus。Isitpossiblethatwehavefoundyou
onlytoloseyouagain？\"
Itmightbesaidthatagonywrithes。Itgoes，comes，
advancestowardsthesepulchre，andreturnstowardslife。
Thereisgropingintheactionofdying。
JeanValjeanralliedafterthissemi—swoon，shookhisbrowasthough
tomaketheshadowsfallawayfromitandbecamealmostperfectly
lucidoncemore。HetookafoldofCosette’ssleeveandkissedit。\"Heiscomingback！doctor，heiscomingback，\"criedMarius。
\"Youaregood，bothofyou，\"saidJeanValjean。\"Iamgoingtotell
youwhathascausedmepain。Whathaspainedme，MonsieurPontmercy，
isthatyouhavenotbeenwillingtotouchthatmoney。
Thatmoneyreallybelongstoyourwife。Iwillexplaintoyou，
mychildren，andforthatreason，also，Iamgladtoseeyou。
BlackjetcomesfromEngland，whitejetcomesfromNorway。
Allthisisinthispaper，whichyouwillread。Forbracelets，
Iinventedawayofsubstitutingforslidesofsolderedsheetiron，
slidesofironlaidtogether。Itisprettier，betterandlesscostly。
Youwillunderstandhowmuchmoneycanbemadeinthatway。
SoCosette’sfortuneisreallyhers。Igiveyouthesedetails，
inorderthatyourmindmaybesetatrest。\"
Theportresshadcomeupstairsandwasgazinginatthehalf—opendoor。
Thedoctordismissedher。
Buthecouldnotpreventthiszealouswomanfromexclaiming
tothedyingmanbeforeshedisappeared:\"Wouldyoulikeapriest？\"\"Ihavehadone，\"repliedJeanValjean。
Andwithhisfingerheseemedtoindicateapointabovehishead
whereonewouldhavesaidthathesawsomeone。
Itisprobable，infact，thattheBishopwaspresentatthis
deathagony。Cosettegentlyslippedapillowunderhisloins。JeanValjeanresumed:
\"Havenofear，MonsieurPontmercy，Iadjureyou。Thesixhundred
thousandfrancsreallybelongtoCosette。Mylifewillhavebeen
wastedifyoudonotenjoythem！Wemanagedtodoverywellwith
thoseglassgoods。WerivalledwhatiscalledBerlinjewellery。
However，wecouldnotequaltheblackglassofEngland。Agross，
whichcontainstwelvehundredverywellcutgrains，onlycosts
threefrancs。\"
Whenabeingwhoisdeartousisonthepointofdeath，wegaze
uponhimwithalookwhichclingsconvulsivelytohimandwhich
wouldfainholdhimback。
CosettegaveherhandtoMarius，andboth，mutewithanguish，
notknowingwhattosaytothedyingman，stoodtremblingand
despairingbeforehim。
JeanValjeansankmomentbymoment。Hewasfailing；hewasdrawing
neartothegloomyhorizon。
Hisbreathhadbecomeintermittent；alittlerattlinginterruptedit。
Hefoundsomedifficultyinmovinghisforearm，hisfeethadlost
allmovement，andinproportionasthewretchednessoflimb
andfeeblenessofbodyincreased，allthemajestyofhissoul
wasdisplayedandspreadoverhisbrow。Thelightoftheunknown
worldwasalreadyvisibleinhiseyes。
Hisfacepaledandsmiled。Lifewasnolongerthere，itwas
somethingelse。
Hisbreathsank，hisglancegrewgrander。Hewasacorpse
onwhichthewingscouldbefelt。
HemadeasigntoCosettetodrawnear，thentoMarius；thelast
minuteofthelasthourhad，evidently，arrived。
Hebegantospeaktotheminavoicesofeeblethatitseemed
tocomefromadistance，andonewouldhavesaidthatawall
nowrosebetweenthemandhim。
\"Drawnear，drawnear，bothofyou。Iloveyoudearly。Oh！how
gooditistodielikethis！Andthoulovestmealso，myCosette。
Iknewwellthatthoustillfeltfriendlytowardsthypooroldman。
Howkinditwasoftheetoplacethatpillowundermyloins！
Thouwiltweepformealittle，wiltthounot？Nottoomuch。
Idonotwishtheetohaveanyrealgriefs。Youmustenjoyyourselves
agreatdeal，mychildren。Iforgottotellyouthattheprofitwas
greaterstillonthebuckleswithouttonguesthanonalltherest。
Agrossofadozendozenscosttenfrancsandsoldforsixty。
Itreallywasagoodbusiness。Sothereisnooccasionfor
surpriseatthesixhundredthousandfrancs，MonsieurPontmercy。
Itishonestmoney。Youmayberichwithatranquilmind。
Thoumusthaveacarriage，aboxatthetheatresnowandthen，
andhandsomeballdresses，myCosette，andthen，thoumustgivegood
dinnerstothyfriends，andbeveryhappy。IwaswritingtoCosette
awhileago。Shewillfindmyletter。Ibequeathtoherthetwo
candlestickswhichstandonthechimney—piece。Theyareofsilver，
buttometheyaregold，theyarediamonds；theychangecandles
whichareplacedinthemintowax—tapers。Idonotknowwhether
thepersonwhogavethemtomeispleasedwithmeyonderonhigh。
IhavedonewhatIcould。Mychildren，youwillnotforgetthatI
amapoorman，youwillhavemeburiedinthefirstplotofearth
thatyoufind，underastonetomarkthespot。Thisismywish。
Nonameonthestone。IfCosettecarestocomeforalittle
whilenowandthen，itwillgivemepleasure。Andyoutoo，
MonsieurPontmercy。ImustadmitthatIhavenotalwayslovedyou。
Iaskyourpardonforthat。Nowsheandyouformbutoneforme。
Ifeelverygratefultoyou。IamsurethatyoumakeCosettehappy。
Ifyouonlyknew，MonsieurPontmercy，herprettyrosycheeks
weremydelight；whenIsawherintheleastpale，Iwassad。
Inthechestofdrawers，thereisabank—billforfivehundredfrancs。
Ihavenottouchedit。Itisforthepoor。Cosette，dostthousee
thylittlegownyonderonthebed？dostthourecognizeit？Thatwas
tenyearsago，however。Howtimeflies！Wehavebeenveryhappy。
Allisover。Donotweep，mychildren，Iamnotgoingveryfar，
Ishallseeyoufromthere，youwillonlyhavetolookatnight，
andyouwillseemesmile。Cosette，dostthourememberMontfermeil？
Thouwertintheforest，thouwertgreatlyterrified；dostthou
rememberhowItookholdofthehandleofthewater—bucket？Thatwas
thefirsttimethatItouchedthypoor，littlehand。Itwassocold！
Ah！yourhandswereredthen，mademoiselle，theyareverywhitenow。
Andthebigdoll！dostthouremember？ThoudidstcallherCatherine。
Thouregrettedestnothavingtakenhertotheconvent！
Howthoudidstmakemelaughsometimes，mysweetangel！Whenit
hadbeenraining，thoudidstfloatbitsofstrawonthegutters，
andwatchthempassaway。OnedayIgavetheeawillowbattledore
andashuttlecockwithyellow，blueandgreenfeathers。Thouhast
forgottenit。Thouwertroguishsoyoung！Thoudidstplay。
Thoudidstputcherriesinthyears。Thosearethingsofthepast。
Theforeststhroughwhichonehaspassedwithone’schild，
thetreesunderwhichonehasstrolled，theconventswhereonehas
concealedoneself，thegames，theheartylaughsofchildhood，
areshadows。Iimaginedthatallthatbelongedtome。Inthatlay
mystupidity。ThoseThenardierswerewicked。Thoumustforgivethem。
Cosette，themomenthascometotelltheethenameofthymother。
ShewascalledFantine。Rememberthatname——Fantine。Kneelwhenever
thouutterestit。Shesufferedmuch。Shelovedtheedearly。
Shehadasmuchunhappinessasthouhasthadhappiness。Thatis
thewayGodapportionsthings。Heisthereonhigh，heseesusall，
andheknowswhathedoesinthemidstofhisgreatstars。
Iamonthevergeofdeparture，mychildren。Loveeachother
wellandalways。Thereisnothingelsebutthatintheworld:
loveforeachother。Youwillthinksometimesofthepoorold
manwhodiedhere。OhmyCosette，itisnotmyfault，indeed，
thatIhavenotseentheeallthistime，itcutmetotheheart；
Iwentasfarasthecornerofthestreet，Imusthaveproduced
aqueereffectonthepeoplewhosawmepass，Iwaslikeamadman，
Ioncewentoutwithoutmyhat。Inolongerseeclearly，
mychildren，Ihadstillotherthingstosay，butnevermind。
Thinkalittleofme。Comestillnearer。Idiehappy。Giveme
yourdearandwell—belovedheads，sothatImaylaymyhandsupon
them。\"
CosetteandMariusfellontheirknees，indespair，
suffocatingwithtears，eachbeneathoneofJeanValjean’shands。
Thoseaugusthandsnolongermoved。Hehadfallenbackwards，thelightofthecandlesilluminatedhim。
Hiswhitefacelookeduptoheaven，heallowedCosetteandMarius
tocoverhishandswithkisses。Hewasdead。
Thenightwasstarlessandextremelydark。Nodoubt，inthegloom，
someimmenseangelstooderectwithwingsoutspread，awaitingthatsoul。CHAPTERVITHEGRASSCOVERSANDTHERAINEFFACES
InthecemeteryofPere—Lachaise，inthevicinityofthecommon
grave，farfromtheelegantquarterofthatcityofsepulchres，
farfromallthetombsoffancywhichdisplayinthepresenceof
eternityallthehideousfashionsofdeath，inadesertedcorner，
besideanoldwall，beneathagreatyewtreeoverwhichclimbsthe
wildconvolvulus，amiddandelionsandmosses，thereliesastone。
Thatstoneisnomoreexemptthanothersfromtheleprosyoftime，
ofdampness，ofthelichensandfromthedefilementofthebirds。
Thewaterturnsitgreen，theairblackensit。Itisnotnear
anypath，andpeoplearenotfondofwalkinginthatdirection，
becausethegrassishighandtheirfeetareimmediatelywet。
Whenthereisalittlesunshine，thelizardscomethither。Allaround
thereisaquiveringofweeds。Inthespring，linnetswarblein
thetrees。
Thisstoneisperfectlyplain。Incuttingittheonlythought
wastherequirementsofthetomb，andnoothercarewastakenthan
tomakethestonelongenoughandnarrowenoughtocoveraman。Nonameistobereadthere。
Only，manyyearsago，ahandwroteuponitinpencilthesefourlines，
whichhavebecomegraduallyillegiblebeneaththerainandthedust，
andwhichare，to—day，probablyeffaced:
Ildort。Quoiquelesortfutpourluibienetrange，
Ilvivait。Ilmourutquandiln’eutplussonange。
Lachosesimplementd’elle—memearriva，
Commelanuitsefaitlorsquelejours’enva。[70]
[70]Hesleeps。Althoughhisfatewasverystrange，helived。
Hediedwhenhehadnolongerhisangel。Thethingcametopasssimply，
ofitself，asthenightcomeswhendayisgone。LETTERTOM。DAELLIPublisheroftheItaliantranslationofLesMiserablesinMilan。HAUTEVILLE—HOUSE，October18，1862。
Youareright，sir，whenyoutellmethatLesMiserablesiswritten
forallnations。Idonotknowwhetheritwillbereadbyall，butI
wroteitforall。ItisaddressedtoEnglandaswellastoSpain，
toItalyaswellastoFrance，toGermanyaswellastoIreland，
toRepublicswhichhaveslavesaswellastoEmpireswhichhaveserfs。
Socialproblemsoverstepfrontiers。Thesoresofthehumanrace，
thosegreatsoreswhichcovertheglobe，donothaltatthered
orbluelinestraceduponthemap。Ineveryplacewheremanis
ignorantanddespairing，ineveryplacewherewomanissoldforbread，
whereverthechildsuffersforlackofthebookwhichshould
instructhimandofthehearthwhichshouldwarmhim，thebook
ofLesMiserablesknocksatthedoorandsays:\"Opentome，Icome
foryou。\"
Atthehourofcivilizationthroughwhichwearenowpassing，
andwhichisstillsosombre，themiserable’snameisMan；heis
agonizinginallclimes，andheisgroaninginalllanguages。
YourItalyisnomoreexemptfromtheevilthanisourFrance。
YouradmirableItalyhasallmiseriesonthefaceofit。Doesnot
banditism，thatragingformofpauperism，inhabityourmountains？
FewnationsaremoredeeplyeatenbythatulcerofconventswhichI
haveendeavoredtofathom。InspiteofyourpossessingRome，
Milan，Naples，Palermo，Turin，Florence，Sienna，Pisa，Mantua，
Bologna，Ferrara，Genoa，Venice，aheroichistory，sublimeruins，
magnificentruins，andsuperbcities，youare，likeourselves，poor。
Youarecoveredwithmarvelsandvermin。Assuredly，thesunofItaly
issplendid，but，alas，azureintheskydoesnotpreventragsonman。
Likeus，youhaveprejudices，superstitions，tyrannies，fanaticisms，
blindlawslendingassistancetoignorantcustoms。Youtastenothing
ofthepresentnorofthefuturewithoutaflavorofthepastbeing
mingledwithit。Youhaveabarbarian，themonk，andasavage，
thelazzarone。Thesocialquestionisthesameforyouasforus。
Thereareafewlessdeathsfromhungerwithyou，andafewmore
fromfever；yoursocialhygieneisnotmuchbetterthanours；
shadows，whichareProtestantinEngland，areCatholicinItaly；
but，underdifferentnames，thevescovoisidenticalwiththebishop，
anditalwaysmeansnight，andofprettynearlythesamequality。
ToexplaintheBiblebadlyamountstothesamethingastounderstand
theGospelbadly。
Isitnecessarytoemphasizethis？Mustthismelancholyparallelism
beyetmorecompletelyverified？Haveyounotindigentpersons？
Glancebelow。Haveyounotparasites？Glanceup。Doesnot
thathideousbalance，whosetwoscales，pauperismandparasitism，
somournfullypreservetheirmutualequilibrium，oscillatebefore
youasitdoesbeforeus？Whereisyourarmyofschoolmasters，
theonlyarmywhichcivilizationacknowledges？
Whereareyourfreeandcompulsoryschools？Doeseveryone
knowhowtoreadinthelandofDanteandofMichaelAngelo？
Haveyoumadepublicschoolsofyourbarracks？Haveyounot，
likeourselves，anopulentwar—budgetandapaltrybudgetofeducation？
Havenotyoualsothatpassiveobediencewhichissoeasilyconverted
intosoldierlyobedience？militaryestablishmentwhichpushesthe
regulationstotheextremeoffiringuponGaribaldi；thatistosay，
uponthelivinghonorofItaly？Letussubjectyoursocialorder
toexamination，letustakeitwhereitstandsandasitstands，
letusviewitsflagrantoffences，showmethewomanandthechild。
Itisbytheamountofprotectionwithwhichthesetwofeeblecreatures
aresurroundedthatthedegreeofcivilizationistobemeasured。
IsprostitutionlessheartrendinginNaplesthaninParis？
Whatistheamountoftruththatspringsfromyourlaws，andwhat
amountofjusticespringsfromyourtribunals？Doyouchancetobe
sofortunateastobeignorantofthemeaningofthosegloomywords:
publicprosecution，legalinfamy，prison，thescaffold，theexecutioner，
thedeathpenalty？Italians，withyouaswithus，Beccariaisdead
andFarinaceisalive。Andthen，letusscrutinizeyourstatereasons。
Haveyouagovernmentwhichcomprehendstheidentityofmorality
andpolitics？Youhavereachedthepointwhereyougrantamnesty
toheroes！SomethingverysimilarhasbeendoneinFrance。
Stay，letuspassmiseriesinreview，leteachonecontribute
hispile，youareasrichaswe。Haveyounot，likeourselves，
twocondemnations，religiouscondemnationpronouncedbythepriest，
andsocialcondemnationdecreedbythejudge？Oh，greatnationofItaly，
thouresemblestthegreatnationofFrance！Alas！ourbrothers，
youare，likeourselves，Miserables。
Fromthedepthsofthegloomwhereinyoudwell，youdonotsee
muchmoredistinctlythanwetheradiantanddistantportals
ofEden。Only，thepriestsaremistaken。Theseholyportals
arebeforeandnotbehindus。
Iresume。Thisbook，LesMiserables，isnolessyourmirrorthanours。
Certainmen，certaincastes，riseinrevoltagainstthisbook，——
Iunderstandthat。Mirrors，thoserevealersofthetruth，arehated；
thatdoesnotpreventthemfrombeingofuse。
Asformyself，Ihavewrittenforall，withaprofoundlove
formyowncountry，butwithoutbeingengrossedbyFrancemore
thanbyanyothernation。InproportionasIadvanceinlife，
Igrowmoresimple，andIbecomemoreandmorepatrioticforhumanity。
Thisis，moreover，thetendencyofourage，andthelawofradiance
oftheFrenchRevolution；booksmustceasetobeexclusivelyFrench，
Italian，German，Spanish，orEnglish，andbecomeEuropean，Isay
more，human，iftheyaretocorrespondtotheenlargementofcivilization。
Henceanewlogicofart，andofcertainrequirementsofcomposition
whichmodifyeverything，eventheconditions，formerlynarrow，
oftasteandlanguage，whichmustgrowbroaderlikealltherest。
InFrance，certaincriticshavereproachedme，tomygreatdelight，
withhavingtransgressedtheboundsofwhattheycall\"Frenchtaste\"；
Ishouldbegladifthiseulogiumweremerited。
Inshort，IamdoingwhatIcan，Isufferwiththesame
universalsuffering，andItrytoassuageit，Ipossess
onlythepunyforcesofaman，andIcrytoall:\"Helpme！\"
This，sir，iswhatyourletterpromptsmetosay；Isayit
foryouandforyourcountry。IfIhaveinsistedsostrongly，
itisbecauseofonephraseinyourletter。Youwrite:——
\"ThereareItalians，andtheyarenumerous，whosay:`Thisbook，
LesMiserables，isaFrenchbook。Itdoesnotconcernus。LettheFrench
readitasahistory，wereaditasaromance。’\"——Alas！Irepeat，
whetherwebeItaliansorFrenchmen，miseryconcernsusall。
Eversincehistoryhasbeenwritten，eversincephilosophyhasmeditated，
miseryhasbeenthegarmentofthehumanrace；themomenthas
atlengtharrivedfortearingoffthatrag，andforreplacing，
uponthenakedlimbsoftheMan—People，thesinisterfragment
ofthepastwiththegrandpurplerobeofthedawn。
Ifthisletterseemstoyouofserviceinenlighteningsome
mindsandindissipatingsomeprejudices，youareatliberty
topublishit，sir。Accept，Iprayyou，arenewedassurance
ofmyverydistinguishedsentiments。VICTORHUGO。