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Panchaud, alias Printanier, alias Bigrenaille, and Demi-Liard, alias Deux-Milliards, who had been inconsistently condemned, after a hearing of both sides of the case, to ten years in the galleys. Hard labor for life had been the sentence pronounced against the escaped and contumacious accomplices. Thenardier, the head and leader, had been, through contumacy, likewise condemned to death.
And passing them in review with a glance of a Frederick II. at a Potsdam parade, he said to the three "chimney-builders": "Good day, Bigrenaille! good day, Brujon! good day, Deuxmilliards!" Then turning to the three masked men, he said to the man with the meat-axe: "Good day, Gueulemer!" And to the man with the cudgel: "Good day, Babet!" And to the ventriloquist: "Your health, Claquesous."
"What is it?" asked her husband. The woman darted forward and picked up the bit of plaster. She handed it to her husband. "Where did this come from?" demanded Thenardier. "Pardie!" ejaculated his wife, "where do you suppose it came from? Through the window, of course." "I saw it pass," said Bigrenaille. Thenardier rapidly unfolded the paper and held it close to the candle.
Javert asked the rest of the ruffians. They replied: "So do we." Javert began again calmly: "That's right, that's good, I said so, you are nice fellows." "I only ask one thing," said Bigrenaille, "and that is, that I may not be denied tobacco while I am in confinement." "Granted," said Javert. And turning round and calling behind him: "Come in now!"
One of the "chimney-builders," whose smirched face was lighted up by the candle, and in whom Marius recognized, in spite of his daubing, Panchaud, alias Printanier, alias Bigrenaille, lifted above M. Leblanc's head a sort of bludgeon made of two balls of lead, at the two ends of a bar of iron. Marius could not resist this sight. "My father," he thought, "forgive me!"
As he had not been able to bend down, for fear of betraying himself, he had not cut the bonds of his left leg. The ruffians had recovered from their first surprise. "Be easy," said Bigrenaille to Thenardier. "He still holds by one leg, and he can't get away. I'll answer for that. I tied that paw for him." In the meanwhile, the prisoner had begun to speak:
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