Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: June 4, 2025
If he is not already dead, it is certain that he is about to die. What good fortune! Having said all this to himself, he became gloomy. Then he went down stairs and woke up the porter. About an hour later, Jean Valjean went out in the complete costume of a National Guard, and with his arms. The porter had easily found in the neighborhood the wherewithal to complete his equipment.
As in many ancient houses, the staircase got its light from without and had a view on the street. The street-lantern, situated directly opposite, cast some light on the stairs, and thus effected some economy in illumination. Jean Valjean, either for the sake of getting the air, or mechanically, thrust his head out of this window. He leaned out over the street.
Nevertheless, athwart this revery into which he had fallen he had heard for some time a peculiar noise. It was like the tinkling of a bell. This sound proceeded from the garden. It could be heard distinctly though faintly. It resembled the faint, vague music produced by the bells of cattle at night in the pastures. This noise made Valjean turn round.
A long time afterwards he was seen again in Auvergne; then in Paris, where he is said to have been a wheelwright, and to have had a daughter, who was a laundress; but that has not been proved. Now, before going to the galleys for theft, what was Jean Valjean? A pruner of trees. Where? At Faverolles. Another fact. This Valjean's Christian name was Jean, and his mother's surname was Mathieu.
His conscience weighed in turn these two men thus placed before it, the Bishop and Jean Valjean. Nothing less than the first was required to soften the second. By one of those singular effects, which are peculiar to this sort of ecstasies, in proportion as his revery continued, as the Bishop grew great and resplendent in his eyes, so did Jean Valjean grow less and vanish.
Cosette had suffered so much, that she feared everything, even to speak or to breathe. A single word had so often brought down an avalanche upon her. She had hardly begun to regain her confidence since she had been with Jean Valjean. She speedily became accustomed to the convent. Only she regretted Catherine, but she dared not say so.
A damned soul, who, in the midst of the furnace, should suddenly perceive the outlet of Gehenna, would experience what Jean Valjean felt. It would fly wildly with the stumps of its burned wings towards that radiant portal. Jean Valjean was no longer conscious of fatigue, he no longer felt Marius' weight, he found his legs once more of steel, he ran rather than walked.
It was providence appearing in horrible guise, and his good angel springing from the earth in the form of Thenardier. Thenardier thrust his fist into a large pocket concealed under his blouse, drew out a rope and offered it to Jean Valjean. "Hold on," said he, "I'll give you the rope to boot." "What is the rope for?" "You will need a stone also, but you can find one outside.
Marius added in a grave voice: "I know him." This guarantee satisfied every one. Enjolras turned to Jean Valjean. "Welcome, citizen." And he added: "You know that we are about to die." Jean Valjean, without replying, helped the insurgent whom he was saving to don his uniform.
"Hello!" he thought. "No fire." And he furnished the explanation for himself. "It is perfectly simple. It is April. The cold weather has ceased." "Heavens! how cold it is here!" exclaimed Cosette when she entered. "Why, no," said Jean Valjean. "Was it you who told Basque not to make a fire then?" "Yes, since we are now in the month of May." "But we have a fire until June.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking