第30章

ThiswasthefirsttimeMariushadseenhimlaugh。Thelaughwascoldandsweet，andprovokedashudder。

Jondretteopenedacupboardnearthefireplace，anddrewfromitanoldcap，whichheplacedonhishead，afterbrushingitwithhissleeve。

"Now，"saidhe，"I’mgoingout。IhavesomemorepeoplethatI

mustsee。Goodones。You’llseehowwellthewholethingwillwork。

Ishallbeawayasshortatimeaspossible，it’safinestrokeofbusiness，doyoulookafterthehouse。"

Andwithbothfiststhrustintothepocketsofhistrousers，hestoodforamomentinthought，thenexclaimed:——

"Doyouknow，it’smightylucky，bytheway，thathedidn’trecognizeme！Ifhehadrecognizedmeonhisside，hewouldnothavecomebackagain。Hewouldhaveslippedthroughourfingers！

Itwasmybeardthatsavedus！myromanticbeard！myprettylittleromanticbeard！"

Andagainhebrokeintoalaugh。

Hesteppedtothewindow。Thesnowwasstillfalling，andstreakingthegrayofthesky。

"Whatbeastlyweather！"saidhe。

Thenlappinghisovercoatacrosshisbreast:——

"Thisrindistoolargeforme。Nevermind，"headded，"hedidadevilishgoodthinginleavingitforme，theoldscoundrel！

Ifithadn’tbeenforthat，Icouldn’thavegoneout，andeverythingwouldhavegonewrong！Whatsmallpointsthingshangon，anyway！"

Andpullinghiscapdownoverhiseyes，hequittedtheroom。

Hehadbarelyhadtimetotakehalfadozenstepsfromthedoor，whenthedooropenedagain，andhissavagebutintelligentfacemadeitsappearanceoncemoreintheopening。

"Icamenearforgetting，"saidhe。"Youaretohaveabrazierofcharcoalready。"

Andheflungintohiswife’sapronthefive—francpiecewhichthe"philanthropist"hadleftwithhim。

"Abrazierofcharcoal？"askedhiswife。

"Yes。"

"Howmanybushels？"

"Twogoodones。"

"Thatwillcometothirtysous。WiththerestIwillbuysomethingfordinner。"

"Thedevil，no。"

"Why？"

"Don’tgoandspendthehundred—soupiece。"

"Why？"

"BecauseIshallhavetobuysomething，too。"

"What？"

"Something。"

"Howmuchshallyouneed？"

"Whereaboutsintheneighborhoodisthereanironmonger’sshop？"

"RueMouffetard。"

"Ah！yes，atthecornerofastreet；Icanseetheshop。"

"Buttellmehowmuchyouwillneedforwhatyouhavetopurchase？"

"Fiftysous——threefrancs。"

"Therewon’tbemuchleftfordinner。"

"Eatingisnotthepointto—day。There’ssomethingbettertobedone。"

"That’senough，myjewel。"

Atthiswordfromhiswife，Jondretteclosedthedooragain，andthistime，Mariusheardhisstepdieawayinthecorridorofthehovel，anddescendthestaircaserapidly。

Atthatmoment，oneo’clockstruckfromthechurchofSaint—Medard。

CHAPTERXIII

SOLUSCUMSOLO，INLOCOREMOTO，NONCOGITABUNTURORAREPATERNOSTER

Marius，dreamerashewas，was，aswehavesaid，firmandenergeticbynature。Hishabitsofsolitarymeditation，whiletheyhaddevelopedinhimsympathyandcompassion，had，perhaps，diminishedthefacultyforirritation，buthadleftintactthepowerofwaxingindignant；

hehadthekindlinessofabrahmin，andtheseverityofajudge；

hetookpityuponatoad，buthecrushedaviper。Now，itwasintoaholeofvipersthathisglancehadjustbeendirected，itwasanestofmonstersthathehadbeneathhiseyes。

"Thesewretchesmustbestampedupon，"saidhe。

Notoneoftheenigmaswhichhehadhopedtoseesolvedhadbeenelucidated；onthecontrary，allofthemhadbeenrenderedmoredense，ifanything；heknewnothingmoreaboutthebeautifulmaidenoftheLuxembourgandthemanwhomhecalledM。Leblanc，exceptthatJondrettewasacquaintedwiththem。Athwartthemysteriouswordswhichhadbeenuttered，theonlythingofwhichhecaughtadistinctglimpsewasthefactthatanambushwasincourseofpreparation，adarkbutterribletrap；thatbothofthemwereincurringgreatdanger，sheprobably，herfathercertainly；

thattheymustbesaved；thatthehideousplotsoftheJondrettesmustbethwarted，andthewebofthesespidersbroken。

HescannedthefemaleJondretteforamoment。Shehadpulledanoldsheet—ironstovefromacorner，andshewasrummagingamongtheoldheapofiron。

Hedescendedfromthecommodeassoftlyaspossible，takingcarenottomaketheleastnoise。Amidhisterrorastowhatwasinpreparation，andinthehorrorwithwhichtheJondretteshadinspiredhim，heexperiencedasortofjoyattheideathatitmightbegrantedtohimperhapstorenderaservicetotheonewhomheloved。

Buthowwasittobedone？Howwarnthepersonsthreatened？

Hedidnotknowtheiraddress。Theyhadreappearedforaninstantbeforehiseyes，andhadthenplungedbackagainintotheimmensedepthsofParis。ShouldhewaitforM。Leblancatthedoorthateveningatsixo’clock，atthemomentofhisarrival，andwarnhimofthetrap？ButJondretteandhismenwouldseehimonthewatch，thespotwaslonely，theywerestrongerthanhe，theywoulddevisemeanstoseizehimortogethimaway，andthemanwhomMariuswasanxioustosavewouldbelost。Oneo’clockhadjuststruck，thetrapwastobesprungatsix。Mariushadfivehoursbeforehim。

Therewasbutonethingtobedone。

Heputonhisdecentcoat，knottedasilkhandkerchiefroundhisneck，tookhishat，andwentout，withoutmakinganymorenoisethanifhehadbeentreadingonmosswithbarefeet。

Moreover，theJondrettewomancontinuedtorummageamongheroldiron。

Onceoutsideofthehouse，hemadefortheRueduPetit—Banquier。

Hehadalmostreachedthemiddleofthisstreet，nearaverylowwallwhichamancaneasilystepoveratcertainpoints，andwhichabutsonawastespace，andwaswalkingslowly，inconsequenceofhispreoccupiedcondition，andthesnowdeadenedthesoundofhissteps；

allatonceheheardvoicestalkingverycloseby。Heturnedhishead，thestreetwasdeserted，therewasnotasoulinit，itwasbroaddaylight，andyethedistinctlyheardvoices。

Itoccurredtohimtoglanceoverthewallwhichhewasskirting。

There，infact，sattwomen，flatonthesnow，withtheirbacksagainstthewall，talkingtogetherinsubduedtones。

Thesetwopersonswerestrangerstohim；onewasabeardedmaninablouse，andtheotheralong—hairedindividualinrags。

Thebeardedmanhadonafez，theother’sheadwasbare，andthesnowhadlodgedinhishair。

Bythrustinghisheadoverthewall，Mariuscouldheartheirremarks。

Thehairyonejoggedtheotherman’selbowandsaid:——

"——WiththeassistanceofPatron—Minette，itcan’tfail。"

"Doyouthinkso？"saidthebeardedman。

Andthelong—hairedonebeganagain:——

"It’sasgoodasawarrantforeachone，offivehundredballs，andtheworstthatcanhappenisfiveyears，sixyears，tenyearsatthemost！"

Theotherrepliedwithsomehesitation，andshiveringbeneathhisfez:——

"That’sarealthing。Youcan’tgoagainstsuchthings。"

"Itellyouthattheaffaircan’tgowrong，"resumedthelong—hairedman。

"FatherWhat’s—his—name’steamwillbealreadyharnessed。"

ThentheybegantodiscussamelodramathattheyhadseenontheprecedingeveningattheGaiteTheatre。

Mariuswenthisway。

Itseemedtohimthatthemysteriouswordsofthesemen，sostrangelyhiddenbehindthatwall，andcrouchinginthesnow，couldnotbutbearsomerelationtoJondrette’sabominableprojects。

Thatmustbetheaffair。

HedirectedhiscoursetowardsthefaubourgSaint—Marceauandaskedatthefirstshophecametowherehecouldfindacommissaryofpolice。

HewasdirectedtoRuedePontoise，No。14。

ThitherMariusbetookhimself。

Ashepassedabaker’sshop，heboughtatwo—pennyroll，andateit，foreseeingthatheshouldnotdine。

Ontheway，herenderedjusticetoProvidence。HereflectedthathadhenotgivenhisfivefrancstotheJondrettegirlinthemorning，hewouldhavefollowedM。Leblanc’sfiacre，andconsequentlyhaveremainedignorantofeverything，andthattherewouldhavebeennoobstacletothetrapoftheJondrettesandthatM。Leblancwouldhavebeenlost，andhisdaughterwithhim，nodoubt。

CHAPTERXIV

INWHICHAPOLICEAGENTBESTOWSTWOFISTFULSONALAWYER

OnarrivingatNo。14，RuedePontoise，heascendedtothefirstfloorandinquiredforthecommissaryofpolice。

"Thecommissaryofpoliceisnothere，"saidaclerk；"butthereisaninspectorwhotakeshisplace。Wouldyouliketospeaktohim？

Areyouinhaste？"

"Yes，"saidMarius。

Theclerkintroducedhimintothecommissary’soffice。Therestoodatallmanbehindagrating，leaningagainstastove，andholdingupwithbothhandsthetailsofavasttopcoat，withthreecollars。

Hisfacewassquare，withathin，firmmouth，thick，gray，andveryferociouswhiskers，andalookthatwasenoughtoturnyourpocketsinsideout。Ofthatglanceitmighthavebeenwellsaid，notthatitpenetrated，butthatitsearched。

Thisman’sairwasnotmuchlessferociousnorlessterriblethanJondrette’s；thedogis，attimes，nolessterribletomeetthanthewolf。

"Whatdoyouwant？"hesaidtoMarius，withoutadding"monsieur。"

"IsthisMonsieurleCommissairedePolice？"

"Heisabsent。Iamhereinhisstead。"

"Thematterisveryprivate。"’

"Thenspeak。"

"Andgreathasteisrequired。"

"Thenspeakquick。"

Thiscalm，abruptmanwasbothterrifyingandreassuringatoneandthesametime。Heinspiredfearandconfidence。

Mariusrelatedtheadventuretohim:Thatapersonwithwhomhewasnotacquaintedotherwisethanbysight，wastobeinveigledintoatrapthatveryevening；that，asheoccupiedtheroomadjoiningtheden，he，MariusPontmercy，alawyer，hadheardthewholeplotthroughthepartition；thatthewretchwhohadplannedthetrapwasacertainJondrette；thattherewouldbeaccomplices，probablysomeprowlersofthebarriers，amongothersacertainPanchaud，aliasPrintanier，aliasBigrenaille；thatJondrette’sdaughtersweretolieinwait；thattherewasnowayofwarningthethreatenedman，sincehedidnotevenknowhisname；andthat，finally，allthiswastobecarriedoutatsixo’clockthatevening，atthemostdesertedpointoftheBoulevarddel’Hopital，inhouseNo。50—52。

Atthesoundofthisnumber，theinspectorraisedhishead，andsaidcoldly:——

"Soitisintheroomattheendofthecorridor？"

"Precisely，"answeredMarius，andheadded:"Areyouacquaintedwiththathouse？"

Theinspectorremainedsilentforamoment，thenreplied，ashewarmedtheheelofhisbootatthedoorofthestove:——

"Apparently。"

Hewenton，mutteringbetweenhisteeth，andnotaddressingMariussomuchashiscravat:——

"Patron—Minettemusthavehadahandinthis。"

ThiswordstruckMarius。

"Patron—Minette，"saidhe，"Ididhearthatwordpronounced，infact。"

Andherepeatedtotheinspectorthedialoguebetweenthelong—hairedmanandthebeardedmaninthesnowbehindthewalloftheRueduPetit—Banquier。

Theinspectormuttered:——

"Thelong—hairedmanmustbeBrujon，andthebeardedoneDemi—Liard，aliasDeux—Milliards。"

Hehaddroppedhiseyelidsagain，andbecameabsorbedinthought。

"AsforFatherWhat’s—his—name，IthinkIrecognizehim。

Here，I’veburnedmycoat。Theyalwayshavetoomuchfireinthesecursedstoves。Number50—52。FormerpropertyofGorbeau。"

ThenheglancedatMarius。

"Yousawonlythatbeardedandthatlong—hairedman？"

"AndPanchaud。"

"Youdidn’tseealittleimpofadandyprowlingaboutthepremises？"

"No。"

"Norabiglumpofmatter，resemblinganelephantintheJardindesPlantes？"

"No。"

"Norascampwiththeairofanoldredtail？"

"No。"

"Asforthefourth，nooneseeshim，notevenhisadjutants，clerks，andemployees。Itisnotsurprisingthatyoudidnotseehim。"

"No。Whoareallthosepersons？"askedMarius。

Theinspectoranswered:——

"Besides，thisisnotthetimeforthem。"

Herelapsedintosilence，thenresumed:——

"50—52。Iknowthatbarrack。Impossibletoconcealourselvesinsideitwithouttheartistsseeingus，andthentheywillgetoffsimplybycountermandingthevaudeville。Theyaresomodest！

Anaudienceembarrassesthem。Noneofthat，noneofthat。Iwanttohearthemsingandmakethemdance。"

Thismonologueconcluded，heturnedtoMarius，anddemanded，gazingathimintentlythewhile:——

"Areyouafraid？"

"Ofwhat？"saidMarius。

"Ofthesemen？"

"Nomorethanyourself！"retortedMariusrudely，whohadbeguntonoticethatthispoliceagenthadnotyetsaid"monsieur"tohim。

TheinspectorstaredstillmoreintentlyatMarius，andcontinuedwithsententioussolemnity:——

"There，youspeaklikeabraveman，andlikeanhonestman。

Couragedoesnotfearcrime，andhonestydoesnotfearauthority。"

Mariusinterruptedhim:——

"Thatiswell，butwhatdoyouintendtodo？"

Theinspectorcontentedhimselfwiththeremark:——

"Thelodgershavepass—keyswithwhichtogetinatnight。

Youmusthaveone。"

"Yes，"saidMarius。

"Haveyouitaboutyou？"

"Yes。"

"Giveittome，"saidtheinspector。

Mariustookhiskeyfromhiswaistcoatpocket，handedittotheinspectorandadded:——

"Ifyouwilltakemyadvice，youwillcomeinforce。"

TheinspectorcastonMariussuchaglanceasVoltairemighthavebestowedonaprovincialacademicianwhohadsuggestedarhymetohim；

withonemovementheplungedhishands，whichwereenormous，intothetwoimmensepocketsofhistop—coat，andpulledouttwosmallsteelpistols，ofthesortcalled"knock—me—downs。"ThenhepresentedthemtoMarius，sayingrapidly，inacurttone:——

"Takethese。Gohome。Hideinyourchamber，sothatyoumaybesupposedtohavegoneout。Theyareloaded。Eachonecarriestwoballs。Youwillkeepwatch；thereisaholeinthewall，asyouhaveinformedme。Thesemenwillcome。Leavethemtotheirowndevicesforatime。Whenyouthinkmattershavereachedacrisis，andthatitistimetoputastoptothem，fireashot。

Nottoosoon。Therestconcernsme。Ashotintotheceiling，theair，nomatterwhere。Aboveallthings，nottoosoon。Waituntiltheybegintoputtheirprojectintoexecution；youarealawyer；

youknowtheproperpoint。"Mariustookthepistolsandputtheminthesidepocketofhiscoat。

"Thatmakesalumpthatcanbeseen，"saidtheinspector。

"Puttheminyourtrouserspocket。"

Mariushidthepistolsinhistrouserspockets。

"Now，"pursuedtheinspector，"thereisnotaminutemoretobelostbyanyone。Whattimeisit？Half—pasttwo。Seveno’clockisthehour？"

"Sixo’clock，"answeredMarius。

"Ihaveplentyoftime，"saidtheinspector，"butnomorethanenough。

Don’tforgetanythingthatIhavesaidtoyou。Bang。Apistolshot。"

"Resteasy，"saidMarius。

AndasMariuslaidhishandonthehandleofthedooronhiswayout，theinspectorcalledtohim:——

"Bytheway，ifyouhaveoccasionformyservicesbetweennowandthen，comeorsendhere。YouwillaskforInspectorJavert。"

CHAPTERXV

JONDRETTEMAKESHISPURCHASES

Afewmomentslater，aboutthreeo’clock，CourfeyracchancedtobepassingalongtheRueMouffetardincompanywithBossuet。

Thesnowhadredoubledinviolence，andfilledtheair。BossuetwasjustsayingtoCourfeyrac:——

"Onewouldsay，toseeallthesesnow—flakesfall，thattherewasaplagueofwhitebutterfliesinheaven。"Allatonce，BossuetcaughtsightofMariuscomingupthestreettowardsthebarrierwithapeculiarair。

"Hold！"saidBossuet。"There’sMarius。"

"Isawhim，"saidCourfeyrac。"Don’tlet’sspeaktohim。"

"Why？"

"Heisbusy。"

"Withwhat？"

"Don’tyouseehisair？"

"Whatair？"

"Hehastheairofamanwhoisfollowingsomeone。"

"That’strue，"saidBossuet。

"Justseetheeyesheismaking！"saidCourfeyrac。

"Butwhothedeuceishefollowing？"

"Somefine，flowerybonnetedwench！He’sinlove。"

"But，"observedBossuet，"Idon’tseeanywenchnoranyflowerybonnetinthestreet。There’snotawomanround。"

Courfeyractookasurvey，andexclaimed:——

"He’sfollowingaman！"

Aman，infact，wearingagraycap，andwhosegraybeardcouldbedistinguished，althoughtheyonlysawhisback，waswalkingalongabo

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