第37章

"Hullo，isthatyou，Montparnasse？"saidGavroche。

Amanhadjustaccostedthestreeturchin，andthemanwasnootherthanMontparnasseindisguise，withbluespectacles，butrecognizabletoGavroche。

"Thebow—wows！"wentonGavroche，"you’vegotahidethecolorofalinseedplaster，andbluespecslikeadoctor。You’reputtingonstyle，’ponmyword！"

"Hush！"ejaculatedMontparnasse，"notsoloud。"

AndhedrewGavrochehastilyoutofrangeofthelightedshops。

Thetwolittleonesfollowedmechanically，holdingeachotherbythehand。

Whentheywereensconcedunderthearchofaportecochere，shelteredfromtherainandfromalleyes:——

"DoyouknowwhereI’mgoing？"demandedMontparnasse。

"TotheAbbeyofAscend—with—Regret，"[36]repliedGavroche。

[36]Thescaffold。

"Joker！"

AndMontparnassewenton:——

"I’mgoingtofindBabet。"

"Ah！"exclaimedGavroche，"sohernameisBabet。"

Montparnasseloweredhisvoice:——

"Notshe，he。"

"Ah！Babet。"

"Yes，Babet。"

"Ithoughthewasbuckled。"

"Hehasundonethebuckle，"repliedMontparnasse。

Andherapidlyrelatedtothegaminhow，onthemorningofthatveryday，Babet，havingbeentransferredtoLaConciergerie，hadmadehisescape，byturningtotheleftinsteadoftotherightin"thepoliceoffice。"

Gavrocheexpressedhisadmirationforthisskill。

"Whatadentist！"hecried。

MontparnasseaddedafewdetailsastoBabet’sflight，andendedwith:——

"Oh！That’snotall。"

Gavroche，ashelistened，hadseizedacanethatMontparnasseheldinhishand，andmechanicallypulledattheupperpart，andthebladeofadaggermadeitsappearance。

"Ah！"heexclaimed，pushingthedaggerbackinhaste，"youhavebroughtalongyourgendarmedisguisedasabourgeois。"

Montparnassewinked。

"Thedeuce！"resumedGavroche，"soyou’regoingtohaveaboutwiththebobbies？"

"Youcan’ttell，"repliedMontparnassewithanindifferentair。

"It’salwaysagoodthingtohaveapinaboutone。"

Gavrochepersisted:——

"Whatareyouuptoto—night？"

AgainMontparnassetookagravetone，andsaid，mouthingeverysyllable:"Things。"

Andabruptlychangingtheconversation:——

"Bytheway！"

"What？"

"Somethinghappenedt’otherday。Fancy。Imeetabourgeois。

Hemakesmeapresentofasermonandhispurse。Iputitinmypocket。

Aminutelater，Ifeelinmypocket。There’snothingthere。"

"Exceptthesermon，"saidGavroche。

"Butyou，"wentonMontparnasse，"whereareyouboundfornow？"

Gavrochepointedtohistwoproteges，andsaid:——

"I’mgoingtoputtheseinfantstobed。"

"Whereaboutsisthebed？"

"Atmyhouse。"

"Where’syourhouse？"

"Atmyhouse。"

"Soyouhavealodging？"

"Yes，Ihave。"

"Andwhereisyourlodging？"

"Intheelephant，"saidGavroche。

Montparnasse，thoughnotnaturallyinclinedtoastonishment，couldnotrestrainanexclamation。

"Intheelephant！"

"Well，yes，intheelephant！"retortedGavroche。"Kekcaa？"

Thisisanotherwordofthelanguagewhichnoonewrites，andwhicheveryonespeaks。

Kekcaasignifies:Questquec’estquecelaa？[What’sthematterwiththat？]

Theurchin’sprofoundremarkrecalledMontparnassetocalmnessandgoodsense。HeappearedtoreturntobettersentimentswithregardtoGavroche’slodging。

"Ofcourse，"saidhe，"yes，theelephant。Isitcomfortablethere？"

"Very，"saidGavroche。"It’sreallybullythere。Thereain’tanydraughts，asthereareunderthebridges。"

"Howdoyougetin？"

"Oh，Igetin。"

"Sothereisahole？"demandedMontparnasse。

"Parbleu！Ishouldsayso。Butyoumustn’ttell。It’sbetweentheforelegs。Thebobbieshaven’tseenit。"

"Andyouclimbup？Yes，Iunderstand。"

"Aturnofthehand，cric，crac，andit’sallover，noonethere。"

Afterapause，Gavrocheadded:——

"Ishallhavealadderforthesechildren。"

Montparnasseburstoutlaughing:——

"Wherethedevildidyoupickupthoseyoung’uns？"

Gavrocherepliedwithgreatsimplicity:——

"Theyaresomebratsthatawig—makermademeapresentof。"

Meanwhile，Montparnassehadfallentothinking:——

"Yourecognizedmeveryreadily，"hemuttered。

Hetookfromhispockettwosmallobjectswhichwerenothingmorethantwoquillswrappedincotton，andthrustoneupeachofhisnostrils。

Thisgavehimadifferentnose。

"Thatchangesyou，"remarkedGavroche，"youarelesshomelyso，yououghttokeepthemonallthetime。"

Montparnassewasahandsomefellow，butGavrochewasatease。

"Seriously，"demandedMontparnasse，"howdoyoulikemeso？"

Thesoundofhisvoicewasdifferentalso。Inatwinkling，Montparnassehadbecomeunrecognizable。

"Oh！DoplayPorrichinelleforus！"exclaimedGavroche。

Thetwochildren，whohadnotbeenlisteninguptothispoint，beingoccupiedthemselvesinthrustingtheirfingersuptheirnoses，drewnearatthisname，andstaredatMontparnassewithdawningjoyandadmiration。

Unfortunately，Montparnassewastroubled。

HelaidhishandonGavroche’sshoulder，andsaidtohim，emphasizinghiswords:"ListentowhatItellyou，boy！ifI

wereonthesquarewithmydog，myknife，andmywife，andifyouweretosquandertensousonme，Iwouldn’trefusetowork，butthisisn’tShroveTuesday。"

Thisoddphraseproducedasingulareffectonthegamin。

Hewheeledroundhastily，dartedhislittlesparklingeyesabouthimwithprofoundattention，andperceivedapolicesergeantstandingwithhisbacktothemafewpacesoff。Gavrocheallowedan:

"Ah！good！"toescapehim，butimmediatelysuppressedit，andshakingMontparnasse’shand:——

"Well，goodevening，"saidhe，"I’mgoingofftomyelephantwithmybrats。Supposingthatyoushouldneedmesomenight，youcancomeandhuntmeupthere。Ilodgeontheentresol。

Thereisnoporter。YouwillinquireforMonsieurGavroche。"

"Verygood，"saidMontparnasse。

Andtheyparted，MontparnassebetakinghimselfinthedirectionoftheGreve，andGavrochetowardstheBastille。Thelittleoneoffive，draggedalongbyhisbrotherwhowasdraggedbyGavroche，turnedhisheadbackseveraltimestowatch"Porrichinelle"ashewent。

TheambiguousphrasebymeansofwhichMontparnassehadwarnedGavrocheofthepresenceofthepoliceman，containednoothertalismanthantheassonancedigrepeatedfiveorsixtimesindifferentforms。

Thissyllable，dig，utteredaloneorartisticallymingledwiththewordsofaphrase，means:"Takecare，wecannolongertalkfreely。"

Therewasbesides，inMontparnasse’ssentence，aliterarybeautywhichwaslostuponGavroche，thatismondogue，madagueetmadigue，aslangexpressionoftheTemple，whichsignifiesmydog，myknife，andmywife，greatlyinvogueamongclownsandthered—tailsinthegreatcenturywhenMolierewroteandCallotdrew。

Twentyyearsago，therewasstilltobeseeninthesouthwestcornerofthePlacedelaBastille，nearthebasinofthecanal，excavatedintheancientditchofthefortress—prison，asingularmonument，whichhasalreadybeeneffacedfromthememoriesofParisians，andwhichdeservedtoleavesometrace，foritwastheideaofa"memberoftheInstitute，theGeneral—in—chiefofthearmyofEgypt。"

Wesaymonument，althoughitwasonlyaroughmodel。Butthismodelitself，amarvelloussketch，thegrandioseskeletonofanideaofNapoleon’s，whichsuccessivegustsofwindhavecarriedawayandthrown，oneachoccasion，stillfurtherfromus，hadbecomehistoricalandhadacquiredacertaindefinitenesswhichcontrastedwithitsprovisionalaspect。Itwasanelephantfortyfeethigh，constructedoftimberandmasonry，bearingonitsbackatowerwhichresembledahouse，formerlypaintedgreenbysomedauber，andnowpaintedblackbyheaven，thewind，andtime。Inthisdesertedandunprotectedcorneroftheplace，thebroadbrowofthecolossus，histrunk，histusks，histower，hisenormouscrupper，hisfourfeet，likecolumnsproduced，atnight，underthestarryheavens，asurprisingandterribleform。Itwasasortofsymbolofpopularforce。

Itwassombre，mysterious，andimmense。Itwassomemighty，visiblephantom，oneknewnotwhat，standingerectbesidetheinvisiblespectreoftheBastille。

Fewstrangersvisitedthisedifice，nopasser—bylookedatit。

Itwasfallingintoruins；everyseasontheplasterwhichdetacheditselffromitssidesformedhideouswoundsuponit。"Theaediles，"

astheexpressionraninelegantdialect，hadforgotteniteversince1814。Thereitstoodinitscorner，melancholy，sick，crumbling，surroundedbyarottenpalisade，soiledcontinuallybydrunkencoachmen；

cracksmeanderedathwartitsbelly，alathprojectedfromitstail，tallgrassflourishedbetweenitslegs；and，astheleveloftheplacehadbeenrisingallarounditforaspaceofthirtyyears，bythatslowandcontinuousmovementwhichinsensiblyelevatesthesoiloflargetowns，itstoodinahollow，anditlookedasthoughthegroundweregivingwaybeneathit。Itwasunclean，despised，repulsive，andsuperb，uglyintheeyesofthebourgeois，melancholyintheeyesofthethinker。Therewassomethingaboutitofthedirtwhichisonthepointofbeingsweptout，andsomethingofthemajestywhichisonthepointofbeingdecapitated。

Aswehavesaid，atnight，itsaspectchanged。Nightistherealelementofeverythingthatisdark。Assoonastwilightdescended，theoldelephantbecametransfigured；heassumedatranquilandredoubtableappearanceintheformidableserenityoftheshadows。

Beingofthepast，hebelongedtonight；andobscuritywasinkeepingwithhisgrandeur。

Thisrough，squat，heavy，hard，austere，almostmisshapen，butassuredlymajesticmonument，stampedwithasortofmagnificentandsavagegravity，hasdisappeared，andlefttoreigninpeace，asortofgiganticstove，ornamentedwithitspipe，whichhasreplacedthesombrefortresswithitsninetowers，verymuchasthebourgeoisiereplacesthefeudalclasses。Itisquitenaturalthatastoveshouldbethesymbolofanepochinwhichapotcontainspower。

Thisepochwillpassaway，peoplehavealreadybeguntounderstandthat，iftherecanbeforceinaboiler，therecanbenoforceexceptinthebrain；inotherwords，thatwhichleadsanddragsontheworld，isnotlocomotives，butideas。Harnesslocomotivestoideas，——

thatiswelldone；butdonotmistakethehorsefortherider。

Atallevents，toreturntothePlacedelaBastille，thearchitectofthiselephantsucceededinmakingagrandthingoutofplaster；

thearchitectofthestovehassucceededinmakingaprettythingoutofbronze。

Thisstove—pipe，whichhasbeenbaptizedbyasonorousname，andcalledthecolumnofJuly，thismonumentofarevolutionthatmiscarried，wasstillenvelopedin1832，inanimmenseshirtofwoodwork，whichweregret，forourpart，andbyavastplankenclosure，whichcompletedthetaskofisolatingtheelephant。

Itwastowardsthiscorneroftheplace，dimlylightedbythereflectionofadistantstreetlamp，thatthegaminguidedhistwo"brats。"

Thereadermustpermitustointerruptourselveshereandtoremindhimthatwearedealingwithsimplereality，andthattwentyyearsago，thetribunalswerecalledupontojudge，underthechargeofvagabondage，andmutilationofapublicmonument，achildwhohadbeencaughtasleepinthisveryelephantoftheBastille。

Thisfactnoted，weproceed。

Onarrivinginthevicinityofthecolossus，Gavrochecomprehendedtheeffectwhichtheinfinitelygreatmightproduceontheinfinitelysmall，andsaid:——

"Don’tbescared，infants。"

Thenheenteredthroughagapinthefenceintotheelephant’senclosureandhelpedtheyoungonestoclamberthroughthebreach。

Thetwochildren，somewhatfrightened，followedGavrochewithoututteringaword，andconfidedthemselvestothislittleProvidenceinragswhichhadgiventhembreadandhadpromisedthemashelter。

There，extendedalongthefence，layaladderwhichbydayservedthelaborersintheneighboringtimber—yard。Gavrocheraiseditwithremarkablevigor，andplaceditagainstoneoftheelephant’sforelegs。Nearthepointwheretheladderended，asortofblackholeinthebellyofthecolossuscouldbedistinguished。

Gavrochepointedouttheladderandtheholetohisguests，andsaidtothem:——

"Climbupandgoin。"

Thetwolittleboysexchangedterrifiedglances。

"You’reafraid，brats！"exclaimedGavroche。

Andheadded:——

"Youshallsee！"

Heclaspedtheroughlegoftheelephant，andinatwinkling，withoutdeigningtomakeuseoftheladder，hehadreachedtheaperture。Heentereditasanadderslipsthroughacrevice，anddisappearedwithin，andaninstantlater，thetwochildrensawhishead，whichlookedpale，appearvaguely，ontheedgeoftheshadowyhole，likeawanandwhitishspectre。

"Well！"heexclaimed，"climbup，young’uns！You’llseehowsnugitishere！Comeup，you！"hesaidtotheelder，"I’lllendyouahand。"

Thelittlefellowsnudgedeachother，thegaminfrightenedandinspiredthemwithconfidenceatoneandthesametime，andthen，itwasrainingveryhard。Theelderoneundertooktherisk。

Theyounger，onseeinghisbrotherclimbingup，andhimselfleftalonebetweenthepawsofthishugebeast，feltgreatlyinclinedtocry，buthedidnotdare。

Theelderladclimbed，withuncertainsteps，uptherungsoftheladder；

Gavroche，inthemeanwhile，encouraginghimwithexclamationslikeafencing—mastertohispupils，oramuleteertohismules。

"Don’tbeafraid！——That’sit！——Comeon！——Putyourfeetthere！——

Giveusyourhandhere！——Boldly！"

Andwhenthechildwaswithinreach，heseizedhimsuddenlyandvigorouslybythearm，andpulledhimtowardshim。

"Nabbed！"saidhe。

Thebrathadpassedthroughthecrack。

"Now，"saidGavroche，"waitforme。Besogoodastotakeaseat，Monsieur。"

Andmakinghiswayoutoftheholeashehadenteredit，heslippeddowntheelephant’slegwiththeagilityofamonkey，landedonhisfeetinthegrass，graspedthechildoffiveroundthebody，andplantedhimfairlyinthemiddleoftheladder，thenhebegantoclimbupbehindhim，shoutingtotheelder:——

"I’mgoingtoboosthim，doyoutug。"

Andinanotherinstant，thesmallladwaspushed，dragged，pulled，thrust，stuffedintothehole，beforehehadtimetorecoverhimself，andGavroche，enteringbehindhim，andrepulsingtheladderwithakickwhichsentitflatonthegrass，begantoclaphishandsandtocry:——

"Hereweare！LongliveGeneralLafayette！"

Thisexplosionover，headded:——

"Now，young’uns，youareinmyhouse。"

Gavrochewasathome，infact。

Oh，unforeseenutilityoftheuseless！Charityofgreatthings！

Goodnessofgiants！Thishugemonument，whichhadembodiedanideaoftheEmperor’s，hadbecometheboxofastreeturchin。

Thebrathadbeenacceptedandshelteredbythecolossus。

ThebourgeoisdeckedoutintheirSundayfinerywhopassedtheelephantoftheBastille，werefondofsayingastheyscanneditdisdainfullywiththeirprominenteyes:"What’sthegoodofthat？"

Itservedtosavefromthecold，thefrost，thehail，andrain，toshelterfromthewindsofwinter，topreservefromslumberinthemudwhichproducesfever，andfromslumberinthesnowwhichproducesdeath，alittlebeingwhohadnofather，nomother，nobread，noclothes，norefuge。Itservedtoreceivetheinnocentwhomsocietyrepulsed。Itservedtodiminishpubliccrime。

Itwasalairopentooneagainstwhomalldoorswereshut。

Itseemedasthoughthemiserableoldmastodon，invadedbyverminandoblivion，coveredwithwarts，withmould，andulcers，tottering，worm—eaten，abandoned，condemned，asortofmendicantcolossus，askingalmsinvainwithabenevolentlookinthemidstofthecross—roads，hadtakenpityonthatothermendicant，thepoorpygmy，whoroamedwithoutshoestohisfeet，withoutaroofoverhishead，blowingonhisfingers，cladinrags，fedonrejectedscraps。

ThatwaswhattheelephantoftheBastillewasgoodfor。

ThisideaofNapoleon，disdainedbymen，hadbeentakenbackbyGod。

Thatwhichhadbeenmerelyillustrious，hadbecomeaugust。

Inordertorealizehisthought，theEmperorshouldhavehadporphyry，brass，iron，gold，marble；theoldcollectionofplanks，beamsandplastersufficedforGod。TheEmperorhadhadthedreamofagenius；

inthatTitanicelephant，armed，prodigious，withtrunkuplifted，bearingitstowerandscatteringonallsidesitsmerryandvivifyingwaters，hewishedtoincarnatethepeople。Godhaddoneagranderthingwithit，hehadlodgedachildthere。

TheholethroughwhichGavrochehadenteredwasabreachwhichwashardlyvisiblefromtheoutside，beingconcealed，aswehavestated，beneaththeelephant’sbelly，andsonarrowthatitwasonlycatsandhomelesschildrenwhocouldpassthroughit。

"Let’sbegin，"saidGavroche，"bytellingtheporterthatwearenotathome。"

Andplungingintothedarknesswiththeassuranceofapersonwhoiswellacquaintedwithhisapartments，hetookaplankandstoppeduptheaperture。

AgainGavrocheplungedintotheobscurity。Thechildrenheardthecracklingofthematchthrustintothephosphoricbottle。

Thechemicalmatchwasnotyetinexistence；atthatepochtheFumadesteelrepresentedprogress。

Asuddenlightmadethemblink；Gavrochehadjustmanagedtoigniteoneofthosebitsofcorddippedinresinwhicharecalledcellarrats。Thecellarrat，whichemittedmoresmokethanlight，renderedtheinterioroftheelephantconfusedlyvisible。

Gavroche’stwoguestsglancedaboutthem，andthesensationwhichtheyexperiencedwassomethinglikethatwhichonewouldfeelifshutupinthegreattunofHeidelberg，or，betterstill，likewhatJonahmusthavefeltinthebiblicalbellyofthewhale。

Anentireandgiganticskeletonappearedenvelopingthem。Above，alongbrownbeam，whencestartedatregulardistances，massive，archingribs，representedthevertebralcolumnwithitssides，stalactitesofplasterdependedfromthemlikeentrails，andvastspiders’

websstretchingfromsidetoside，formeddirtydiaphragms。

Hereandthere，inthecorners，werevisiblelargeblackishspotswhichhadtheappearanceofbeingalive，andwhichchangedplacesrapidlywithanabruptandfrightenedmovement。

Fragmentswhichhadfallenfromtheelephant’sbackintohisbellyhadfil

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