第55章

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。"

A

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