Chapter 56 Volume 8 The waning moon in the evening

a basement The next day, at dusk, Jean Valjean knocked at the door of Gillenormand's house.He was greeted by Basque.Basque happened to be in the yard, as if he had received orders.Sometimes we take care of the servants: You are here to guard so-and-so, and he is coming. Basque asked Jean Valjean before he came to him: The baron told me to ask sir, should I go upstairs or stay downstairs? downstairs.Jean Valjean answered. Basque was very respectful indeed, he opened the door of the basement and said: I will inform Madam. Jean Valjean went into a damp vaulted cellar, which is sometimes used as a wine cellar.Dim light came in from a red-paned window with iron bars opening to the street.

This was not a room where dust had quietly accumulated, as other rooms had been regularly cleaned with whisks, ceiling dusters, and brooms.An eradication plan for spiders has not been established.A large, dainty, black spider's web, studded with dead flies, hung pretentiously across one of the panes.The room was small and low, with a pile of empty wine bottles in the corner.The walls were painted a ochre-yellow, with flakes of lime peeling off.A fire was kindled in a black-painted wooden fireplace with a narrow grate, which evidently showed that they expected Jean Valjean's answer to be below.

Two armchairs were placed on either side of the fire, and between the armchairs, in place of the rug, a little bedside rug was spread, of which there was nothing but thick rope and almost no wool. The room was illuminated by the light from the fire and the evening sky from the windows. Jean Valjean was exhausted.For several days he neither ate nor slept, and he sank into an armchair. Basque came in, put a lighted candle on the mantelpiece, and went away.Jean Valjean, with his head bowed and his chin drooping on his breast, saw neither the Basque nor the candle. Suddenly he stood up excitedly, and Cosette was behind him.

He didn't see her come in, but he felt her come in. He turned around, he looked at her, she was admirably beautiful.But what he looked at with deep eyes was not the beautiful face, but the soul. Ah, yes, exclaimed Cosette, what a thought!Father, I know you have eccentricities, but I never would have imagined such a move.Marius told me you wanted me to receive you here. Yes, it's me. I have guessed your answer, well, I warn you, I will have a big fight with you.Start at the beginning, father, kiss me first. She brought her cheek closer. Jean Valjean remained motionless. You don't move, I can see that it's a sign of guilt.Forget it, I forgive you.Jesus said: Turn the other cheek toward him.it's here.

She brought the other side of her face closer. Jean Valjean did not move at all, as if his feet had been nailed to the ground. This is serious, said Cosette, how have I offended you?I declare that I am going to turn my back on you, and you have to make peace with me.You come to eat with us. I have already eaten. Not the truth, I will blame you to Grandfather Gillenormand, who can teach father.Come quickly to the drawing room with me, and go at once. no. At this point, Cosette felt a little overwhelmed, and she stopped ordering and turned to asking questions. Why?You have chosen the humblest room in the house to visit me, I cannot stay here.

you know Jean Valjean repeated again: You know ma'am, I'm special and I have my quirks. Cosette clapped her little hands. lady!You know!Another new thing!What does it mean? Jean Valjean smiled bitterly at her, as he did sometimes. You are going to be a lady, you are a lady. But not to you, father. Stop calling me father. Why? Call me Mr. Jean, or Jean, as you like. Are you not a father?Am I not Cosette?Mr. Jean?What does it mean?This is revolution, these!What happened?Please look at me.You don't want to come and live with us!You don't want my room!How did I offend you?How can I offend you?Did something happen?

No. So why? Everything is still as before. Why are you changing your name? Didn't you change too, you. Still looking at her with that smile, he added: Since you are Madame Pontmercy, I may also be Monsieur Jean. I don't get it at all, it's all stupid.I'm going to ask my husband if I'm allowed to call you Mr. Jean, and I hope he won't.How you hurt me, you have eccentricities, but you needn't hurt your little Cosette!This is not good.You have no right to be great, you are so good! He doesn't answer. She quickly grabbed his hands, and with an irresistible movement, she brought them close to her face, and she pressed them tightly to her neck, under her chin, which was an extremely gentle movement.

Ah, she said to him, please be kind! She continued: I say kindness means geniality, come and live here, resume our useful short walks, there are birds here as well as the Rue Plumet, come and live with us, leave the hole in the Rue des Warriors, don't let us play riddles, Like everyone else, come and eat with us, have breakfast with us, and be my dad. He withdrew his hand. You don't need a father anymore, you already have a husband. Cosette was furious. I don't need my father anymore!This kind of talk is so inhumane, I really don't know what to say! Had Toussaint been there, Jean Valjean would have been the first to admit that I had habits of my own, speaking as if she were one who seeks a backer and clings to any branch.Nothing happened, I've always loved my dark corners.

It's so cold in here that I can't see clearly.It's too bad to be Monsieur Jean, I don't want you to call me yours. When I came just now, Jean Valjean replied, I saw a piece of wood in the ebony shop in the Rue Saint-Louis. If I were a beautiful woman, I would buy this piece of wood.A nice dresser, new style, what you call incense wood, I think, with inlaid flowers, a rather large mirror, and drawers, very nice. snort!wack!Cosette answered. Then she blew on Jean Valjean, with clenched teeth, and with a very lovely air. This is a beauty god learning the movements of a kitten.

I'm so angry, she said, you've all been making me angry since yesterday, I'm so angry inside, I don't understand.You do not help me against Marius, and Marius does not support me against you.I am alone.One bedroom I have furnished very well.If I could invite God in, I'd like to invite in too.You give me the room.My tenant ran away.I called Nicolette to prepare a delicious dinner.They don't want your supper, ma'am.And my father Fauchelevent wants me to call him Monsieur Jean, and to receive him in this horribly old, musty cellar, with beards growing on the walls, empty bottles instead of crystals, and cobwebs instead of curtains!You're eccentric, I admit, it's part of your personality, but there's always a truce with newly married people.You shouldn't be eccentric right away.You can actually live comfortably in that hateful Street of Warriors.I myself was pessimistic and disappointed there!What is your dissatisfaction with me?You make me very sad.Pooh!

Then, suddenly and solemnly, she continued, fixing Jean Valjean: Are you unhappy because I am happy? Naive words, sometimes unconsciously said to the point.This question was simple for Cosette, but severe for Jean Valjean.Cosette tried to hurt him, and broke his heart. Jean Valjean turned pale.He paused for a moment without answering, then whispered in an indescribable voice, as if talking to himself: Her happiness is the purpose of my life.Now God can call me to go.Cosette, you are happy, I am useless. ah!You call me you!cried Cosette. So she jumped over and put her arms around his neck. Jean Valjean embraced her so passionately as if he had lost his mind, and it seemed to him that he had found her again. Thank you, father!said Cosette. Jean Valjean, who was about to be very saddened by this emotion, left Cosette's arms slowly and took up his hat. What's the matter?said Cosette. Jean Valjean replied: I am going, ma'am, others are waiting for you. At the door, he added another sentence: I called you you, please tell your husband, I will not call you that anymore, please forgive me. Jean Valjean went out.Cosette was left in a daze for this inexplicable farewell. two concessions again The next day, at the same hour, Jean Valjean arrived. Cosette did not ask him any more, did not express any surprise, did not make her feel cold, did not mention the parlour; she avoided calling him father or Monsieur Jean, she let him call you, let him call her madam, but she The joy waned.If she could be depressed, she would be. It is probable that she and Marius had already had such a conversation in which her lover said what he wanted to say without explaining it, and satisfied his beloved wife.People who are in love will not be too curious about things other than love. The basement has been tidied up a bit.Basque took the bottle and Nicolette removed the cobwebs. After this, and at the same moment, Jean Valjean came.He came every day, and he had no courage not to do what Marius said.Marius managed to keep himself out of the house when Jean Valjean came.The family also got used to this new situation of M. Fauchelevent.Dusan also helped to explain, Mr. has always been like this.she repeated.Grandfather made such a conclusion: this is a weirdo.One word says it all.In addition, it is impossible for a ninety-year-old to have any contacts, everything is just make do, and a newcomer will inevitably feel restrictive, there are no vacancies; all habits have been formed.M. Fauchelevent, M. Fauchelevent, Grandfather Gillenormand thought it best that this gentleman should not come.He also said: This kind of weirdo is common.They often do weird things.for what purposeNo.The Marquis de Gornable was even stranger than he.He bought a palace and lived in the attic himself.Some people have this weird behavior! No one can dimly feel that something terrible is hidden.Who can guess such a thing?There is a swamp in India, where the water seems to be so special, incomprehensible, that when there is no wind, the water ripples; where there should be calm, there are waves.People can see the undulating waves on the surface of the water, but they can't see the seven-headed snake crawling under the water. So many have a secret monster, a self-inflicted malady; a dragon that gnaws at them, a despair that keeps them restless at night.This kind of person comes and goes like everyone else.We do not know that he has a kind of pain, and a terrible creature with a thousand teeth parasitizes the miserable man and causes his death.We do not know that this man is an abyss, that he is dead water, very deep.For unknown reasons, there was occasional confusion on the surface of the water.A circle of mysterious water lines suddenly disappeared, and suddenly appeared again; a bubble rose up and burst.It's a trivial thing, but it's scary.This is the breath of an unknown beast. People often have some strange habits. Some people come when others are away, and hide when others are showing off. On all occasions, he wears a coat of the color we call an earthen wall. He looks for secluded paths, likes Streets where no one walks.Not taking part in other people's conversations, avoiding crowds and festivals, appearing to be rich but being poor, being rich but always carrying the keys, candlesticks in the concierge, entering by small doors, taking secret stairs, all these Insignificant and strange movements, such as ripples, bubbles, and fleeting ripples in the water's surface, often come from a terrible abyss. Weeks passed like this.A new life slowly took possession of Cosette; married affairs, visits, household chores, amusements, and so on.Cosette's amusements were not costly, and could be summed up chiefly in one: being with Marius.Going out with him, being with him, was the big thing in her life.They go out together arm in arm at any time, in the sun, on the road, without hiding, just the two of them, and appearing in front of the crowd is always a new joy for them.One unsatisfactory thing about Cosette is that Toussaint left because she couldn't get along with Nicolette.It is impossible to make two spinsters get along well.The grandfather is in good health; Marius sometimes defends several lawsuits; Aunt Gillenormand lives her secondary life quietly and contently beside the new couple.Jean Valjean came every day.Your address is gone, and you, Madame, and Monsieur Jean are used, which makes him different in front of Cosette.He managed to alienate Cosette from him, and it worked.She is getting happier and happier, but her warmth is getting less and less day by day.In fact, she still loves him very much, and he can feel it.One day she suddenly said to him: You were my father, but you are no longer, you were my uncle, but you are no longer, you were M. Fauchelevent, but now you are M. Jean.Who are you?I don't like these.If I had not known you to be so kind, I would have been afraid to see you. He still lived in the Rue des Warriors, unable to make up his mind to leave the district where Cosette lived. He stayed with Cosette only a few minutes at first, and then went away. Gradually he got into the habit of prolonging his visits, as if he could do so because the days were longer, arriving earlier and leaving later. One day Cosette blurted out calling him father.A gleam of joy flashed across Jean Valjean's old, sullen face, and he said to her: "Jean."Ah, by the way, she laughed and replied, Mr. Jean.Very good, he said.He turned away so she wouldn't see him rubbing his eyes. Three Remembrances of the Gardens of the Rue Plumet This is the last time.No sooner had this last gleam passed than there was a total extinction.There are no more close expressions, no more kisses when greeting each other, and no longer hear the very warm title of father!It was he who, according to his own wishes and his own plans, drove away all his happiness one after another; he suffered the loss of Cosette in one day, first all, and then little by little. The eyes were used to the light in the cellar.In short, he was satisfied with seeing Cosette every day.His life is concentrated in this moment.He sat beside her, looked at her quietly, or talked to her about the past years, her childhood, her scene in the nunnery and her children at that time. One afternoon at the beginning of April, when the weather was already warm but still a little cool, it was a sunny hour, and the garden outside the window of Marius and Cosette had awakened, the hawthorn blossoms were about to open, and the row of violets was as gorgeous as jewels, It blooms on the old wall, the pink wolf's mouth flower opens its mouth in the stone crevice, the feverfew and golden buttercup appear cutely in the green grass, and this year's white butterfly also makes its debut.The wind, the trumpeter of eternal joy, begins to play the grand symphony of dawn in the woods, which the old poet calls the new spring.Marius said to Cosette: We said we were going to see our garden in the Rue Plumet, so go now, and don't be ungrateful.And off they went, like two swallows flying toward the spring.They felt that the gardens of the Rue Plumet were their dawn.They have left something like the spring of love in their lives.The house in Rue Plumet, which was originally leased, still belonged to Cosette.They went to the garden and the house.There they met again, and there they forgot everything.In the evening, at the usual hour, Jean Valjean came to the Rue de la Crucifixion.Mrs. and Mrs. went out together and haven't come back yet.Basque said to him.He sat and waited for an hour, but Cosette had not returned.He put his head down and left.Cosette was so enraptured by this revisit to their garden, and so happy to live a whole day in her past, that the next day she talked of nothing but it, and she did not notice that she had not seen to Jean Valjean. How did you get there?Jean Valjean asked her. walking. What about coming back? Take a streetcar. Jean Valjean had lately noticed that the young couple was living frugally, and this troubled him.Frugality, which Marius strictly observed, had a full meaning to Jean Valjean.He tentatively asked: Why don't you bring your own car?A fine carriage costs five hundred francs a month, and you are rich. I have no idea.Cosette answered. Take Toussaint as an example, said Jean Valjean, she is gone, and you will not add anyone, why? Nicolette is enough. You should have a maid who tidies up the rooms. Have I not Marius? You should have your own houses, your own servants, a carriage and boxes at the theatre, and nothing is too much for you.Why not take advantage of your wealth?Wealth increases happiness! Cosette was silent. The time of Jean Valjean's visit did not shorten, on the contrary, if the heart was sliding down, it would not stop on the slope. When Jean Valjean wanted to prolong his visit and make people forget time, he praised Marius; he thought him a handsome man, noble, brave, wise, eloquent, and good-hearted.Cosette even more with supplements.Jean Valjean resumed his praises, and could hardly finish.Marius, the meanings of this name are endless, and the six letters of the name contain the contents of several books.This would allow Jean Valjean to stay longer.How warm it was for him to see Cosette forgetting everything by his side!This is the dressing for his wound.Several times the Basque announced twice: Monsieur Gillenormand asked me to remind the Baroness that dinner was ready. During these days Jean Valjean went home with a heavy heart. Marius had thought of comparing him to a chrysalis, but was there a real side to it? Was Jean Valjean a chrysalis, the butterfly that persistently came to visit him? One day he stayed a little longer than usual.The next day he noticed that there was no fire in the stove.Huh!He was thinking, there is no fire.He himself explained it this way: it's very simple, it's already April.The cold weather is over! God!It's so cold in here!cried Cosette as she entered. It's not cold!said Jean Valjean. So you told Basque not to light the fire? Yes, we are almost in May. But we still have fires going on until June.In this cellar a fire has to be lit all year round. I don't think it should be fired. Here's your weird idea again!said Cosette. The next day, the fire was lit again.But the two armchairs were placed by the door. What does it mean?Jean Valjean thought. He went and brought the chairs and put them by the fire. The rekindled fire gave him courage.He made their chat a little longer than usual.When he got up to go, Cosette said: Yesterday my husband and I had a very strange talk. What's up? He told me: Cosette, we have an annuity of 30,000 livres, you have 27,000, and my grandfather gave me 3,000.I said: There are 30,000 in total.He said again: Do you have the courage to live with the three thousand francs?I replied: Yes, no money is fine, as long as I am with you.Afterwards I asked him: Why did you say these things to me?He answered me: In order to understand. Jean Valjean had nothing to say.Cosette probably awaited his explanation, and he listened sadly.He returned to Warrior Street; his preoccupation with the matter led him to the wrong gate.Instead of entering his own home, he went into the house next door and almost reached the third floor before realizing his mistake and turning back again. Guessing tormented his spirits. Marius must have suspected the source of the six hundred thousand francs. He was afraid that the source was unknown. Who knows?Perhaps he found out that the money belonged to him, Jean Valjean, and he was sceptical about accepting this dubious property!He and Cosette would rather remain poor than become rich on this dubious fortune. In addition, Jean Valjean began to feel vaguely that the master wanted to chase away the guests. The next day, he was shocked when he went into the basement. The armchair was gone, not even an ordinary chair. Ah, what's the matter!Cosette came in crying, no armchair, where are you? They are gone.Jean Valjean answered. This is outrageous! Jean Valjean stammered: I told Basque to move. what is the reason? I'm only here for a few minutes today. There is no reason to stand for a while. I think a Basque living room needs an armchair! Why? You may have guests tonight. Not a single guest tonight. Jean Valjean had nothing more to say. Cosette shrugged. Get the armchairs removed!You asked people to turn off the ignition again that day, you are so weird. goodbye.said Jean Valjean softly. He did not say: Good-bye, Cosette.But I didn't have the courage to say: Goodbye, madam. He came out with a heavy heart. This time he understood. He didn't come the next day.Cosette did not notice until evening. Hey, she said, Mr. Jean didn't come today. She was a little depressed, but it was not obvious, and a kiss from Marius made her forget it. In the following days, he did not come again. Cosette did not notice that she passed her nights and slept her sleep as usual, thinking only of waking.She is so happy!She soon sent Nicolette to Monsieur Jean's to inquire if she was ill, and why she had not come last night.Nicolette brought back a reply from Mr. Jean that he was not sick at all.He's busy, he'll be here soon, he tries to come as early as possible.Besides, he was going on a short trip.Madame should remember that his habit is to go out for a trip from time to time, so don't worry about him, don't miss him. When Nicolette entered Monsieur Jean's house, she repeated to him what her mistress had said: Madame asked me to ask why Monsieur Jean hadn't come last night.I didn't go for two days.said Jean Valjean kindly. But Nicolette didn't remember what he mentioned, and she didn't tell Cosette when she went back. Four gravity and disappearance In the late spring and early summer of 1833, the few passers-by in the swamp, the merchants in their shops, and the idlers standing at the door, all noticed an old man in neat black clothes, who came from the city at a certain hour every evening. Exit the Rue des Warriors, on the side of the Rue Sainte-Croix, pass the white coat shop, pass the Rue Sainte-Catherine, go to the Rue de la Cape, turn left and enter Rue Saint-Louis. Here he slowed down, headed forward, saw nothing, heard nothing, and fixed his eyes on a single object, which to him was a starry place, which was nothing but the Rue des Passiones. corner.The nearer he came to the corner of the street, the more his eyes shone, and some joy, like the inner morning light, made his eyes shine, and his expression seemed to be attracted and moved, and his lips slightly Trembling, as if speaking to an invisible person, he was smiling in a trance, so he tried to walk as slowly as possible.It seemed that he wanted to get there, but at the same time was afraid that he was getting too close.When he was only a few houses away from the street that seemed to attract him, his steps were so slow that one sometimes thought he was not walking.His head was bobbing and his gaze was fixed, as if a compass were looking for the poles.Although he delayed his arrival, he arrived at last; and when he reached the Rue de la Passione, he stopped, trembling, and with a sort of melancholy timidity, put his head out of the corner of the last house, and looked at the street. , his miserable gaze seemed to be dazzled by an impossibility, and seemed to be the reflection of a closed heaven.Then a drop of tear accumulated at the corner of the eye little by little, and then fell into a big teardrop, flowing on the cheek, and sometimes stopped at the corner of the mouth.The old man tasted the bitterness of tears.He stayed like this for a few minutes, like a stone man; then he went back the same way, going further and further at the same pace, and his eyes dimmed accordingly. Gradually, the old man stopped walking to the corner of the Rue de la Passionate, and stopped halfway along the Rue Saint-Louis; sometimes a little farther, sometimes a little closer.One day he stopped at the corner of the Rue des Campes Sainte-Catherine and looked out over the Rue de la Crucis.Then he shook his head quietly, as if refusing a bit of his request, and turned back. Before long he could not even walk the Rue Saint-Louis.He walked to Paving Street, shook his head and went back; then he did not exceed Santing Street; at last he did not exceed White Coat Shop; like an unwound clock, the pendulum swings gradually shortens the distance, waiting Completely stop. Every day, he walked out of the house at the same time, he started his same journey, but never finished it, maybe he was shortening it unconsciously.The whole expression of his face spoke of the single thought: Why bother!The eyes are dull and lustrous; the tears are dry, they no longer accumulate in the corners of the eyes; the pensive eyes are dry, but the old man's head always rushes forward; the jaw sometimes wobbles; poor his neck is so thin wrinkle.Sometimes in bad weather he carried an umbrella under his arm, which he never opened, and the women of that area said: This is a fool.The children laughed after him.