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do
like
to see a man punished for crimes he
has
committed.‟
„And what crimes are those?‟
Thénardier sat down and told Marius about the time he had helped
Valjean to escape from the Paris sewer.
73
„He was carrying the body of a man he had robbed and killed,‟
Thénardier said. „Look, I have a piece of cloth from the dead man‟s coat
as a proof.‟
He produced a muddy piece of cloth and showed it to Marius, who
immediately went pale and rose unsteadily to his feet. As Thénardier
continued to talk, Marius opened a cupboard door and took out a coat.
„That man was
me
!‟ cried. „And here is the coat I was wearing!‟
Thénardier stared at the coat and the cloth in his hands, speechless
with fear. He was even more surprised when, instead of chasing him out
of the room, Marius ran towards him and pressed several thousand-
franc notes into his hand.
„You‟re a terrible man,‟ Marius said. „A thief and a liar. You came here to
destroy a man, but you have done the opposite. If you hadn‟t saved my
father‟s life at Waterloo, I‟d report you to the police. I know that your
wife is dead, but take the money and start a new life in America with
your daughter. When you arrive there, I‟ll send you another 20,000
francs. Now get out. I never want to see you again!‟
When Thénardier had left, unable to believe his good fortune, Marius
ran to find Cossette and told her everything immediately.
„We must go to him at once,‟ Marius said. „He was the man who saved
my life. We must waste no time!‟
Minutes later, he and Cossette were travelling in a carriage to Number
7, rue de l‟Homme-Armé.
*
Jean Valjean looked up when he heard the knock on his door and called
in a weak voice, „Come in.‟
The door opened and Marius and Cossette appeared. Cossette rushed to
the chair where Jean Valjean was sitting.
„Father!‟ she cried, falling into his arms.
„So you‟ve forgiven me?‟ Valjean whispered, hugging Cossette to him
and turning to Marius.
„Cossette, did you hear what he said?‟ Marius cried, tears of shame and
guilt rolling down his cheeks. „He asked
me
to forgive
him
. And do you
know what he did? He saved my life and he brought me back to you. He
came to the barricade to save me, just as he saved Javert. He carried
me on his back through the sewers of Paris, to bring me to you. Oh
Cossette, I feel so ashamed of the way I‟ve treated him!‟
74
„You have no need to say all this,‟ Valjean murmured.
„Why didn‟t you say it yourself?‟ Marius demanded. „Why didn‟t you tell
me that you were M. Madeleine and that you saved Javert‟s life at the
barricade? Why didn‟t you tell me that I owed you my life?‟
„Because I thought it would be better to break away. If you had known
the truth, you would have felt obliged to be good to me, a worthless
criminal. That would have upset everything.‟
„What or whom would it have upset?‟ Marius said. „Well, we‟re not going
to allow you to stay here on your own. You‟re going to come home with
us. You‟re Cossette‟s father and mine. I won‟t allow you to spend
another day here.‟
„And you can‟t refuse this time,‟ Cossette agreed, sitting on Jean
Valjean‟s lap and kissing his forehead. „There‟s a carriage waiting for
you. I‟m kidnapping you – by force, if necessary!‟
Jean Valjean listened as she described the view from the room that
would be his, the beauty of the garden, the singing of the birds, but he
was listening more to the music of her voice than to the meaning of her
words. Finally, he said, „Yes, it would be delightful, but...‟
Cossette, frightened, took his two hands in hers.
„Your hands are so cold,‟ she said. „Are you ill? Are you in pain?‟
„No,‟ said Valjean. „I‟m not in pain. But...‟
„But what?‟
„I‟m going to die soon.‟
„Father, no!‟ Cossette cried. „You‟re going to live! You
must
live, do you
understand?‟
Marius and Cossette both did their best to raise Valjean‟s spirits, to
show him how much they loved and needed him, to fill him with the
strength and the desire to live again. But it was too late. Valjean smiled,
his eyes shining with love and happiness, but he was beginning to lose
strength.
„To die is nothing,‟ he murmured. „But it is terrible not to live.‟
Then, taking Cossette‟s sleeve and pressing it to his lips, he said, „Come
close to me, both of you. I love you dearly. How sweet it is to die like
this. And you love me too, dear Cossette. You‟ll feel some grief for me,
but not too much. I want you to have no great sorrows. You must enjoy
life, my children. I‟m leaving the two candlesticks by the bed to
Cossette. They‟re made of silver, but to me they are pure gold. I don‟t
know whether the person who gave them to me is pleased as he looks
75
down on me from above. I‟ve done my best. You mustn‟t forget, my
children, that, despite my money, I am one of the poor.‟
As he spoke, Valjean‟s breathing became more painful and he had
difficulty moving his arms. But as the weakness of his body increased,
his spirit grew in strength. The light of an unknown world was shining
brightly in his eyes.
„Now, Cossette,‟ he breathed softly,‟ the time has come for me to tell you
your mother‟s name. It was Fantine. You must not forget it. Your
mother loved you greatly and she suffered greatly. She was as rich in
sorrow as you are in happiness. That is how God balances things out.
He watches us all from above and knows what he is doing among his
splendid stars. And now I must leave you, my children. Love one
another always. There is nothing else that matters in this world except
love.‟
Cossette and Marius fell to their knees on either side of him, holding
back their tears. Jean Valjean‟s hands rested on their bowed heads, and
did not move again. He lay back with his head turned to the sky, the
light from the two silver candlesticks falling on his smiling, peaceful
face.
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