Victor hugo

14 
The Wedding 
Marius lay for a long time between life and death in a state of fever, 
endlessly repeating the name of Cossette. 
„He mustn‟t get excited,‟ the doctor warned. 
Every day, according to one of the servants, a white-haired, well-
dressed gentleman came to ask for news of the sick man. 
Finally, after three months, the doctor announced that Marius was out 
of danger. But he had to spend the next two months resting because of 
the damage to his shoulder. M. Gillenormand grew happier as his 
grandson‟s condition improved. He did strange, unexpected things, like 
running up and down stairs without knowing why. He gave his 
neighbour, a pretty woman, a bunch of flowers, which greatly annoyed 
her husband. 

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65 
Marius, meanwhile, tried to make sense of what had happened to him. 
He thought about Enjolras and Éponine, and wondered why Cossette‟s 
father had been at the barricade. He could not understand why nobody 
could tell him how he had been saved. All he knew was that he had 
been brought to his grandfather‟s house in a carriage. He noticed his 
grandfather‟s tenderness towards him, but he could not forget the old 
man‟s unfairness and cruelty to his father, who had died penniless and 
unloved. Most of all, however, he thought about Cossette, and how he 
could find her again. 
„There‟s something I have to say to you,‟ Marius told his grandfather one 
day. 
„What is it?‟ 
„I want to get married.‟ 
„But of course,‟ the old man laughed. 
„What do you mean – of course?‟ 
„That‟s understood. You will have your little girl.‟ 
„I don‟t understand,‟ Marius said, almost speechless with amazement. 
„You will have her,‟ the old man repeated. „She comes here every day in 
the shape of an old man who asks for news of you. While you‟ve been ill, 
she‟s spent her time crying and making bandages for you. I know all 
about her. She lives at Number 7, rue de l‟Homme-Armé. You see, I‟m 
not as unkind as you think. I‟ve found out that she‟s a charming girl 
and that she loves you. I knew you were angry with me, and I thought, 
„What can I do to make him love me?‟ Then I thought, „I can give him 
Cossette.‟ I wanted to invite her to see you, but the doctor warned me 
that you would probably get too excited. So I advise you, dear boy, to 
eat more meat and get better soon. Then you can marry your Cossette 
and be happy.‟ 
Having said this, the old man burst into tears. He held Marius‟s head to 
his chest and they cried together. 
„Grandfather,‟ Marius said at last. „I‟m feeling much better already. 
When can I see her?‟ 
„You can see her tomorrow.‟ 
„Why not today?‟ 
„All right. I‟ll fetch her today. You‟ve called me “grandfather”; you‟ve 
shown me that you love me after all. You‟ve earned your reward!‟