Les Misérables, page 43
CHAPTER IX--A MERRY END TO MIRTH
When the young girls were left alone, they leaned two by two on thewindow-sills, chatting, craning out their heads, and talking from onewindow to the other.
They saw the young men emerge from the Café Bombarda arm in arm. Thelatter turned round, made signs to them, smiled, and disappeared inthat dusty Sunday throng which makes a weekly invasion into theChamps-Élysées.
"Don't be long!" cried Fantine.
"What are they going to bring us?" said Zéphine.
"It will certainly be something pretty," said Dahlia.
"For my part," said Favourite, "I want it to be of gold."
Their attention was soon distracted by the movements on the shore of thelake, which they could see through the branches of the large trees, andwhich diverted them greatly.
It was the hour for the departure of the mail-coaches and diligences.Nearly all the stage-coaches for the south and west passed through theChamps-Élysées. The majority followed the quay and went through thePassy Barrier. From moment to moment, some huge vehicle, painted yellowand black, heavily loaded, noisily harnessed, rendered shapelessby trunks, tarpaulins, and valises, full of heads which immediatelydisappeared, rushed through the crowd with all the sparks of a forge,with dust for smoke, and an air of fury, grinding the pavements,changing all the paving-stones into steels. This uproar delighted theyoung girls. Favourite exclaimed:--
"What a row! One would say that it was a pile of chains flying away."
It chanced that one of these vehicles, which they could only see withdifficulty through the thick elms, halted for a moment, then set outagain at a gallop. This surprised Fantine.
"That's odd!" said she. "I thought the diligence never stopped."
Favourite shrugged her shoulders.
"This Fantine is surprising. I am coming to take a look at her out ofcuriosity. She is dazzled by the simplest things. Suppose a case: I ama traveller; I say to the diligence, 'I will go on in advance; you shallpick me up on the quay as you pass.' The diligence passes, sees me,halts, and takes me. That is done every day. You do not know life, mydear."
In this manner a certain time elapsed. All at once Favourite made amovement, like a person who is just waking up.
"Well," said she, "and the surprise?"
"Yes, by the way," joined in Dahlia, "the famous surprise?"
"They are a very long time about it!" said Fantine.
As Fantine concluded this sigh, the waiter who had served them at dinnerentered. He held in his hand something which resembled a letter.
"What is that?" demanded Favourite.
The waiter replied:--
"It is a paper that those gentlemen left for these ladies."
"Why did you not bring it at once?"
"Because," said the waiter, "the gentlemen ordered me not to deliver itto the ladies for an hour."
Favourite snatched the paper from the waiter's hand. It was, in fact, aletter.
"Stop!" said she; "there is no address; but this is what is written onit--"
"THIS IS THE SURPRISE."
She tore the letter open hastily, opened it, and read [she knew how toread]:--
"OUR BELOVED:--
"You must know that we have parents. Parents--you do not know much aboutsuch things. They are called fathers and mothers by the civil code,which is puerile and honest. Now, these parents groan, these old folksimplore us, these good men and these good women call us prodigal sons;they desire our return, and offer to kill calves for us. Being virtuous,we obey them. At the hour when you read this, five fiery horses willbe bearing us to our papas and mammas. We are pulling up our stakes, asBossuet says. We are going; we are gone. We flee in the arms of Lafitteand on the wings of Caillard. The Toulouse diligence tears us fromthe abyss, and the abyss is you, O our little beauties! We return tosociety, to duty, to respectability, at full trot, at the rate of threeleagues an hour. It is necessary for the good of the country that weshould be, like the rest of the world, prefects, fathers of families,rural police, and councillors of state. Venerate us. We are sacrificingourselves. Mourn for us in haste, and replace us with speed. If thisletter lacerates you, do the same by it. Adieu.
"For the space of nearly two years we have made you happy. We bear youno grudge for that. "Signed: BLACHEVELLE. FAMUEIL. LISTOLIER. FÉLIX THOLOMYÈS.
"_Postscriptum_. The dinner is paid for."
The four young women looked at each other.
Favourite was the first to break the silence.
"Well!" she exclaimed, "it's a very pretty farce, all the same."
"It is very droll," said Zéphine.
"That must have been Blachevelle's idea," resumed Favourite. "It makesme in love with him. No sooner is he gone than he is loved. This is anadventure, indeed."
"No," said Dahlia; "it was one of Tholomyès' ideas. That is evident.
"In that case," retorted Favourite, "death to Blachevelle, and long liveTholomyès!"
"Long live Tholomyès!" exclaimed Dahlia and Zéphine.
And they burst out laughing.
Fantine laughed with the rest.
An hour later, when she had returned to her room, she wept. It washer first love affair, as we have said; she had given herself to thisTholomyès as to a husband, and the poor girl had a child.
BOOK FOURTH.--TO CONFIDE IS SOMETIMES TO DELIVER INTO A PERSON'S POWER
