Chapter 140 Volume VIII The Cemetery Takes What People Give It

It was in that convent that Jean Valjean, according to Fauchelevent, "fallen from heaven." He climbed over the garden wall at the corner of Rue Polonceau.The fairy music he heard in the middle of the night was the singing of the nuns at early mass; the hall he visited in the dark was the chapel; the ghost he saw lying on the ground was a penitent Nun; the bell that surprised him was the brass bell that was tied to the knee of Lord Fauchelevent the gardener. After Cosette went to bed, we know that Jean Valjean and Fauchelevent dined, drank a glass of wine, and ate a piece of cheese over a good fire; Occupied by Cosette, they lay separately on a pile of straw.Before Jean Valjean closed his eyes, he said: "From now on, I must live here." Those words roiled in Fauchelevent's head all night.

In fact, neither of them fell asleep. Jean Valjean felt that he was discovered, and that Javert was at his heels, knowing that if he returned to Paris, he and Cosette would be sure to end the game.Now that the new wind had brought him to the convent, Jean Valjean's only thought was to remain there.For a wretched man in his condition, the convent was the most dangerous and safest place, the most dangerous because no man was allowed to enter there, and if he was discovered, he had to be treated as a prisoner. Jean Valjean had but to walk a single step from the convent to the prison; safest, because if he could get permission to live there, who would find it?Living in a place where it is impossible to live is a surefire way.

With regard to Fauchelevent, too, the drums were opening in his heart.First, he admits that he doesn't know anything.How did M. Madeleine get in with the walls so high?No one dared to overturn the walls of the monastery.How could there be another child?With a child in your arms, you can't climb over such a straight wall.Who is that child?Where did they both come from?Since Fauchelevent had come to the convent, he had never heard of Montreuil-sur-Mer, and he had no idea of ​​what had happened outside.Grandpa Madeleine's air made it difficult to speak, and besides, Fauchelevent thought to himself: "You must not ask nonsense in front of a saint." M. Madeleine was still as noble in his heart as ever.However, from the few words that Jean Valjean had revealed, the gardener felt that it was possible to draw the conclusion that M. Madeleine might have lost money because of the difficult times, was being pursued by his creditors, or that he might have been affected by some political problem. Involved, had to hide.Fauchelevent was not displeased at this thought, for, like many of our peasants in the north, he had long been close to Bonaparte in his thoughts.Since M. Madeleine was going into hiding, and had made the convent his refuge, it was only natural that he should stay there.But what was incomprehensible was that Fauchelevent was thinking over and over again, and the point that he could not understand was how Madeleine came in, and how he could bring a little girl.Fauchelevent could see them, touch them, and talk to them, but he could not believe them.The gourd had just fallen into Fauchelevent's hut.Fauchelevent, like a blind man groping his way, guessed wildly for a while, and the more he thought about it, the more confused he became, but one thing became clear: M. Madeleine saved my life.The only certainty was enough to make up his mind.He thought behind his back: "Now it is my turn to save his life." He added in his mind: "M. Madeleine did not think as much as I did when it was necessary for someone to get under the car and rescue me. "He decided to rescue M. Madeleine.

But he was still in agitated mood, considering many things: "He treated me so well in the past, if he is a gangster, should I save him? Or should I save him? If he is a murderer, should I save him?" Should I save him? Or should I save him. Since he is a saint, should I save him? Of course I save him." But it was a problem to keep him in the monastery!But Fauchelevent remained unwavering in the face of that almost absurd delusion.The poor peasant from Picardy was determined to overcome the difficulties of the abbey and the precipices of the canon of St. There is no other ladder except for the little cleverness that I plan to use this time to help the poor.Lord Fauchelevent, this old man, had always been selfish all his life, his legs were lame and his body was crippled in his later years, and he had nothing to miss about the world. When he was doing it, he jumped on it quickly, just like a person who has never tasted good wine suddenly finds a glass of good wine in his hand when he is dying, and wants to take it and drink it.We may also say that the atmosphere he had absorbed in that monastery for many years had killed his original character, and finally made him feel that he was necessary to do any good.

He therefore made up his mind to do his part for M. Madeleine. We just called him "the poor peasant from Picardy."That title is appropriate, but not comprehensive.At this stage in the development of the story, it may be useful to describe the face of Fauchelevent.He was originally a farmer, but he had worked as a notary, so he added eloquence to his original shrewdness, and analytical ability to his original simplicity.Due to various reasons, his career failed, and he later became a coachman and manual laborer.But for all his swearing and whipping--which was said to be necessary for cattle--he was a notary at heart.He was born with a little cleverness, and he didn't make common language mistakes. He could chat, which was rare in the country. The peasants said that he talked like a gentleman in a hat.Fauchelevent was exactly that kind of "half gentleman, half commoner" to whom the frivolous phraseology of the previous century referred to, that is, "slightly" in the argot used by dignitaries to describe the poor. Like a countryman, a little like a townsman, pepper and salt".Fauchelevent was one of those poor old men whose clothes were worn down to the hemp, and though he had been tried and tormented by fate, he was straight-hearted and open-minded, a precious quality that makes one never think evil.Because the shortcomings and shortcomings he had were all superficial. In short, his appearance is successful in the eyes of observers.On the old man's brow there were absolutely no lines that suggested malevolence, stupidity, or repulsion.

At daybreak, Fauchelevent, having thought from all sides, opened his eyes and saw M. Madeleine sitting on his pile of straw, watching Cosette sleep.Fauchelevent sat up and said: "Now that you are here, what do you intend to say about your coming?" One sentence summed up the situation at that time and awakened Jean Valjean from his dream state. The two began to discuss. "First," said Fauchelevent, "the first thing you must take care of is that the little girl and you do not go outside this room. One step into the garden and we are finished." "right."

"Monsieur Madeleine," continued Fauchelevent, "you have picked a very good day, I should say, a very bad day for coming here. We have a nanny who is very ill, so everyone Didn't pay much attention to our side. Heard she was dying. They were doing forty hours of prayer. The whole convent was turned upside down. They were all busy about it. The nun who was getting ready to go A saint. In fact, we are all saints here. The only difference between them and me is that they say 'our retreat,' and I say 'my nest.' Coming soon I have prayed for the dead, and then I have to pray for the dead. One day today, we will be fine here, but tomorrow, I can’t guarantee it.”

"However," Jean Valjean pointed out, "the house is in a corner, and is hidden by the wretched house, and the trees are invisible to the convent." "And, I tell you, the nuns never come here." "Wouldn't that be better?" said Jean Valjean. The interrogative tone emphasizing "wouldn't it be better" was intended to say: "I think it is possible to live here secretly." Fauchelevent replied to this question: "And those little girls." "What little girls?" asked Jean Valjean. Fauchelevent opened his mouth to explain what he had just said, when a bell rang.

"The Sister is dead," said he, "and here is the bell for the funeral." At the same time he gestured to Jean Valjean to listen. The clock struck again. "It's the death knell, Monsieur Madeleine. It's going to strike minute by minute, for twenty-four hours, until the corpse leaves the chapel. Look, there's another one. During the games between lessons, as long as there is When a ball rolls, they'll all catch up, no matter what the rules are, and come here to rummage around. These little angels are all brats." "Who?" asked Jean Valjean.

"Those little girls. You'll find them soon, don't worry. They'll cry, 'Hey! A man!' But there's no danger today. They won't have playtime today. All day long It's a prayer. Listen to the bell. I told you, it's a minute. It's the knell." "I understand, Lord Fauchelevent. You are talking about the children at the boarding school." Again Jean Valjean thought to himself: "In this way, all the problems of Cosette's upbringing are settled." Fauchelevent cried out: "Damn it! There's plenty of girls! They'll yell around you! They'll run away! To be a man here is to have the plague. You know they put a bell on my hoof and treat me like a beast .”

Jean Valjean thought more and more. "This convent will save us," he muttered, and then he raised his voice: "Yes. The question is how to stay." "No. The question is how to get out." Jean Valjean felt the blood rush to his heart. "go out!" "Yes, Monsieur Madeleine. You must go out in order to come back." When the clock struck again, Fauchelevent continued: "They won't just let you stay here. Where did you come from? To me, you fell from the sky, because I know you, but the nuns, they only let people in through the gate. " Suddenly, another bell struck a rather complicated sound. "Ah!" said Fauchelevent, "this is for the Sisters of the Senate. They have a meeting. Every time someone dies, there must be a meeting. She died at dawn. Most people die at dawn. Can't you?" Go out the same way you came in? Let's talk, I didn't mean to ask you, where did you come in?" Jean Valjean turned pale.He shuddered at the thought of going back to the street that frightened the bad guys again.You come out of a forest where tigers and leopards are infested, you have already gone outside, but a friend asks you to go back there, think about the feeling.As soon as Jean Valjean closed his eyes, he saw that the police officers were still prowling the neighborhood, spies were on the lookout, spies were everywhere, and countless hands were stretched out to his collar. Javert might be there. At the corner of the fork in the road. "Impossible!" said he. "Master Fauchelevent, you think I fell from that." "That's all right, that's what I think," continued Fauchelevent, "you don't have to say those things to me anymore. Merciful God may have held you in his hands to see you clearly, and then You're released. But he meant to put you in a man's convent, and he made a mistake. Listen, there's another bell. It's for the concierge, to inform the municipal office. Inform the autopsy doctor to come here to see the dead. All this, it's all trouble after death. Those good nuns, they don't seem to like such visits very much. A doctor doesn't care about anything. He exposes Open the mask. Sometimes the other things are uncovered. They called the doctor this time, so quickly! Is there something tricky here? Your little girl is still asleep. What's her name?" "Cosette." "Is it your daughter? From the looks of it, you are her grandfather, right?" "right." "It's easy for her to get out of here. I have a side door to the gate yard. I knock. The porter opens. I have a basket on my back, and the girl stays in it. I go out the gate. Cut Master Feng went out of the gate with a basket on his back, it couldn't be easier. Just ask the little girl to stay in the basket without saying a word. She is covered with an oilcloth. Before long, I will entrust her to a place on Lujing Street. An old friend who sells fruit lives in her house for as long as she wants. She is deaf and has a small bed. I will yell in the ear of the woman who sells fruit that this is my niece and ask her to take care of her. , I will come to collect it tomorrow. After that, the chick will come back with you. But you, how can you get out?" Jean Valjean nodded. "As long as no one sees me. That's the point, Lord Fauchelevent. You find a way to hide me, like Cosette, in the pannier and under the tarpaulin, and then send me out." Fauchelevent scratched his earlobe with the middle finger of his left hand, expressing his embarrassment. A third chime interrupted their train of thought. "The coroner is gone," said Fauchelevent. "He looked at it and said: 'She is dead, yes.' After the doctor has signed a passport to heaven, the undertaker will bring a coffin. If it is an old woman If it's a little sister, then it's the little sisters. After the funeral, I will hammer the nails. This is part of my gardener's work. The gardener is more or less a burial worker. The female body is placed In a chapel, in a low hall facing the street, where no men are admitted except the coroner. I am not a man, nor are the deacons of the undertaker and I. I go in there to nail up the coffin. On the morning, the deacons of the funeral home carried it away, and the coachman raised his horsewhip. This is how people go to heaven. What is sent is an empty box, but what is carried away is a filled one. This is called funeral. '." A ray of sunlight shone across Cosette's face. She was still awake, with her mouth slightly open, like an angel drinking light.Jean Valjean had long been gazing at her, and had ceased listening to Fauchelevent's nagging. No one listened, and that was no reason to shut up. The good old gardener went on rambling on: "Go to the Vaugirard Cemetery and dig a hole. It is said that the Vaugirard Cemetery will be abolished soon. It is an old cemetery, out of regulations, without uniforms, and is about to retire. What a pity, such a convenient cemetery. There, I have a friend named Grandpa Mace, who is a burial worker. The nuns here have a privilege. They are sent to the cemetery when it is getting dark. The Provincial Office has made such a rule for them. But Oh, how much has happened since yesterday! The Sister Suffering is dead, Grandpa Madeleine..." "It is over," said Jean Valjean, with a wry smile. Fauchelevent played back the word: "Holy Mother! It would be a burial if you were to stay here forever." The fourth chime sounded.Fauchelevent hastily removed the strap of the bell from the nail, and tied it around his knee. "This time, it's me. The Mother Superior called me. Good boy, I've been pricked by the pin on this belt. Don't move, Monsieur Madeleine, until I come back. There's something new. If you're hungry, there's There's wine, bread, and cheese." Then he walked out of the house, saying, "Come on! Come on!" Jean Valjean watched him hurry through the garden, stretching his lame leg as far as possible, and looking at the melon fields on both sides as he walked. As Fauchelevent walked, the ringing of the bell frightened the nuns away, and within ten minutes he knocked lightly on a door, and a soft voice answered: "Forever. Forever." So." That is to say, "Come in." That door was the door of the reception room, which was left to receive the gardener due to work.Next door is the conference room.The abbot was sitting in the only chair in the anteroom, waiting for Fauchelevent.