Chapter 214 twelve mr white's five francs

The appearance of the house has not changed at all, except that the woman and girls have taken the clothes from the bag and put on socks and sweaters.Two new blankets were thrown on the two beds. Jondrette has apparently just returned.He still had that shortness of breath that he brought from the outdoors.His two daughters were sitting on the ground by the hearth, and the older sister was bandaging the younger sister's hands.His woman lay deflated on the shabby bed near the fireplace, with a look of surprise on her face.Jondrette strode up and down the room.His eyes are extraordinary. The woman, who seemed a little timid in the presence of her husband, froze, boldly said to him:

"What, really? Did you spot it?" "Yes! It's been eight years! But I know him! Ah! I know him! I recognized him at once! Why, you didn't see it?" "No." "But I warned you a long time ago, I want you to pay attention! Of course, it's the figure, it's the appearance, it's not much older, some people don't age, I don't know what they do, it's the voice. He just needs to dress better! Ah! The mysterious ghost old man fell into my palm today, ha!" He stopped and said to his two daughters: "Don't stay here, you two! It's strange that you don't see it."

In obedience, they stood up. The mother said timidly: "She wants to go out because her hand hurts?" "The cold air will do her good," said Jondrette. "Go." This is obviously one of those people who doesn't tolerate dissenting opinions.The two girls went out. They were about to leave the room when the father took the older girl by the arm and said in a special tone: "At five o'clock, you must come back here. Both of you. I have something for you to do." Marius doubled his concentration. Jondrette, alone with his wife, began to walk about the house again, making two or three circles without making a sound.Then he spent a few minutes tucking the hem of the blouse he was wearing into the waistband of his trousers.

Suddenly he turned to his woman, folded his arms, and said aloud: "Do you want me to tell you one more thing? The lady..." "What?" the woman continued, "The lady?" Marius knew that it was she they must be talking about.He listened with burning impatience.All his life force is concentrated in two ears. But Jondrette stooped and lowered his voice to talk to his woman.Then he stood up, and concluded aloud: "It's her!" "That thing?" the woman said. "That thing!" said the husband. No words can express the meaning in the sentence "that thing?" asked by the mother.It was surprise, fury, hatred, anger mixed in a vicious tone.This fat and weak woman woke up immediately after her husband whispered a few words, roughly someone's name, and changed from ugly and hideous to hideous and terrifying.

"Impossible!" she roared, "when I think that my daughters are still barefoot, and can't even put on a gown, what! Another satin cloak, another velvet cap, and satin boots, Everything! I already have two hundred francs on me! She looks like a lady! No, you are mistaken! First of all, that one is ugly, and this one is not bad-born! She is not bad-born! It can't be her!" "I said it must be her. Just wait and see." At these decisive words, Madame Jondrette raised her broad red and white face, and gazed at the ceiling with a hideous expression.At this moment, Marius felt that her appearance was more terrifying than Jondrette.It was a sow that was staring at it.

"Impossible!" she went on, "this unattractive pretty lady who looks at my two girls with pity is that little beggar! Oh! I wish I could take up my wooden shoe and kick her out." intestines." She jumped off the bed, her hair disheveled, her nostrils puffed out, her mouth lifted, her fists clenched, her body leaned back, she stood for a while, and then fell down on the broken bed again.Her man just walked back and forth, ignoring his wife. After a while of silence, he approached the woman again and stopped, crossing his arms as before. "Do you want me to tell you one more thing?"

"What's the matter?" she asked. He replied in a crisp, deep voice: "I made a fortune." The woman stared at him blankly, as if thinking, "Is this man I'm talking to crazy?" He added: "Damn it! I've been a parishioner in this 'or starve if you don't starve' parish for a long time! I've had enough of being poor! I've suffered , others suffer too! I don't want to joke anymore, I don't think it's funny anymore, enough good words, good God! Don't tease people anymore, Eternal Father! I want to eat and drink to my heart's content! Stuffed, slept enough, and doing nothing! It's my turn to enjoy myself! I'm going to live a little bit like a millionaire before I go into my coffin!"

He walked around the slum and added: "Just like everyone else." "What do you mean by these words?" asked the woman. He shook his head, squinted one eye, and raised his voice like a busker at a crossroads about to start: "What do you mean? Listen to me!" "Quietly!" whispered Madame Jondrette, "don't say it so loudly, if it's something that no one else can hear." "It's all right! Who's listening? The man next door? I saw him go out just now. And can he hear you, fool? No problem, I saw him go out." But, by an instinct, Jondrette lowered his voice, but not so low that Marius could not hear him.One advantage of Marius being able to hear this conversation perfectly was that the snow on the street softened the noise of the passing traffic.

What Marius heard was: "Listen to me. He's caught, the God of Wealth! He's caught. It's no problem. It's all set. I've got a couple of appointments. He'll be here at six o'clock tonight. His sixty francs, rascals! You see how I worry about you, my sixty francs, my landlord, my fourth of February! It's not a season at all! Really! Funny! He's coming at six o'clock! That's when the neighbors go to dinner. Mama Birgon has gone to town to wash the dishes. There's no one in the house. The next-door neighbor never goes before eleven o'clock. Come back. Two little tricks can catch the wind. You can help us too. He will bow his head."

"What if he doesn't bow his head?" the woman asked. Jondrette made a sinister gesture and said: "We cut off his head." Then he burst out laughing. It was the first time Marius saw him laugh.The laughter is indifferent and calm, which makes people feel chills when they hear it. Jondrette opened the cupboard by the fireplace, took out a cap, wiped it with his cuff, and put it on his head. "Now," he said, "I'm going out for a while. I've got to see some folks. Some good hands. You can see it's going to be all right. I'll be back as soon as I can, and it's a good deal. You look after the house."

Then, he put his fists in his trouser pockets, thought for a while, and said loudly: "You know, it's a good thing he didn't recognize me, him! If he did, he wouldn't come again. He's always been avoiding us! It's my beard that saved me! My romantic!" Whiskers! My pretty romantic little whiskers!" He laughed again. He goes to the window.The snow is still falling, dividing the gray sky into countless strips. "Dog weather!" he said. He wrapped his coat tightly. "It's too wide, but that's all right," he added. "It's a good thing he left it for me, old bastard! I can't get out of the house without it, and I can't play the game." Now! You can see how things are connected!" He pulled his cap over his eyelids and left. Before he could take a few steps outside, the door opened again, and his sinister and cunning silhouette came in through the crack of the door. "I forgot," said he, "you must prepare a coal fire." At the same time he threw in the woman's apron pocket the five-franc coin that the "philanthropist" had left him. "A coal fire?" the woman asked. "right." "How many buckets of coal do you want?" "Two buckets are enough." "It will cost you thirty sous. I shall spend the rest of the money on shopping and supper." "Damn it, that won't work." "why?" "Don't spend all this money." "why?" "Because I also have some things to buy." "what?" "something." "How much will it cost you?" "Is there a hardware store nearby?" "It's in Rue Mufta." "Ah, yes, it's on the corner of a street. I remember that shop." "You can always tell me how much you have to pay for your things?" "Fifty sous to three francs." "There's not much left to eat." "We can't talk about eating today. There are more important things to do." "That's enough, my darling." After hearing his wife's words, Jondrette closed the door again, and this time Marius heard his steps farther and farther down the passage, and quickly descended the stairs. At this moment, the clock of St. Mita's Church was striking one o'clock.