Chapter 216 Fourteen A police officer gave a lawyer two fists

At 14, Rue Pontoise, he went upstairs and asked to see the superintendent of the post. "Mr. Superintendent is out," said an irrelevant order, "but there is a scout taking his place. Would you like to speak to him? Is it urgent?" "Urgent," said Marius. The service led him into the director's office.A tall man was standing behind a fence, close to a fire, holding in both hands the hem of a large Garrick coat with three layers of shawls.The man had a square face, thin but powerful lips, two bushes of thick gray sideburns, an extremely rough appearance, and his eyes could turn your pockets over.Let us say that the gaze cannot penetrate but searches.

The man had a ferocious air, not much worse than Jondrette's, and sometimes we are no more at ease when we meet a vicious dog than we do when we meet a wolf. "What do you want?" he said to Marius, without addressing him as Monsieur. "Is it Mr. Director?" "He's not here. I'll take his place." "I'm going to talk about something very secret." "Let's talk then." "And it's urgent." "Then let's talk quickly." This person is calm and abrupt, making people feel scared and at ease when they see him.He instills fear and confidence.Marius told him what had happened, that a man whom he knew only by face would be assassinated that night; The wall heard the whole plot; Said that the chief murderer was a fellow named Jondrette; Said that this man had a gang of accomplices, perhaps some thieves, and among them was some kind of Bangzhuo, called Spring, and Bigger Nayer's; said that Jondrette's two daughters would serve as guards; said that he had no means of informing the murdered man, because he didn't even know his name; and finally said that all this would be at six o'clock that night. Do it, the location is the most desolate place on the hospital road, in the house No. 50-52.

When this number was mentioned, the scout raised his head and said coldly: "In the room at the bottom of the passage, then?" "Exactly," said Marius, adding, "do you know that house?" The scout was silent for a while, then, drying the heels of his boots on the stove, he answered: "On the surface." Gritting his teeth again, not all to Marius, but chiefly to his tie, he went on: "There are some hands and feet of the cat boss here." This reminded Marius. "Boss Cat," he said, "yes, I heard them mention that name."

So he told the scout about a conversation between a long-haired man and a bearded man on the snow behind the wall of Little Bankers Street. The scout muttered: "The long hair must be Brujon, and the beard is half a penny, or two billion." He lowered his eyelids to think again. "As for the old man, I guessed a little, too. Look, my coat's on fire. There's always too much fire in these wretched furnaces. Numbers five zero-five two. Used to be Gorbo's property. " Then he looked at Marius and said: "Do you see only the beard and the long hair?" "I also saw Bangzhuo."

"Didn't you see a nice little goblin?" "No." "Didn't you see a tall and strong man who was as big and solid as the elephant in the botanical garden?" "No." "Didn't you see a stick that looked like Red Tail?" "No." "As for the fourth, no one has seen it, not even his helpers, associates, and minions. It is not surprising that you did not find it." "Of course. What are these things, these people?" asked Marius. The scout continued: "And it's not their time." He fell silent again, and then said:

"No. 50-52. I know the place. There's no way to hide in the house without disturbing the artists. They can stop playing anytime. They're so modest! They're squeamish when they see an audience. That's not going to work, that's it." No. I want to hear them sing and make them dance." When the soliloquy was over, he turned to Marius, looked at him steadily, and said: "Are you afraid?" "What are you afraid of?" "Afraid of these people." "Nothing more frightening than seeing you," replied Marius gruffly, and he began to notice that the spy had not yet addressed him as Monsieur.

The scout now looked at Marius more steadily, and said to him solemnly: "You speak like a man of courage and like an honest man. Courage is not afraid of evil, and honesty is not afraid of officials." Marius interrupted him, saying: "Okay, but what are you going to do?" The scout simply answered him this way: "Everyone in that house has a Passepartout key, which they use to get home at night. You should have one too." "Yes," said Marius. "Have you brought it with you?" "On the body." "Give it to me," said the scout.

Marius took his key from his waistcoat pocket, handed it to the scout, and said: "If you believe me, you'd better take a few more people with you." The scout cast a glance at Marius, as if Voltaire had heard a rhyme offered to him by a member of the provincial Academy of Sciences, and at the same time thrust both of his monstrously stout hands into the two cuffs of his Garrick coat. Incomparable's pocket took out two small steel guns, the pistols called "fists", handed them to Marius, and said simply and hastily: "Take this. Go home and hide in your house. Let no one think you're at home. The guns are loaded. There's two in each. You keep watch. There's a hole in the wall, you As I said. When those people come, let them move a little bit. When you think the time has come and you should stop it in time, shoot, not too early. The rest is up to me. Shoot into the empty space, To the ceiling, anywhere. Be careful not to open too early. Wait until they've got their act together, and you're a lawyer and you know why."

Marius took the two pistols, and stuffed them in a side pocket of his coat. "It's a big bulge, so others can see it," said the scout. "It's better to put it in your vest pocket." Marius hid the two guns in two waistcoat pockets. "Now," continued the scout, "no one can waste another minute. What time is it? Two-thirty. They won't do anything until seven?" "Six o'clock," said Marius. "I still have time," said the scout, "but only so much time. You don't forget what I said. Bang. One shot." "Be at ease," replied Marius.

Marius was reaching out to pull the bolt, when the scout called to him: "I said, if you need me before then, you can come or send for me here. Just say you want Scout Javert."