Join Host Bree Carlile as she reads the fifth-fifth chapter of Les Miserables.

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>> Speaker A: Take a look, in the book and let's see

what we can find.

Take it chapter by chapter. One

fight M at a time.

>> Speaker B: So.

>> Speaker A: Many adventures and mountains

we can climb

to give word for word, line by

line, one bite at a time.

>> Brie Carlisle: Welcome to bite at a time books where we read you your

favorite classics one byte at a time. my name is

Bre Carlisle and I love to read and wanted to

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>> Brie Carlisle: Values today well be

continuing.

Les Miserable by Victor Hugo

Book 7th the Champ Mathieu

affair chapter one

sister simplice

the incidents the reader is about to peruse were

not all known at M sur M, but the small

portion of them which became known left such a memory in

that town that a serious gap would exist in this

book if we did not narrate them in their most minute

details. Among these details, the reader

will encounter two or three improbable

circumstances which we preserve out

of respect for the truth. On the afternoon

following the visit of Javert, Monsieur Madeleine went

to see Fantine. According to his wont,

before entering fantines room, he had Sister

simplice summoned, the two nuns who performed the services

of nurse in the infirmary. Lazarist

ladies, like all sisters of charity, bore

the names of Sister Perpetu and Sister

simplice. Sister Perpetu was an

ordinary villager, a sister of charity in a

coarse style, who had entered the service of God

as one enters any other service. She was

a nun. As other women are cooks,

this type is not so very rare. The

monastic orders gladly accept this heavy peasant

earthenware. Or is easily fashioned into a

capuchin or an ursuline. These rustics

are utilized for the rough work of devotion. The

transition from a drover to a Carmelite is not in the

least violent. The one turns into the

other without much effort. The fund of

ignorance common to the village and the cloister is a

preparation ready at hand. And places the

boar at once on the same footing as the monk.

A little more amplitude in the smock, and it

becomes a frock. Sister Pirpichu was a

robust nun from marines near Pointe.

Who chattered her patois, droned,

grumbled, sugared the potion according to the

bigotry or the hypocrisy of the invalid.

Treated her patients abruptly, roughly,

was grabbed with the dying, almost flung God in

their faces, stoned. Their death agony with

prayers mumbled in a rage. Was

bold, honest, and ruddy.

Sister simplice was white with a waxen

pallor. Besides Sister Perpetu, she

was the taper beside the candle. Vincent de

Paul has divinely traced the features of the sister of charity.

In these admirable words. In which he mingles

as much freedom as servitude. They shall have

for their convent only the house of the sick.

For cell, only a hired room. For

chapel only their parish church. For

cloister only the streets of the town and the wards of the

hospitals. For enclosure only

obedience. For greetings only the fear of

God. For veil only modesty.

This, ideal was realized in the living person of sister

simplice. She had never been young,

and it seemed as though she would never grow old.

No one could have told sister simplices age.

She was a person, we dare not say, a

woman who was gentle, austere,

well bred, cold, and who had never

lied. She was so gentle that she appeared

fragile, but she was more solid than

granite. She touched the unhappy with

fingers that were charmingly pure and fine.

There was, so to speak, silence

in her speech. She said just what was

necessary. And she possessed a tone of voice which would

have equally edified a confessional or enchanted a

drawing room. This delicacy accommodated

itself to the serge gown, finding in this

harsh contact a continual reminder of heaven

and of God. Let us emphasize

one never to have lied,

never to have said for any interest whatever, even

in indifference, any single thing which was not the

truth, the sacred truth, was sister

simplicity's distinctive trait. It was the accent

of her virtue. She was almost renowned in the

congregation. For this imperturbable veracity.

The abbe Sicard speaks of sister simplice in a letter

to the deaf mute. Monsieur, however pure

and sincere we may be, we all bear upon our

candor the crack of the little innocent lie.

She, did not little lie.

Innocent lie? Does such a thing

exist? To lie is the absolute form of

evil. To lie a little is not

possible. He who lies, lies. The

whole lie. To lie is the very face of the

demon. Satan has two

names. He is called Satan and

lying. That is what she thought.

And as, she thought, so she did.

The result was the whiteness which we have mentioned.

A whiteness which covered even her lips and her eyes with

radiance. Her smile was white. Her

glance was white. There was not a single spiders

webinar, not a grain of dust on the glass window of that

conscience. On entering the order of St.

Vincent de Paul. She had taken the name of simplice by

special choice. Simplice of Sicily,

as we know, is the saint who preferred to allow both her

breasts to be torn off. Rather than to say that she had

been born at Segesta. When she had been born at

Syracuse. A lie which would have saved

her. This patron saint suited this

soul. Sister simplice, on her entrance into

the order, had had two faults, which she had gradually

corrected. She had a taste for dainties,

and she liked to receive letters. She never

read anything but a book of prayers printed in Latin

in coarse type. She did not understand

Latin, but she understood the book. This

pious woman had conceived an affection for

Fantine, probably feeling a latent

virtue there. And she had devoted herself almost

exclusively to her career. Monser

Madeleine took Sister simplice apart. And recommended

Fantine to her in a singular tone. Which

the sister recalled later on. On leaving the

sister, he approached Fantine.

Fantine awaited Monsieur Madeleines appearance every day.

As one awaits a ray of warmth and joy.

She said to the sisters, I only live when

Monsieur le Maire is here. She had a great

deal of fever that day. as soon as she saw Monster Madeleine, she asked

him.

And Cosette, he replied with a

smile, soon

Monsieur Madeleine was the same as usual with Fantine.

Only he remained an hour instead of half an hour

to fantines great delight. He urged

everyone repeatedly not to allow the invalid to want for

anything. It was noticed that there was a moment

when his countenance became very sombre.

But this was explained when it became known that the

doctor had bent down to his ear. And said to him, she is losing ground

fast. Then he returned to the town

hall and the clerk observed him

attentively examining a roadmap of France

which hung in his study. He wrote a few figures on a bit

of paper with a pencil.

Thank you for joining Byte at a time books today while we

read a bite of one of your favorite classics.

Again, my name is Brie Carlisle and

I hope you come back tomorrow, for the next bite of

Le Miserable.

>> Brie Carlisle: Dont forget to sign up for our

newsletter@biteautatimebooks.com and

check out the shop. You can check out the show notes

or our website, byteaditimebooks.com,

for the rest of the links for our show. wed love to hear from you

on social media as well.

>> Speaker B: Take a look and look and let's

see what we can find

take it chapter by chapter one

good habit

so many adventures and

mountains we can climb

take your word forward line by

line.

>> Speaker A: One bite at a time.