Join Host Bree Carlile as she reads the fifteenth chapter of Les Miserables.
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Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Welcome.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: To bite at a time books where we read you your favorite
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Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Values today well be
Speaker:continuing.
Speaker:Les Miserable by Victor Hugo
Speaker:Book Second the fall
Speaker:chapter one the evening of a day of
Speaker:walking, early in the
Speaker:month of October, 1815, about
Speaker:an hour before sunset, a man who was traveling
Speaker:on foot entered the little town of Dee. The
Speaker:few inhabitants who were at their windows or on their thresholds at the
Speaker:moment stared at this traveler with a sort of
Speaker:uneasiness it was difficult to encounter.
Speaker:A wayfarer of more wretched appearance. He was a
Speaker:man of medium stature, thick set and
Speaker:robust. In the prime of life, he might
Speaker:have been 46 or 48 years old.
Speaker:A cap with a drooping leather visor partly concealed,
Speaker:his face burned and tanned by sun and
Speaker:wind and dripping with perspiration.
Speaker:His shirt, of coarse yellow linen, fastened at
Speaker:the neck by a small silver anchor, permitted, a view
Speaker:of his hairy breast. He had a cravat
Speaker:twisted into a string, trousers of blue
Speaker:drilling worn and threadbare white on one
Speaker:knee and torn on the other. An old grey
Speaker:tattered blouse patched on one of the elbows with a bit of
Speaker:green cloth sewed on with twine, a tightly
Speaker:packed soldier knapsack well buckled and perfectly new
Speaker:on his back, an enormous knotty stick in his
Speaker:hand, iron shod shoes on his stockingless
Speaker:feet, a shaved head and a long beard.
Speaker:The sweat, the heat, the journey
Speaker:on foot, the dust added, I know not what sordid
Speaker:quality to this dilapidated hole. His hair
Speaker:was closely cut, yet bristling, for it had begun
Speaker:to grow a little and did not seem to have been cut for some
Speaker:time. No one knew him.
Speaker:He was evidently only a chance passerby. whence
Speaker:came he?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: from the south?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: From the seashore, perhaps, for he made his
Speaker:entrance into d by the same street, which seven
Speaker:months previously, had witnessed the passage of the emperor
Speaker:Napoleon on his way from Caen to Paris.
Speaker:This man must have been walking all day. He
Speaker:seemed very much fatigued. Some women of the
Speaker:ancient market town, which is situated below the city, had
Speaker:seen him pause beneath the trees of the boulevard gassendi, and
Speaker:drink at the fountain, which stands at the end of the promenade.
Speaker:He must have been very thirsty, for the children who followed him
Speaker:saw him stop again for a drink 200 paces
Speaker:further on at the fountain in the marketplace.
Speaker:On arriving at the corner of the rue Pochevre,
Speaker:he turned to the left and directed his steps toward the town
Speaker:hall. He entered, then
Speaker:came out. A quarter of an hour later, gendarme,
Speaker:was seated near the door on the stone bench which General
Speaker:Dreaux had mounted on the 4 march to read to the frightened
Speaker:throng of the inhabitants of d. The proclamation of the
Speaker:gulf one. The man pulled off his cap and
Speaker:humbly saluted the gendarme. The gendarme,
Speaker:without replying to his salute, stared attentively at
Speaker:him, followed him for a while with his eyes, and then entered the
Speaker:town hall. There then existed at
Speaker:d a fine inn at the sign of the cross of Colbes.
Speaker:This inn had for a landlord, a certain Jacquin le
Speaker:bear a man of consideration in the town on account of
Speaker:his relationship to another labert, who kept the
Speaker:inn of the three Dauphines in Grenoble and
Speaker:had served in the guides at the time of the emperors
Speaker:landing. Many rumors had circulated throughout the
Speaker:country with regard to this inn of the three Dauphines.
Speaker:It was said that General Bertrand, disguised as a
Speaker:carter, had made frequent trips thither in the month of January,
Speaker:and that he had distributed crosses of honor to the soldiers
Speaker:and handfuls of gold to the citizens.
Speaker:The truth is that when the emperor entered Grenoble, he had
Speaker:refused to install himself at the hotel of the
Speaker:prefecture. He had thanked the mayor, saying, im
Speaker:going to the house of a brave man of my acquaintance. And
Speaker:he had betaken himself to the three Dauphines.
Speaker:This glory of the liber of the three Dauphines was
Speaker:reflected upon the liber.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Of the cross of Colbes, at a.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Distance of five and 20 leagues, it was said of him
Speaker:in the town, that is the cousin of the man of
Speaker:Grenoble.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: The man bent his steps towards this.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Inn, which was the best in the countryside.
Speaker:He entered the kitchen, which opened on a level with the
Speaker:street.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: All the stoves were lighted.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: A, huge fire blazed gaily in the fireplace.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: The host, who was also the chief.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Cook, was going from one stewpan to another, very
Speaker:busily superintending an excellent dinner designed for the
Speaker:wagoners, whose loud talking
Speaker:conversation and laughter were audible from an adjoining
Speaker:apartment. Anyone who has traveled
Speaker:knows that there is no one who indulges in better cheer than
Speaker:wagoners.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: A fat marmot flanked by white partridges.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: And heathercocks was turning on a long spit before the
Speaker:fire. On the stove, two huge carps
Speaker:from.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Lake Lisette and trout from Lake Alice were
Speaker:cooking. The host, hearing the door open
Speaker:and seeing a newcomer enter, said, without raising.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: His eyes from his stoves, what do you wish,
Speaker:sir?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Food and lodging, said the man. Nothing
Speaker:easier, replied the host. At that
Speaker:moment he turned his head, took in the travelers
Speaker:appearance with a single glance, and added, by
Speaker:paying for it. The man drew a large
Speaker:leather purse.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: From the pocket of his blouse and.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Answered, I have money.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: in that case, were at your.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Service, said the host.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: The man put his purse back in his pocket, removed
Speaker:his knapsack from his back, put it on the ground near the
Speaker:door, retained his stick in his hand, and seated
Speaker:himself on a low.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Stool close to the fire.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Dee is in the mountains. The evenings are cold there
Speaker:in October. But as the host went back and
Speaker:forth, he scrutinized the traveler. Will
Speaker:dinner be ready soon? Said the man.
Speaker:Immediately, replied the landlord.
Speaker:While the newcomer was warming himself before the fire with his
Speaker:back turned, the.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Worthy host, Jacquin le Bear, drew a pencil from his
Speaker:pocket, then tore off.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: The corner of an old newspaper which.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Was lying on a small table near the window.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: On the white margin he wrote a line or two,
Speaker:folded it without sealing.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: And then entrusted the scrap of paper.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: To a child who seemed to serve him in the
Speaker:capacity both of scullion and lackey. the landlord whispered
Speaker:a word in the scullion's ear. And the child set off on a run in the
Speaker:direction of the town hall. The traveler saw
Speaker:nothing of this. Once more he inquired,
Speaker:will dinner be ready soon? Immediately,
Speaker:responded the host. The child
Speaker:returned.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: He brought back the paper. The host unfolded
Speaker:it eagerly like a person who's expecting a reply.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: He seemed to read it attentively, then,
Speaker:tossed his head and remained thoughtful for a moment.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Then he took a step in the.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Direction of the traveler, who appeared to be immersed in reflections
Speaker:which were not very serene.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: I cannot receive you, sir, said he.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: The man half rose. What, are you
Speaker:afraid that I will not pay you? Do you want me to pay you in
Speaker:advance? I have money.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: I tell you it is not that.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: What, then?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: You have money?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Yes, said the man.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: And I, said, the host, have.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: No room, the man resumed
Speaker:tranquilly.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Put me in the stable.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: I cannot.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Why?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: The horses take up all the space.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Very well, retorted the man. A corner
Speaker:of the loft, then a truss of straw. We
Speaker:will see about that after dinner.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: I cannot give you any dinner.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: This declaration, made in a measured but.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Firm tone, struck the stranger his grave.
Speaker:He rose. Ah, bah.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: But I am dying of hunger. Ive been walking since
Speaker:sunrise. Ive traveled twelve leagues. I
Speaker:pay. I wish to eat.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: I have nothing, said the landlord.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: The man burst out laughing and turned towards the fireplace
Speaker:and the stoves. Nothing. And all
Speaker:that.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: All that is engaged.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: By whom?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Messiers, the wagoners.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: How many are there of them?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: twelve.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Theres enough food there for 20.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Theyve engaged the whole of it and paid for it in advance.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: The man seated himself again and said, without raising his
Speaker:voice, im at an inn. I am hungry,
Speaker:and I shall remain. then the host bent down to his ear and
Speaker:said in a tone which made him start, go
Speaker:away. At that moment,
Speaker:the traveler was bending forward and thrusting some brands
Speaker:into the fire. With the iron shot tip of his staff,
Speaker:he turned quickly round, and as, he opened his mouth to reply,
Speaker:the host gazed steadily at him and added, still in a low
Speaker:voice, stop.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Theres enough of that sort of talk. Do you want me to tell
Speaker:you your name? Your name is Jean Valjean.
Speaker:Now do you want me to tell you who you are? When I saw
Speaker:you come in, I suspected something I sent to
Speaker:the town hall, and this was the reply that was sent to me.
Speaker:Can you read?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: So saying, he held out to the stranger, Foley
Speaker:unfolded the paper which had just traveled from the inn to the town
Speaker:hall, and from the town hall to the inn.
Speaker:The man cast a glance upon it. The landlord
Speaker:resumed after a pause.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Im in the habit of being polite to everyone.
Speaker:Go away.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: The man dropped his head, picked up the knapsack
Speaker:which he had deposited on the ground, and took his
Speaker:departure. He chose the principal street.
Speaker:He walked straight on at a venture, keeping close to the
Speaker:houses like a sad and humiliated man.
Speaker:He did not turn around a single time. Had
Speaker:he done so, he would have seen the host of the cross of Colbus standing
Speaker:on his threshold, surrounded by all the guests of his
Speaker:inn and all the passersby in the street,
Speaker:talking vivaciously and pointing him out with his finger.
Speaker:And from the glances of terror and distrust cast
Speaker:by the group, he might.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Have divined that his arrival would speedily.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Become an event for the whole town. He saw
Speaker:nothing of this. People who are crushed do not
Speaker:look behind them. They know but too well the evil fate
Speaker:which follows them. Thus he proceeded for
Speaker:some time, walking on without ceasing,
Speaker:traversing it. Random streets of which he knew nothing.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Forgetful of his fatigue, as is often.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: The case when a man is sad all at once
Speaker:he felt the pangs of hunger sharply. Night
Speaker:was drawing near. He glanced about him to see
Speaker:whether he could not discover some shelter. The fine
Speaker:hostelry was closed to him. He was seeking some
Speaker:very humble public house, some hovel,
Speaker:however lowly. Just then a
Speaker:light flashed up at the end of the streets. A pine
Speaker:branch suspended from a crossbeam of iron was outlined against the
Speaker:white sky of the twilight. He proceeded
Speaker:thither. It proved to be, in fact,
Speaker:a public house. The public house, which is
Speaker:the rue des chefo. The wayfarer halted
Speaker:for a moment and peeped through the window into the interior of the
Speaker:low studded room of the public house, illuminated by
Speaker:a small lamp on a table and by a large fire on the
Speaker:hearth. Some men were engaged in drinking
Speaker:there. The landlord was warming himself.
Speaker:An iron pot suspended from a crane bubbled
Speaker:over the flame. The entrance to this public
Speaker:house, which is also a sort of an inn.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Is by two doors.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: One opens on the street, the other upon a
Speaker:small yard filled with manure. The traveler dare
Speaker:not enter by the street door. He slipped into the
Speaker:yard, halted again, then raised the latch
Speaker:timidly and opened the door. Who goes
Speaker:there? Said the master. Someone who wants
Speaker:supper in bed. Good. We furnished supper and
Speaker:bed here he entered. All the
Speaker:men who were drinking turned round. The lamp
Speaker:illuminated him on one side, the firelight on
Speaker:the other. They examined him for some time. While he
Speaker:was taking off his knapsack, the host said to
Speaker:him, theres the fire, the suppers cooking in the
Speaker:pot come and warm yourself, comrade.
Speaker:He approached and seated himself near the hearth.
Speaker:He stretched out his feet, which were.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Exhausted with fatigue, to the fire.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: A fine odor was emitted by the pot.
Speaker:All that could be distinguished of his face beneath his cap, which
Speaker:was well pulled down, assumed a vague appearance of
Speaker:comfort mingled with that other poignant
Speaker:aspect which habitual suffering bestows.
Speaker:It was, moreover, a firm, energetic
Speaker:and melancholy profile. This
Speaker:physiognomy was strangely composed. It
Speaker:began by seeming humble and ended by seeming
Speaker:severe. The eye shone beneath its lashes like a
Speaker:fire beneath brushwood.
Speaker:One of the men seated at the table, however, was a
Speaker:fishmonger, who, before entering the public house of the rue
Speaker:Deschafeau, had been to stable his horse at labers.
Speaker:It chanced that he had, that very morning encountered
Speaker:this unprepossessing stranger on the road between Bras
Speaker:d'Ace and Ive forgotten the
Speaker:name. I think it was Escublan.
Speaker:Now, when he met him, the man, who then seemed
Speaker:already extremely weary, had requested him to take him
Speaker:on his crupper, which the fishmonger had made no
Speaker:reply except by redoubling his
Speaker:gait. This fishmonger had been a member
Speaker:half an hour previously of the group which surrounded Jacquin
Speaker:Lebert and had himself related his
Speaker:disagreeable encounter of the morning to.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: The people at the cross of Colbes.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: From where he sat, he made an imperceptible sign
Speaker:to the tavern keeper. The tavern keeper went
Speaker:to him. They exchanged a few words in a low
Speaker:tone. The man had again become absorbed in
Speaker:his reflections. The tavern keeper returned to
Speaker:the fireplace, laid his hand abruptly on the shoulder of the
Speaker:man, and said to him.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: You'Re going to get out of here.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: The stranger turned round and replied gently,
Speaker:ah, you know.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Yes.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: I was sent away from the other.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Inn, and youre to be turned out of this one.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Where would you have me go?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Elsewhere.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: The man took his stick in his knapsack and
Speaker:departed. As he went out, some
Speaker:children who had followed him from the cross of Colbus and who
Speaker:seemed to be lying in wait for him, threw stones at
Speaker:him. He retraced his steps in anger and
Speaker:threatened them with his stick. The children dispersed
Speaker:like a flock of birds. He passed before the
Speaker:prison. At the door hung an iron chain attached
Speaker:to a bell. He rang the
Speaker:wicket, opened turnkey. said he, removing
Speaker:his cap politely, will you have the kindness
Speaker:to admit me and give me a lodging for the night?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: A voice replied, the prison is
Speaker:not an inn. Get yourself arrested and you
Speaker:will be admitted.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: The wicket closed again. He entered a
Speaker:little street in which there were many gardens.
Speaker:Some of them are enclosed only by hedges, which lends a
Speaker:cheerful aspect to the street. In the midst of
Speaker:these gardens and.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Hedges, he caught sight of a small.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: House of a single story, the, window of which was lighted
Speaker:up. He peered through the pane as he had done at the
Speaker:public house. Within was a large
Speaker:whitewashed room with a bed draped in printed cotton
Speaker:stuff and a cradle in one corner, a
Speaker:few wooden chairs and a double barreled gun hanging on the
Speaker:wall. A table was spread in the center of the
Speaker:room. A copper lamp illuminated the
Speaker:tablecloth of coarse white linen, the pewter
Speaker:jug shining like silver and filled with wine, and the
Speaker:brown smoking soup tureen. At
Speaker:this table sat a man of about 40 with a
Speaker:merry and open countenance, who was dandling a
Speaker:little child on his knees. Close by. A
Speaker:very young woman was nursing another child.
Speaker:The father was laughing. The child was
Speaker:laughing. The mother was smiling. The
Speaker:stranger paused a moment in reverie. Before this tender and
Speaker:calming spectacle. What was taking place
Speaker:within him, he alone could have told.
Speaker:It is probable that he thought that this joyous house would
Speaker:be hospitable, and that in a place where he beheld so
Speaker:much happiness, he would find perhaps a little
Speaker:pity. He tapped on the pane with a
Speaker:very small and feeble knock. They did not hear
Speaker:him. He tapped again. He heard
Speaker:the woman say, it seems to me, husband,
Speaker:that someone is knocking. No, replied the
Speaker:husband. He, tapped a third time.
Speaker:The husband rose, took the lamp, and
Speaker:went to the door, which he opened.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: He was a man of lofty stature.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Half peasant, half artisan. He wore a
Speaker:huge leather apron which reached to his left shoulder,
Speaker:in which a hammer, a red handkerchief, a powder
Speaker:horn, and all sorts of objects which were upheld by the
Speaker:girdle, as in a pocket, caused a bulge out.
Speaker:He carried his head thrown backwards, his
Speaker:shirt, widely opened and turned back,
Speaker:displayed his bull neck, white and bare.
Speaker:He had thick eyelashes, enormous black
Speaker:whiskers, prominent eyes, the lower part
Speaker:of his face like a snout. And besides all this,
Speaker:that air of being on his own ground, which is
Speaker:indescribable. Pardon me, sir,
Speaker:said the wayfarer, could you, in
Speaker:consideration of payment, give me a plate of
Speaker:soup and a corner of that shed yonder in the garden in which to
Speaker:sleep? Tell me, can you, for
Speaker:money?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Who are you?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Demanded the master of the house, the man
Speaker:replied. I have just come from Poit Maison.
Speaker:I have walked all day long. Ive traveled twelve
Speaker:leagues. Can you? If I
Speaker:pay?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: I would not refuse, said the peasant
Speaker:to lodge any respectable man who would pay me.
Speaker:Why do you not go to the inn?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Theres no room.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Impossible. This is neither a fair nor
Speaker:market day. Have you been to labarre?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Yes. Well, the traveler
Speaker:replied with embarrassment. I do not know. He
Speaker:did not receive me.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Have you been to whats names in the rue Chaufeux?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: A strangers? Embarrassment increased. He
Speaker:stammered, he did not receive me
Speaker:either. The peasants countenance assumed an
Speaker:expression of distrust.
Speaker:He surveyed the newcomer from head to feet.
Speaker:And suddenly exclaimed with a sort of.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Shudder, are you the man?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: He cast a fresh glance upon the stranger, took
Speaker:three steps backwards. Placed the lamp on the
Speaker:table. And took his gun down from the wall.
Speaker:Meanwhile, at the words, are you the man? The woman had
Speaker:risen, had clasped her two children in her arms.
Speaker:And had taken refuge precipitately behind her husband.
Speaker:Staring in terror at the stranger. With her bosom
Speaker:uncovered and with frightened eyes, she murmured
Speaker:in a low tone, Shau Murad.
Speaker:All this took place in less time than it requires to picture it to
Speaker:oneself. After having scrutinized the man for several
Speaker:moments. As one scrutinizes a viper. The
Speaker:man of the house returned to the door and said, clear
Speaker:out, for pitys sake. A glass of water,
Speaker:said the man.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: A shot from my gun, said, the peasant.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Lennie closed the door violently. And the man heard him shoot
Speaker:two large bolts. A moment later, the window
Speaker:shutter was closed. And the sound of a bar of iron which was placed
Speaker:against it. Was audible outside. Night
Speaker:continued to fall. A cold wind from the
Speaker:Alps was blowing. By the light of the expiring
Speaker:day. The, stranger perceived in one of the gardens which bordered the
Speaker:street. A sort of hut which
Speaker:seemed to him to be built of sods. He
Speaker:climbed over the wooden fence resolutely. And found himself in the
Speaker:garden. He approached the hut.
Speaker:Its store consisted of a very low and narrow
Speaker:aperture. And it resembled those buildings. Which
Speaker:road laborers construct for themselves along the roads.
Speaker:He thought without doubt that it was in fact
Speaker:the dwelling of a road laborer. He was suffering from
Speaker:cold and hunger, but this was at least a shelter from the
Speaker:cold. This sort of dwelling is
Speaker:not usually occupied at night. He threw himself
Speaker:flat on his face. And crawled into the hut.
Speaker:It was warm there, and he found a tolerably
Speaker:good bed of straw. He lay for a moment
Speaker:stretched out on this bed. Without the power to make a
Speaker:movement. So fatigued was he
Speaker:then. As the knapsack on his back was in his way.
Speaker:And as it furnished, moreover, a pillow ready to his
Speaker:hand. He set about unbuckling one of the
Speaker:straps. At that moment, a ferocious
Speaker:growl became audible. He raised his
Speaker:eyes. The head of an enormous dog was
Speaker:outlined in the darkness at the entrance of the hut.
Speaker:It was a dogs kennel. He
Speaker:himself vigorous and formidable. He armed himself with
Speaker:his staff, made a shield of his knapsack, and made his way out
Speaker:of the kennel in the best way he could, not without
Speaker:enlarging the rents in its rags. He left the
Speaker:garden in the same manner but backwards, being
Speaker:obliged in order to keep the dog respectful, to
Speaker:have recourse to that maneuver with his stick, which masters in that
Speaker:sort of fencing designate as larose couvre.
Speaker:When he had not without difficulty
Speaker:repassed the fence and found himself once more in
Speaker:the street, alone, without
Speaker:refuge, without shelter, without a roof over
Speaker:his head, chased even from that bed of straw and
Speaker:from that miserable kennel, he
Speaker:dropped rather than seated himself on a
Speaker:stone. And it appears that a passerby heard
Speaker:him exclaim, I am not even a dog.
Speaker:He soon rose again and resumed his march.
Speaker:He went out of the town, hoping to find some tree or
Speaker:haysack in the fields which would afford him shelter.
Speaker:He walked thus for some time with his head still
Speaker:drooping. When he felt himself far from every
Speaker:human habitation, he raised his eyes and gazed
Speaker:searchingly about him. He was in a field.
Speaker:Before him was one of those low hills covered with close cut
Speaker:stubble, which after the harvest resemble
Speaker:shaved heads. The horizon was perfectly
Speaker:black. This was not alone the
Speaker:obscurity of night. It was caused by very low
Speaker:hanging clouds, which seemed to rest upon the hill
Speaker:itself, and which were mounting and filling the whole
Speaker:sky. Meanwhile, as the moon was about to
Speaker:rise, and as, there was still floating in the zenith a remnant of
Speaker:the brightness of twilight, these clouds
Speaker:formed at the summit of the sky a sort of whitish
Speaker:arch, whence a gleam of light fell upon the
Speaker:earth. The earth was thus better lighted than the
Speaker:sky, which produces a particularly
Speaker:sinister effect in the hill, whose
Speaker:contour was poor and mean, was outlined, vague and
Speaker:wan against the gloomy horizon. The whole
Speaker:effect was hideous, petty, lugubrious
Speaker:and narrow. There was nothing in the field or
Speaker:on the hill except a deformed tree which
Speaker:writhed and shivered a few paces distant from the
Speaker:wayfarer. This man was evidently
Speaker:very far from having those delicate habits of intelligence and
Speaker:spirit which render one sensible to the mysterious
Speaker:aspects of things. Nevertheless, there was
Speaker:something in that sky, in that hill, in that
Speaker:plain, in that tree, which was so
Speaker:profoundly desolate that after a moment of immobility
Speaker:and reverie, he turned back
Speaker:abruptly. There are instants when
Speaker:nature seems hostile. He retraced his
Speaker:steps. The gates of D were closed.
Speaker:D, which had sustained sieges during the wars of religion,
Speaker:was still surrounded in 1815 by
Speaker:ancient walls flanked by square towers, which,
Speaker:have been demolished since he passed
Speaker:through a breach and entered the town again.
Speaker:It might have been 08:00 in the evening. As he was
Speaker:not acquainted with the streets, he recommenced his walk
Speaker:at random. in this way he came to the prefecture, then to the
Speaker:seminary. As he passed through the cathedral
Speaker:square, he shook his fist at the church. At
Speaker:the corner of this square, theres a printing establishment.
Speaker:It is there that the proclamations of the emperor and
Speaker:of the imperial guard to the army, brought from the island of
Speaker:Elba and dictated by Napoleon himself, were printed for
Speaker:the first time. Worn out with
Speaker:fatigue and no longer entertaining any hope,
Speaker:he lay down on a stone bench which stands at the doorway of this
Speaker:printing office. At that moment,
Speaker:an old woman came out of the church. She saw the
Speaker:man stretched out in the shadow.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: What are you doing there, my friend?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Said she. he answered harshly and angrily,
Speaker:as you see, my good woman, I am sleeping.
Speaker:The good woman, who was well worthy of the name, in
Speaker:fact, was the Marquis d'art. On
Speaker:this bench, she went on, ive had
Speaker:a mattress of wood for 19 years, said the
Speaker:man. Today I have a mattress of stone.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: You have been a soldier?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Yes, my good woman, a soldier.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Why do you not go to the inn?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Because I have no money.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Alas, said Madame des are.
Speaker:I have only four sous in my purse.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Give it to me all the same.
Speaker:The man took the four sous. Madame de
Speaker:ar continued, you cannot obtain.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Lodgings in an inn for so small a sum.
Speaker:But have you tried? It is impossible for you
Speaker:to pass the night thus. You are cold and
Speaker:hungry. No doubt someone might have given you a
Speaker:lodging out of charity.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: ive knocked at all doors. Well,
Speaker:ive been driven away everywhere. The
Speaker:good woman touched the mans arm and pointed out to him,
Speaker:on the other side of the street, a small low house
Speaker:which stood beside the bishops palace.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: You have knocked at all doors?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Yes.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Have, you knocked at that one? No
Speaker:knock there.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Thank you for joining bite at a time books today while
Speaker:we read a bite of one of your favorite classics.
Speaker:Again, my name is Brie Carlisle, and I
Speaker:hope you come back tomorrow for the next bite of
Speaker:le Miserable M.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: dont forget to sign up for our
Speaker:newsletter@byteadatimebooks.com and check
Speaker:out the shop. You can check out the show notes or
Speaker:our website, byteaditimebooks.com, for
Speaker:the rest of the links for our show. Wed love to
Speaker:hear from you on social media as well.
Speaker:>> Speaker A: So many adventures and
Speaker:mountains we can climb
Speaker:to get words go word line by
Speaker:line, one bite at a time.