Join Host Bree Carlile as she reads the sixty-first chapter of Les Miserables.
Come with us as we release one bite a day of one of your favorite classic novels, plays & short stories. Bree reads these classics like she reads to her daughter, one chapter a day. If you love books or audiobooks and want something to listen to as you're getting ready, driving to work, or as you're getting ready for bed, check out Bite at a Time Books!
Follow, rate, and review Bite at a Time Books where we read you your favorite classics, one bite at a time. Available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Check out our website, or join our Facebook Group!
Get exclusive Behind the Scenes content on our YouTube!
We are now part of the Bite at a Time Books Productions network!
If you ever wondered what inspired your favorite classic novelist to write their stories, what was happening in their lives or the world at the time, check out Bite at a Time Books Behind the Story wherever you listen to podcasts.
Follow us on all the socials: Instagram - Twitter - Facebook - TikTok
>> Speaker A: Take a look, in the book and let's see
Speaker:what we can find.
Speaker:Take it chapter by chapter. One
Speaker:fight M at a time
Speaker:so many adventures and
Speaker:mountains we can climb
Speaker:to give word for word, line by
Speaker:line, one bite at a time.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Welcome.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: To bite at a time books where we read you your favorite
Speaker:classics one byte at a time. my name is Bre
Speaker:Carlisle and I love to read and wanted to share
Speaker:my passion with listeners like you. If you want
Speaker:to know whats coming next and vote on upcoming
Speaker:books, sign up for our
Speaker:newsletter@biteattimebooks.com dot.
Speaker:Youll also find our new t shirts in the shop,
Speaker:including podcast shirts and quote shirts from your
Speaker:favorite classic novels. Be sure to follow my
Speaker:show on your favorite podcast platform so you get all the new
Speaker:episodes. You can find most of our links in the
Speaker:show notes, but also our website,
Speaker:byteadatimebooks.com includes all of the links for
Speaker:our show, including to our Patreon to
Speaker:support the show and YouTube, where we have special
Speaker:behind the narration of the episodes were part
Speaker:of the byte at a Time Books productions network. If
Speaker:youd also like to hear what inspired your favorite classic
Speaker:authors to write their novels and what was going
Speaker:on in the world at the time, check out the bite at a
Speaker:time books behind the story podcast. Wherever
Speaker:you listen to podcasts, please note,
Speaker:while we try to keep the text as close to the original as
Speaker:possible, some words have been changed
Speaker:to honor the marginalized communities whove identified the
Speaker:words as harmful and to stay in alignment
Speaker:with Byte at a time books brand.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Values today well be
Speaker:continuing les miserable by Victor
Speaker:Hugo chapter Seven
Speaker:the Traveler, on his arrival, takes
Speaker:precautions for departure.
Speaker:It was nearly 08:00 in the evening when
Speaker:the cart which we left on the road entered the porte cochere
Speaker:of the Hotel de la Poste in Arras.
Speaker:The man whom we have been following up to this moment
Speaker:alighted from it, responded with an abstracted
Speaker:air to the attentions of the people of the inn, sent
Speaker:back the extra horse, and with his own hands led the
Speaker:little white horse to the stable. Then he
Speaker:opened the door of a billiard room which was situated on the ground
Speaker:floor, sat down there, and leaned his elbows on
Speaker:a table. He had taken 14 hours for the
Speaker:journey, which he had counted on making in six.
Speaker:He did himself the justice to acknowledge that it was not
Speaker:his fault, but at the bottom he was not sorry.
Speaker:The landlady of the hotel entered. Does
Speaker:Monsieur wish a bed? Does Monsieur require
Speaker:supper? He made the sign of the head in the
Speaker:negative. The stableman says that
Speaker:Monsieur's horse is extremely fatigued
Speaker:here. He broke his silence. Will not the
Speaker:horse be in a condition to set out again tomorrow morning? Oh,
Speaker:monsieur, he must rest for two days at least.
Speaker:He inquired, is not the posting station
Speaker:located here? Yes, sir.
Speaker:The hostess conducted him to the office. He
Speaker:showed his passport and inquired whether there was any way of returning that
Speaker:same night to M. M, sir. M. By the mail wagon.
Speaker:The seat beside the postboy chanced to be vacant.
Speaker:He engaged it and paid for it.
Speaker:Monsieur, said the clerk, do not fail
Speaker:to be here. Ready to start at precisely 01:00 in the
Speaker:morning. This done, he left the hotel
Speaker:and began to wander about the town. He was not
Speaker:acquainted with Aerys. The streets were dark and
Speaker:he walked on at random, but he seemed bent
Speaker:upon not asking the way of the passersby.
Speaker:He crossed the little river Crenshen and found himself
Speaker:in a labyrinth of narrow alleys where he lost his way.
Speaker:A citizen was passing along without a lantern.
Speaker:After some hesitation, he decided to apply to this
Speaker:man, not without having first glanced
Speaker:behind and in front of him, as though he feared
Speaker:lest someone should hear the question which he was about to put.
Speaker:Monsieur, said he, where, is the
Speaker:courthouse, if you please.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: You do not belong in town, sir.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Replied the bourgeois, who was an oldish man.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Well, follow me. I happen to be going in the
Speaker:direction of the court house, that is to say,
Speaker:in the direction of the hotel of the prefecture, for the
Speaker:courthouse is undergoing repairs just at this moment,
Speaker:and the courts are holding their sittings provisionally. In the
Speaker:prefecture.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Is it there the assizes are held? He
Speaker:asked.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Certainly, sir. You see, the prefecture of
Speaker:today was the bishops palace. Before the revolution,
Speaker:Monsieur de Condes, who was bishop in 82,
Speaker:built a grand hall there. It is in this grand hall
Speaker:that the court is held.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: On the way, the bourgeois said to.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Him, if Monsieur desires to witness a
Speaker:case, it is rather late. The sittings
Speaker:generally close. At 06:00.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: When they arrived on the grand square, however, the
Speaker:man pointed out to him four long windows, all lighted up
Speaker:in the front of a vast and gloomy building.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Upon my word, sir, you are in luck.
Speaker:You have arrived in season. Do you see those four
Speaker:windows? That is the court of assizes.
Speaker:There is light there, so they are not through. The matter
Speaker:must have been greatly protracted, and they are holding an evening
Speaker:session. Do you take an interest in this
Speaker:affair? Is this a criminal case?
Speaker:Are you a witness?
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: He replied. I have not come on any business.
Speaker:I only wish to speak to one of the lawyers.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: That is different, said the burgoy.
Speaker:Stop, sir. Here is the door where the sentry stands.
Speaker:You have only to ascend the grand staircase.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: He conformed to the burgoys directions, and
Speaker:a few minutes later he was in a hall containing many people,
Speaker:and where groups intermingled with lawyers in their
Speaker:gowns were whispering together here and there.
Speaker:It is always a heartbreaking thing to see these
Speaker:congregations of men robed in black,
Speaker:murmuring together in low voices on the threshold
Speaker:of the halls of justice. It is rare that
Speaker:charity and pity are the outcome of these words.
Speaker:Condemnations pronounced in advance are m more likely to be
Speaker:the result. All these groups seem to the
Speaker:passing and thoughtful observer so many somber hives,
Speaker:where buzzing spirits construct in concert all sorts of dark
Speaker:edifices. This spacious
Speaker:hall, illuminated by a single lamp, was the
Speaker:old hall of the episcopal palace and served as
Speaker:the large hall of the palace of Justice. A
Speaker:double leaved door, which was closed at that moment,
Speaker:separated it from the large apartment where the court was
Speaker:sitting. The obscurity was such that he
Speaker:did not fear to accost the first lawyer whom he met.
Speaker:What stage have they reached, sir? He asked.
Speaker:It is finished, said the lawyer.
Speaker:Finished. This word was repeated
Speaker:in such accents that the lawyer turned round.
Speaker:Excuse me, sir. Perhaps youre a relative?
Speaker:No, I, know no one here. Has judgment
Speaker:been pronounced? Of course. Nothing else was
Speaker:possible. To penal servitude
Speaker:for life, he continued in a
Speaker:voice so weak that it was barely audible.
Speaker:Then his identity was established. What
Speaker:identity? Replied the lawyer. There was no
Speaker:identity to be established. The matter was very
Speaker:simple. The woman had murdered her child,
Speaker:the infanticide was proved, the jury threw out the question
Speaker:of premeditation, and she was condemned for life.
Speaker:So it was a woman, said he. why,
Speaker:certainly. Limousine woman. What are you
Speaker:speaking? Nothing.
Speaker:But since it is all over, how comes it that the hall is
Speaker:still lighted for another case which was begun
Speaker:about 2 hours ago? What other
Speaker:case? Oh, this one is a clear case
Speaker:also. It is about a sort of blackguard, a
Speaker:man arrested for a second offense, a convict who
Speaker:has been guilty of theft. I dont know its name
Speaker:exactly. Theres a bandits fizz for you. Ill
Speaker:send him to the galleys on the strength of his face alone.
Speaker:Is there any way of getting into the courtroom, sir? Said
Speaker:he. I really think that there is not.
Speaker:Theres a great crowd. However, the hearing has been
Speaker:suspended. Some people have gone out, and when
Speaker:the hearing is resumed, you might make an effort. Wheres
Speaker:the entrance? Through yonder large door.
Speaker:The lawyer left him. In the course of a few
Speaker:moments. He had experienced almost
Speaker:simultaneously, almost intermingled with each other
Speaker:all possible emotions. The words of
Speaker:this indifferent spectator had in turn pierced his heart like
Speaker:needles of ice and like blades of fire. When
Speaker:he saw that nothing was settled, he breathed freely once
Speaker:more. But he could not have told whether what he felt
Speaker:was pain or pleasure. He drew
Speaker:near to many groups and listened to what they were saying.
Speaker:The docket of the session was very heavy.
Speaker:The president had appointed for the same day two short
Speaker:and simple cases. They had begun with the
Speaker:infanticide, And now they had reached the convict,
Speaker:the old offender, the return
Speaker:horse. This man had stolen apples. But
Speaker:that did not appear to be entirely proved.
Speaker:What had been proved was that he had already been in the galleys at
Speaker:Toulon. It was that which lent a bad
Speaker:aspect to this case. However, the mans
Speaker:examination and the depositions of the witnesses had been
Speaker:completed. But the lawyers
Speaker:plea and the speech of the public
Speaker:prosecutor was still to come. It could not be
Speaker:finished before midnight. The man would probably
Speaker:be condemned. The attorney general was
Speaker:very clever and never missed his culprits. He was a
Speaker:brilliant fellow who wrote verses. An
Speaker:usher stood at the door, communicating with the hall of
Speaker:assizes. He inquired of this usher,
Speaker:will the door be opened soon, sir? It will not
Speaker:be opened at all, replied the usher.
Speaker:What? It will not be opened when the hearing is
Speaker:resumed. Is not the hearing suspended?
Speaker:The hearing has just begun again, replied the
Speaker:usher. But the door will not be opened again.
Speaker:Why? Because the hall is full.
Speaker:What? Theres not room for one more?
Speaker:Not another one. The door is closed. No
Speaker:one can enter now, the usher added after
Speaker:a pause. There are, to tell the
Speaker:truth, two or three extra places behind Monsieur le president.
Speaker:But Monsieur le president only admits public functionaries to
Speaker:them. So saying, the usher turned his
Speaker:back. He retired with bowed
Speaker:head, traversed the antechamber, and slowly
Speaker:descended the stairs as though hesitating at every
Speaker:step. It is probable that
Speaker:he was holding council with himself. The violent
Speaker:conflict which had been going on within him since the preceding
Speaker:evening was not yet ended, and every moment
Speaker:he encountered some new phase of it. On
Speaker:reaching the landing place, he leaned his back against the balusters
Speaker:and folded his arms. All at once
Speaker:he opened his coat, drew out his
Speaker:pocketbook, took from it a pencil,
Speaker:tore out a leaf, and upon that leaf he wrote rapidly, by
Speaker:the light of the street lantern, this line
Speaker:Monsieur Madeleine, mayor of M. Sur M.
Speaker:Then he ascended the stairs once more, with great
Speaker:strides, made his way through the crowd, walked
Speaker:straight up to the usher, handed him the paper, and said in an
Speaker:authoritative manner. Take this to Monsieur
Speaker:le president. The usher took the
Speaker:paper, cast a glance upon it, and
Speaker:obeyed.
Speaker:Thank you for joining Bite at a time books today while we read
Speaker:a bite of one of your favorite classics.
Speaker:Again, my name is Brie Carlisle,
Speaker:and I hope you come back tomorrow for the next
Speaker:bite of Le Miserable.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Dont forget to sign up for our
Speaker:newsletter@biteattitimebooks.com. and check
Speaker:out the shop. You can check out the show notes or
Speaker:our website, biteadatatimebooks.com, for
Speaker:the rest of the links for our show. wed love to hear from you on
Speaker:social media as well.
Speaker:>> Brie Carlisle: Line by.
Speaker:>> Speaker A: Line, one bite at a time.