Join Host Bree Carlile as she reads the forty-seventh 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

so many adventures and

mountains we can climb

to give word for word, line by

line, one bite at a time.

>> Brie Carlisle: Welcome.

>> Brie Carlisle: 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 share

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>> Brie Carlisle: Values today well be

continuing.

Les Miserable by Victor Hugo

chapter eight Madame Victurnian

expends 30 francs on morality

when Fantine saw that she was making her

living, she felt joyful for a moment

to live honestly by her own labor.

What mercy from heaven. The taste

for work had really returned to her. She bought a

looking glass, took pleasure in surveying in it

her youth, her beautiful hair, her fine

teeth. She forgot many things.

She thought only of Cosette and of the possible future,

and was almost happy. she hired a little room and furnished

on credit on the strength of her future work, a

lingering trace of her improvident ways.

As she was not able to say that she was married. She took

good care, as we have seen, not to mention her little

girl at first, as the reader

has seen. She paid the thenardiers promptly

as ah, she only knew how to sign her name. She was obliged to write through a

public letter writer. She wrote often,

and this was noticed. It began to

be said in an undertone in the womens workroom. That

Fantine wrote letters. And that she had ways

about her. Theres no one for spying on

peoples actions. Like those who are not concerned in them.

Why does that gentleman never come except at nightfall?

Why does mister so and so never hang his key on its nail on

Tuesday? Why does he always take the narrow

streets? Why does Madame always descend from her Hackney

coach before reaching her house? Why does she send out

to purchase six sheets of notepaper. When she has a whole station

in her shop full of it, etcetera?

There exist beings who, for the sake of obtaining the

key to these enigmas. Which are, moreover,

of no consequence whatever to them, spend

more money, waste, more time, take more

trouble than would be required for ten good actions.

And that gratuitously, for their own pleasure. Without

receiving any other payment for their curiosity than

curiosity, they will follow up such and such a man or woman

for whole days. They will do sentry

duty for hours at a time. On the corners of the

streets, under alleyway doors, at night,

in cold and rain. They will bribe

errand porters. They will make the drivers of hackney

coaches and lackeys tipsy, by a waiting maid,

Sabburna porter. Why?

For no reason. A pure passion for

seeing, knowing and penetrating into things.

A pure itch for talking. And often

these secrets, once known, these mysteries made

public. These enigmas, illuminated by the light of

day. Bring on catastrophes, duels,

failures, the ruin of families and broken

lives. To the great joy of those who have found out

everything. Without any interest in the matter. And by pure

instinct. A sad thing.

Certain persons are malicious solely through

a necessity for talking. Their

conversation, the chat of the drawing

room gossip of the anteroom. Is like those

chimneys which consume wood rapidly. They need

a great amount of combustibles. And their

combustibles are furnished by their neighbors.

So Fantine was watched. In addition,

many a one was jealous of her golden hair and of her white

teeth. It was remarked that in the workroom

she often turned aside in the midst of the rest.

To wipe away a tear. These were the

moments when she was thinking of her child.

Perhaps also of the man whom she had loved.

Breaking the gloomy bonds of the past is a mournful

task. It was observed that she wrote

twice a month at least. And that she paid the carriage. On the

letter they managed to obtain the address.

Monsieur. Monsieur Thenardier, innkeeper at

Montfermeil. The public

writer. A good old man who could not fill his stomach with

red wine. Without emptying his pocket of secrets

was made to talk in the wine shop. In

short, it was discovered that Fantine had

a child. She must be a pretty sort of a

woman. An old gossip was found who made the trip to

Montfermeil. Talked to the thenardiers

and said. On her return for my five and 30

francs, I have freed my mind. I have seen the

child. The gossip who did this thing

was a. Ah, Gorgon. Named Madame Victurnian.

The guardian and doorkeeper of everyones

virtue. Madame Victurnian was

56 and reinforced the mask of ugliness with

the mask of age. A quavering voice,

a whimsical mind. This old dame had

once been young. Astonishing fact.

In her youth. In 93, she had married a

monk. Who had fled from his cloister in a red cap.

And passed from the Bernardines to the Jacobins.

She was dry, rough, peevish, sharp,

captious, almost venomous. All this

in memory of her monk, whose widow she was. And who

had ruled over her masterfully. And bent her to his will.

She was a nettle in which the rustle of the cassock was visible.

At the restoration, she had turned bigot. And,

that was so much energy that the priests had forgiven her.

Her monk. She had a small property which she

bequeathed with much ostentation to a religious community.

She was in high favor at the episcopal palace of

Arras. So this Madame Victorian

went to Montfermeil and returned with the remark, ive seen

the child. All this took time.

Fantine had been at the factory for more than a year.

When one morning, the superintendent of the workroom

handed her 50 francs from the mayor, told her that

she was no longer employed in the shop. And requested

her, in the mayors name, to leave the neighborhood.

This was the very month when the thenardiers, after

having demanded twelve francs instead of six,

had just exacted 15 francs instead of

twelve. Fantine was

overwhelmed.

She could not leave the neighborhood. She was in debt for her

rent and furniture. 50 francs was not

sufficient to cancel this debt. She

stammered a few supplicating words. The

superintendent ordered her to leave the shop on the

instant. Besides, Fantine was only a moderately

good work woman. Overcome with shame, even

more than with despair. She quitted the shop and

returned to her room. So her

fault was now known to everyone.

She no longer felt strong enough to say a word.

She was advised to see the mayor. She did not

dare. The mayor had given her 50 francs

because he was good. And had dismissed her because he was

just. She bowed before the

decision. Thank you for joining bite at

a time. Books today, while we read a bite of one of your favorite

classics. Again, my name is Brie

Carlisle, and.

>> Brie Carlisle: I hope you come back tomorrow for.

>> Brie Carlisle: The next bite of Le Miserable.

>> Brie Carlisle: Don't forget to sign up for our

newsletter@biteauditimebooks.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

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>> Speaker A: Line by line, one bite at a time.