Join Host Bree Carlile as she reads the sixty-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

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 eleven

champ Mathieu more and more

astonished. It

was he. In fact. The

clerks lamp illumined his countenance. He

held his hat in his hand. There was no disorder

in his clothing. His coat was carefully

buttoned. He was very pale and he trembled

slightly. His hair, which had still been

gray on his arrival in Aerys, was now entirely

white. It had turned white during the hour he

had sat there. All heads were

raised. The sensation was

indescribable. There was a momentary

hesitation in the audience. The voice

had been so heartrending. The man who stood there

appeared so calm that they did not understand at

first. They asked themselves whether he had

indeed uttered that cry. They could not

believe that that tranquil man had been the one to give that terrible

outcry. This indecision

only lasted a few seconds, even before

the president and the district attorney could utter a word,

before the ushers and the gendarmes could make a

gesture. The man whom allstill called

at that moment, Monsieur Madeleine had advanced

towards the witnesses, cockapel, brevet, and channeled

you. Do you not recognize me?

>> Speaker A: Said,

>> Brie Carlisle: He, All three remained speechless and

indicated by a sign of the head. They did not know him.

Cockapel, who was intimidated, made a military

salute. Monsieur Madeleine turned towards

the jury in the court and said in a gentle voice,

gentlemen of the jury, order the prisoner to

be released. Mister president, have me

arrested. He is not the man whom you are in

search of. It is I. I am

Jean Valjean. Not

a mouth breathed. The first commotion of

astonishment had been followed by a silence like that of the

grave. Those within the hall experienced

that sort of religious terror which seizes the masses when

something grand has been done. In the

meantime, the face of the president was stamped with sympathy

and sadness. He had exchanged a rapid

sign with the district attorney. And a few low toned words

with the assistant judges. He addressed the

public and asked in accents which all

understood, is there a physician

present? The district attorney took the

word.

Gentlemen of the jury, the very strange

and unexpected incident which disturbs the audience.

Inspires us, like yourselves, only

with a sentiment which is unnecessary for us to

express. You all know my m

reputation, at least. The honorable Monsieur Madeleine,

mayor of M. Sur M m. If theres a

physician in the audience, we join the president in

requesting him to attend to Monsieur Madeleine and

to conduct him to his home. Monsieur

Madeleine did not allow the district attorney to finish.

He interrupted him in accents full of suavity and

authority. These are the words which he

uttered here. Theyre literally

as they were written down immediately after the

trial by one of the witnesses to the scene. And

as they now ring in the ears of those who heard them nearly 40 years

ago. I thank you, mister district attorney,

but I am not mad. You shall see. You are

on the point of committing a great error. Release this

man. I am fulfilling a duty. I

am that miserable criminal. I am the only one

here who sees the matter clearly. And I am telling you

the truth. God, whos on high, looks down

on what im doing at this moment. And that suffices.

You can take me, for here I am. But I have done

my best. I concealed myself under another

name. Ive become rich. Ive become a mayor. Ive

tried to re enter the ranks of the honest. It seems that

that is not to be done. In short, there are many

things which I cannot tell. I will not narrate the story of

my life to you. You will hear it one of these days.

I robbed Monsignor the bishop. It is

true. It is true that I robbed little

Dravaille. They were right in telling you that Jean

Valjean was a very vicious wretch. Perhaps it

was not altogether his fault. Listen, honorable

judges. A man who has been so greatly humbled as I have.

Has neither any remonstrances to make providence.

Nor any advice to give to society. But, you

see, the infamy from which I have tried to escape. Is an

injurious thing. The galleys make the convict

what he is. Reflect upon that, if you please.

Before going to the galleys, I was a poor peasant with very

little intelligence, a sort of idiot.

The galleys wrought a change in me. I was

stupid. I became vicious. I was a block of wood. I

became a firebrand. Later on,

indulgence and kindness saved me. As, severity had ruined

me. But pardon me. You cannot understand

what im saying. You will find at my house, among

the ashes in the fireplace. A 40 sou piece

which I stole seven years ago from little Dravai.

I have nothing further to add. Take

me. Good, God. The district attorney shakes his

head. You say Monsieur Madeleine has gone

mad. You do not believe me. This is

distressing. Do not at least condemn this

man. What? These men do not recognize

me. I wish Javert were here. He would

recognize me. Nothing can

reproduce the sombre and kindly melancholy of tone.

Which accompanied these words. He turned

to the three convicts and said, well, I

recognize you. Do you remember brevet?

He paused, hesitated for an instant.

And said, do you remember the knitted

suspenders with a checked pattern which you wore in the

galleys? Brevet gave a

start of surprise. And surveyed him from head to foot. With a

frightened air, he continued, channel

jew, you who conferred on yourself the name of Ginny

Dew. Your whole right shoulder bears a deep burn.

Because you one day laid your shoulder against the chafing dish full of

coals. In order to efface the three letters

TFP, which are still visible

nevertheless. Is

this true? It is true, said

Chnelju. He addressed himself to

Cockapail. Cockapail. You have near the bend in

your left arm a date stamped in blue letters with burnt

powder. The date is that of the landing of the

emperor at Canis, March 1, 1815.

Pull up your sleeve.

Cockapelle pushed up his sleeve. All

eyes were focused on him. And on his bare arm,

Ajin Dharm held a light close to it.

There was the date. The unhappy man

turned to the spectators and the judges with a smile which still

rends the heart of all who saw it whenever they think of

it. It was a smile of triumph.

It was also a smile of despair.

You see plainly, he said, that

I am Jean Valjean.

In that chamber, there were no longer either

judges, accusers, nor gendarmes.

There was nothing but staring eyes and sympathizing

hearts. No one recalled any longer

the part that each might be called upon to play.

The district attorney forgot he was there for the purpose of

prosecuting the president, that he was there to

preside the counsel for the defense, that he was there

to defend. It was a striking

circumstance that no question was put, that

no authority intervened. The peculiarity

of sublime spectacles is that they capture all souls

and turn witnesses into spectators.

No one probably could have explained what he

felt. No one probably said to

himself that he was witnessing the splendid outburst of a grand

light. All felt themselves inwardly

dazzled. It was evident that they had Jean

Valjean before their eyes. That was

clear. The appearance of this man had

sufficed to suffuse with light that matter which had been

so obscure but a moment previously,

without any further explanation.

The whole crowd, as, by a sort of electric

revelation, understood instantly and at a

single glance the simple and magnificent history of a man

who was delivering himself up so that another man

might not be condemned in its stead. The

details, the hesitations,

little possible oppositions were swallowed up in

that vast and luminous fact. It was

an impression which vanished speedily,

but which was irresistible. At the moment. I

do not wish to disturb the court further resumed Jean

Valjean. I shall withdraw since you do not

arrest me. I have many things to do. The

district attorney knows who I am. He knows whither I am

going. He can have me arrested when he

likes. He directed his steps

towards the door. Not m. A voice was

raised, not an arm extended to hinder

him. All stood aside.

At that moment. There was about him that divine

something which causes multitudes to stand aside and make way

for a man. He traversed the crowd

slowly. It was never known who

opened the door, but it is certain that he found the door open when he reached

it. On arriving there, he turned round and

said, I am at your command, Mister district

attorney. Then he addressed the audience. All

of you, all who are present consider me worthy

of pity, do you not? Good God. When I

think of what I was on the point of doing, I consider that I am to be

envied. Nevertheless, I should have preferred not to have

had this occurred. He

withdrew, and the door closed behind him as

it had opened. For those who do certain

sovereign things are always sure of being served by someone in

the crowd. Less than an hour after

this, the verdict of the jury freed the said champ, mathieu, from all

accusations and chant. Mathieu, being

at once released, went off in a state of

stupefaction, thinking that all men were

fools and comprehending nothing of this

vision.

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

I hope you come back tomorrow for the next bite

of Le Miserable.

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

newsletter@biteautotimebooks.com and

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

or our website, biteadittimebooks.com,

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

on social media as well.

>> Speaker A: M

Line by line, one bite at a time.