Join Host Bree Carlile as she reads the sixty-sixth 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 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 my passion with listeners like you. If you

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>> Brie Carlisle: Values today well be

continuing. Les Miserable by Victor

Hugo Book

eight a counter blow

chapter one in what mirror

Monsieur madeleine contemplates his hair.

The day had begun to dawn.

Fantine had passed a sleepless and feverish

night filled with happy visions.

At daybreak, she fell asleep.

Sister Simplice, who had been watching with

her, availed herself of this slumber to go and prepare a

new potion of chinchona. The

worthy sister had been in the laboratory of the infirmary but a few

moments, bending over her drugs and

files and scrutinizing things

very closely on account of the

dimness which the half light of dawn spreads over all

objects. Suddenly she

raised her head and uttered a faint shriek.

Monsieur Madeleine stood before her. He

had just entered silently. is it you, mister mayor?

She exclaimed. He replied in a low

voice, how is that poor woman?

Not so bad just now, but we have

been very uneasy. she explained to him what had

passed, that Fantine had been very ill

the day before, and that she was better

now because she thought that the mayor had gone to

Montfermeil to get her child. The

sister dared not question the mayor,

but she perceived plainly from his air that he had

not come from there. All that is good,

said he. you were right not to undeceive her.

Yes, responded the sister.

But now, mister mayor, she will see you

and will not see her child. What shall

we say to her? He reflected for a

moment. God will inspire us,

said he. But, we cannot tell a

lie, murmured the sister half aloud.

It was broad daylight in the room. The

light fell full on monster Madeleines face.

The sister chanced to raise her eyes to it. Good

God, sir. She exclaimed, what has

happened to you? Your hair is perfectly

white. White? Said he.

Sister simplice had no mirror. She

rummaged in a drawer and pulled out the little glass which the doctor of

the infirmary used to see whether a patient

was dead and whether he no longer breathed.

Monster Madeleine took the mirror, looked at his

hair, and said, well.

He uttered the word indifferently, and

as though his mind were on something else.

The sister felt chilled by something strange, of which she caught a

glimpse. In all this he inquired,

can I see her? Is not

Monsieur le Maire going to have her child brought back to

her? Said the sister, hardly venturing to put

the question, of course, but it will take

two or three days at least. If she were

not to see Monsieur le Maire until that time

went on, the sister timidly. She would

not know that Monsieur le Maire had returned,

and it would be easy to inspire her with patience.

And when the child arrived, she would naturally think

Monsieur le Maire had just come with the child.

We should not have to enact a lie.

Monsieur Madeleine seemed to reflect for a few moments.

Then he said with his calm gravity, no,

sister, I must see her. I may perhaps

be in haste. The nun did

not appear to notice this word, perhaps,

which communicated an obscure and singular

sense to the words of the mayor's speech. She

replied, lowering her eyes and her voice

respectfully. In that case she

is asleep. But Monsieur le Maire may

enter. He made some remarks about

a door which shut badly, and the noise of which

might awaken the sick woman. Then he entered

fantines chamber, approached the bed, and drew

aside the curtains. She was

asleep. Her breath issued from her breast

with that tragic sound which is peculiar

to those maladies, and which breaks the hearts of

mothers when they are watching through the night beside their sleeping child whos

condemned to death. But this

painful respiration hardly troubled a sort of ineffable

serenity which overspread her countenance and

which transfigured her in her sleep.

Her pallor had become whiteness, her

cheeks were crimson, her long golden

lashes the only beauty of her youth and her

virginity, which remained to her

palpitated, though they remained

closed and drooping. Her whole

person was trembling with an indescribable unfolding

of wings, all ready to open wide and

bear her away, which could be felt

as they rustled, though they could not be

seen to see her thus.

One would never have dreamed that she was an invalid

whose life was almost despaired of. She

resembled rather something on the point of

soaring away than something on the point of dying.

The branch trembles when a hand approaches it to pluck a

flower and seems to both withdraw and offer

itself at one and the same time. The

human body has something of this tremor when the instant

arrives in which the mysterious fingers of

death are about to pluck the soul.

Monsieur Madeline remained for some time motionless beside that

bed, gazing in turn upon the sick woman

in the crucifix, as he had done two months

before on the day when he had come for the first

time to see her in that asylum.

They were both still there in the same attitude,

she sleeping, he praying.

Only now, after the lapse of two months. Her hair

was gray and his was white.

My sister had not entered with him.

He stood beside the bed with his fingers on his lips,

as though there were someone in the chamber whom he must enjoin the

silence. She opened her

eyes, saw him, and said

quietly, with a smile, and

Cosette, 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@byteoutimebooks.com, and

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

or our website, byteadatimebooks.com,

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

on social media as well.

>> Speaker A: Many adventures and

mountains we can climb.

Take your words forward, line by

line, one bite at a time.