door to after him.

It did not close; he turned round and beheld a hand which held the door
half open.

"What is it?" he asked, "who is there?"

It was the Jondrette girl.

"Is it you?" resumed Marius almost harshly, "still you! What do you want
with me?"

She appeared to be thoughtful and did not look at him. She no longer had
the air of assurance which had characterized her that morning. She did
not enter, but held back in the darkness of the corridor, where Marius
could see her through the half-open door.

"Come now, will you answer?" cried Marius. "What do you want with me?"

She raised her dull eyes, in which a sort of gleam seemed to flicker
vaguely, and said:--

"Monsieur Marius, you look sad. What is the matter with you?"

"With me!" said Marius.

"Yes, you."

"There is nothing the matter with me."

"Yes, there is!"

"No."

"I tell you there is!"

"Let me alone!"

Marius gave the door another push, but she retained her hold on it.

"Stop," said she, "you are in the wrong. Although you are not rich, you
were kind this morning. Be so again now. You gave me something to eat,
now tell me what ails you. You are grieved, that is plain. I do not want
you to be grieved. What can be done for it? Can I be of any service?
Employ me. I do not ask for your secrets, you need not tell them to me,
but I may be of use, nevertheless. I may be able to help you, since I
help my father. When it is necessary to carry letters, to go to houses,
to inquire from door to door, to find out an address, to follow any one,
I am of service. Well, you may assuredly tell me what is the matter with
you, and I will go and speak to the persons; sometimes it is enough if
some one speaks to the persons, that suffices to let them understand
matters, and everything comes right. Make use of me."

An idea flashed across Marius' mind. What branch does one disdain when
one feels that one is falling?

He drew near to the Jondrette girl.

"Listen--" he said to her.

She interrupted him with a gleam of joy in her eyes.

"Oh yes, do call me thou! I like that better."

"Well," he resumed, "thou hast brought hither that old gentleman and his
daughter!"

"Yes."

"Dost thou know their address?"

"No."

"Find it for me."

The Jondrette's dull eyes had grown joyous, and they now became gloomy.

"Is that what you want?" she demanded.

"Yes."

"Do you know them?"

"No."

"That is to say," she resumed quickly, "you do no