, he perceived a pale girl standing before him.

The man underwent that shock which the unexpected always brings. He
bristled up in hideous wise; nothing is so formidable to behold as
ferocious beasts who are uneasy; their terrified air evokes terror.

He recoiled and stammered:--

"What jade is this?"

"Your daughter."

It was, in fact, Eponine, who had addressed Thenardier.

At the apparition of Eponine, the other five, that is to say,
Claquesous, Guelemer, Babet, Brujon, and Montparnasse had noiselessly
drawn near, without precipitation, without uttering a word, with the
sinister slowness peculiar to these men of the night.

Some indescribable but hideous tools were visible in their hands.
Guelemer held one of those pairs of curved pincers which prowlers call
fanchons.

"Ah, see here, what are you about there? What do you want with us? Are
you crazy?" exclaimed Thenardier, as loudly as one can exclaim and still
speak low; "what have you come here to hinder our work for?"

Eponine burst out laughing, and threw herself on his neck.

"I am here, little father, because I am here. Isn't a person allowed to
sit on the stones nowadays? It's you who ought not to be here. What
have you come here for, since it's a biscuit? I told Magnon so. There's
nothing to be done here. But embrace me, my good little father! It's a
long time since I've seen you! So you're out?"

Thenardier tried to disentangle himself from Eponine's arms, and
grumbled:--

"That's good. You've embraced me. Yes, I'm out. I'm not in. Now, get
away with you."

But Eponine did not release her hold, and redoubled her caresses.

"But how did you manage it, little pa? You must have been very clever to
get out of that. Tell me about it! And my mother? Where is mother? Tell
me about mamma."

Thenardier replied:--

"She's well. I don't know, let me alone, and be off, I tell you."

"I won't go, so there now," pouted Eponine like a spoiled child; "you
send me off, and it's four months since I saw you, and I've hardly had
time to kiss you."

And she caught her father round the neck again.

"Come, now, this is stupid!" said Babet.

"Make haste!" said Guelemer, "the cops may pass."

The ventriloquist's voice repeated his distich:--

"Nous n' sommes pas le jour de l'an,
"This isn't New Year's day
A becoter papa, maman."
To peck at pa and ma."

Eponine turned to the five