sed before his very eyes, upon M. Fauchelevent, overcome,
little by little, by that lugubrious reality, and led, by the natural
inclination of the situation, to recognize the space which had just been
placed between that man and himself, Marius added:

"It is impossible that I should not speak a word to you with regard to
the deposit which you have so faithfully and honestly remitted. That is
an act of probity. It is just that some recompense should be bestowed on
you. Fix the sum yourself, it shall be counted out to you. Do not fear
to set it very high."

"I thank you, sir," replied Jean Valjean, gently.

He remained in thought for a moment, mechanically passing the tip of his
fore-finger across his thumb-nail, then he lifted up his voice:

"All is nearly over. But one last thing remains for me . . ."

"What is it?"

Jean Valjean struggled with what seemed a last hesitation, and, without
voice, without breath, he stammered rather than said:

"Now that you know, do you think, sir, you, who are the master, that I
ought not to see Cosette any more?"

"I think that would be better," replied Marius coldly.

"I shall never see her more," murmured Jean Valjean. And he directed his
steps towards the door.

He laid his hand on the knob, the latch yielded, the door opened. Jean
Valjean pushed it open far enough to pass through, stood motionless for
a second, then closed the door again and turned to Marius.

He was no longer pale, he was livid. There were no longer any tears
in his eyes, but only a sort of tragic flame. His voice had regained a
strange composure.

"Stay, sir," he said. "If you will allow it, I will come to see her. I
assure you that I desire it greatly. If I had not cared to see Cosette,
I should not have made to you the confession that I have made, I should
have gone away; but, as I desired to remain in the place where Cosette
is, and to continue to see her, I had to tell you about it honestly. You
follow my reasoning, do you not? it is a matter easily understood. You
see, I have had her with me for more than nine years. We lived first
in that hut on the boulevard, then in the convent, then near the
Luxembourg. That was where you saw her for the first time. You remember
her blue plush hat. Then we went to the Quartier des Invalides, where
there was a railing on a garden, the Rue Plumet. I lived in a little
back court-yard, whence I could hear her piano. That was my life. We
never left each other. T