Page 1829 - les-miserables

nouncement had become a profound piece of advice.
In this way it came about, that though he knew no
French, Father Hucheloup understood Latin, that he had
evoked philosophy from his kitchen, and that, desirous
simply of effacing Lent, he had equalled Horace. And the
striking thing about it was, that that also meant: ‘Enter my
wine-shop.’
Nothing of all this is in existence now. The Mondetour
labyrinth was disembowelled and widely opened in 1847,
and probably no longer exists at the present moment. The
Rue de la Chanvrerie and Corinthe have disappeared be-
neath the pavement of the Rue Rambuteau.
As we have already said, Corinthe was the meeting-place
if not the rallying-point, of Courfeyrac and his friends. It
was Grantaire who had discovered Corinthe. He had en-
tered it on account of the Carpe horas, and had returned
thither on account of the Carpes au gras. There they drank,
there they ate, there they shouted; they did not pay much,
they paid badly, they did not pay at all, but they were always
welcome. Father Hucheloup was a jovial host.
Hucheloup, that amiable man, as was just said, was a
wine-shop-keeper with a mustache; an amusing variety. He
always had an ill-tempered air, seemed to wish to intimi-
date his customers, grumbled at the people who entered his
establishment, and had rather the mien of seeking a quarrel
with them than of serving them with soup. And yet, we in-
sist upon the word, people were always welcome there. This
oddity had attracted customers to his shop, and brought
him young men, who said to each other: ‘Come hear Father

1829