Page 2249 - les-miserables

CHAPTER III

MARIUS ATTACKED

One day, M. Gillenormand, while his daughter was putting
in order the phials and cups on the marble of the commode,
bent over Marius and said to him in his tenderest accents:
‘Look here, my little Marius, if I were in your place, I would
eat meat now in preference to fish. A fried sole is excellent
to begin a convalescence with, but a good cutlet is needed to
put a sick man on his feet.’
Marius, who had almost entirely recovered his strength,
collected the whole of it, drew himself up into a sitting pos-
ture, laid his two clenched fists on the sheets of his bed,
looked his grandfather in the face, assumed a terrible air,
and said:
‘This leads me to say something to you.’
‘What is it?’
‘That I wish to marry.’
‘Agreed,’ said his grandfather.—And he burst out laugh-
ing.
‘How agreed?’
‘Yes, agreed. You shall have your little girl.’
Marius, stunned and overwhelmed with the dazzling

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