Page 2360 - les-miserables

irrefragable, evident from the very grief that it caused him,
rendered inquiries useless, and conferred authority on all
that that man had said.
Here, for Marius, there was a strange reversal of situa-
tions. What breathed from M. Fauchelevent? distrust. What
did Jean Valjean inspire? confidence.
In the mysterious balance of this Jean Valjean which the
pensive Marius struck, he admitted the active principle, he
admitted the passive principle, and he tried to reach a bal-
ance.
But all this went on as in a storm. Marius, while endeav-
oring to form a clear idea of this man, and while pursuing
Jean Valjean, so to speak, in the depths of his thought, lost
him and found him again in a fatal mist.
The deposit honestly restored, the probity of the confes-
sion— these were good. This produced a lightening of the
cloud, then the cloud became black once more.
Troubled as were Marius’ memories, a shadow of them
returned to him.
After all, what was that adventure in the Jondrette attic?
Why had that man taken to flight on the arrival of the po-
lice, instead of entering a complaint?
Here Marius found the answer. Because that man was a
fugitive from justice, who had broken his ban.
Another question: Why had that man come to the bar-
ricade?
For Marius now once more distinctly beheld that rec-
ollection which had re-appeared in his emotions like
sympathetic ink at the application of heat. This man had

2360 Les Miserables