Page 50 - les-miserables

priest’s house in Chastelar he rejoined Mademoiselle Bap-
tistine and Madame Magloire, who were waiting for him,
and he said to his sister: ‘Well! was I in the right? The poor
priest went to his poor mountaineers with empty hands,
and he returns from them with his hands full. I set out bear-
ing only my faith in God; I have brought back the treasure
of a cathedral.’
That evening, before he went to bed, he said again: ‘Let us
never fear robbers nor murderers. Those are dangers from
without, petty dangers. Let us fear ourselves. Prejudices
are the real robbers; vices are the real murderers. The great
dangers lie within ourselves. What matters it what threat-
ens our head or our purse! Let us think only of that which
threatens our soul.’
Then, turning to his sister: ‘Sister, never a precaution on
the part of the priest, against his fellow-man. That which his
fellow does, God permits. Let us confine ourselves to prayer,
when we think that a danger is approaching us. Let us pray,
not for ourselves, but that our brother may not fall into sin
on our account.’
However, such incidents were rare in his life. We relate
those of which we know; but generally he passed his life in
doing the same things at the same moment. One month of
his year resembled one hour of his day.
As to what became of ‘the treasure’ of the cathedral of
Embrun, we should be embarrassed by any inquiry in that
direction. It consisted of very handsome things, very tempt-
ing things, and things which were very well adapted to be
stolen for the benefit of the unfortunate. Stolen they had

50 Les Miserables