Page 1129 - les-miserables

A theatre poster presented itself, adorned with the title of
a tragedy from the ancient repertory called classic: ‘Down
with tragedy dear to the bourgeois!’ cried Bahorel. And
Marius heard Combeferre reply:—
‘You are wrong, Bahorel. The bourgeoisie loves tragedy,
and the bourgeoisie must be left at peace on that score. Be-
wigged tragedy has a reason for its existence, and I am not
one of those who, by order of AEschylus, contest its right to
existence. There are rough outlines in nature; there are, in
creation, ready-made parodies; a beak which is not a beak,
wings which are not wings, gills which are not gills, paws
which are not paws, a cry of pain which arouses a desire to
laugh, there is the duck. Now, since poultry exists by the
side of the bird, I do not see why classic tragedy should not
exist in the face of antique tragedy.’
Or chance decreed that Marius should traverse Rue Jean-
Jacques Rousseau between Enjolras and Courfeyrac.
Courfeyrac took his arm:—
‘Pay attention. This is the Rue Platriere, now called Rue
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, on account of a singular household
which lived in it sixty years ago. This consisted of Jean-
Jacques and Therese. From time to time, little beings were
born there. Therese gave birth to them, Jean-Jacques repre-
sented them as foundlings.’
And Enjolras addressed Courfeyrac roughly:—
‘Silence in the presence of Jean-Jacques! I admire that
man. He denied his own children, that may be; but he ad-
opted the people.’
Not one of these young men articulated the word: The

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