Page 176 - les-miserables

CHAPTER XI

WHAT HE DOES

Jean Valjean listened. Not a sound.
He gave the door a push.
He pushed it gently with the tip of his finger, lightly, with
the furtive and uneasy gentleness of a cat which is desirous
of entering.
The door yielded to this pressure, and made an imper-
ceptible and silent movement, which enlarged the opening
a little.
He waited a moment; then gave the door a second and a
bolder push.
It continued to yield in silence. The opening was now
large enough to allow him to pass. But near the door there
stood a little table, which formed an embarrassing angle
with it, and barred the entrance.
Jean Valjean recognized the difficulty. It was necessary,
at any cost, to enlarge the aperture still further.
He decided on his course of action, and gave the door
a third push, more energetic than the two preceding. This
time a badly oiled hinge suddenly emitted amid the silence
a hoarse and prolonged cry.

176 Les Miserables