Page 901 - les-miserables

you in his hand for the purpose of getting a good look at you
close to, and then dropped you. Only, he meant to place you
in a man’s convent; he made a mistake. Come, there goes
another peal, that is to order the porter to go and inform
the municipality that the dead-doctor is to come here and
view a corpse. All that is the ceremony of dying. These good
ladies are not at all fond of that visit. A doctor is a man who
does not believe in anything. He lifts the veil. Sometimes he
lifts something else too. How quickly they have had the doc-
tor summoned this time! What is the matter? Your little one
is still asleep. What is her name?’
‘Cosette.’
‘She is your daughter? You are her grandfather, that is?’
‘Yes.’
‘It will be easy enough for her to get out of here. I have
my service door which opens on the courtyard. I knock.
The porter opens; I have my vintage basket on my back, the
child is in it, I go out. Father Fauchelevent goes out with his
basket—that is perfectly natural. You will tell the child to
keep very quiet. She will be under the cover. I will leave her
for whatever time is required with a good old friend, a fruit-
seller whom I know in the Rue Chemin-Vert, who is deaf,
and who has a little bed. I will shout in the fruit-seller’s ear,
that she is a niece of mine, and that she is to keep her for me
until to-morrow. Then the little one will re-enter with you;
for I will contrive to have you re-enter. It must be done. But
how will you manage to get out?’
Jean Valjean shook his head.
‘No one must see me, the whole point lies there, Father

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