Historymaker: Created page with "Les Misérables, Volume 3: Marius, Book Sixth: The Conjunction of Two Stars, Chapter 7: Adventures of the Letter U delivered over to Conjectures
(Tome 3: Marius, L..."

2014-03-03T22:49:44Z

Created page with "Les Misérables, Volume 3: Marius, Book Sixth: The Conjunction of Two Stars, Chapter 7: Adventures of the Letter U delivered over to Conjectures<br /> (Tome 3: Marius, L..."

New page

Les Misérables, Volume 3: Marius, Book Sixth: The Conjunction of Two Stars, Chapter 7: Adventures of the Letter U delivered over to Conjectures<br />
(Tome 3: Marius, Livre sixième: La conjonction de deux étoiles, Chapitre 7: Aventures de la lettre U livrée aux conjectures)

==General notes on this chapter==

==French text==

L'isolement, le détachement de tout, la fierté, l'indépendance, le goût
de la nature, l'absence d'activité quotidienne et matérielle, la vie en
soi, les luttes secrètes de la chasteté, l'extase bienveillante devant
toute la création, avaient préparé Marius à cette possession qu'on nomme
la passion. Son culte pour son père était devenu peu à peu une religion,
et, comme toute religion, s'était retiré au fond de l'âme. Il fallait
quelque chose sur le premier plan. L'amour vint.

Tout un grand mois s'écoula, pendant lequel Marius alla tous les jours
au Luxembourg. L'heure venue, rien ne pouvait le retenir.—Il est de
service, disait Courfeyrac. Marius vivait dans les ravissements. Il est
certain que la jeune fille le regardait.

Il avait fini par s'enhardir, et il s'approchait du banc. Cependant il
ne passait plus devant, obéissant à la fois à l'instinct de timidité et
à l'instinct de prudence des amoureux. Il jugeait utile de ne point
attirer «l'attention du père». Il combinait ses stations derrière les
arbres et les piédestaux des statues avec un machiavélisme profond, de
façon à se faire voir le plus possible à la jeune fille et à se laisser
voir le moins possible du vieux monsieur. Quelquefois pendant des
demi-heures entières, il restait immobile à l'ombre d'un Léonidas ou
d'un Spartacus quelconque, tenant à la main un livre au-dessus duquel
ses yeux, doucement levés, allaient chercher la belle fille, et elle, de
son côté, détournait avec un vague sourire son charmant profil vers lui.
Tout en causant le plus naturellement et le plus tranquillement du monde
avec l'homme à cheveux blancs, elle appuyait sur Marius toutes les
rêveries d'un &oelig;il virginal et passionné. Antique et immémorial manège
qu'Ève savait dès le premier jour du monde et que toute femme sait dès
le premier jour de la vie! Sa bouche donnait la réplique à l'un et son
regard donnait la réplique à l'autre.

Il faut croire pourtant que M. Leblanc finissait par s'apercevoir de
quelque chose, car souvent, lorsque Marius arrivait, il se levait et se
mettait à marcher. Il avait quitté leur place accoutumée et avait
adopté, à l'autre extrémité de l'allée, le banc voisin du Gladiateur,
comme pour voir si Marius les y suivrait. Marius ne comprit point, et
fit cette faute. Le «père» commença à devenir inexact, et n'amena plus
«sa fille» tous les jours. Quelquefois il venait seul. Alors Marius ne
restait pas. Autre faute.

Marius ne prenait point garde à ces symptômes. De la phase de timidité
il avait passé, progrès naturel et fatal, à la phase d'aveuglement. Son
amour croissait. Il en rêvait toutes les nuits. Et puis il lui était
arrivé un bonheur inespéré, huile sur le feu, redoublement de ténèbres
sur ses yeux. Un soir, à la brune, il avait trouvé sur le banc que «M.
Leblanc et sa fille» venaient de quitter, un mouchoir. Un mouchoir tout
simple et sans broderie, mais blanc, fin, et qui lui parut exhaler des
senteurs ineffables. Il s'en empara avec transport. Ce mouchoir était
marqué des lettres U. F.; Marius ne savait rien de cette belle enfant,
ni sa famille, ni son nom, ni sa demeure; ces deux lettres étaient la
première chose d'elle qu'il saisissait, adorables initiales sur
lesquelles il commença tout de suite à construire son échafaudage. U
était évidemment le prénom. Ursule! pensa-t-il, quel délicieux nom! Il
baisa le mouchoir, l'aspira, le mit sur son c&oelig;ur, sur sa chair, pendant
le jour, et la nuit sous ses lèvres pour s'endormir.

—J'y sens toute son âme! s'écriait-il.

Ce mouchoir était au vieux monsieur qui l'avait tout bonnement laissé
tomber de sa poche.

Les jours qui suivirent la trouvaille, il ne se montra plus au
Luxembourg que baisant le mouchoir et l'appuyant sur son c&oelig;ur. La belle
enfant n'y comprenait rien et le lui marquait par des signes
imperceptibles.

—Ô pudeur! disait Marius.

==English text==

Isolation, detachment, from everything, pride, independence, the taste of
nature, the absence of daily and material activity, the life within
himself, the secret conflicts of chastity, a benevolent ecstasy towards
all creation, had prepared Marius for this possession which is called
passion. His worship of his father had gradually become a religion, and,
like all religions, it had retreated to the depths of his soul. Something
was required in the foreground. Love came.

A full month elapsed, during which Marius went every day to the
Luxembourg. When the hour arrived, nothing could hold him back.—"He
is on duty," said Courfeyrac. Marius lived in a state of delight. It is
certain that the young girl did look at him.

He had finally grown bold, and approached the bench. Still, he did not
pass in front of it any more, in obedience to the instinct of timidity and
to the instinct of prudence common to lovers. He considered it better not
to attract "the attention of the father." He combined his stations behind
the trees and the pedestals of the statues with a profound diplomacy, so
that he might be seen as much as possible by the young girl and as little
as possible by the old gentleman. Sometimes, he remained motionless by the
half-hour together in the shade of a Leonidas or a Spartacus, holding in
his hand a book, above which his eyes, gently raised, sought the beautiful
girl, and she, on her side, turned her charming profile towards him with a
vague smile. While conversing in the most natural and tranquil manner in
the world with the white-haired man, she bent upon Marius all the reveries
of a virginal and passionate eye. Ancient and time-honored manoeuvre which
Eve understood from the very first day of the world, and which every woman
understands from the very first day of her life! her mouth replied to one,
and her glance replied to another.

It must be supposed, that M. Leblanc finally noticed something, for often,
when Marius arrived, he rose and began to walk about. He had abandoned
their accustomed place and had adopted the bench by the Gladiator, near
the other end of the walk, as though with the object of seeing whether
Marius would pursue them thither. Marius did not understand, and committed
this error. "The father" began to grow inexact, and no longer brought "his
daughter" every day. Sometimes, he came alone. Then Marius did not stay.
Another blunder.

Marius paid no heed to these symptoms. From the phase of timidity, he had
passed, by a natural and fatal progress, to the phase of blindness. His
love increased. He dreamed of it every night. And then, an unexpected
bliss had happened to him, oil on the fire, a redoubling of the shadows
over his eyes. One evening, at dusk, he had found, on the bench which "M.
Leblanc and his daughter" had just quitted, a handkerchief, a very simple
handkerchief, without embroidery, but white, and fine, and which seemed to
him to exhale ineffable perfume. He seized it with rapture. This
handkerchief was marked with the letters U. F. Marius knew nothing about
this beautiful child,—neither her family name, her Christian name
nor her abode; these two letters were the first thing of her that he had
gained possession of, adorable initials, upon which he immediately began
to construct his scaffolding. U was evidently the Christian name.
"Ursule!" he thought, "what a delicious name!" He kissed the handkerchief,
drank it in, placed it on his heart, on his flesh, during the day, and at
night, laid it beneath his lips that he might fall asleep on it.

"I feel that her whole soul lies within it!" he exclaimed.

This handkerchief belonged to the old gentleman, who had simply let it
fall from his pocket.

In the days which followed the finding of this treasure, he only displayed
himself at the Luxembourg in the act of kissing the handkerchief and
laying it on his heart. The beautiful child understood nothing of all
this, and signified it to him by imperceptible signs.

"O modesty!" said Marius.

==Translation notes==

==Textual notes==

==Citations==
<references />

Volume 3/Book 6/Chapter 7 - Revision history

Historymaker: Created page with "Les Misérables, Volume 3: Marius, Book Sixth: The Conjunction of Two Stars, Chapter 7: Adventures of the Letter U delivered over to Conjectures (Tome 3: Marius, L..."

Historymaker: Created page with "Les Misérables, Volume 3: Marius, Book Sixth: The Conjunction of Two Stars, Chapter 7: Adventures of the Letter U delivered over to Conjectures
(Tome 3: Marius, L..."