[Masterpiece Les Miserables] Paris Sparks

In spite of hiring the best cart and horse in the town, which claimed to be able to run twenty leagues a day, it was quite dark when Carton and Coronne reached Montferond.According to Fantine's description, they found the hotel without much difficulty: the Sergeant's Inn in Waterloo.

When we arrived, the yard and the stables were empty, except for a truck parked there, indicating that there were no guests tonight.When the carriage stopped at the door, a thin, short man came out of the store courteously.

"Sir! Mademoiselle! Do you want to stay at the hotel? Your horses and carriages can be parked behind. Do you have any luggage, Miss? Hello, Cosette! Hurry up and help the guests carry their luggage!"

Following his call, a pitiful skinny, almost skinny little girl ran out of the store tremblingly.Carton and Corona were all stunned when they heard him yell and saw the tattered, bruised, barefoot child in the cold winter.Caton reacted quickly. He put a hand on Corona's shoulder and pressed it hard.Corona turned her back without saying a word, and pretended to get her small suitcase out of the carriage: she was afraid that she would not be able to restrain the expression on her face if she wanted to continue to face the shopkeeper. "You don't need to mention it, you go in," she said to Cosette, who looked at Thenardier, and after getting permission, she ran back trembling.

"This child's name is Cosette? What a strange name." Carton said calmly.

"Oh, no! You don't know, sir, that this child is not ours. It is a doll from a poor family, and we took it for a good deed. It is a stupid child. It is a pity that we met our soft-heartedness." I have to take her in!"

When Corona heard the words "soft hearted", a sneer with anger appeared on the face of the recitation.Not to mention soft-hearted, anyone with a little heart in the world would never let her run out barefoot and step on the snow and mud when she saw this child's pitiful appearance.Carton just glanced at Cosette indifferently, as if he didn't care at all.When the carriages and horses had stopped, the two of them walked into the house, found a table to sit down, and ordered another glass of wine. Caton seemed to be looking for a random topic for chatting, and asked Thenardier who was sitting on the side: "Where are the little girl's own parents?"

Cosette was standing on tiptoe by the sink, vigorously scrubbing the dishes.She is only five years old, and because she is too thin, she looks smaller than children of the same age. For her, she can barely reach the sink where adults have to bend down, and she will inevitably splash water all over her body. , shivering, his little hands were red and purple from the cold.Carton put one hand under the table, and squeezed Corona's hand vigorously: Corona was already trembling with anger, she barely suppressed herself and obeyed Carton, without making a sound, just lowered the brim of her hat Now, occasionally when I really can't control my expression, I cover my mouth and yawn frequently to cover up.

"Who knows! Her parents are either dead, or they are not serious people. We wrote a letter to ask for the child's living expenses, but we haven't responded to the letter for several months. We have no choice but to raise it for nothing. We don't have money man."

"Her mother is worthless, too," added Madame Thenardier, who was preparing supper by the fire. "She has abandoned her child."

"It's difficult to make a living now, and it's really not easy to raise a child. You must have your own children to support, right?"

"That's not it. There are three other mouths besides the two of us, and this loser must be added. That's not our child! Look, it's Éponine, and Azma."

While talking, two other little girls came out of the room holding hands.Both are very beautiful little girls, neat, rosy, and fresh, and the dresses on their bodies are warm and beautiful.The two laughed and laughed at each other, showing the aura of the master.Madame Nadi said with a most loving reproach: "Ha! what are you doing here, you two fellows!" and taking them one by one to her knees, she straightened their hair and tied their ribbons. .

"Your child is really beautiful." Caton said to Madame Thenardier in a complimenting tone. "You see, I also have a daughter. The child is beautiful and healthy, and the hearts of parents cannot be more happy." .”

"That's not true!" said Madame Thenardier triumphantly. "These little rascals are very clever. They have never suffered from any illness since their birth, except that Éponine caught a cold!"

"Your lady is quite handsome, too," said Thenardier, flatteringly.

"The adopted child hasn't been sick, has he?" Caton asked, looking at Cosette.Cosette had finished washing the dishes at this moment, and was holding a whole stack of dishes to her chest, and was walking unsteadily towards the cupboard.She was too small, so she could only hold the dishes against her chest, so that the clothes on her chest were all wet.

Thenardier looked at him suspiciously.But Madame Thenardier had already said: "Is she still sick? Thank God, she is not sick enough to cost our family money!"

"Shut up!" said Thenardier, but it was too late.Carton suddenly changed his tone, and asked in a cold voice: "Then, my client, Cosette's mother, Madame Fantine, just received a letter yesterday saying that her child had scarlet fever, Ask her for forty francs for medical bills. What's the matter?"

As he spoke, he took out the letter and waved it before Thenardier's eyes.

The faces of the Thenardiers immediately changed.

"Who are you to this boy?" asked Thenardier.

"I am a lawyer, and my client is Ms. Fantine." Caton still declared in the ruthless tone often seen in courts. He stood up, and Corona also stood up, "Now I I have seen it with my own eyes, and the child does not have scarlet fever, and you are trying to defraud her mother of forty francs on the pretext that she has scarlet fever. It is a crime of fraud."

"Sir, alas, sir! What kind of accusation are you talking about! We are a good family, innocent and upright people. You are really wronged when you say such a thing. On the contrary, you are the one who accuses us like this when we first met. What about your lawyer's certificate? You said that your client is Fantine, but that lady entrusted Cosette to us in person, do you have her certificate?"

Carton unhurriedly took out a few documents from his pocket.

"This is my document. This is a letter signed by Ms. Fantine entrusting me to pick up her child. This letter is a letter written by Mr. Madeleine, the mayor of Montreuil. Mr. Madeleine is now Fantine's protector." People." He said, only holding the document in his hand to show the Thenardiers, but when Thenardier wanted to take it over for a closer look, he suddenly withdrew his hand and took the certificate back, "Now, you see Clear. I want to charge you with fraud and child abuse. Corona, go to the police."

Corona turned and walked out.Thenardier hurriedly stopped at the door, stretching out his hand to pull her, Caton quickly dodged between her and Thenardier, and slapped his hand off.

"Watch your behavior! This is a noble lady. If you touch the corner of her skirt with your hand, you will add the offense of offending nobles or molesting women to your crime."

Because she was going on a long trip, Corona was still dressed very plainly today, Thenardier looked at her, completely disbelieving that she was a nobleman.But what he had to believe was that the person in front of him did have rights to Cosette, and he did get his weakness.Cosette didn't have scarlet fever, it was just a way to cheat money. They thought that Fantine would never find out, and they would never even think of asking someone to confirm it, so they didn't even have a fake medical report.At the moment, Thenardier was indeed questioned. "Well, it's all a misunderstanding, sir. You don't know that the child did have a fever two days ago, and we all thought she had scarlet fever, so we hurried to write to her mother. Wasn't it for her well? I didn't expect that after two days, she would get better by herself. This was just a mistake, because we cared too much for her. "

"For a child you care too much about, let her be barefoot in the cold winter, with no clothes on, and help you work at the age of five?" Carton asked, "I have a letter here to prove that Ms. Sent a woolen skirt for her baby. Where's the skirt?"

While speaking, he gestured to Corona, and Corona understood what he meant, and walked towards Cosette without saying a word.Seeing that she was not going to go out again, Thenardier did not stop her.He rolled his eyes and was about to make up a lie, but Carton added: "You know, once you file a lawsuit with the court, the police have the right to search your house. If the skirt is found in other places, but there is no To wear it for Cosette is a crime of embezzlement. If you lie to me now, that the dress has not arrived, or has been torn or lost, and it is found in its original form, it will be an even greater crime."

Thenardier choked.Although he is a businessman with a lot of cleverness, but his cleverness is limited to sneaking, adultery, and slippery. He has no research on the law. When he meets such an experienced barrister as Caton, he is overwhelmed in terms of momentum. One end, and then he was questioned one after another, until now, he has really panicked.Madame Thenardier hugged her two daughters, and dared not say a word. "Okay, now, I'm going to take Cosette away." Caton announced, "As for you, sir, you can wait for the court's summons here."

Corona had brought Cosette over just now, but Cosette hid behind her skirt, not daring to make a sound.Carton turned his head to the side and nodded to her, Corona bent down and asked Cosette in a low voice: "Do you have anything to take away?"

Cosette shook her head.In her hand she held a worn-out little lead knife, and that was all her toys.

"Then, let's go."

Cosette looked timidly at Thenardier, then at Madame Thenardier. "Go away! Go away!" Madame Thenardier shouted impatiently, and she flinched.Corona looked at her, bent down, and hugged her up.

Her strength was greater than that of ordinary girls, and Cosette was so skinny that she could be held in her arms easily.She hugged Cosette and walked towards the door, Caton followed behind them.

"Wait, wait!" Thenardier hurried to catch up, "The child's mother still owes..."

Corona didn't stop.Caton turned back, interrupting him with a haughty, contemptuous look.

"I have all the proofs of Ms. Fantine's money sent back in my hand," he said. "If you still want to say how much she owes you, I suggest you think carefully and calculate it before you say the exact amount." Do the math."

He strode out, and Thenardier no longer dared to stop him.Corona had already carried Cosette into the carriage, and got in and sat down herself.Caton harnessed the horse, and the sound of the carriage rumbled away in the dark night.

As soon as Corona got into the carriage, she was so angry that she couldn't help but thumped the carriage.

Even though she witnessed how Carton forced the family to interrogate her, she couldn't calm down a little.Cosette was only five years old!Such a small child has been abused like this, but the innkeeper's own daughter is so beautiful and warm.They also have two daughters!Couldn't the heart of the parents have a little empathy, a little pity for Cosette?Don't they realize that Cosette is also a mother's darling?

In the corner of the carriage, Cosette shrank her body and looked at her timidly.This child grew up in such a cold environment, so he was extremely sensitive to anger. He sensed her anger, so he didn't dare to move.Corona calmed down a little before realizing that she might have frightened Cosette.She slowed down her voice and said softly to Cosette: "Come on, I'm not mad at you."

Cosette looked at her, and when she saw her smiling at her, she approached cautiously.Corona lit the oil lamp in the carriage, and by the dim light, she dug out a small cloak, a pair of wool socks and a small blanket in her suitcase: she thought Cosette was sick, but they made it If you plan to stay for a long time, you will have a change of clothes.She beckoned Cosette to sit down, wrapped her cloak around her, and put on the socks for her with her own hands.Cosette was too small, and the socks covered even her calves, and they were baggy.Corona then wrapped her in a blanket, and put those cold little feet into her arms, warming her with her body.

Cosette soon lost her fear.This girl was so pretty and so tender, and she was too young to tell where the closeness she felt came from, just to cuddle with her.There was silence in the carriage for a while, and Corona asked softly, "Don't you want to know where we're going?"

Cosette did not have such curiosity, she was used to resignation.But out of sheer obedience, she asked, "Where are we going?"

"We're going to pick you up to meet your mother."

In fact, Carton had already said in the inn that he was sent by Cosette's mother.But Cosette was so startled and frightened at that time that she didn't understand the adults' conversation at all.Now she wasn't afraid anymore, and then she felt surprised: "Do I have a mother?"

"Of course you do. Do you think you don't have a mother?"

"I don't know. Other kids have mothers, but I never have."

"You have, and your mother is a very nice, loving person."

Cosette was silent for a moment, then raised her face and glanced at her.In that thin little face, her eyes are extraordinarily large. "So……"

"Ok?"

"Then... will she dress me like Madame Thenardier did to Panny and Zima, and allow me to play?"

Corona was almost heartbroken.If she had been given a sword at this moment, she would have thrown the glove in the faces of the Thenardiers, and would have fought them, and would have given back every blow and every wound Coronne had received.But at this moment, Cosette was in her arms, not only could she not show any anger on her face, she couldn't even tighten her arms.Somehow she did it: her fingers were still soft, her face was still calm. "Yes, your mother will love you very much. She will make you beautiful little dresses and buy you beautiful dolls to play with all day long."

Cosette's face showed a kind of innocent fascination. "Ah! It's good to have a mother."

Corona was on the verge of tears, and she couldn't continue talking.She tucked the blanket for Cosette and hugged her a little tighter, "Are you still cold?"

"It's not cold anymore, miss."

"Don't call me Miss. I'm your mother's sister."

It was too complicated for Cosette to call her mother's sister.She thought for a while: "Then what should I call you?"

In fact, there was only a ten-year difference between them.Corona thought for a while: "Just call me by name, my name is Corona."

"Korona."

"Well. If it's not cold, let's sleep for a while."

Cosette soon fell asleep in her arms.Corona hugged her, her left leg was numb from Cosette's pressure, but she didn't move at all, she just leaned on the carriage and looked at the opposite wooden plank.Two lines of tears flowed down her cheeks, and then dried slowly on her face.

It's not fair.It's not fair.Why should her sister and her sister's children suffer all this?Why should anyone in this world have to suffer all this?Why should the law punish such a good man as M. Madeleine, but not the Thénardiers, not the black-hearted contractor who paid Fantine nine sous for seventeen hours, and not punish the man who made Fantine pregnant Ditch the man she didn't care about?Why, it is more difficult, more difficult, and more despised for some people to live in the world, just because they were born poor and women?

The author has something to say: legal issues...that...please don't take it seriously...thank you all...