Marius' eyes flew open and he sat up. Gabby. He had nightmares about the
barricades, each victim haunting him. But Gabby haunted him the most.
Tonight she had just stared at him. They were at the Cafe. At the same
table. She just sat there and stared. Her startling blue eyes boring holes
into him. She wasn't wearing her barricade clothes. She had on the rags she
worn almost every day. Except Sunday. She had a nice dress for Sunday. She
wore that at the barricade. She just stared. Then the child said in a soft
voice "I had no last name so you gave me one. Liberté. Freedom. I'm not
free. Help me Marius. Help me." Her voice stopped, but her lips kept
mouthing, "Help me" and her voice echoed in his head.
He shook his head and got out of bed and went to get a glass of water and to calm down. Gabby was dead. After Gavroche, her best friend, had been shot and killed, she fought Marius who had stopped her from going to collect the ammunition with the gamin. If he let her go, it would have been done faster and then maybe, just maybe, both children would be alive.
But she was dead. Shot twice as she sobbed over Gavroche's corpse. The impact knocked her over and her head was next to Gavroche and her arm slung across him, just like they were sleeping.
He tried to think of his beautiful wife Cosette, upstairs in their bed to get rid of the memory of Gabby's haunting eyes.
Later that afternoon, he was out walking with Cosette and they passed an orphanage run by nuns and a priest. He only saw one child outside, playing with a dog. He remembered Gabby and Gavroche playing with Gabby's dog, really listening to the meetings. He heard the front door open and a nun came out.
"Young lady! You get back in here and do your schoolwork!"
"NO!"
The child's back was to him but he could see the girl stomped her foot. The nun grabbed the little girl by her upper arm and started dragging her inside
"I should sell that mutt! That will teach you!"
"You won't sell Lemarque!"
"I will if I want to, Gabrielle."
Marius froze. Lemarque. Gabrielle. Gabrielle was Gabby's full first name. When Jean had given the puppy to Gabby, she had named it Lemarque, after the "best gen'ral in the world!" That child was Gabby.
The next day, he returned, without Cosette and entered the orphanage. A nun took him to the priest. "Father, do you have a little girl by the name of Gabrielle Liberte here?" He asked. The pious man nodded. "She was found injured at the barricade. The only survivor." Marius nodded and knowing that he had to be careful. The Rebels were considered bad people now and were watched very carefully and could easily be put in prison.
"I knew Gabby at the Cafe where she worked. Is it possible for me to see her without her knowing?" The priest nodded. He led Marius down the hall where there was a big window covered in paint.
He could hear a child talking about the American Revoloution. He put his eye to a scratch in the paint and could see a good view of the classroom. There was Gabby, dressed in a uniform and a smile nowhere near her face.
She scowled and said "Emilee, you know that's a lie! Rebels are not bad people! They fight for what they believe in!"
Emilee retorted, "You would know. They're overgrown idiots who know nothing! And they DERSERVE everything they get! They SHOULD be killed like those rebels were in June."
Gabby jumped to her feet, and said "So they deserve to be murdered fighting for a better tomorrow? They were fighting for people like us! We're poor and once we're old enough, we're outta 'ere! Where we gonna go? The streets! There won't be any nuns or priests there to save us!"
Emilee said, "You can always be a nun."
Gabby said "That's the stupidest thing I ever 'eard of! 'O'd want to worship someone 'o don't exist?"
The girls gasped and the nun said "GABRIELLE! Come with me right now!"
She seized Gabby by the arm and took her out to the corridor. She slapped her across the face twice as Marius and the priest came around the corner. "Don't you EVER say such a thing!" Father Barbier cleared his throat "Sister, send Gabrielle to my office as soon as you are done disciplining her."
Gabby looked furious, as did Marius who had gotten a good look at his little friend. She was skinny and looked starving. She was pale and was constantly scowling or frowning. Marius and Father Barbier returned to his office and fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
Gabby slipped in, her eyes on the floor. "Ah, Gabrielle. Sit down, dear." "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather stand." Marius scowled. He believed one should NEVER strike a child.
The old man said, "Gabrielle, I believe you are familiar with a Baron Pontmercy."
Her eyes still on the floor, she nodded. "E's dead."
"No, he survived."
She shook her head no. "No, everyone died. I'm the only survivor."
"No, Gabby. I'm here." Marius said, speaking to her for the first time. She raised her eyes and saw him.
"Marius is dead!"
"No, I was just injured and I've come to take you home with me."
"Prove it. What's my dogs name and why did I name 'im that and who gave 'im to me and why?"
"His name is Lemarque, after the general, the best one in the world in your opinion. Jean gave him to you, to help you get better."
"Where did I get this scar from?" she asked pointing to a scar on her forehead.
"Gavroche pushed you into the river and you nearly drowned because you can't swim. You crashed against the wall and split your head open."
She started raking her mind for other things "What's my birthday?"
"You don't have one. So we used to celebrate it on December 25th, Jesus' Birthday."
She started to believe him. "Marius?" she asked. He nodded. She limped over to him and hugged him tight. He lifted her into his arms, hugging and kissing her. She was still clinging to him when he signed the papers. He shifted her slightly to put her in the carriage he hailed and she winced and cried out softly. He frowned and put her in the carriage. He climbed in after her and took her tiny hands in his much larger ones. "How hard did that old biddy hit you?" She shrugged "Same as usual." When he frowned more she said quickly "It ain't so bad!" She quickly changed the subject "You dress all fancy now."
"Well, I have a lot more money now."
"Why?"
"Because my wife has a lot and some of my friends money went to me, as it said in their will.
"You posh now?"
"I guess you could put it that way," he said chuckling. The carriage stopped and Marius climbed out and took Gabby into his arms. He paid the driver and they went into the house.
He shook his head and got out of bed and went to get a glass of water and to calm down. Gabby was dead. After Gavroche, her best friend, had been shot and killed, she fought Marius who had stopped her from going to collect the ammunition with the gamin. If he let her go, it would have been done faster and then maybe, just maybe, both children would be alive.
But she was dead. Shot twice as she sobbed over Gavroche's corpse. The impact knocked her over and her head was next to Gavroche and her arm slung across him, just like they were sleeping.
He tried to think of his beautiful wife Cosette, upstairs in their bed to get rid of the memory of Gabby's haunting eyes.
Later that afternoon, he was out walking with Cosette and they passed an orphanage run by nuns and a priest. He only saw one child outside, playing with a dog. He remembered Gabby and Gavroche playing with Gabby's dog, really listening to the meetings. He heard the front door open and a nun came out.
"Young lady! You get back in here and do your schoolwork!"
"NO!"
The child's back was to him but he could see the girl stomped her foot. The nun grabbed the little girl by her upper arm and started dragging her inside
"I should sell that mutt! That will teach you!"
"You won't sell Lemarque!"
"I will if I want to, Gabrielle."
Marius froze. Lemarque. Gabrielle. Gabrielle was Gabby's full first name. When Jean had given the puppy to Gabby, she had named it Lemarque, after the "best gen'ral in the world!" That child was Gabby.
The next day, he returned, without Cosette and entered the orphanage. A nun took him to the priest. "Father, do you have a little girl by the name of Gabrielle Liberte here?" He asked. The pious man nodded. "She was found injured at the barricade. The only survivor." Marius nodded and knowing that he had to be careful. The Rebels were considered bad people now and were watched very carefully and could easily be put in prison.
"I knew Gabby at the Cafe where she worked. Is it possible for me to see her without her knowing?" The priest nodded. He led Marius down the hall where there was a big window covered in paint.
He could hear a child talking about the American Revoloution. He put his eye to a scratch in the paint and could see a good view of the classroom. There was Gabby, dressed in a uniform and a smile nowhere near her face.
She scowled and said "Emilee, you know that's a lie! Rebels are not bad people! They fight for what they believe in!"
Emilee retorted, "You would know. They're overgrown idiots who know nothing! And they DERSERVE everything they get! They SHOULD be killed like those rebels were in June."
Gabby jumped to her feet, and said "So they deserve to be murdered fighting for a better tomorrow? They were fighting for people like us! We're poor and once we're old enough, we're outta 'ere! Where we gonna go? The streets! There won't be any nuns or priests there to save us!"
Emilee said, "You can always be a nun."
Gabby said "That's the stupidest thing I ever 'eard of! 'O'd want to worship someone 'o don't exist?"
The girls gasped and the nun said "GABRIELLE! Come with me right now!"
She seized Gabby by the arm and took her out to the corridor. She slapped her across the face twice as Marius and the priest came around the corner. "Don't you EVER say such a thing!" Father Barbier cleared his throat "Sister, send Gabrielle to my office as soon as you are done disciplining her."
Gabby looked furious, as did Marius who had gotten a good look at his little friend. She was skinny and looked starving. She was pale and was constantly scowling or frowning. Marius and Father Barbier returned to his office and fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
Gabby slipped in, her eyes on the floor. "Ah, Gabrielle. Sit down, dear." "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather stand." Marius scowled. He believed one should NEVER strike a child.
The old man said, "Gabrielle, I believe you are familiar with a Baron Pontmercy."
Her eyes still on the floor, she nodded. "E's dead."
"No, he survived."
She shook her head no. "No, everyone died. I'm the only survivor."
"No, Gabby. I'm here." Marius said, speaking to her for the first time. She raised her eyes and saw him.
"Marius is dead!"
"No, I was just injured and I've come to take you home with me."
"Prove it. What's my dogs name and why did I name 'im that and who gave 'im to me and why?"
"His name is Lemarque, after the general, the best one in the world in your opinion. Jean gave him to you, to help you get better."
"Where did I get this scar from?" she asked pointing to a scar on her forehead.
"Gavroche pushed you into the river and you nearly drowned because you can't swim. You crashed against the wall and split your head open."
She started raking her mind for other things "What's my birthday?"
"You don't have one. So we used to celebrate it on December 25th, Jesus' Birthday."
She started to believe him. "Marius?" she asked. He nodded. She limped over to him and hugged him tight. He lifted her into his arms, hugging and kissing her. She was still clinging to him when he signed the papers. He shifted her slightly to put her in the carriage he hailed and she winced and cried out softly. He frowned and put her in the carriage. He climbed in after her and took her tiny hands in his much larger ones. "How hard did that old biddy hit you?" She shrugged "Same as usual." When he frowned more she said quickly "It ain't so bad!" She quickly changed the subject "You dress all fancy now."
"Well, I have a lot more money now."
"Why?"
"Because my wife has a lot and some of my friends money went to me, as it said in their will.
"You posh now?"
"I guess you could put it that way," he said chuckling. The carriage stopped and Marius climbed out and took Gabby into his arms. He paid the driver and they went into the house.