Chapter 17
Valjean and Cosette stood with one of Marius' arms draped over their shoulders.
"Come on, just take a step," encouraged Valjean.
Marius hissed as he put all his weight on his left foot, and picked up his right.
"Marius! You're doing it!" Cosette smiled at her fiancee.
"I think that's as far as I can go," smiled Marius weakly, who had progressed from yesterday's 10 steps to 15 steps and back to the bed.
"You're truly improving. After three weeks, I thought you'd still be in bed. But look at you!"
"Depends on what you're talking about. If you mean physically, Cosette, then yes, I agree that I'm much better. But, if you mean mentally, well... I just don't know about that."
"What do you mean, son?"
"Every night, when all else is silent and the world is asleep, they come to me."
"Who?" asked Cosette.
"Them. The rebels. One by one each night they come to tell me it wasn't my fault. They talk to me and they tell me my life is going to get better."
"These are delusions, my boy. They are the mind's fantasies. Idle play for idle minds who lie in bed all day. Do not dwell on it. Besides," said Valjean, placing his hands on Cosette's shoulders. "We have a wedding to plan, and cannot do so with things like that in our heads."
"I still cannot express my thanks enough, Monsieur. Cosette and I have already agreed that you shall come and live with us."
"I will do what you ask of me," said Valjean humbly. "I will gladly share a home with you."
Cosette's eyes gleamed as she stood and kissed Marius. She exited the room and descended the stairs.
Valjean went to close the door, but Marius stopped him.
"Is something wrong?"
"I'm afraid so." He closed the door. "I must tell you something that only one other person knew. Do you promise me that what you will hear will stay between us?"
"I give you my word."
"I will tell you a story, but pray, do not fall asleep. It is not one of those stories. I feel that I should tell you the truth, and so, here it is.
"There was once a man, a good, righteous man, who lived with his sister and nephew. Hard times fell upon them, and so one night, this man made the rash choice to steal a loaf of bread. He did not succeed, for he was locked away for 19 wasted years, and emerged an outcast. He changed his ways, yet he made another rash choice years later. He owned a factory and fired a woman, not knowing that she had to support a child alone. He was unaware of this until the woman degraded herself and became extremely ill. This man saved her from the streets, but he couldn't sustain her life. He swore to the woman that he would raise her child as if she were his own. And he did so, and continues to do so until this day. His life is all a lie," he said the last sentence to himself.
Marius stared at Valjean. "And this man...is you."
"Yes. I am that man. Jean Valjean. And I must leave within the week. Your wedding day draws near, and I cannot run the risk of going and being arrested for the final time."
"No, Monsieur. Cosette will be heartbroken. Do not leave. We shall not have an extravagant wedding if you cannot attend."
"And you will not shift your life around me. Cosette will have everything she ever dreamed of. She did not dream that the only father she has ever known would be taken away from her on what should be the happiest day of her life."
"She will be miserable without you."
"As I will be without her. But this is for her protection as well as my own."
"What shall I tell her?"
"I will leave without notice. Tell her that I had to make a sudden trip and may not be home in time for the wedding. Tell her not to push it back, as everything has already been arranged."
"I will do so. And Cosette will never know of what we have said, unless you choose to tell her. It is not my place."
"Good lad. Now, my final preparations are to get your wedding bands. What did you have in mind?"
"I actually planned to give Cosette my..." Marius looked at his hand. His ring had disappeared. Valjean felt a hint of guilt trickle up his spine. Perhaps it had fallen off when he had carried Marius through the sewers.
"I am sorry."
"No doubt the person who brought me thus far took it as compensation."
"Think not on it. I will go now. Rest a bit and regain your strength."
Marius leaned back uneasily as Valjean left the room. He walked through the corridors and into Isabella.
"Oh, Isabella. Where is Cosette?"
The old woman smiled and pointed to Cosette's room. "I think you should see for yourself, Monsieur."
Valjean stuck his head through the door and saw his daughter. She was standing on a carton in front of her three-sided mirror wearing a dress of pure white. She picked up its many layers, flattening them out with her tiny hands. She looked into the mirror and smiled back at her father.
He came closer to her and smiled sadly.
"Papa, please don't cry."
"I cannot help it. I raised you and now you will be gone."
"That's not true."
"Cosette, I know that I protected you so all these years, but I was foolish to do so. You didn't live."
"I lived enough to find Marius. And you protected me for reasons I am sure were important."
"Yes, they were." He looked at her again. "I cannot believe I'm here to see you like this."
"I fear Marius will not be well by the wedding date. We will have to push it back."
"No, we shall not have to do that. He is determined to marry you next week. He cannot bear the thought of losing you again."
"He won't."
"In any case, I have business to attend to in town. Make sure that Marius is comfortable. Not in that dress, though. It would spoil the surprise."
Cosette smiled and threw her father a kiss as he walked out of her room.
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Valjean silently crept down the hallway with three envelopes in hand. He glided into Isabella's room first, and placed an envelope on the nightstand. It contained 1500 francs and a note saying:
'See Cosette to her wedding day, and then you are excused from all your duties. For your pains.'
Next, he went to Marius' bedside table, and put down an envelope containing two rings.
He finally entered Cosette's room. He put the letter down which contained his confessions and kissed his daughter's forehead. He stopped, however, on his way out, retreated, and took the envelope with him.
He walked silently down the stairs and out the front gate. He didn't know that he was never again to return to Rue Plumet.
**************************************************************************
Hello! I know, this was the shortest chapter, but it's winding down to the end of the story. Chapter 20 is the end everyone! Only three more chapters! But I have some really good ideas gushing from his little head of mine. "If you don't believe me, just you wait and see." -The Harvey Girls ;)
Valjean and Cosette stood with one of Marius' arms draped over their shoulders.
"Come on, just take a step," encouraged Valjean.
Marius hissed as he put all his weight on his left foot, and picked up his right.
"Marius! You're doing it!" Cosette smiled at her fiancee.
"I think that's as far as I can go," smiled Marius weakly, who had progressed from yesterday's 10 steps to 15 steps and back to the bed.
"You're truly improving. After three weeks, I thought you'd still be in bed. But look at you!"
"Depends on what you're talking about. If you mean physically, Cosette, then yes, I agree that I'm much better. But, if you mean mentally, well... I just don't know about that."
"What do you mean, son?"
"Every night, when all else is silent and the world is asleep, they come to me."
"Who?" asked Cosette.
"Them. The rebels. One by one each night they come to tell me it wasn't my fault. They talk to me and they tell me my life is going to get better."
"These are delusions, my boy. They are the mind's fantasies. Idle play for idle minds who lie in bed all day. Do not dwell on it. Besides," said Valjean, placing his hands on Cosette's shoulders. "We have a wedding to plan, and cannot do so with things like that in our heads."
"I still cannot express my thanks enough, Monsieur. Cosette and I have already agreed that you shall come and live with us."
"I will do what you ask of me," said Valjean humbly. "I will gladly share a home with you."
Cosette's eyes gleamed as she stood and kissed Marius. She exited the room and descended the stairs.
Valjean went to close the door, but Marius stopped him.
"Is something wrong?"
"I'm afraid so." He closed the door. "I must tell you something that only one other person knew. Do you promise me that what you will hear will stay between us?"
"I give you my word."
"I will tell you a story, but pray, do not fall asleep. It is not one of those stories. I feel that I should tell you the truth, and so, here it is.
"There was once a man, a good, righteous man, who lived with his sister and nephew. Hard times fell upon them, and so one night, this man made the rash choice to steal a loaf of bread. He did not succeed, for he was locked away for 19 wasted years, and emerged an outcast. He changed his ways, yet he made another rash choice years later. He owned a factory and fired a woman, not knowing that she had to support a child alone. He was unaware of this until the woman degraded herself and became extremely ill. This man saved her from the streets, but he couldn't sustain her life. He swore to the woman that he would raise her child as if she were his own. And he did so, and continues to do so until this day. His life is all a lie," he said the last sentence to himself.
Marius stared at Valjean. "And this man...is you."
"Yes. I am that man. Jean Valjean. And I must leave within the week. Your wedding day draws near, and I cannot run the risk of going and being arrested for the final time."
"No, Monsieur. Cosette will be heartbroken. Do not leave. We shall not have an extravagant wedding if you cannot attend."
"And you will not shift your life around me. Cosette will have everything she ever dreamed of. She did not dream that the only father she has ever known would be taken away from her on what should be the happiest day of her life."
"She will be miserable without you."
"As I will be without her. But this is for her protection as well as my own."
"What shall I tell her?"
"I will leave without notice. Tell her that I had to make a sudden trip and may not be home in time for the wedding. Tell her not to push it back, as everything has already been arranged."
"I will do so. And Cosette will never know of what we have said, unless you choose to tell her. It is not my place."
"Good lad. Now, my final preparations are to get your wedding bands. What did you have in mind?"
"I actually planned to give Cosette my..." Marius looked at his hand. His ring had disappeared. Valjean felt a hint of guilt trickle up his spine. Perhaps it had fallen off when he had carried Marius through the sewers.
"I am sorry."
"No doubt the person who brought me thus far took it as compensation."
"Think not on it. I will go now. Rest a bit and regain your strength."
Marius leaned back uneasily as Valjean left the room. He walked through the corridors and into Isabella.
"Oh, Isabella. Where is Cosette?"
The old woman smiled and pointed to Cosette's room. "I think you should see for yourself, Monsieur."
Valjean stuck his head through the door and saw his daughter. She was standing on a carton in front of her three-sided mirror wearing a dress of pure white. She picked up its many layers, flattening them out with her tiny hands. She looked into the mirror and smiled back at her father.
He came closer to her and smiled sadly.
"Papa, please don't cry."
"I cannot help it. I raised you and now you will be gone."
"That's not true."
"Cosette, I know that I protected you so all these years, but I was foolish to do so. You didn't live."
"I lived enough to find Marius. And you protected me for reasons I am sure were important."
"Yes, they were." He looked at her again. "I cannot believe I'm here to see you like this."
"I fear Marius will not be well by the wedding date. We will have to push it back."
"No, we shall not have to do that. He is determined to marry you next week. He cannot bear the thought of losing you again."
"He won't."
"In any case, I have business to attend to in town. Make sure that Marius is comfortable. Not in that dress, though. It would spoil the surprise."
Cosette smiled and threw her father a kiss as he walked out of her room.
**************************************************************************
Valjean silently crept down the hallway with three envelopes in hand. He glided into Isabella's room first, and placed an envelope on the nightstand. It contained 1500 francs and a note saying:
'See Cosette to her wedding day, and then you are excused from all your duties. For your pains.'
Next, he went to Marius' bedside table, and put down an envelope containing two rings.
He finally entered Cosette's room. He put the letter down which contained his confessions and kissed his daughter's forehead. He stopped, however, on his way out, retreated, and took the envelope with him.
He walked silently down the stairs and out the front gate. He didn't know that he was never again to return to Rue Plumet.
**************************************************************************
Hello! I know, this was the shortest chapter, but it's winding down to the end of the story. Chapter 20 is the end everyone! Only three more chapters! But I have some really good ideas gushing from his little head of mine. "If you don't believe me, just you wait and see." -The Harvey Girls ;)