1832
So it was that, when Courfeyrac brought the guileless young Marius Pontmercy into the back room of the Musain a couple of years later, he simply introduced him as 'a pupil'.
And Marius, as he stood nervously beside his new friend, found eight pairs of eyes fixed on him. Some, like Feuilly and Prouvaire, seemed to be looking at him judgementally, while others, like Joly and Bahorel, were looking at him with open hostility. These glares served only to make the poor young man nervous beyond belief and he stuttered through his answers to Enjolras's questions and struggled to return Courfeyrac's easy grin.
As a result poor Marius left the meeting very much downhearted.
After he left, all the other Amis remained. Combeferre solemnly got to his feet and addressed the room calmly and earnestly.
"He is not Claude, my friends," he said, making the others look up in surprise. "He cannot ever replace Claude, and nor is he trying to. Give the poor boy a chance. Let us not judge our newest arrival by the treasure we have lost."
Joly lowered his head, tears in his eyes, while Courfeyrac smiled and nodded approvingly. Enjolras crossed the room with a grave expression and laid his hand on Combeferre's shoulder.
"Well said, Etienne," he gave a gentle smile and then turned to the others. "Claude will always be in our hearts, but there is room in the Musain for one more."
Therefore, Marius Pontmercy was warmly welcomed at the next meeting, soon becoming friends with all the group. But even then, no one ever had the heart to refer to Marius as 'the tenth Ami', because they all knew that that title belonged to the person who lay in the grave by the gate of the churchyard, which was decorated with flowers every fortnight by one of his nine friends.
And they all knew, deep in their hearts,that on the day Enjolras took up that treasured carbine and made his stand against the injustice in France…
Claude LeClair would be with them.
And c'est finis, the story's done.