1124 Les Miserables
all black with erasures in the ink, cast his yellow eyes round
the audience room, and repeated for the third time: ‘Marius
Pontmercy!’ I replied: ‘Present!’ This is why you were not
crossed off.’
‘Monsieur!—‘ said Marius.
‘And why I was,’ added Laigle de Meaux.
‘I do not understand you,’ said Marius.
Laigle resumed:—
‘Nothing is more simple. I was close to the desk to reply,
and close to the door for the purpose of flight. The profes-
sor gazed at me with a certain intensity. All of a sudden,
Blondeau, who must be the malicious nose alluded to by
Boileau, skipped to the letter L. L is my letter. I am from
Meaux, and my name is Lesgle.’
‘L’Aigle!’ interrupted Marius, ‘what fine name!’
‘Monsieur, Blondeau came to this fine name, and called:
‘Laigle!’ I reply: ‘Present!’ Then Blondeau gazes at me, with
the gentleness of a tiger, and says to me: ‘If you are Pont-
mercy, you are not Laigle.’ A phrase which has a disobliging
air for you, but which was lugubrious only for me. That said,
he crossed me off.’
Marius exclaimed:—
‘I am mortified, sir—‘
‘First of all,’ interposed Laigle, ‘I demand permission to
embalm Blondeau in a few phrases of deeply felt eulogium.
I will assume that he is dead. There will be no great change
required in his gauntness, in his pallor, in his coldness, and
in his smell. And I say: ‘Erudimini qui judicatis terram.
Here lies Blondeau, Blondeau the Nose, Blondeau Nasica,