152 4 Les Miserables
the first obstacles, that the young girl does not allow her-
self to be caught in any trap whatever, and that the young
man falls into every one. Jean Valjean had instituted an
undeclared war against Marius, which Marius, with the
sublime stupidity of his passion and his age, did not divine.
Jean Valjean laid a host of ambushes for him; he changed
his hour, he changed his bench, he forgot his handkerchief,
he came alone to the Luxembourg; Marius dashed head-
long into all these snares; and to all the interrogation marks
planted by Jean Valjean in his pathway, he ingenuously
answered ‘yes.’ But Cosette remained immured in her ap-
parent unconcern and in her imperturbable tranquillity, so
that Jean Valjean arrived at the following conclusion: ‘That
ninny is madly in love with Cosette, but Cosette does not
even know that he exists.’
None the less did he bear in his heart a mournful tremor.
The minute when Cosette would love might strike at any
moment. Does not everything begin with indifference?
Only once did Cosette make a mistake and alarm him.
He rose from his seat to depart, after a stay of three hours,
and she said: ‘What, already?’
Jean Valjean had not discontinued his trips to the Lux-
embourg, as he did not wish to do anything out of the way,
and as, above all things, he feared to arouse Cosette; but
during the hours which were so sweet to the lovers, while
Cosette was sending her smile to the intoxicated Marius,
who perceived nothing else now, and who now saw nothing
in all the world but an adored and radiant face, Jean Valjean
was fixing on Marius flashing and terrible eyes. He, who had