1776 Les Miserables
tory. The epoch, surnamed ‘of the riots,’ abounds in details
of this nature. Judicial inquiries have not revealed, and per-
haps have not sounded the depths, for another reason than
history. We shall therefore bring to light, among the known
and published peculiarities, things which have not hereto-
fore been known, about facts over which have passed the
forgetfulness of some, and the death of others. The major-
ity of the actors in these gigantic scenes have disappeared;
beginning with the very next day they held their peace; but
of what we shall relate, we shall be able to say: ‘We have
seen this.’ We alter a few names, for history relates and does
not inform against, but the deed which we shall paint will
be genuine. In accordance with the conditions of the book
which we are now writing, we shall show only one side and
one episode, and certainly, the least known at that, of the
two days, the 5th and the 6th of June, 1832, but we shall do
it in such wise that the reader may catch a glimpse, beneath
the gloomy veil which we are about to lift, of the real form
of this frightful public adventure.