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tore off a strip which he concealed under his blouse, prob-
ably thinking that this morsel of stuff might serve, later on,
to identify the assassinated man and the assassin. However,
he found no more than the thirty francs.
‘That’s true,’ said he, ‘both of you together have no more
than that.’
And, forgetting his motto: ‘half shares,’ he took all.
He hesitated a little over the large sous. After due reflec-
tion, he took them also, muttering:
‘Never mind! You cut folks’ throats too cheap altogeth-
er.’
That done, he once more drew the big key from under
his blouse.
‘Now, my friend, you must leave. It’s like the fair here,
you pay when you go out. You have paid, now clear out.’
And he began to laugh.
Had he, in lending to this stranger the aid of his key, and
in making some other man than himself emerge from that
portal, the pure and disinterested intention of rescuing an
assassin? We may be permitted to doubt this.
Thenardier helped Jean Valjean to replace Marius on his
shoulders, then he betook himself to the grating on tiptoe,
and barefooted, making Jean Valjean a sign to follow him,
looked out, laid his finger on his mouth, and remained for
several seconds, as though in suspense; his inspection fin-
ished, he placed the key in the lock. The bolt slipped back
and the gate swung open. It neither grated nor squeaked. It
moved very softly.
It was obvious that this gate and those hinges, carefully