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‘They are chimeras. The confidence with which Mon-
sieur le Baron honors me renders it my duty to tell him so.
Truth and justice before all things. I do not like to see folks
accused unjustly. Monsieur le Baron, Jean Valjean did not
rob M. Madeleine and Jean Valjean did not kill Javert.’
‘This is too much! How is this?’
‘For two reasons.’
‘What are they? Speak.’
‘This is the first: he did not rob M. Madeleine, because it
is Jean Valjean himself who was M. Madeleine.’
‘What tale are you telling me?’
‘And this is the second: he did not assassinate Javert, be-
cause the person who killed Javert was Javert.’
‘What do you mean to say?’
‘That Javert committed suicide.’
‘Prove it! prove it!’ cried Marius beside himself.
Thenardier resumed, scanning his phrase after the man-
ner of the ancient Alexandrine measure:
‘Police-agent-Ja-vert-was-found-drowned-un-der-a-
boat-of-the-Pont-au-Change.’
‘But prove it!’
Thenardier drew from his pocket a large envelope of gray
paper, which seemed to contain sheets folded in different
sizes.
‘I have my papers,’ he said calmly.
And he added:
‘Monsieur le Baron, in your interests I desired to know
Jean Valjean thoroughly. I say that Jean Valjean and M.
Madeleine are one and the same man, and I say that Javert