328 Les Miserables
roar, whirled round, gave a leap like a panther, and hurled
herself upon the man, burying her nails in his face, with the
most frightful words which could fall from the guard-room
into the gutter. These insults, poured forth in a voice rough-
ened by brandy, did, indeed, proceed in hideous wise from a
mouth which lacked its two front teeth. It was Fantine.
At the noise thus produced, the officers ran out in
throngs from the cafe, passers-by collected, and a large and
merry circle, hooting and applauding, was formed around
this whirlwind composed of two beings, whom there was
some difficulty in recognizing as a man and a woman: the
man struggling, his hat on the ground; the woman striking
out with feet and fists, bareheaded, howling, minus hair and
teeth, livid with wrath, horrible.
Suddenly a man of lofty stature emerged vivaciously from
the crowd, seized the woman by her satin bodice, which was
covered with mud, and said to her, ‘Follow me!’
The woman raised her head; her furious voice suddenly
died away. Her eyes were glassy; she turned pale instead of
livid, and she trembled with a quiver of terror. She had rec-
ognized Javert.
The dandy took advantage of the incident to make his
escape.